MUSIC:

* Thor’s "Beastwomen From The Center of the Earth" recently found its way into the Crowgrrl’s cd player, and what a completely stellar album this is! It’s lyrically an epic fantasy adventure opera, set against a backdrop of catchy, infectious music in a variety of metal moods, each fitting the scene of the overall storyline depicted. Each song can also stand on its own merits as well even if taken out of its place in the overall story. "Beastwomen" immediately grabbed a slot in the Crowgrrl’s Heavy Rotation stack, and is getting daily spins!

But the cd itself is only the tip of the iceberg. The extremely talented Jon Mikl Thor teamed up with Michael "Mick" Hoffman to translate this story into the form of a graphic novel, and there’s the possibility of maybe films and videogame versions of this story. And "Beastwomen" projects are only just one of the irons Jon Mikl Thor has in the white-hot fire right now. Currently, Jon Mikl Thor is on the Vancouver set of a new movie he’s both producing and starring in, "The Intercessor"; and he’s also working on a new studio album, "Thor Against The World".

The Crowgrrl caught up with Jon Mikl Thor this past Wednesday to talk about some of these projects.

Right now I’m working on a film called "The Intercessor". It’s basically about an ancient being who is trying to rescue the last of the innocents left on Earth, and is able to travel through a little girl’s dreams to battle her enemies that are trying to take her soul. It’s a pretty exciting dream that she has. The movie’s great!

Yes, unique kinds of special effects, like when the Intercessor takes off his masks, there’s a weird metamorphosis of his face that takes place. Also there’s a lot of just unique things that go on throughout the dream scenes, the tunnels, the dream sequences, the vortexes, all that sort of thing.

It’s going to premier at the American Film Market. It’s going to be the biggest American Film Market ever. It’s going to be held in Santa Monica this November. From there, our sales agent will know what countries are going to pick it up. I was involved in a movie called "Fubar" , and it was released theatrically in England and Canada, but the U.S. just didn’t pick up on it.

It was originally intended for a straight-to-dvd, but with all the extras that are coming in on it - like, one of the guys in our movie who came on board for some special effects and makeup was one of the people who worked on "Resident Evil: Apocalypse" and "Ginger Snaps".

Yeah! It’s fantastic. That’s a Canadian movie.

Another thing I’m working on - years ago I had a partner, John Fasano. We did movies like "Rock & Roll Nightmare", and "Zombie Nightmare", then he went on to become a famous writer. He co-wrote "Another 48 Hours", " Universal Soldier" and sequel. He was involved in "Alien 3", and on & on. Now, he’s directed four movies for USA Network. So, I’m writing a song for one of them, and I’ll be appearing in one of them, too.

There are a lot of movies being filmed in Vancouver right now.

Yeah. "The Outer Limits" was shot here, and of course, "Stargate". A lot of series and movies have been shot here. The scenery’s really great! In fact, we used a lot of the mountain exteriors. We went out to this huge mountain that’s two hours from Vancouver, and it looks amazing! It really adds to the production value, some of the scenery that you can capture around here.

No, it’s "Hollywood North". Schwarzenegger doesn’t want a new Hollywood. Although he planted his own Planet Hollywood restaurant up here, and has filmed a fair amount of movies up here. I think it’s good where the movies aren’t just all in Hollywood - there’s foreign movies and movies elsewhere. It just adds to the flavor of the films the audiences see.

Most are going to be released on dvd; they’re in negotiation. One was called "Recruits" I did with Lolita Davidovich. Then there was "Rock & Roll Nightmare". "Zombie Nightmare" I starred in with Adam West and Tia Carrere. It’s like Thor meets Batman meets "Wayne’s World." It was one of Tia Carrere’s first films. Adam West needed to pay his mortgage, so he came in and did it. It actually became quite a cult favorite, and has been seen on Mystery Science Theater 3000 numerous times in the past.

