Prescription Drug Abuse (health)

CDC Survey Finds that 1 in 5 U.S. High School Students Have Abused Prescription Drugs

One  in 5 U.S. high school students say they have ever taken a prescription drug without a doctor’s prescription, according to the 2009 National Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) released today by theCenters for Disease Control and Prevention.  This is the first year the survey assessed prescription drug abuse among high school students.  The YRBS has been conducted every other year since 1991.

The survey asked if they’d ever taken a prescription drug such as OxyContin, Percocet, Vicodin, Adderall, Ritalin, or Xanax, without a doctor’s prescription.  Prescription drug abuse was most common among white students (23 percent), followed by Hispanic students (17 percent) and then black students (12 percent).  Prescription drug abuse was most common among 12th grade students (26 percent) and lowest among 9th grade students (15 percent). There was no difference in prescription drug abuse by gender (20 percent for both male and female students).

“We are concerned to learn that so many high school students are taking prescription drugs that were not prescribed to them,” said Howell Wechsler, EdD, MPH, director of CDC’s Division of Adolescent and School Health.  “Some people may falsely believe that prescription drugs are safer than illegal drugs, yet their misuse can cause serious adverse health effects, including addiction and death.”

The YRBS also asks several questions related to alcohol and drug use.  The 2009 survey found that about 72 percent of high school students ever used alcohol, about 37 percent ever used marijuana, 6.4 percent ever used cocaine, 4.1 percent ever used methamphetamine, and 6.7 percent ever used ecstasy.  These percentages are similar to those found in the 2007 survey.

Further analysis of National YRBS data showed encouraging trends in nutrition-related behaviors in recent years:

  • A decrease in the percentage of students who drank soda at least once per day (34 percent in 2007; 29 percent in 2009) 
  • An increase in the percentage of students who ate fruit or drank 100 percent fruit juice two or more times per day (30 percent in 2005; 34 percent in 2009) 
  • Decreases in the percentages of students who engaged in the following unhealthy behaviors  to lose or keep from gaining weight: not eating for 24 or more hours (13 percent in 2001; 11 percent in 2009); taking diet pills, powders, or liquids (9 percent in 2001; 5 percent in 2009); and vomiting or taking laxatives (6 percent in 2003; 4 percent in 2009)

The 2009 National YRBS results also show that many high school students engage in other risk behaviors, which are harmful to their overall health and increase their risk of disease and injury. For example, during the seven days before the survey, 78 percent of high school students had not eaten fruits and vegetables five or more times per day, and 82 percent were not physically active for at least 60 minutes daily.  Also, during the 30 days before the survey, 19 percent of high school students smoked cigarettes, 28 percent rode in a car or other vehicle driven by someone who had been drinking alcohol, and 39 percent of currently sexually active students reported that they did not use a condom the last time they had sexual intercourse.  This information is similar to the 2007 YRBS findings.

About YRBS
National, state, and local YRBS studies are conducted every two years among high school students throughout the United States.  These surveys monitor health risk behaviors including unintentional injuries and violence; tobacco, alcohol, and other drug use; sexual behaviors that contribute to unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV infection; unhealthy dietary behaviors; and physical inactivity. These surveys also monitor the prevalence of obesity and asthma.

More than 16,000 U.S. high school students participated in the 2009 National YRBS.  Data are presented only for black, Hispanic, and white students because the sample size of students from other racial/ethnic populations was too small for meaningful analysis. Parental permission was obtained for students to participate in the survey.  Student participation was voluntary, and responses were anonymous. States and cities could modify the questionnaire to meet their needs. The 2009 report includes national data and data from surveys conducted in 42 states and 20 large urban school districts.

The National YRBS is one of three HHS-sponsored surveys that provide data on substance abuse among youth.  The others are the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), sponsored by theSubstance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and a primary source of statistics on substance use among Americans age 12 and over (www.oas.samhsa.gov/nhsda.htm), and theMonitoring the Future (MTF) Study funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse and conducted by the University of Michigan’s Institute for Social Research (http://monitoringthefuture.org). MTF tracks substance use and related attitudes among students in the 8th, 10th and 12th grades.

The 2009 Youth Risk Behavior Survey data are available at www.cdc.gov/yrbs.

What is a twinkie (cultural appropriation)

http://www.geocities.com/planettwinkie/WhatIs.html

What is a Twinkie?

What exactly is a twinkie? Is it a delicious cream filled snack cake? The nickname of the Minnesota Twins, or an Asian American who acts like a whiteman? Well, a Twinkie may be many of those things but when real live indians talk about Twinkies, they're not talking about any of these things.
A Twinkie is a person, almost always a white, privileged person who peddles spiritual junk food. Just as the Hostess version is all sugar and chemicals containing very little nutritional value, the New Age Twinkie is artificial and valueless in a spiritual sense.

