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This is a long blog, but it is well worth the read if you love horror, food, drinks, friends and a good story. I was searching the DISH Network Satellite TV channel guide to see what suspenseful movies will be on for the remainder of October. Now that October is here after a very short summer, it is time to prepare for fall festivities and scary movies. I look forward to going apple picking and attending fall fairs, going to the Christmas Tree Shoppe to stock up on fall decor and, of course, curling up on cold weekend nights for some good horror movies!
I started to think about how I can start the Halloween experience early, so I decided that I’m going to invite a few friends over this weekend for a fun night of horror! I'm not going crazy on creepy decorations this year, but we'll certainly light a few candles to set the ambiance. I was thinking of preparing a delicious dinner, followed by two horror movies then a little good night story for my friends before they leave for the evening. I should mention that my daughter is going to be at her grandmother’s house while this is happening! So far, I have found some great recipes from Food Network to share with you for the dinner and treats.

Appetizers
To add some Halloween color into the mix, I’m going to make this appetizer that includes a witch green color.

Roasted Chile Guacamole with Baked Tortilla Chips
Baked Tortilla Chips:
· Cooking spray
· 3 sun-dried tomato basil tortilla wraps
· 3 garden spinach herb tortilla wraps
· Olive oil
· Salt and pepper
Guacamole:
· 1/2 cup frozen chopped onion, thawed
· 2 cups frozen no-salt added petite peas, thawed
· 1/3 cup water
· 2 tablespoons lemon juice
· 1 (1-ounce) packet guacamole seasoning mix
· 1 teaspoon chopped garlic
· 1/2 cup diced tomatoes with no-salt added
· 1 cup chopped avocado
· 1 (7-ounce) can fire roasted diced green chiles
For tortillas chips:
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray; set aside.
On a cutting board, stack 3 tortillas and using a sharp knife, cut into 8 wedges (like a pie). Repeat with remaining tortillas. Separate any that may stick together. Place on baking sheet, evenly spaced. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until golden. Remove and let cool.
For Guacamole:
In a medium saucepan combine onions, peas, water, lemon juice, guacamole seasoning, and garlic. Cook for 10 minutes until ingredients are soft.
Remove from heat and let cool.
Pour cooled pea mixture into a large bowl. Add avocado and mash with a fork or potato masher. Strain tomatoes and add to bowl with green chilies. Mix until blended.
Serve with baked chips.

Since my good little doobie will be at her grandmother’s house, I can also make a few drinks to accompany our appetizers!

Emeril’s Tin Can Margaritas
Ingredients:
· 1 lime, cut in wedges
· Coarse salt, for glasses
· 1 large can frozen limeade
· 1 full can good-quality tequila
· 1/2 can triple-sec
· 1/2 can lemon juice
· Ice
Directions:
Rub rims of glasses with a lime wedge; place salt in a saucer and dip rims. In a pitcher combine remaining ingredients, stir well and fill up with ice. Serve in salt-rimmed glasses with lime wedges.

And now…for the main course…Pumpkin-Peanut Curry Noodles with Five-Spice Seared Scallops and Shrimp, which only takes 20 minutes to cook (believe it or not)!

Ingredients:
· 1 pound spaghetti
· Salt
· 5 tablespoons vegetable oil or peanut oil
· 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
· 2 inches ginger root, minced or grated
· 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
· 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
· 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
· 1/4 to 1/3 cup tamari dark soy sauce, eyeball it
· 1 (15-ounce) can cooked pumpkin
· 2 rounded tablespoonfuls mild or hot curry paste (recommended: Patak's) found on international foods aisle
· 3 tablespoons five-spice powder
· 12 jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined
· 12 diver scallops, trimmed and patted dry
· 4 scallions, cut into 2-inch pieces, then thinly sliced lengthwise into matchsticks
Directions:
Heat a large pot of water for noodles. When water boils, salt it and add pasta to cook to al dente or with a bite to it.
While pasta cooks, heat a large, deep skillet over medium heat with 2 tablespoons vegetable or peanut oil. Add garlic, ginger, red bell pepper, and pepper flakes to the pan and cook together a couple of minutes, then add peanut butter and melt it. Whisk soy into peanut butter, then stir in pumpkin and curry paste. The sauce will be very thick. Turn down the heat to low. Add a ladle or 2 of pasta cooking water to thin sauce a bit and simmer over low heat. Adjust salt, to taste.
Heat a small to medium skillet over high heat. Pour the five-spice powder onto a plate with some salt. Press both sides of the shrimp and scallops into the powder. Add 3 tablespoons of remaining oil to hot skillet. Place the shrimp in the pan and cook 1 minute, flip and sear the other side until just opaque. Remove shrimp to a plate and set aside. Add another 3 tablespoons of oil to the skillet and heat back up to smoking. Add the scallops and sear on both sides until opaque. Remove scallops and add to the plate of shrimp.
Drain pasta and return pasta to the pot. Add the curry-pumpkin sauce and toss thoroughly. Serve noodles on 4 plated and top with scallions and seafood.

All I have to say is YUM!

And now for dessert…Dirt Pudding! This literally takes 5 minutes!
Have some pudding prepared from the night before, crack open a package of Oreos and crumble the cookies into the pudding. It’s delectable and easy.

It is now time for the feature presentation:

Movie number 1: Scream

Intermission: Coffee with Baileys Irish Cream, Amaretto and Frangelico

Movie number 2: From Dusk Till Dawn

Good night story:
This woman was doing laundry on a Saturday morning while her husband was at work. For some reason every time she pushes her clothes into the washing machine, she gets the feeling that someone is behind her, but she keeps going, admitting the thought is ridiculous. The basement never bothered her before. It isn’t musty as there’s a dehumidifier down there. It hasn’t been emptied for a while but the air is still dry. The cobwebs are always dusted and swept away as she is not fond of spiders, so the basement is fairly clean minus a few bags and it’s bright enough so there are no unlit corners. She hears her son rummaging through something in the living room upstairs, so she quickly goes back upstairs to be sure he is being safe.
Her son decided to try out his new roller-skates while mom was downstairs. The lady reminded her son that he needs to wear a helmet and knee pads if he wants to roller-skate then he can join her in the basement while she washes clothes. There is more room to skate in the large space downstairs. The husband had just recently finished ripping the rug off the basement stairs so he can replace it and there are small nails sticking out of the front of a few of the stairs. The mom tells her son that she’ll carry him downstairs because he’s already wearing his skates and she doesn’t want him to get hurt on the nails. The son complies.
Once the son’s helmet and knee pads are on, the mom sets him free to skate about the basement. Then she gets this horrible chill down her spine and a sick feeling in her stomach so she takes a minute to lean up against the table where she folds her clean clothes. She can’t figure out what the problem is, but her father is in the hospital so she decides to call her mom from the cell phone she has in her sweatshirt pocket to be sure everything is okay with him. Her mom said that everything is good and that her dad will be coming home the next day. Her dad fell and one of his toenails was caught on something and had been ripped off completely. He is a heavy man and any fall he takes is sure to cause some damage, but hooking his toenail on something made it even worse.
“He’s fine”, she thought, “so what can this horrible feeling be?” Her son is skating as fast as he can while holding onto the basement wall. She covers her face with her hands trying to think of what the problem could be. All of a sudden her son catches one of his skates in the grate of the basement drain. His skate stays there and his body goes flying forward. He luckily landed on a trash bag that was full of clothes the mom put down there a week ago for the Salvation Army.
She dashes to her son who is crying out of shock from falling with his new skates. She comforts him and walks over to retrieve his skate, still stuck in the grate of the drain. “These crazy plastic roller-skates. We’ll get you a new pair today, baby”. She looks back down at the skate and notices something hairy sticking out of the drain along with a foul odor.
She calls her husband to come home from work on his break to check this out. She puts on a movie upstairs for her son who is ready for a nap. Her husband gets home shortly after and hurries with her to the basement to see what she was talking about. He grabs a crow bar that was stashed behind the dryer and pries open the drain, catching a bunch of hair along the way and flinging the object across the room once the grate breaks free. It thumps against the wall and falls behind the trash bags full of clothes. They notice that whatever it is, it’s bleeding because there is a splat of blood on the wall. “I wish I had my father check that drain when he was down here last weekend. You know how I like to keep that clean”.
They tiptoe over to where the object had thumped to the ground and peeked behind the bags. They scream and jump back when they realize it’s a human head with skin that is falling off from spending so much time in the drain water. They panic and the husband takes a good look to make sure they didn’t miss anything else down there. He noticed her father’s pocketknife under the basement stairs with blood on it. He does not pick it up. As he examines the stairs for further evidence, he sees what he originally thought was a leftover piece of the carpet he had ripped up and notices that it’s a toenail. “Get upstairs and call the police!”
The wife calls the police who eventually get there and investigate her basement. They observe the head and ask them what is in the bags that are on the floor. The lady tells them that they’re stuffed with clothes. They open the bag and notice body parts that have been hacked up and stuffed in quilts. They take the toenail as evidence.

