Recent Movies

"Medicare for Autism Now!" Rally, Sunday, March 2nd at 2 PM

"Medicare for Autism Now!" Rally

Sunday, March 2nd, 2008
2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Shadbolt Centre for the Arts
6450 Deer Lake Avenue
Burnaby

Don't forget the Medicare for Autism Now Rally tomorrow March 2nd in Burnaby! Medicare coverage of autism treatment, particularly ABA, would ensure that all autistic children in Canada receive ABA coverage without regard for accidents of geography. It would also help ensure that ABA services that are provided are protected from erosion or loss resulting from that minority, but still common, and often influential, type of bureaucrat who places his, or her, career agenda before the interests of the autistic children they are supposed to help.

Come out and voice your support for Medicare for Autism NOW! Voice your support for autistic children and their right to effective, evidence based treatment NOW!

Royal Foodie Joust - in just under the wire!!!



I did it...I really thought that there was no way that I was going to get this done but I did! The Royal Foodie Joust is an event that is held each month. It is hosted by the amazing Jenn - the Left Over Queen. Each month the winner from the previous month gets to choose the three ingredients that we are suppose to create a recipe using. Last month's winner was Heather - Gild the Voodoolily and she chose Pork, Citrus and Pink Peppercorns. When I saw those ingredients my first thought was that would make a really crappy brownie!!! See, I love brownies and anytime I can I make them I do. But this time I was going to have to be a bit more creative than that!

I also had a real problem this month finding pork that I would eat. If you have read anything in this blog you will know my stand on CAFOs and Factory Farming. I am still a carnivore but I refuse to support the industry. This is a challenge but one that I am determined to succeed at. I have found chicken, beef, pork, buffalo meat and seafood that is all humanely treated and fed. But for some reason I could not find what I wanted to out of desperation I grabbed some hot Italian style pork sausages that was humanely raised. I had no idea what to do with this. So after standing in front of my open fridge for about and hour (yeah...for real!).See messy food filled fridge?

It hit me. I had some fresh cilantro still so I was going to make a citrus salsa to go along with my sausage. Turned out absolutely incredible. It was so fresh tasting and zesty along with the hot sausage.
All the ingredients I needed!


Sunshine Citrus Salsa

1 lime
1 lemon
1 orange (I used cara cara oranges)
1 carambola
1 small white onion (chopped)
1/2 fresh jalapeno (use more if you have more)
1/8 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 Tbsp of tequila (a couple of shots for the cook didn't hurt either!)
1/2 tsp crushed pink peppercorns
salt to taste

Cut up all of the fruit into small pieces. With the citrus make sure that all the white and membrane is removed. Stir all of the ingredients together and allow to sit for at least an hour before using. I used it the next day and it was incredible!

I just pan fried the sausage and served it with the salsa, oven roasted beets and sauteed spinach. I wish I had of had people over to eat this with us.

Would I make this again? - You bet!!!


And onto something totally unrelated there is a new picture on my side bar telling you that I am famous. Click on the click here link to read the interview!

As Always...

Happy Entertaining!!!

Judy
www.nofearentertaining.com

What is this????

What is this? At the Farmer's Market they told be it was cauliflower and I would hate to use it in something that I wanted cauliflower in when it was broccoli????
Looks like broccoli to me????

When I went to Worden Farm Farmer Market yesterday I bought a ton of stuff but every week I try to buy one thing that I have never cooked with before and will have to challenge myself and family (by eating it). This week I bought Leeks. I don't think that I have ever even tasted a leek but T. was really excited and told me that I need to make creamed leeks with smoked Gouda. So I bought everything that I need to do this so now I just have to find a minute to do it!

I also bought this purple cauliflower. Does it look like cauliflower to you? It looks like broccoli, acts like broccoli and strangely enough, it even tastes like broccoli...but they told me it was cauliflower!!! Any ideas?

Yogurt
Blackberries cooking down for the blackberry yogurt!

Boiling the milk for the yogurt!

I started another batch of yogurt today. The bad thing about this is that it takes about 11 to 12 hours to incubate the yogurt so I am finding that I have to either make it first thing in the morning or late at night for it to be done at a good time for me. This time I made 2 jars plain (my oldest daughter keeps telling me that she likes it plain) and the rest I made blackberry (yummmm!). They should be done around 11 so that isn't too bad and the girls will have fresh yogurt for breakfast in the morning! I need to figure out how to make granola so they can have some of that to mix in!

As Always...

Happy Entertaining!!!

Judy
www.nofearentertaining.com

ΤΕΛΟΣ στην προδοσία και στην ασχήμια.









