LAST DAY TO VOTE!

This is the LAST day to vote in the Pepsi competition! Vote online at this link http://pep.si/vJ5mgy PLUS text once a day 110401 to 73774. Let's give this a final huge push for multiracial advocacy!  Thank you for your continued support.

Orlando MBI: The Long War on Adults

The War on anything adult and all publishers of ads for anything adult in the Orlando metro area started over 3 decades ago for Orlando's Metropolitan Bureau of Investigation (MBI) and continues today. The Orlando MBI's overzealous agents have left a trail of thousands of victims, many still in state and federal prisons. I was one of the lucky victims (lucky I'm not spending life in prison anyway) and Memoirs of an Accused Madam is my story.

The most vehement critic of the Orlando MBI was always the Orlando Weekly and the agency managed to silence the newspaper's investigative reporting with the October 2007 arrests of several advertising sales employees for selling ads to escorts and unlicensed massage therapists that offered more than the law allows.

Many around back in 1996 could testify to the fact that this was not a new strategy for the MBI, myself included. The War on publishers of ads for adult business began with the Yellow Pages Fiasco in 1996, when Sprint Publishing was threatened with a RICO case over a refusal to remove the “escort services” category in the Central Florida yellow pages. Sprint did remove the category, stopping the presses (literally) on the 1997 directories printed and distributed by November of 1996.

Someone stated to me back in 1993-94 that Orlando was a testing ground of some sort in relation to the eradication of anything involving adult business or vice, from gambling and bingo to escort services and X-rated movies. I believe it. The MBI's War on Adults has spread throughout the US these days with the attacks on Craigslist (an MBI priority before anyone else ever touched it) and now on Backpage.

Enjoy Bingo?

The MBI would have liked to make sure that you would never enjoy bingo in Orlando; however, Philip Furtney of Ontario fought the agency from 1995, until he died in late 2007, while in-process of a civil suit against members of the MBI Governing Board to retrieve his stolen property. Furtney's brother Bruce, on behalf of the estate, carried-on with the suit and won a judgment. As far as I am aware, Furtney's estate finally collected from the State of Florida.

I would like to keep Philip Leroy Furtney's criminal and civil cases alive in our memories forever and do so with the inclusion of links to posts on this blog. Never forget what the MBI is capable of:

The Bingo Racketeering Case

The Great Bingo Fiasco

Bingo Case Hearing

The Cost of MBI

Most Bizarre Racketeering Case Ever

True Investigative Reporting of a Renegade Agency

Over the years, the Orlando Weeklyand its investigative reporters were often nipping at the heels of the dogs at the MBI. Retaliation is hell and the Weekly and its employees paid dearly for placing the agency in the public eye. One day last week I did a search for MBI articles written by Weeklyreporters and each link was dead. A fear of sorts gripped me at the discovery, a fear that all the solid online information concerning the vicious pursuits of the MBI was being deleted and removed. Whew! It didn't happen and a few days later the links were all working. One other thought I had was that perhaps the Weekly had commissioned a book – that would have been wonderful; it would become a bestseller overnight. (Idea for the Weekly to help make-up for lost revenue!)

To keep the information out there I have compiled a list of important Orlando Weekly stories about the MBI over the last 10 years. Whatever the Weekly did last week with the links has made it so that the articles are on a dark red background with dark blue text – if you highlight the text it is much easier to read. They are in no particular order and searching the Orlando Weekly for stories on the MBI revealed 135 results so these are my picks:

29 Embarrassing Years: An MBI timeline

The Morality Police (scroll to view 2 images, 1 of the MBI director in 1989 and the other of Hitler's SA and both concerned over morality – scary stuff)

Operation MBI Shame: A close look at how Orlando's vice cops really operate

Cops in Cocoa stamp out sin

The MBI busts heads and Rich Crotty attempts to smile (smoke shop raids)

Our little Gestapo (MBI = "Central Florida's Church Lady with a Badge") (love this story!)

Score one for the MBI (about my federal civil suit being tossed with a twist at the end)

Something's Fishy (bad behavior of agents at a strip club)

Dirty Politics (on the Video Exposé takedown)

Operation Overexposed

Breasts out

Run 'Em Out of Town

Happytown Column (on The Original Bookstore raid)

The Booby Trap

Told You So (Part 2) (I can't locate part 1)

Legal Haze (smoke shop raids)

The links I have included reveal what the MBI really is, but there are many cases that even the Weeklywas not aware of and many defendants that have suffered at the hands of the overzealous agents of the Metropolitan Bureau of Investigation. Few appreciate this agency in Orlando – the citizens did not ask for this whacked task force to eliminate all that is adult in Orlando. I will leave it to you to figure out what monster enterprise did.

I have written about a variety of cases in Memoirs that are not in any Weekly articles. In the past couple of months I've discussed the Orlando federal conspiracy trial of the 11 defendants from Eastern Europe on this blog – this is indeed an MBI case. MBI is not a local agency. I am not clear on how the agency has changed since former Director William Lutz retired, though at the conclusion of Memoirs I did believe there had been a significant change. Well, I have changed my mind.