Goodie Bags to Take Home:

Some fun trinkets from iParty along with some cool Halloween lollipops!

Ingredients:
· 6 or 8-inch wooden pop sticks
· Gummy worms, as needed
· 2 cups sugar
· 2/3 cup corn syrup
· 2/3 cup water
· 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
· 1/4 teaspoon orange, lemon or cherry extract
· Few drops orange food coloring
Directions
Lay a silicone sheet on a baking pan, place the sticks on the pan and place 3 pieces of gummy Worms above the tip of each stick to form a gummy worm triangle.
Combine the sugar, corn syrup, and water in a clean, dry small saucepan. (It is best to use a heavy gauge pan and preferably with a pour spout.) Bring to a boil over high heat and cook without stirring until the mixture reaches 305 degrees F or "hard crack" stage on a candy thermometer. Occasionally wash down the sides of the pan with a clean pastry brush dipped in water to remove any sugar crystals that are clinging to the sides of the pan.
When the mixture reaches 305 degrees F, remove the pan from heat and dip the bottom of the pan into an ice bath for a few seconds to stop the candy from cooking. Add the extracts and food coloring and stir very gently with a wooden spoon so the color is evenly distributed.
Pour the syrup over the gummy worms and just over the stick. Cool the candy for at least 20 minutes.
Lift the lollipops off the silicone and either serve immediately or wrap in an airtight container.

Now, tell me I can’t plan an awesome night of fun with a few close friends!

This is a long blog, but it is well worth the read if you love horror, food, drinks, friends and a good story. I was searching the DISH Network Satellite TV channel guide to see what suspenseful movies will be on for the remainder of October. Now that October is here after a very short summer, it is time to prepare for fall festivities and scary movies. I look forward to going apple picking and attending fall fairs, going to the Christmas Tree Shoppe to stock up on fall decor and, of course, curling up on cold weekend nights for some good horror movies!
I started to think about how I can start the Halloween experience early, so I decided that I’m going to invite a few friends over this weekend for a fun night of horror! I'm not going crazy on creepy decorations this year, but we'll certainly light a few candles to set the ambiance. I was thinking of preparing a delicious dinner, followed by two horror movies then a little good night story for my friends before they leave for the evening. I should mention that my daughter is going to be at her grandmother’s house while this is happening! So far, I have found some great recipes from Food Network to share with you for the dinner and treats.

Appetizers
To add some Halloween color into the mix, I’m going to make this appetizer that includes a witch green color.

Roasted Chile Guacamole with Baked Tortilla Chips
Baked Tortilla Chips:
· Cooking spray
· 3 sun-dried tomato basil tortilla wraps
· 3 garden spinach herb tortilla wraps
· Olive oil
· Salt and pepper
Guacamole:
· 1/2 cup frozen chopped onion, thawed
· 2 cups frozen no-salt added petite peas, thawed
· 1/3 cup water
· 2 tablespoons lemon juice
· 1 (1-ounce) packet guacamole seasoning mix
· 1 teaspoon chopped garlic
· 1/2 cup diced tomatoes with no-salt added
· 1 cup chopped avocado
· 1 (7-ounce) can fire roasted diced green chiles
For tortillas chips:
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray; set aside.
On a cutting board, stack 3 tortillas and using a sharp knife, cut into 8 wedges (like a pie). Repeat with remaining tortillas. Separate any that may stick together. Place on baking sheet, evenly spaced. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until golden. Remove and let cool.
For Guacamole:
In a medium saucepan combine onions, peas, water, lemon juice, guacamole seasoning, and garlic. Cook for 10 minutes until ingredients are soft.
Remove from heat and let cool.
Pour cooled pea mixture into a large bowl. Add avocado and mash with a fork or potato masher. Strain tomatoes and add to bowl with green chilies. Mix until blended.
Serve with baked chips.

Since my good little doobie will be at her grandmother’s house, I can also make a few drinks to accompany our appetizers!

Emeril’s Tin Can Margaritas
Ingredients:
· 1 lime, cut in wedges
· Coarse salt, for glasses
· 1 large can frozen limeade
· 1 full can good-quality tequila
· 1/2 can triple-sec
· 1/2 can lemon juice
· Ice
Directions:
Rub rims of glasses with a lime wedge; place salt in a saucer and dip rims. In a pitcher combine remaining ingredients, stir well and fill up with ice. Serve in salt-rimmed glasses with lime wedges.

And now…for the main course…Pumpkin-Peanut Curry Noodles with Five-Spice Seared Scallops and Shrimp, which only takes 20 minutes to cook (believe it or not)!

Ingredients:
· 1 pound spaghetti
· Salt
· 5 tablespoons vegetable oil or peanut oil
· 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
· 2 inches ginger root, minced or grated
· 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
· 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
· 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
· 1/4 to 1/3 cup tamari dark soy sauce, eyeball it
· 1 (15-ounce) can cooked pumpkin
· 2 rounded tablespoonfuls mild or hot curry paste (recommended: Patak's) found on international foods aisle
· 3 tablespoons five-spice powder
· 12 jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined
· 12 diver scallops, trimmed and patted dry
· 4 scallions, cut into 2-inch pieces, then thinly sliced lengthwise into matchsticks
Directions:
Heat a large pot of water for noodles. When water boils, salt it and add pasta to cook to al dente or with a bite to it.
While pasta cooks, heat a large, deep skillet over medium heat with 2 tablespoons vegetable or peanut oil. Add garlic, ginger, red bell pepper, and pepper flakes to the pan and cook together a couple of minutes, then add peanut butter and melt it. Whisk soy into peanut butter, then stir in pumpkin and curry paste. The sauce will be very thick. Turn down the heat to low. Add a ladle or 2 of pasta cooking water to thin sauce a bit and simmer over low heat. Adjust salt, to taste.
Heat a small to medium skillet over high heat. Pour the five-spice powder onto a plate with some salt. Press both sides of the shrimp and scallops into the powder. Add 3 tablespoons of remaining oil to hot skillet. Place the shrimp in the pan and cook 1 minute, flip and sear the other side until just opaque. Remove shrimp to a plate and set aside. Add another 3 tablespoons of oil to the skillet and heat back up to smoking. Add the scallops and sear on both sides until opaque. Remove scallops and add to the plate of shrimp.
Drain pasta and return pasta to the pot. Add the curry-pumpkin sauce and toss thoroughly. Serve noodles on 4 plated and top with scallions and seafood.

All I have to say is YUM!

And now for dessert…Dirt Pudding! This literally takes 5 minutes!
Have some pudding prepared from the night before, crack open a package of Oreos and crumble the cookies into the pudding. It’s delectable and easy.

It is now time for the feature presentation:

Movie number 1: Scream

Intermission: Coffee with Baileys Irish Cream, Amaretto and Frangelico

Movie number 2: From Dusk Till Dawn

Good night story:
This woman was doing laundry on a Saturday morning while her husband was at work. For some reason every time she pushes her clothes into the washing machine, she gets the feeling that someone is behind her, but she keeps going, admitting the thought is ridiculous. The basement never bothered her before. It isn’t musty as there’s a dehumidifier down there. It hasn’t been emptied for a while but the air is still dry. The cobwebs are always dusted and swept away as she is not fond of spiders, so the basement is fairly clean minus a few bags and it’s bright enough so there are no unlit corners. She hears her son rummaging through something in the living room upstairs, so she quickly goes back upstairs to be sure he is being safe.
Her son decided to try out his new roller-skates while mom was downstairs. The lady reminded her son that he needs to wear a helmet and knee pads if he wants to roller-skate then he can join her in the basement while she washes clothes. There is more room to skate in the large space downstairs. The husband had just recently finished ripping the rug off the basement stairs so he can replace it and there are small nails sticking out of the front of a few of the stairs. The mom tells her son that she’ll carry him downstairs because he’s already wearing his skates and she doesn’t want him to get hurt on the nails. The son complies.
Once the son’s helmet and knee pads are on, the mom sets him free to skate about the basement. Then she gets this horrible chill down her spine and a sick feeling in her stomach so she takes a minute to lean up against the table where she folds her clean clothes. She can’t figure out what the problem is, but her father is in the hospital so she decides to call her mom from the cell phone she has in her sweatshirt pocket to be sure everything is okay with him. Her mom said that everything is good and that her dad will be coming home the next day. Her dad fell and one of his toenails was caught on something and had been ripped off completely. He is a heavy man and any fall he takes is sure to cause some damage, but hooking his toenail on something made it even worse.
“He’s fine”, she thought, “so what can this horrible feeling be?” Her son is skating as fast as he can while holding onto the basement wall. She covers her face with her hands trying to think of what the problem could be. All of a sudden her son catches one of his skates in the grate of the basement drain. His skate stays there and his body goes flying forward. He luckily landed on a trash bag that was full of clothes the mom put down there a week ago for the Salvation Army.
She dashes to her son who is crying out of shock from falling with his new skates. She comforts him and walks over to retrieve his skate, still stuck in the grate of the drain. “These crazy plastic roller-skates. We’ll get you a new pair today, baby”. She looks back down at the skate and notices something hairy sticking out of the drain along with a foul odor.
She calls her husband to come home from work on his break to check this out. She puts on a movie upstairs for her son who is ready for a nap. Her husband gets home shortly after and hurries with her to the basement to see what she was talking about. He grabs a crow bar that was stashed behind the dryer and pries open the drain, catching a bunch of hair along the way and flinging the object across the room once the grate breaks free. It thumps against the wall and falls behind the trash bags full of clothes. They notice that whatever it is, it’s bleeding because there is a splat of blood on the wall. “I wish I had my father check that drain when he was down here last weekend. You know how I like to keep that clean”.
They tiptoe over to where the object had thumped to the ground and peeked behind the bags. They scream and jump back when they realize it’s a human head with skin that is falling off from spending so much time in the drain water. They panic and the husband takes a good look to make sure they didn’t miss anything else down there. He noticed her father’s pocketknife under the basement stairs with blood on it. He does not pick it up. As he examines the stairs for further evidence, he sees what he originally thought was a leftover piece of the carpet he had ripped up and notices that it’s a toenail. “Get upstairs and call the police!”
The wife calls the police who eventually get there and investigate her basement. They observe the head and ask them what is in the bags that are on the floor. The lady tells them that they’re stuffed with clothes. They open the bag and notice body parts that have been hacked up and stuffed in quilts. They take the toenail as evidence.

