Surgeon who typically operates on humans, was called in after the pit bull was strapped with fireworks and lit ablaze

NBCLA/JOMP: A 2-year-old pit bull pup who may have been the victim of a cruel Fourth of July prank was rescued July 5th, but it’s just the start of what likely will be a long recovery for the badly burned dog.  The young pit bull was found July 5 in the Van Nuys, Calif., area and brought to the East Valley Animal Shelter.

While rescuers are unsure exactly what happened to the dog they named Indy, they suspect he may have been hurt by fireworks the day before.

Shelter Transport Animal Rescue Team (S.T.A.R.T.) took the dog into their care Thursday. The group, which describes its purpose as removing animals from high-kill shelters in Los Angeles, is offering a $1,000 reward for the arrest and conviction of whoever injured Indy.

"We named him Indy because we want Independence Day to mark his freedom from those who hurt him," according to a video posted to S.T.A.R.T.’s Facebook page.

In the video, Indy takes ginger steps around his cage. He is suffering from third-degree burns over half his body, including on his stomach, legs and paws.

Dr. Daniel Slaton, a well-known surgeon who typically operates on humans, was called in after the pit bull was apparently strapped with fireworks and lit ablaze.  He believes based on the pattern and location of the burns, the dog was strapped with fireworks on July 4.

“Fire from the fireworks are going down his legs, and as it was being lit, he was walking and burning the bottoms of his feet,” said Slaton, lead surgeon at the Westlake Village Animal Hospital, where Indy has undergone at least 2 surgeries so far.

Called "sweet and gentle" by rescuers, the 2 to 3-year-old pup (pictured above) is being treated by a burn specialist at the private veterinarian hospital, where he’ll have to stay at least another month.

His next surgery is scheduled for Friday morning.

Rescuers are asking for the public’s help to fund Indy’s extensive recovery.

Anyone interested in donating is asked to contact donations@startrescue.org, or mail a check to:

S.T.A.R.T.
PO Box 4792
Valley Village, CA 91617

The organization notes that donations should be sent as "Personal and Gift so no charges are taken out, and kindly write INDY in the memo."

See video HERE

Related: 

'Rocket' the dog lucky to be alive after thugs attached an explosive to its neck and blew it up 

Justice for Dog Whose Face Was Blown Off By Fireworks!

Technorati Tags: stop animal cruelty,tougher sentences for animal abusers,animal advocates,INDY,stand-up,dogs,California,Westlake Village,4th of July,pet health,fireworks,cruelty,JOMP,Just One More Pet,holidays and pets,S.T.A.R.T.

Study Links Omega-3 Fatty Acids to Prostate Cancer

VOA: July 12, 2013

Fish oil supplements that are high in omega-3 fatty acids have been quite popular among people who take them to help with issues such as heart health.

Past research has indicated that omega-3 fatty acids, which are found in fish, fish oil and other foods such as wild rice and walnuts, can decrease the likelihood of cardiovascular disease.

But now new research released this week indicates that too much omega-3 could put men at a higher risk of developing prostate cancer, especially a deadly form of the disease. The finding confirms similar conclusions made in several earlier studies.  

While some experts have expressed skepticism about the study’s findings, men taking the supplement may find themselves weighing the benefits fish oil capsules may provide for their heart health versus the possible harm and increased risk of developing prostate cancer.

The study, conducted by researchers at Seattle’s Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, found that high concentrations of three anti-inflammatory and metabolically related fatty acids called eicosapentaenoic acid - EPA, eocosapentaenoic acid - DPA and docosahexaenoic acid – DHA that are found in fatty fish such as salmon as well as in fish-oil supplements, are linked with a 71 percent increased risk of developing high-grade prostate cancer, the kind that experts say are more likely to be fatal.

The Seattle study also revealed that too much of the fatty acids can also lead to a 44 percent increase in the risk of low-grade prostate cancer – which grows slowly - as well as an overall 43 percent increase in risk for all forms of prostate cancers.

Fish oil capsules are popular for heart health benefits

To reach their findings, the researchers studied a group of about 843 men who had prostate cancer and another group of 1,383 men who didn’t have the cancer. They found that the prostate cancer patients had higher levels of the omega-3 fatty acids in their blood than those in the non-cancer group.

The researchers said that the consistency of their findings suggest that these fatty acids are connected with the development of prostate tumors. They also caution those who want to increase their dosage of omega-3 fatty acids to consider any potential risks.

The researchers said they’re unclear so far about why the high levels of omega-3 fatty acids would increase prostate cancer risk. They do point out that omega-3 fatty acids converting into compounds could damage cells and DNA, and their role in immunosuppression.  They said that they don’t know whether or not these effects can actually impact cancer risks and that further research into possible mechanisms will be needed.

These new findings, published July 11 in the online edition of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, confirm those made in 2011 by the same Seattle researchers.

