Organizers look to increase awareness and to remember David Shey

Central Valley — What organizers foresee as the first annual benefit concert for the Alcoholism & Drug Abuse Council of Orange County takes place this Sunday, Oct. 23, from 3 to 8 p.m. at Monroe-Woodbury High School.

The concert is being held in memory of David Shey.

“My brother passed away this summer at the young age of twenty five from substance abuse,” Julie Shey, one of the organizers said in an e-mail exchange announcing the program, “and we are hoping to raise awareness and to raise money for the Alcoholism & Drug Abuse Council.”

The concert will feature four local bands:

Steudabakerbrown (http://stuedabakerbrown.com).

Sugarloaf Station (www.reverbnation.com/sugarloafstation).

Love Assassin (www.loveassassin.net). Six Stories Told (www.sixstoriestold.com). There also will be a 50/50 raffle, guest speakers, drug and alcohol awareness literature and a silent auction that will include luxury box tickets for a Jets/Giants game; New York Yankees official memorabilia; and an as yet determined item from Orange County Choppers. Tickets are $10 online, $15 at the door and $12 with a student ID. The council is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the public health issue of alcoholism and other drug addictions. ADAC provides county members with programs and services to address substance abuse and addiction as a health condition which affects the individual, family and the community. ADAC provides information, referral and outreach services, as well as operating a School of Addiction Studies that provides credentialing in substance abuse for all human service professionals.

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A More Modern Blood Thinner

Researchers get closer to making the drug heparin without raw animal materials.

• Friday, October 28, 2011
• By Erica Westly

Researchers have developed an easier and potentially cheaper method of synthesizing heparin, a widely used blood thinner that is typically made from pig intestines or cow lungs. While a form of synthetic heparin is already available, the animal-derived version is cheaper and dominates the market; it costs about $5 to $35, versus $50 to $60 for the same dosage of the synthetic. The new technique might also lead to the development of new kinds of heparin, which could be useful for treating asthma and other disorders that are not related to blood clotting.

The worldwide heparin market requires about 700 million pigs per year, and many of the raw materials derived from the pigs come from China. But overseas production makes it difficult to control quality. In 2008, a contaminated batch of the drug from China killed more than 200 people, making the need for an easy-to-produce synthetic version even more evident.

Now, roughly 10 years after the first fully synthetic heparin was developed, a team of academic researchers has figured out a way to simplify the manufacturing process, reducing 50 chemical steps to a more manageable and affordable 10 to 12 steps.

The key, the researchers found, was bacteria. Chemical synthesis of heparin is challenging because it requires repositioning several chemical entities called sulfate groups. By bioengineering bacteria to produce the drug’s chemical precursor, the researchers achieved a more optimal starting structure and eliminated most of the manual chemical steps. Instead of having to carefully add and subtract the various sulfate groups, they simply mixed in the necessary enzymes and cofactors and let the bacteria-derived structure do the rest.

“The bacteria are actually smarter than the chemists in this case,” says Shaker Mousa, a professor at the Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences in New York and a coauthor of the new study, which is published in this week’s Science.

WINNIPEG – The largest dry community in Manitoba is loosening its liquor laws despite fears from some long-time residents that allowing bars to operate in the traditionally Mennonite city will lead to public intoxication, alcoholism and drunk-driving.

Residents in the southeastern city of Steinbach voted Wednesday night to allow bars and cocktail lounges to operate within city limits. Some 70 per cent of voters in the community of about 13,000 also agreed to grant liquor licences to private clubs.

Unlike previous debates on the city’s liquor laws, Steinbach Mayor Chris Goerzen said there was very little passionate discussion.

In 2003, barely 51 per cent of Steinbach voters cast ballots in favour of allowing restaurants to serve alcohol with meals. As recently as 2007, voters decided against against allowing easier access to liquor.

But Goerzen said the community is changing.

“We’ve had a lot of immigration, we’ve had a lot of people moving into our city,” he said. “We’re the fastest growing urban centre in Manitoba and probably one of the fastest in Western Canada. With that, there are obviously cultural changes, too.”

Although numerous attempts to overturn Steinbach’s booze ban failed from the 1970s onward, liquor laws in Manitoba’s so-called Bible belt have been slowly relaxing in the last decade.

Residents of Winkler, Man., voted in favour of cocktail lounges and licensing private clubs in 2003. Five years later, Steinbach’s first liquor store opened.