Goodie Bags to Take Home:

Some fun trinkets from iParty along with some cool Halloween lollipops!

Ingredients:
· 6 or 8-inch wooden pop sticks
· Gummy worms, as needed
· 2 cups sugar
· 2/3 cup corn syrup
· 2/3 cup water
· 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
· 1/4 teaspoon orange, lemon or cherry extract
· Few drops orange food coloring
Directions
Lay a silicone sheet on a baking pan, place the sticks on the pan and place 3 pieces of gummy Worms above the tip of each stick to form a gummy worm triangle.
Combine the sugar, corn syrup, and water in a clean, dry small saucepan. (It is best to use a heavy gauge pan and preferably with a pour spout.) Bring to a boil over high heat and cook without stirring until the mixture reaches 305 degrees F or "hard crack" stage on a candy thermometer. Occasionally wash down the sides of the pan with a clean pastry brush dipped in water to remove any sugar crystals that are clinging to the sides of the pan.
When the mixture reaches 305 degrees F, remove the pan from heat and dip the bottom of the pan into an ice bath for a few seconds to stop the candy from cooking. Add the extracts and food coloring and stir very gently with a wooden spoon so the color is evenly distributed.
Pour the syrup over the gummy worms and just over the stick. Cool the candy for at least 20 minutes.
Lift the lollipops off the silicone and either serve immediately or wrap in an airtight container.

Now, tell me I can’t plan an awesome night of fun with a few close friends!

Are tears of blood a miracle or a medical condition? There have been many interesting accounts of such tears with people from all over the world, but it is obviously more difficult to prove a miracle than it is to rule out possible causes for this. There is more of a focus on the scientific explanations for such occurrences and a sense of doubt pertaining to religious explanations. We want an immediate answer for things like this but we don’t always get one. Anyone who brings up the religious angle is destined for ridicule and apt to be called a “religious nut”.
I was listening to The Early Show on CBS the other morning on Satellite TV while I was getting ready for work and something I heard grabbed my attention. "Stay tuned for our next story with a 15 year old boy who cries tears of blood." What? This has to be a unique story to say the least. I dropped my makeup and dashed to the living room to see the interview with the boy and his mother. Calvino Inman of Tennessee and his mother Tammy Mynatt brought the video of him crying tears of blood hoping to reach out to someone who can help them with this situation. His tears did not appear to be diluted in any way, they were pure blood! Calvino said that he thought he was going to die when he began crying the bloody tears. It happens randomly about 3 times a day and lasts for up to 15 minutes. The crying is not provoked by emotion as Calvino is not feeling sad when this happens or doing anything that would induce normal tear production.
There is a condition called Haemolacria that causes people to shed bloody tears, but the doctors cannot yet say for sure if he has this condition. Calvino went to five doctors with his mother and his condition has each of them baffled. He had an ultrasound, CAT scan and an MRI, which were all normal. Haemolacria is usually a result of a larger underlying medical condition but he seems to be in good overall health. Calvino and his mom are continuing their search to find a diagnosis for his condition. He claims that the tears burn and are annoying. His peers at school teased him at first by calling him names and saying he was possessed but they have since apologized realizing that Calvino cannot control his situation and has visited many doctors in a quest to find its diagnosis.
According to information provided by CNN, a doctor from the University of Tennessee's Hamilton Eye Institute has studied this condition extensively and said that there were only four cases of this mysterious occurrence between 1992 and 2003. He is amazed that it is happening to a healthy young boy. He claims that Haemolacria can be caused by deep emotional trauma or a head injury, but agrees that Calvino doesn't even fit the bill for this disorder. Another doctor at the same institute said that the condition that Calvino has could be something very miniscule in size, which can be difficult to pinpoint with any of the tests he has undergone thus far. He claims that they may have to wait for more symptoms to surface to get the full picture of what the cause might be. Evidently, the condition can be the result of anything from a tumor to a simple infection. It may be a repeat occurrence of the four cases from '92-'03 when the bleeding mysteriously stopped on its own.
This is claimed to have no religious significance. It is spelled out that religion is not a factor on most of the websites that I visited to gain more information. Could it be better for each of these unexplained cases to be a religious phenomenon rather than a medical condition? I understand that people want closure, especially the children and their parents. I also realize that it has to be extremely difficult to deal with this in your everyday life but history has shown that it doesn’t last forever, as the tears of blood will most likely stop as spontaneously as they began. Why is it such a taboo to consider this to be a miracle? There might not be a medical explanation for this simply because it hasn't been researched enough since it alone doesn't seem to be life threatening. Perhaps it is something that is beyond our grasp of true understanding.
Some believers may say that this is a result of "vicarious suffering" which is believed to be the act of involuntary suffering for other people's sins so they can be forgiven. There is a 13-year-old girl named Twinkle Dwivedi in India who is currently experiencing such tears and is displaying what is believed to be stigmata. Her palms, head and feet all emit blood yet she has no wounds. National Geographic will air her story on September 13th with Dish Network.
There are two religious statues of The Virgin Mary that cry tears of blood and are deemed to be genuine miracles according to the Vatican (others turned out to be staged). The two documented statues are the weeping statue of The Virgin Mary in 1949 in Syracuse, Italy and Our Lady of Akita in 1988 in Japan. Religious believers who feel that this phenomenon is a miracle are not sure why it’s happening. Some believe an occurrence like this is a sign from God and are unsure as to whether it is good or bad. Some believe that the weeping statues are reflecting sadness for these difficult times of war, poverty and violence.
Calvino’s story and the occurrence of weeping statues remind me of the young girl Audrey Marie Santo in my hometown of Worcester, MA who was in a coma for 19 years before she passed away. Audrey was found in her pool at home when she was three and never regained consciousness. Doctors informed her mom that Audrey would only live a few years and suggested she place her in a nursing home. Her mom is a believer and decided that if the doctors can’t help, perhaps a miracle can. She took Audrey to the shrine of Medjugorje. Audrey had a moment where she began to move and attempt to speak, which did not last very long before she returned to her previous state.
According to her parents, many religious experiences occurred in her room such as religious statues that wept oil and blood. One might think that the parents saw things they needed to see at a very sorrowful time, but this story reached neighbors and eventually the newspaper and news. Soon enough, people from all over the world came to visit her and to pray for her recovery and for miracles. Many visitors also gave testimony that they were present when such miracles had occurred. Audrey was said to have responded to one man’s prayers for a loved one with a tear. Perhaps there was a miracle at the shrine of Medjugorje, not only for obvious reasons, but also for the fact that Audrey lived to be 23 years old. She never had a bed sore, even with the fact that she was bed-ridden for 19 years.
Calvino Inman is from Tennessee which is a state well known for the amount of churches housed there in the Bible belt. Could there be a miraculous connection with Calvino and the religious beliefs of the people in his community? Could it be something even larger than that? I’m not stating that I believe this is a miracle, but I would rather hear that than find out this young teenager has a serious medical problem. There is no scientific explanation for why this boy cries blood and there was none for Audrey Marie Santo who survived until the age of twenty-three. There were no tangible explanations for what occurred with the religious statues in Japan and Italy. Will we ever know the reason behind these phenomena or will they forever remain a secret?

