Saturday, February 22, 2014

God Is The Greatest Giver


by Andrew Wommack

John 4:10, "Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water."
Jesus asked this woman for a drink of water, but it wasn't water He was interested in. He wanted to give this woman eternal life.

God is the greatest giver there ever was. He lives to give. When He asks something of us we can be assured that it is only so He can multiply it and give it back to us.

God is not interested in the water we can give Him. We don't have anything to offer God that He doesn't already have. God wants us. And by asking us to give of our time and money or desires, He is really asking us to give ourselves.

Many a person has walked away from God sad, like the rich young ruler because all they could think about was what they would have to give up (Mk. 10:22). All of our achievements and possessions are nothing compared to what God offers us in exchange.

Just as Jesus turned this woman's attention toward what He had to offer her, we need to focus our attention on what the Lord has given us in Christ. He is no fool who gives up what he can not keep to receive what he cannot lose.   

Visit Andrew's Website.


The Secret Lives of Owls

Great Horned Owl
View Enlarged Image
Golden Pond, KY
Land Between the Lakes NRA

Are all owls nocturnal? Do all owls live in the woods? Can owls see in complete darkness?

Owls live on every continent except Antarctica. What’s more, from France to Australia, many of our ancestors were intrigued enough to include wise or ominous owls in their legends. No matter what role they’ve played in human minds, owls have led a secret life all their own—until now. We’re setting the record straight.

Read "20 Fun Facts About Owls".

Developer of HPV Vaccines Warns It’s All A Deadly Scam

Dr. Diane Harper was a leading expert responsible for safety and effectiveness studies which secured the approval of the human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccines, Gardasil™ and Cervarix™.  Dr. Harper also authored many of the published, scholarly papers about the vaccines. She is now the latest in a long string of experts who are pressing the red alert button on the devastating consequences and irrelevancy of these vaccines.

Dr. Harper made her surprising confession at the 4th International Converence on Vaccination. Her speech, which was originally intended to promote the benefits of the vaccines, took a 180-degree turn when she chose instead to clean her conscience about the deadly vaccines so she “could sleep at night”. Read the full story.


10 Men Christian Women Should Never Marry

From Charisma Magazine

Today I have several single female friends who would very much like to find the right guy. Some tell me the pickings are slim at their church, so they have ventured into the world of online dating.

Others have thrown up their hands in despair, wondering if there are any decent Christian guys left anywhere. They’ve begun to wonder if they should lower their standards in order to find a mate.

My advice stands: Don't settle for less than God's best.

Too many Christian women today have ended up with an Ishmael because impatience pushed them into an unhappy marriage. Please take my fatherly advice: You are much better off single than with the wrong guy!

Speaking of “wrong guys,” here are the top 10 men you should avoid when looking for a husband ...    Read the entire article.


Simple Weight-Loss Tips For Pets

Surprisingly Simple Weight-Loss Tips
Video with Dr. Sarah  

It’s hard to recognize our own habits. Unfortunately, habitual behavior can have repercussions not only for you, but for your pet kids, too.

For instance, the practice of free-feeding could be contributing to the epidemic of canine and feline weight problems. To help overweight pets become fitter and happier, Dr. Sarah shows how you can easily adopt new habits. Watch this episode of Pet Talk now


Friday, February 14, 2014

Newsletter - 2/15/14

                    View This Newsletter On the Website.                    


"Christians are like the flowers in a garden, that have each of them the dew of Heaven, which, being shaken with the wind, they let fall at each other's roots, whereby they are jointly nourished, and become nourishers of each other."
 ~ Junnie Fiedacan Falculan                (Thanks for the quote, Marilee!)
 

Happy Valentine's Day, Dear Friends!

Randal and Donna Watkins
April 9, 1977

I'm sending this out a day early so I can wish you a Happy Valentine's Day.  I hope it's already a good one.  Whether there's any earthly "valentine" in your life or not, you're the Bride of Christ every day and He absolutely adores you and is crazy about you.  You are a delight to Him and He loves you so much!

"The LORD your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in His love He will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing."  Zephaniah 3:17
 

This is our New Testament Savior, Lord and Lover of my soul.  He transforms us through His love.  Each day I take time to lie back and visualize Jesus and me on the beach dancing.  I have a long purple free-flowing dress and He has white pants and tunic with a purple sash that blows in the breeze as we spin before the waves.  There is no better "valentine" than that.  Although I sure do appreciate the valentine I have in my husband.  We've been valentines since 1977.  We actually got engaged on Valentine's Day that year.