Aside from dry native reserves in the province’s north, Steinbach was the largest hold-out left in Manitoba.

But some aren’t happy about the changes.

Les Magnusson has lived in Steinbach for 30 years and said he’s worried having bars and lounges will lead to trouble. As the city’s former mayor, he fought against lifting the city’s liquor ban in 2003 because of concerns it would change the character of the community.

Now, he said he’s worried having bars and lounges will mean public intoxication, alcoholism and accidents caused by drunk driving.

“I just don’t want to see people walking down the street drunk,” Magnusson said. “We’ve been in the city 30-some years and this year is the first time I’ve seen somebody walking down the street drunk . . . I just don’t want to see more of that.”

Magnusson said he’s seen too many lives destroyed by alcohol.

“I’ve been around too many accidents where liquor has been involved,” he said. “It only takes one drink to start, to become an alcoholic.”

Still, those who argued to lift the ban on bars say it might even make the community safer. Despite the lack of bars in Steinbach, Goerzen said people are drinking alcohol.

“If they have to drive somewhere to do that, it’s less safe than if they can stay in their own community and be safe about it and be responsible,” he said.

Wednesday’s vote had unanimous approval from city council and came about largely due to pressure from Boston Pizza, which wanted to build a restaurant and lounge in the town. Steinbach Curling Club also wanted a liquor licence for a private club.

Steinbach city council still will vote to officially approve the liquor law changes in December, but Goerzen said that is a formality since the referendum results are binding.

October 27, 2011 09:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time 

SOLANA BEACH, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–OneRecovery, Inc., a leader in online social networking, peer support communities and behavioral modification programs, announced today the availability of OneRecovery OnTheGo, a mobile 12-Step Program meeting finder available on the iPhone 3G and above and coming soon on the Android operating system.

“Social media and mobile applications have completely changed the way people access information to participate in all types of activities”

The easy to use meeting finder allows individuals to locate a 12-Step meeting wherever and whenever they need it within the U.S. In seconds, a user can find a meeting within a mile or more of their current location or can search particular cities or zip codes. Once users find a meeting, they can map it, get directions, add it to their calendar, and share it with friends.

The application is available for free download to the general public at the iPhone app store.

The mobile meeting finder complements OneRecovery’s patent-pending Social Solutioning^® platform, which leverages social networking technology, clinical principals and game mechanics to engage participants and provide continuous interactive support to help people recover from their dependencies and measurably improve health outcomes.

“Social media and mobile applications have completely changed the way people access information to participate in all types of activities,” said David Metzler, CEO of OneRecovery. “Our meeting finder gives people a convenient way to stay connected and sustain their journey to recovery.”

OneRecovery OnTheGo is the most comprehensive 12-Step Program directory available to mobile users. With more than 170,000 12-step meetings, the app is one of the most effective ways to find a meeting that best suits the needs of the individual, minimizing anxiety and encouraging program meeting attendance. The app also includes a recovery clock and daily meditations that can be shared with friends.

OneRecovery OnTheGo currently includes meeting listings for the following major 12-Step Programs:

• AA: Alcoholics Anonymous
• Al-Anon
• CA: Cocaine Anonymous
• CMA: Crystal Meth Anonymous
• CODA: Co-Dependents Anonymous
• DA: Debtors Anonymous
• EDA: Eating Disorders Anonymous
• GA: Gamblers Anonymous
• MA: Marijuana Anonymous
• NA: Narcotics Anonymous
• NicA: Nicotine Anonymous
• OA: Overeaters Anonymous

About OneRecovery, Inc.

OneRecovery develops social networking solutions and behavioral change programs that drive member engagement to increase outcomes-driven wellness and reduce the cost of healthcare. Our web and mobile-based Social Solutioning^® program influences positive behavior to improve health and deliver measurable value through a patented combination of social-networking technology, evidence-based clinical principals and engaging game mechanics. For additional information visit www.onerecovery.com.

(WENN.COM)

Four local bands to headline benefit concert for Alcoholism & Drug Abuse Council

Organizers look to increase awareness and to remember David Shey

Central Valley — What organizers foresee as the first annual benefit concert for the Alcoholism & Drug Abuse Council of Orange County takes place this Sunday, Oct. 23, from 3 to 8 p.m. at Monroe-Woodbury High School.

The concert is being held in memory of David Shey.