I consider it important to keep the information out there and perhaps if I had given away free copies of Memoirs a couple of years ago after it was published, the most recent case involving the Eastern European defendants would never have happened; maybe, just maybe, they would have passed on Orlando. If not for the arrests of the Weekly employees in late 2007, there would be many more articles of cases that are now buried by the MBI.

If you are an adult that likes to gamble, play bingo, visit smoke shops, rent X-rated movies, read X-rated books, get a massage with a happy ending, patronize strip clubs, or call escorts... well, Orlando is not the place to be. We live in a fantasy land for children here - think about it - Disney shut down Pleasure Island (the nightclub theme park) in late 2008, after 20 years, because of demands by visiting families. The MBI has not been dissolved yet, with emphasis on yet, and we can only hope that one day...

If you do not like me, realize that it is the MBI that made me the person that I am today. I like who I am, but if you don't, well, you should know that I used to be a nice, mild-mannered woman. More than a decade of continuous harassment, interference in my life, and a show trial that rivaled many in the Stalin era did it. Change can be a good thing. I learned to kick back.

WE NEED YOU TO DELIVER THE VOTES!

“Don’t ever promise more than you can deliver, but always deliver more than you can promise.”
Lou Holtz		Please vote daily online at this link pep.si/vJ5mgy PLUS once a day by texting 110401 to 73774. With your help we can make a difference!

It's a Dog Eat Dog World

Please vote daily online at this link pep.si/vJ5mgy PLUS once a day by texting 110401 to 73774. With your help we can make a difference!

2011: No Change in Overall Drug Use, but Encouraging Reductions in Specific Drug Categories

This year survey results, released in December 2011, indicate that overall drug use, as measured by past month use of any illicit drug, in each of the three grades was unchanged from last year.

That is, there were no statistically significant changes. However, a number of drug categories showed statistically significant reductions between 2010 and 2011 for some grades. These include the following declines:

Past-year use of Vicodin among 10^thgraders (7.7% to 5.9%)

Past-year use of any illicit drug, including inhalants, among 8th graders (20.3% to 18.2%)

Past-year use of inhalants among 8th graders (8.1% to 7.0%)

Past-year use of inhalants among 10th graders (5.7% to 4.5%)

Past-year use of crack cocaine among 12th graders (1.4% to 1.0%)

Past-year use of amphetamines among 10^thgraders (7.6% to 6.6%)

Past-year use of tranquilizers among 8th graders (2.8% to 2.0%)

Past-year use of over-the-counter cough/cold medicine among 12^th graders (6.6% to 5.3%)

Past-month use of hallucinogens other than LSD among 12th graders (1.5% to 1.2%)

Past-year and past-month use of Ecstasy among 8th graders (2.4% to 1.7% and 1.1% to 0.6%, respectively) and

Past-year use of androstenedione (a steroid) among 12thgraders (1.5% to 0.7%)

A Call for Action: New Information on the Use of Synthetic Marijuana 

One of the most noteworthy findings of the latest MTF survey involved the use by 12^th graders of synthetic marijuana (specifically “Spice” and “K2”), which consists of leaves of an ordinary plant sprayed by chemicals that mimic the mind-altering effects of marijuana.

The 2011 MTF study included for the first time a question on past-year use of synthetic marijuana among high school seniors. The results indicate that the prevalence of use in the past year among 12^thgraders was estimated at 11.4%. Synthetic marijuana ranks as the second most frequently used illicit substance, after marijuana, among high school seniors.

Action to Address This New Threat:

In September 2011, the DEA used its emergency scheduling authority to ban the sale of the chemicals used to manufacture K2 and Spice.

ONDCP has brought together public health and safety agencies from across the Federal Government to share data and coordinate the Federal response to new synthetic drugs.

The House of Representatives passed legislation that would ban synthetic drugs to include those marketed as “bath salts”.(And many states have taken action to ban the chemicals found in K2 and Spice, as well.)

Given the latest data, ONDCP will be reaching out to a nationwide network of state and local public health and safety organizations to provide them with the latest information on this public health threat and spur action at the local level.

Information Above is Courtesy of the: Office of National Drug Control Policy

Federal Funding

Did you know that Project RACE does NOT take funding from any government? That way no one can dictate who we help or who we hold accountable for making policy that is not in the best interest of multiracial people. We can be independent in our advocacy and we like it this way just fine. But, that means we need funding from individual donors, corporate sponsors, foundations, and grantors for equal civil rights that include multiracial children, teens, adults and our families.

All We Want For Christmas....

All we want for Christmas is your vote!

The Pepsi grant voting will end on December 30! That is ONE week from today.

We are ranked well, but it’s not enough. The grant would help fund much needed programs for multiracial children, teens, adults and our families. We can increase awareness with your help.

This is the LAST time Pepsi is giving funding to organizations like ours in this way. WE NEED YOUR HELP.

Get people to take out their cell phones and text votes to us after your holiday dinners!

Home for the holidays? Vote!

Teach your family members and friends how to vote! Yes, that means grandparents, too.

