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Are you an advocate?

We hope you enjoy our multiracial advocacy blog and that it helps you know about our ongoing issues and educate other people. We have come a long way over the past 20 years, but we still have a long way to go. Many people feel that with our big accomplishments such as convincing the US Census Bureau to let multiracial people check more than one race and the US Department of Education allowing schools to use a multiple check-off format, our work is done. It’s not. Come back often and join us. Volunteer to help. Leave comments. We need your help.

As the rates of teen prescription drug abuse continue to pose a public health threat at epidemic levels, many fear their teens will do almost anything in order to get their hands on prescription medication, which can be conveniently obtained in almost every household at practically no cost.

It is estimated that each day, approximately 2500 teens use some type of prescription medication for the first time, making it the most abused category of drugs in the U.S with the exception of marijuana. National surveys have shown that 1 out of every 4 teens has abused a prescription medication which leads to addiction, experts like Dr. Drew Pinsky believes that the problem is bigger than we think it is.

“Young people are putting themselves in danger, even dying, because they do not understand how dangerous these otherwise safe prescription medications can be when misused and abused”. Pinsky said.

Pinsky, who works with a national drug awareness problem known as “Smart Moves, Smart Choices”, believes the first step in preventing prescription drug abuse is to inform teens on the serious consequences they rarely hear about. He also believes that parents should monitor their medicine cabinets and properly dispose of any leftover medication that could potentially fall into the hands of a curious teen. Moreover, Pinsky believes that educators need to take initiative and incorporate projects, assignments and activities that get teens involved with drug related content, in order to enlighten them on the life threatening and potentially fatal consequences they can face if they give into peer pressure, even if the drug is a seemingly innocent cough syrup, nesting in an unattended medicine cabinet.

Do you know or suspect your child is abusing prescription drugs? He or she might still be in the pre-stages of addiction, either way you know you can't wait to get help.

If you have any questions, please know that Inspirations Teen Drug Rehab is here to provide you with support and guidance, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. We welcome the opportunity to answer your questions free of charge about teen behavior, substance use, adolescent addiction, teen drug rehab, or other related matters.

Addiction and Behavior Treatment for Teens: 1-888-757-6237    
http://www.inspirationsyouth.com
http://www.inspirationsteenrehab.com


Addiction Treatment for young adults and adults : 1-888-387-6237    
http://www.covecenterforrecovery.com

In Support of Paul Bergrin

This post is to call your attention to the plight of high-profile defense attorney and former Assistant US Attorney Paul Bergrin of New Jersey. Paul Bergrin is a former military officer that represented one of the soldiers prosecuted in Abu Ghraib (Javal Davis) and Corey Clagett in the Operation Iron Triangle case in Iraq pro bonoas he fought to hold Bush administration officials accountable for authorizing torture and violating the Geneva Conventions.

Paul Bergrin was fighting for Corey Clagett against all odds when he was himself arrested in 2007 on a slew of false felony charges in what was clearly a vendetta and a successful attempt to elicit guilty pleas from defendants and suppress further testimony in the Operation Iron Triangle case. By 2009, federal prosecutors added a lengthy list of outrageous counts against Bergrin, including murder conspiracy charges, and he has been awaiting trial in federal court in New Jersey since. The first trial on several severed counts resulted in a hung jury and mistrial on November 23, 2011. The judge stated at that time that the next trial, on 31 counts, would begin on January 4, 2012.

Paul Bergrin needs your support in the form of publicity. Please do not allow the federal government to quietly bury this zealous defense attorney that supported and represented US military soldiers against the Bush administration. The mainstream media is not reporting the truth about the cases against Paul Bergrin or the serious lack of evidence in these false allegations.

To find out more about how you can organize and help Paul Bergrin, please contact Creative Spirits of the State of New Jersey, a grass root organization founded in 1979, at 973-551-4235. Please visit the organization's website, http://www.paulbergrin.orgto learn more about Paul Bergrin's courageous defense of US soldiers prosecuted overseas and his current predicament. Please do feel free to contact me with any questions that you may have regarding this extremely urgent matter.

Help us to make sure that the world is watching!

Welcome!

This is the first of what will be regular updates of things important to the multiracial community. We sincerely hope you check back often.

New Trend: Vodka-Soaked Gummy Bears

Consuming “vodka gummy bears” is now considered a dangerous new trend among teens whose parents would never assume an innocent bag of gummy bears lying in the fridge contained alcohol.

Vodka-soaked gummy bears, a do-it-yourself alcoholic candy, are becoming a national trend and Inspirations Teen Rehab wants parents and teachers to be on the lookout because most of us wouldn’t suspect a child with gummy candy is trying to get drunk.

While fads come and go, this one might stick around a little longer, as several videos on YouTube have been found given step by step instructions on how to prepare the vodka gummy bears to disguise alcohol consumption. Incidents have already been reported in New York and Nebraska of children soaking the candy in vodka or gin and then bringing the bloated bears to school.