ΤΕΛΟΣ ΣΤΗΝ ΠΡΟΔΟΣΙΑ ΚΑΙ ΣΤΗΝ ΑΣΧΗΜΙΑ


Ανεξάρτητα από τα αποτελέσματα των αμερικανικών εκλογών, δηλαδή ανεξάρτητα από το ποιος θα είναι ο μελλοντικός Πρόεδρος, η κολοσσιαία πολεμική μηχανή έχει ήδη μπει μπροστά με στόχο την εξόντωση όλων όσων θεωρεί εχθρούς της. Ακόμα κι αυτών -όπως η Ελλάδα- που δεν υπακούνε τυφλά τις εντολές της. Ιράν, Κορέα, Αραβικός κόσμος (μη υποτελής) και φυσικά άμεσα η Ρωσία και στο βάθος η Κίνα. Μετά θα ΄ρθει η σειρά των «άτακτων», της Νότιας Αμερικής. Ένας νέος θανάσιμος κίνδυνος, πολυπρόσωπος, πολυπλόκαμος σαν χταπόδι, κάνει αργά αλλά σταθερά την εμφάνισή του στο προσκήνιο της παγκόσμιας ιστορίας.
Σημερινός στόχος είναι τα Βαλκάνια με κύριο σύμμαχο την «μεγάλη» Αλβανία ξεκινώντας από το Κόσσοβο με συνεργάτες τους υπεύθυνους για μαζικές δολοφονίες Ου-τσε-κα. Και σαν να μην έφταναν όλα αυτά, γεγονός πρωτοφανές για τη χώρα μας, μερικοί «επιστήμονες» επέλεξαν το αμφιθέατρο του Παντείου Πανεπιστημίου, για να αναπτύξουν δημόσια την υποστήριξή τους σ’ ένα βασικό αίτημα της «Μεγάλης Αλβανίας», την κατάκτηση της Ηπείρου έως την Πρέβεζα με την δικαιολογία ότι ανήκε στην Αλβανική Τσαμουριά, απ’ όπου τους
έδιωξαν με εγκληματικές πράξεις οι Έλληνες.
Ασφαλώς πρόκειται για οργανωμένη προβοκάτσια των ΗΠΑ, ώστε να μελετηθούν οι δικές μας αντιδράσεις και να προπαρασκευασθεί ψυχολογικά η εδαφική επέκταση της Αλβανίας μετά το Κόσσοβο και σε ένα μεγάλο τμήμα των Αλβανοφώνων περιοχών των Σκοπίων και ακολούθως και σε δικά μας εδάφη.
Από την άλλη μεριά η σύμπλευση της Τουρκίας με τις ΗΠΑ στο Κόσσοβο -που έσπευσε πρώτη αυτή να το αναγνωρίσει- προετοιμάζει το έδαφος για πονηρά σχέδια σε βάρος της χώρας μας με βάση όχι μόνο το Αιγαίο και την Κύπρο αλλά και τη μουσουλμανική μειονότητα στην Θράκη, που ακολουθώντας το παράδειγμα του Κοσσόβου μπορεί να διεκδικήσει τη δική της ανεξαρτησία.
Η ηγεσία των Σκοπίων φαίνεται ότι γνωρίζει από πρώτο χέρι αυτά τα σχέδια των ΗΠΑ και γι’ αυτό δείχνει αυτή την αλαζονική αδιαλλαξία. Και πράγματι σ’ αυτή τη φάση συμπορεύονται με την πολιτική που εκθέσαμε. Όμως τι θα κάνουν όταν θα ξεκινήσει η επόμενη φάση, της φιλοαλβανικής τακτικής, οπότε το κρατίδιό τους θα κοπεί στη μέση; Γιατί θα πρέπει να γνωρίζουν τόσο αυτοί όσο και οι ΗΠΑ ότι μπορούν να αυτοαποκαλούνται Μακεδόνες, όμως φυλετικά είναι Σλαύοι και ως εκ τούτου κατατάσσονται ουσιαστικά στην χορεία των εχθρών των ΗΠΑ μαζί με τη Ρωσία, την Σερβία αλλά και την Βουλγαρία, που κι αυτή δεν πρέπει να έχει αυταπάτες.
Έτσι, γυρίζοντας σε μας τους Έλληνες, θα πρέπει να δούμε ότι η κατάσταση όπως εξελίσσεται, είναι παραπάνω από τραγική. Δεδομένου ότι οι Αμερικανοί δεν πείθονται πια από όσες υποκλίσεις κι αν κάνουν απέναντί τους οι ποικιλόμορφες αμερικανόφιλες ηγεσίες. Κι αυτό γιατί φοβούνται και μισούν τον λαό μας, για τον οποίο είναι βέβαιοι ότι στη μεγάλη του πλειοψηφία απορρίπει τα φιλοπόλεμα σχέδιά τους. Και γι’ αυτό θέλει να μας τιμωρήσει με κάθε τρόπο. Εκτός κι αν αποφασίσουμε όλοι μαζί να γονατίσουμε και να φιλήσουμε τα πόδια τους κάνοντας όρκους ότι από δω και στο εξής θα είμαστε καλά παιδιά και πειθήνια όργανα στην όποια πολιτική τους.
Όμως αφού το παιχνίδι είναι έτσι κι αλλοιώς για μας χαμένο, τότε ας πέσουμε με το κεφάλι ψηλά. Ας μην περιμένουμε βοήθεια από πουθενά. Ούτε έχουμε συμμάχους. Είμαστε εμείς κι εμείς. Ας φροντίσουμε λοιπόν να είμαστε τουλάχιστον ωραίοι, περήφανοι και -γιατί όχι- χαρούμενοι, αφού θα έχουμε πάρει την μεγάλη απόφαση, να γίνουμε όλοι μαζί μια γροθιά, ενωμένοι μπροστά στην προδοσία και την ασχήμια που χτυπάει την πόρτα μας.
Γιατί είναι προδοσία η αναγνώριση του Κοσσόβου χωρίς την έγκριση της διεθνούς κοινότητας, του ΟΗΕ. Δηλαδή μιας επαρχίας που από αιώνες αποτελεί τμήμα της Σερβίας. Και τι θα νοιώθαμε εμείς αν μεθαύριο μας έπαιρναν με το έτσι θέλω τη μισή Κύπρο, τη Θράκη ή την Ήπειρο;
Όπως είναι ασχημία να ανεχόμαστε να μας περιφρονούν και να μας βρίζουν -οχυρωμένοι κάτω από τα σκέλια των Αμερικανών- οι Σκοπιανοί και μεις να τους παρακαλάμε και να ζητάμε τη μεσολάβηση των Αμερικανών χάνοντας κάθε μέρα και πιο πολύ την αξιοπρέπεια και την υπερηφάνεια μας. Ας κλείσουμε λοιπόν τα σύνορα κι ας σταματήσουμε τις διπλωματικές και οικονομικές μας σχέσεις κι ας τους αφήσουμε να αυτοαποκαλούνται όπως θέλουν κοροϊδεύοντας τους εαυτούς τους.
Οφείλουμε να περάσουμε κι αυτή τη νέα δοκιμασία με το κεφάλι ψηλά.

