continuation ..........

Did you hear the news today? 50cents 52 room house was broken into.........what happen was it too big to secure??? Thats what I was telling you in the previous blog, this crap needs to stop!
What's this man doing in a 52 room house? What is anyone doing in a 52 room house for that matter ? Not even the family with the 19 children needs that much space....
But on the positive side, the news also said Jamaicans cut their spending by 60% this Christmas far more than the Bank of Jamaica expected.
Yeah Yeah Jamaica lets show how its done for 2011...........
MERRY MERRY CHRISTMAS, IT'S TO SPEND WITH FAMILY AND FRIENDS NOT TO WASTE MONEY!

Merry Christmas

I love the Chinese proverb, "The person who says it cannot be done should not interrupt the person doing it ".
As we close yet another year can we allow the young people who have faith in Jamaica and want to try and build it to do so and stop negativing out everything about our country all you old biddies out there.....
First we downed our dollar and expected it to do well. How come I don't hear anybody saying anything since it has stayed at 84J$ to 1US$ for a few months now. We down our education instead of trying to help, yes pay attention to the schools our children attend and who is teaching them and when they're having sex parties on the buses call the police and get them off the %@*#^#*! bus ..I did it the other day....NOT EVERY POLICEMAN IS CORRUPT..don`t assume that!
It begins with one..NO, we don`t have to be Haiti and NO, we do not have to get cholera!!!!!
I went through cancer 3 times and all my doctors come from right here in Jamaica, and the expensive hospital not any better than the free one let me tell you and I have had at least 3 friends go away for treatment and they're not with us anymore.........They make mistakes and there is bad treatment, bad schools and crime all over the world.....You could be sleeping in Heathrow tonight, our version of cold can be taken care of with a blanket and if you're really cold sleep in socks and guess what we still sleeping with our windows open......
2011 is going to be a great year - Mr Obama,keep on trucking ......Jamaica give thanks, we do have a Greg Christie so there are some people left in this world who are not corrupt.........
The world is adjusting to the waste of the past years. Why should a basketball player earn 50 million dollars and live in a 20,000 sq.ft house??? Why does he need 11 rooms when he and his wife and child use 3 ??? Why do they have 7 bathrooms ? Remember the days when a 3 bedroom house only had one bathroom, didn`t everybody bathe and go to school on time? Why do we have a great room, a living room and then a den ....yet we all stay in the kitchen? Have you noticed Candy Spelling's house with her room to wrap presents? It's still on the market.......the age of the MAC -MANSION is OVER!
Simple is best....I notice that shoes that I don`t wear dry rot and leave me on the road.....message is I only need a few.....the need to have 40 pairs of shoes long gone.....
Do for people, that's what we are put here to do and don't let God come knock on our door with Mr. Death to start doing it, then all of a sudden you realize poor people eating badly and have hypertension and diabetes..... YOU are eating badly by choice they have to as they feel that a big flour dumpling will hold them longer than a salad.......instead of giving your child 20 gifts they cannot play with send a needy child to school or better yet feed her or him for the year.......find out how mothers feeding 3 children on J$5000 per week....

Have a healthy Christmas........I have been so bad since my friend Norma died that I even ate ham , I feel so awful...I have eaten Christmas cake, drank white rum and cranberry and just been totally ridiculous...can I tell you I don`t feel like how I used to feel - thank God I've not been that bad to get flu like all around me - that means my immune system still holding up and I've gone back to my normal routine, cause as I told you the other day I found out I was missing nothing.......the synthetic food is awful (the Christmas ham delicious though) but health is best....... next year is ours -We have to be around to enjoy it!

FOOD MATTERS

There's a lot of conflicting information about healing from degenerative diseases like cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and more. Most evident is the divide between Western Medicine and Natural Medicine. For some reason or another, many people
in the Western Medicine camp, can't seem to grasp the fact that diet can prevent disease.
And quite the opposite, those in the natural world, can't seem to understand that Western medicine is good for things like a broken arm or acute infection. They feel that raw food is good for all things and they wont even listen when they hear that certain vegetables might be better for you lightly steamed than raw e.g. broccoli.
You can't use voodoo or essential oils to heal a deep cut. You will need stitches....You might even have to take a round of antibiotics, then resort to natural means to get it out your system after it has done its job.
Over the years I've spent hours and hours attempting to discuss why many natural approaches work better than Western approaches with friends, family and co-workers, but still can't seem to always get the message across.
They all run to chemo when cancer calls......and I'm not going to fight them so I preach prevention instead of cure.
You may have had the same experience. So here is the best help I have found..... Share this short 8 min. video clip of a great documentary “Food Matters” with all your friends .....it affected me just the way the 30 day raw video on diabetes did.