“Impact”, a local group coaching Milwaukee teens on drug and alcohol prevention, has been reaching out to teens by providing them with young peer counselors they can relate to, which in this case, is an individual from the same generation who faces the same social challenges and peer pressure the teen faces while attending school. Kaela Wojtycski, a peer counselor wants her fellow teens to know that alcohol is not the long term solution to their problems. Wojtycski has said “trying to keep your grades up, balancing between friends and school work just gets to you sometimes. But you know, doing things like drinking, smoking, are just going to add on to your problems."

The counselors have been able to successfully indentify dangerous fads among teens and work with other counselors in the program in order to discourage drug and alcohol use and promote public awareness on dangerous trends such as “vodka gummy bears”, which can go undetected unless exposed on a larger scale.

If you have any questions, please know that Inspirations Teen Rehab is here to provide you with support and guidance, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. We welcome the opportunity to answer your questions free of charge about teen alcohol abuse, teen behavior, substance use, adolescent addiction, teen drug rehab, or other related matters.

Contact us at: 1-888-757-6237
http://www.inspirationsyouth.com
http://www.inspirationsteenrehab.com

The Growing Problem of Synthetic Drugs

While many blame illegal drugs for causing accidental deaths and overdoses, many fail to realize that legal synthetic drugs are the underlying cause of a growing number of drug-related incidents.

Due to its legality and widespread availability, many have turned to synthetic drugs in order to achieve the same effects they were achieving while using illegal drugs. Substances such as “iAroma”, whose fumes are inhaled, were developed to substitute K2 and marijuana, which lead to serious health complications and numerous ER visits by unassuming individuals who believed that if a substance was legal, it could not have major risks. 

Furthermore, research has shown that in addition to legal substances becoming dangerously popular in the U.S, legally prescribed painkillers are just as culpable, with at least 15,000 deaths occurring from their abuse each year, a number that is higher than heroin and cocaine overdoses combined.

With a growing number of synthetic drug casualties, schools and community centers should invest in programs that focus on illegal and legal drugs circulating throughout communities in order to raise public awareness and contact authorities and even government legislators to help prevent the distribution and potentially ban any legal substance which poses a public health threat.

For more information on synthetic drugs and drug rehabilitation visit: 

Addiction Treatment for Teens: 1-888-757-6237    
http://www.inspirationsyouth.com
http://www.inspirationsteenrehab.com

Addiction Treatment for Young Adults and Adults: 1-888-387-6237    
http://www.covecenterforrecovery.com

The Paul Bergrin Trial: Egregious Prosecutorial Misconduct

We have watched it before in high profile cases and as we sit on the sideline discussing the Paul Bergrin trial, it is omnipresent once again. In fact, for Bergrin, the egregious misconduct by prosecutors has continued since at least 2009, with no relief in sight. How many trials will this zealous defender of the persecuted be required to contend with himself?

The first trial is over, but may indeed be repeated as jurors have already announced to Judge Martini that they are deadlocked. How much fucking money will prosecutors spend to have it their way? Is there no end to the deep pockets of the Department of Justice? Oh wait – it is all taxpayer money so there's an endless supply available.

It is apparent to me that the jury in Paul Bergrin's trial has jurors that think like I do and want to see actual evidence if they're going to send a man to prison for life and jurors that just believe what a prosecutor says just because the prosecutor is supposed to represent the people and would neverlie. Prosecutors are not supposed to seek convictions like notches on a belt; they are supposed to seek truth and justice.

Is a parade of convicted felon witnesses seeking reduced sentences in their own criminal cases seeking truth and justice? How about an FBI agent that threw the informant down a proverbial drain when she didn't help him before he was murdered on a Newark street? There are a few inconsistencies in testimony that tell me there is no way that the prosecutors in the Bergrin trial are not aware that their witnesses are lying on the stand.

I originally believed that the jury would find Paul “not guilty” on both counts quickly, but after a couple of days I realized that there is at least one of those types that blindly believe the statements of anyone claiming to represent the people and the government in a courtroom. These types do not even feel that a trial is necessary as after all, he was indicted and isn't that evidence enough?

Who needs trials and juries when everyone arrested and indicted must be guilty?

Isn't a random convicted felon serving a 10 or 20 year sentence that allegedly spent a few minutes discussing an informant with Baskerville in jail a few years ago a good witness? Do you really believe that Baskerville was so stupid as to discuss some intention to kill an informant with a cellmate? What does the cellmate have to gain by testifying? Years off his sentence.

And what of Paul's ex-girlfriend Yolanda “Jezebel” Jauregui that had a heated romance with drug trafficker Alejandro Castro – a man that she admitted to helping with his drug operation? What possible reason could Jauregui have to lie? She used Paul until there was no more to use and now she needs to weasel her way out of a 15 to 20 year prison sentence because she needs to “stop the lies” and “see her daughter”. It is clear that her daughter was far from the first thought on her mind for years. She was a busy little bee for sure.