Are tears of blood a miracle or a medical condition? There have been many interesting accounts of such tears with people from all over the world, but it is obviously more difficult to prove a miracle than it is to rule out possible causes for this. There is more of a focus on the scientific explanations for such occurrences and a sense of doubt pertaining to religious explanations. We want an immediate answer for things like this but we don’t always get one. Anyone who brings up the religious angle is destined for ridicule and apt to be called a “religious nut”.
I was listening to The Early Show on CBS the other morning on Satellite TV while I was getting ready for work and something I heard grabbed my attention. "Stay tuned for our next story with a 15 year old boy who cries tears of blood." What? This has to be a unique story to say the least. I dropped my makeup and dashed to the living room to see the interview with the boy and his mother. Calvino Inman of Tennessee and his mother Tammy Mynatt brought the video of him crying tears of blood hoping to reach out to someone who can help them with this situation. His tears did not appear to be diluted in any way, they were pure blood! Calvino said that he thought he was going to die when he began crying the bloody tears. It happens randomly about 3 times a day and lasts for up to 15 minutes. The crying is not provoked by emotion as Calvino is not feeling sad when this happens or doing anything that would induce normal tear production.
There is a condition called Haemolacria that causes people to shed bloody tears, but the doctors cannot yet say for sure if he has this condition. Calvino went to five doctors with his mother and his condition has each of them baffled. He had an ultrasound, CAT scan and an MRI, which were all normal. Haemolacria is usually a result of a larger underlying medical condition but he seems to be in good overall health. Calvino and his mom are continuing their search to find a diagnosis for his condition. He claims that the tears burn and are annoying. His peers at school teased him at first by calling him names and saying he was possessed but they have since apologized realizing that Calvino cannot control his situation and has visited many doctors in a quest to find its diagnosis.
According to information provided by CNN, a doctor from the University of Tennessee's Hamilton Eye Institute has studied this condition extensively and said that there were only four cases of this mysterious occurrence between 1992 and 2003. He is amazed that it is happening to a healthy young boy. He claims that Haemolacria can be caused by deep emotional trauma or a head injury, but agrees that Calvino doesn't even fit the bill for this disorder. Another doctor at the same institute said that the condition that Calvino has could be something very miniscule in size, which can be difficult to pinpoint with any of the tests he has undergone thus far. He claims that they may have to wait for more symptoms to surface to get the full picture of what the cause might be. Evidently, the condition can be the result of anything from a tumor to a simple infection. It may be a repeat occurrence of the four cases from '92-'03 when the bleeding mysteriously stopped on its own.
This is claimed to have no religious significance. It is spelled out that religion is not a factor on most of the websites that I visited to gain more information. Could it be better for each of these unexplained cases to be a religious phenomenon rather than a medical condition? I understand that people want closure, especially the children and their parents. I also realize that it has to be extremely difficult to deal with this in your everyday life but history has shown that it doesn’t last forever, as the tears of blood will most likely stop as spontaneously as they began. Why is it such a taboo to consider this to be a miracle? There might not be a medical explanation for this simply because it hasn't been researched enough since it alone doesn't seem to be life threatening. Perhaps it is something that is beyond our grasp of true understanding.
Some believers may say that this is a result of "vicarious suffering" which is believed to be the act of involuntary suffering for other people's sins so they can be forgiven. There is a 13-year-old girl named Twinkle Dwivedi in India who is currently experiencing such tears and is displaying what is believed to be stigmata. Her palms, head and feet all emit blood yet she has no wounds. National Geographic will air her story on September 13th with Dish Network.
There are two religious statues of The Virgin Mary that cry tears of blood and are deemed to be genuine miracles according to the Vatican (others turned out to be staged). The two documented statues are the weeping statue of The Virgin Mary in 1949 in Syracuse, Italy and Our Lady of Akita in 1988 in Japan. Religious believers who feel that this phenomenon is a miracle are not sure why it’s happening. Some believe an occurrence like this is a sign from God and are unsure as to whether it is good or bad. Some believe that the weeping statues are reflecting sadness for these difficult times of war, poverty and violence.
Calvino’s story and the occurrence of weeping statues remind me of the young girl Audrey Marie Santo in my hometown of Worcester, MA who was in a coma for 19 years before she passed away. Audrey was found in her pool at home when she was three and never regained consciousness. Doctors informed her mom that Audrey would only live a few years and suggested she place her in a nursing home. Her mom is a believer and decided that if the doctors can’t help, perhaps a miracle can. She took Audrey to the shrine of Medjugorje. Audrey had a moment where she began to move and attempt to speak, which did not last very long before she returned to her previous state.
According to her parents, many religious experiences occurred in her room such as religious statues that wept oil and blood. One might think that the parents saw things they needed to see at a very sorrowful time, but this story reached neighbors and eventually the newspaper and news. Soon enough, people from all over the world came to visit her and to pray for her recovery and for miracles. Many visitors also gave testimony that they were present when such miracles had occurred. Audrey was said to have responded to one man’s prayers for a loved one with a tear. Perhaps there was a miracle at the shrine of Medjugorje, not only for obvious reasons, but also for the fact that Audrey lived to be 23 years old. She never had a bed sore, even with the fact that she was bed-ridden for 19 years.
Calvino Inman is from Tennessee which is a state well known for the amount of churches housed there in the Bible belt. Could there be a miraculous connection with Calvino and the religious beliefs of the people in his community? Could it be something even larger than that? I’m not stating that I believe this is a miracle, but I would rather hear that than find out this young teenager has a serious medical problem. There is no scientific explanation for why this boy cries blood and there was none for Audrey Marie Santo who survived until the age of twenty-three. There were no tangible explanations for what occurred with the religious statues in Japan and Italy. Will we ever know the reason behind these phenomena or will they forever remain a secret?

Stay tuned to Fox News and CNN with Dish Satellite TV for updates!

The H1N1 virus, better known as the swine flu, is projected to be a major threat this winter. We hear about this virus in the news and are aware of its existence, but most of us are not aware of its history or the effectiveness of the vaccines that were created to treat this strain of influenza. I chose to research information about the H1N1 virus to make a more educated decision on whether or not I should have my daughter vaccinated.
The presence of this virus was brought to our attention in the spring of 2009 when the Mexican government began closing most of the public facilities in Mexico City due to an outbreak. Evidently, there was already a case of widespread swine flu there before it caught our attention. It spread to the United States as well as many other countries by June of 2009. The swine flu dates back to 1918 when it was commonly referred to as the Spanish Flu, though its origin was never detected. Five hundred million people were affected world-wide and 50 to 100 million people died as result. The virus attacked people with healthy immune systems and the popular idea that children and elderly people would be affected the most was not the case. A healthy immune system would over-do itself to try to beat the virus and in the meantime, it would overreact and actually have the reverse effect on the body.
A strain of H1N1 was responsible for a smaller outbreak in 1976 where a soldier at Fort Dix died right after complaining of not feeling well. This strain was controlled, but a new one was born right after which spread very quickly. A vaccination was created to prevent the reoccurrence of the epidemic that took so many lives in 1918. The vaccination helped with the spread of the virus, but it ended up taking more lives than the virus itself. Many died as the result of adverse reactions to the vaccine and 532 people were diagnosed with Guillian-Barré syndrome as a direct result from taking it. This is an autoimmune disorder that results in nerve damage among many other debilitating health problems. Many people who have Guillian-Barré syndrome need to undergo a form of dialysis where antibodies are removed from the blood and the blood is replenished back to the body. It is possible to survive this health condition but there is usually a long road to recovery which can take many years.
There was a limited case of swine flu labeled as Zoonosis which was detected in 1988 when a pregnant woman in Wisconsin died after being in contact with infected pigs at a fair. There were a few others who came in contact with her that were infected with a mild form of the virus. Many pigs were found to be infected across the entire U.S. in 1998 and it was deemed that the pigs had a typical flu that transformed into a new strain due to a combination of their own flu fused with those of humans and birds. Many pigs were infected in the Philippines in 2007 as well. The H1N1 virus is a combination of influenza spun from four different forms including 2 parts human flu, 1 part bird flu and 1 part pig flu.
The 2009 H1N1 virus exhibits symptoms that are similar to your everyday flu. These include a sudden fever and cough along with any of the other common flu symptoms like chills and body aches. Most people who catch the virus can treat it as they normally would with bed rest and fluids. People who have a weakened immune system can experience further complications like pneumonia or even respiratory failure. Those who are considered to be at a higher risk are people under 5 and over 65 years old. People who have recently undergone asthma treatments by taking prescription drugs are also at risk. H1N1 can have an incubation period of up to 7 days, though this has not been confirmed. It can be acquired the same way as the common flu through something as simple as a sneeze. One out of 1,000 people died of the swine flu which is comparable to the amount of people who have died from common flu. The best way to prevent from getting sick is by routine hand washing and covering your mouth and nose with a tissue when you sneeze or cough and quickly disposing it.
How do we know if we have a common flu or the swine flu? In most cases we don’t and physicians normally do not test patients to differentiate which virus they have. They will conduct a test if the symptoms are severe by administering a blood test or swabbing the back of the nose and throat. H1N1 is usually treated with Tamiflu or Relenza when it is diagnosed. These are antiviral medications that are used to treat the symptoms until the virus runs its course. The fact that most people are not tested for the H1N1 virus is concerning. The numbers of people who actually carry this virus has to be unknown if everyone infected with flu symptoms has not been tested. Even though most people with this virus have a mild form of it, I would think that The World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention would want to know how many cases are out there whether the infected people have severe symptoms or not. If this virus is more
widespread than we think, perhaps it’s possible for an even larger strain to develop that we are not prepared for. I’m wondering why it is recommended to be vaccinated this year to prevent this illness if there is not enough concern for doctors to even test for it. The fatality rate is the same for the H1N1 virus as it is for the common flu and most of us have functioned just fine without a vaccination for that.
The H1N1 vaccination is not a cure for the virus as it is simply a preventative measure. Flu vaccines are on average 70-80% effective according to information provided by Fox News. Keep in mind that if you take this vaccine, you will be injected with a form of the virus that has been grown inside chicken eggs in a laboratory. Testing for the product’s safety just began earlier this month and it is already deemed to be safe. It is now being “tested” on pregnant women and children. Are these pregnant women and parents of these children who are being “tested” willing participants? It is possible for a person to develop immunity about 5 weeks after the vaccination process is complete, allowing you to fall victim to the virus in the meantime. This is due to the fact that each person will need at least two rounds of the vaccine for it to be effective. It is said that there will only be a portion of the vaccines available in October, then more vaccinations will be released each month thereafter. Is this a way to test the vaccine that was just recently reconstructed from the same type of vaccine that was administered in 1976? This is not all that concerns me. They will also be throwing in additives that have never been tested to the second batch of vaccines. How long will they test that batch if it hasn’t even been created yet?
Do I want to vaccinate my daughter? I think not, and I hope it does not become mandatory. I have weighed the pros and cons of getting her vaccinated. Do I take extra precautions so my daughter does not get the virus that is practically identical to the common flu? Keeping her safe from the flu doesn’t seem as important as preventing the problems that can occur from taking the vaccine. The vaccine administered in 1976 and the cases of Guillain-Barré syndrome that resulted from it is concerning. I would rather my child have a mild form of the flu than to die from her immune system attacking her nervous system later in life. Neurologists have already been alerted to keep their eyes open for new cases of Guillain-Barré syndrome when the vaccination is released. It seems that the risks outweigh the benefits with this vaccine, but it’s not easy for drug companies to turn down an opportunity to make a killing in revenue.