Post the voting on your Facebook and Twitter pages. Ask people to vote!

At a party? At a store? At a public place? How about a vote-in? How fun!

See the instructions below.

Please vote daily online at this link pep.si/vJ5mgy PLUS once a day by texting 110401 to 73774. With your help we can make a difference!

From Project RACE and Teen Project RACE, we wish you the Merriest of Holidays and Happiness for the New Year!

Susan Graham                                    Kendall Baldwin

Executive Director                               President

Project RACE                                     Teen Project RACE

susangraham@projectrace.com             teenprojectrace@projectrace.com      

www.projectrace.com                          www.projectrace.com

Blog: projectrace@blogspot.com

***See the videos on the Project RACE YouTube Channel***

www.youtube.com/projectrace

         

Give your Child the Gift of Knowledge - Talk to Them About Prescription Drug Abuse

One of the biggest dangers facing our youth today is the abuse of prescription drugs, and abuse rates are increasing at an alarming rate. According to the Partnership for a Drug-Free America, one in five teens say they have taken a prescription drug without having a prescription for it themselves. In addition, 2,500 teenagers use a prescription drug to get high for the first time every day with many accessing these drugs readily available in their parent’s medicine cabinet.

Inspirations for Youth and Families, aka Inspirations Teen Rehab wants parents to learn the dangers of prescription drug abuse, as well as steps they can take to prevent it.

Teens are abusing prescription drugs for a variety of reasons. In some cases, they are using to party and get high, but some are also using to “manage” their lives. Many teens are abusing pain relievers like Lortab or Oxycontin to cope with academic, social or emotional stress.

Some are also abusing prescription amphetamines to lose weight; some are abusing prescription medications such as Ritalin or Adderall to give them additional energy and ability to focus when they’re studying or taking tests. Ultimately, many who are using are doing so because they are addicted and cannot stop.

Many people do not equate the dangers of prescription drug abuse with those of illicit drugs. However, one can easily overdose by mixing prescription drugs with over-the-counter mediation and/or alcohol. In addition, the longer-term use of prescription pain relievers and other prescription medications are potentially addictive.

So, this Holiday Season we suggest that you give your child the gift of knowledge on prescription drug abuse. Visit websites reporting on the subject and show them the end result of teens that have abuse prescription drugs. In addition to talking to your children about the dangers of prescription drug use and setting clear concise rules about them the same way you do about illicit drugs and alcohol use, there are steps you can take to prevent prescription drug abuse. The Partnership at DrugFree.org, suggests three basic steps to take: monitor, secure and dispose.

Monitor - Parents are in an influential position to immediately help reduce teen access to prescription drugs because these drugs are found in the home.

Start by taking note of how many pills are in each of your prescription bottles or pill packets.

Keep track of your refills. This goes for your own medication, as well as for your teens and other members of the household. If you find you need to refill your medication more often than expected that could indicate a problem.

If your teen has been prescribed a drug, be sure you control the medication, and monitor dosages and refills.

Make sure your friends and relatives – especially grandparents – are also aware of the risks. Encourage them to regularly monitor their own medicine cabinets.

If there are other households your teen has access to, talk to those families as well about the importance of helping safeguard medications.

Secure - Teens abuse prescription drugs because they are easily accessible, and either free or inexpensive. Approach your prescriptions the same way you would other valuables in your home, like cash or jewelry.

Take prescription medications out of the medicine cabinet and hide them in a place only you know about.

If possible, keep all medicines, both prescription and over- the-counter, in a safe place, such as a locked cabinet your teen cannot access.

Tell relatives, especially grandparents, to lock their medications or keep them in a safe place.

Talk to parents of your teenager’s friends. Encourage them to secure their prescriptions.

Dispose – Safely disposing expired or unused prescription medications is an important step in helping to protect your teens. Take an inventory of all the prescription drugs in your home. Start by discarding expired or unused prescription drugs, when your teens are not home.

Unbelievable though it may seem, teenagers will retrieve discarded prescription drugs from the trash. To help prevent this from happening, mix the medication with an undesirable substance, such as used coffee grounds or kitty litter. Put the mixture into an empty can or bag and discard.

Unless the directions on the package say otherwise, do not flush medications down the drain or toilet.

To help prevent unauthorized refills and protect your and your family’s privacy, remove any personal, identifiable information from the prescription bottles or pill packages before you throw them away. 

HATE-CRIME UPDATE

The man accused of a hate crime against an interracial family and their two multiracial children in San Francisco has pleaded guilty to a charge of felony battery. He admitted to the hate-crime allegations. We have been told that his exact words were, “Get those nigger babies off the street.”   

Hosea Matavao will be sentenced to three years of probation with credit served for time in custody. Matavao will also receive an order to stay 150 yards away from all victim four victims. He will remain in jail until the formal sentencing on December 28, 2011 when he will be released back into society. Project RACE is pursuing more information in this case with the district attorney.  