You never know what’s going to happen with these films. People find something in them at times that’s amusing or entertaining, and then they go on to become these cult films. They watch them over and over again. "Rock & Roll Nightmare" has parties. I get invited to "Rock & Roll Nightmare" party weekends all the time, so it’s become quite a cult favorite.

I’m like an observer and a participant in four decades of rock. My first album, "Keep the Dogs Away" was back in the ‘Seventies. I was doing shows back in the glitter rock era - Ziggy Stardust & The Spiders From Mars, Alice Cooper, and Gary Glitter, that period. I started in 1973 with a big production show. I started in a band playing bass, but I was also a body builder winning a lot of titles at a very young age. So, I put both things together and started a whole career. It went on, and I never looked back. Although in 1987, I did get out of the business for a little while. I just wanted to do something totally different. I made a few bucks, and said, "Hey, I’m going to start building my dream home." I looked around and built it in North Carolina, then just went on and tried other things. But this business always calls you back, and eventually I got back into it again.

There was a distribution company I bought. I actually created a product called Eurowear. It was totally different. I wanted to try things totally different in that period because I was doing so much show business all my life. I operated in Charlotte, and distributed the product through the United States. It did very well.

But then after that, I bought a record company, and I started signing bands from that area. Then eventually put out my own album with that record company, and I went back into show business again.

We already did a short tour for "Beastwomen" at the beginning of the year, because it was released earlier in Canada. We went out to Toronto, Hamilton, other parts of Ontario, so we did a whole Eastern swing of the "Beastwomen" tour. What I’m trying to do is complete a lot of my films and projects that I’m doing right now, then try to get out and do a tour for "Beastwomen" in the United States. But then, I’ve recorded another album called "Thor Against The World" in Los Angeles with Frank Meyer and Bruce Duff producing. Actually, that one may come out around February, so I may tour with both albums. The "Beastwomen/Thor Against The World" Tour or something. Kind-of meld them together.

My career goes back pretty far. I’ve had a lot of albums; I’ve gone over to Europe and although I’ve had some Number 1 hits on the charts in Europe, I’ve never really had that Number 1 commercial hit in the U.S. or Canada on the charts. They’ve always been on the rock charts or the loud or heavy metal charts.

I just feel I’ve written a lot of great music. It’s basically picked up on the radio, or people just pick it up by seeing my videos on MuchMusic or Sky Channel in Europe. I’ll do a concert, and there are kids that are 13 years old that know my songs! When vinyl was very popular, there was a reissue of my recordings called "Mutant", so a lot of the kids pick up the tunes from there. I think I’ve marketed myself over the years in a different, unique kind of way.

I first signed with a major label, RCA Records, later it was with Albion Records and Mongol Horde records. Eventually, I started owning my own records and putting out my own product sort-of independently of the craziness that’s going on in the major labels right now, and trading a whole business for it. You can go to our website, www.thorcentral.com and see we basically have a whole business going. Besides that, there are the films. It’s a multi-media business, but done on an independent level. I don’t have to have the major labels breathing over my neck.

Yeah. We are already negotiating a deal about re-releasing "Keep The Dogs Away". "Only The Strong" has already been re-released by Unisound in Greece and ThorToen re-released it in North America as a Limited Collector’s Edition. (Broader scale U.S. release is planned for 2005.) So, yeah, we’re re-releasing stuff from the past. There’s also one called "AnTHORlogy", which is my collection of demos that were lost. It was released back in 1997, and it did pretty well, so we’re going to re-release that one. It was just a collection of lost demos I never put out, and there are little treasures in there. We put that one out in ’97 when I bought into that record company, Star USA Records. But there’s been a call for that again, so we’re going to put it out again.

"Mutant" did so well on vinyl that Outlaw Recordings are going to re-release that one this Fall.

I guess I’ve got a plethora of projects coming out. I’m totally energized! I’m filming movies, and totally holding the flag up for all the independent bands out there, independent labels, independent film companies. In this crazy world where the major labels are firing 500 people who don’t know what to do, there IS a light at the end of the tunnel. They need to get out there and make a business out of it.