Stay tuned to Fox News and CNN with Dish Satellite TV for updates!

The H1N1 virus, better known as the swine flu, is projected to be a major threat this winter. We hear about this virus in the news and are aware of its existence, but most of us are not aware of its history or the effectiveness of the vaccines that were created to treat this strain of influenza. I chose to research information about the H1N1 virus to make a more educated decision on whether or not I should have my daughter vaccinated.
The presence of this virus was brought to our attention in the spring of 2009 when the Mexican government began closing most of the public facilities in Mexico City due to an outbreak. Evidently, there was already a case of widespread swine flu there before it caught our attention. It spread to the United States as well as many other countries by June of 2009. The swine flu dates back to 1918 when it was commonly referred to as the Spanish Flu, though its origin was never detected. Five hundred million people were affected world-wide and 50 to 100 million people died as result. The virus attacked people with healthy immune systems and the popular idea that children and elderly people would be affected the most was not the case. A healthy immune system would over-do itself to try to beat the virus and in the meantime, it would overreact and actually have the reverse effect on the body.
A strain of H1N1 was responsible for a smaller outbreak in 1976 where a soldier at Fort Dix died right after complaining of not feeling well. This strain was controlled, but a new one was born right after which spread very quickly. A vaccination was created to prevent the reoccurrence of the epidemic that took so many lives in 1918. The vaccination helped with the spread of the virus, but it ended up taking more lives than the virus itself. Many died as the result of adverse reactions to the vaccine and 532 people were diagnosed with Guillian-Barré syndrome as a direct result from taking it. This is an autoimmune disorder that results in nerve damage among many other debilitating health problems. Many people who have Guillian-Barré syndrome need to undergo a form of dialysis where antibodies are removed from the blood and the blood is replenished back to the body. It is possible to survive this health condition but there is usually a long road to recovery which can take many years.
There was a limited case of swine flu labeled as Zoonosis which was detected in 1988 when a pregnant woman in Wisconsin died after being in contact with infected pigs at a fair. There were a few others who came in contact with her that were infected with a mild form of the virus. Many pigs were found to be infected across the entire U.S. in 1998 and it was deemed that the pigs had a typical flu that transformed into a new strain due to a combination of their own flu fused with those of humans and birds. Many pigs were infected in the Philippines in 2007 as well. The H1N1 virus is a combination of influenza spun from four different forms including 2 parts human flu, 1 part bird flu and 1 part pig flu.
The 2009 H1N1 virus exhibits symptoms that are similar to your everyday flu. These include a sudden fever and cough along with any of the other common flu symptoms like chills and body aches. Most people who catch the virus can treat it as they normally would with bed rest and fluids. People who have a weakened immune system can experience further complications like pneumonia or even respiratory failure. Those who are considered to be at a higher risk are people under 5 and over 65 years old. People who have recently undergone asthma treatments by taking prescription drugs are also at risk. H1N1 can have an incubation period of up to 7 days, though this has not been confirmed. It can be acquired the same way as the common flu through something as simple as a sneeze. One out of 1,000 people died of the swine flu which is comparable to the amount of people who have died from common flu. The best way to prevent from getting sick is by routine hand washing and covering your mouth and nose with a tissue when you sneeze or cough and quickly disposing it.
How do we know if we have a common flu or the swine flu? In most cases we don’t and physicians normally do not test patients to differentiate which virus they have. They will conduct a test if the symptoms are severe by administering a blood test or swabbing the back of the nose and throat. H1N1 is usually treated with Tamiflu or Relenza when it is diagnosed. These are antiviral medications that are used to treat the symptoms until the virus runs its course. The fact that most people are not tested for the H1N1 virus is concerning. The numbers of people who actually carry this virus has to be unknown if everyone infected with flu symptoms has not been tested. Even though most people with this virus have a mild form of it, I would think that The World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention would want to know how many cases are out there whether the infected people have severe symptoms or not. If this virus is more
widespread than we think, perhaps it’s possible for an even larger strain to develop that we are not prepared for. I’m wondering why it is recommended to be vaccinated this year to prevent this illness if there is not enough concern for doctors to even test for it. The fatality rate is the same for the H1N1 virus as it is for the common flu and most of us have functioned just fine without a vaccination for that.
The H1N1 vaccination is not a cure for the virus as it is simply a preventative measure. Flu vaccines are on average 70-80% effective according to information provided by Fox News. Keep in mind that if you take this vaccine, you will be injected with a form of the virus that has been grown inside chicken eggs in a laboratory. Testing for the product’s safety just began earlier this month and it is already deemed to be safe. It is now being “tested” on pregnant women and children. Are these pregnant women and parents of these children who are being “tested” willing participants? It is possible for a person to develop immunity about 5 weeks after the vaccination process is complete, allowing you to fall victim to the virus in the meantime. This is due to the fact that each person will need at least two rounds of the vaccine for it to be effective. It is said that there will only be a portion of the vaccines available in October, then more vaccinations will be released each month thereafter. Is this a way to test the vaccine that was just recently reconstructed from the same type of vaccine that was administered in 1976? This is not all that concerns me. They will also be throwing in additives that have never been tested to the second batch of vaccines. How long will they test that batch if it hasn’t even been created yet?
Do I want to vaccinate my daughter? I think not, and I hope it does not become mandatory. I have weighed the pros and cons of getting her vaccinated. Do I take extra precautions so my daughter does not get the virus that is practically identical to the common flu? Keeping her safe from the flu doesn’t seem as important as preventing the problems that can occur from taking the vaccine. The vaccine administered in 1976 and the cases of Guillain-Barré syndrome that resulted from it is concerning. I would rather my child have a mild form of the flu than to die from her immune system attacking her nervous system later in life. Neurologists have already been alerted to keep their eyes open for new cases of Guillain-Barré syndrome when the vaccination is released. It seems that the risks outweigh the benefits with this vaccine, but it’s not easy for drug companies to turn down an opportunity to make a killing in revenue.

Stay tuned to Discovery Health, RFD and BBC on Satellite TV for interesting shows about agriculture and health topics.

Raw milk. Many people hear that and immediately associate it with bacteria. The fact is raw organic milk not only supplies you with the calcium and vitamin D that your body needs, it even acts as a medicine to cure many ailments. Those of you who have labeled yourself as “lactose intolerant” can now take those words out of your vocabulary. I always labeled myself as having this problem until I started making healthier choices for myself. I switched to organic food and products two years ago and my life has become better because of it. Raw milk has also become part of my diet.

