October 26, 2011

This recipe adapted from Ana Patuleia Ortins’ Portuguese Homestyle Cooking (Interlink 2003) is one of the first recipes I fell in love with as a new cookbook reviewer. I still remember the moment the brick-red seasoning paste dissolved into the stew and its aroma filled the house. It is an ample recipe, so sometimes I halve the amount of fish. When I do, I still use the full measure of the seasonings, as I find them irresistible. I can never find the pickled Portuguese chili peppers, but they are there principally for their heat, and the author has said they can be used interchangeably with other dried, fresh or liquid capsicums.

Makes 6 to 8 servings

Stew

4 pounds any thick cuts of white fish (halibut, hake, pollock or cod), cut into 1-inch-thick steaks or thick serving-sized fillets

1 quart water or enough to barely cover the fish

3 sprigs parsley

2 medium onions, thinly sliced (about 2 cups)

3 bay leaves

1 1/2 tablespoons coarse salt

1 tablespoon olive oil

In the bottom of an 8-quart pot, layer the fish and pour in enough cold water to barely cover it. Add the parsley, onions, bay leaves, salt and olive oil.

Cover tightly, place over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer gently until the fish is opaque, about 20 minutes.

Seasoning Paste

7 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped

2 teaspoons coarse salt

1 1/2 teaspoons cumin seed or 1/2 teaspoon cumin powder

1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley

2 pickled chili peppers, each about 1 inch long, finely chopped (optional)

1 teaspoon ground safflower* or paprika

3 tablespoons tomato paste

1 tablespoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 cup olive oil

1/4 cup wine vinegar

Using a large mortar and pestle, mash the garlic with the salt, forming a paste.

Mash in the cumin, parsley, chili peppers and safflower. Stir in the tomato paste, sugar and nutmeg. Drizzle in the olive oil followed by the vinegar. (If you do not have a mortar and pestle or yours is not large enough, make the paste in a medium bowl using the back of a spoon or a fork.) Stir to blend the ingredients well.

With a slotted spoon, transfer the cooked fish to a serving dish. Cover and keep warm. Whisk the seasoning paste into the fish broth, making sure it is well dispersed. Simmer about 5 minutes over medium-low heat. Ladle some of the seasoned broth over the fish and serve remaining broth on the side. Or place generous pieces of fish in individual soup plates and spoon the broth over it. Serve with plenty of bread to dip in the broth.

*Portuguese ground safflower can be found in Latino markets and some supermarkets.

Published Wednesday October 26, 2011

Sunrise Place, a drug and alcohol treatment center in downtown Norfolk, Neb., has something quite unusual in its front lawn: hundreds of multicolored pinwheels whirling in the breeze.

Each time a man or woman completed the recovery program at the center over the past year, a pinwheel was placed in the lawn. One pinwheel for each life set on a new path.

Connie Barnes, the center’s executive director, says the sight often spurs people to stop by the office and share their personal stories, or those of family members, about how much it means to be in recovery. “They’re grateful that the pinwheel message would bring hope to those still suffering with an alcohol or other addiction,” she says.

The discussion of alcoholism treatment in the Midlands is timely in the wake of the Ken Burns documentary on Prohibition, as well as the recent State Capitol hearing on repeat DUI offenders. No one claims that freeing oneself from alcohol addiction is easy. But substance abuse specialists explain that solid treatment programs with an encouraging track record are available.

“It is so important for people to know that there is hope for people with an addiction,” Barnes says. “There are a range of supportive services, treatment options and community resources to help any individual and their family to receive education and customized care for this illness.”

Nebraska, unfortunately, has a particular need for such services, because the extent of alcohol problems is greater than the national average in several regards. The state Department of Health and Human Services reports:

“Nebraska has traditionally had higher levels of underage drinking, binge drinking and alcohol impaired driving compared to the rest of the nation. According to the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, binge drinking among Nebraska adults 18 and older has remained relatively stable over the past 20 years and is consistently higher than national estimates.”