As Johnny Coleman famously says "it works if you work it".

DANGERS OF NONSTICK COOKWARE

I have always thrown away my frying pans that were scratched and you could see the metal showing through the Teflon ...Then I found out the teflon wasnt good....now I use copper cookware the few times that I cook things like curry splitpeas etc but I didn`t know it was this bad.....please read the following article from Dr. Mercola.

You might have heard that non-stick pans were dangerous to use, but I have to tell you that they are perfectly safe... Just so long as you don’t actually cook with them, because the moment you heat them, they start to liberate fluoride vapors that are so toxic they will kill small birds.
Ninety-five percent of Americans, including children, have the perfluorinated compound PFOA in their blood. But that’s not all.
The CDC’s Fourth National Report on Human Exposure to Environmental Chemicals, 2009(which is considered the most comprehensive assessment to date of the exposure of the U.S. population to chemicals in our environment), detected not just PFOA, but a total of 12 different types of perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) in Americans tested.
It’s easy to see how such a vast majority of people can be exposed when you consider the most common sources of these chemicals, which includes:

* Non-stick cookware
* Microwave popcorn bags
* Packaging for greasy foods
* Stain-proof clothing
* Carpet and fabric protectors
* Flame retardants, and products that contain them

As you can see, some of the most commonly used household products contain these chemicals

Although it may be quite difficult to eliminate all sources of these toxins since they’re so pervasive, you would likely make a significant dent in your family’s exposure simply by swapping out your non-stick cookware, considering you use your pots and pans to cook almost every day of the week.
So-called “non-stick” cookware is a MAJOR source of PFC’s, particularly perflurorooctanoic acid, known as PFOA, and these pans quickly reach temperatures that cause the non-stick coating to begin breaking down, releasing its toxins into the air.
When your non-stick pot or pan reaches 680 degrees F or 360 C (which takes about three to five minutes of heating), at least six toxic gases are released. At 1,000 degrees F, the coatings on your cookware break down into a chemical warfare agent known as PFIB.
These chemicals are easily absorbed by your body and the food in the pan, turning that healthy, home-cooked meal toxic.

Researchers have already linked various PFC’s to a range of health dangers. Elevated LDL cholesterol levels are just the beginning of the problems these chemicals can cause.

In animal studies, PFOA has been associated with:

* "Significant increases in treatment related deaths" in rat offspring at doses that did not affect the mothers
* Serious changes in the weight of various organs, including the brain, prostate, liver, thymus, and kidneys
* The deaths of a significant number of rat pups of mothers that had been exposed to PFOA
* Damage to the pituitary at all doses in female rat offspring (The pituitary secretes hormones that regulate growth, reproduction, and many metabolic processes. Change in pituitary size is associated with toxicity)

Other studies have shown that PFC’s can cause:

* Infertility -- A study published in the journal Human Reproduction last year found that both PFOA and another kind of PFC, called PFOS (perfluorooctane sulfonate), dramatically increased the odds of infertility. PFOS increased the risk of infertility anywhere from 70 to 134 percent, while PFOA was linked to a 60 to 154 percent increase in the chance of infertility.
* Thyroid disease -- Another study published in May of this year in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives found that PFOA can damage your thyroid function. Individuals with the highest PFOA concentrations were more than twice as likely to report current thyroid disease, compared to those with the lowest PFOA concentrations. Your thyroid contains thyroglobulin protein, which binds to iodine to form hormones, which in turn influence essentially every organ, tissue and cell in your body. Thyroid hormones are also required for growth and development in children. Thyroid disease, if left untreated, can lead to heart disease, infertility, muscle weakness, and osteoporosis.
* Cancer -- PFOA has been associated with tumors in at least four different organs in animal tests (liver, pancreas, testicles and mammary glands in rats), and has been associated with increases in prostate cancer in PFOA plant workers. The EPA has ruled PFCs as “likely carcinogens,” and has stated that PFOA “poses developmental and reproductive risks to humans.”
* Immune system problems -- Several studies by scientists in Sweden indicate that PFC’s have an adverse effect on your immune system. As described in the EWG report on PFC’s, PFOA was found to decrease all immune cell subpopulations studied, in the thymus and spleen, and caused immunosupression.
* Increased LDL cholesterol levels – This latest study in the Archives of Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine implicates both PFOA and PFOS. Children and teens with higher PFOA levels had higher levels of total cholesterol and LDL or “bad” cholesterol, while PFOS was associated with increased total cholesterol, including both LDL cholesterol and HDL or “good” cholesterol. Newswise states that “animal studies have identified the liver as the primary organ affected by perfluoroalkyl acid exposure, with potential effects in humans including alterations in cholesterol levels.”
For more information on the studies linking PFC’s with various health problems, please review the Environmental Working Groups extensive report on this topic.
What is Our Government Doing about These Chemicals?
The answer to that question is: not much...
While the EPA convinced 3M, the primary manufacturer of PFOS, to stop producing it about ten years ago, the chemical still continues to saturate the market – and hence our environment, and our bodies."

IN OTHER WORDS THE BIG COMPANIES KEEP GETTING RICH WHILE WE GO TO OUR GRAVES!

FRIENDSHIP

What can I say?
I haven't been able to blog since my close friend Norma Shirley died,I had no interest in doing anything, and couldn't wrap my head around writing........thanks for all your kind thoughts posted on Facebook - that made me know my words have been missed.
She used to say "if I have to eat like you to live, I would rather die " well, die she did from pneumonia or was it a heart attack or was it a broken heart whatever it was she is no longer here and her space as my friend is large and empty as she was a demanding friend, she showed how to be a friend daily, she was a friend to all her friends 24/7 and demanded the same from you.
If she called and didn't get you 2 calls in a row she was mad,I remember her unhappiness at me texting in her presence, she had to have your undivided attention and she gave you hers.
I remember how she took on your problems - they immediately became hers, but she kept hers to all but a few and even to the few of us she told she tried to make light of it.....the love of her life was her son Delius......so we had that in common and she loved mine as she loved hers....and just as my issues were hers so was my sons hers. My adopted son was a foodie like her so he not only followed her into the world of cooking, he followed her anywhere she chose to eat, regaling me with stories of their exploits- "Ma, Auntie Norms and I went to Hellshire this morning, we had lobster, fish ...." and on and on....they had great fun!
People loved to hear I was having something at my house as she always did the food so my functions were always well attended with people talking about the food months after......
She used to proudly tell me she drank at least 40 glasses of water per day, I used to tell her 40 glasses of ice cold water hurts more than it helps, as I sat down on the Terrace she used to say "you want some green juice?" I used to be very impressed as she always said she was just about to have hers until the day I said yes and wondering how on earth string bean juice was so delicious, walked into the pantry and spoke to the maker of said juice and learnt it was full of GRANULATED SUGAR.....
so much for green juice at Norma's!
She had the most beautiful send off as her love of music and flowers were well in evidence, her Urn a wonderful piece of art..........
I HOPE THE POWERS THAT BE REALIZE THAT HER CREATIVE GENIUS NEEDS TO BE PASSED ON BEFORE WE LOSE IT!
I need to come to terms with the fact that I'm to live on memories and those I have in abundance but people with larger than life personalities leave huge voids and not only in our hearts......miss you Norms!

How long is your food taking to rot?

