Uhh...No!

There are reports circulating on the web and via email that a giant African land snail had been discovered by a woman in her Houston, Texas garden. The reports further state that authorities suspect that more might be found in the area and pose a potential "DEADLY THREAT".

Hi, I’m Boyce, and this is “bloggin’ with the Redeemed”, our newest outlet for CWTR. We’re coming to you from our home along Alligator Branch, in beautiful Horry County, in eastern South Carolina, home of the beautiful Grand Strand beaches!

Hi, I’m Della and we always open our conversation with a prayer. Boyce would you like to bless us and our readers with a prayer this morning?

Boyce: My the Lord bless us and keep us and open to us many windows of heaven and earth that we may establish ourselves to be the servants God would have us to be. In Jesus name, Amen.

Della: Well, in our last conversation we started something new. The Lord gave us a series to talk about. He gave me this a few weeks ago when I had a migraine and stayed all day in my prayer closet for Him to heal me. He began to show me and teach me about “Fruits of the Secret Garden” and biblical persons whose prayer He answered and why! This series of conversations will hang on these two scriptures: Galatians 5:22-23 and Matthew 6:6.

"Galatians 5:22-23 (KJV) 
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 
23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law." 

Is there anything more frustrating than when the power goes out? Electricity is one of the most important parts that make up our daily life. But, if not controlled, electricity can damage property and even take lives. With all the thunderstorms we have in this area, a quality surge protector is a necessity.

We are blessed to get to live so close to the ocean, but we also get to witness nature’s awesome power at regular intervals. Be it a summer thunderstorm or a tropical storm or hurricane we see our fair share of lightning strikes. It used to be that all you could do was pray that you didn’t get a hit. But thanks to modern technology, you can be protected from lightning strike damage.

Today, your home of businesses can be protected from the damages associated with voltage spikes, shorting or blown transformers, surges and worst of all, lightning.

For proper protection, your home should have three layers of surge protection. The first is a surge protector at the Main Service Entrance. Then a second surge protector is placed at the panel box. Lastly, there should be a surge protector at the device you want to protect.

Interviewed by guest host Tom Woods, Mark Thornton talks about price inflation and the American economy. Recorded 16 April 2013 on the Peter Schiff Show.

Mark Thornton is a senior resident fellow at the Ludwig von Mises Institute in Auburn, Alabama, and is the book review editor for the Quarterly Journal of Austrian Economics. He is the author of The Economics of Prohibition, coauthor of Tariffs, Blockades, and Inflation: The Economics of the Civil War.

            Leo, Suzy and Luther have been friends since kindergarten. After high school they went to different colleges but they all got a degree in Quasi-dimensional analytical basket-weaving.  From here the stories take very different paths. At their ten year high school reunion, they compared notes on how life was going.

            Luther showed up in a brand new car, his third since graduating college, and bragged about his big screen TV, boat and other assorted toys. He was still living at home but was getting serious with his girlfriend.

            Sally arrived in her leased Camry. She was engaged to Fred the accountant and was renting a nice condo down by the river. She was also saving the maximum allowed in her 401k.

            Leo drove up in a--new to him—five year old Accord that he’d paid cash for the week before. His trade-in was the same car that had gotten him through college. Leo owned a small home and a rental property he’d bought out of foreclosure. He was saving the money from the rental to buy another property. Leo popped the question to Karen on the dance floor during the reunion. It was so romantic.

The FHA, struggling to manage a large number of delinquent mortgages, will likely need a $943 million taxpayer bailout, the administration said in President Barack Obama's fiscal 2014 budget proposal released Wednesday. After almost 80 years of insuring mortgages, it would the first time the FHA has needed a bailout.

According to FHA Commissioner Carol Galante, the agency “might” be able to avoid taking aid from the U.S. Treasury to fill the projected budget hole. The agency will decide if it needs the funds by September 30.

"FHA, while still under stress from legacy loans, has made significant progress and is on a sound fiscal path forward," Galante told reporters on a conference call. "We are continuing to act and do everything possible to ensure that the impacts of these legacy loans...are corrected as soon as possible."

Email users are being victimized by a phishing attack targeting US airlines. NorthWest, Delta Airlines, MidWest Air Group, and American Airlines have been used by theives to carry out phishing scams across the country. The scam uses email messages in the name of the airlines urging recipients to confirm an airline ticket they never purchased.

The email is made to look like it's from the “Buy ticket online” service offered by the airline. It gives details of the purchased ticket and asks the recipient to confirm the purchase by printing out the invoice and the ticket by clicking on an attachment in the mail.

Unsuspecting users who click on the attachment download a malicious program onto their computers. The malware goes by the name “Trojan.Zbot-1715” and it spells trouble.

