As a neutral, and a Liverpool supporter, I can say Manchester United’s young team was robbed last night. They played the opposition off the park and lost 1-0. It’s a funny old game!

It is a little cooler today but we have bright skies. There is rain in Spain. Will it stay mainly on the plain?

Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday	Monday
22° C | 8° C	21° C | 9° C	20° C | 5° C	22° C | 5° C	17° C | 6° C
Scattered Clouds	Scattered Clouds	Chance of Rain 20% chance of precipitation	Chance of Rain 20% chance of precipitation	Scattered Cloud

The goalposts, or should I say the clouds, are moving. The rain scheduled for today has moved to a 20% chance on Saturday.

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Llevar

(yeh-varr’) (transitive verb) – to take; to wear; to lead; to carry; to cope with, to handle

• Llévame a casa. – Take me home.
• Lleva la falda roja esta noche. – Wear the red skirt tonight.

• Llevar las de ganar/perder – To be on a winning/losing streak.

For more information and examples, visit the SpanishDict.com entry for Llevar.

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I admit to reading with great interest what the rebel doctor says on many subjects. I think you will find the following most interesting……………

The Washington Times sure is behind on the times. The paper recently reported that “Sunshine vitamin stirs new debate.”

Where have they been? The debate has been raging for years between sunscreen manufacturers (who spend BILLIONS to convince you that the sun is your worst enemy) and people who know that the sun-will-kill-you myth is just that… a myth.

But what’s bringing it to the forefront this time around is a soon-to-be released book called The Vitamin D Solution by Dr. Michael Holick. Five years ago, Holick got fired from his position as a dermatology professor at the Boston University School of Medicine because of his sun stance.

But that didn’t shut him up. And now, thanks to books like his – and a growing body of research – people are finally starting to see the aftermath of decades of hiding from the sun has done.

It isn’t pretty.

As you know, sunlight is one of the best sources of vitamin D. This nutrient helps boost your immune system, fight cancer, lower your risk of osteoporosis, control blood pressure, improve insulin resistance, and so much more. And, of course, when you don’t get enough of it, you’re opening yourself up to all sorts of problems.

One new study published in Clinical Endocrinology confirms earlier research, which shows that the less D you have, the sooner you’ll kick the bucket.

Believe me, you don’t just want this stuff – you need it.

That’s why it’s so alarming that more than 50 percent of the world’s population is suffering from a deficiency in vitamin D – and Americans are in the worst shape of all. According to Consumer Reports on Health, more than three quarters of Americans – 77 percent, to be exact – suffer from vitamin D deficiency.

Holick told the Washington Times that this deficiency is “probably the most common nutritional and medical condition in the world.”

The best way you can correct that is to spend at least 15 minutes a day soaking in the sun.

I know you hear that nonsense about how the sun causes skin cancer so often that it’s hard not to believe it. But believe me when I say that not all skin cancer is equal. The most common skin cancers linked to sun exposure are nothing to worry about and can be treated with quick outpatient procedures.

Deadly melanomas – the skin cancer you SHOULD worry about – are far rarer and are actually caused by not getting enough sun! Studies have shown that a lack of sun can even make these cancers worse.

So get outside, bask in the sun, and use a little common sense. Don’t use sunblock (which has also been linked to cancer) and simply get inside before you burn.

Swearing by the sun… but never at it,

William Campbell Douglass II, M.D.

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This is even more interesting as the following appeared in my in-box today…

NY Times Blows The Whistle On Drug Industry’s Dirty Tricks
Posted by: Dr. Mercola
November 26 2009

As a sobering example of how members of Congress can be spoon-fed the views and even the exact words of high-powered  lobbying firms, consider remarks inserted into the Congressional Record after the debate and vote on health care reform in the House.

Statements by more than a dozen lawmakers were ghostwritten, in whole or in part, by Washington lobbyists working for Genentech, one of the world’s largest biotechnology companies.

E-mail messages obtained by The New York Times show that the lobbyists drafted one statement for Democrats and another
for Republicans.

The lobbyists, employed by Genentech and by two Washington law firms, were remarkably successful in getting the
statements printed in the Congressional Record under the names of different members of Congress.

The apparent goal was to show that, even though there were sharp divisions between the parties on the overall reform
bill (only one Republican voted for it), there was bipartisan support for provisions relating to drugs produced by the
biotechnology industry. One provision, for example, would allow generic competition to expensive biological drugs but
only after the original manufacturer had enjoyed 12 years of exclusive use, a generous period by anyone’s standards.

Asked about the Congressional statements, a lobbyist close to Genentech said: “This happens all the time. There was
nothing nefarious about it.”

Sources:
New York Times November 16, 2009

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New York, NY—Why didn’t anyone else ever notice this? In treating thousands of eye patients, Dr. Robert Ritch of The New York Eye and Ear Infirmary, made an astonishing discovery. Merely loosening certain articles of clothing can drop patients’ intraocular pressure (IOP) by up to 4 points. That’s an enormous difference. So much, you could be diagnosed with glaucoma when you don’t even have the disease.

Want more proof? So did Dr. Ritch. He proceeded to conduct formal tests of his theory on healthypeople and those with glaucoma. The phenomenon is very much for real. And everyone needs to know about this danger, because high IOP can lead to blindness. If you’ve been diagnosed with high IOP, this solution could clear it up instantly—and if you really have glaucoma, your clothing could be making it even worse.
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The Cherry Tree
By: M.L. Weems

When George Washington was about six years old, he was
made the wealthy master of a hatchet of which, like most
little boys, he was extremely fond. He went about chopping
everything that came his way.

