Adorable dogs and cats for adoption at the Bedford Humane Society!  Visit  www.bedfordhumanesociety.petfinder.com  or e-mail them at thebedfordhumanesociety@msn.com.  They use foster homes for their animals and they are healthy, socialized and ready to become a part of your family! Call 540-586-6100 for more info.

The Franklin County Humane Societyis located just outside Rocky Mount, Virginia. You can visit them at 18401 Virgil Goode Highway, Rocky Mount, Virginia. Or call at 540-489-3491. Email: plannedpethoodrockymount@yahoo.com. Website: www.petfinder.org/shelters/VA29.html.

Pittsylvania County Humane Societyis located at 996 South Boston Road in Danville, Virginia. Their mailing address is P.O. Box 3352, Danville, Virginia 24543
You can also contact them by phone at (434) 799-0843, or by email at dahsinc@yahoo.com. Visit their website at http://www.dahsinc.com/dnn/.

Westlake Wash, LLC specializes in those hard to get to windows on your lake home. They have all the right equipment & take greatest care in their work, respecting your home in the process.  We can clean out those gutters too!  Many references available!  Call 540-797-9117 for a quote.

Leonard Lucas Contracting can take care of any remodeling, deck building, landscaping, roofing and just about anything else you may need in the contracting realm. For a free estimate and work that is 100% Guaranteed, call 540-484-1177. You can also visit their website and see pictures of their work at www.leonardlucascontracting.com.

You will fall in love with SUPERIOR WALLS.  The only certified Green building concrete wall system on the market.  SUPERIOR WALLS are the Best foundation or above-grade walls you can build with. Build dry, warm and smart with SUPERIOR WALLS.  Call Today 1-866-350-9255 or visit www.superiorwallsva.com.

Let CLEARVIEW RAILING give you a clear view for spring. They offer an all aluminum, maintenance free, tempered glass deck railing system.  Theirproduct comes in 7 standard colors and can be also used for balconies and stairs inside and outside your home.  Go to www.excellrailing.com or call Butch Traylor  for a free estimate at 540-761-8058.

Aspartame producer Ajinomoto is launching a new initiative that will re-brand the sweetener as “AminoSweet”.

Aspartame is used in many foods and beverages marketed as low calorie or sugar-free. However, its reputation has been clouded somewhat by studies that have investigated reports of ill effects.

Just to remind you, the side effects of aspartame can include:

Headache
Change in vision
Convulsions and seizures
Hallucination
Nausea and vomiting
Joint pain
It can cause many, many other problems as well.

Aspartame is the most controversial food additive in history, and its approval for use in food was the most contested in FDA history. In the end, the artificial sweetener was approved, not on scientific grounds, but rather because of strong political and financial pressure. After all, aspartame was previously listed by the Pentagon as a biochemical warfare agent!

It’s hard to believe such a chemical would be allowed into the food supply, but it was, and it has been wreaking silent havoc with people’s health for the past 30 years.

The truth is, it should never have been released onto the market, and allowing it to remain in the food chain is seriously hurting people – no matter how many times you re-brand it under fancy new names.

The Deceptive Marketing of Aspartame

Sold commercially under names like NutraSweet, Canderel, and now AminoSweet, aspartame can be found in more than 6,000 foods, including soft drinks, chewing gum, table-top sweeteners, diet and diabetic foods, breakfast cereals, jams, sweets, vitamins, prescription and over-the-counter drugs.

Aspartame producer Ajinomoto chose to re-brand it under the name AminoSweet, to “remind the industry that aspartame tastes just like sugar, and that it’s made from amino acids – the building blocks of protein that are abundant in our diet.”

This is deception at its finest: Begin with a shred of truth, and then spin it to fit your own agenda.

In this case, the agenda is to make you believe that aspartame is somehow a harmless, natural sweetener made with two amino acids that are essential for health and present in your diet already.