Have you ever put what we in Jamaica call an 'American apple' in your fruit bowl and watch how long it takes to disintegrate? Now put a good old Jamaican Otaheite Apple in that same bowl and see if in two days you don`t have to throw it away ...now put both in the refrigerator.......a friend of mine just took an American apple out of her fridge and while inside wasn`t so hot the outside was beautiful and glossy after 3 months......
Don't you wonder what these beautiful glossy fruits are doing to your insides? My mother never ate an apple without peeling it and she didn`t live in these times.The meat is too red the chickens are too plump, you must notice that only organic chicken or what we call 'scratch fowl' are thin or plump, big or small that's because they're not getting artificial help. Same thing happening with fruits, I love the "ugly" fruit grown by our farmers - when they're too pretty they scare me, they should scare you too!
I haven't had a papaya in weeks because all of a sudden I can`t find one with seeds, went through that with grapes now I have to go through that with papayas too......my son who uses papaya seeds for his favourite greens' dressing is having a hard time...things and times are a-changing people.
Then did you all read the article about the McDonald's kids meal of fries and burger that showed no sign of decomposing after 6 months - it was photographed every day by Manhattan artist Sally Davies and did not show a hint of mould or decay after sitting on a shelf in her apartment , looking at the end of 6 months almost as fresh as the day she bought it - check out this report of the experiment called 'The Happy Meal Project'
I rest my case - it's time to go back to the land for our food!

High blood pressure?

A lot of my readers with issues want to know what not to eat when suffering from high blood pressure......it seems as if everyone now has high blood pressure or diabetes these days.........well if what DR.MERCOLA says is true in the following article, and we know it is, a lot more of you will be walking that way.

It’s important to understand that uncontrolled high blood pressure is a very serious health concern that can lead to heart disease and increases your risk of having a stroke.
The good news though is that following a healthy nutrition plan, along with exercising and implementing effective stress reduction techniques will normalize blood pressure in most people.
So please review the guidelines below if you or someone you know is affected by high blood pressure. It's actually an easily treated condition, but one that can cause serious damage to your health if it's ignored.
Your Diet Will Raise or Lower Your Blood Pressure
Are you on a high grain, low fat regimen?
If so, I have bad news for you, because this nutritional combination is a prescription for hypertension and can absolutely devastate your health.
Groundbreaking research published in 1998 in the journal Diabetes reported that nearly two-thirds of the test subjects who were insulin resistant (IR) also had high blood pressure, and insulin resistance is directly attributable to a high sugar, high grain diet along with insufficient amounts of exercise.
So, chances are that if you have hypertension, you also have poorly controlled blood sugar levels because these two problems often go hand in hand.
As your insulin level elevates, so does your blood pres­sure...
As explained by Dr. Rosedale, insulin stores magnesium, but if your insulin receptors are blunted and your cells grow resistant to insulin, you can’t store magnesium so it passes out of your body through urination. Magnesium stored in your cells relaxes muscles.
If your magnesium level is too low, your blood vessels will constrict rather than relax, which will raise your blood pressure and decrease your energy level.
Insulin also affects your blood pressure by causing your body to retain sodium. Sodium retention causes fluid retention. Fluid retention in turn causes high blood pressure, and can ultimately lead to congestive heart failure.
If your hypertension is the direct result of an out-of-control blood sugar level, then normalizing your blood sugar levels will also bring your blood pressure readings into the healthy range.
Fructose Can Cause Your Blood Pressure to Skyrocket
The first thing you need to do is remove all grains and sugars, particularly fructose, from your diet until both your weight and your blood pressure have normalized. Eating sug­ars and grains -- in­cluding any type of bread, pasta, corn, potatoes, or rice -- will cause your insulin levels, and your blood pressure, to remain elevated.
A study published earlier this year discovered that those who consumed 74 grams or more per day of fructose (the equivalent of about 2.5 sugary drinks) had a 77 percent greater risk of having blood pressure levels of 160/100 mmHg. (For comparison, a normal blood pressure reading is below 120/80 mmHg.)
Consuming 74 grams or more of fructose daily also increased the risk of a 135/85 blood pressure reading by 26 percent, and 140/90 by 30 percent.
This is significant because the average American now consumes 70 grams of fructose EVERY day!
Fructose breaks down into a variety of waste products that are bad for your body, one of which is uric acid. Uric acid drives up your blood pressure by inhibiting the nitric oxide in your blood vessels. Nitric oxide helps your vessels maintain their elasticity, so nitric oxide suppression leads to increases in blood pressure.
In fact, 17 out of 17 studies demonstrate that elevated uric acid levels lead to hypertension.