(Wait! There’s more! Part 2 of this interview will appear in the Sept. 26 edition of the Crowgrrl’s Perch)

* Breaking News! Jamey Jasta announced on the September 11 edition of MTV 2’s Headbanger’s Ball that Cradle of Filth is going to be headlining the upcoming Headbanger’s Ball Tour! There’s no news about this yet on the CoF website, but The Crowgrrl’s hoping this news is true. They’re one of my favorites!

I can’t wait to hear the upcoming new "Nymphamphetamine" album, especially since there are going to be guest appearances by Glenn Danzig, Cristina Scabbia, and a return of Doug Bradley of Hellraiser fame. According to Dani Filth, the song "Swansong For A Raven" is part 2 of "Her Ghost In The Fog" from the "Midian" album (which is STILL in the Crowgrrl’s Heavy Rotation stack of cd’s), which - of course - Doug Bradley did the intro for.

* Megadeth is back! Dave Mustaine was a guest on the September 11 edition of Headbanger’s Ball, where the new video "Die Dead Enough" from the upcoming album "The System Has Failed" was premiered.

* Motorhead have cancelled their U.S. tour because of a foot injury vocalist/bassist Lemmy got while onstage a month ago in Europe. Lemmy had finished the European dates despite the injury (and against doctors’ recommendations), and the injury worsened. He has to stay off that foot now for several weeks in order for it to properly heal.

*Kittie, Otep , and Crisis are embarking on the "Unleash The Metal Movement Tour".

• Sept. 27, 2004 - Farmingdale, NY; Downtown
• Sept. 29, 2004 - Buffalo, NY; The Continental
• Sept. 30, 2004 - Poughkeepsie, NY; The Chance
• Oct. 1, 2004 - Sayreville, NJ; Starland Ballroom
• Oct. 3, 2004 - West Springfield, VA; Jaxx
• Oct. 5, 2004 - Philadelphia, PA; Trocadero
• Oct. 6, 2004 - Lancaster, PA; Chameleon
• Oct. 7, 2004 - Huntington, NY; Banana Joe’s
• Oct. 9, 2004 - Memphis, TN; New Daisy Theater
• Oct. 11, 2004 - Nashville, TN; Exit/In
• Oct. 16, 2004 - Detroit, MI; Harpo’s

* Nicki Jaine has recently been asked to join the touring band for Black Tape for a Blue Girl, where she will be handling guitar, keyboard, and backing vox. She will also be doing an opening solo set on selected dates on the tour.

(The rotating opening acts for the West Coast leg of the Black Tape tour besides Nicki are: Audra, Dorien Campbell & Salame Strings, Drop Black Sky, The Flir, and Legion Within; East Coast openers are Bow Ever Down, I, Parasite, and Stygian Veil.

Black Tape for a Blue Girl have just released a new album, "Halo Star" (Projekt Records).

• Sept. 13, 2004 - San Francisco, CA; Amoeba Records In-Store Performance
• Sept. 14, 2004 - San Francisco, CA; DNA Lounge
• Sept. 16, 2004 - Seattle, WA; The Vogue
• Sept. 18, 2004 - Portland, OR; Sabala’s Mt. Tabor
• Sept. 19, 2004 - Boise, ID; The Venue
• Sept. 20, 2004 - Salt Lake City, UT; Area 51
• Oct. 23, 2004 - New York, NY; Batcave@Downtime
• Oct. 24, 2004 - Philadelphia, PA; Grape Street
• Oct. 26, 2004 - Boston, MA; The Middle East
• Oct. 28, 2004 - Washington, DC; Nation
• Oct. 30, 2004 - Pittsburgh, PA; The Upstage
• (More dates TBA at the Projekt Records website)

* Blazed, featuring frontman Jesse Blaze, will have copies of their new 6-song demo available at a special show opening for Bent Brother ( aka Twisted Sister sans make-up or costumes) at the Palladium in Worcester, MA, on September 25. Check out the Blazed http://www.jesseblaze.com website for more info and schedule of live shows.

