Animals affected by the disaster in Japan need a little help too
Posted by Michelle Moquin on March 17th, 2011
Probably many of you have already seen this but I could not help from posting anyway. I am such a huge lover of animals and everyone knows that dogs hold a special place in my heart.
I was first told about this video from Doug and then I happened to see it on Yahoo News.
Dog in Japan stays by the side of its ailing friend in the rubble
It’s a universal truth that dogs are man’s best friend, but they’re pretty darn loyal to their own as well. Case in point: this tear-inducing video, via the website Jezebel, showing a dog, shivering and disoriented, remaining loyally by the side of a stricken fellow canine amid the devastation of the Japanese tsunami.
The video is a stark reminder that, as was the case when Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast in 2005, there will likely be thousands of pets orphaned or involuntarily abandoned due to the catastrophe in Japan. If you’d like to help efforts to help these animals, you can find info on doing so below.
UPDATE: CNN and the UK Telegraph have both reported that the dogs have been rescued since the footage aired, and are both receiving veterinary care; the more seriously wounded dog is at a clinic in the city of Mito, while the protective spaniel-type dog is receiving care at a shelter in the same town.
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Readers: Thankfully these two pals have been rescued, but we know others are still out there, hurt and alone, confused and scared, looking for their best friends, human and canine to help them….to comfort them.
The livelihood of animals has always been a passion of mine. The little loves depend on us so much. It’s amazing how much I depend on their love. Whenever I see or hear about hurt, homeless, or abused animals, I always think of my own little love Lucy, and how grateful I am to be her companion. Then I hug and kiss her over and over again, and tell her she is such a lucky dog…but that I am even luckier.
Animals affected by the disaster in Japan aren’t so lucky. And they need a little help too. So why not give a little love back in the form of support.
The organizations below specifically help with animal rescue efforts in the affected areas of Japan. However, once again, please make sure that you do your due diligence before you donate to ensure you’re not getting scammed.
And if you are thinking of donating you might want to check out exactly where you’re money is going. I always go to the Better Business Bureau website first, and research the business that will be receiving my donation. I do this to make sure that the majority of my money donated (At least 60% or more) is going to the cause, in this case the animals, and not toward administration. Just a suggestion, if you want to ensure that the recipient of your donation is getting the most bang from your hard-earned buck.
World Vets is a non-government organization (NGO) providing veterinary aid around the globe in collaboration with animal advocacy groups, foreign governments, US and foreign military groups and veterinary professionals abroad. They are getting supplies and a first responder team ready to deploy to Japan.
March 15 update: World Vets is also accepting donations of veterinary supplies and medications at their Fargo, ND headquarters.
The American Humane Association’s Red Star Animal Emergency Services Team is monitoring the situation closely and is reaching out to its international partners in order to provide a joint response to this global emergency.
The National Disaster Search Dog Foundation has deployed search and rescue teams to Japan.
The Animal Refuge Kansai is an organization in Kansai, Japan, that is preparing for a huge influx of animals from the disaster areas.
Japan Cat Network, together with Heart Tokushima and Animal Friends Niigatahas formed Japan Animal Rescue and Support. They are providing frequent updates of rescue efforts on their Facebook page.
March 15 update: they’ve posted a wish list of items for in country donations, but ask that you contact them before shipping anything from overseas.
Please note that the donation links for the organizations in Japan take you to the Japanese language version of PayPal. Once you enter the amount of your donation in Japanese yen (4000 yen is roughly $50 US), and enter your PayPal login information, it takes you to an English PayPal page and you can complete the donation.
The Animal Miracle Network Foundation is collecting cell phones to send to volunteers helping animals in Japan.
Blog me.
Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.
Gratefully your blog host,
michelle
Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)
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March 17th, 2011 at 9:59 am
Hi Mischa, if only the cattle (er, humans, I mean) on this planet showed this kind of compassion for one another…
…it’s a sad state of affairs for animals stateside, too, people here are dumping or not taking the family pets when they move out of their foreclosed homes nowadays. Lucy looks as adorable as ever.
Here’s an article re: MOX, uranium and plutonium, scary – who thought of this as a good way to provide energy?
http://www.dcbureau.org/201103151304/Natural-Resources-News-Service/is-airborne-plutonium-a-threat-from-reactor-number-three.html
Not sure this link took but you can cut and paste to find out what a bunch of imbeciles thought was a good idea, who are these people?