Backpage Under Attack: My Expert Opinion

Yesterday I did a search for the term “backpage” in Google News and found pages of news articles concerning recent arrests that involve ads on Backpage. Today I did the same search and found additional articles of arrests made in the past day. Village Voice Media, the owner of Backpage, is under serious attack by anyone and everyone that hates adult business of any type. Cops are using the website for stings all over the US now - really - search for yourself.

Before continuing here, I would like to go ahead and establish my expert status on the topic. While I am not an expert on sex trafficking, I do consider myself an expert on the so-called “sex trafficking experts” that are demanding Backpage remove its entire “adult” category, which includes the sub-categories: escorts; body rubs; strippers & strip clubs; dom and fetish; TS; male escorts; phone & websites; and adult jobs. I have dealt with one form or another of these experts with an agenda since 1992, and that is longer than any one of the so-called experts have tackled sex trafficking.

The religious groups involved in attacking Backpage are still cheering with delight over their victory at Craigslist. To clarify, it wasn't really a victory as those type of ads are now spread-out through many categories on Craigslist – participants in adult business manage to find the ads. Beyond this, Craigslist only lost in the court of public opinion and not in any actual court. In fact, if anything threatened by so many state attorney generals had actually gone to any court, Craigslist would have won and they all know it, which is why they choose the court of public opinion.

I would also like to establish that I have no horse in this race. I placed ads promoting my books in the “adult jobs” sub-category for close to a year ending over a year ago. So, I have no personal or business need for the “adult” category of Backpage and in fact, quite the opposite as many that purchase my Blueprint books start an escort service and follow instructions in the books and have websites and local listings online. There is no advice in any book to advertise services on Backpage or Craigslist and there never has been. There is an option discussed to place an ad in the sub-category “adult jobs” if one has any trouble finding independent escorts for the business, but then all advice is geared to working only with escorts over 21 years of age and even this option is updated to exclude such an ad anywhere on the Blueprint Blog.

The “adult” category ads on Backpage interfere with escort businesses that operate properly with websites and local listings, so I do not have any reason whatsoever to defend Backpage or the crowd that advertises in the “adult” category. Who really wants all these independent escorts advertising a $100 special? Not me or anyone that bought my books to enter the business. You can conclude that I have no horse in this race. My interest is based solely on the First Amendment rights of the publishers and an unequivocal disgust for the anti-adult business crowd.

The Print Publishing Agenda

When anything and everything adult went online many years ago we all realized that there would be good and bad. The world has progressed beyond print ads and this is true of any category. Is there anyone out there that actually believes that there were no sex traffickers that actually exploited children in operation before adult business went online? There were pimps on the street. There were underage prostitutes that worked for businesses that advertised in mainstream newspapers, independent news publications, and yellow pages. Nothing at all has changed except the delivery of the ad.

Print publications that include “adult” or “entertainment-adult” categories that have not succeeded in the world of online publishing and marketing would love to see the “adult” category of Backpage eliminated. Those inept advertisers not capable of creating and publishing a website or not interested in putting forth time and effort in their businesses to list online locally would probably flock back to print and they'd be back in the money – and make no mistake – it was big money for the print publishers. My print ads in the Reuben H. Donnelley (now Dex One Corporation) yellow pages in Central Florida total was around $50K back in 1996. These days one could accomplish the same by spending less than $1K a year online. Hopefully you understand the point here.

The Sex Trafficking Expert Agenda

These so-called sex trafficking experts disseminate false information to the naïve general population and most fall for it hook, line, and sinker. More often than not, people do not even bother to question the source agenda. You do realize that the DOJ passes out major grant money and funding to all of these so-called non-profit groups, right? They are non-profit” only in the sense that they do not show profits or pay tax on profits, but in reality all participants are collecting serious money in the form of paychecks and research grants. Do include local, state, and federal law enforcement in this agenda.

They have all formed task forces for what has existed forever by giving it a new label – the sex trafficking label. The pimp from the street moved online and now they all need $millions+ to find him – have you ever heard anything that absurd? I could pick out the pimps and underage prostitutes online easily in much less time and for much less money. These people are inept idiots that have managed to give themselves long-term paychecks at the expense of adult business, the US taxpayer, and the First Amendment.

DOJ-Funded Human Trafficking Task Forces – An excerpt:

“To facilitate multidistrict contacts and cooperation in sex trafficking cases, the U.S. Department of Justice has funded 42 jurisdictions and 36 trafficking victim services providers to form human trafficking task forces to identify and rescue victims of trafficking by proactively investigating such cases.”

Or could it be that it is not really a deep concern for a few underage prostitutes and their pimps and more of an anti-adult business agenda? Bingo. These people want to wipe-out all forms of adult business, but escort services and advertising websites used by escorts are the target du jour. They are happy that they'll put 200K+ adult independent escorts out of business with some lame pretense that they must stop a few minor girls from being sex trafficking victims. Bullshit – I have looked closer at many of their crap cases on this blog.

The fact is that they want no advertising venues to accept ads for any adult business or operator of any type. They have been at this for many years in the US, but have finally figured out out to get serious $$$$ for the agenda. Back when the Metropolitan Bureau of Investigation (MBI) went after Sprint Yellow Pages in Orlando there were no big funds available and few rallied to the cause – the MBI was on their own (with grant money from Disney) against the First Amendment rights of publishers and it was an ugly game. Read Yellow Pages Fiasco for more information on that mess.