Μπορεί να υποφέρουμε, όμως το ζητούμενο για μας είναι να παραμείνουμε Έλληνες. Και θα παραμείνουμε Έλληνες.

Ας μην ξεχνάμε από πόσες και ποιες σκληρές δοκιμασίες περάσαμε ως τώρα, όμως πάντοτε στο τέλος βγήκαμε νικητές. Το ίδιο θα συμβεί και στο μέλλον.






Μίκης Θεοδωράκης



Αθήνα, 23.2.2008

Σχετικά: 1) http://diaspora-grecque.com/modules/altern8news/article.php?storyid=1038


2) http://www.enet.gr/online/online_text/c=110,id=71864632

3)http://ange-ta.blogspot.com/2008/02/blog-post_27.html

The Green Grocer

Green Grocer Chicago is an intimate, neighborhood market that features organically grown, locally produced food products and specialty items. It is the place where you can pop in to pick up your essential grocery items, your lunch to-go, the ingredients for a fresh and delicious dinner or a gift for a friend who loves unique and hard-to-find food items! You will find the best service in town along with products that conform to the highest standards of quality! -- Green Grocer Website

Tonight I hosted an event at the Green Grocer Chicago store where we were provided with a personal tour, a presentation/talk on organic foods & their benefits to your diet and some light snacks & drinks. Here are pics from the event:

Farmer's Market and what I am going to make!

Turnips, onions, savoy spinach, purple cauliflower, red swiss chard, leeks, arugula, baby asian spinach, potatoes, shitake mushrooms, and from the U-Pick I got carombola fruit, tomatoes, strawberries and Italian fresh garlic!!!

I had a great time at Worden's Farm Farmer's Market. I went with a friend and that always makes it so much more enjoyable!!! It sure does seem like a ton of food but it all gets eaten by next Wednesday so I can start all over a again!

