WHAT MAKES CATS CRAZY? by Jim Redwine
Gavel Gamut
By Jim Redwine
(Week of 15 June 2015)
When psychiatrists and psychologists diagnose for human mental illness they use psychometric tests and sometimes DNA factors but mainly just talk. That is, people, criminal defendants who have claimed insanity for example, are simply interviewed and their responses are analyzed. If their observed behavior plus their answers fall into certain categories, they are said to be mentally ill.
I assume the researchers at Johns Hopkins Medical School and the Stanley Medical Research Institute used the same methods to determine cat ownership can lead to human mental illness. The scientific journal Schizophrenia Research stated:
“Cat ownership in childhood has now been reported in three studies to be significantly more common in families in which the child is later diagnosed with schizophrenia or other serious mental illness….â€
The researchers attributed the causal connection to be a cat-borne parasite called Toxoplasma gondii that can cause an infection in humans. It is estimated that more than sixty million Americans may have caught this parasite from cats.
I do not know what methodology the researchers used, but since interviews are the main focus of detecting human mental illness I will assume the same is true for cats. I have tried this approach with our cat, Ajax. The interview went like this.
Ajax: Jim you are a human, right?
Jim: Right.
Ajax: Cats often fight over territory. Do humans engage in such behavior?
Jim: Not really. We do fight but we are too highly developed to need a reason.
Ajax: From watching television while clawing at Peg’s new carpet I note humans must spend a great deal of their time talking about sex.
Jim: That’s right, but for most people it’s just talk.
Ajax: Also, my fellow cats and I have marveled at all the food we find in dumpsters and landfills. We appreciate the cornucopia but wonder where it all comes from.
Jim: Yes, we humans have given ourselves dominion over the earth and we celebrate that situation by using what we please.
Ajax: Jim, you know we cats, especially we who are male, frequently abandon our young to their own devices. How about you guys.
Jim: No, we are very proud of all of our programs that focus on other people’s children.
Ajax: When you and Peg take me to the veterinarian, say to get “fixedâ€, and by the way I have never thanked you for that, I note people are caring for lots of animals. Do humans treat humans the same way?
Jim: Absolutely. We have Obama Care.
After this interview Ajax curled up in my favorite chair and gnawed on my house shoe as he issued his expert opinion on whether there was a connection between cats, humans and mental illness. He scratched his conclusion into Peg’s damask tablecloth:
“Humans make cats crazy.â€
Impaired Driver Arrested after Nearly Striking Trooper
SPONSORED BY DEFENSE ATTORNEY IVAN ARNAEZ.Â
DON’T GOÂ TO COURT ALONE. CALLÂ IVAN ARNAEZÂ @ 812-424-6671.
 Saturday night, June 13, at approximately 11:40, Trooper Lucas Zeien was assisting Evansville Police and Vanderburgh Sheriff’s Department with a traffic stop on US 41 at Riverside Drive. During the traffic stop Zeien was securing a female suspect in his patrol car when he heard other officers yelling at the driver of an oncoming pickup truck to stop. The driver slammed on the brakes and stopped inches from the rear of Zeien’s patrol car. The driver then pulled away and continued to drive again nearly striking Zeien.  Moments later the vehicle came to a stop after a passenger inside the pickup truck put the vehicle in park. The driver was identified as Griffin Yorke, 30, of Henderson, KY. Further investigation revealed he had a blood alcohol content of .23%. He was arrested and taken to the Vanderburgh County Jail where he is currently being held without bond.
Arrested and Charges:
- Griffin Yorke, 30, Henderson, KY
- Driving While Intoxicated, Class A Misdemeanor
- Failure to Yield to Emergency Vehicle, Infraction
- Open Container Violation, Infraction
Vanderburgh County Recent Booking Records
SPONSORED BY DEFENSE ATTORNEY IVAN ARNAEZ.Â
DON’T GOÂ TO COURT ALONE. CALLÂ IVAN ARNAEZÂ @ 812-424-6671.
EPD Activity Report
SPONSORED BY DEFENSE ATTORNEY IVAN ARNAEZ.Â
DON’T GOÂ TO COURT ALONE. CALLÂ IVAN ARNAEZÂ @ 812-424-6671.
Komen Evansville Tri-state Race
It’s that time of year to start gathering your teams and designing your shirts. This year we are incorporating a Superhero theme into the race, so keep that in mind when designing your T-Shirt this year.
Registrations is now open. You may use code: EARLYBIRD now thru June 20th for a $5.00 your registration fees. This does exclude the Youth registration, it is already reduced to $15.00.  Click here to Register
This year we are also holding a Kid Zone T-shirt design contest. All kids ages 4-10 are eligible to enter.  Click here to download the registration form. Voting will take place on our Facebook page and at Old National Bank Downtown in the atrium July 6-13. All entries must be received by June 30th.