Check out Jesse’s radio show on 107.1 The Box in Long Island, New York. Those of you in the Eastern Long Island (and even parts of Connecticut ) area, be sure to tune in! (This station will be up on the web soon, too, so those of us not in that area can listen in, too). His show has been moved to the 6pm to 11pm slot.

Blazed online chats have been rescheduled: the first Sunday of every month at 8pm EST. at http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/JesseBlaze/chat Check the Blazed websites for updates. (And support the Merch section while you’re there - the new t-shirt designs are fun. Maybe, just maybe there may be dvd news there in the future as well).

* Speaking of Twisted Sister, they are releasing "Still Hungry" on October 5. The band took the tracks from the classic "Stay Hungry", rerecorded them with a heavier edge, and added seven bonus tracks to boot! Oh, yeah, the Crowgrrl is soooo there!

* Former Blue Öyster Cult long-time roadie, Sam Judd, is currently in the hospital recovering from major spinal surgery. BÖC Fans website is holding a raffle to help Sam and his family through these tough times they’re currently going through. Either buy raffle tickets through the website (they’re $20 each) with PayPal , or send a check or money order to:

Sam Judd Benefit Raffle
P.O.Box 2851
Cupertino,CA 95015-2851

Besides being for a worthy cause, raffle prizes include such collectibles as a Buck Dharma archive set of solo cd’s, an autographed Blue Öyster Cult jacket, Blue Öyster Cult coaster set, an autographed Blue Öyster Cult poster or t-shirt, and other Must-Have items.

(The Crowgrrl wishes Sam a speedy recovery!)

* Speaking of Blue Öyster Cult former BÖC keyboardist Tommy Zvoncheck and his new band, The Acid Test Band. will be appearing September 24 (with special guest Moogy Klingman sitting in) at Phil’s Liquor Locker in Toms River, NJ.

* Ian Hunter will be doing a special "fans-only" show at Maxwell’s in Hoboken, NJ, on October 5. For more info or to snatch up one or two of the very limited tickets, go to the Ian Hunter website.

* Having just completed the 2004 OZZfest tour, (see the Crowgrrl's Ozzfest 2004 Tribute Page Dimmu Borgir are headed back to Norway to work on writing new material and take the first breather since "Death Cult Armageddon’s" September 2003 release. Look forward to a dvd and video reflecting the tour to come out in 2005.

Readers, you’ve GOT to check out Dimmu Borgir’s "Death Cult Armageddon, OZZfest Edition"! This special two-disc set includes lots of extras that weren’t on the original release, such as the video for "Progenies of the Great Apocalypse", photos, orchestral versions of "Progenies" and "Eradication Instincts Defined", "Devil’s Path", a cover of Bathory’s "Satan My Master", and a cover of Twisted Sister’s "Burn In Hell"! This album is seriously a "Must-Have".

Also, be sure to check out the official Dimmu Borgir website. It's one of my favorite sites to visit; it's visually fantastic, and the content is absolutely addictive -- there is plenty of news, downloads such as desktops and screensavers (yes, the Crowgrrl has downloaded some of these myself). Plus, there's always so much going on in the forums and chat room, I find myself visiting as often as I can. (And I urge everyone to support the Merch section of the site as well!)

SCREENS (Large & Small):

* The Crowgrrl finally got a chance to see Hidalgo ! What a wonderful movie this is! Hidalgo is based on the life of Frank T. Hopkins (Viggo Mortensen) and the incredible bond he had with his mustang the movie is named for. (What a gorgeous horse they had portraying the title role!)

After witnessing the aftermath of the heartbreaking massacre at Wounded Knee in 1890, Hopkins and Hidalgo get out of the Pony Express biz and become performers in Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show. Chief Eagle Horn, also part of the touring company, asked for help in saving the wild mustangs, who the U.S. government was planning on rounding up and slaughtering if the Native Americans could not come up with the money to purchase the horses from Uncle Sam.

