Support local farmers at Massachusetts Winter Farmers Markets

A damp spring and a temperate fall resulted in a bountiful offering of fresh fruits and vegetables at a record number of 200+ Massachusetts farm stands throughout the state. However, during the primary growing season many crops sustained severe damage, with some growers reporting losing their entire crop. University of Massachusetts Extension Service and the USDA Farm Service Agency monitored losses, which exceeded the 30% threshold in 10 of 14 counties, making them eligible for a USDA Secretarial Disaster Declaration. On August 27, Governor Patrick requested a Secretarial Disaster Declaration and on September 25th, the Massachusetts congressional delegation joined in advocating for relief for farmers. As a result additional financial resources will be available to farmers across the state.

Even though most farmers' markets close after the end of October, you can still find locally grown food and support Massachusetts farmers at these markets, open in November, during 2-days for Thanksgiving, or throughout the entire winter:

Farmers’ Markets Open in November

Barnstable County

Orleans – until November 28
Provincetown – until December 5

Berkshire County

Lanesboro – until November 21

Essex County

Newburyport – until December 20

Hampshire County

Amherst – until November 21

Middlesex County

Cambridge/Central Square – until 11/23
Cambridge/Charles Square – until 11/22
Somerville/Davis Square – until 11/25

Norfolk County

Quincy- until 11/20

Plymouth County

Hingham – until 11/21

Suffolk County

City Hall Plaza – until 11/25
Copley Square – until 11/24
Jamaica Plain – until 11/21 (Saturdays only in
November)
Mission Hill – until 11/15
South Boston – until 11/23
South Station/Dewey Square – until 11/24

One or Two Day Late Fall/Thanksgiving Markets

Barnstable County

Falmouth, Tuesday, November 24th, 11:00 am – 3:00 pm and Saturday, December 12, Noon – 3:00 pm, Peg Noonan Park, Main Street

Berkshire County

Great Barrington, Sunday, November 21, 9:00 am – 1:00, Old Fire House, Castle Street

Williamstown, Sunday, November 21, 10:00 am – 2:00 pm, Williams College Field House

Franklin County

Gill, Saturday, January 9, 9:00 am-12:00 pm, Gill Elementary School, 48 Boyle Road

Greenfield, Saturday, February 6, 10:00 am – 2:00 pm, Greenfield High School

Phillipston, Saturday, November 21 and Sunday, November 22, 10:00 am – 4:00pm, Thanksgiving Harvest Festival, Red

Apple Farm, 455 Highland Ave.

Hampshire County

Northampton, Saturday, January 9, 2010, Time and location TBA

Norfolk County

Braintree, Saturday, November 21, 9:00 am – 1:00 pm, Town Hall

Plymouth County

Plymouth/Edible South Shore’s Harvest Thanksgiving Market, Sunday, November 22, 11:00 am-3:000 pm, Plymouth Waterfront

Ongoing Winter Farmers’ Markets

Bristol County

North Attleborough, Sunday, 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm, November 8 to May, Masonic Temple, 46 South Washington Street

Essex County

Newburyport, Sunday, 10:00 am – 1:00 pm, November 1 – December 20, Tannery Marketplace, 50 Water Street

Hampden County

East Longmeadow – Third Saturday of each month, 10:30 am – 1:30 am, November to April, outside at E. Longmeadow
United Methodist Church, 215 Somers Road, (Rte. 83)

Middlesex County

Natick, Saturday, 9:30 am – 1:00 pm, January 9 to March 27, Johnson Elementary School on Route 27, 2/10 of a mile south
of Natick Center

Wayland, Saturday, 10:00 am – 1:00 pm, January 9 to February 27, Russell’s Garden Center, 397 Boston Post Road, Rt. 20

Plymouth County

Plymouth Local Foods Winter Market at Plimoth Plantation, Third Thursday of each month December 17 to May, 19,
3:00 pm 6:30 pm, Indoors at Plimoth Plantation, 137 Warren Avenue

More info:

http://www.mass.gov/agr/massgrown/index.htm

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Boston's Rue La La rides the growing wave of on-line 'private boutique' retailers

Rue La La, a Boston based on-line retailer with offices on Milk Street, managed to grow it's private member customer base to 1.2 million since its launch in April 2008, despite the struggling economy and thanks to it's innovative business model. A number of US on-line retailers, such as Rue La La, Gilt Groupe, Ideeli, and HauteLook have been riding the wave of on-line shopping revolution, following in the footsteps of France's Vente Privee.