I dealt with stomach problems for many years. There was actually a period of about two years when I would have an upset stomach after practically anything I ate. I lost too much weight and started to lose some of my hair due to malnourishment. I tried to include more fiber in my diet and that helped a little but not completely. I avoided milk products all together, which was difficult for a cheese lover and I switched to organic food. My stomach problems became non-existent. I didn’t miss milk but I knew I should be drinking it for nutritional purposes.

I can honestly tell all of you who are on a “diet” that this is not skim milk but it will not make you gain weight. Skim milk is a crock. The chemical filled and nutritionally deprived products that people consume make them gain weight because the toxins don’t allow the body to properly get rid of waste. That is why fat gathers in certain areas of the body and not others. Fat free, low fat, no carbohydrates, rah, rah, rah, it’s all a joke. All you need to do is eat and drink organic to maintain a healthy weight that will not fluctuate. You can have chocolate, chips- anything you choose as long as it’s organic. Counting calories and factoring fat content will be a thing of the past. You’ll think back at all the times you did this and laugh realizing how ridiculous it was. The media and doctors have everyone obsessed with this pattern of thinking while they’re telling you to eat foods that are full of toxins as long as they’re low fat or fat free, etc. It’s time to take control of your own health because no one is going to do it for you.

Why don’t we hear more about the benefits of raw organic milk? You need to search for these benefits because they’re certainly not advertised. The brand name companies that provide mass quantities of milk to grocery stores would be out of business if everyone stopped buying it, so it doesn’t benefit them to tell you about it. It doesn’t benefit doctors to tell their patients because they wouldn’t be able to prescribe you with the medicine that’s pushed on them by drug companies. Pharmaceutical companies in turn wouldn’t be raking in the revenue they’ve grown so accustomed to. Small businesses like farms would benefit, but their voice is smaller. Most farms sell raw organic milk by word of mouth rather than advertisements.

Raw milk should be from grass fed cows only. It should also be certified as organic because it is tested for safety on a regular basis and it is tested randomly without notice. If the bacteria count in the milk is too high, the seller’s license is taken away until it is tested again and approved. This is not to say that this milk is not healthy if it has a high bacteria count as most farmers would still drink it themselves, but these are the rules.

Raw organic milk reduces belly fat, lowers cholesterol and lowers your body’s resistance to insulin. It contains the enzymes that your body needs to break down lactose so people like me do not get sick. This milk contains phosphate as well as 21 other amino acids. Phosphate allows your body to absorb calcium better. Enzymes and natural antibodies in raw organic milk from cows that are grass fed break down pathogens like Salmonella, E. Coli and listeria. Pasteurization destroys phosphate. It destroys enzymes that fight bad bacteria and break down lactose. It leaves nothing behind including essential vitamins like A, B, B12 and C. You want to talk about getting sick, try a bad glass of pasteurized milk. Raw organic milk has the saturated fat your body needs to coat your vital organs and to secrete the hormone in your stomach that tells your brain when you’re full. Low fat/No fat foods and drinks don’t have the fat you need for your body to do this, so they contribute to overeating. Raw organic milk raises metabolism, aids your body to rid of waste (taking the pressure off of your pancreas), boosts up your immune system and helps to prevent colon cancer. It cures psoriasis, pregnancy cramps and scurvy. It has also been known to improve pulmonary tuberculosis.

Once I learned all of this information, I became curious. This past summer I decided to venture out on a trip to a farm that’s about 40 minutes away from where I live in central Massachusetts. I went there because I heard about the benefits of drinking raw organic milk. They sell the certified raw organic milk produced by their pampered Jersey cows that are strictly grass fed. The areas where the cows were grazing were clean and the cows looked very healthy and happy. I loaded up my cooler with the large canning jars full of fresh milk that cost $4.50 per half gallon. I was amazed when I got home and took my first sip of this delectable refreshment! I couldn’t believe it. It doesn’t taste anything like that disgusting, cheesy and creamy whole pasteurized milk that you buy at the store. The texture is like velvet and it tastes just like melted ice cream only not as thick and without the excessive sweetness. People, you don’t know what you’re missing if you haven’t tried this yet! I have to admit I was very nervous about how my stomach would react due to being previously traumatized by milk products. Needless to say, not only did my stomach not undergo any adverse reactions, it was settled completely. I can now supply my body with the nourishment it needs and I no longer have that wrenching pain.

The brand name milk that is carried in grocery stores could be from anywhere and could’ve had anything in it including blood before the pasteurization process. This process allows the sale of mass quantities of milk containing anything that can be covered up or removed. It is pasty white rather than a natural cream color. The cows that produce the milk may be fed corn that is difficult for them to digest, even with their four stomachs. The corn causes them to eat less and produce more milk so it cuts down on cost. Many of the cows are injected with synthetic hormones like rBGH that is linked to cancer. They may also be milked until their utters are raw, bleeding or even infected. The federal government still sees raw organic milk as a health hazard and has left the decision up to individual states as to whether they will allow it in their grocery stores. I think we’re slowly becoming aware that it is not a hazard at all, but beneficial to our overall health and generally much safer.

The purchase of store bought organic milk that is not raw is on the rise in spite of the fact that the amount of milk people consume has remained consistent. It also costs about twice as much. Considering the economy, I would say that people are really becoming dedicated to moving forward with their health and are starting to make better decisions for themselves. Consumers are becoming more informed and are less likely to rely on the government and their doctors to tell them what is healthy and what is not. Perhaps this is the beginning of a change for the better.

The only difficult thing about drinking raw organic milk is that most of us can’t just mosey on down to the local grocery store after work and buy it. I’ve been waiting for the day I watch the local Boston news and find out Massachusetts grocery stores will start to carry my milk. Most states do not carry raw organic milk in their grocery stores so you need to go straight to the source. This is not convenient for those of us who live in the city but you can usually find a few people in your area that will be willing to share the trips so you don’t have to drive there every week. The farm I visited actually had flyers posted with the phone numbers of local people who are willing to connect with others in their area to do this. That’s how good this milk is. My only fear is what I will do in the winter when the cows produce less milk and the New England roads are covered in snow!

Interesting Facts:

· Raw milk is sold in grocery stores in 24 states.
· Starbucks uses milk that is rBGH free.
· People have been drinking milk since 6,000-8,000 B.C.
· Australia, Japan, New Zealand and Canada stopped buying and selling milk from cows injected with rBGH because of mastitis problems.
· Famous physician Sir William Osler called raw milk “white blood” because of its health benefits.
· Virologist Albert Sabin created his oral vaccine for polio from cow colostrum since it contains many powerful antibodies.
· Raw milk from cows that are fed mostly grain cannot protect itself against pathogens like the milk from cows that are 100% grass fed.
· CLA is a fatty acid and anti-carcinogen found in raw milk that has many powerful benefits like battling rheumatoid arthritis.

Check out the RFD channel for more information on farming and health topics with Dish Network!

Stay tuned to Discovery Health, RFD and BBC on Satellite TV for interesting shows about agriculture and health topics.

Raw milk. Many people hear that and immediately associate it with bacteria. The fact is raw organic milk not only supplies you with the calcium and vitamin D that your body needs, it even acts as a medicine to cure many ailments. Those of you who have labeled yourself as “lactose intolerant” can now take those words out of your vocabulary. I always labeled myself as having this problem until I started making healthier choices for myself. I switched to organic food and products two years ago and my life has become better because of it. Raw milk has also become part of my diet.

I dealt with stomach problems for many years. There was actually a period of about two years when I would have an upset stomach after practically anything I ate. I lost too much weight and started to lose some of my hair due to malnourishment. I tried to include more fiber in my diet and that helped a little but not completely. I avoided milk products all together, which was difficult for a cheese lover and I switched to organic food. My stomach problems became non-existent. I didn’t miss milk but I knew I should be drinking it for nutritional purposes.

I can honestly tell all of you who are on a “diet” that this is not skim milk but it will not make you gain weight. Skim milk is a crock. The chemical filled and nutritionally deprived products that people consume make them gain weight because the toxins don’t allow the body to properly get rid of waste. That is why fat gathers in certain areas of the body and not others. Fat free, low fat, no carbohydrates, rah, rah, rah, it’s all a joke. All you need to do is eat and drink organic to maintain a healthy weight that will not fluctuate. You can have chocolate, chips- anything you choose as long as it’s organic. Counting calories and factoring fat content will be a thing of the past. You’ll think back at all the times you did this and laugh realizing how ridiculous it was. The media and doctors have everyone obsessed with this pattern of thinking while they’re telling you to eat foods that are full of toxins as long as they’re low fat or fat free, etc. It’s time to take control of your own health because no one is going to do it for you.

Why don’t we hear more about the benefits of raw organic milk? You need to search for these benefits because they’re certainly not advertised. The brand name companies that provide mass quantities of milk to grocery stores would be out of business if everyone stopped buying it, so it doesn’t benefit them to tell you about it. It doesn’t benefit doctors to tell their patients because they wouldn’t be able to prescribe you with the medicine that’s pushed on them by drug companies. Pharmaceutical companies in turn wouldn’t be raking in the revenue they’ve grown so accustomed to. Small businesses like farms would benefit, but their voice is smaller. Most farms sell raw organic milk by word of mouth rather than advertisements.