But that Anthony Young – now he was a serious piece of work. This guy actually confessed to murdering Kemo Deshawn McCray on a Newark street even though the only witness, Kemo's stepfather, described a shooter with dreadlocks when Young had a shaved head at the time. He doesn't even bother to pretend he wore a wig and we are simply supposed to believe that the only real witness can't tell the difference between bald and dreadlocks. It's not enough that the agent in charge of handling Kemo refused to help him – now prosecutors must paint his stepfather as an unbelievable idiot when he was actually the only witness.

So why would Anthony Young confess to a murder that he didn't commit? Well, it was a lengthy story in the trial, but apparently he read a book that described what prosecutors and agents will accept in a witness and what they won't. They'll accept him if he was the shooter as long as the murder was ordered by someone else – enter Paul. We can suppose that Anthony Young is in witness protection now – he met the criteria.

A so-called witness can still be in a prison, but they're in under an alias. There's all sorts of benefits available to this type of witness, including a major reduction in sentences. I know (or rather knew) someone that was in federal prison under an alias. He tried to set me up, but thanks to a cop's advice I thought before I acted. It was nothing mysterious and something most people wouldn't think about twice and I didn't either, until the nice cop made a clear statement. Today he's free and clear and informing on an unknown number of people in South Florida, but before he decided to work with the feds he had a slew of charges, including importing cocaine (federal) and kidnapping with a weapon, conspiracy to commit murder etc... from the state. Now he has a clear record and only had to spend less than 10 years in prison for all of his crimes (state and federal). He testified against the Colombians to get it all though. Risky business indeed.

Sometimes I think about the many people that he helped lock away for life. As far as informant witnesses go, he was as dirty as they get, with the exception of Sammy Gravano. So why do federal prosecutors befriend and help such criminal witnesses? Because they're more than willing to lie on the stand and help a prosecutor create a career from dirt. The prosecutors in the Bergrin trials will be forever remembered favorably in their career field of choice if they get the convictions. This one could be eying the Attorney General position in his future.

The so-called evidence that we have witnessed in this trial is nothing more than a charade, a farce, and a criminal fraud perpetrated against the people and Paul Begrin. What can we possibly expect in the next trial? Truth and justice? LOL

On another note, I started a blog for Paul Bergrin and in the future intend to post all related posts on that blog. I have invited a couple of people to contribute and ideally I imagine 4 to 10 people contributing posts on a regular basis in relation to Paul Bergrin's next trial. I haven't decorated the blog yet and decided it would be 100% ad-free, but if you (the reader) have an interest in contributing, please do contact me. There will be no off-topic posts on that blog – it will be all about the next trial. If you are serious about participation, I will give you admin access so you can also design and change the blog. More on this soon...

Teen Alcohol Problems Can Start Early: Don't be an Enabler

While many parents believe it’s harmless to allow their underage teen to drink alcohol during family events and gatherings, they are inadvertently subjecting themselves to potential civil and criminal lawsuits that could bear lifelong consequences for both the teen and the parents.

The Marlboro Alliance against substance abuse, an organization created to raise awareness about the substance abuse problems many teenagers face in today’s society, recently lectured on the civil and criminal repercussions of parents providing their children with alcohol. The organization emphasized that it is important for parents to understand the liability issues that can arise from a simple scenario such as allowing an underage teen to have glass of wine during a family gathering. They also highlighted the fact that most parents fail to realize that in the event of an automobile accident in which the teen is found guilty of consuming alcohol and getting behind the wheel, the parents who provided the teen with the alcohol or better known as “host parents”, can be convicted with civil liability charges for being negligent and providing a minor with alcoholic beverages.

Furthermore, regardless of whether an alcohol related incident occurs or not, parents can be held legally responsible for their child’s misconduct, which could also have life threatening consequences for the young teens such as alcohol poisoning or drunk driving.

In hopes of reducing substance abuse related casualties among teens, the Marlboro Alliance has vowed to continue to provide parents with information regarding alcohol and drugs in addition to informing them on the symptoms of alcohol poisoning and other substance-abuse related complications.

Teen alcohol abuse has become a great concern for parents in the recent years. Inspirations Teen Drug Rehab understands the legal consequence that results of a teen's poor choice regarding alcohol abuse and behavior. Many times these actions might be an indication of a greater issue such as substance abuse or addiction, a mental health issue such as depression or other diagnosis. If your family is having a difficult time dealing with this situation, call us at our adolescent addiction treatment center.

Teen Alcohol Problems and Substance Abuse Problems? Call: 1-888-757-6237      

Adolescent Residential Addiction Treatment Center
http://www.inspirationsyouth.com
http://www.inspirationsteenrehab.com

Young Adult and Adult Alcohol Addiction Problems? Call: 1-888-387-6237      
http://www.covecenterforrecovery.com

Teens and Marijuana: Why Parents Should not Ignore

Daily marijuana use among young adults is at its highest levels since 1991. A national survey released in October shows that 17 million Americans — mostly teens or young adults — used pot in 2010. About 40% of those used it on 20 or more days in the past month, up from 36.7% in 2009.