Rue La La, the invitation-only online shopping destination, offers deeply discounted brand-name merchandise in the form of private sale 'boutiques' of sample designer sales, open for two or three days at a time. Shoppers may find overstocked items from Prada or Gucci at a 50% discount. The new on-line retail model is the fastest growing and most promising in the struggling retail sector. Invitation-only membership is free, and members receive a $10 credit for inviting new members and helping grow the Rue La La community.

Last month Rue La La was bought by GSI Commerce for $350 million. A deal included it's lower-end bargain division SmartBargains.

If you would like to receive an invitation to Rue La La, please email me at k.kharlova@gmail.com.

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Boston Christmas Festival presents the sweeter side of Christmas with 16th Annual Gingerbread House Competition

Pastry Chefs from Boston’s best restaurants competed Friday in The Gingerbread House Competition at Boston Christmas Festival at The Seaport World Trade Center. Competitiors from Tosca, Entertainment Cruises, House of Blues, Ginger Betty’s, Gingerbread Construction Company, Finale Desserteries, Seaport Hotel, Sugar Plum Bakery, Sweet Things, Berkshire Grain and Knoblock Creations presented their whimsical edible works of art now on view until Sunday, November 8. I was lucky to be one of the guest judges, who got to view and taste these elaborate creations along with Maria Stephanos of FOX 25, Leslie Gaydos of NECN, and other journalists from local newspapers and magazines. Most judges brought their kids along, who had to cast their own vote for a Kid's Favorite. Other categories included Most Creative, Most Delicious, Most Decorated and Best in Show.

The Gingerbread Houses will be up for sale with proceeds to benefit Boys and Girls Clubs of Boston. See the winners for yourself, pick up your own Gingerbread House, and shop for your Christmas gifts among 350+ regional artisans at the Christmas Festival.

More info:
http://www.bostonchristmasfestival.com/

More pictures:

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Don't let your child become a victim of the 'Seatbelt Syndrom' - lap belts alone may cause serious injuries

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

When kids 'graduate' from their car seats, they often begin to question and bend seat belt safety rules. Especially, they may find shoulder belts uncomfortable, and are tempted to flip them over and behind their back. This video shows what happened to a little seven year old girl, who is now paralyzed from injuries caused by wearing just a lap belt and together with her family wants to prevent that from hapenning to other children by telling her story.

If your kids are hard to convince about the importance of using seatbelts and booster seats properly, perhaps watching this video together will help change their mind.


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Major cable network is looking for a Boston family to star in their new Family Reunion reality show

Do you like reality TV? Do you think your family has what it takes to star in their own? A major cable network is in the process of casting for their new Family Reunion reality show, and is looking for "an awesome Boston family!"

Email Kristin at kristincurtin@gmail.com for more info!

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Pregnant women are reporting miscarriages after H1N1 vaccine

Do you wonder why most mainstream media outlets take a surprisingly uniform position on the issue of H1N1 vaccination - not asking the right questions or putting their investigative skills to work - while sounding more like pharmaceuticals' and the government's own PR? We keep hearing over and over how CDC wished they had more vaccines and they are working hard on getting them out to everyone, who should feel fortunate to finally roll up their sleeves. Lately, it's looking more like the media's role as the conscience of the nation has been passed over to the blogosphere and few independent on-line media outlets. In the process millions of people are skillfully brainwashed to fuel the manufactured demand for hundreds of millions of H1N1 vaccines, ordered by our government.

What most media fails to mention (except for some linked below), is that:

- H1N1 had lower than average mortality during Southern hemisphere's winter

" Mortality from the pandemic appeared to be relatively low. Most countries reported mortality rates of less than one per 100 000 population. There is evidence from New South Wales that excess mortality from influenza and pneumonia over the period of the pandemic was less than in previous years"

- A few weeks after the first cases found in April 2009, WHO declared level 5 emergency situation, then in May changed the definition of "pandemic" to exclude "high mortality", and then went to level 6 in June

"WHO, for example, for years defined pandemics as outbreaks causing "enormous numbers of deaths and illness," but in early May, removed this phrase from the definition."