Alcohol treatment programs in Nebraska currently serve about 15,000 adults and 400 youth each year.

Kerry Wiles, a substance abuse specialist in Council Bluffs with Heartland Family Services, says treatment techniques — buoyed by important discoveries in brain science — are constantly being refined to serve clients more effectively, depending on their particular needs.

In many cases alcoholism problems blend with mental health issues. Increasingly sophisticated treatment is available to tackle that “co-occurrence,” says Wiles, who received a national award this summer from the National Conference on Addiction Disorders. Another improvement, she says, comes from specialists’ understanding of the ways in which a client’s past traumas — being abused as a child or as a spouse — shapes alcohol dependence.

Monica Blizek, an Omaha-based treatment specialist with Heartland Family Services, explains that progress is being made in providing gender-specific treatment.

Although there is no magic cure, more opportunities than ever are available in the Midlands for help. “We help them use their decision-making and develop support systems and skills they can turn to,” Wiles says. “You can kind of see that light bulb go off for them.”

Says Barnes, with Norfolk’s Sunrise Place: “For any individual suffering with an active addiction it is important for them to know that they are not alone. Treatment is effective, recovery is possible for them, and there is a very large community of recovering individuals throughout Nebraska who would be available as an instant supportive network for them.”

That will mean more pinwheels. Which means more hope and more lives changed for the better.

 

 

 

CHICAGO, Oct. 25, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — The October 17 release of “Economic Costs of Excessive Alcohol Consumption in the U.S.” elevates the importance of companies planning safe and healthy office parties. The Workplace Well-being Committee of the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce is hosting an afterhours “Office Party” November 3 to encourage companies to have safe and healthy parties. Guests will enjoy new pairings of food and drinks, but the drinks will be alcohol free. Office Party is going to the extreme to be a live laboratory for guests to mingle casually, get to know new people, reacquaint with others and capitalize on networking opportunities. All will be focused and alert when they leave.

The message of the Workplace Well-being Committee is that even where a culture of health and wellness is a priority; there are still too many workplace stigmas when it comes to alcohol. “…we still live and work in a culture – sometimes referred to as a ‘man’s world’ – that attaches a little gravitas to a drink that is brown or white and served with as little froufrou as possible,” said executive coach Jill Bremer for Crain’s Chicago Business (10/17/11 For women executives, there’s still a glass ceiling – of sorts).  An editorial reply the following week offers optimism. “I have been to many a business affair and enjoyed a fruit-tini concoction with no problem,” said Virginia Ann Primack (10/24/11 All cocktails created equal).

Office Party demonstrates that alcohol free is an alternative for those who are partying then driving a vehicle and a choice if your medical condition prevents you from drinking alcoholic beverages; if you are pregnant and not able to drink alcohol; and for those who are in recovery or avoiding a binge but would still enjoy tasteful beverages.

The cost of excessive alcohol consumption in the United States in 2006 reached $223.5 billion or about $1.90 per drink, according to a new study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Almost three–quarters of these costs were due to binge drinking, consuming four or more alcoholic beverages per occasion for women or five or more drinks per occasion for men, the report said. Researchers found the costs largely resulted from losses in workplace productivity (72 percent of the total cost), health care expenses for problems caused by excessive drinking (11 percent of the total cost), law enforcement and other criminal justice expenses related to excessive alcohol consumption (9 percent of the total cost), and motor vehicle crash costs from impaired driving (6 percent of the total cost).

“This landmark study highlights the enormous costs that excessive alcohol consumption inflicts on the individuals involved and on society in general,” said Pamela S. Hyde, administrator of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. “It also reinforces the importance of addressing behavioral health issues, including substance abuse, through our health care system.” The study, “Economic Costs of Excessive Alcohol Consumption in the U.S., 2006,” is published online at http://www.ajpmonline.org/, and in the November 2011 issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

The vision of Chicagoland Chamber’s Workplace Well-Being Committee is to enable small and medium for-profit and non-profit enterprises to have workplaces free of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs, and free of the safety, productivity and morale issues they cause. The objective is for the Workplace Well-Being Committee and staff to offer solutions that employers implement to improve workplace well-being with addiction prevention practices and services because they understand “Why” there are health and talent returns on their investments (ROI). Committee members include experts from well-being related fields of behavioral health, medicine, wellness, social work, employee assistance, background screening and drug testing.

The Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce was the first regional chamber of commerce in the United States and has served independent businesses throughout the metropolitan area since 1904. The Chamber’s more than 2,600 members employ more than one million individuals throughout the region.  The mission of the Chicagoland Chamber is to make Chicagoland the most business-friendly region in America and enhance our members’ success through aggressive programs of advocacy, member benefits and services and actionable information. Visit the Chamber’s website at www.chicagolandchamber.org.

Peggy Luce
312-494-6745
pluce@chicagolandchamber.org

SOURCE Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce

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More and more people in Sudbury and northeastern Ontario are looking for help with a prescription drug addiction.

Five years ago more than 200 people in the region called the province’s Drug and Alcohol Helpline for help with prescription painkillers.

That number has more than doubled — to almost 550 people.

Cam McTaggart, an intake worker at a Sudbury recovery home for men known as Rockhaven, said people need to be aware of how addictive drugs such as Oxycontin can be.

“It starts off as being affordable,” he said.

“It starts off as being portable. You can’t smell anything in their breath. And it’s a terrific, terrific high. But they will never capture that initial high again. And that is the chasing of the dragon.”

Numbers from the Ontario Drug and Alcohol Helpline show painkiller abuse is second only to problems with alcohol among those seeking help. And outreach workers say the demand goes well beyond the resources available to help.

“I could fill the Sudbury arena with people who probably need help. But the people who want help is quite reduced,” McTaggart said.

There is a constant waiting list at Rockhaven.

Methadone therapy is a treatment option offered to addicts.The drug is used to help people overcome a dependence on a range of opiates, including heroin.

Dr. Michael Franklyn, who works at one of the methadone clinics in Sudbury, said most of his patients have a problem with prescription pain pills.

“Other than Crystal Methamphetamine, opiates are the shortest road to hell,” Franklyn said.

“You can go from just experimenting at a party to hopelessly addicted within a month to three months.”

Franklyn said the wait list to start methadone therapy is three to four months. For an addiction that can destroy lives in far less time, Franklyn said the wait is far too long.

“The problem with this is it’s a life-threatening illness,” he added.

“[It’s] far more serious than diabetes, or stroke. It kills young people in the prime of their life. “

Franklyn noted Methadone is not the solution. If it is, it’s a tiny part of the solution.

“We have to look at the source of these drugs,” he said.

“Methadone was used for heroin addicts. We have no heroin addicts. We have virtually 100 percent prescription opiate addicts. And those are written by family doctors, or specialists, or stolen, or gotten by illegal gains. But that is virtually the only drug we are seeing people come in on.”

Finding a solution means education has to be front and centre “for the public, for physicians, for police,” Franklyn said.

“People have to be taught just how dangerous these drugs can be.”

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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Mitch – who set up the charity in memory of his daughter, who was found dead at her London home in July – told The Sun newspaper: “If we could pick Sarah up when she recovers and put her in front of a school assembly to tell those kids the reality of drinking and alcoholism, it would be making a big start.

“Sarah will be ideal, but all in good time when she has faced her own problems.

“There might be some kids who actually take notice of what she has to say.

“We have been working with a group called Concordiat and we are going to take people in recovery into schools to speak about alcohol and drug issues. Who better to talk to kids than the people who have been there and done it?”

The foundation – which launched on September 14, which would have been Amy’s 28th birthday – has already made three £10,000 donations to charities close to the late singer – children’s hospices Littlehaven’s and Chestnut Tree House, as well as Hopes And Dreams, which gives holidays to ill kids.

