WW II hero

Delbert “Shorty” Belton,   a World War ll veteran  was beaten to death outside his favorite hangout : the Eagles Lodge in Spokane Washington. He was 88 years old and beaten to death by two black youths.  Belton was found inside his car, unconscious with severe head injuries, according to the LA times.  Belton died Thursday after the beating.

WW ll hero

He was a PURLPE HEART recipient who lived through Okinawa, but was killed in his own neighborhood!    A spokesperson for the police department relates that it “does appear random”. It appears that he was assaulted in the parking lot and there was no indication that he would have known these people prior to the assault.  Mr. Belton loved to play pool at the Eagle Lodge.  He retired after working at Kaiser Aluminum Company for more than 30 years.  Candlelight vigils have been held and many kind words have been spoken about the man nicknamed Shorty.

‘A wonderful angel’

  He was well at home in Washington among his many friends, who affectionately called him “Shorty” because of his diminutive height. His daughter-in-law, Barbara Belton, told CNN’s Alina Machado that she couldn’t fathom the reason for and viciousness of the attack. “He didn’t drive a big fancy car. He didn’t didn’t dress in expensive clothes. He didn’t have a lot of money,” she said. “What did they think they were going to get from this man?”

WWll hero

Meanwhile, the veteran’s family is trying to make sense of his sudden death.

Barbara Belton — who broke the bad news to the victim’s 65-year-old son, William, who is suffering from cancer and happened to be in the hospital — said that “it didn’t seem real.”

She said: “It’s a terrible way to have to die.”

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Fast food workers strike

Workers from McDonalds, Burger King, Wendys and KFC are striking. They  are  wanting their employers to increase their minimum wage to $15/hour and allow them to form unions. Currently the average wage is bout $9/hour which is lower than the poverty level for families.

Strike

This is the largest strike  ever to hit the $200 billion dollar fast-food industry. It is estimated that thousands of workers are involved in the strike across 60 cities.

Strike

Strikes took place in Chicago, Denver, Boston ,  Houston, Los Angeles, Memphis and dozens of other cities.

A number of community leaders and local politicians joined the rally in New York City where  speeches  were given outside a McDonald’s near the Empire State Building.

Strike

The campaign, organized by a coalition of labor, community and clergy groups called Fast Food Forward, has been building momentum since last November. Retail workers from stores such as Macy’s,  Sears ,Walgreens and Victoria’s Secret also joined some of strikers, organizers said.

 

 

 

 

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A Florida infant died after ingesting a laundry detergent pod.

A Florida infant dies after ingesting a laundry detergent pod. The mother who was staying at a battered women’s shelter “ put them in the laundry basket, on the bed where the child was sleeping.”  She stepped away for a brief moment  to talk to a staff member, and when she came back, the child was eating the laundry detergent packet. 911 was called and the child was rushed to the hospital where he died. The medical examiner said the toxicology report could take up to 12 weeks. It was reported that Florida loses 20 children each year to accidental poisoning.

Detergent pod

Dr. Cynthia Lewis-Younger, medical director of the Florida Poison Information Center of Tampa, said the pods became available in the US last year, and within weeks and months of them becoming available we began to get reports through the poison centers of children ending up in the hospital following exposure to the pods. From January 1- July 31 of this year there have been 5,732 exposures reported. Dy. Young reports that “that does not mean they  were all sick, it means they were exposed. ”

Detergent pods

Dr. Cathleen Clancy, associate medical director of the National Capital Poison Center, explains the dangers of the pods.  “They are double concentrated,” Clancy reported to ABC News. “They also have a very attractive packaging so the kids see them, touch them to their mouths, the surface coating dissolves as it is supposed to in the machine and then the insides are under a little pressure, especially if your gripping them with little toddler hands. “  “It squirts into your mouth, it’s very concentrated. You take a breath, some of it goes into your lungs, you start to cough, oxygen saturation goes down, you don’t have quite enough oxygen to your brain, you get lethargic, then you don’t breathe, then you throw up.”