- The extent of the outbreak is overstated by including the cases of regular flu and colds with flu-like symptoms, as labs stopped verifying each H1N1 case in August

"In August 2009, CBS News made a simple request of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for public documents, e-mails and other materials CDC used to communicate to states the decision to stop testing individual cases of Novel H1N1, or “swine flu.” When the public affairs folks at CDC refused to produce the documents and quit responding to my queries altogether, I filed a formal Freedom of Information (FOI) request for the materials. Members of the news media are entitled to expedited access, which I requested, since this was for a pending news report and on an issue of public health and interest. The Obama administration made a commitment to a “new era of open government,” as stated in a presidential memorandum on the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Two months after my FOI request, the CDC has yet to produce any of these easily retrievable materials. Sadly, this is of little surprise. This has become standard operating procedure in Washington." - Sharyl Attkisson, CBS

As a result, most people are diagnosed with "suspected" H1N1, which is sometimes even done over the phone.

- The severity of symptoms and chances of death are not worse than that of regular flu

- The vast majority of people with complications after the flu have underlying health conditions, such as diabietes or lung a and heart problems, caused by obesity (66% of US population) and/or smoking

- Repeated flu vaccinations strip the body of it's natural immunity

"Human populations may have some level of existing immunity to the pandemic H1N1 influenza and may explain why the 2009 H1N1-related symptoms have been generally mild"

- Flu shots are not effective

In a review of more than 51 studies involving more than 294,000 children it was found there was “no evidence that injecting children 6-24 months of age with a flu shot was any more effective than placebo. In children over 2 yrs, it was only effective 33% of the time in preventing the flu. Reference: Vaccines for preventing influenza in healthy children." The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2 (2008)

(click to read more about adult and elderly studies)

- Doctors, pharmacies, and pharmaceutical companies profit very well from a multi-billion vaccine industry

"Doctors collect copayments for special office visits to inject shots, and there have been assertions that these doctors actually profit handsomely from these vaccinations" - ABC news

- There are concerns that some of the H1N1 vaccines contain the same ingredients as proposed human anti-fertility vaccine and/or veterinary anti-fertility vaccines, which make your body create antibodies and 'attack' the pregnancy hormone hCG, causing a miscarriage (more links and info in the comments to the article linked above)

- There are claims that vaccine manufacturers have "Red" and "Green" lists for European governments listing information that may or may not be made available to the public regarding the side effects

The benefits of healthy diet, Vitamin D, eliminating immune-suppressive sugar, balancing your body weight, exercising, getting enough sleep and breastfeeding your babies are nature's tools to help protect us from viruses.

Instead a vaccine will give your body a bouquet of cancer-causing, neurotoxic chemicals, that will remain in your body and can manifest themselves in health problems ranging from ADD to brain tumors years or decades after the vaccine is administered:

- Monosodium glutamate - known neurotoxin and excitotoxin

- Neomycin - in the FDA pregnancy category D, or known to be harmful to fetuses

- Beta-propiolactone - a disinfectant.

According to the EPA: "No information is available on the chronic (long-term), reproductive, developmental, or carcinogenic effects of beta-propiolactone in humans. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has classified beta-propiolactone as a Group 2B, possible human carcinogen."

- Nonylphenol ethoxylate (NPE) - a toxic cleaning agent

- Thimerosal - removed from most other vaccines, because of it's link to autism

- And more (see the links below)

Plus, vaccine manufacturers admit that they can only be effective in fighting a virus in about 25% of the cases!

H1N1 vaccine makers are legally protected by our government from any liability, even though the testing was done in record times and on a very small number of people.

Unfortunately, many pregnant women are reporting being un-knowing victims of the H1N1 vaccine experiment, and loosing their unborn babies shortly after getting it.