I spoke with my mother this morning, she said this is harder for people your age to grasp, I lived through the depression, it was terrible for 5-6 years, long pause, then: it only ended with a war, I’m still not sure what was worst. Sigh, I can understand her mixed emotions on that one. So, get ready, bc if Japan doesn’t blow, something else will, likely to be Libya and probably much sooner than 5-6 years…just my own prediction there.
Luv – Zen Lill
March 17th, 2011 at 11:41 am
Dumb Americans still Dumb—
From a poll on cnn.com today, 166,462 people responded to it as of this writing:
How should the United States approach the production of nuclear power?
Expand it – 49% 81,053
Keep status quo – 26% 42,853
Reduce it – 26% 42,556
Do the Americans need to get nuked before they realize what they are dealing with?
March 18th, 2011 at 8:22 am
Bahn:
There are OTW Americans and there are white americans. For your understanding OTW means other than white. White americans make up about 80% of the American population.
I include the above demographics so that when people are talking about the absolutely ridiculous stupidity of the American people they know where to squarely deliver the title.
White america as a group is as ignorant as you can get. When you consider the opportunities for them to have access at different opinions on any given subject, they become far and away the most ignorant people in the world.
The primary reason is racism and their propensity to lie. For example, if you google -what percent of white americans are racist, you will get the lie, 15%. That is the Big lie.
White america on any given day is 30% plus the most racist motherfucker on the planet. By that I mean they would open the ovens and put the rest of the population in them without batting an eye or having a tinge of consciousness.
30% plus would have the tinge of conscious but would go alone with whatever the extreme racist group could get away with. This is the worst group they lie at every opportunity about the extreme racist behavior of the first group.
About 30% of the white america is like the rest of OTW America. They can be influenced in the same way as the OTW American. It just depends on how you go at them and their willingness to look for a second opinion.
American works best not because it has the best mixture of peoples of the world but when they work best together as a team.
When you ask do Americans need to get nuked before they realize what they are dealing with. The answer to that is the simple truth, no and no.
White american has to personally suffer to realize their problem in that area. But you have to understand when you are dealing with the level of ignorance of white america that a terrible experience by this group is not sufficient. Witness how many times they have experienced the financial sector screwing the economy and how many times the stupid white american is willing to continue to allow them to do the same shit to them.
When you add racism to that kind of stupidity any idiocy can be accomplished in America. So my answer is even if America suffers a terrible nuclear mishap. White america makes up such a large percentage of the population that they could easily be convinced that they should be “proactive” and not reactive and build safer and better nuclear power plants.
A white american with a buzz word(Proactive) or a talking point is the most dangerous person in the world because he will follow whatever it tells him to.
Robert
March 18th, 2011 at 8:27 am
Signs That You May be Boring Your Conversation Partner
Gretchen Rubin
The person fidgets or turns slightly away from you instead of being still, sitting upright and looking at you.
He/she changes the subject abruptly… stays silent and doesn’t interrupt you to ask questions or to remark on something you said…
asks simple questions just to seem polite, such as “Where did you go?”… gives short responses, such as “really” and “wow”… and doesn’t ask you to elaborate or explain anything.
Personal interviewed Gretchen Rubin, New York City-based founder and author of The Happiness Project (Harper). http://www.HappinessProject.com
March 18th, 2011 at 8:47 am
America is always trying to tell the rest of the world what to do with their nuclear power plants. They need to look in their own backyard.
I agree with Bahn. America will continue to be pro nuclear as long as they have not experienced the horror of a nuclear meltdown.
March 18th, 2011 at 8:56 am
Zen Lill:
The way I look at it. The japanese knew the risk of using nuclear power. They reside on the Ring of Fire. It was only a matter of time before mother nature exposed them to something that would cause a nuclear failure.
Let’s hope they get the message. But looking at the rest of the nations who have experienced nuclear mishaps, I wouldn’t count on it.
Mildred
March 18th, 2011 at 9:16 am
Abhijat,
You got it right about America alway telling the rest of the world what to do, while ignoring their own backyard…
March 18th, 2011 at 9:23 am
Michelle:
Wonderful article. I love dogs. I have three. I see you groom yours well.
March 18th, 2011 at 9:36 am
[...] Robert: I like what you wrote. It’s unfortunate that the people who could convince white America to be proactive instead of reactive, are the ones in power who not only care more about profits than people, but are racist, and only looking out for them and theirs. They are not concerned about all, therefore they can lead the stupid people to follow their own self-aggrandizing agenda, and the people will simply follow in a daze. [...]