Raw milk should be from grass fed cows only. It should also be certified as organic because it is tested for safety on a regular basis and it is tested randomly without notice. If the bacteria count in the milk is too high, the seller’s license is taken away until it is tested again and approved. This is not to say that this milk is not healthy if it has a high bacteria count as most farmers would still drink it themselves, but these are the rules.

Raw organic milk reduces belly fat, lowers cholesterol and lowers your body’s resistance to insulin. It contains the enzymes that your body needs to break down lactose so people like me do not get sick. This milk contains phosphate as well as 21 other amino acids. Phosphate allows your body to absorb calcium better. Enzymes and natural antibodies in raw organic milk from cows that are grass fed break down pathogens like Salmonella, E. Coli and listeria. Pasteurization destroys phosphate. It destroys enzymes that fight bad bacteria and break down lactose. It leaves nothing behind including essential vitamins like A, B, B12 and C. You want to talk about getting sick, try a bad glass of pasteurized milk. Raw organic milk has the saturated fat your body needs to coat your vital organs and to secrete the hormone in your stomach that tells your brain when you’re full. Low fat/No fat foods and drinks don’t have the fat you need for your body to do this, so they contribute to overeating. Raw organic milk raises metabolism, aids your body to rid of waste (taking the pressure off of your pancreas), boosts up your immune system and helps to prevent colon cancer. It cures psoriasis, pregnancy cramps and scurvy. It has also been known to improve pulmonary tuberculosis.

Once I learned all of this information, I became curious. This past summer I decided to venture out on a trip to a farm that’s about 40 minutes away from where I live in central Massachusetts. I went there because I heard about the benefits of drinking raw organic milk. They sell the certified raw organic milk produced by their pampered Jersey cows that are strictly grass fed. The areas where the cows were grazing were clean and the cows looked very healthy and happy. I loaded up my cooler with the large canning jars full of fresh milk that cost $4.50 per half gallon. I was amazed when I got home and took my first sip of this delectable refreshment! I couldn’t believe it. It doesn’t taste anything like that disgusting, cheesy and creamy whole pasteurized milk that you buy at the store. The texture is like velvet and it tastes just like melted ice cream only not as thick and without the excessive sweetness. People, you don’t know what you’re missing if you haven’t tried this yet! I have to admit I was very nervous about how my stomach would react due to being previously traumatized by milk products. Needless to say, not only did my stomach not undergo any adverse reactions, it was settled completely. I can now supply my body with the nourishment it needs and I no longer have that wrenching pain.

The brand name milk that is carried in grocery stores could be from anywhere and could’ve had anything in it including blood before the pasteurization process. This process allows the sale of mass quantities of milk containing anything that can be covered up or removed. It is pasty white rather than a natural cream color. The cows that produce the milk may be fed corn that is difficult for them to digest, even with their four stomachs. The corn causes them to eat less and produce more milk so it cuts down on cost. Many of the cows are injected with synthetic hormones like rBGH that is linked to cancer. They may also be milked until their utters are raw, bleeding or even infected. The federal government still sees raw organic milk as a health hazard and has left the decision up to individual states as to whether they will allow it in their grocery stores. I think we’re slowly becoming aware that it is not a hazard at all, but beneficial to our overall health and generally much safer.

The purchase of store bought organic milk that is not raw is on the rise in spite of the fact that the amount of milk people consume has remained consistent. It also costs about twice as much. Considering the economy, I would say that people are really becoming dedicated to moving forward with their health and are starting to make better decisions for themselves. Consumers are becoming more informed and are less likely to rely on the government and their doctors to tell them what is healthy and what is not. Perhaps this is the beginning of a change for the better.

The only difficult thing about drinking raw organic milk is that most of us can’t just mosey on down to the local grocery store after work and buy it. I’ve been waiting for the day I watch the local Boston news and find out Massachusetts grocery stores will start to carry my milk. Most states do not carry raw organic milk in their grocery stores so you need to go straight to the source. This is not convenient for those of us who live in the city but you can usually find a few people in your area that will be willing to share the trips so you don’t have to drive there every week. The farm I visited actually had flyers posted with the phone numbers of local people who are willing to connect with others in their area to do this. That’s how good this milk is. My only fear is what I will do in the winter when the cows produce less milk and the New England roads are covered in snow!

Interesting Facts:

· Raw milk is sold in grocery stores in 24 states.
· Starbucks uses milk that is rBGH free.
· People have been drinking milk since 6,000-8,000 B.C.
· Australia, Japan, New Zealand and Canada stopped buying and selling milk from cows injected with rBGH because of mastitis problems.
· Famous physician Sir William Osler called raw milk “white blood” because of its health benefits.
· Virologist Albert Sabin created his oral vaccine for polio from cow colostrum since it contains many powerful antibodies.
· Raw milk from cows that are fed mostly grain cannot protect itself against pathogens like the milk from cows that are 100% grass fed.
· CLA is a fatty acid and anti-carcinogen found in raw milk that has many powerful benefits like battling rheumatoid arthritis.

Check out the RFD channel for more information on farming and health topics with Dish Network!

Check out CNN with Dish Network Satellite TV!

• Eduardo Ravelo is one of America’s top 10 Most Wanted criminals and is known as a hit man who will go to any extreme to avoid capture. Evidently, he has undergone plastic surgery and even altered his fingerprints and shaved his head. Ravelo is part of the gang Barrio Aztecas along the Mexican-American border, is responsible for many murders and is connected to the Juarez drug cartel. It is not only difficult to catch Ravelo because of his change in appearance; he also lives minimally to keep a very low profile.

• Sudbury, Ma resident Tarek Mehanna had plans to kill two political officials and go on a massive shooting spree at an undisclosed mall. This is comforting, considering I’m a Mass resident! The only reason why the shooting spree never happened is because Mehanna was not able to get the guns he wanted. Mehanna trained with the Taliban and watched videos in preparation for his attacks that included our troops being mutilated.

• Totalbeauty.com has chosen El Paso, TX as the town with the most “ugly” men!

• Insurgents aren’t the only threats in Afghanistan. The heroin and opium grown there has killed more people of NATO countries than insurgents have. Guess who benefits from the death of all these people- the Taliban who have made hundreds of millions of dollars from pumping out these drugs. This money contributes to their terrorism efforts.

• Mary Murphy, a judge on So You Think You Can Dance came forward and admitted that the man she married when she was a teenager in the 70’s abused her. She said that she left this in the past, but emotions ran high when she saw the pictures of Rihanna’s face after her encounter with Chris Brown. This prompted her to talk publicly about her abuse.

Check out CNN with Dish Network Satellite TV!

• Eduardo Ravelo is one of America’s top 10 Most Wanted criminals and is known as a hit man who will go to any extreme to avoid capture. Evidently, he has undergone plastic surgery and even altered his fingerprints and shaved his head. Ravelo is part of the gang Barrio Aztecas along the Mexican-American border, is responsible for many murders and is connected to the Juarez drug cartel. It is not only difficult to catch Ravelo because of his change in appearance; he also lives minimally to keep a very low profile.

• Sudbury, Ma resident Tarek Mehanna had plans to kill two political officials and go on a massive shooting spree at an undisclosed mall. This is comforting, considering I’m a Mass resident! The only reason why the shooting spree never happened is because Mehanna was not able to get the guns he wanted. Mehanna trained with the Taliban and watched videos in preparation for his attacks that included our troops being mutilated.

• Totalbeauty.com has chosen El Paso, TX as the town with the most “ugly” men!

• Insurgents aren’t the only threats in Afghanistan. The heroin and opium grown there has killed more people of NATO countries than insurgents have. Guess who benefits from the death of all these people- the Taliban who have made hundreds of millions of dollars from pumping out these drugs. This money contributes to their terrorism efforts.

• Mary Murphy, a judge on So You Think You Can Dance came forward and admitted that the man she married when she was a teenager in the 70’s abused her. She said that she left this in the past, but emotions ran high when she saw the pictures of Rihanna’s face after her encounter with Chris Brown. This prompted her to talk publicly about her abuse.

If you have not seen ABC new hit comedy Modern Family airing Wednesday nights at 9 pm you are missing out. Modern Family is about a dysfunctional family trying to make it through everyday life. Jay (Ed O’Neill) who played Al in the old 80’s sitcom Married with Children is the patriarch of the family constantly running into unique circumstances with his young stunning wife Gloria (Sofia Vergara) his daughter Claire (Julie Bowen), and his son Mitchell (Jesse Tyler Ferguson).