More info:

Read many articles about H1N1 on this website:
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/11/05/Swine-Flu-Vaccine-Ingredients.aspx

Please read over 100 comments from many women who miscarried after H1N1 vaccine:
http://miscarriage.about.com/b/2009/09/29/some-pregnant-women-fearful-of-h1n1-vaccine.htm#comment-12992

Excellent info about H1N1 facts:
http://www.russellblaylockmd.com/

A video interview with Austrian journalist Jane Burgermeister about Baxter contaminating European flu vaccines with deadly bird flu virus in February, 2009
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PelTWCUmTsU

A video from a Spanish doctor turned nun talking scientific data and facts from medical journals, highlighting major irregularities, concerns and what makes H1N1 vaccine different:
http://thekatycapsule.com/wordpress/must-watch-why-you-should-not-take-the-h1n1-vaccine/

105 page H1N1 vaccine lawsuit:
http://www.unfictional.com/pdf/baxter-lawsuit.pdf

H1N1 vaccine and anti-fertility concerns:
http://www.spiritdaily.net/vaccineinfertility.htm

"Challenging the Immune System: The development of anti-fertility vaccines"

Please forward this to your family and friends to keep them informed about the other side of the coin, and help them make the decision that's best for them and their children.

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Mary Baker Eddy Library presents: 'Caring for Christmas - A Nineteenth Century American Story'

The Mary Baker Eddy Library is celebrating the holiday season this year with "Caring for Christmas - a Nineteenth­ Century American Story". An original musical and dramatic review will explore the evolution of Christmas as a holiday from pre-nineteenth century forward. Discover how Americans came to "care for Christmas."

"Caring for Christmas" is also a chance to give to those in need. Admission
to the Library's exhibits that weekend (Saturday, Decemeber 5, and Sunday, December 6) will be in the form of a donation to a local charity. Wish lists for confirmed charities are available on the Library's website.

Monetary donations may also be made the day of the performance to the charity representatives who will staff tables in the Library. Items donated must be new. Your donation is tax deductible.

Check back regularly for updated information on the program and
participating charities. Currently, participating charities include:

- On the Rise
- The Home for Little Wanderers
- Friends of Boston's Homeless

The event will be held Sunday, December 6, at 2 p.m. in The Mary Baker Eddy
Library's Hall of Ideas. The program will last about one hour.

The Library is located at 200 Massachusetts Avenue, Boston 02115. More information can be found at http://www.marybakereddylibrary.org/ or by phone at 617.450.7000.
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Tanglewood Marionettes present 'The Dragon King' puppet show in Charlestown, November 15

The nationally acclaimed, award winning Tanglewood Marionettes (http://www.tanglewoodmarionettes.com/ ) are coming to Charlestown Sunday, November 15th, at 4pm. They will be showing their famous and fabulous “The Dragon King” at the Knights of Columbus Hall. "The Dragon King” puppet show featuring colorful sea creatures, an exciting adventure, and a Dragon King that will knock your socks off! Tickets, $10 per person and will be sold through Bunker Hill Florist, Durty Harry’s or by calling CNS member Nancy Mahan (617) 512-3538. (show appropriate for 3-12 year olds)

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The Crane Estate Art Show and Sale will capture the natural beauty of Boston's North Shore, including student works, November 6-8

The Trustees of Reservations will present a special Fall Crane Estate Art Show and Sale entitled: Preserving Landscapes and Landmarks at Castle Hill, 290 Argilla Road in Ipswich on November 6-8. The Crane Estate Art Show and Sale will begin on Friday, November 6, with an Artists Reception from 5 PM – 7 PM. The reception is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served. The Art Show will continue on November 7 and 8, from 10 AM – 4 PM daily. More than one hundred fifty juried works of art, including a special selection of art from North Shore students, will be on view throughout the weekend. Artwork of various mediums and price ranges will be for sale and proceeds will benefit the artists and The Trustees of Reservations. Please note that only checks and cash will be accepted. The Art Show and Sale is free all weekend. For more information contact The Trustees at http://www.craneestate.org/ or 978.356.4351.

Directions: From Rt. 128 (Exit 20A) follow Rt. 1A north for 8 mi. to Ipswich. Turn right onto Rt. 133 east and follow for 1.5 mi. Turn left onto Northgate Rd. and follow for 0.5 mi. Turn right onto Argilla Rd. and follow for 2 miles to entrance to The Crane Estate.

About The Trustees of Reservations
We are 100,000 people like you from every corner of Massachusetts. We love the outdoors. We love the distinctive charms of New England. And we believe in celebrating and protecting them – for ourselves, for our children, and for generations to come. With nearly one hundred special places across the state, we invite you to find your place. Visit us at http://www.thetrustees.org/ for more information. The Crane Estate includes the properties of Castle Hill, Crane Beach and The Crane Wildlife Refuge, which are all open to the public. See http://www.craneestate.org/ for more details.

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