This malware enables the thieves to scan and obtain confidential information like credit card access codes, social security numbers and banking passwords. It can also allow remote access to the victims machines.

The airlines say there are things inside the mail which should warn people of the scam. The emails are written with poor English; smelling mistakes and mistakes in grammar. Secondly, the airlines say regular users should be aware of the strange format in which the itineraries are presented.

Northwest Airline’s Vice President for e-commerce, Al Lenza, reaffirms:

Customers should be aware that these e-mails are not coming from the airline. NWA itineraries are specific and contain information that customer will recognize. If the format does not look familiar to you, and you have not recently purchased a ticket, do not open the attachment. Delete the e-mail right away.

Those who receive the emails should delete it without tinkering with the attachment inside. They should also look into their card statements to make certain no unfamiliar payments were made from it.

Sources: WSJ Online & StarTribune.com

It is being reported that the  FBI have successfully identified a suspect connected to the bombing  The final word is unclear as some news outlets report the identification and others report an actual arrest. The Boston Globe has reported that the FBI have an image, via surveillance footage, of a  a suspect carrying and/ possibly dropping a bag around where the second bomb went off. 

For more up to date coverage click here.

Meanwhile, after Monday's horrific tragedy, the citizens of Boston are still trying to cope with what happened as well as move forward.

Grand Strand Church of Christ will be hosting Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace Program starting Sunday, April 14th at 5 PM. The course will run for 9 weeks. The only cost is for the course materials which are available through www.DaveRamsey.com. Listen in as Shane Boyd discusses who will benefit and why.

This whole thing started for me after we got a almost $300 cable bill the other day. I sat down and thought about just how much time I actually watched TV as opposed to other things like the internet and I thought to my self, this is insane!

So I talked to my brother (the main TV watcher in the house) and at the very mentioned of not having cable he freaked out and clutched the remote like a over protective mother gorilla . At that point I realized this might be harder than I thought...

 The debate of weather or not to ditch traditional TV cable services in favor of internet alternatives has been gaining speed over the last few years as  more people are "cutting the cord" on their cable providers and using websites like Netflix and Hulu, or internet connectors like Roku boxes to meet their entertainment needs. While reports say the tide hasn't quite reached the turning point  yet, cable companies are looking over their shoulders a little more each day. 

And I can see why. I can't count how many people I know that rely solely on the internet for in-home entertainment. My sweetheart hasn't had cable in almost 3 years and hasn't missed it once! Between Netflix, Redbox, and  iTunes we have all the TV and movies we could ever need-without the hassle of dealing with the cable companies. The only downside being that we have to wait a few hours for brand new shows to be available. 

For instance, He purchased a season pass on iTunes for AMC's The Walking Dead and we get the whole season-just delayed 8 hours. So whenever a new episode airs on television, we get it around 8 hours later. But we only have time to sit and watch it once a week anyway so it works for us. 

On the other hand my brother professes his love for cable, but yet, constantly complains about it. We have HTC (Horry Telephone Company) and the package includes around 200 + channels, pay-per-view, and "On Demand" services. Which sounds nice in theory but when the "On Demand" feature refuses to load for the fourth month in a row, new movies take forever to arrive, and more than 45 of the channels never get watched, I just can't understand the appeal. I mean besides the fact that you can flip through the channels what is there? 

His response: "I like to be able to flip around and record my shows." OK  I can level with him 50/50. Being able to flip around has its appeal every now and then, but why record one episode at a time when you have access to whole entire series (and all their episodes, in order!) at your finger tips? 

His response: "what if I don't want to pick and choose? I don't want that kind of commitment!What if I am just board and want to just flip around? And what about the Outdoor channel?!" 

A comeback almost slipped off my tongue before my brain registered this has a valid concern and caused me to bite it back. I guess I understand where he's coming from. At the moment, internet entertainment is very individualized. Even though you can "browse" (the internet version of "flipping") through lots of different categories of movies, shows, etc across the different sites, you do have to pick and choose what you are going to watch. But then again you don't have to deal with as many commercials, especially if you purchase a season of a show on iTunes.

Which brings me to the fact that there is still a cost involved but in my opinion its way lower than cable. Say you have a subscription to Netflix (the one where you can instantly stream movies) that's $16 a month, and in that same month you buy a season pass to a couple of your favorite shows at $45 a pop. 

That brings you to $106 total for the month. But then its only $16 the next month because you've already purchased the shows you watch for the year. Assuming that you will buy only two more shows during the next year, plus your internet service bill every month (let's say $80 bucks, your yearly entertainment total comes to: $1,332 dollars. 

Now say you have cable and you maybe order 3 movies every month from pay-per-view or "On Demand," using my bill as a reference ($250 dollars,) your total would be: $3,000 dollars. That's nuts!