The director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, Nora Volkow, recently stated that “roughly one out of 10 people who try marijuana get addicted" and "young users were more vulnerable than older ones”. She also stated that because research hasn’t been able to identify the underlying reasons why some individuals become addicted and some don’t, it is safer to avoid the substance and its potential dangers. Furthermore, Volkow blames medicinal marijuana for undermining the serious side effects of marijuana by portraying it as beneficial to one’s health. Additionally, Volkow believes that “hearing about the medicinal benefits of marijuana makes people think it must not be harmful”.

Peter Delany of the Substance Abuse and Mental health Administration believes that marijuana has become the biggest drug problem in the United States considering how the number of its users has more than doubled in the past decade.

The media also plays an important role in decreasing the social stigma attached to marijuana by portraying it “cool” and “commonly used by every top athlete and celebrity”.

The widespread ignorance by teens (and some of  their parents) and  the media's general failure is to distinguish between adolescents and adults when they report on marijuana use and its dangers. When you're young and the body is still growing, marijuana actually has the potential of inflicting a long-lasting, negative impact on the developing brain. In addition, using marijuana at a young age can result in structural and functional deficits of the brain. This could develop weakened verbal and communication skills, lowered learning capabilities and a shortened attention span.

Parents concerned about their impressionable teenagers can get involved by monitoring their teen’s circle of friends and openly communicating about the dangerous side effects of marijuana that is rarely discussed in the media.

For more information on teen marijuana abuse and teen marijuana addiction treatment, visit Inspirations for Youth and Families.

Addiction and Behavior Treatment for Teens: 1-888-757-6237
http://www.inspirationsyouth.com
http://www.inspirationsteenrehab.com

Addiction Treatment for adults and young adults: 1-888-387-6237
http://www.covecenterforrecovery.com

Cough Medicine: A Dangerous Fad Among Young Teens

Most parents seem to believe that their young teenager would never experiment with drugs, steal medicine from the family medicine cabinet or get peer pressured into taking an illegal substance in order to fit in with other teens. 

The truth is, most parents are wrong.

Available in almost every family household, and having a unique chemical compound which makes it impossible to detect with standardized drug tests,  cough syrup is a choice of drug for many young teens.

Statistics shows that the majority of teens who abuse cough medicine are between the ages of 12 and 17, often consisting of seemingly “good” kids whose parents would never in their wildest dreams imagine their children are abusing cough medicine to get high. In most cases  teens abusing cough medicine are oblivious to the dangerous side effects of the drug.  Hallucinations, drowsiness, severe behavioral changes are just a few to name. Teens have shown up at the emergency room not knowing where they are or who they are, and the parents are terrified and have no idea what’s going on.

Inspirations teen addiction treatment encourages parents to get actively involved in their teen’s life in order to be able to detect suspicious behavior and potentially troublesome friends. Parents should keep bottles of cough syrup and other medicine out of their children's reach and monitor their social circle in order to ensure they are not receiving mysterious gifts from friends that could land them a trip to the emergency room. Furthermore, they should present them with scenarios and situations where they might be tempted to experiment with drugs and teach them how to successfully refuse illegal substances.

For more information on teen drug abuse, teen behavior problems and teen addiction treatment, visit Inspirations for Youth and Families. 

Addiction and Behavior Treatment for Teens: 1-888-757-6237

http://www.inspirationsyouth.com

http://www.inspirationsteenrehab.com

Addiction Treatment for young adults and adults: 1-888-387-6237

http://www.covecenterforrecovery.com

When your Teenager is Lying about Drugs

While being lied to by a rebellious teen may be enough to make parents  feel  angry, hurt or betrayed, it is crucial that parents focus on the underlying reasons why their teen is lying because quite often,  teens successfully attempt to hide their drug abuse from their parents by lying. 

Chief of psychiatry at Kaiser Permanente in San Francisco, Dr. Mason Turner, says “Most teens don’t think about what comes next, and concerns about the future don’t enter into their decision making.”

Parents concerned about their teens devious habits regarding drugs should consider the following tips:

1-Trust your instincts

So often when parents witness “red flags” and other signs that indicate their teen headed towards trouble, they ignore their intuition. Some parents even go as far as blaming themselves for having obsessive thoughts and/or being too sensitive or paranoid. But the bottom line is, if parents go with their gut feeling, their bound to be right most of the time.

2- Keeping up with drug trends

Many parents suspect their teen is using drugs and is up to no good, but they rule out the possibility of them using drugs because they are unable to see common side effects such as blood shot eyes, slurred speech, etc. With over hundreds of drug variations in today’s market, teens are bound to use some type of drug that doesn’t carry the same side effects, thus fooling parents into believing they are “clean” and that their parents are paranoid. It is crucial for parents to do extensive research on common drugs circulating in their communities as well as informing themselves on different types of drugs and their side effects. 