More recently (2007-08) there was the MBI's lone pursuit of Orlando Weekly and its employees – a local Orlando newspaper: Well, Google the term “orlando weekly and mbi” to see the pages of results as all stories about the MBI in the Orlando Weekly are currently down or have been eliminated (http 500 error) or read First Amendment attorney Marc Randazza's thoughts: The Orlando Weekly Case

Now I am curious as to what is going on with the Weekly. All of the previously published stories about the MBI are unavailable, including The Morality Police, a major story published concerning many cases, including my own case. All stories that exposed the truth about the MBI have disappeared.

The Religious Agenda

This should be obvious to you. In the name of religious zealotry, the sex trafficking card is played often these days, but it isn't anything new for religious groups in the US to pursue the anti-adult agenda with any means available. A short story from Memoirs:

For an entire year I received about forty to eighty calls a month on my main toll-free number wherein the callers requested a free book about Jesus that they had seen advertised on a Christian program on television. I was always nice, and explained that it was a business line and I had no such ad. I advised them to call the program and question them about it. This was no big problem and only added about twenty or thirty dollars to my monthly bill.

After about a year, things suddenly changed: The phone would ring off the hook with calls coming in from all over the country. The callers were responding to an ad for free phone sex that ran on USA Network affiliate stations everywhere. Some stated that they saw the ad in a magazine as well. The callers described an ad with ladies almost entirely nude except for a small piece of lingerie. They all repeated my number to me, and the phone rang constantly with this crap from around eleven in the evening until two or three in the morning.

After about two months of these harassing calls I had the number disconnected. Every time I picked up the phone the billing started, and it was ten cents a minute. It was seriously running up the bill. I never actually saw the ad on television, but an escort that worked for me did and called me and described it to me. This was a toll-free number that I’d had since opening the business, and many repeat clients called it, usually from out-of-town numbers.

When I thought about the situation I realized that the free book about Jesus ad had not served the purpose that someone intended: to get me to turn the number off. Regardless, someone dug into their deep pockets and finally achieved the desired result. I was never able to get a person on the phone at any affiliate station that could direct me to anyone that had the advertiser’s information. This was an intelligent maneuver deliberately used to prevent me from receiving toll-free calls from clients, and it was successful.

The Court of Public Opinion

I can see that someone wanted all of those articles from the Orlando Weekly removed and unavailable online to the general population. They do not want you to know how long this war has been going on here and would prefer that you believed it was an admirable agenda. Someone told me many years ago (1993-94) that Orlando was a testing ground of sorts – I believe it. What used to be an MBI agenda is now being pursued all over the US using any and all tools in the toolbox. Caveat Emptor. The goods they are selling the general population are indeed defective in this situation.

MULTIRACIAL GRANDCHILDREN?

We have started an area in the AARP message boards for grandparents of multiracial and biracial grandchildren! Please join in the discussion at 
http://www.aarp.org/online-community/forums.action/relationships_friends-family_biracial-multiracial-grandchildren

Synthetic Marijuana May Pose an Even Greater Psychosis Risk

According to a news release from the DEA at the time of the ban, synthetic cannabis (smokeable herbal products, Spice) have become especially popular with teens and young adults because they are marketed as being legal while containing chemicals that supposedly mimic THC.

"Young people are being harmed when they smoke these dangerous 'fake pot' products and wrongly equate the products' 'legal’ retail availability with being 'safe,' “added DEA administrator Michele M. Leonhart in the news release.

"These chemicals, however, have not been approved by the FDA for human consumption, and there is no oversight of the manufacturing process," writes the DEA. Synthetic cannabis is often labeled as "herbal incense" and reportedly causes cannabis-like psychoactive effects. Its use led to hundreds of visits to emergency departments since 2010.

Synthetic cannabis products pose a risk for psychosis in users, including those with no prior history of a psychiatric disorder. Spice may pose an even greater risk of psychosis when compared with the natural product as it lacks the antipsychotic protective agents found in natural cannabis. These findings were presented at the American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry (AAAP) 22nd Annual Meeting & Symposium.

Alan J. Budny, PhD, from the Center for Addiction Research at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock, warns parents that some teens use synthetic cannabis to "beat the tests" done to detect marijuana use. As Spice does not get picked up on the regular drug tests parents should look for more sensitive tests that are now being developed and marketed to test synthetic marijuana.

Vote for Project RACE!

The Pepsi site is taking votes all weekend and until December 31. Please vote daily online at this link pep.si/vJ5mgy PLUS once a day by texting 110401 to 73774. With your help we can make a difference in the lives of multiracial children!

Teens Who Can Express Themselves Are More Likely to Avoid Drugs

New research shows that teens who are able to express themselves to their moms are better able to resist peer pressure and say no to drugs and alcohol.