Simultaneously, Hopkins was invited to participate in The Great Horse Race of the Bedouin - also called the Oceans of Fire - across 3,000 miles of unforgiving desert against 100 of the finest pure blood Arabian horses. The purse money the winner would receive would be ample to buy the freedom of all the wild mustangs whose lives were at stake. The other performers of the Wild West Show come up with the entry fee, and Hopkins & his beloved horse venture to Arab lands.

Not only was the race itself brutal, there were other events happening while the race was going on as well, such as the kidnapping of the host Sheik’s daughter, who Hopkins and Hidalgo helped rescue. Hidalgo and Hopkins helped another entrant escape from quicksand. Not to mention, one of the other entrants paying a group of assassins to kill the mustang. Hidalgo was, in fact, wounded in one of these attempts, but was determined to continue on anyway.

That horse seriously had heart! Not to mention, a mind of his own that he wasn’t afraid to make known. He could unhitch himself from a hitching post at will. He would be at the starting line without a rider before Hopkins would even wake up in the mornings of the race.

Another very powerful scene was when Hidalgo was wounded, before the horse made his will known to Hopkins, when Hopkins was wrestling with the question of what was best for his horse; and a vision came to him. Was it a mirage? Or ghosts of his Native American ancestors really dancing and guiding him?

The real-life Frank Hopkins was reputed to have won 400 long distance races in his career.

* The third movie in the Ginger Snaps trilogy, Ginger Snaps Back: The Beginning is NOW OUT! The Crowgrrl can’t wait to see this one!

* A new edition of the Murder of Crows Newsletter came out this week by the wonderful folks at the Crow fansite, A Boy And His Bird. For the very latest news and interesting stuff about anything remotely The Crow-related (including info on the upcoming movie The Crow 4: Wicked Prayer) be sure to sign up for the newsletter and check the website frequently.

Dragonfly and ABaHB teamed up to present a wonderful "Embrace The Fall" contest - the prizes include Crow lunchboxes, and Crow sketchbooks/journals. The grand prize is a Crow Return Artist Proof! Congratulations to the 13 winners who were announced Saturday, September 4, and especially to grand prize winner Stephen Griffin!

* Speaking of The Crow, as mentioned in previous weeks, Frank has retired from The Crow’s Loft website. But there is a parting gift to Crow fans - for a limited time.

There was a soundtrack made to the tv series, The Crow: Stairway to Heaven, but it was only available to cast and crew. (And periodically, a copy would show up on E-Bay, which the Crowgrrl has unsuccessfully tried to get her own talons on).

That soundtrack IS THE PARTING GIFT from The Crow’s Loft!!! Go to the following link to download selections from the show: http://www.thecrowsloft.com/sth/

PRINT:

* Steve Alten has done a wonderful job in resurrecting the mighty Megalodon in his best-selling books. He’s now going to turn his literary talents to bringing The Loch Ness Monster into full focus. His upcoming book, "The Loch" is finished, and will hit stores in May, 2005!

Steve has also announced that the third installment of the MEG series, "MEG: Primal Waters" is NOT going to be the last. There is a fourth in the works which will lead to the mother of all sea battles: between Angel (the megalodon for the uninitiated) and something even bigger discovered in the depths of the Philippine Sea Plate. The Crowgrrl seriously can’t wait to sink her teeth into that one!

* Chapter One of my own book, Under Her Black Wings (yes, the title is with Glenn Danzig’s permission - I never would have used that title otherwise) is available to all my readers in the "Print" section of this site.

From the moment this project started (brainstorming article ideas with a magazine editor; she asked if I could get an entire article out of the topic of Crow and Raven legends, and I quipped "I could write a BOOK on it!), it has taken on a life of its own, taken flight. So many people have gotten involved, and these beautiful birds mean a lot to many people!