Technorati Tags: fatty acids,Omega-3 fatty acid,Cancer,prostate cancer,immunosuppression,fish oil,salmon

New York school drops Michelle Obama lunch standards: Kids too hungry

By Marion Algier  -  Cross-posted at AskMarion

WashingtonTimes:  New York's Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake school district has become the latest casualty in first lady Michelle Obama’s preferred lunch plan, dropping the menu after too many students complained of hunger.

“[Food service manager Nicky] Boehm and her staff worked hard to implement the new regulations, but there were just too many problems and too many foods that students did not like and would not purchase,” said Assistant Superintendent Chris Abdoo about the National School Lunch Program in a statement reported by EAGNews.org. “Students complained of being hungry with these lunches and the district lost money.”

More Fruit, Fewer Fries: Michelle Obama Might Have Taken the ‘Happy’ Out of McDonald’s Happy Meals

Side Note:  Obama Says Broccoli Is His Favorite Food… Launching Broccoli-Gate

(Reuters) - President Barack Obama likes burgers, hot dogs and such, but when it came time to answer a kid journalist's question about his favorite food, broccoli was the first word that sprang from his lips.

This revelation came on Tuesday at a White House event that recognized children who won a healthy recipe contest, as part of first lady Michelle Obama's anti-obesity campaign.

Having fun with the children, Obama agreed to take two questions from the journalists among them. The first asked what was Obama's favorite food. Broccoli was the presidential reply, according to a White House aide.

This from a politician who has literally eaten his way across the country: Burgers in a Washington suburb with Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev; ribs in Asheville, North Carolina; hot dogs at a basketball game in Dayton, Ohio; and a tasty pastry called a kringle in Wisconsin.

Obama's disclosure puts him starkly at odds with the culinary tastes of George H.W. Bush, who as president famously declared his dislike for broccoli.

"And I haven't liked it since I was a little kid and my mother made me eat it. And I'm president of the United States, and I'm not going to eat any more broccoli!" Bush said in 1990.

Steamed broccoli growers shipped thousands of pounds of broccoli to the White House in protest, and the vegetable was farmed out to homeless shelters.

Obama was clearly enjoying the spirit of the anti-obesity event, called the "Kids' State Dinner," which recognized winning recipes like "picky eater pita pizza pockets" and "sweet potato turkey sliders."

"Food can be fun. It can be healthy," Obama said. "You are setting up habits that are going to be great your entire life."

He joked that he's not much of a cook. "(In) my family, when they cooked vegetables, they were all boiled." Since then, he said, he has learned that healthy food can also taste good.

(Reporting by Steve Holland; Editing by Stacey Joyce)

Related: 

A Photographic History of President Obama Eating Junk Food During Photo Ops  

Video:  Stop Junk Food Marketing to Kids

Technorati Tags: Food,food choices,school lunches,Big Brother,New York,National School Lunch Program,Michelle Obama,Obamaland,food police,double standard,junk food,broccoli,Fast-Food,healthy choices,parental rights,example-leadership,Broccoli-Gate,intrgrity

Female inmates sterilized in California prisons without approval: report

Washington Times: A report by the Center for Investigative Reporting has found that doctors working at the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation sterilized nearly 150 female prisoners between 2006 and 2010 without required state approvals.

“At least 148 women received tubal ligations in violation of prison rules during those five years — and there are perhaps 100 more dating back to the late 1990s,” the report said.

Doctors under contract at the California Institution for Women in Corona and Valley State Prison for Women in Chowchilla targeted prisoners deemed likely to return to prison in the future, the report said.

Crystal Nguyen, a former Valley State Prison inmate who worked in the prison’s infirmary in 2007, said she often overheard staff asking inmates who were repeat offenders to agree to be sterilized.

“I was like, ‘Oh my God, that’s not right,’” she said during an interview with CIR. “Do they think they’re animals, and they don’t want them to breed anymore?”

The top medical manager at Valley State Prison from 2005 to 2008 characterized the surgeries as an empowerment issue for female prisoners, providing them the same options as women on the outside, CIR reported.

Psychologist Daun Martin claimed that some women in particularly desperate situations could commit crimes so they could return to prison for better prenatal care, thus taking advantage of the system.

“Do I criticize those women for manipulating the system because they’re pregnant? Absolutely not,” he told CIR. “But I don’t think it should happen. And I’d like to find ways to decrease that.”

Mr. Martin denied approving the surgeries, but at least 60 tubal ligations were performed at Valley State while he was in charge.

Mr. Martin’s colleague, Dr. Jacqueline Long, declined to discuss the matter.

Since 1994, the surgeries have required approval from top medical officials in Sacramento on a case-by-case basis, but no tubal ligation requests have come before the health care committee responsible for approving such surgeries, Dr. Ricki Barnett, who tracks medical services and costs for the California Prison Health Care Receivership Corp., told CIR.

“Everybody was operating on the fact that this was a perfectly reasonable thing to do,” she recalled.

Technorati Tags: California,prisoners,sterilization,tubal ligations,watch the other hand,individual rights,you be the judge