The findings appear in Allen J.P. Child Development, 2011

Researchers interviewed more than 150 teens and their parents about substance use and abuse, daily interactions, and relationships with friends. The teens who were able to hold their own in discussions with their moms particularly about grades, money, rules, and friends were better prepared to stand up to their peers, the study showed.

“Parents who can have the right kind of discussions with their kids are setting their children up to handle peer influences,” says study author Dave Szwedo. He is a doctoral student at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville.

What are the right kinds of discussions? “They are calm and reasonable,” he says. “They are not based on shouting or whining. They allow kids a chance to be heard.”

The findings make sense to says Gail Saltz, MD, a New York City-based psychiatrist who has teen daughters. “The mother-daughter relationship is a template for a lot of future relationships and how to manage them,” she says.

Adolescence is the time of finding your own identity. “Disagreement is part of this gig, and some parents and kids deal with this better than others,” Saltz says.

Home needs to be a place where  teens can process emotions -- pain, disappointment, and anxiety -- in a healthy way, if they can’t, they may turn toward drugs and alcohol or be more susceptible to peer pressure.

Pepsi Site Down for Updating

Pepsi site is DOWN as of now. Texts ARE going through. Please text for us now and vote online later! http://pep.si/vJ5mgy or text 110401 to 73774. With your help, we can win this important competition!

What is the Difference Between "Opioids" and "Opiates"?

Opiates are drugs derived from opium. Opioids used to refer to synthetic opiates (drugs created to emulate opium, however different chemically). Now the term Opioid is used for the entire family of opiates including natural, synthetic and semi-synthetic.

An opioid is any agent that activates opioid receptors (protein molecules located on the membranes of some nerve cells) found principally in the central nervous system and gastrointestinal tract. There are four broad classes of opioids:

• Endogenous opioid, naturally produced in the body, endorphins
• Opium alkaloids, such as morphine and codeine
• Semi-synthetic opioids such as heroin oxycodone, and Buprenorphine
• Fully synthetic opioids, such as methadone, that have structures unrelated to the opium alkaloids

Medical professionals use the word "opioid" to refer to the entire family of opioids, and the word "opiate" for a specific non-synthetic opioid, however, many only use "opioid". Consistent with the current definition, Inspirations for Youth and Families, aka Inspirations Teen Rehab’s website uses "opioid" to refer to all opioids and opiates.

Jason Itzler Disappears

I have written a few posts recently about Jason Itzler and occasionally I will look online at his current criminal case to see if there are any updates. I last looked a few weeks ago and there was a future court appearance date, but otherwise everything was the same: Itzler was still in jail and couldn't make bond.

Well, I just now looked as I was in New York WebCrims to see if there were any updates on the NY High Class prosecution (there are not). To my surprise, the major case against Jason Itzler totally disappeared. There are no cases showing at all under his name and trust me, there sure was before. My only posts on this blog concerning Itzler are:

Jason Itzler of NY Confidential Fame: Clown or Killer?
Too Many Enemies
More on Jason Itzler and Sumnicht's Death

Itzler was arrested on a list of major charges back on September 8 or 9 of 2011 - as in three months ago. I have been having an argument of sorts with one of his fans (not) on this blog and we all know the case existed. There are still news articles out there concerning his arrest and court appearances.

So what in the hell is going on with the guy and the case? Did he die in jail or is he being prepped/protected for his new career as a witness, namely in the Paul Bergrin case? If it involves being a witness, well, the guy has zero credibility so I cannot imagine what government prosecutors are thinking. He has always been rather close to a few news reporters, so I would think that it would be in the news if he died.

He is still showing on an inmate search for Riker's Island, for what that's worth. When I search WebCrims by the case number showing in NYC Dept. of Corrections, which states that Itzler is in the Manhattan Detention Complex (MDC), the result is "no cases found" - same as a name search.

Call me confused.

Edit 16 December 2011 @11:20am EST - Now the case shows in New York WebCrims. It also shows under "appearances" that Itzler was in court on 13 December 2011. Coincidence? I seriously doubt it.

Racist Online Story reported by New York Daily Post

A Tea Party group in Kansas is coming under fire for comparing America's first multiracial president to a smelly, black-and-white pest.
This week, the Hutchinson-based Patriot Freedom Alliance posted a photo of a skunk next to President Obama, arguing the animal has replaced the eagle as the symbol for the commander in chief.
"It is half black, half white, and almost everything it does stinks," the group wrote.
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People immediately blasted the post.
Darrell Pope, head of the local branch, told the Hutchinson News that the remarks were "a blatant statement of racism. It's intended to be malicious."
Thomas Hymer, who runs the website, defended the Obama reference, calling it "satire in a politically incorrect form."
But the image and text were taken down from the website on Monday.
Requests for comment from the Patriot Freedom Alliance were not immediately returned.
With News Wire Services

We need your help with the Pepsi grant!

Click link below for new information about the grant. Please vote for us!

http://www.projectrace.com/new/pepsirefresh-grant-support-multiracial-advocacy/

US Census Bureau Motto?

Statistics mean never having to say you're certain.