March 18th, 2011 at 9:44 am
Once more the Legislature of the US is on the take and are bought off by an industry. This time they have been purchased to allow the food industry.
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Food dyes are one of the most widely used and dangerous additives. While the European Union has recently placed regulations on labeling food dyes to inform consumers of the health risks, the United States has no such requirement.
Here are some of the most common food dyes used today, according to the Food Freedom Network:
Blue #1 (Brilliant Blue)
An unpublished study suggested the possibility that Blue 1 caused kidney tumors in mice. What it’s in: Baked goods, beverages, desert powders, candies, cereal, drugs, and other products.
Blue #2 (Indigo Carmine)
Causes a statistically significant incidence of tumors, particularly brain gliomas, in male rats. What it’s in: Colored beverages, candies, pet food, & other food and drugs.
Citrus Red #2
It’s toxic to rodents at modest levels and caused tumors of the urinary bladder and possibly other organs. What it’s in: Skins of Florida oranges.
Green #3 (Fast Green)
Caused significant increases in bladder and testes tumors in male rats. What it’s in: Drugs, personal care products, cosmetic products except in eye area, candies, beverages, ice cream, sorbet; ingested drugs, lipsticks, and externally applied cosmetics.
Red #3 (Erythrosine)
Recognized in 1990 by the FDA as a thyroid carcinogen in animals and is banned in cosmetics and externally applied drugs. What it’s in: Sausage casings, oral medication, maraschino cherries, baked goods, candies.
Red #40 (Allura Red)
This is the most-widely used and consumed dye. It may accelerate the appearance of immune-system tumors in mice. It also causes hypersensitivity (allergy-like) reactions in some consumers and might trigger hyperactivity in children. What it’s in: Beverages, bakery goods, dessert powders, candies, cereals, foods, drugs, and cosmetics.
Yellow #5 (Tartrazine)
Yellow 5 causes sometimes-severe hypersensitivity reactions and might trigger hyperactivity and other behavioral effects in children. What it’s in: Pet foods, numerous bakery goods, beverages, dessert powders, candies, cereals, gelatin desserts, and many other foods, as well as pharmaceuticals and cosmetics.
Yellow #6 (Sunset Yellow)
Caused adrenal tumors in animals and occasionally causes severe hypersensitivity reactions. What it’s in: Color bakery goods, cereals, beverages, dessert powders, candies, gelatin deserts, sausage, cosmetics and drugs.
Sources:
Food Freedom Network February 3, 2011
Center for Science in the Public Interest “Food Dyes: A Rainbow of Risks” (PDF)
Dr. Mercola’s Comments:
Every year, food manufacturers pour 15 million pounds of artificial food dyes into U.S. foods — and that amount only factors in eight different varieties, according to the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI).
These dyes are so common in U.S. foods — especially kids’ foods — that parents don’t think twice about giving their children rainbow-colored cereal or fluorescent blue “juice,” and adults don’t consider bright orange cheese puffs out of the ordinary, either.
But you might do a double take if these food packages contained warnings detailing what these artificial food colorings may really be doing to your health, and that of your children.
Well, in the European Union at least, they do. As of July 2010, most foods in the EU that contain artificial food dyes were labeled with warning labels stating the food “may have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children.” The British government also asked that food manufacturers remove most artificial colors from foods back in 2009.
In the United States, however, consumers are still snatching up artificially colored foods with fervor, as most are completely unaware of the risks involved … and let me just say, hyperactivity in children is only the tip of the iceberg.
Cancer and Other Serious Risks from Food Dyes Revealed
In CSPI’s summary of studies on food dyes, you can see that some of the most commonly used food dyes may be linked to numerous forms of cancer. CSPI reported:
“The three most widely used dyes, Red 40, Yellow 5, and Yellow 6, are contaminated with known carcinogens … Another dye, Red 3, has been acknowledged for years by the Food and Drug Administration to be a carcinogen, yet is still in the food supply.”
In their 58-page report, “Food Dyes: A Rainbow of Risks,” CSPI revealed that nine of the food dyes currently approved for use in the United States are linked to health issues ranging from cancer and hyperactivity to allergy-like reactions — and these results were from studies conducted by the chemical industry itself.