They want you to believe aspartame delivers all the benefits of sugar and none of its drawbacks. But nothing could be further from the truth.

How Aspartame Wreaks Havoc on Your Health

Did you know there have been more reports to the FDA for aspartame reactions than for all other food additives combined?

In fact, there are over 10,000 official complaints, but by the FDA’s own admission, less than 1 percent of those who experience a reaction to a product ever report it. So in all likelihood, the toxic effects of aspartame may have affected roughly a million people already.

While a variety of symptoms have been reported, almost two-thirds of them fall into the neurological and behavioral category consisting mostly of headaches, mood alterations, and hallucinations. The remaining third is mostly gastrointestinal symptoms.

Unfortunately, aspartame toxicity is not well-known by doctors, despite its frequency. Diagnosis is also hampered by the fact that it mimics several other common health conditions, such as:

Multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, Fibromyalgia, Arthritis, Multiple chemical sensitivity, Chronic fatigue syndrome, Attention deficit disorder, Panic disorder, Depression and other psychological disorders, Lupus, Diabetes and diabetic complications, Birth defects, Lymphoma, Lyme disease, Hypothyroidism
 

How Diet Foods and Drinks CAUSE Weight Problems

In recent years, food manufacturers have increasingly focused on developing low-calorie foods and drinks to help you maintain a healthy weight and avoid obesity. Unfortunately, the science behind these products is so flawed, most of these products can actually lead to increased weight gain!

For example, researchers have discovered that drinking diet soda increases your risk of metabolic syndrome, and may double your risk of obesity – the complete opposite of the stated intention behind these “zero calorie” drinks.

The sad truth is that diet foods and drinks ruin your body’s ability to count calories, and in fact stimulate your appetite, thus boosting your inclination to overindulge.

Unfortunately, most public health agencies and nutritionists in the United States recommend these toxic artificial sweeteners as an acceptable alternative to sugar, which is at best confusing and at worst harming the health of those who take their misguided advice.

Even More Toxic Dangers of Aspartame

Truly, there is enough evidence showing the dangers of consuming artificial sweeteners to fill an entire book — which is exactly why I wrote Sweet Deception. If you or your loved ones drink diet beverages or eat diet foods, this book will explain how you’ve been deceived about the truth behind artificial sweeteners like aspartame and sucralose — for greed, for profits, and at the expense of your health.

As mentioned earlier, almost two-thirds of all documented side effects of aspartame consumption are neurological.

One of the reasons for this side effect, researchers have discovered, is because the phenylalanine in aspartame dissociates from the ester bond. While these amino acids are indeed completely natural and safe, they were never designed to be ingested as isolated amino acids in massive quantities, which in and of itself will cause complications.

Additionally this will also increase dopamine levels in your brain. This can lead to symptoms of depression because it distorts your serotonin/dopamine balance. It can also lead to migraine headaches and brain tumors through a similar mechanism.

The aspartic acid in aspartame is a well-documented excitotoxin. Excitotoxins are usually amino acids, such as glutamate and aspartate. These special amino acids cause particular brain cells to become excessively excited, to the point that they die.

Excitotoxins can also cause a loss of brain synapses and connecting fibers. A review conducted in 2008 by scientists from the University of Pretoria and the University of Limpopo found that consuming a lot of aspartame may inhibit the ability of enzymes in your brain to function normally, and may lead to neurodegeneration.

According to the researchers, consuming a lot of aspartame can disturb:

The metabolism of amino acids
Protein structure and metabolism
The integrity of nucleic acids
Neuronal function
Endocrine balances
Furthermore, the ester bond in aspartame breaks down to formaldehyde and methanol, which are also toxic in their own right. So it is not surprising that this popular artificial sweetener has also been found to cause cancer.

One truly compelling case study that shows this all too well was done by a private citizen named Victoria Inness-Brown. She decided to perform her own aspartame experiment on 108 rats over a period of 2 years and 8 months.