I've seen some birds scouting out our bird houses.  Flying to the hole and looking inside, sometimes hopping in to get a closer view.  Nice to see that the birds are thinking of Springtime!  It also tells me that birds plan ahead.  We had a lot of cardinals and titmice birthed last year and I know some of them are going to have to find new territory.  I hope there are plenty of places on our property.  Don't like to think of our babies having to get out into the real cruel world, but our Father will watch over them.

Tufted Titmouse Bathing
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The titmice seem to be more gracious with each other than the male cardinals.  The titmice use bird houses and cavities, so we can always increase the houses, but cardinals build their nests in cedars, vines and dense bushes.  Since the female spends a lot of time in that nest, she checks all angles of the chosen spot peeking through branches to check on her views and privacy levels.  When the spot is determined, she will build the nest, but males sometimes brings some materials for her to add to it.


Both of these species have been singing their spring songs, which means the new males birthed are looking for mates.  That may be why the titmice have been bathing frequently even on cold days.  It's cute to watch them.  They only take a dip or two, not like in the summer when they simply soak themselves silly.  The chickadees watch and take a dip now and then also.  Our most frequent bathers are definitely titmice all year around.  They just love bathing and cleaning up.

Speaking of birds, the annual Great Backyard Bird Count begins today and runs through Monday.  Pick any day or do it every day and submit your best results.  You simply choose a segment of time and count how many of each species and then submit the highest numbers.  It's fun to check out your previous years' statistics and compete with them.  Last year we counted 79 birds in a given hour and had 20 species in that list.It's one of our Valentine's Day activities this year.  


It's a lot of fun to participate, especially if you have children.  They get so excited counting the birds and trying to beat the high number before entering your data at the BirdCount.org website.  The skies put down almost a foot of snow in the past two days which is a lot for Central Virginia, but not as much as they predicted.  It'll be easy to count birds against that white background.

With our many weeks of very cold weather that certainly challenges the wildlife to eat enough food for energy. I had some expired brown rice cereal that was given to me, so I cooked it up in a 3-quart saucepan and dumped it all across one of our concrete benches at the pond, which is near the area where our wildlife look for the scraps we put out.  I wondered if it would make a mess of the bench or even if it would be eaten, but by morning there wasn't a trace of it.  

Yellow-rumped Warber - Front View
View Enlarged Image
I happened to have a little bit of peanut oil that I poured off of a new jar of peanut butter since we get the natural kind.  That gave it a great smell to attract anybody that was in the vicinity of the bench.  The fat itself would've been a great addition to the protein and carbs of the cereal.  It certainly seems like they're not fussy tenants of the woods this year.  Anything seems to be appreciated.

We've been seeing the Yellow-rumped Warblers this year, but not as many as last year.  It's interesting that many of our normal wintering over birds seem to have flown further south.  They must've known something about this winter.  Warblers are very adaptable and found in a variety of habitats.  

They have a tremendous range reaching up to generally 9.8 million square kilometers and being found in much of the Caribbean as well as parts of North and Central America.  There are also populations in Greenland, Iceland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom. 

Its preferred habitat includes temperate, tropical and subtropical forests, shrublands and even rural gardens. The global population of this bird is estimated to be around 90 million individuals. You can see why they are called adaptable birds.

They like the mealworms and the suet here in our habitat.  The bluebirds come for the same menu which is served together on the deck, and they seem to chase away these warblers if they arrive together.  That has shown me that the Yellow-rumps are a bit timid because they fly back into the holly tree at the end of the deck and wait for the bluebirds to leave.


I'm still attached to the tubing of the oxygen concentrator.  I certainly give a lot of thought to a couple of years ago when God healed this through His mercy and the prayers of faithful friends.  I was in such shock (unbelief) that I was head over heels grateful and continually praising Him, but to the point of simply not believing He did this for me.  If you go back and read a lot of what I was writing after that event, it's obvious.  It opened up the door to the devil who gradually (and gladly) led me back to where I was.
Yellow-rumped Warber - Back View
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As mentioned in the last newsletter, the rheumatoid arthritis (RA) was healed at that time, but I was so much more affected by the heart/fluid retention/breathing being healed that I didn't think much about the RA I'd had for 25 years.  In my mind, it was kinda like, "well if it is, that's great" but my heart was a more pressing issue.  So a couple of months later it really hit me as fact that the RA healed and having that much time pass without much thought of it didn't negate the faith that came from Andrew Wommack to heal it.
Funny, there was a time when I thought I had all of this figured out, but God's ways are inexhaustible.  GREAT is His faithfulness.   I'm not staying stuck here.  Thank you to all who have been praying for me.  I am spending a lot of time lying on my Abba's lap asking for mercy.  His mercies are new every morning and His love for me is always fresh and new.  I will find my way back to that healing manifestation because the Word is Truth and it says that Jesus has already provided healing.  

