Celiac disease is an immune disorder that triggers severe gut reactions, including diarrhea and bloating, to foods containing gluten, a protein found in wheat, rye and barley. Now new research has linked an increase risk for celiac disease in young people to toxic chemicals commonly found in pesticides, nonstick cookware and fast food packaging, and fire retardants, among other sources.
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Study overview
Researchers analyzed levels of toxic chemicals in the blood of 30 children and young adults, ages 3 to 21, who were newly diagnosed with celiac disease at NYU Langone Hassenfeld Children’s Hospital. Test results were compared with those from 60 other young people of similar age, gender, and race.
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Results overview
The results of the scientific study revealed that children and young adults with high blood levels of pesticides, including high levels of pesticide-related chemicals called dichlorodiphenyldichlorethylenes (DDEs), were twice as likely to be newly diagnosed…
Stray cats are a common sight on many city streets, and people either stop and try to pet them, or ignore them altogether. To differentiate, stray cats are socialized to people, while feral cats are more likely the offspring of strays, are not socialized to people, and have reverted to a wild state. Catching feral cats is thus important to reduce health risks and control their population.
One animal champion endured some pain while out catching feral cats, but the cat soon calmed down and seemingly fell in love with its rescuer!
The American Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) defines a feral cat as “any cat who is too poorly socialized to be handled … and who cannot be placed into a typical pet home.”
The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals estimates that there are between 60 million and 100 million feral cats in the U.S.
The Dodo | Facebook
These cats often form colonies and live in areas where shelter and food can be found, such as vacant lots and old cars. They eat from trash cans and face infection, disease, and suffer extremes in treatment and weather. Feral cats are known to decimate bird populations and pose health risks, including flea infestations.
They also go through endless cycle of breeding, since females can become pregnant as young as 16 weeks of age and produce two to three litters a year. In seven years, a single female cat and her kittens can create 420,000 more cats.
The Dodo | Facebook
Catching feral cats as part of neutering programs help bring down the population and reduce the challenges that they bring.
According to the American Association of Feline Practitioners, neutering programs entail that stray and feral cats are “humanely trapped, examined, vaccinated, and surgically sterilized by veterinarians.”
But catching feral cats is certainly not easy. Hissing and biting comes with the territory, but for cats that may still be in that borderline between stray and feral, they may be able to appreciate human care.
The Dodo | Facebook
One animal advocate certainly found out the hard way. On a routine mission of catching feral cats, he chances upon a cat with its head trapped in can, most likely in an attempt to get the last morsel of food in the container. Carefully carrying the cat back to his car, he gently dislodges the can, and is immediately faced with an angry and terrified cat.
Wary about bringing the feral cat back into a rescue center, he talks to the cat and gives it a chance – go back to where it came from, or maybe have food and warmth in a safe environment. Fortunately, the cat decided that it was time to be saved!
Photo by The Dodo/YouTube
After some food and gentle loving care, the cat still lets out a few hisses every now and then, but grows more comfortable around human company.
The cat soon accepts the hand of its rescuer and shows some love! Catching feral cats may be risky, but certainly has its rewards. See the feral cat transform into a tranquil pet in the video below:
h/t : The Dodo (This site is for everyone who loves animals and wants to spread that love and make the world a better place for them. Visit Facebook page.)
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PETITION TARGET: U.S. Congress
Puppy mills are factory-like hell holes where mother dogs are forced to breed over and over in filthy, tiny cages until they are “spent.” Sick, starving and even pregnant dogs suffer without medical care in overcrowded, feces-infested and urine-soaked cages, shivering in freezing cold temperatures during the winter and suffering in agonizing heat during the summer, according to inspection reports from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
The USDA is tasked with protecting animals in puppy mills, roadside zoos and animal labs, but the agency’s shocking leniency enables these abusive operations to get away with vile animal cruelty. After withholding access to animal welfare records, their 2019 Impact Report claimed that 99 percent of licensed facilities were in “substantial compliance” with animal welfare laws without defining what exactly that term means.
Violations of the Animal Welfare Act are common, as evidenced by the U.S. Humane Society’s annual “Horrible Hundred” report on puppy mills, but details reflecting these widespread abusive operations are conspicuously absent from the report.
The USDA has the power to fine violators, revoke their licenses, and pursue criminal charges, but it chooses to allow many facilities to continue operating even after multiple uncorrected violations. Injured and sick dogs are not properly cared for, leading to a rise in disease outbreaks. By obscuring inspection records, adopting increasingly relaxed animal welfare policies, and barely enforcing established animal protections, the USDA is failing to protect puppies from being abused for profit. It’s time to fight back.
New bipartisan legislation could end barbaric wire cages and inadequate veterinary care for puppies throughout the United States. The Puppy Protection Act aims to improve the lives of thousands of dogs forced to live in filthy, crowded conditions for the benefit of cruel, profit-driven breeders.
Sign this petition urging the U.S. Congress to pass the Puppy Protection Act, and call to end the puppy mill system once and for all.
Comment on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Proposed Rule, which is misnamed “Strengthening Transparency in Regulatory Science” by May 18, 2020, Eastern. Related information, Open Docket Folder and comment here: https://www.regulations.gov/docket?D=EPA-HQ-OA-2018-0259
Excerpts from Keweenaw Bay [American] Indian Community letter: “On April 30, 2018, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published a notice of proposed rule that would drastically reduce the types of scientific studies that can be used to inform EPA regulations protecting public health under the guise of improving transparency.
On August 13, 2018, the National Tribal Air Association (NTAA) submitted comments opposing the proposed rule, explaining, among other things, that the rule would undermine EPA’s mission to protect human health and the environment.
The NTAA explained that the proposed rule was vague, purported to addresss a non-existent and unsubstantiated problems, and would result in EPA failing to rely on the best available science in…
“He that takes truth for his guide, and duty for his end, may safely trust to God’s providence to lead him aright.” - Blaise Pascal. "There is but one straight course, and that is to seek truth and pursue it steadily" – George Washington letter to Edmund Randolph — 1795. We live in a “post-truth” world. According to the dictionary, “post-truth” means, “relating to or denoting circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief.” Simply put, we now live in a culture that seems to value experience and emotion more than truth. Truth will never go away no matter how hard one might wish. Going beyond the MSM idealogical opinion/bias and their low information tabloid reality show news with a distractional superficial focus on entertainment, sensationalism, emotionalism and activist reporting – this blogs goal is to, in some small way, put a plug in the broken dam of truth and save as many as possible from the consequences—temporal and eternal. "The further a society drifts from truth, the more it will hate those who speak it." – George Orwell “There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn’t true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true.” ― Soren Kierkegaard