I am going to finally get my entry to the Royal Foodie Joust today. Heather from Gild the Voodoolily choose the ingredients this month as Pork, Pink Peppercorns and Citrus. Your killing me Heather...it took all month and a flukey trip to the grocery store to come up with this one. Usually I just try to make everything into a brownie but this time it was impossible!!!

As Always...

Happy Entertaining!!!

Judy
www.nofearentertaining.com

Where's Conor? Where Did Conor Go?
























































Conor has autism disorder.

He also has his own lively personality quite separate and apart from his autism. He is much more as a person than his autism. He is a lot of fun. While these pictures were being taken I was asking "Where's Conor?" "Where did Conor go?" (When my mouth wasn't covered).

Conor enjoyed every second of our fun. And so did Dad.

Off to the farmer's market and a meme!

It is freezing here! Yesterday I swear to you that it was 85 and we were all in shorts and tee's. Last night I left the house all open. The french doors in my bedroom leading to the pool deck were open and then came the wind. It is 52 outside right now and the winds is at about 25-30 mph. That was blowing into my bedroom ALL NIGHT LONG!!!! It was so windy the covers kept blowing up over my head...I know, why didn't I close the doors? I was trying to sleep and was getting mad at being woken up over and over again! I know the logic of a woman!!!

Anyway I have been tagged to do a meme! Susan at Sticky, Gooey, Creamy, Chewy and somebody else but for the life of me cannot remember who (please email me or leave a comment if it was you!!!)

The rules for the meme are as follows:

1. Link to your tagger and post these rules.

2. Share 5 facts about yourself.

3. Tag 5 people at the end of your post, and list their names- linking to them. (I will not be doing this...I think that all of us food bloggers have had to write about enough things other than food...sorry if I seem like a spoil sport but I barely have time to cook, bake, eat, take pictures and blog and I am sure that there are others who feel the same!)

4. Let them know they've been tagged by leaving a comment at their blogs.

5 things about me:

1. I once ran away from home when I was 16...spent the night trying to hide out in a park, slept in an apartment stairwell and realized that the life I ran away from was not nearly as bad as it seemed the day before!!! lol

2. Used to suffer from Hyperhidrosis but found a product called drysol which has cured me!

3. Was diagnosed with ADD as a child but my Mom stuck it out and never medicated me (thanks Mom!).

4. This is my second marriage. First one lasted for a very, very, very short time (felt like forever).

5. I have been married for almost 12 years (together for 4 before that) to my very best friend! It even sucks when we fight because I can't go bitching to my BF because it is him!

This was fun and thanks to Susan and whoever the other one was!!!

Check later for my fresh market pictures!!! Wednesday...the best day of the week!

As Always...

Happy Entertaining!!!

Judy
www.nofearentertaining.com

FEAT-BC “Campaign Kick-off Rally”: Sunday, March 2, 2008


FEAT-BC “Campaign Kick-off Rally”: Sunday, March 2, 2008

Vancouver, BC: - FEAT-BC [Families for Early Autism Treatment in BC] today announced it will be holding a “campaign kick-off rally” on Sunday, March 2, 2008, beginning at 2:00pm, at the Jack Shadbolt Centre for the Arts, 6450 Deer Lake Avenue, Burnaby. This rally launches the FEAT-BC goes coastal campaign, aimed at influencing the electoral outcome in more than a dozen targeted constituencies across Canada in the upcoming federal general election.

“ In its Auton decision, the Supreme Court of Canada told parents of autistic children to ‘get political’ if they wanted to see their children no longer be orphans of the Medicare system,”states Jean Lewis, a founding director of FEAT-BC. “Well, we’re taking the judiciary at their word and launching a nation-wide campaign to elect MPs, regardless of which political party holds office following the next election, who will vote for legislation that enshrines the treatment of autism under Medicare because it is the morally and economically correct thing to do.”

The rally is intended to attract parents of autistic children and their supporters from across Metro Vancouver. Its aim is to ignite a grassroots campaign that will help elect candidates for Parliament who will support Medicare for Autism Now!

“As a Canadian who does not have an autistic child, but who believes strongly in the fundamental values of this country, I am disgusted by the federal government’s willful indifference to the plight of these children and their families,” says Scott Hean, who will be master of ceremonies at the rally.

-30-

For further information, contact: Jean Lewis at 604-925-4401 or 604-290-5737, and jean.lewis@telus.net.