3-Not being afraid to seek outside help

Having a teenage that uses drugs and/or is addicted may be stigmatizing and humiliating to some families to the extent to which they refuse to let anybody outside the immediate family become aware of the problem. These families often find themselves emotionally and physically exhausted when it comes to their child, but refuse to seek outside help regardless. Parents need to remember that just like they would take their ill child to a physician if they were to become ill, they need to seek the help of a certified interventionist, counselor or therapist who has been adequately trained to deal with delicate situations such as teenage drug abuse. By seeking professional help, families will expedite their child’s recovery and share their burden with individuals who know exactly what it takes to deal with teenage drug issues.

For more information on teen drug abuse problems and teen addiction treatment, visit Inspirations for Youth and Families.

Addiction and Behavior Treatment for Teens: 1-888-757-6237

http://www.inspirationsyouth.com

http://www.inspirationsteenrehab.com

Addiction Treatment for young adults and adults : 1-888-387-6237

http://www.covecenterforrecovery.com

Paul Bergrin's Closing Argument: Truth and Justice

While the Sammy Gravanos of the world enjoy first class witness protection, the Kemo Deshawn McCrays are shot dead on the street. Was Kemo far less important to his handlers than Sammy was to his? Does the level of protection correlate to the level of information offered by the witness?

Kemo did make many controlled drug buys for his FBI handler, Shawn Brokos. His work as an informant was so important that it successfully dismantled what prosecutors have repeatedly referred to as a “violent Newark gang” and placed William Baskerville in prison for life. Was Kemo not deserving of actual protection? He was denied entry to the Federal Witness Security Program according to trial testimony. Think about that for a moment.

The same people that denied Kemo protection for his risky work on their behalf seek to place Paul Bergrin in prison for life over the allegation of mentioning his name.

The same people that denied Kemo protection resulting in his murder on a Newark street offered a parade of convicted felons that traded testimony for relief in their own cases as witnesses against Paul Bergrin.

The same people that denied Kemo protection intend to reduce the prison sentence, yet again, of his confessed killer. Do they secretly know that Anthony Young was not the killer as they offer his perjured testimony for the jury or are they just kicking Kemo one more time?

Kemo has been dead for many years now and the same people are still kicking him, but now they make absurd attempts to blame his death on Paul Bergrin. How is that for truth and justice? Doesn't exactly make one want to run out and become the next informant for them, does it?

This case will soon be with the jury if it isn't already at this moment. I will be seriously and thoroughly shocked if Paul Bergrin is not acquitted on all counts. Is there still some semblance of truth and justice in the United States?

More soon...

The Case Against Paul Bergrin is a Charade

I must imagine that Judge Martini and the jurors expected to see actual evidence as they sat through a trial that has already lasted close to a month. They must be truly disappointed and feel that federal prosecutors have wasted their time. I know that I view it as time for Paul Bergrin to file a motion for acquittal as soon as prosecutors conclude their case, which could be today or tomorrow.

Prosecutors grabbed attention worldwide utilizing tools familiar to many, including me. They used the media to create a public charade and turn public opinion on Bergrin. They counted on the fact that perception often overrides actual evidence and influences jurors. The reality here is that there is no evidence that Bergrin is guilty of the crimes which he is on trial for.

Today the prosecutors have Thomas Moran, convicted felon seeking leniency, claiming a conversation with Paul as they walked through the Essex County jail one day so long ago. According to Moran, Paul Bergrin admitted to giving Baskerville's associates the name of the informant that was gunned down on a Newark street several months later. I seriously doubt everything that Moran says.

First of all, Baskerville doesn't sound like a stupid man to me. I have little doubt that he could figure out who the informant was in the case against him. It was a drug case and there were large drug sales to the informant (Kemo) and all it takes to figure out whodunnit is to know the amount of drugs involved in each sale and the approximate dates of each sale. Even without that, Baskerville most likely already had an idea. Most drug traffickers realize when they may have made a mistake.

This entire trial is a parade of convicted felons saying anything that seems to fit with the ultimate goal of knocking years off their own sentences. It is a charade care of federal prosecutors – far from the first time it's been done, and certainly not the last. This charade has included career criminals, jailhouse snitches, a mistress involved in drug trafficking with a lover, convicted felons that Paul gave a chance in life and allowed to work in his office, and anyone willing to tell a fictional tale of a non-existent conversation. What it does not include is any evidence at all.

If I were judge or jury, I'd feel scammed.

Five Tips on Raising Teens

While parenting a teenager and getting them to obey rules may seem challenging and overwhelming for most parents, using certain strategies may help parents reinforce their rules while maintaining a healthy relationship with their child.

What to do when your teenager seems to loathe you

Most parents feel hurt when their teen shout back and rolls their eyes in disrespect. Nadine Kaslow, a psychologist specializing in kids and families at Atlanta’s Emory University believes that a major part of adolescence consists of separating and individuating, and therefore many kids feel the need to reject their parents in order to find their own identity. Furthermore, Dr. Stuart Goldman, director of psychiatric education at Boston’s Children's Hospital believes parents need to remember that their children need them, and no matter how harsh their comments seem to be, or how stubborn they are, they still want their parents around and by letting their teenager know that they will always be there for them, they will allow their teens to let their guard down and confide in them.