Our hardened hearts keep us from standing in faith.  The disciples had just participated in the miracle of the loaves and fishes, feeding 5000 men plus women and children.  With that many people, the disciples were NOT running back and forth to get the food from Jesus who was multiplying it.  Jesus had prayed over it and put a tiny bit in each of the disciples' baskets and as they went to their assigned group in that huge crowd, each person took and the food kept multiplying right before their eyes.  

Female Gray Hairstreak Butterfly on Phlox
Don't You Miss The Butterflies & The Flowers?
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The miracle was done in their hands as they watched, however, right after that Jesus tells them (actually compels them to cross the Sea of Galilee while He goes to pray.  There were fishermen in the group of disciples and they knew a storm was brewing, but they obeyed Him.  Later as we know, Jesus came walking on water to them and climbed in the boat with them and the wind died down.  Consider the disciples reaction:

"Then he climbed into the boat with them, and the wind died down. They were completely amazed, for they had not understood about the loaves; their hearts were hardened." Mark 6:51-52


We think if we'd had that miracle of the loaves and fishes happen from our hands that we'd have the faith for anything!  Most of our "knowing" is mental, not from the heart, and it's from the heart that we show forth faith.  That's why so many Christians are confused about why things don't happen.  It takes faith to bring God's blessings and promises into our lives (Hebrews 11:6) and we think because we know something mentally, that we know it in our hearts.  Sadly, not so.

How comforting that God knows we are but dust.  I've been studying the Scriptures in the Gospels of the times that said that Jesus was moved by compassion for people.  He still is and all we need to do is add a mustard seed faith to that to receive all of the blessings He has already given us in the spiritual realm.

Who We Are In Christ
• He is with me always. Hebrews 13:5
• He thinks about me constantly. Psalm 139:17
• He knows everything about me even the number of hairs on my head. Matthew 10:30

• The creator of the universe, my Dad loves me with an everlasting love. Jeremish 31:3
Do We Believe It?

Marilee not only sent me the quote in this issue of the newsletter (at the top), but also this graphic.  I thought it quite appropriate for Valentine's Day.  Everybody needs more hugs.  Although she and I both already knew the value of hugs, it was nice to be reminded.  

Did you know that hugs:

• Can instantly boost oxytocin levels, which heal feelings of loneliness, isolation, and anger.

• Lift one's serotonin levels, elevating mood and creating happiness.

• Strengthen the immune system. The gentle pressure on the sternum stimulates the thymus gland, which regulates and balances the body's production of white blood cells, which keep you healthy and disease free.

• Relaxes muscles. Hugs release tension in the body. Hugs can take away pain; they soothe aches by increasing circulation into the soft tissues.


Donna and Randal
Downtown Greenville, SC

How many hugs have you given out today?

It's not too late to get started! 

And what a great "love day" to begin this daily habit for the entire year.


Love, Hugs and Many Blessings!
Donna



P.S.  Anything in here that might help somebody you know?  

Here's a link to the online version of this newsletter: 
Newsletter - 2/15/14
www.thenatureinus.com/2014/02/newsletter-21514.html

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Posts Since Last Newsletter

Sitting With God  (DLW)

Do We Pray to Father or Jesus?

Dogs and Wolves

FDA To Reduce Trans Fats in Processed Foods

God Is a Good God

USDA To Allow Contaminated Chicken From China

Canine Influenza - Video by Dr. Sara

Spirituality Changes the Brain and Risk of Depression

Landscape to Attract Birds

Newsletter - 2/1/14 (DLW)

Previous Posts You May Have Missed

Moving On With Life (DLW)

Being Joyful ALL of the Time

Winter Fun with Dogs

Friendly Birds

Rest And Receive Your Miracle

The Secrets of Cat Whispering

Unusual Food Choices For The Birds

Physicians' Diagnostic Confidence Doesn't Mean Accuracy

Newsletter - 1/15/14 (DLW)

The Pain of Promises (DLW)

Putting Nuisance Beavers to Work

Was Jesus The Messiah?

Fruits and Veggies Your Dog Will Like

Newsletter - 1/1/14  (DLW)

A War Is Being Waged For Your Heart Daily

Coffee Increases or Decreases Risk of Heart Attacks?