Detergent pods

Dr. Lewis-Younger recommends that people not buy them that have children below the age of 5 in their home. However, if you’re going to buy them, “they need to be in a locked location, high.” She said if there is an exposure to call the Poison Control Center—the number is 800-222-1222.

Information received from ABC News

 

 

 

 

 

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CDC reports Stomach bug outbreak

Over 500 cases of infection with the cyclospora parasite in 16 states and New York City, with 30 patients hospitalized in five of those states have been reported.  Earlier in the week, the source of the outbreak in at least 2 states were traced to a Mexican farm that supplied salad mix to Olive Garden and Red Lobster restaurants.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced on its website that illnesses in The CDC (Center for Disease Control and Nebraska and Iowa were traced to Taylor Farms de Mexico.  The FDA has been trying to determine whether the prepackaged salad mix was the source of infection in the other states also. It is not clear if all the outbreaks are from the same source at this time.  Taylor Farms CEO relates that their plants have an extensive water-testing program and all of their tests have been negative. Taylor noted that Taylor Farms de Mexico does not supply Olive Garden and Red Lobster in Texas, the state that now has the highest number of illnesses in the outbreak.

According to the CDC, 190 illnesses reports so far were reported in Texas, Iowa has had 153 and Nebraska has had 85. Prior outbreaks have been caused by tainted produce the agency reported.  Cases have now been reported in Arkansas, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Texas and Wisconsin.  An expert cited that even though it makes people very ill, it is not usually life-threatening.

CDC reports symptoms

It is unlikely to be fatal, but can make people miserable. Symptoms include cramping   abdominal pain, watery diarrhea, loss of appetite, bloating, nausea, fatigue, fever, headache, and body aches.  The diarrhea can last for days. It takes about a week for people who are infected to become sick.   cyclosporiasis are caused by a single-celled parasite and cannot be spread from person to person; it has to be ingested via contaminated water or foods such as fruit and vegetables, according to the CDC.

It is believed there are many more cases not reported as people would tend to think that it is just a common stomach bug. The CDC director encourages people who have diarrhea more than a couple of days to be checked for cyclospora. If not treated, symptoms can last from a few days to a month or longer, go away and then return later. It can be treated with the antibiotic Bactrim.

The safest way to protect yourself and family is to always rinse fresh produce under water, and even put vegetables in a cold water bath ahead of time to properly clean them.  Prepackaged salads should also be washed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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VA healthcare and the Affordable Care Act

The Affordable Care Act was created to expand affordable health care coverage to all Americans. It is intended to lower cost and improve quality. Under the law, people will have:

·         Health coverage that meets a minimum standard

·         Qualify for an exemption

·         Make a payment when filing their taxes if they have affordable options but remain uninsured

 

VA wants all Veterans to get health care that Improves their health and well-being

·         If you are enrolled in VA health care , you don’t need to take additional steps to meet the health care coverage standards,

·         The health care law does not change VA health benefits or Veterans out-of-pocket costs

·         If you are not enrolled in VA health care, you can apply at anytime

·         If you are enrolled in any VA programs below, you have coverage under the standards of heath care law:

·         Veteran’s health care program

·         Civilian Health and Medical Program (CHAMPVA)

·         Spina bifida health care program

What are the benefits of VA health care programs?

·         Medical care among the best in the U.S.

·         Immediate benefits of health care coverage. Veterans may apply at any time.

·         No enrollment fee, monthly premiums or deductibles. Most Veterans have no out-of-pocket costs. Some Veterans may have to pay small copayments for health care or prescription drugs.

·         More than 1400 places available to get care. This means that your coverage can go with you if you travel.

·         Freedom to use other plan with your VA health care including Medicare, Medicaid, TRICARE, or private insurance

·         You have met the new requirements to have health care coverage

You can apply for healthcare by visiting: www.va.gov/healthbenefits/enroll by calling 1-877-222 (VETS) 8387 or vising your local VA health care center.

 

 

 

 

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