Now I'm not a statistics writer or a mathematician so those figures are just gross estimates-but still. It just seems like a lot to me to shell out this much money every month for TV I don't really even watch. I mean I am being robbed people! Everything I do is on the internet. I get my news, my music, my mail, my banking, most of my shopping from the web.

And all I have to deal with is the occasional "website temporarily down" error or a lively (he he) argument with a websites help contact via e-mail. I would just as soon hook my TV up to the internet connection and be completely satisfied. 

But maybe that's just me. Maybe it would work for me because my needs are different. Not only am I comfortable using the internet, I don't watch that much TV, and when I do its for very specific shows or events. And with sites like YouTube that do live broadcast's of world events (like the Presidential inauguration) I just don't need cable. 

My brother and others like him are just apparently different. They might not like dealing with the internet for everything. The idea of being in so much control over what they choose to watch is just a worry they could not care less to have. And they probably like being able to talk to a real person on the phone when the stupid cable doesn't work-Because I guess I am the only one that thinks talking to under-paid operators that have no patience and only one or two answers for every single problem is a torture from the 9th layer of hell. 

Plus, due to equally internet un-savvy-ness, not all channels (the Outdoor channel for instance) have all their programming available online. (a topic I won't go into but geez...)

I would say that this cable-loving group is primarily an older one but then again my grandmother would be more than satisfied to have her Roku TBN (Trinity Broadcasting Network) channel and her Netflix seasons of NICS and call it a day. 

Eh. To each it's on. I still think they are paying through the nose for a vastly inferior entertainment experience but then again I am obviously a crazy control freak nerd that is two keystrokes away from living in a geek lair deep beneath the city never to see the light of day again. Or at least that's what my brother says. 

Well, it isn't over yet. I think we could at least reach a good compromise....maybe. 

So what's your take on the debate? Could you or your family live without traditional cable service? Or is the idea of a internet based TV too much?

Hi, I’m Boyce, and this is “bloggin’ with the Redeemed”, our newest outlet for CWTR. We’re coming to you from our home along Alligator Branch, in beautiful Horry County!

Hi, I’m Della and we want to open this new conversation with a prayer. Boyce would you like to pray?

Boyce: “Lord, we thank you for this day and hope that all those out there reading this give thanks for each and every day, and for You giving us a new day in which to learn more about your love for us, Lord, and our love for you. In Jesus name, Amen.”

 Della: Well, we have been praying about what our next conversations should be. God has given us some wonderful insights. We are extremely excited to share them with you! Fruits Of The Secret Garden is going to be a series of conversations concerning these two scriptures: Galatians 5:22-23 and Matthew 6:6.

Well the months are flying by this year; can you believe it is late March already?  Ole Bubba is still getting use to the time change from the Spring Forward and lose an hour of sleep scheme.  Bubba wants to wish each and every one of you out there a very Happy Easter and hopes to hear that everyone of you attended church for Easter Services.

Now on to the Gossip that ole Bubba Noseit heard while making his rounds…

This is a production of our sister website, RivertownRadio.com.

We continue our discussion of Hospice Care with Lindsey Inman of Embrace Hospice in Conway SC. Lindsey tells us about the spiritual support side of hospice care which includes support for the patient, family and children. Listen in to this informative and touching interview on a topic that everyone will have face at somepoint.

At least that's what it felt like as I was walking away. For the first time since I woke one morning all "developed" as my mother called it. (I called it getting side swiped by puberty so hard my future grandchildren felt it.) And for all you women that wish for bigger... assets...trust me when I say this: you have  no idea what you are asking for.

Let me give you a snapshot of how life is for someone like me: People stare. All the time. And its aggravating. Upon meeting a new person, your eyes are always the second thing they see. Old men wink at you at the grocery store. The pizza guy loses all sense of how to make change. And prudish old ladies give you bad looks. Even your friends stare! You can forget pretty little tank tops with whisper thin straps too, because unless they're made of the web of Spider Man, you are in trouble...

It is hard to believe that a little over a week ago, Conway residents were prettying up their pooches and taking part alongside them in a two-mile race along Simon Park, to raise funds for charity.

The event was organized by Don Potter, whose son Chase perished in 2006 from traumatic brain injury.

For the last six years, the mixed-species race has commemorated both the life of his son and the value pets bring to our lives. The impressive amount of $70,00 raised over the past few years, has been shared between the Arkansas Children’s Hospital and Friends of the Conway Animal Shelter.

Fire Devastates the Carolina Community

Few of the jovial runners and their families would have thought that just eight days later, on March 16, a raging fire at a condominium complex in the Carolina Forrest Community of Horry County would destroy 26 buildings and 109 units, leaving many families homeless and their pets, injured or missing. The fire, thought to have originated from a power line, spread to the forest, then a single family home, and eventually to the condominiums and units.