For instance, Red # 40, which is the most widely used dye, may accelerate the appearance of immune-system tumors in mice, while also triggering hyperactivity in children.
Blue # 2, used in candies, beverages, pet foods and more, was linked to brain tumors. And Yellow 5, used in baked goods, candies, cereal and more, may not only be contaminated with several cancer-causing chemicals, but it’s also linked to hyperactivity, hypersensitivity and other behavioral effects in children.
As CSPI reported:
“Almost all the toxicological studies on dyes were commissioned, conducted, and analyzed by the chemical industry and academic consultants. Ideally, dyes (and other regulated chemicals) would be tested by independent researchers.
Furthermore, virtually all the studies tested individual dyes, whereas many foods and diets contain mixtures of dyes (and other ingredients) that might lead to additive or synergistic effects.
In addition to considerations of organ damage, cancer, birth defects, and allergic reactions, mixtures of dyes (and Yellow 5 tested alone) cause hyperactivity and other behavioral problems in some children.
… Because of those toxicological considerations, including carcinogenicity, hypersensitivity reactions, and behavioral effects, food dyes cannot be considered safe.
The FDA should ban food dyes, which serve no purpose other than a cosmetic effect, though quirks in the law make it difficult to do so (the law should be amended to make it no more difficult to ban food colorings than other food additives).
In the meantime, companies voluntarily should replace dyes with safer, natural colorings.”
Remember Why Food Colorings are Added to Foods in the First Place …
If you need further incentive to ditch artificially colored foods from your diet, remember the reason they’re added to processed foods in the first place: to make a food that would otherwise be an off-colored mess look appealing.
When foods are processed not only are valuable nutrients lost and fibers removed, but the texture, natural variation and flavors are lost also. After processing, what’s actually left behind is a bland, uninteresting “pseudo-food” that most people would find entirely unappetizing.
So at this point, food manufacturers must add back in the nutrients, flavor, color and texture in order to make them desirable, and this is why they become loaded with food additives.
Most commonly, additives are included to:
Slow spoilage
Prevent fats and oils from becoming rancid or developing an off-flavor
Prevent cut fruits from turning brown
Fortify or enrich the food with synthetic vitamins and minerals (which are lost during processing)
Improve taste, texture and appearance
In the case of kids’ foods, bright colors are also added to attract kids’ attention and make the foods appear “fun.” But in most cases, if a food comes in an outrageous color that is not found in nature, consuming it is not a good idea.
Take one carefully designed, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study published in the journal The Lancet.
It concluded that a variety of common food dyes, and the preservative sodium benzoate — found in many soft drinks, fruit juices and salad dressings — do in fact cause some children to become measurably more hyperactive and distractible.
The study also found that the E-numbered food dyes do as much damage to children’s brains as lead in gasoline, resulting in a significant reduction in IQ.
The results of this study were what prompted the British Food Standards Agency (FSA) to issue an immediate advisory to parents, warning them to limit their children’s intake of additives if they notice an effect on behavior.
As mentioned earlier, they also advised the food industry to voluntarily remove the six food dyes named in the study back in 2009, and replace them with natural alternatives if possible.
The United States, however, has not followed suit in issuing any similar warnings to American parents, even now two years later.
Stick to Naturally Colored Foods for Your Health
Let me make it clear that your diet should include a range of vibrantly colored foods … but these foods should be the ones that are naturally rich in color.
Red bell peppers, purple eggplant, green spinach, blueberries and rainbow chard are all examples of healthy foods whose bright colors are signs of the important nutrients they contain.
These are the food colors you need in your diet … not the man-made varieties found in most processed foods. The good news is avoiding artificial food dyes is incredibly easy — just stick to whole fresh foods and avoid the processed ones. If you need help breaking an addiction to processed foods, these seven steps will help you wean off of them in favor of healthier, unprocessed, natural alternatives.
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Although both parties are crooked, the republicans are shameless with their willingness to take any dollar offered to them.
Who is voting for a party that takes a few dollars to permit a food dye to be put in our food that does this/ “The study also found that the E-numbered food dyes do as much damage to children’s brains as lead in gasoline, resulting in a significant reduction in IQ.”
Carrie
March 20th, 2011 at 10:21 am
[...] I like being on the winning side”, tells me that you are probably part of the 30% that Robert and Anonz speak of, not the 30% that are blatant racist, but the 30% that have the tinge of [...]