Twinkies all have different interests, but there is one trait that they all have in common: an auditory impairment that makes them incapable of hearing or comprehending the word, "No!" This impairment is particularly prominent when a person of lower social class, especially Native Americans, are uttering the word. Some Twinkies have been known to remain completely oblivious to the fact that an entire Nation, the Lakota, have declared War on them. Cat owners may be able to relate to this phenomenon. A cat can hear a can opener three blocks away, but its auditory canals cannot pick up the word, "No!" while engaged in climbing the curtains. The feline brain is approximately the size of a walnut, so one can deduce that Twinkies probably posses brains of comparable size.

Another common trait is a sense of entitlement. Twinkies are often heard preaching about how everyone is entitled to Native American Spirituality. However, no one can have their graphics. It's a subtle distinction that often proves hard to grasp.

Twinkies always stick together. Whenever one Twinkie is exposed, all the other Twinkies rush to its defense with crocodile tears. They make elegant testimonials as to the Twinkies "good intentions" and its kind and "caring voice." It's a kind of professional courtesy among thieves. Good intentions are the New Age equivalent of a "Get out of jail free card". They are an all purpose excuse for any type of exploitation or charlatanism.

A fool and his money are soon parted. The Twinkie counts on this. Just like McDonalds, they know how to please the masses. They know how to mix just the right combinations of Christianity, psycho-babble, Astrology, re-incarnation, Wicca, crystal healing, Tarot card reading and astro-projection to appeal to the general public, desparate for spiritual enlightenment, but not really committed to doing anything that requires too much time or effort, especially on week-ends.

All Twinkies absolutely must have a fake Indian name. It's a must. This can be easily achieved by chosing two or more words from any column of the following table:

Animals Colors Cliches Birds Plants Relationship Indicators Misc

Wolf Blue Medicine Eagle Parsley Brother/Sister Moon Buffalo Red Shining Owl Sage Gramma/Grampa Morning Star Bear Grey Proud Hawk Rosemary Clan Mother Thunder Coyote Lavender Weaver Raven Thyme Chief Rainbow

For instance, Gramma Lavender Rainbow Owl Weaver or Chief Grey Morning Star Rosemary Medicine, or Sister Shining Blue Moon Buffalo Parsley would make really good Twinkie names. Now all you have to do is get yourself set up to accept Visa and Mastercard and you're on the road to spiritual fulfillment! Some people are so good at Twinkiedom that I've decided to start giving out awards for it. Visit the next page to see who's really out standing in the field.

Twinkie New Age Cult (cultural appropriating)

More info at: http://www.newagefraud.org/smf/index.php?topic=739.0


Begin forwarded message:

From: Andre Cramblit <andrekar@ncidc.org>
Date: April 10, 2010 10:11:34 AM PDT
To: Postposterous Blog <post@posterous.com>
Subject: Twinkie New Age Cult (cultural appropriating)

Hey Tamra,
Since the leader claimed to be a "Cherokee Medicine Man" the EBC attorney general can get the info to the appropriate people to take legal action no matter where they are on Turtle Island to take legal action against these people.
Dave

On Fri, Apr 9, 2010 at 11:15 PM, NDN News <Tamra@ndnnews.com> wrote:

Hey everyone,

Looks like a twinkie newager cult to me. They are mixing all kinds of things. Looks like another group like Brooke Medicine Eagle’s camps.

Not sure what EBC has to do with this one, these folks are in Oregon.

Everyone now days has to make a buck of culture and traditions, it never seems to end.

I will send it to Mo and Graywolf, see if they want to do something with it.

Hope everyone is doing well. I’m working like crazy 60-70 hr work weeks right now, so barely keeping up with things right now.

Tamra

From: Save The Sacred Sites Alliance [mailto:davidckitchen@gmail.com]
Sent: Friday, April 09, 2010 2:35 PM


To: Marcie; andre cramblit
Cc: tamra
Subject: Re: Fw: Re: Website

Hey Folks,

It's Dave I called the Eastern Band of Cherokee Attorney General's Office.

They were interested enough for me to forward it to them.

So I did.

That's about all I know for now. They won't tell me what they did.

They'll just quietly take care of it , if they decide they need to.

Dave

On Fri, Apr 9, 2010 at 2:47 PM, Marcie <catehokte1@yahoo.com> wrote:

Hey sis, check out this site and let me know if any of these people are legit. I doubt it and feel it is another James Ray type deal but before I jump in with a nasty letter, I want to be sure my take was right.

h




Wannabi (humor)

Top Ten Ways to tell if you are from the Wannabi (want to be) Clan
By Dr. Coyote (borrowed and adapted from an earlier posting)

10. You were born white but just realized that there was a possibility that you are native, you just don't know what tribe, and so you joined AIM or you know you are native because of your cheekbones or feel it in your soul.  And dang I just enjoy buffalo burgers or jerky so I must be….

