It’s Official: Apple sets iPad 3 launch event for March 7

As expected, Apple today issued invitations to the media for an event next Wednesday, March 7, where it’s expected to launch the next iPad.

The background shows part of an iPad screen, with a finger poised over the Calendar app, which is set to March 7. Most experts believe the iPad 3 will feature a higher-resolution screen, a faster processor — perhaps Apple’s first quad-core — and more internal memory

The event is being held at the Yerba Buena Center for Arts in San Francisco at 10AM PST on March 7, 2012.

With all the rumors and speculations, now it will be revealed what will the new iPad can offer.

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Cheese Arepas

 

Gluten free friends, take note! I have grown to love Latin cuisines much more than ever since I've been living gluten free. Who knew that Latin cuisines were so gluten free friendly? These Cheese Arepas are a perfect example in which you can enjoy something that seems gluten laden, but not. Slightly crisp on the outside yet soft and tender on the inside, these little pancakes of cheesy goodness are quite a treat whether you're gluten free or not. These were one of my favorite dishes I prepared for my Brazilian Carnival Dinner and I'm already coming up with other variations to the delicious arepas to make very soon...

Arepas are technically Latin style pancakes that can be made either sweet or savory. Most of the time, they're savory and can incorporate different flavors and ingredients. The most common are cheese arepas but you can make them filled with herbs, vegetables and even meats like chorizo or chicharrones (pork rinds). I've made a few kinds of arepa recipes the past few months but this definitely is one of my favorites and its so easy too. The only unique ingredient in the recipe is the arepa flour, which is precooked cornmeal. I purchased this at local Latin markets but you should be able to find it in the Latin aisle of most grocery stores. (I recommend the Goya or Pan brands.) They're delicious on their own as a snack, as a side dish (in place of bread or a starch), or even as a meal when used as a base for an open faced sandwich or pizza. Have fun with arepas... it's a dish everyone should try at least once!

Cheese Arepas
recipe from Epicurious

2 1/2 cups milk - I used whole milk
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 1/2 cups white or yellow arepa flour (precooked cornmeal) - I used yellow
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 cup grated mozzarella
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Bring milk to a simmer in a small saucepan, then remove from heat and stir in butter.

Combine arepa flour, salt, sugar, and mozzarella in a large bowl. Add hot milk and stir until combined.

Let mixture stand until milk is absorbed enough for a soft dough to form, 1 to 2 minutes (dough will continue to stiffen).

Form dough into 12 balls (about 2 inches in diameter) and flatten between palms into 3 1/2- to 4-inch patties (about 1/3 inch thick).

Heat ‚ tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over moderately low heat until hot, then cook 3 or 4 arepas until cooked through and golden in patches, 6 to 8 minutes on each side. Make more arepas in same manner, adding oil as needed.

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Windows 8 Consumer Preview now Available for Download

It's Windows reimagined and reinvented from a solid core of Windows 7 speed and reliability. It's an all-new touch interface. It's a new Windows for new devices. And it's your chance to be one of the first to try it out.


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Autism, Intellectual Disability & Environment: Children of Immigrants in Sweden At Greater Risk of Developing Autism with Intellectual Disability

Swedish Flag by Matti Mattila 

A major Swedish study offers uncomfortable news to the DSM-5 team trying to pretend there is no relationship between autism and the intellectual disability which affects the vast majority of those with classic Autistic Disorder. It will also be disconcerting  to those who devoutly believe that autism is 100% genetic. The study finds that children born of immigrants to Sweden had an increased risk of developing autism with intellectual disability. The study authors also conclude that autism is governed by environmental as well as genetic factors:

A major register study from the Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet shows that children born to certain groups of immigrants in Sweden had an increased risk of developing autism with intellectual disability. The study includes all children in Stockholm County from 2001 to 2007, and brings the question of the heredity of autism to the fore.

"This is an intriguing discovery, in which we can see strong links between a certain kind of autism and the time of the mother's immigration to Sweden," says principal investigator Cecilia Magnusson, Associate Professor of epidemiology at Karolinska Institutet. "The study is important, as it shows that autism isn't governed only by genetic causes but by environmental factors too."

The study, which is published in the scientific periodical The British Journal of Psychiatry shows that children of immigrant parents, particularly from countries of low human development, are disproportionately likely to develop autism with intellectual disability, a connection that appears to be related to the timing of migration rather than complications in childbirth. Children, whose mothers migrated just before or during pregnancy, ran the highest risk of all.

"At this juncture we can but speculate about the causes, but our assumption is that environmental factors impacting on the developing fetus, such as stress, new dietary habits or infections, could lead to the development of autism with intellectual disability," says Dr Magnusson.