Daily, she fed some of the rats the equivalent (for their body weight) of two-thirds the aspartame contained in 8-oz of diet soda. Thirty-seven percent of the females fed aspartame developed tumors, some of massive size.

To read the complete article or sign up for Dr. Mercola’s free newsletter, visit his website.

If you recall a while back we wrote about Life Out Loud Films and the movie they plan to shoot at the lake this year called “Lake Effects”. You can be part of that exciting venture by joining us for the Academy Awards Party to benefit Life Out Loud Films.

 Watch the Oscar awards show on the big screen in a red carpet atmosphere. Games and giveaways and much more. The Party will be held at Mariners Landing, Smith Mountain Lake. That is the Mariners Landing Resort Community and Conference Center on March 7th from 6-9pm. For more info. call 540-297-4900 or 800- 851-4988 or email them at  info@marinerslanding.com.

The Grand Winter Gala, at Water’s Edge, March 6, 2010, 6:30 till 11pm. Charity event to benefit Lake Christian Ministries and SML Christian Academy, 60 a person / $100 couple dinner included.  Entertainment byThe Kings.  Black tie optional. 12 local artists paint chairs to be auctioned off. For more info. visit www.grandwintergala.com.

Pottery Class at the Southern Virginia Artisan Center located at 54 West Church Street in Martinsvillel, Va.  The class will be held on March 6th from 9:00am. to 1:00pm.
For pricing and other information call 276-656-5461 or visit the website at http://www.southernvirginiaartisancenter.org.

Or if pottery is not your thing, explore simple decorative painting techniques to enhance your home décor. Bring color and fabric samples for one room of your home, develop designs for several accent pieces, and paint one design. Also at the Virginian Artisan Center, but on March 13th from 9am. to 5pm. For pricing and other information call 276-656-5461 or visit the website at http://www.southernvirginiaartisancenter.org.

The Little Dinner Theater Players present Virginia Jones: The Inca Revenge. Advance reservations are required for dinner and show, with discounted overnight packages available, so please call (540) 297-4900 for pricing and details. March 13th from 6:30 to 8:30pm.

Casa D Amici’s Wine Pairing Dinner. March 15th from 6:30 to 9:30pm. Serving 7 gourmet courses perfectly paired with 9 delicious wines. Reservations are required. Call 540-296-1329.

Benjamin’s At the Point, 2nd Annual St. Patrick’s Day Party on March 17th from 5-9pm. Authentic cuisine from the McGehee family, including Corned Beef & Cabbage, Sheppard’s Pie, Irish Cream Chocolate Mousse Cake and more. Featured drink specials throughout the night, so wear your green and join the fun!

I doubt there is a single soul who is not looking forward to warm weather this year considering the extra cold winter we have had. And it is not too soon to start thinking about weekends off and vacation time and how we will enjoy the water this summer.

One excellent way to enjoy the summer is by taking advantage of Smith Mountain Lake boat rentals. At the lake you can find houseboats, fishing boats, pontoon boats, etc. that you can rent by the hour, day or week. What a fabulous way to spend the day! Just writing about it makes me eager for the day when I can get out on the water.

Some of us do not have boats of our own of course, and that is where the Smith Mountain Lake boat rentals come in handy. If you would like to know where to rent a boat there are a few listings below. This is not meant to be a comprehensive list, but gives you a place to start.

Parrot Cove - Smith Mountain Lake houseboat rentals as well as a full line of pontoon boats, runabouts, fishing boats, and Wave Runners.

Smith Mountain Lake State Park - Boat rentals (canoes, kayaks, hydrobikes, paddleboats, pontoon boats, ski boats and jet skis) are available at the park from Memorial Day through Labor Day. The park concessionaire also rents boats offsite the rest of the year.

Bridgwater Plaza - Shopping, entertainment, SML boat rentals and much more.

Adventures on Houseboats - Explore the natural beauty of Smith Mountain Lake Virginia aboard one of our floating hotels.