Adolescent Substance Abuse and Psychiatric Comorbidities

Substance use disorders have a serious impact on adolescents because these disorders have high prevalence rates and frequent associations with psychiatric disorders. Surveys of adolescent behaviors and substance use show that alcohol is the most common substance abused by adolescents. Despite the high rates of current alcohol use and binge drinking among adolescents, current diagnostic criteria are problematic. Adolescents may have a developing problem with substance dependence but not meet criteria for either substance abuse or dependence. At-risk adolescents, called "diagnostic orphans," may meet only 1 or 2 criteria for alcohol dependence and no abuse criteria and therefore do not receive an alcohol use disorder diagnosis from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision. Adolescents with substance use disorders tend to have higher rates of comorbid psychiatric disorders and are more likely to report a history of trauma and physical and/or sexual abuse than adolescents without a substance use disorder. In addition, psychiatric disorders in adolescents often predate the substance use disorder. Once the substance use disorder develops, the psychiatric disorder may be further exacerbated.

Information above has been compiled from: US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health

Reminder

Please vote daily online at this link pep.si/vJ5mgy and by texting 110401 to 73774. With your help we can make a difference!

The Advocacy

New "guidance" on Race Factors in Schools

Federal civil rights officials last week said that school districts and colleges and universities may legally consider race when making decisions about school assignments, admissions and other programs that are designed to increase diversity and reduce racial isolation.
The U.S. Department of Justice and U.S. Department of Education jointly released the new, more flexible guidelines that are meant to clear up confusion on how and when race can be considered in the wake of three earlier U.S. Supreme Court decisions.

Parents Talk to your Teens About the Dangers of Energy Drinks

With highly caffeinated energy drinks continuing to fly off stores shelves, physicians have raised serious concern over the consumption of such dangerous drinks, particularly those purchased and consumed by adolescents and children.

Best selling drinks contain about 80 milligrams of caffeine per 8 ounce serving but many products can contain up to 500 milligrams of caffeine which can cause dangerous side effects such as heart palpitations, dizziness, nausea and other complications which can be life threatening.

 FDA regulations prohibit caffeine contents over 71 milligrams per 12 ounce in soft beverages, but  fail to apply the same limits for energy drinks labeled as “dietary supplements”. Furthermore, manufacturers are exempt from listing caffeine content or all ingredients on the label, often using marketing terms such as "energy blend" or "proprietary blend” to boost their sales and elude FDA regulations.

Despite the controversy surrounding energy drinks and its consumption by athletes, many athletes confess to consuming energy drinks in order to increase their alertness and energy which ultimately enhances their performance. Many even equate energy drinks with coffee and strongly believe the use of popular energy drinks should not been outlawed or banned before athletic activity, as the active ingredient of most energy drinks is caffeine, a legal stimulant.

So with more and more energy drink manufacturers producing a wide variety of energy drinks, shots and dietary supplements in order to target vulnerable populations such as athletes, teens and children, parents need to monitor their children while discussing the dangers of popular energy drinks and supplements repeatedly advertised on TV.

Interesting article on multiracial Asians

Some multiethnic Asians don't check "Asian" on college applications, believe it will improve chances for admission http://bit.ly/tm8IYj

The American Psychiatric Association uses the term “substance dependence” in place of “addiction

The American Psychiatric Association uses the term “substance dependence” in place of “addiction” however the two terms are synonymous, or more precisely “substance dependence” = “substance addiction” (since gambling addiction is not substance dependence) and is defined as a maladaptive pattern of substance use leading to clinically significant impairment or distress.

To meet the criteria of Substance Dependence (addiction) as defined in the DSM-IV, a patient must meet 3 or more of the following occurring any time in the same 12-month period:

1, Tolerance, as defined by either of the following:
(a) A need for markedly increased amounts of the substance to achieve intoxication or the desired effect
or
(b) Markedly diminished effect with continued use of the same amount of the substance.

2. Withdrawal, as manifested by either of the following:
(a) The characteristic withdrawal syndrome for the substance
or
(b) The same (or closely related) substance is taken to relieve or avoid withdrawal symptoms.

3. The substance is often taken in larger amounts or over a longer period than intended.

4. There is a persistent desire or unsuccessful efforts to cut down or control substance use.

5. A great deal of time is spent in activities necessary to obtain the substance, use the substance, or recover from its effects.

6. Important social, occupational, or recreational activities are given up or reduced because of substance use.

7. The substance use is continued despite knowledge of having a persistent physical or psychological problem that is likely to have been caused or exacerbated by the substance (for example, current cocaine use despite recognition of cocaine-induced depression or continued drinking despite recognition that an ulcer
was made worse by alcohol consumption).

Due to the resulting confusion between the terms "physical dependence" and "substance dependence" there is some talk within the industry of reintroducing the term "addiction" because it is better understood and may pose less chance of confusion.

Fact of the Day

^{About 9 million people in the United States identified themselves as multiracial (of two or more races) on the 2010 census. Experts think the actual number is far higher.} 

Vote, Vote, Vote!

Please vote daily online at this link pep.si/vJ5mgy and by texting 110401 to 73774. With your help we can make a difference!

