You can also verify by doing The test the Brother Kurtius prescribed, reprinted here for your viewing pleasure:

1. Remove receiver board (right side) and insert wire into plug in black/black-white wire locations . This effectively bypasses the optics for test purposes. if you have no black/blk-white wires in the plug don’t panic, just chose the two wires beside the blank hole, not on the end.
2. test for voltage at the 4 wire harness plug, black to white and black to green…should have 120vac in both places. if not, inline fuse is open or wire is broken or separated in the liner. very bad and prolly not repairable (the broken wire not the fuse).
3. if voltage is present, hookup i/m and test at the points on the motor module head previously noted L and N…should have 120vac.
4. if voltage is present, install jumper between test points T and H…this should start the icemaker on a rotation if all the above outlined conditions are true. if it doesn’t, the motor on the module is bad. if it does start, reinstall i/m and wait till it fills and parks. remove jumpers and reinstall optics receiver. icemaker should work…if not, we have proven the icemaker assembly is good and the optics must be at fault, regardless of whether the light flashes are checking good or not.

If the board checks bad by this method, it's slam-dunk dead.  

Emitter-Receiver Board

• 2 jars salsa (use a good quality salsa, and choose the spiciness according to your taste. I use one mild and one medium, but I'm a little wimpy. Samurai would prefer it to be muy caliente!)
• 2 cans refried beans (I like Amy's brand, either traditional or black bean, usually found in the organic section of grocery stores)
• 1 package corn tortillas (look for organic, non-GMO. Healthiest brand is Food For Life's Sprouted Corn Tortillas, in the freezer section of many natural food stores or the organic section of some grocery stores.)
• 1 8-oz. package shredded cheese, jack or cheddar
• ½ bunch cilantro, chopped, optional
• sour cream, avocado, scallions, tomatoes, shredded lettuce... as many toppings as you like!

• 2 T. coconut oil or butter
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 3 stalks celery, chopped
• 2-3 carrots, diced
• 6 cloves garlic, minced, divided
• 1 T. fresh ginger, minced (The Ginger People company makes a nice jarred minced ginger that's a great time saver)
• 1 medium zucchini, diced
• 2 T. sweet curry powder
• 1 tsp. ground coriander
• 2 tsp. ground cumin
• dash cayenne powder
• 1 10-oz. bag frozen peas
• 1-2 cans chick peas/garbanzo beans (depending on how "beany" you like it), rinsed and drained OR about 2 cups or so of cooked, diced chicken
• 1 quart broth (vegetable or chicken)
• 1 can coconut milk (look for this in the Asian/Thai section of the store)
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 1 bunch cilantro, chopped
• 3-4 scallions, sliced, optional
• salt and pepper, to taste
• cooked rice (optional)

• 3 T. olive or refined coconut oil
• 2-3 pounds beef stew meat
• 2 bell peppers, any color, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 3 medium carrots, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 1 T. cumin, ground
• 1 quart beef broth
• 1 jar salsa, 16 oz.
• 4 medium zucchini, cut into 3/4 inch pieces
• sour cream, cilantro, optional toppings

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 medium onions, sliced
• 2 red bell peppers, sliced
• 1 green bell pepper, sliced
• 2 8-oz. container sliced mushrooms
• 2 packages pre-cooked italian sausages, sweet or hot, sliced (see note)
• 1 jar Pasta Sauce, marinara or basil, good quality (see note)
• 2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
• salt and pepper, to taste

• 1 box brownie mix, prepared (should be over 20 oz. box and use a 9x13 pan - see Note)
• ¼ c. coffee, optional
• 1 box chocolate instant pudding mix, 4 serving size
• 1 ½ cups cold milk
• 1-8 oz. container Cool Whip
• ¼ bag creme-filled chocolate cookies (Oreos or Newman O's), crushed

For more info, see this article at Food Renegade's site!

Here's a photo of some of our own hens that we had a few years back and their trusty guard, Ouzo.  Good times!

A new study from the Netherlands has aroused a great deal of interest, especially as it comes immediately in the wake of an ill-conceived Danish tax that unfairly targets saturated fats.

The study found that dietary intake of saturated fatty acids is associated with a modest increase in serum total cholesterol -- but not with cardiovascular disease.

However, replacing dietary saturated fats with carbohydrates is associated with an increase in cardiovascular disease risk.

Let me repeat that:

Replacing saturated fats in your diet, like those from healthy grass-fed beef, raw organic butter, and other high-quality animal foods, with carbohydrates like bread, bagels, pasta, rice and doughnuts will increase your risk of heart disease.

Saturated Fats Are GOOD for You

I can't stress this point enough, as I realize it may take some of you reading this by surprise.