If you said yes to those two questions then you have likely also found that it is difficult to find good care for the elderly without paying an entire fortune. I don’t know how many people in the past few years I have heard saying how hard it was to get help with their parents that they could trust.

For those who just need someone to come to the older persons home and help out you may want to check out Home Instead Senior Care. They provide non-medical companionship and personal care services to seniors helping them to maintain their independence at home.  Services include meal preparation, light housekeeping, medication reminders, incidental transportation and more.  You can contact them for more info. at 434-385-0321.

If you need someone to actually keep the aging person and be a home for them where they are lovingly cared for and have someone there all the time there is a sweet and caring family in our area you can contact for those kind of services as well. Melissa and George Barker can be reached at 276-650-2878.

We need to learn to thank God as much for a closed door as we do for a door to that opens to what we want. The reason God closes doors is because He knows there is nothing good for us on the other side.

God sometimes directs our paths through the closing and opening of doors. Once a door closes, it forces you to change your course. Another door closes, it forces you to change your course again. We receive God’s very best when we peacefully accept what we cannot change and let Him lead.We tend to judge with human eyes and resent any kind of roadblock in our plans. But God can see trouble down the road and set up a roadblock or detour accordingly. Through our lack of wisdom, we try to tear down and push aside the detour signs. Then the minute we get into trouble, we start crying, “Lord, how could You have done this to me?”

We must learn to accept that a closed door can be a blessing. If you get terminated from your job, praise God for the new opportunities that will manifest themselves. There may be a better job ahead, time to spend on another project or just  the freedom to make a needed trip. The possibilities are endless with God.

Too often we get bogged down in doubt and discouragement when we judge by outward appearance only. But we can be thankful for the many times our Father has closed doors to us to protect us from evil.

Trust Him, for in His perfect timing, He will lead you to the open door that will be more deeply satisfying than anything you could have imagined for yourself.

There will also be a number of new exhibits this year including barbecue grill promoters, dock building companies, outdoor clothing retailers, sellers of various living furnishings, landscaping companies, not to mention boat vendors and many more items of interest.

You will notice an increase in displays of popular water related hobbies such as wake surfing, boats designed for towing wake boarders, wake skaters and many other water sport related dealers and accessories.

Come on out and join the fun on Friday, February 26th from 1 to 8 pm., On Saturday the 27th from 10 to 8pm. and on Sunday the 28th from 10 to 5pm.

FABER CPA FIRM, LLC  looks forward to preparing your 2009 income tax returns.  Now is your opportunity to get your financial documents organized so that you don’t pay too much to Uncle Sam. We focus on your financial life, not just your taxes.  To see what we can do for you please visit  www.LAKECPA.com.

TAP, Total Action Against Poverty is offering free tax help from well-trained, volunteer tax professionals. TAP officials say if residents earned less than $49,000 in 2009, they may qualify for the Earned Income Tax Credit. TAP does not do any itemizing or any pensions, only basic 1040 or 1040ez. They do offer direct deposit of your refund if that’s what you’d like which will allow you to receive your refund in 7-10 days. You will need to contact TAP to make an appointment. The number to call in Roanoke is 540-345-6781 extension 4405.

Kembel Tax Service provides sound tax advice and services to thousands of people throughout Southwest Virginia including Roanoke, Smith Mountain Lake and Lynchburg. David Kembel, owner of Kembel Tax Service, offers professional service at a reasonable price. Phone (540) 343-4006 or email at info@KembelTax.com.

Complete Small Business Solutions with Robert Barnes, CPA brings 25 years of experience to small business owners including tax services to Roanoke, Lynchburg, Smith Mountain Lake, Rocky Mount and Bedford. Phone: (540) 777-1314
Fax: (540) 777-1318 or visit www.rbarnescpa.com.

If any of our readers are aware of good tax preparers we have not mentioned, please leave us a comment.