The community is already reaching out after an out of control blaze destroyed and/or severely damaged 26 apartment buildings in the Carolina Forest area. 

According to officials the fire started around 5:00 pm on Saturday afternoon. The cause of the fire is unclear.

*Photo credit: Nicholas Keefer: From www.wmbfnews.com* 

From March 11 to March 30, Senator Vincent Sheheen will be holding lectures in South Carolina, visiting universities, families and local leaders, and informing the press of his vision to create jobs and improve education.

His aims are outlined in his book, The Right Way, which can be downloaded for free or accessed at any of the spots on his tour, which bears the ambitious title of Back on Track.

While some members of the press have labelled the book a precursor to Sheheen’s second gubernatorial campaign, others are taking an interest in the main themes outlined, particularly in the area of education.

Between the years 2008 and 2018, reports Sheehen, some 56 per cent of South Carolina’s 1.2 million jobs, will require some kind of advanced training after high school; yet statistics indicate that South Carolina has a long way to go in terms of meeting these demands; approximately 50 per cent of children live in households with incomes at 200 per cent of the poverty limit; 32.9 per cent of third graders tested below state standard in mathematics in 2009 and 22 per cent tested below reading standards.

Della's flying solo on this one and you don't want to miss it! 

This week's theme music: Sweetly Broken by Jeremy Riddle 

Luke 12:34 (KJV) 34 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. 

Hello everyone! We are Conversations With The Redeemed! We are coming to you from our home along Alligator Branch!

Thanks so much for joining our conversation today!

I’m Della! And Boyce isn’t with the conversation today. He is gardening! He says, hello and sends his best wishes to you and his prayers up for you. He’ll be back next time.

So it’s just me and you guys today and our conversation is about the things that break our hearts. I’d like to start with a prayer: “Father God, as I share your love today I pray that each person listening will receive a blessings, healing, a word of knowledge or at least some part of the treasure that is You, our God, our savior Jesus. Bless each person, their home, their family and the work of their hands. In Jesus name, Amen.

The heart…

Frank's Rivertown Theater celebrated the opening of Oz, The Great and Powerful with a magic show before Saturday's matinee. Vince Mannella of Mannella's Magic performed for the crowd. Illusions included The Flying Table and The Sword Through the Theater Manager Trick...

Click the read more for more images

Recent joint action by officers from Horry County Sheriff’s Office, the South Carolina Highway Patrol and the Conway Police Department to tackle drug related crime within the community has shown that the authorities mean business.

A life of crime fueled by the need for drugs is a sight all too common – and one that we hope our loved ones will never enter into. A downward spiral from curiosity to addiction and then to crime is a nightmare no-one wants to face.

Being arrested and found guilty on any drug related issue in South Carolina is very serious and can carry long prison sentences and huge fines.

The message is clear – it is always best to stay clear away from drugs.

But what if you suspect that someone you know and love might be on drugs? How should you tackle it? Where can you get help? Just who can you turn to help you?

Knee-jerk is not the answer

“Star Wars” creator George Lucas let slip that Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher and Mark Hamill could be firing up their old lightisabers in “Star Wars: Episode VII.”

Its finally beginning to feel like springtime outside. I was about to give up hope that we would ever have sunshine again! Thank the good lord we only have one January and February per year cause I'd couldn't take another one.

 Everybody else around here must feel the same because signs of life are already starting to pop up around town and at the beach after this long cold winter. Shops that close during the latter months of the year are getting ready to open back up, the wedding season is getting in gear, Easter is just around the corner and kids everywhere are sitting on pins and needles awaiting their spring breaks.

I can't wait. While I love the fall and the holidays, I adore our summers and the older I get the better they get. Now that's not to say that I don't do my share of complaining about the astronomical heat or those "dag-gum tourist" that drive like erratic morons searching for the closest buffet, restroom, and parking spot. This ritual complaining is like a perk of being a local-we need the tourists and their money but we still reserve the right to gripe about not being able to drive down 501 or having to search out secluded spots on the coast to be able to enjoy the beach.

Lately, the local griping noise has started early and aggressively due to the debut of TLC's latest reality series that filmed last year at Patrick’s Mobile Home Park off Highway 15. Titled "Welcome to Myrtle Manor" the "docu-series" follows the lives of residents in the Myrtle Manor trailer park

To celebrate the release of Oz, The Great and Powerful, Frank's Theatre is having a special sneak peek showing Thursday at 9 PM and is running a guess the number of pom-poms contest. Prizes include a mountain bike, Chick Filet gifts, a magic show and free movies for the rest of 2013! Take a listen as Lewis gives the details...