HATE-CRIME CHARGES BROUGHT

A man has been held since late October on a racially motivated attack on an interracial family and their two multiracial children in San Francisco. Hosea Matavao was charged with three counts of assault, one count of endangering a child and one count of battery, according to the district attorney. He has pleaded not guilty.

We have been in touch with the DA's office. Four of the five charges have hate-crime allegations attached. Matavao 's original hearing was moved to December 6. Project RACE will continue to monitor this case.

Adolescent Addiction Treatment

There are many types of adolescent addiction treatment programs. Adolescent addiction treatment types are determined by the adolescent's level of use and other mental health and medical issues.

Detoxification, short-term and long-term adolescent addiction treatment, intensive addiction treatment outpatient programs, 12-step programs and individual, family and group therapy are all forms of addiction treatment. Detoxification may be part of an adolescent addiction treatment and it may last one week whereas other such as long-term, residential addiction treatment can last 30 days or longer.

Each type of adolescent addiction treatment program has its own advantages. Including parents in the adolescent’s addiction treatment is critical to success, so a good adolescent addiction treatment facility includes parents and family in their adolescent addiction therapy programs.

Adolescent Addiction Treatment Recreational an Alternative Therapies
Some specialized adolescent addiction treatment facilities, offer recreational and alternative addiction treatment therapies such as sports, art, music therapy and other types of recreational therapies involving team building activities and relaxation. These types of activities will help adolescents complete the treatment and will positively influence their social behavior like team play skills, trust in others, sense of responsibility and self confidence.

Choosing an Adolescent Addiction Treatment Facility
Choosing the right adolescent addiction treatment facility is the most important step in choosing the right treatment. Due to their developmental needs, when you are choosing an adolescent addiction treatment program, it's important to ensure that the program is specifically for adolescents. Also, if the adolescent has mental health issues, the facility should be able to treat them at the same time. Some adolescent addiction treatment facilities provide alongside addiction treatment an educational program which will help your adolescent in keeping their school credits while away from home in a treatment center.

Getting your Child Addiction Treatment as Soon as the Problem is Identified
If you have an adolescent struggling with substance abuse please seek help. Most parents recognize when their child needs help, others will need the advice of a doctor, therapist or family member. Whatever your case may be, time is of essence. You need to act fast.

Inspirations for Youth and Families, will guide you in the right direction identifying and helping you choose the most suitable addiction treatment program and therapies for your child. Prevent a tragic outcome. Don't let your child become a statistic. Give us a call today.

Adolescent Addiction Treatment
Free Initial Consultation: 1-888-757-6237 
http://www.inspirationsyouth.com
http://www.inspirationsteenrehab.com

Young Adult and Adult Addiction Treatment
Free Initial Consultation: : 1-888-757-6237 
http://www.covecenterforrecovery.com

We need your help!

Please vote daily online at this link pep.si/vJ5mgy and by texting 110401 to 73774. With your help we can make a difference!

You can help!

Dear Friend of Project RACE,

We are in the running for the Pepsi grant! The grant would fund much needed programs.  

People can vote once per day for us through the month of December. The link is below. We need your help. Please share it with everyone you can--friends, co-workers, church and civic groups, students, and anyone else you can think of. Please post it on your Facebook and Twitter pages. Think creatively and go get those votes! Thank you on behalf of Project RACE and Teen Project RACE members.

http://www.refresheverything.com/project-race

Susan Graham

Executive Director

Project RACE

susangraham@projectrace.com

www.projectrace.com

Church Rejects Interracial Couple

In a move to "promote greater unity" among its body and the Pike County community it serves, a small Kentucky church voted to ban interracial couples from membership and from participating in certain worship activities, Kentucky.com reports.

Parents Can Help Prevent Underage Drinking During the Holidays

Too often parents look the other way when it comes to teen drinking, assuming it is a ‘rite of passage.’ It is not unusual for well-meaning parents to provide alcohol to their teen’s friends at home parties.

Inspirations Teen Rehab encourages parents to be extra cautious in preventing underage alcohol use during the festive holiday season when traffic fatalities typically rise, as college students are returning home and holiday parties abound.

According to the Century Council, a group of distillers that works to reduce underage drinking, 17 percent of adults believe it is acceptable for parents to provide alcohol to teens in their own homes.

A new Teens Today study from Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) reports that 45 percent of high school teens are allowed to drink at home. Almost one in three say they are allowed to mark special occasions, like holidays, with alcohol at home. Over half of teens who say their parents allow them to drink admit to drinking while out with their friends, while only 14 percent of those who aren’t allowed to drink admit to doing so while with friends.

Parents remember that offering alcohol to person under 21 is a disorderly person’s offense and it is punishable by monetary fines and up to six months incarceration. Possession of alcohol by an underage person is also a disorderly person’s offense, punishable by the same guidelines. Most importantly by encouraging your teen to drink alcohol you are also encouraging a behavior that can turn into an addiction. There is no need to include alcohol on your teen’s celebrations.

Happy Holidays from all of Us at Inspirations for Youth and Families.