In last weeks episode Claire and her husband Phil (Ty Burrell) were dealing with the troubles of having their teenage daughter Haley (Sarah Hyland) grow up to fast. She wanted to go on a trip with her older boyfriend but her parents would not let her go. During a family get together that broke out into a fight between Jay’s ex wife Dede (Shelly Long) and new wife Gloria, Haley’s boyfriend was the one to calm everyone down. Just when Claire and Phil were starting to approve of him he decided to show Sarah's family his musical skills by singing a song he wrote for her. The song started of nice it was titled “In the Moonlight” and the family all loved the song until he started singing the chorus part “ do me” and that’s when he quickly went back to being the outcast boyfriend while also getting the death look from Sarah's dad Phil.

The show has something that any viewer can relate to. I have watched all four episodes and each one is as funny as the last. Whoever put the cast together did a great job even the kids on the show fit their roles perfectly.

Over the last several decades the service sector has experienced the most employment growth in the United States. This sector is especially conducive for Broadband applications. Services makes up roughly 50% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and is ripe with opportunities for rural Americans that have access to Broadband Internet connections.

The growth of this sector has increased businesses productivity and in many cases globalized its marketplace. Information technology and the service sector are the primary drivers of economic growth. The result of this has led to increasing private service sector exports and imports. Unfortunately U.S. businesses export more services than they import. That has created a problem for both businesses and American workers seeking opportunities. When polled most businesses in the states admitted that most of their service jobs go overseas for two reasons; one being the ability to find an abundance low-wage workers, for jobs such as call center reps and the lack of Broadband access for rural workers, who are primarily the people seeking the work. The lack of Broadband access is also putting high-wage jobs, like software development, at risk of going overseas as well.

Here is where the opportunity for American job seekers comes in. Businesses have a problem with the exporting of services. The business polled revealed, close to 20% were engaged in global off shoring of some if not all of their service support activity - 52% goes to India.

Businesses cited that doing so reduced costs, freed up management time and gave their customers 24/7 access to support. The problem for those same businesses was a whopping 67% customer dissatisfaction rating with the outsourced services. Nearly every business surveyed said they would be interested in bringing back those jobs if rural employees could be recruited. It makes sense for businesses to retain a high level of customer satisfaction, not to mention the favorable government tax incentives for keeping the jobs stateside.

Because cable and DSL providers have failed to service so many rural areas, a large number of potential job candidates were ineligible for these jobs. However Satellite Internet has changed this dynamic. It has been the stance of many of the cable and DSL providers that providing services to customers in rural areas would not be profitable enough to undertake. Satellite Internet, because of the way it is delivered, makes the most sense. With speeds comparable to DSL services, Satellite Internet has the speed and reliability the businesses are looking for. Best of all - it is available everywhere.

It is important to note the nearly 70% of rural Americans polled say they are interested in working for home over the Internet. 50% of retirees, were interested in returning to the workforce, citing flexible schedules, supplemental income, social interaction and intellectual stimulation as inducements. 54% of all rural candidates nationwide stated they have broadband Internet access currently, 79% subscribe to Satellite Internet services.

For rural Americans, Satellite Internet access is the key to becoming viable for telework opportunities that will be most assuredly coming with the advent of the Federal Broadband Stimulus plan and the need/want of U.S. businesses to bring jobs back home.

The Government's commitment to providing high-speed Internet connections to rural America through the Federal Broadband Stimulus program, may have a positive economic effect for customers accessing newly born services. However, the effect on rural businesses may not be so positive.

It is not an unfamiliar fact that customers of rural businesses usually pay more for the same products and services that mainstream Americans do. The reasons are numerous, and in many cases justified. Smaller customer bases and higher costs to receive goods or deliver services are a big contributor to higher costs for rural consumers.

Imagine for a moment that instead of dial up Internet access, rural citizens had access to a high-speed Broadband Satellite Internet connection. Faster and easier access to information, would assuredly empower customers to seek lower costs through on-line shopping. The need for many farmers, ranchers or just ordinary rural dwellers, to trudge off to the local emporium for food, feed, tools, etc., would be greatly diminished and small rural business may eventually suffer irreversible consequences.

You won't find many arguments against technological advancement here and the prospect of rural high-speed Internet access is both exciting and necessary for that long ignored customer base. Still, one can't help but feel a little worried about yet another staple of small town rural American life going by the wayside. Another Saturday Evening Post ideal lost forever.

The hope is for rural users to have the technological advantages available to them, but without the adverse effect on small businesses. It seems to be a risk worth taking, when you weigh in the benefits of high-speed Internet, which would also include, but would not be limited to; social benefits (email), economic benefits (e-commerce), educational benefits (e-learning or distance learning), entertainment benefits (movies, music etc,) and information benefits (news, politics, weather, and sports) for its citizens.

Laying fears to rest was a study performed on rural communities, which produced some surprising and positive results.Between 2002 and 2006 the study was performed on 228 selected rural counties that had relatively high broadband availability in 2000, and rural "twin" counties that mirrored their economic structure in terms of farming, manufacturing, retail trade, Federal, State and Local Government income as a percent of total income. Population sizes and densities were also closely matched and the presence of interstate highways and per capita income levels were factored.

The results were interesting and reassuring to say the least. Counties that had access to Broadband services, had lower unemployment levels, due largely to businesses being attracted to areas were they could operate through high-speed Internet accesses. Average wages for those employed were significantly higher in broadband available areas as well.The farm sector seemed to be largely unaffected by broadband Internet access, with productivity changing very little. Somewhat surprising was how unaffected local merchants were. Many took advantage of the Internet advancements to be more cost efficient and smartly passed those savings to their customers. Education and other factors proved to difficult to measure, but what wasn't hard to measure was the overwhelming amount of rural customers who jumped at that chance to upgrade their Internet service from dial-up.

The conclusions we can draw from this study are that rural Americans need and can benefit greatly from the availability of high-speed Internet services. Satellite Internet is the logical vehicle to supply these areas with access, because of how it is delivered. If the cable and DSL providers thought it was cost-effective to service these areas, I am assuming they would have done so years ago.

With the proposed Broadband Stimulus plan, set forth by the Federal Government to enable rural areas of the country to have access to high-speed Internet services. An old fear has arisen, the erosion of community interactions in small town America. The theory was always that community involvement and participation would be lost forever as end users sought out their own virtual communities of shared interest over the Internet.

After a decade of research, however, just the opposite appears to be true. Studies have shown that Internet use increased civic engagement and community participation. In fact the concern now is that those with dial up services are being left out of community activities as it is a greater challenge for them to access information, through slow unreliable dial-up connections.

Satellite Internet seems to be the logical platform to enable rural customers to receive high-speed Internet access, because of the way it is delivered. Cable and DSL providers would most assuredly have already supplied services in many rural areas, had they deemed it financial advantageous. The fact is, they don't and Satellite Internet offers the opportunity for all rural homes to have reliable high-speed service.

Satellite Internet will allow rural customers to use the Internet to receive information via e-mail from organizations, or search out information for groups they are interested in. Using this Broadband technology will increase the levels of passive and active community involvement. Further, there is strong evidence that the quality of Internet access is also vital to a community's sociological well-being and has no limitations as to income, age, education, or race.

Communities that are reliant on the interaction and volunteerism of its citizens may in fact suffer or at least be at a disadvantage by not adopting broadband technologies, compared to communities that do. Sluggish dial-up services have been found to diminish daily Internet use, slow the development in becoming proficient with Internet capabilities and negatively impact their willingness to contribute to their local community.

There has been enough research to this point to accurately confirm the economical, educational, and social benefits of high-speed broadband Internet access.

In America the Internet has become vital in allowing individuals to have greater access to health information, products and services. Though this may seem ordinary to us, rural communities have long faced challenges in getting adequate local health care, let alone the benefits of acquiring information we take for granted. The ability to acquire high-speed broadband Internet access would almost assuredly transform small rural communities in terms of economic benefits by reducing transportation time and expenses, reducing missed time at work, increasing the effectiveness of lab and pharmacy work and provide savings to health facilities.

The funds set aside by the Government in the Broadband Stimulus plan to provide rural Internet users with options better than dial-up services, is not the first interest the Government has taken here. The USDA has administered many programs aimed at improving medical technology through the use of Broadband Internet access and the 2008 Farm Act also helped to expand these programs to rural America.

Studies have shown that Telemdicine, which can only be practiced through a high-speed Internet connection, had an immediate and dramatic cost-benefit to facilities that practiced it. Because rural hospitals are almost always at least partially funded by local sales taxes, the community in which they serve found greater economic savings due to the advancement of broadband technology and the efficiency of Telemecidine.

Telemedicine mainly benefits hospital savings by reducing the outsourcing of specific procedures, transportation costs associated with outsourcing of patients, income savings from reducing the time missed from work, and the increased abilities and proficiencies of laboratory and pharmaceutical work. All of these factors improved patient turnaround and was the greatest benefit noted by hospital staff members.

Broadband Internet's value in rural areas was estimated to be nearly $400,000 annually when considering the cost savings of patients and their employers. The savings due to increased efficiencies and the increase of business the hospitals realized due to Telemedicine.