One day, as he wandered about the garden amusing himself
by hacking his mother’s pea- sticks, he found a beautiful,
young English cherry tree, of which his father was most
proud. He tried the edge of his hatchet on the trunk of the
tree and barked it so that it died.

Some time after this, his father discovered what had
happened to his favorite tree. He came into the house in
great anger, and demanded to know who the mischievous
person was who had cut away the bark. Nobody could tell him
anything about it.

Just then George, with his little hatchet, came into the
room.

“George,” said his father, “do you know who has killed my
beautiful little cherry tree yonder in the garden? I would
not have taken five guineas for it!”

This was a hard question to answer, and for a moment
George was staggered by it, but quickly recovering himself
he cried: –

“I cannot tell a lie, father, you know I cannot tell a
lie! I did cut it with my little hatchet.”

The anger died out of his father’s face, and taking the
boy tenderly in his arms, he said:

“My son, that you should not be afraid to tell the truth
is more to me than a thousand trees! yes, though they were
blossomed with silver and had leaves of the purest gold!”

Truth springs from an honest heart.

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How to Tell the Sex of a Fly

A woman walked into the kitchen to find her husband stalking around with a fly swatter

“What are you doing?”  She asked.

“Hunting Flies”  He responded.

“Oh! Killed any?”  She asked.

“Yep, 3 males, 2 Females,” he replied.

Intrigued, she asked.  “How can you tell them apart?”

He responded,  “3 were on a beer can,  2 were on the phone.

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My good friend Tom Brown, from Paintings in Spain, revived an oldie but goodie…Nice to hear from you, Tom

A Burgler broke into a house one night.

He shined his flashlight around,

looking for valuables when a voice in the dark said,

‘Jesus knows you’re here.’

He nearly jumped out of his skin,

clicked his flashlight off, and froze.

When he heard nothing more ,

after a bit, he shook his head and continued.

Just as he pulled the stereo out so he

could disconnect the wires, clear as a bell he heard

‘Jesus is watching you.’

Freaked out, he shined his light around frantically,

looking for the source of the voice.

Finally, in the corner of the room,

his flashlight beam came to rest on a parrot.

‘Did you say that?’ he hissed at the parrot.

‘Yep’, the parrot confessed, then squawked,

‘I’m just trying to warn you that he is watching you.’

The burglar relaxed. ‘Warn me, huh?

Who in the world are you?’

‘Moses,’ replied the bird.

‘Moses?’ the burglar laughed. ‘What kind of people would name a bird Moses?’

‘The kind of people that would name their Rottweiler Jesus.’

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A farmer had some puppies he needed to sell. He painted a sign advertising the 4 pups And set about nailing it to a post on the edge of his yard. As he was driving the last nail into the post, he felt a tug on his overalls. He looked down into the eyes of little boy

‘Mister,’ he said, ‘I want to buy one of your puppies.’

‘Well,’ said the farmer,
as h e rubbed the sweat off the back of his neck, ‘These puppies come from fine parents and cost a good deal of money.’

The boy dropped his head for a moment.
Then reaching deep into his pocket,
he pulled out a handful of change
and held it up to the farmer.

‘I’ve got thirty-nine cents.
Is that enough to take a look?’

‘Sure,’ said the farmer.
And with that he let out a whistle.
‘Here, Dolly!’ he called.

Out from the doghouse and down the ramp ran

Dolly followed by four little balls of fur.

The little boy pressed his face against the chain link fence. His eyes danced with delight.
As the dogs made their way to the fence,

the little boy noticed something else stirring inside the doghouse

Slowly another little ball appeared, this one noticeably smaller. Down the ramp it slid. Then in a somewhat awkward manner, the little pup began hobbling toward the others, doing its best to catch up….

‘I want that one,’ the little boy said, pointing to the runt. The farmer knelt down at the boy’s side and said, ‘Son, you don’t want that puppy. He will never be able to run and play with you like these other dogs would.’

With that the little boy stepped back from the fence, reached down, and began rolling up one leg of his trousers.

In doing so he revealed a steel brace running down both sides of his leg attaching itself to a specially made shoe.

Looking back up at the farmer, he said,
‘You see sir, I don’t run too well myself,
and he will need someone who understands.’

With tears in his eyes, the farmer reached down and picked up the little pup..

Holding it carefully he handed it to the little boy.

‘How much?’ asked the little boy. ‘No charge,’ answered the farmer, ‘There’s no charge for love.’

The world is full of people who need someone who understands

It’s National Friendship Week.

Show your friends how much you care.

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1925, Born on this day, Michael Holliday, singer, 1958 UK No.1 ‘The Story Of My Life’. The song gave the writers Bacharach and David their first UK No.1 hit.

1939, Born on this day, Tina Turner, (Annie Mae Bullock), Ike & Tina Turner, (1966 UK No.3 single ‘River Deep Mountain High’, 1971 US No.4 single ‘Proud Mary’), solo, (1984 UK No.3 and US No.1 single ‘What’s Love Got To Do With It’, plus over 25 other UK Top 40 singles).
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