Newer Wind Turbines Still Killing Birds

Disaster Preparation for Pets

Billy Graham's Grandson Takes a New Direction

The Tide Changes on Stem Cell Research

One Way to Victory

Newsletter - 12/15/13  (DLW)

When Unbelief Consumes Our Heart

How to Find a Lost Dog - Tried & True Method

Nine-banded Armadillo

Get Your Focus Off The Problem


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Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Cats Kill 1 Billion+ Birds Each Year

America’s cats, including housecats that adventure outdoors and feral cats, kill between 1.3 billion and 4.0 billion birds in a year, says Peter Marra of the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Washington, D.C., who led the team that performed the analysis.

For wild mammals, the annual toll lies between 6.3 billion and 22.3 billion, Marra and his colleagues report along with the bird numbers January 29 in Nature Communications. The majority of these doomed mammals and birds fall into the jaws of cats that live outdoors full-time with or without food supplements from people.   Read the entire article.


Tuesday, February 11, 2014

Sitting With God

by Donna L. Watkins

View More Critter & Garden Photos
Dragonfly on Leaf
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We often get stuck in situations which produce a lot of worry.  We get confused on what God is saying or not saying.  We have to first believe that God is speaking to us when we pray.

Not all answers to prayer are instantly seen. Satan can hinder God's power even after it has been released. Read Daniel 10:1-13.  As you can see from that Scripture, God answered Daniel's prayer right away, but it took 21 days for Daniel to SEE God's answer because the prince of Persia (a demonic power) withheld the manifestation.

Many times we think He hasn't answered because it always comes in the spiritual realm first (God is spirit and we must relate to Him through our spirits).  Then it is manifested in the physical realm. If we waver in our confidence of faith in His faithfulness, then we abort the manifestation of our answer to prayer. However, God did answer. Everyone that asks receives, but sometimes we just give up too willingly because we've had too often in our minds that "God doesn't care about me."

Sometimes we simply expect to see handwriting on the wall or a star in heaven to point the way. We have the Almighty God in us (imparted at salvation) and He is directing our steps all of the time.  Isaiah 30:21 tells us, "Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you saying, 'This is the way; walk in it."

Even when we don't see these Truths in our lives, we have to realize that it's us that isn't receiving or maybe understanding the verse as it is written.  That's a time to study it in depth.  Takes days or weeks.  One Scripture can turn your world around if it's imparted as a revelation to you.

We need to be able to hear His voice and that requires relationship with Him.  We know the voices of those with whom we speak often.  We gain this relationship by being with Him, not in books and devotionals and teachings, but with Him alone so we can listen to what He wants to tell us.

The Word is alive and active (Heb. 4:12) so it comes alive in our spirit.  God is spirit (John 4:24) and He communicates to our spirit.  If our flesh has been ruling our body (workaholic, entertainment, excess food, not being able to say "No" to requests), then we don't hear our spirit's longing for God.

Don't get hung up on "having to" read the Bible each day.  Remember that the early Christians didn't have the written Word of the New Testament.  It took decades before the New Testament books were written.  The Baptism of the Holy Spirit was to be their guide and teacher.  That should still be our focus for today, but you also need to know the Word so that you can discern right from wrong and truth from error.  When we're not sure whether we're hearing God, knowing the Word makes it a lot easier because He will not go against His Word.

I'm just saying that we can get a Law mindset of "having to" read the Bible and God may be calling us simply to sit and listen to Him on some days.  Too much guilt is placed on Christians for not reading their Bible daily and condemnation never brings one closer to God, even though it's religion doing the condemning, and not God.  Romans 8:1 - "Therefore now there is no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus ..."  

For that reason, I'm not for Read the Bible in a Year programs or a more recent Bible study option of Reading the Bible in 90 Days. You can get it read in those amounts of time (not without pressure and frustration) but not with the focus that God intended for us to have in His Word. 


There may be one Scripture that He wants you to focus and meditate on for an entire week or longer.  It is what will change your life around forever, but if we're on a drill to keep reading and getting it done, we'll miss it.  We'll be saying, "God I'm reading Your Word, don't talk to me now!"  He wants to see us walking in victory and having an abundant life daily.  

Jesus said, "I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly (John 10:10). 

The devil wants us walking in defeat and encumbered by many activities.  We live in a swirling whirling world these days.  It takes a determination to keep life simple so that we don't enter into the "hurry, worry, scurry" mindset of life today.