We are introducing a new Race for the Cure® registration option this year, Superhero Package. This registration includes your race entry, an official race Pink Superhero Cape and on site parking located next to Dillard’s. This package cost $40.00. Follow the fun on our Instagram page @KomenEvansville #CapefortheCure
 Watch our Website and Facebook page for more information as our dates approach.Â
- June 20 – Painting with a Purpose, Hosted by Painting with a Twist, Evansville, IN  Register here.
- August 6 & 7 – Komen Owensboro Bowl for the Cure®, Diamond Lanes, Owensboro, KY
- August TBD  – Volunteer Appreciation Celebration, Evansville, IN
- August 29 – Survivor Breakfast, Old National Events Plaza (formerly The Centre)
- September 27 – Komen Evansville Tri-State Race for the Cure®, EASTLAND MALL, Evansville, IN
- November 5 – Surviving with Style – Tropicana, Evansville, IN
Want to help?
Contact info@komenevansville for more information on these opportunities.
- It’s RACE SEASON! We can always use a helping hand. We are currently looking for individuals to help with Race Entry Form Distribution. This works best with 2 volunteers at a time, one to drive and one to drop them off.
BBQ Pulled Pork Fundraiser for SWIRCA & MORE
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Provided by Old Fashion Butcher Shoppe
SWIRCA & More has begun selling BBQ Pulled Pork provided by The Old Fashioned Butcher Shoppe.
2 lbs of BBQ will be sold for $15 and all the proceeds will benefit SWIRCA & More.
Orders may be placed with Rachel at the front desk at SWIRCA or at Old Fashion Butcher Shoppe. All orders are due by June 24th and the BBQ will be ready for pickup on July 2nd- just in time for your Independence Day Celebration!
For more information, contact Lexi Leak at aleak@swirca.org or 492-7407.
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“Flight at the Evansville Museum,” June 27-28
The Evansville Museum of Art, History and Science proudly announces “Flight at the Evansville Museum,” a two-day event providing the best seats in Evansville for the air show extravaganza.
From 11am to 6pm each day, ticketholders will enjoy the use of the MuseumÂ’s back yard and parking lot on the bank of the Ohio River while viewing the United States Navy Blue Angels, Canadian Forces Snowbirds, Air Force F-16 Viper Demo Team, USAF Heritage Flight, military and civilian performers, and vintage warbirds.
Tickets for “Flight at the Evansville Museum” are $30 dollars for one day or $50 for both days for museum members. For non-members the price is $50 dollars per day. Children ages 12 and under attend free. Ticket purchase includes a ShrinersFest button, Museum admission, parking at the Fifth Third parking garage, two drink tickets and Museum back yard and parking lot access. RSVP required to gain access to the festival grounds with your ShrinersFest button. Bring your lawn chairs, no coolers or tents permitted.
Select food vendors are confirmed for the event including Bubbles, DiLeggeÂ’s Restaurant, Papa JohnÂ’s, Acropolis and JasonÂ’s Deli.
Governor Pence Lauds Environmental Progress on Lake Erie Basin
Administration has made great progress in first two years, says Gov. Mike Pence
Indianapolis – Governor Mike Pence issued the following statement regarding the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Governors and Premiers 2015 Leadership Summit.
“I commend Lieutenant Governor Ellspermann for her leadership in representing Indiana at the summit in Quebec City, and I am proud of Indiana’s efforts to clean up our waterways and protect the Great Lakes.Â
“Since the beginning of my administration, Indiana has made great progress in reducing the amount of phosphorus entering the Lake Erie basin. Multiple state agencies, including the Indiana State Department of Agriculture and the Indiana Department of Environmental Management have worked tirelessly with the Indiana Conservation Partnership and our local stakeholders to implement voluntary programs designed to reduce phosphorus in our waterways.
“Since 2013, the Indiana Conservation Partnership has implemented more than 7,400 projects along the six Indiana counties lying within the Western Lake Erie Basin. These projects have resulted in an estimated reduction of more than 112,000 pounds of phosphorus in the Lake Erie Basin. These efforts represent only part of the broader 2.5 million pounds of phosphorus reduced statewide since early 2013. We are proud of the progress of these programs and look to build on them in the coming years.
“Indiana remains committed to reducing the amount of phosphorus entering our waterways and I applaud those involved because their efforts have produced results.â€
The Canadian Province of Ontario as well as Michigan and Ohio entered into the Western Basin of Lake Erie Collaborative Agreement today that uses 2008 phosphorus data as a baseline to reduce phosphorus entering Lake Erie’s western basin by 40 percent by the year 2025. Because Indiana does not have sufficient phosphorus data for 2008, the state opted to decline in signing the agreement.
The Indiana Conservation Partnership is comprised of eight federal and state partner agencies: the Indiana Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts, the Indiana Department of Environmental Management, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, the Indiana State Department of Agriculture, the Purdue Cooperative Extension Service, the State Soil Conservation Board, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency, and the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service.