Another major donation from the charity is set to come from the sales of ‘Body & Soul’, the song Amy recorded with Tony Bennett at Abbey Road Studios in London in March.

A FORMER clinic manager is calling on the State Government to provide at least $500,000 to reopen the Warburton hospital as an alcohol and drug rehabilitation centre.

Former Warburton clinic manager George Thompson said the clinic, which closed in 2003, was regarded as a leader in alcohol and drug treatment when it opened in 1979.

Mr Thompson said a reopened clinic would revitalise Warburton and provide a lifeline to people desperate to beat alcohol and drug addiction.

>> Do you support the site becoming a drug and alcohol recovery centre? Tell us what you think below.

He said he had an army of volunteers ready to do what they could to get the hospital working again.

“There is a lot of support for the hospital to reopen, from drug and alcohol agencies and people in the community.”

An addiction specialist who has been in recovery from alcoholism for 24 years, Mr Thompson said he hoped to have a 56-bed clinic reopened at the Donna Buang Rd site by the end of the year.

He said the site was owned by a private family-based company, which had formed a business agreement with his group The Recovery Foundation to re-open the hospital.

Former patient Ree, now a drug and alcohol counsellor, said she would love to see the hospital reopened.

“Going to Warburton Clinic absolutely saved my life,” said Ree, who has been clean and sober for 22 years.

“I learnt that addiction is a brain disease and can be treated; I had a health issue.”

Mr Thompson said if successful, the hospital would operate as a 12-step, non-profit centre with support from organisations including Bendigo Bank and US-based Betty Ford Center.

He said there would be a 28-bed ward for public patients and a 28-bed private ward.

Gembrook state Liberal MP Brad Battin said he had referred the issue to the Minister for Health.

>> Do you support the site becoming a drug and alcohol recovery centre? Tell us what you think below.

video

Well, kids these days. It’s easy to write off the changes in the digital world as the result of behavior that is relegated to the age of adolescents and young adulthood.

But that’s wrong – very wrong.

What’s changing for young people is changing for all of us. How we connect, how we share. How we present our digital selves.

And the single presentation that brought this point home was given by Britta Schell, MTV’s Director of Digital Strategic Insights as she spoke at the Pivot Conference in NYC.

In a powerful collection of research that was both anecdotal and carefully vetted, Schell painted a picture of Millenials today. A picture that gives us powerful insight into the future, if we understand that young people’s relationship to the web today is already, in many ways, the behavior we’re all seeing broadly in the always-on world.

What did MTV learn? There no longer is a world called OFFLINE. Young people send 3,146 texts per month, over 100 a day. They watch more than 100 online videos a month. And they spend 20 hours online every day – multitasking.

Millennials are born between 1980-2001, digital natives with an intertwined real life and digital life.

The presentation was called ‘Millennials: Decoded’, and was broken into four findings. The Curated Me, Publicly Intimate, Like-A-Holism and Digi-Quette.

The Curated Me
Millennials have grown up with a 24/7 news cycle and reality TV. They know the power of branding and publicity. Every day they act as their own digital publicists, curating and monitoring the ‘me’ brand. Said one young person; “I’m on Twitter all day.” And another; “I can’t put my phone down.”

What does this mean? John L. Jackson, Professor of Communications and Anthropology at the Annenberg School at the University of Pennsylvania explained, Facebook and the phone are no longer tools, they’re part of who they are; “They’re almost like prosthetic extensions of themselves.“ Is this curated me accidental, or purposeful? “You are the author of what gets put out there.” said one MTV viewer. This curation of your brand image extends beyond posts. It’s how you look in pictures, it’s what you link to, what music you listen to. Today photos are airbrushed, makeup fixed, and people you don’t like edited out of the picture. Millenials want to “portray a positive image.” One third of young people interviewed said they ALWAYS modify their photos online. Said one viewer: “You’re in a lot more control, so you can take the things you are and magnify them, or take the things you want to be and completely fabricate them.”