"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full."  (John 10:10)

If your life is feeling empty ... it's not because Jesus hasn't given you something better ... you've just not believed and walked in it.  It takes your time ... it takes living by your priorities.
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Do We Pray to Father or Jesus?

From Andrew's Wommack's Online Bible Commentary

John 16:24 - "Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full."

The proper way to pray is to the Father in the name of Jesus. While Jesus was on the earth, the disciples asked Him for whatever they needed, and Jesus would ask the Father and get it for them. Here He was saying that they should not ask Him anymore, but they should take their requests directly to the Father.

Asking in the name of Jesus means that God treats our requests the same as He would if Jesus was personally making the petition. Therefore, we can expect the same treatment from God as Jesus would get. In the business world, that is called the power of attorney.

Those who pray in the name of Jesus but then doubt that God would answer their prayers because they aren't holy enough are taking the name of Jesus in vain. If people pray in Jesus' name, then it is His holiness that God looks at and not theirs.


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Dogs & Wolves

The Evolution of Modern Canines
by Dr. Jane

Many people believe that their canine companions share the same genetic makeup as wolves, but could this be true? Or are dogs just descendants of wolves with a completely different set of genes?

In this post Dr. Jane explores the scientific evidence that points to only one conclusion, and the answer might just surprise you.  Read the post.


FDA To Reduce Trans Fats in Processed Foods


FDA NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release: Nov. 7, 2013
Media Inquiries:  Shelly Burgess, shelly.burgess@fda.hhs.gov, 301-796-4651
Consumer Inquiries: 1-888-INFO-FDA

FDA takes step to further reduce trans fats in processed foods

Reducing trans fat intake could prevent thousands of heart attacks and deaths 
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced its preliminary determination that partially hydrogenated oils (PHOs), the primary dietary source of artificial trans fat in processed foods, are not “generally recognized as safe” for use in food. The FDA’s preliminary determination is based on available scientific evidence and the findings of expert scientific panels. 
The agency has opened a 60-day comment period on this preliminary determination to collect additional data and to gain input on the time potentially needed for food manufacturers to reformulate products that currently contain artificial trans fat should this determination be finalized.
“While consumption of potentially harmful artificial trans fat has declined over the last two decades in the United States, current intake remains a significant public health concern,” said FDA Commissioner Margaret A. Hamburg, M.D. “The FDA’s action today is an important step toward protecting more Americans from the potential dangers of trans fat. Further reduction in the amount of trans fat in the American diet could prevent an additional 20,000 heart attacks and 7,000 deaths from heart disease each year – a critical step in the protection of Americans’ health.”
Consumption of trans fat raises low-density lipoprotein (LDL), or “bad” cholesterol, increasing the risk of coronary heart disease. The independent Institute of Medicine (IOM) has concluded that trans fat provides no known health benefit and that there is no safe level of consumption of artificial trans fat. Additionally, the IOM recommends that consumption of trans fat should be as low as possible while consuming a nutritionally adequate diet.
In recent years, many food manufacturers and retailers have voluntarily decreased trans fat levels in many foods and products they sell. Trans fat can be found in some processed foods, such as certain desserts, microwave popcorn products, frozen pizzas, margarines and coffee creamers. Numerous retailers and manufacturers have already demonstrated that many of these products can be made without trans fat.  
Thanks to these efforts, along with public education, the consumption of trans fat in American diets has been significantly reduced. Since trans fat content information began appearing in the Nutrition Facts label of foods in 2006, trans fat intake among American consumers has declined from 4.6 grams per day in 2003 to about 1 gram per day in 2012.
“One of the FDA’s core regulatory functions is ensuring that food, including all substances added to food, is safe,” said Michael Taylor, the FDA’s deputy commissioner for foods and veterinary medicine. “Food manufacturers have voluntarily decreased trans fat levels in many foods in recent years, but a substantial number of products still contain partially hydrogenated oils, which are the major source of trans fat in processed food.”
Following a review of the submitted comments, if the FDA finalizes its preliminary determination, PHOs would be considered “food additives” and could not be used in food unless authorized by regulation. If such a determination were made, the agency would provide adequate time for producers to reformulate products in order to minimize market disruption. The FDA’s preliminary determination is only with regard to PHOs and does not affect trans fat that naturally occurs in small amounts in certain meat and dairy products. 
More information about trans fat and information the FDA is seeking is available through a Federal Register notice. The docket will be open for comment for 60 days.
To submit comments by mail, send to the FDA at:
Division of Dockets Management (HFA-305)
Food and Drug Administration
5630 Fishers Lane, Rm. 1061
Rockville, MD 20852
All submissions must include the agency name and docket number.
For more information:

Tuesday, February 4, 2014

God Is a Good God

GOD IS GOOD
by Andrew Wommack

John 21:25 "And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen."