Autism Disorder Versus Asperger's Syndrome


The Autism Society of America has published a good overview of Autism Disorder and Asperger's Syndrome on TylerPaper.com. The article contains a basic description of both Autism Disorder and Asperger's Syndrome and helps distinguish between the two similar but distinct disorders:

What distinguishes Asperger's Syndrome from autism is the severity of the symptoms and the absence of language delays. To the untrained observer, a child with Asperger's may seem just like a normal child behaving differently. They may be socially awkward, not understanding of conventional social rules, or show a lack of empathy. They may make limited eye contact, seem to be unengaged in a conversation, and not understand the use of gestures.

One of the major differences between Asperger's Syndrome and autism is that, by definition, there is no speech delay in Asperger's. In fact, children with Asperger's frequently have good language skills; they simply use language in different ways. Speech patterns may be unusual, lack inflection, or have a rhythmic nature or it may be formal, but too loud or high pitched. Children with Asperger's may not understand the subtleties of language, such as irony and humor, or they may not recognize the give-and-take nature of a conversation.

Another distinction between Asperger's Syndrome and autism concerns cognitive ability. While some individuals with autism experience mental retardation, by definition a person with Asperger's cannot possess a "clinically significant" cognitive delay, and most possess average to above-average intelligence.

Κάτι μαγειρεύουν;;



ΑΠΟΚΡΙΑΤΙΚΗ ΓΙΟΡΤΗ

ΚΥΡΙΑΚΗ 2 ΜΑΡΤΙΟΥ

11,30 π.μ.-2,30 μμ στον προαύλιο χώρο του σχολείου.
Κάλεσμα προς τους γονείς δασκάλους και παιδιά .
Θα φάμε παραδοσιακά σπιτικά φαγητά από όλους τους γονείς με βάσει την υγιεινή διαιτητική διατροφή! Τα φαγητά είναι εθελοντική μερακλοδουλειά ΟΛΩΝ μας (ρεφενέ). Παράκληση σε όλους, φέρτε και σείς τη σπεσιαλιτέ σας, να γιορτάσουμε παρέα.
Στην αρχή της γιορτής η
Αγνή Στρουμπούλη θα αφηγηθεί ελληνικά λαϊκά παραμύθια για μικρούς και μεγάλους.
Ακολουθεί μουσική, χορός και παιγνίδι με το καθιερωμένο αποκριάτικο τραπέζι.
Θα υπάρχει και λαχειοφόρος αγορά με πλούσια δώρα για την ενίσχυση του συλλόγου.
Σας ευχαριστούμε εκ των προτέρων για τη συμμετοχή και την πολύτιμη βοήθειά σας

ΥΓ. Η παράσταση με τα παραμύθια δεν απευθύνεται σε παιδιά νηπιακής ηλικίας.

ΣΥΛΛΟΓΟΣ ΓΟΝΕΩΝ κ ΚΗΔΕΜΟΝΩΝ

Midweek Meme...

Here's a midweek tidbit.. a little meme, thanks to Danielle from Make No Little Meals. Thanks Danielle for tagging me! Here are my responses... and read on to see who I've tagged next:

What were you doing 10 years ago?
I was a fulltime college student, working full time as a retail supervisor for Brooks Brothers.

What were you doing 1 year ago?
Let's see, last year I was just getting settled into my blog and contemplating starting my foodie social group, What's Cookin' Chicago.

Five snacks you enjoy
1--Artisnal cheeses, especially Humboldt Fog goat cheese
2--Water & butter crackers
3--Sopressata & salame
4--Fresh fruit
5--Lindt & Vosges chocolate

5 Things I would do if I was a millionaire
1--Go to culinary school
2--Invest in a storefront/commercial & professional kitchen space
3--Travel to various food-centric cities to explore
4--Start my own business focused on food & entertaining
5--Upgrade my kitchen

5 Bad Habits
1--I'm a clean/neat freak
2--I'm anal & stubborn about how things are done (especially in my kitchen/home)
3--I'm too detailed & organized to a fault.
4--I'm very social & a planner to a fault.
5--I can be a control freak.

5 things you would never wear again
1--Perm... too many bad memories!
2--Tapered jeans, aka "ankle chokers"
3--Payless shoes
4--Blush (I prefer bronzer)
5--Neon anything

5 Favourite (kitchen) Toys
1--Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer
2--Microwaveable Rice Cooker
3--Stoneware Bar Pans
4--Le Creuset dutch oven
5--Tongs

Here are some fellow food bloggers I've chosen to tag...
-- Anne of Anne's Food
-- Kim of The Yummy Mummy
-- Lynn of Cookie Baker Lynn
-- Kate of Kate F, Girl Reporter
-- Kelly of Kelly the Culinarian

Things seem normal again!

My Slice of Eggplant Parm!