Limiting modern communication devices in the household

Teens spend a great portion of their time texting, chatting and talking on the phone and consider modern communication the best way to keep in touch with their friends. It is crucial that parents don’t ban them from using the internet, phone and other gadgets but rather set reasonable limits such as turning off their cell phones during dinner and not using the computer one hour prior to bedtime.

Setting curfews for teens

Most teenagers will defy their curfews in order to test their parents’ limits. Goldman believes that parents should do some research and set reasonable curfews while allowing a 10 minute grace period. If teens continuously stay out past their curfew, stricter curfews should be reinforced and a family discussion should be held in order to determine where the teens are spending their time, and who they are spending it with.

Monitoring a teenagers social interactions

Bad friends can deeply influence a teen and effect the way he/she behaves both in school and out of school. Parents should closely monitor their child social interactions and make habits of getting to know their teen’s circle of close knit friends as this circle changes frequently. Parents shouldn’t hesitate to show disapproval of their teens friends if they have reason to believe the friend is a negative influence on their teen. Furthermore, parents can seek family therapy if they are unable to convince their children of their bad decisions.

Dealing with teenage drama

While dealing with dramatic teenage situations can be overbearing, New York adolescent psychologist Susan Bartell advises parents not to offer excessive advice or suggest that “one day they will see how immature and silly they really were”. Bartell says parents should "Just listen and sympathize and put themselves in their teen’s shoes, because after all, they were once there themselves”.

When all else fails and substance abuse is involved

Teenagers who are troubled are often confused and frightened. The defiance, anger, and rebelliousness reflect their confusion and fear. The first step in saving a child from a self-destructive path of academic failure, dangerous drug and alcohol experimentation, and even brushes with police is to realize you teen needs professional help.

Inspirations Teen Rehab Residential treatment programs such as our teen behavior therapeutic programs along with our educational program are designed to take teens of the immediate environment where peer pressure and other negative influences might interfere with the therapeutic process. Many of the teens who come to Inspirations Teen Rehab have the primary need of individualized attention, and professional intervention offered by our behavioral therapeutical treatment programs.

For more information contact us at: 1-888-757-6237

http://www.inspirationsyouth.com/Teen-Behavior-Treatment.asp

Teen Slang for Abusing Cough and Cold Medicine

1. Dex or Drex. Street terms for cold and cough medicines with dextromethorphan.

2. Dexing. Getting high on products with dextromethorphan.


3. DXM. A common abbreviation for dextromethorphan, a drug in many cough and cold medicines; it's abused by some teens because it can cause hallucinations and dissociative effects at high doses.

4. Orange Crush. A term for some cough medicines with dextromethorphan. It may stem from the orange-colored syrup -- and packaging -- of brands like Delsym.

5. Poor man's PCP, or Poor man's X. Products with dextromethorphan, since they're cheap but can cause effects similar to those of PCP or ecstasy at high doses.

6. Red devils. Another term for Coricidin tablets or other cough medicines.

7. Red hots. A term for capsules or tablets with dextromethorphan. The term comes from their resemblance to the candy.

8. Robo. Usually a reference to cough syrup with dextromethorphan. It derives from the brand name Robitussin, but it is common slang for any cough syrup.

9. Robo-dosing. Abusing products with dextromethorphan, like cough syrups.

10. Robo-fizzing. Combining cough medicine with soda or alcohol.

11. Robotard. Another term for someone who abuses dextromethorphan.


12. Robo-tripping. Abusing products with dextromethorphan. The term refers to the hallucinogenic trips that people experience at high doses.

13. Rojo. Cold and cough medicines with dextromethorphan. "Rojo" is Spanish for "red," and refers to the color of many syrups and gelcaps.

14. Skittles. Usually applied to Coricidin tablets with dextromethorphan, since they have a size and shape similar to the candy.

15. Skittling. Another term for abusing products with dextromethorphan. It applies specifically to using Coricidin tablets, sometimes called Skittles after the candy.

16. Syrup head. Someone who uses cough syrups or other products with dextromethorphan to get high.

17. Triple C's or CCCs. A term for Coricidin tablets with dextromethorphan, which have three small C's printed on each tablet for "Coricidin Cold and Cough."

18. Tussin. Another term for cough syrup with dextromethorphan.

19. Tussing. A term for using products with dextromethorphan. It refers to cough syrups such as Tussin or Robitussin.

20. Velvet or velvet syrup. Cough syrup with dextromethorphan.

21. Vitamin D. Another term for medicines with dextromethorphan, often applied to Robitussin products.

 If you or someone you know is struggling with cold and or cough medicine abuse or addiction and is in need of help, Inspirations Teen Drug Rehab offers a flexible and affordable teen addiction treatment program. Our aim is to treat the whole person, and not just an isolated symptom. During the addiction treatment process we will work with the teen to identify the factors that may have contributed to you drug abuse – home, friends and medical history. We also believe that families have a vital role to play in the recovery process, and each addiction treatment program has a place for family participation, to educate them in the treatment process and to equip them for their role as supporters.