The chapter list (the actual titles of the chapters may be renamed, but the subject matter’s the same) includes:

1. Overview (Check out the First Chapter here!)
2. The Real Thing (a look at the real birds)
3. Norse Mythology
4. Celtic Mythology
5. Other European Mythology
6. Native American Mythology
7. African Mythology
8. Oriental Mythology
9. Other Asian and Middle Eastern Mythology
10. Australian/Pacific Mythology
11. Corvids in Popular Folklore
12. Influence of Poe’s "The Raven"
13. The Dark Side
14. Influence of James O’Barr’s "The Crow"

All chapters are in progress, and as I research and as people share their stories, they’re included in the appropriate chapter. These should be available soon (to those with a subscription only) to watch the work in progress.

* Gothic Beauty Issue #14 is out! A copy just arrived in The Crowgrrl’s hot little hands! I can’t wait to read every delicious word! Check out details at the Gothic Beauty website. (Also, check out the cover of #14 - I seriously want an outfit like that awesome one the cover model is wearing!)

Gothic Beauty Magazine has revamped its website, and it’s fantastic! Go to www.gothicbeauty.com and check it out.

Anyone in the UK interested in being part of Gothic Beauty’s new UK Street Team should email street@gothicbeauty.com with your brief details and mailing address!

Ad space is available for future Gothic Beauty issues. For specifics, go to www.gothicbeauty.com/ads and "be sure to mention that Athena sent you."

* David "Avocado" Wolfe, author and foremost authority on raw food nutrition, will be making a number of live appearances, both with seminars, and performing with his band, The Healing Waters Band. For more information on any of these appearances, check his website under "Events".

• Sept. 7, 2004 - Grass Valley, CA
  
• Sept. 11, 2004 - Fairfax, CA
  
• Sept. 12, 2004 - San Francisco, CA
  
• Sept. 13, 2004 - West Hollywood, CA
  
• Sept. 18, 2004 - San Diego, CA
  
• Sept. 25, 2004 - El Cajon, CA
  
• Oct. 15, 2004 - Toronto, Canada
  
• Oct. 16, 2004 - San Diego, CA
  
• Dec. 28, 2004 through Jan. 4, 2005 - Maui, Hawaii; New Year's Raw Food Retreat

For those of us not in the San Diego area, the Nature's First Law World Headquarters has an online superstore at Nature's First Law www.rawfood.com where many of the items mentioned in David Wolfe’s books can be found. You can also sign up there for a great e-newsletter. This month’s includes info on Blue Manna (wild blue-green algae), raw organic cacao (chocolate), upcoming special events, and new items available from that website.

New This Week from Nature's First Law: Tasty PERUVIAN ELDERBERRIES. (Item #0915: Food: Elderberries, Peruvian)

These berries are Raw & Wildcrafted. High mineral content, low sugar content, Peruvian Elderberries are a great source of antioxidants. The berries are small, round, and dark purple to almost blue-black in color. Elderberries offer good levels of vitamins A, B and C, and they have long been used as a savory fruit in jams and pies. A common use of elderberries today is for relieving the symptoms and shortening the days of common colds and flu. Elderberries make a delicious and highly nutritious treat by the handful!

These Elderberries come from small organic family farms in rural communities of Peru where unique non-hybridized, heirloom varieties of plants and family traditions passed on for generations create fruits and vegetables of the highest culinary and nutritional quality. Ideal low-temp specifications for drying ensure a product like none you have ever tasted.

* The Crowgrrl’s current reading stack includes:
"Mind of the Raven: Investigations & Adventures With Wolf-Birds" by Bernd Heinrich,
"Grimoire for the Apprentice Wizard" by Oberon Zell-Ravenheart,
"Norwegian In 10 Minutes A Day’,
"Norwegian Verbs & Essentials of Grammar" by Louis Janus,
"Eating For Beauty" by David "Avocado" Wolfe,
, and am even re-reading The Lost World by Michael Crichton (to write up quiz questions for my son’s home-school literature class - he requested reading this book next).