After a couple of very long days of chaos it is so nice to have things back to normal (at least what seems normal to me anyway). Last night for dinner T. decided to cook and he made us his super special Eggplant Parmesan! He only made a half of this recipe because I had only bought one eggplant.My new Euro Cuisine Yogurt Maker!

I mentioned yesterday that I had just gotten a Euro Cuisine Yogurt Maker. I have made 4 batches of it already and was about to throw it into the pool because everything was just turning out not firm enough!!! The first one was my fault. I decided I was going to cheat and not cook the milk...the next time I cooked the milk and the third time I cooked the milk and let it incubate longer!!! And the texture still wasn't right!Ignore the orange color but see what I mean about the texture!

Last night I decided to give it one last attempt before it was pool bound and it seems to have redeemed itself. I had made all of the other batches using goat milk and I only had enough for a batch of pudding and a cake I want to make today so I used 1% Organic Cow Milk. I don't know if this made the difference but I am going to try to get some more goat milk and try this again. This time I flavored the yogurt with some fresh fruit and sugar. I made this over night so it still wasn't ready for the girls to eat this morning but I bet they will like it for an afternoon snack!!!
Happy, firm berry yogurt!

I have also been tagged several times for meme's. Right now I don't have the time but I will get to them when I can. Thanks so much for tagging me! I am struggling with my Daring Baker's Challenge (time wise) for this month and then I need to find time to do the Royal Foodie Joust! I promise I will get to it when I can but for some reason I have lost the whole month of February!!!

As Always...

Happy Entertaining!!!

Judy
www.nofearentertaining.com

Charles LeBlanc's Other Blog



Fans of Charles LeBlanc's blog site "Charles LeBlanc Political ADHD Activist" have been surprised to see a blank white page where Charles' blog used to be located.

Blogger has been having problems for the past 24 hours but Charles speculates that there may be more to it in the case of his blog site. Time will tell.

In the meantime anyone wanting to see Charles' pics, and read what he and his guests have to say, can still do so at Charles LeBlancs Other Blog.

Autism Likely Caused By Interplay of Immune, Genetic and Environmental factors


Following is the link to an abstract of an article, Antibodies against fetal brain in sera of mothers with autistic children, published in the February issue of the Journal of Neuroimmunology
and the media release translating it into ordinary language for us mortals which implicates the mother's immune system as a possible contributing factor in causing autism.

Lead investigator Harvey Singer, M.D., director of pediatric neurology at John Hopkins Children's Center, stresses that autism is a complex condition caused by an interplay of immune, genetics and environmental factors. Further studies are needed to confirm that particular antibodies do indeed cross the placenta and cause damage to the fetal brain.

Autism's Origins: Mother's Antibody Production May Affect Fetal Brain BALTIMORE, Feb. 25


(AScribe Newswire) -- The mothers of some autistic children may have made antibodies against their fetuses' brain tissue during pregnancy that crossed the placenta and caused changes that led to autism, suggests research led by Johns Hopkins Children's Center investigators and published in the February issue of the Journal of Neuroimmunology.

The causes of autism, a disorder manifesting itself with a range of brain problems and marked by impaired social interactions, communication disorders and repetitive behaviors, remain unknown for an estimated 90 percent of children diagnosed with it. Genetic, metabolic and environmental factors have been implicated in various studies of autism, a disorder affecting 1 in 150 U.S. children, according to estimates by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"Now our research suggests that the mother's immune system may be yet another factor or a trigger in those already predisposed," says lead investigator Harvey Singer, M.D., director of pediatric neurology at Hopkins Children's.

Researchers caution that the findings needn't be cause for alarm, but should be viewed instead as a step forward in untangling the complex nature of autism.

Mostly anecdotal past evidence of immune system involvement has emerged from unusual antibody levels in some autistic children and from postmortem brain tissue studies showing immune abnormalities in areas of the brain. Antibodies are proteins the body makes in response to viruses and bacteria or sometimes mistakenly against its own tissues. Yet, the majority of children with autism have no clinical evidence of autoimmune diseases, which prompted researchers to wonder whether the antibodies transferred from mother to child during pregnancy could interfere with the fetal brain directly.

To test their hypothesis, the research team used a technique called immunoblotting (or Western blot technology), in which antibodies derived from blood samples are exposed to adult and fetal brain tissue to check whether the antibodies recognize and react against specific brain proteins.

Comparing the antibody-brain interaction in samples obtained from 100 mothers of autistic children and 100 mothers of children without autism, researchers found either stronger reactivity or more areas of reactivity between antibodies and brain proteins in about 40 percent of the samples obtained from the mothers of autistic children. Further, the presence of maternal antibodies was associated with so-called developmental regression in children, increasingly immature behaviors that are a hallmark of autism.