Publicly Intimate
One thing is immediately clear, not all platforms are treated the same. 94% agreed that texts are private. While platforms like Twitter and FB Status are public, with FB being more Superficial, and Twitter more Real. Phone calls are the least welcome, because they can be ‘awkward.’ Some topics are public, while others private. Interestingly, sexual orientation is considered public – while subjects like politics, religion, and risqué and controversial jokes are more private. What this means is that increasingly, we’re modifying our voice and message to match the character and community of a network. Schell tells of teens who will post music on their Facebook, knowing that their close friends will ‘de-code’ the lyrics and understand what’s going on in their life.

Like-A-Holism
Research found that Millenials are hungry for immediate, positive digital feedback. Posting a picture, or a link, they expect a burst of comments, or ‘likes’. Said one of the viewers: “Everyone wants to be loved. If you have posts, texts, likes, even an email. It’s someone trying to communicate to you. There’s something invigorating about that.” And that immediate feedback is a powerful connection with the wider world. Said another: “I feel famous when I’m on Twitter. There are a couple people who re-tweet everything I say.”

The data is compelling here. 79% of respondents said their generation expects feedback, and 58% feel more confident when others respond. 33% said they feel disappointed when others don’t respond, and 23% said they feel alone if they don’t get feedback.
While the point that Schell makes regarding the almost compulsive need to get positive feedback certainly rings true, I’m not sure that using the phrase ‘a-holism’ is useful, since it sounds like alcoholism – and addiction – which suggests it’s a compulsion with a cure. I hope that’s not the case. I hope it’s a new behavior that in the end creates a more connected, more engaged, more interactive community. And evolution, not an addiction.

Digi-Quette
The etiquette of the always on web is emerging as a series of social behaviors. They can’t really be taught about it, because they know more about it than the older generation. Says one expert: “It’s like the air they breathe.”

And they’re sophisticated about the nature of the web, saying that they edit what they say and do online, understanding that it can be distributed and never erased.

Said one respondent: “I have a secret identity as well. I have my Facebook personality, and then I have the me that my friends see. It’s me, but it’s the outer shell. It’s not all of me.” Says John L. Jackson of Annenberg; “The only way of being real in the 21st century is in, and through, all of this technology.”

So, what does this mean?
Well, in some ways it is the evolution of our society from physical to digital. In the past we knew that we had to behave one way at work, another in a public park, and another at Church or Synagogue. Now those behaviors move online. But what changes is the velocity and frequency of how the Millenials change networks and voices. At any given moment, they can be participating in multiple networks, each with their own level of visibility or privacy. They’re a powerful group of emerging creators and consumers, with new expectations of connectedness, responsiveness, and engagement. Britta Schell at MTV says that Millenials have $990 billion in potential spending power, so brands best take notice of how they engage and expect to be engaged.

One thing is for certain, if the new generation created is the Curated Me, then understanding what they edit in, and what they choose to cut out is going to be critically important.

Steve Rosenbaum is the CEO of the video platform Magnify, a former magician, and an innovator in the new media space.

Watch the presentation below, courtesy of MTV:

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If it’s clitoral, choose a position where one of you can easily reach your clitoris to stimulate it with your fingers (or better yet, hold a small vibrator there). It’s not cheating; it’s simply acknowledging that’s how our bodies work!

If it’s a front wall (G-spot) orgasm you want, try a rear-entry sex position or a you-on-top sex position so his penis is angled the right way. Spread your vaginal lips once he’s inside and press them against him to get maximum friction on your clitoris and the area surrounding the urethra. There’s plenty of evidence to prove this area is also packed with nerve endings.

How he thrusts is also incredibly important: The traditional ‘jack hammer’ style, deep, repetitive in-and-out thrusting, is about as effective as using a fork to spread butter. Instead, get him to grind his pelvis and move in circles, rather than up and down. The aim is to keep as much of the base of his penis in contact with the whole of the vulva as consistently as possible. Tell him to keep thrusting in short and shallow motions, rather than deep and fast.