“My brother passed away this summer at the young age of twenty five from substance abuse,” Julie Shey, one of the organizers said in an e-mail exchange announcing the program, “and we are hoping to raise awareness and to raise money for the Alcoholism & Drug Abuse Council.”

The concert will feature four local bands:

Steudabakerbrown (http://stuedabakerbrown.com).

Sugarloaf Station (www.reverbnation.com/sugarloafstation).

Love Assassin (www.loveassassin.net). Six Stories Told (www.sixstoriestold.com). There also will be a 50/50 raffle, guest speakers, drug and alcohol awareness literature and a silent auction that will include luxury box tickets for a Jets/Giants game; New York Yankees official memorabilia; and an as yet determined item from Orange County Choppers. Tickets are $10 online, $15 at the door and $12 with a student ID. The council is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the public health issue of alcoholism and other drug addictions. ADAC provides county members with programs and services to address substance abuse and addiction as a health condition which affects the individual, family and the community. ADAC provides information, referral and outreach services, as well as operating a School of Addiction Studies that provides credentialing in substance abuse for all human service professionals.

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The driver of a car which struck and killed 17-year-old Sanele Pauli after he had been celebrating the Rugby World Cup final was over the legal breath alcohol limit, police said today.

Sanele had got off a bus from Auckland’s Viaduct with his two younger brothers when he was hit as he crossed Great North Rd at about 2.20am.

His uncle, also called Sanele Pauli, said he flew 5 metres into the air and died instantly.

Mina Patel, owner of Pasadena Dairy on Great North Rd, said she saw the driver sitting with his head in his hands, and spoke to him.

”He said ‘oh my God, please help, please help’. I wasn’t driving fast, but they were in the middle of the road’.”

Constable Mark Rodgers of the police serious crash unit confirmed the 38-year-old driver of the silver Nissan Primera was over the legal breath alcohol limit at the time.

Police have yet to lay charges.

Meanwhile, a 12-year-old boy who was struck by a bus on World Cup opening night in central Auckland is still in hospital.

The boy was one of four people injured when the 897 service crashed into the back of a car and pushed it into a group of pedestrians on Fanshaw St.

Constable Paul Simcox said the boy was still undergoing treatment for severe injuries to his legs, but he was expected to make a full recovery.

Police are still appealing for witnesses to both incidents.

– APNZ

By Matthew Theunissen | Email Matthew

Years of alcoholism, peppered by drunken driving arrests and culminating February in the death of a pedestrian, ended with an 11-year prison sentence Wednesday for a Madison woman.

Tamela L. Lynch, 52, convicted of homicide by drunken driving for the Feb. 28 death of Becky Field, had mixed results as she tried to address her alcoholism over the years, Dane County Circuit Judge Sarah O’Brien said, but now will have to get treatment behind bars.

“It’s hard to believe that you didn’t know that something significant had happened, that you didn’t see a human being in front of your windshield,” O’Brien said.

Assistant District Attorney Emily Thompson said witnesses saw Lynch driving south on Northport Drive at close to 60 mph. The speed limit on Northport Drive is 35 mph. After passing through a green light at Dryden Drive, Thompson said, she struck Field, 44, who was crossing Northport mid-block to get to a bus stop.

Fields’ body flew onto the sidewalk and landed at the feet of a horrified group of schoolchildren, said Thompson, who asked that Lynch spend 17 years in prison.

A motorist who saw Lynch strike Fields gave chase, following her at about 75 mph to Kedzie Street, where Lynch struck a parked car and a tree. Her speech slurred, she demanded that paramedics let her go home. Lynch’s blood alcohol concentration was 0.226 percent, nearly three times the legal limit for Wisconsin drivers.

Field’s death stunned her mother, Pauline Fergerson, who said in court that she still is part of a bereavement group and is in therapy.

“I never had a chance to say goodbye,” she said, holding back tears.

Thompson said Lynch was driving her father’s truck, which was not equipped with an ignition interlock device — a requirement on her own car because of a prior drunken driving conviction.

Though it legally counted as Lynch’s fourth drunken driving conviction, it was her seventh conviction lifetime. State law only counts convictions from 1989 onward.

Lynch’s lawyer, Yolanda Lehner, argued for probation with some time in the Dane County Jail, saying that close supervision would make sure Lynch didn’t drink.

But O’Brien said she wasn’t convinced Lynch could stay sober unless she was incarcerated.

“It’s just way, way, too great a risk here,” O’Brien said.