While the findings suggest an association between autism and the presence of fetal brain antibodies, the investigators say further studies are needed to confirm that particular antibodies do indeed cross the placenta and cause damage to the fetal brain.

"The mere fact that a pregnant woman has antibodies against the fetal brain doesn't mean she will have an autistic child," Singer says. "Autism is a complex condition and one that is likely caused by the interplay of immune, genetic and environmental factors."

Researchers are also studying the effect of maternal antibodies in pregnant mice. Preliminary results show that the offspring of mice injected with brain antibodies exhibit developmental and social behaviors consistent with autism.

Senior author on the study: Andrew W. Zimmerman, M.D., of the Center for Autism and Related Disorders at the Kennedy Krieger Institute.

Co-authors: Christina Morris and Colin Gause, both of Hopkins; Pam Gillin of the Kennedy Krieger Institute; and Stephen Crawford, Ph.D., Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. The study was funded by the Alliance for Autism Research.

- - - -

CONTACT: Ekaterina Pesheva, Johns Hopkins Children's Center, 410-516-4996, pager 410-283-1966, epeshev1@jhmi.edu

Autism Treatment Quotes 2007-2008

"If we had done what so many people told us to do years ago, we wouldn't have the child we have today. We would have written her off. Then what would she be today?

We never would have seen she could write these things. Can you imagine? We would have never have gotten out of her how articulate she is how intelligent she is. Now, she tells us stories, she teases her brother. She just does it in a different way, she does it with her computer."

Arthur Fleishmann, Carly's Dad, discussing his, and his wife Tammy's, decision to provide Carly with early intensive ABA treatment, CTV, February 17, 2008

The effectiveness of ABA-based intervention in ASDs has been well documented through 5 decades of research by using single-subject methodology21,25,27,28 and in controlled studies of comprehensive early intensive behavioral intervention programs in university and community settings.29–40 Children who receive early intensive behavioral treatment have been shown to make substantial, sustained gains in IQ, language, academic performance, and adaptive behavior as well as some measures of social behavior, and their outcomes have been significantly better than those of children in control groups.31–40

American Academy of Pediatrics, Management of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders, October 29, 2007

One very messed up day...

Sometimes s*** just happens.

Yesterday we had pretty much decided that we were just going to spend the day hanging around the house. We had a bunch of things that had been sorely neglected in the past few weeks - yard work, getting stuff picked up and just general everyday home things that are so easy to overlook and ignore! I got a bunch of cooking and baking done - bread for the girls lunches for the week, soup stock was on the stove bubbly away just waiting until dinner, one really failed batch of goat milk yogurt in my new yogurt maker and another one started, Banana-Chocolate Chip Squares (King Arthur Flour-Whole Grain Baking cookbook). Then it all started to go a little crazy.

The girls were outside playing and they had the Golden Retriever outside running around with them. Now these girls play really rough with this dog and we have warned them over and over that somebody was going to get hurt one of these days. Yesterday was the day! I was about to get into the shower and I could hear what they were doing...a lot of screaming, running, and yelling. The kids and dog both think that this is fairly harmless. But it was starting to sound a little out of control. So there I was with the shower ready nothing on but a tank top as I was about to get in and I thought that I should just tell them to settle it down a bit. Well that's when I saw it happen...my oldest daughter flying down the slide of the play set with the 85 lb Golden Retriever flying through the air and landing on her just as she hit the ground head first!!! For the first little bit I just kept and eye on her, got ice for the headache that she had (yup imagine that!). I went and finished my shower. I came back out to check on her and she was sleeping with a freezing cold ice pack on her head...this is when I started to get a little worried! We are not alarmist when it comes to the kids and we can ignore a ton of things without guilt but heads are another story.

I called T. and got him to come home (he was out at an impromptu meeting). I was able to wake her back up but at this point I wanted her looked at. Her face had started to swell a little too. So when T. got home off we all went to the ER. We got there and it was so disgusting! The whole place smelt like vomit and some people had already been waiting in there since 9 AM...at this point it was about 2:30 PM. We decided to take her outside and see if this was all really necessary (All I could think was that by us being in there we would catch something horrible and end up there again!!!!) We gave her some juice to drink and asked the triage people what we needed to check for. After going through the check list we decided that we really did not want to be there. We got her home and she seemed to perk up quite a bit. It think we made the right decision! She slept fine and she was okay this morning except for some achy body parts (no surprise there). Whew - It took me well over a bottle of wine to make me fine after that!!!!