* The Crowgrrl finally finished Still Life With Crows by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child, the team behind such thrillers as by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child, the team behind such thrillers as Relic, Reliquary, and Cabinet of Curiosities The darned thing was freaking IMPOSSIBLE to put down! In this one, FBI Special Agent Pendergast is on the trail of a serial killer in a small Kansas town - or is it?! Maybe the killings are caused by a darker, more ancient force, such as a curse the land was put under by marauding vigilantes who were slaughtering Native Americans - and who were themselves destroyed by Native American ghost riders. Or maybe those very ghost riders themselves. Or perhaps something more demonic - one of the killer’s victim’s dying words were, "I saw the devil and he had the face of a child!". Pendergast theorized throughout that the culprit may be from the small, isolated and close-knit community itself, but is not ruling out other explanations.

This book is best read with all the lights left on! The murders were so gruesome they gave me nightmares. I’m not going to ruin the intense ending for any readers, but the final explanation is nowhere close to the theories posed earlier in the book, and is totally both believable and extremely disturbing!

As an added bonus, the first chapter of this writing team’s latest hardcover, "Brimstone", was previewed.

OTHER NEWS:

* IMPORTANT: Readers, something strange was in my e-mail box last week, a 19K-size e-mail with an attachment that was from "management@ crowgrrl.com" THERE IS NO SUCH ADDRESS. The topic line might have said "E-mail account security warning", but it smelled like "virus" to me and was immediately deleted. If anyone finds anything similar, do the same. Delete, don’t open. There is NO "management" e-mail addy here.

* The Maryland Renaissance Festival in Crownsville, MD, opened this weekend, and continues every weekend through October 24.

* With Hurricane Ivan looming off the southeastern U.S. shores this weekend, it’s always good to think about preparing pets for weather emergencies (or any emergencies that involve evacuations) as well. A lot of shelters won’t let you bring them with you. (Thanks, Robin, for giving The Crowgrrl this info!)

There is a Comprehensive Guide from ASPCA (which includes tips for evacuating all kinds of pets, including dogs, cats, birds, rabbits, ferrets, horses, reptiles, amphibians

and more) http://www.aspca.org/site/PageServer?pagename=emergency&JServSessionIdr005=lt2zmil851.app28b

* Hey, Readers, you’ve gotta check out a product called Body Balance by Lifeforce. My family takes Body Balance every day! It’s much better than a daily multi-vitamin, that’s for sure! And another "plus", if we feel down or over-tired, a little more Body Balance does the trick to pick us up.

It’s a liquid, ionic, phytonutrient dietary supplement made from whole foods, and it contains a mix of over 123 vitamins, minerals, and amino acids that your body needs on a daily basis to keep healthy.

Why am I telling you about this because an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure. I felt I had to share this as one thing most of my readers may not know, in July of 2003, The Crowgrrl was diagnosed with breast cancer. This is something I don't want anyone to have to go through what I did. I’ve refused the "conventional" paths of chemo/radiation/surgery, and have taken a holistic naturopathy approach instead (which I’ll go into in more detail in future Perch editions, or readers can e-mail me). I’m supposed to stay on a specific holistic protocol for two years. Withing 14 months the tumor was supposed to shrunk to half of its original size. Much to our surprise as of December, 2003, the lump (tumor) is gone! I’m fine! I firmly believe the Body Balance helped accelerate the healing.

Another Lifeforce International product The Crowgrrl and family regularly use is Colloidal Silver. Silver is a natural antibacterial element that can be used both topically or internally.

* For those of my readers who experience annoying computer (pc/mac/linux) problems (or those of you techies who are annoyed at friends and relatives expecting you to be their personal tech-support 24/7), go to www.techiesanity.com for around-the-clock help. I’ve personally done so, and my computer’s working like a dream since getting help from there.

* Anyone who hasn’t already done so, check out the Gallery section here on the Crowgrrl’s site. Prints and some originals are still available. So, buy ‘em already!