Reach out to us. Recovery from cold and or cough medicine addiction is just a click or a phone call away. If the information you are looking for is not found here and you need immediate attention you may contact us:

Teen Addiction Help: 1-888-757-6237
http://www.inspirationsyouth.com
http://www.inspirationsteenrehab.com

Social Networking Websites Linked to Teenage Substance Abuse

Columbia University’s Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) recently published a study that showed a positive correlation between drug use and the heavy use of social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter.

In their study, 70% of children aged 12 to 17 who reported to have participated in some type of risky behavior such as using alcohol and/or drugs, also reported using social networking websites such as Facebook and MySpace on a regular basis. Furthermore, according to CASA, teens who reported using social media were five times likelier to use tobacco, three times likelier to drink alcohol and twice as likely to try marijuana.

While the use of networking websites doesn’t necessarily indicate a cause and effect relationship between the two, it is crucial that parents monitor their child’s computer activity and openly discuss the consequences of drugs, alcohol, tobacco and other substances or activities teens may feel tempted to engage in due to peer pressure and exposure.

Teen Behavior Problems and Substance Abuse Problems?

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Adolescent Residential Addiction Treatment Center

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Young Adult and Adult Residential Addiction Treatment Center
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Paul Bergrin Trial: Week 3 Notes

This is my journal of weekly news and events in the ongoing Paul Bergrin trial. It is a summary of how I read the events and testimony and includes the news source. At the end of the post you'll find my assignment of points to the feds and to Paul Bergrin, and again this week to Judge Martini as well. I have my own personal point system that is interpretive and from my perspective and will most often be based on belief or disbelief of testimony. Points will accrue as the trial moves forward. Any statement in brackets should be attributed to me.

For me it is hard to understand how anyone can believe the testimony of the procession of convicted felons seeking to reduce their own prison sentences in exchange for testimony that helps to convict Paul Bergrin, but that is a reflection of my own experiences. Without going into too much detail here, I will say that listening to testimony that changed significantly from original deposition prior to my arrest to trial testimony was insightful and helped develop my understanding of how prosecutors work a case wherein the defendant must be discredited and viewed with contempt to achieve guilty verdicts.

In my own case, one witness stated in her original deposition that she had never met me, didn't know me, and only spoke with me briefly one time when I called my co-defendant's escort business looking for him and she answered the phone; this was the truth. By the time she plopped her ass on the witness stand during trial, that testimony changed to a claim of many conversations with me, including one in which I begged her to work for me and sex on calls was the topic. She was brought-in the courtroom in shackles, but this was hidden from the jury (they were removed from the courtroom) until she stood-up during testimony in an absurd attempt to make a point. She was incarcerated on some unrelated felony and faced several years in prison and she was working to reduce that sentence.

Another so-called witness testified that she went to an occasional call (once a month or so) during the six months she worked with me, charged additional $s for sex, and her and I never discussed sex when she was deposed; this was the truth. When she testified in trial, that statement abruptly transformed to her going to hundreds of calls in the brief time she worked with me and we discussed sex on calls frequently. Wow! Right?

Now these particular two so-called witnesses were just escorts – one answered my co-defendant's telephones on occasion and the other briefly worked with me. The seriously damaging statements came from other escort service owners as each was threatened with a major felony prosecution. There really was solid evidence against these other escort business owners for actual criminal activities (in one situation it involved credit card theft, forgery, and fraud), but instead of prosecuting any one of them, the MBI and prosecutors suborned their false, perjured testimony in my case.

Consider Salvatore “Sammy the Bull” Gravano

Sammy murdered anyone that stepped in his way and that included cops, innocent citizens, and fellow mobsters. Yet Gravano was a witness for federal prosecutors and helped them lock away an unimaginable number of people that committed crimes far less serious than his own. He served only a couple of years for the uncountable number of murders he committed as a result of selling his testimony to the government in exchange for a minor sentence. Being a career criminal, this later backfired on Gravano as he was sentenced to 19 years for his ecstasy trafficking ring and is currently in the Supermax USP in Colorado.

The Gravano story is clear evidence that prosecutors have no concern whatsoever when it comes to how horrific the crimes of informants are. In my own case, state witnesses were guilty of various crimes and escaped prison sentences by selling their false testimony to prosecutors. In the Paul Bergrin trial, the parade of criminal informants/witnesses that sold their testimony to the government are already convicted of crimes and seeking to reduce their own sentences. This is most often referred to as a Rule 35 Motion.

Note that Rule 35 omits the word “truthful”

There is nothing in Rule 35 of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure that states a requirement of truthful testimony or substantial assistance based on truth and facts. This is the most abused rule in existence in relation to federal crimes. It is frequently used in the pursuit of select defendants targeted by government prosecutors, for example Paul Bergrin. Paul is an attorney that frequently interacted with criminal defendants in connection to his law practice, so it wasn't too complicated for prosecutors to dig-up 20 people that have met and interacted with him on various occasions in a variety of locations.