Any way, the soup was still on the stove so we knew what was for dinner and you have seen enough of my soups to know what they look like and it was really to chaotic here to try and take pictures (also had a friend over for a quick meal with us-yep someone will actually voluntarily come and eat with us!). When she called and I invited her I was just making the biscuits. I had decided to try a new recipe also from the King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking Cookbook.

Parmesan-Pine Nut Biscuits

Makes twelve to fourteen 2-inch biscuits

These are made with white whole-wheat flour, which has a milder flavor than its tan cousin. The biscuits would go nicely with smoked turkey or a creamy chowder. Adapted from "King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking" (Countryman Press, 2006).

2 cups (8 ounces) white whole-wheat flour (I only had regular whole wheat-white may have made them lighter)

1/2 cup (2 1/8 ounces) bread flour

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

4 ounces (1 stick) cold unsalted butter

1 cup (3 1/2 ounces) freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for the tops (topping optional)

1 cup (about 5 ounces) pine nuts

1 tablespoon finely chopped rosemary (optional) (did not use T. doesn't like it)

1 large egg

1 cup (8 ounces) buttermilk, plus more for brushing the biscuit tops

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease a large baking sheet or line it with parchment paper.

Combine the flours, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large mixing bowl. Using a fork, two knives, a pastry cutter or a food processor, combine the butter with the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse bread crumbs. Add the cup of Parmesan cheese, pine nuts and rosemary, if desired.

In a small bowl or large measuring cup, whisk together the egg and buttermilk. Add to the flour mixture, blending lightly and quickly with a fork until the mixture is evenly moistened. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and, using a bench knife or dough scraper, fold the dough over on itself 3 or 4 times until it comes together. Pat or lightly roll out the dough until it is 3/4 inch thick. Cut the dough into squares or 2-inch rounds and transfer the biscuits to the prepared baking sheet. Stack the scraps on top of each other, fold them as you did for the original dough and pat out and cut again to form the rest of the biscuits. Brush the tops with buttermilk and sprinkle with more cheese, if desired. Bake for 20 to 22 minutes, until the tops are golden brown. Serve warm, or transfer to a wire rack to cool; store in an airtight container for up to 2 days.

All in all it was a good day and thankfully my oldest daughter was not really hurt!

As Always...

Happy Entertaining!!!

Judy
www.nofearentertaining.com

Autism In Tasmania - Autistic School Children Are Being Denied ABA


Autism activists in the Australia island state of Tasmania, Action for Tasmania's Autistic Children, are angry over the failure by the Department of Education to provide applied behavior analysis for autistic school children in Tasmania. As reported by ABC Tasmania, and in the ATAC Media Release of February 24, 2008, the group's secretary, Roger Law, claims that some aides for autistic children are being taken away and the department is avoiding providing ABA for the children:

""The only effective treatment for autism is applied behavioural analysis and very intensive, and because it's costly the schools have avoided it"

It seems that, no matter the jurisdiction, professional "educators" simply will not acknowledge that many autistic children need Applied Behavior Analysis to learn and develop. I would not be surprised if the Tasmanian "educators" trot out the old "one side does not fit all" cliché to justify their failure.

Bountiful Brownies & Blondies

In honor of February being the chocolate filled month, my friends & I got together to swap brownies & blondies! The premise is the same as traditional holiday cookie swap. Everyone comes with a large batch of brownies or blondies, sharing them with each other and we all leave with one brownie/blondie of each kind. These are great to share with family, friends, coworkers, etc.
Here are pics of what I served to snack on before swapping:
Spinach Dip w/Toasted Brioche
Black Forest Ham, Scallion & Goat Cheese Pizza

Here are pics and some of the recipes of the brownies & blondies that were brought to the swap:

Cream Cheese Brownies
from How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman

Peanut Butter Blondies
adapted from Smitten Kitten & Mark Bittman
(I doubled this recipe and baked it in a 9x13 pan.)

White Chocolate Brownies
w/Dark Chocolate Chunks

Peppermint Patty Brownies

S'mores Brownies

Thai Tea Brownies
adapted by
Nestle

(not pictured)

Orange Cream Cheese Blondies


Samoa Brownies
Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Brownies
Milk Chocolate Chip Blondies

Frangelico Hazelnut Brownies

Walnut Blondies

Chocolate Covered Raisin Brownies

Labels

أحدث المواضيع

 
Support : Creating Website | Johny Template | Mas Template
Copyright © 2013. Entries General - All Rights Reserved
Template Created by Creating Website Published by Mas Template
Proudly powered by Blogger