9. You think Russell Means is a god, and he can do no wrong, or support Leonard even though you are not quite sure if he is innocent or guilty or what exactly the particulars are of that case?

8. You think Fry Bread is traditional food and smoking a cigarette or using commercial tobacco outside your tipi/tent counts as a prayer.

7. Protesting for Indian rights (doesn't matter what tribe) means a sit in or holding a sign while trying to wear your new ribbon shirt you bought from the white guy at the local "trading post".  Well only if it fits in your schedule and you happen to be in the area (within a 10 minute drive and there is free parking)

6. You go to the local Indian bar and buy the ndns drinks cuz you want to talk about their customs and "culture” and sing pow wow songs like the old times and just hang with the skins, but cant stand the idea of a warm tall bud at 10 AM on the side of the road after sawing up firewood or being up all night hunting or fishing

5. You try to date an ndn girl but you decide she's too round and rugged for your tastes (and her name wasn’t Running Deer) and her hair wasn’t jet black anyway and it was short so you decide to date the hippie wannabes with the hemp jewelry and long hair instead, plus she has a dog that is part wolf and your think you are wolf clan ennit. 

4. You get the pre-requisite tribal tattoo placed where everyone can  see it, so they can ask you what tribe you are, but no one ever  does OR your car is carefully calculated to look “NDN” (i.e. dream catchers or safety pin headdresses on the mirror or bumper stickers bought from a vendor at a pow wow) OR the more tacky beadwork the better and  you wear your hair long for no particular reason and braid it because it looks cool, and hey doesn’t the smell of burning sage in your clothes make you smell Indian?

3. You find your beadwork for your regalia in a pawnshop and  proudly wear it at every powwow not knowing that everyone who is a  serious powwow person knows where you got it from and you've only been to contest powwows and no traditional powwows  because they don't run them on time and every one shows up late.  (ndn time) Besides going to every Pow Wow in every small town is what it really means to be on the red road right?  Traditional ceremony, isn’t that a pow wow?

2. You had a vision or sweat and found out you were Indian all along but just separated from the people and need to reconnect with the blood…What live on a reservation(or urban relocation area)  with no electricity and get paid $9 an hour if you can find a job , commodity cheese what is that?  Get all my health care from the IHS Clinic????

And the Number 1 way to tell if you are from the Wannabi (want to be) Clan DRUMROLL…

1. You use phrases like ennit and NDN cause you are a true skin and you are easily offended and whine about this post because while some of it is true about others….HEY, who in the hell does that Dr. Coyote thinks he is judging me as a Native if he ain’t walked in my moccasins… 

(just laugh!)

Native Crab Bucket (musings)

Native Crab Bucket

A man had a bucket of Indian crabs. The crab bucket did not have a top on it.  Why were the crabs were not able to escape? 

If there were only one crab in the bucket it would certainly escape. However, when there is more than one crab in the bucket, if one tries to crawl out, the other crabs would grab hold and pull it back down so that it would share the same fate as the rest of them.”

This is true with people. If one person attempts to better himself, other people will attempt to drag him back down to share their fate. 

You must ignore the crabs if you want to be a success in life.

Kúmateech Xávin/Later 'Tater
André Cramblit, Operations Director
Northern California Indian Development Council (NCIDC) 
707.445.8451

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Youth Unity Conference (opportunity)

Hello, I just wanted to let you know that we will be hosting our national conference in California this year and hope that we can see your youth represented. This is a wonderful opportunity to have native youth come together and learn, share, and grow. We hope to see you there.  I have attached some information but if you would like more please contact our office or visit our web site at www.unityinc.org. Have a wonderful day!!!!

Christie Factor
cfactor@unityinc.org
UNITY Staff
405.236.2800

Endangered Languages and Dictionaries Survey (language)

The Endangered Languages and Dictionaries Project at the University of Cambridge investigates ways of writing dictionaries that better facilitate the maintenance and revitalization of endangered languages. It explores the relationship between documenting a language and sustaining it, and entails collaboration with linguists, dictionary-makers and educators, as well as members of endangered-language communities themselves, in order to determine what lexicographic methodologies work particularly well pedagogically for language maintenance and revitalization.

In addition to developing a methodology for writing dictionaries that are more community-focussed and collaborative in their making, content, and format, the Project is creating an online catalogue of dictionary projects around the world. If you would like your dictionary to be included in the catalogue, please fill out the Dictionary Survey at http://www.lucy-cav.cam.ac.uk/pages/the-college/people/sarah-ogilvie/elad1.php or contact Sarah Ogilvie at svo21@cam.ac.uk. We really hope you will want to participate, in order to make the catalogue as comprehensive as possible.