Every detail of every man's life, who has ever walked on the earth, has not impacted the world as much as the few recorded details of Jesus' life. Jesus was not just a man, He was God manifest in the flesh (1 Tim. 3:16).

In Acts 10:38 Peter gives a very brief, yet descriptive summary of the life and ministry of Jesus. Jesus was anointed with power and with the Holy Ghost.

He used this power to do good, not evil. This is one of the main characteristics of God and is one of the easiest ways to discern what is from God and what is from the devil. God is a good God and the devil is a bad devil. If it's bad, it's from the devil. If it's good, it's from God.

Tragedy can come from three sources: God, Satan, and natural law. God has used nature to bring judgment. However, the New Testament believer is exempt from this punitive judgment of God since Jesus bore it for him.

Satan is the source of much of the calamity that people ascribe to God. Many problems arise because people violate the natural laws that God put into motion. If a person drives recklessly and kills himself, it's not God or the devil that killed him. He violated natural law and thus paid the price.

It is incorrect to believe that God controls everything and therefore always has some redemptive design in tragedies. This type of thinking will lead us to ignore the devil, thereby giving him a freehand to destroy our lives. It will also cause us not to use wisdom concerning natural laws, because we will think that nothing can happen unless God wills it. We must remember that God is a good God.

Visit Andrew's website.


USDA To Allow Contaminated Chicken From China

Editor's Note:
Need a reason to bless your food before beginning to eat it? 

The USDA has announced its intention to allow China-grown chicken meat to be imported into the USA.

The announcement goes on to ridiculously claim that the USDA “has determined that China’s poultry processing inspection system is equivalent to that of the United States, and cooked chicken imported from China would be processed under equivalent conditions as in the United States.”

If put into action, it will not only further destroy the economic base of U.S. farmers and chicken growers, it will also wildly contaminate the chicken supply across the U.S. with China-grown chicken laced with arsenic, mercury, lead, cadmium and toxic chemicals.

How do we know this? Because China is the most polluted industrial nation in the world, and it routinely and consistently produces the most heavily contaminated food products anywhere on the planet. It has already been caught killing babies with melamine in infant products, killing dogs with toxic dog treats, counterfeiting meat products and far worse.

The problem with the USDA is that it pretends food is never contaminated with heavy metals. That’s why the USDA “organic” certification program utterly ignores the presence of mercury, cadmium, arsenic and lead in organic foods. Any food can contain unlimited quantities of these toxic elements and still be certified “organic” under the USDA.  Read the entire article.


Canine Influenza - Video by Dr. Sarah

Canine Influenza
Video by Dr. Sarah

Unfortunately, incidences of canine influenza are on the rise. Discovered less than a decade ago, the highly contagious disease has spread to 30 states across the nation. That’s why Dr. Sarah has dedicated this episode of Pet Talk to all of the pet parents who are dealing with this particular health challenge.

In just a few short minutes, you’ll learn what a flu diagnosis means for your pup, how you can prevent onset of the illness and what steps you can take to help an infected canine recover as soon as possible. Watch this Pet Talk episode now


Spirituality Changes the Brain and Risk of Depression

For people at high risk of depression because of a family history, spirituality may offer some protection for the brain, a new study hints.

"Our beliefs and our moods are reflected in our brain and with new imaging techniques we can begin to see this," Myrna Weissman told Reuters Health. "The brain is an extraordinary organ. It not only controls, but is controlled by our moods."

While the new study suggests a link between brain thickness and religiosity or spirituality, it cannot say that thicker brain regions cause people to be religious or spiritual, Weissman and her colleagues note in JAMA Psychiatry.

It might hint, however, that religiosity can enhance the brain's resilience against depression in a very physical way, they write.  Read the entire article.


Landscape to Attract Birds

Thinking about Spring and gardening?  Bushes and trees with bird food are a great thing to add to your backyard habitat for naturalized feeding.  Grow your feathered-friend treats and you'll need to fill the feeders a lot less.

We have a lot of holly bushes and trees and they bring in flocks of American Robins in January along with Cedar Waxwings.  The local Mockingbird visits regularly for his share.  The squirrels eat some too.

Here's a great article for ideas on landscaping for birds in all seasons:  Plants That Attract Birds in All Seasons.


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