Unfortunately, this is the result of misguided and downright incorrect information that has been widely circulated from public health agencies, as well as further "cemented" in people's minds with the introduction of saturated fat replacements like trans fats and vegetable oil, which are far worse for your health.

• Parmesan Cheese, grated

• 1 cup salsa
• 1/2 cup dijon mustard
• juice from one lime (about 4 T.)
• 3-4 pounds of chicken, skinless, boneless white or dark, whole pieces or cut up into bites
• butter, unsalted
• 1-2 bags frozen veggies, your choice, optional
• sour cream or yogurt
• lime

• 1 large onion, diced
• 4 stalks celery, diced
• 4 medium carrots, diced
• 4 pounds chicken thighs, boneless, skinless
• salt, pepper
• 1 can/jar crushed tomatoes, 14-15 oz., or tomato sauce
• 1 medium lime, juiced
• 2 chipotles (canned in adobo sauce), minced
• 2 teaspoons adobo sauce (from the can of chipotles)
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 bunch cilantro, chopped
• 1 bag frozen green beans
• sour cream, avocado, optional

• A new study revealed that the flu vaccine prevents type A or type B influenza in only 1.5 out of every 100 vaccinated adults … but the media is reporting this to mean “60 percent effective” – the difference is due to a semantic sleight-of-hand: confusing the meaning of relative vs. absolute risk reduction
• Media reports that the flu vaccine is 60 percent effective does not mean that 60 out of 100 people who get the flu shot will be protected against influenza; separate research shows 100 people must be vaccinated to prevent one case of type A or type B influenza.
• Vaccine-acquired immunity is temporary, which is why even though the influenza viruses included in this season’s flu vaccine are the same viruses that were selected for the 2010-2011 influenza vaccine, the CDC is still recommending you get vaccinated again, even if you got the vaccine last year. The immunity you get by recovering from influenza naturally is qualitatively superior and longer lasting.
• Lifestyle changes will generally be far more effective at preventing type A or type B influenza or other types of flu-like respiratory illnesses than the flu vaccine.

Tests Show Most Store Honey Isn't Honey

Ultra-filtering Removes Pollen, Hides Honey Origins

BY ANDREW SCHNEIDER | NOV 07, 2011

More than three-fourths of the honey sold in U.S. grocery stores isn't exactly what the bees produce, according to testing done exclusively for Food Safety News.

The results show that the pollen frequently has been filtered out of products labeled "honey."
The removal of these microscopic particles from deep within a flower would make the nectar flunk the quality standards set by most of the world's food safety agencies.

The food safety divisions of the  World Health Organization, the European Commission and dozens of others also have ruled that without pollen there is no way to determine whether the honey came from legitimate and safe sources.


In the U.S., the Food and Drug Administration says that any product that's been ultra-filtered and no longer contains pollen isn't honey. However, the FDA isn't checking honey sold here to see if it contains pollen.

Ultra filtering is a high-tech procedure where honey is heated, sometimes watered down and then forced at high pressure through extremely small filters to remove pollen, which is the only foolproof sign identifying the source of the honey. It is a spin-off of a technique refined by the Chinese, who have illegally dumped tons of their honey - some containing illegal antibiotics - on the U.S. market for years.

Food Safety News decided to test honey sold in various outlets after its earlier investigation found U.S. groceries flooded with Indian honey banned in Europe as unsafe because of contamination with antibiotics, heavy metal and a total lack of pollen which prevented tracking its origin.

Food Safety News purchased more than 60 jars, jugs and plastic bears of honey in 10 states and the District of Columbia.

The contents were analyzed for pollen by Vaughn Bryant, a professor at Texas A&M University and one of the nation's premier melissopalynologists, or investigators of pollen in honey.

Bryant, who is director of the Palynology Research Laboratory, found that among the containers of honey provided by Food Safety News:

• 76 percent of samples bought at groceries had all the pollen removed, These were stores like TOP Food, Safeway, Giant Eagle, QFC, Kroger, Metro Market, Harris Teeter, A&P, Stop & Shop and King Soopers.

• 100 percent of the honey sampled from drugstores like Walgreens, Rite-Aid and CVS Pharmacy had no pollen.

• 77 percent of the honey sampled from big box stores like Costco, Sam's Club, Walmart, Target and H-E-B had the pollen filtered out.

• 100 percent of the honey packaged in the small individual service portions from Smucker, McDonald's and KFC had the pollen removed.

• Bryant found that every one of the samples Food Safety News bought at farmers markets, co-ops and "natural" stores like PCC and Trader Joe's had the full, anticipated, amount of pollen.

And if you have to buy at major grocery chains, the analysis found that your odds are somewhat better of getting honey that wasn't ultra-filtered if you buy brands labeled as organic. Out of seven samples tested, five (71 percent) were heavy with pollen. All of the organic honey was produced in Brazil, according to the labels.