When Paul allowed several of these so-called witnesses to work in his law office he must have seen the possibility of redemption and a changed life. In reality, several of them connected with other criminals under his nose and in his offices. Instead of being a positive influence in their lives, he gets this current parade of criminal liars that would say or do absolutely anything to get that sentence reduction under Rule 35. It's easy to say that he should have known better in hindsight. We often learn the hard way when it comes to helping others – I know that I sure did as I recounted the help I gave to several state witnesses in my own trial when I testified.

Do I still walk out on a limb to help people? No, not really, I tend to stay far away from people. I love animals though and have been known to feed the squirrels nuts and talk to the kitty cats around here. I admit to not even bothering to meet any neighbors. People can be dangerous. As stated in past posts, informants are a main reason that I passed on law school. The bottom line is that if no one really knows me or anything much about my life these days, well, no one can offer false testimony as there are no facts to include – facts of time, place, and events are necessary to connect the false testimony, throw in the damaging lies etc.... Yes, I blog... And?

Week 3 of the Paul Bergrin Trial

The trial didn't resume until Wednesday so it was a short and mostly uneventful week. Paul continued his cross-examination of the feds so-called witness and confessed killer of Kemo, Anthony Young. There was additional rehashing of the infamous evolving comment, “no Kemo, no case” that is really about an attorney telling a client that a crime with an actual eyewitness is a viable case.

Young is the one to claim that Paul Bergrin spoke to a group of major drug dealers on a dark Newark street corner and made some far-fetched directive to kill Kemo.

[Isabella's was used as some sort of stash house by Yolanda Jauregui and her drug trafficking relatives and cohorts.]

Source: Peter J. Sampson – The Record

Bergrin drills holes in witness testimony at trial

[So now prosecutors have Paul making this estranged statement to drug dealers on a dark street corner and a client in Isabella's. Will they also claim that he shouted it from the rooftops of Newark and how will it evolve if they do?]

Thursday began with Paul continuing the cross-exam of Anthony Young; however, about an hour into it Judge Martini called a recess, excused the jury, and voiced his displeasure with the star witness:

“This man has admitted to lying back and forth all over the place,” the judge said, referring to Young. “Every time he spoke to the FBI, he admitted to lying ... now he’s telling the truth.”

Judge Martini then put prosecutors in their place, having already warned both Gay and Minish privately: “When I rule against you, don’t shake your head,” Martini said. “You don’t like my rulings, sit down and keep a straight face.”

Judge Martini then made the most important declaration of all: ““You brought this indictment against this man, and he’s entitled to a fair trial,” Martini told the prosecutors, referring to Bergrin.”

The cross-examination eventually resumed and as Bergrin was concluding with Anthony Young, the so-called witness admitted that the “entire reason” he came forward, “was to gain his freedom and reduce his time in prison”. Young already received one letter of cooperation from prosecutors in the Baskerville case and is now working on another one.

Source: Peter J. Sampson – The Record

Judge in Bergrin murder conspiracy trial questions credibility of star witness

On Friday prosecutors called Abdul Williams to the stand. Williams is a convicted felon that Paul tried to help and was working in the law office for a short time in 2007. According to Williams, Paul confided in him that he feared Baskerville would implicate him. Williams described Paul as “agitated, annoyed, concerned, and flustered” on that day so long ago when he became confidant to Paul.

According to Jason Grant with The Star Ledger, Abdul Williams seemed to enjoy testifying against Paul. Williams often smirked, smiled, mocked and laughed during his testimony and in response to Paul's questions.

[Williams is nothing but a career criminal seeking a reduced sentence for his latest legal turmoil.]

[Recall for a moment the testimony of Yolanda Jauregui. Yolanda claimed that Paul referred to Baskerville as his “brother”. So why in the hell would Paul suddenly have this strange fear that he easily professed to career criminal Williams? This is the root problem with testimony filled with lies – the stories never really mix. Williams wouldn't have any testimony to offer if not for this claim, but prosecutors didn't foresee that it clashed with Yolanda's statement. The testimony from all government witnesses in this case is filled with similar inconsistencies.]

Source: Jason Grant – The Star Ledger

Paul Bergrin murder trial: Witness says Bergrin feared being implicated in shooting

All considered it was another uneventful week in the Paul Bergrin trial as prosecutors presented yet another career criminal seeking a reduced sentence to testify against Paul. The irony of this, at least to me, is that the vendetta against Bergrin is so strong that prosecutors are more than willing to put career criminals and confessed murderers back on the street in exchange for their false testimony. How many more so-called witnesses will later be filing that Rule 35 motion? How many more will be given letters of cooperation in prearranged deals for their state court cases?

Many defenders of the prosecution have mentioned this idiom often: If you lie down with dogs, you end-up with fleas. Clearly this is applicable to the federal prosecutors and their witnesses in this case.

POINTS

Paul Bergrin – 6 (accrued – 21)

U.S. District Judge William Martini – 5 (accrued – 10)

the feds – 0 (accrued – 1)