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Shrimp & Mango Salad

With Lent in full swing, it's a great time to play with seafood recipes. For my Brazilian Carnival Dinner, I wanted to include a seafood dish and this Shrimp & Mango Salad fit the bill. I originally had planned to do a shrimp ceviche but needed a salad for my menu. This colorful and flavorful dish brings a bit of tropical sunshine to the table, which is a great escape from the cold winter of Chicago!...

I loved how bright this dish was in both flavor and presentation. I used a salad recipe from Epicurious and combined that with a shrimp marinade from Bobby Flay. Together, it made for a wonderful and refreshing dish. If you want a little more kick of heat, add a chopped serrano in place of the jalapeno pepper!

Shrimp & Mango Salad
recipe adapted from Epicurious

marinade adapted from Bobby Flay

Marinade:3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 jalapeno chile, minced
Salt
1/4 cup orange juice
juice of 1 lime
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound raw, tail on shrimp (31-40 size)

Salad:
3 large mangoes, peeled and cut into chunks
3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
1/2 jalapeño pepper, seeded and chopped (optional)
Juice of 2 large limes
Salt to taste


Combine all the marinade ingredients in a bowl with the shrimp and toss to coat.

Saute the shrimp in a skillet with 1 tablespoon of oil and cook until opaque. Remove from pan and transfer to a plate to cool.

Meanwhile, place all the remaining salad ingredients but the salt in a large bowl. Stir to combine. Season with the salt and serve.

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CHOCOLATE CHIP PECAN BUTTER HORNS

RUNNING ON EMPTY

I used to be funny, and perhaps I’m not anymore. It may be that I have become rather grumpy because I’ve seen so many things that have offended me that I cannot deal with in terms of laughter.
- Kurt Vonnegut

My mind is a blank. Empty of thoughts, void of ideas. As he stomps around the house, pacing circles around my desk, ranting about his overload of work and too many projects sending his mind shooting in a thousand different directions at once, I sit and stare up at him, absolutely silent. Blank. Empty of thoughts, void of ideas. He raves about the impossibility of working correctly or efficiently, how his mind is pulled in too many directions at once, yet he then dashes back to work and I hear furious typing, occasionally interjected with mild cursing and the smack of an open palm brought down sharply upon the flat of the tabletop. Up and out he pops again, smile splashed across his face as he shouts Success! one more time; his dissatisfaction and anger leashed and channeled into positive energy. I stare at him and offer him a smile, truly happy for his accomplishments, yet I sit here quietly and feel woefully inadequate and lost.

A mind jumping with imagination and bright with creativity was my lot in life. Stories tumbled from my fingertips as they danced across the keyboard. A lifetime of reading, a childhood filled with little more than books, filled my head with bright words and colorful language, moving images, a jumble of characters. I possessed the capacity to travel through time and space, dazzling myself with my ingenuity, often spending hours sitting and chuckling at my own cleverness or sighing as I etched out some perfect romance. Frustration, I knew, was all part of the game; writing, as with any craft, was often laborious, taking more than a fair share of effort and energy to find the inspiration, massage and manipulate it, squeeze and stroke, pull it apart and push it back together again until one finds the perfect form and shape to express one’s desires, to tell the perfect story. Yet, this blankness spreads and fills my days; something has come and stopped it all cold and turned my light and colors dark.

An idea, like a ghost, must be spoken to a little before it will explain itself.
- Charles Dickens

Ideas flit through my brain; I grab at them like so many butterflies yet they slip through my fingers and flutter away. My hands, holding little more than dust and air, fall dull and lifeless to my sides as my eyes search in vain for more pretty, ethereal beasts, waiting impatiently for them to cross, within easy reach, in front of me. Ever-elusive thoughts, fleeting fancies, musings hazy and without form dash and dance before closed eyes, laughing and mocking me. I stand here in my misfortune and attempt, alas, in vain, to find the words to play upon this predicament, my frustration. A writer writes, always, as the saying goes, and I begin to wonder how much faith I should put into these words. Do we simply set ourselves up for failure or is this in truth a sign that I am neither looking in the right direction nor reaching far enough. Just moving aimlessly around my own dilemma as if avoiding eye contact when in reality, if I had the gumption, I should turn and face it front on, grab it by the lapels and shake it silly.

Many friends who know me well have attempted to convince me that limiting myself to food, defining myself as a food blogger is too restraining, boxing me in and limiting my creativity and writing. I have long wondered if a total renovation isn’t called for. Life is, after all, a feast, and I may have to admit that it may just not all be about the food. Yet food defines me – us – in so many ways. We teach and inform, share and pass on our cultures, languages, religions, our heritage through what we cook, serve and eat. Food brings us together as few things can, giving us a reason and a topic around which we form a conversation. Boeuf à la Communication? I do find myself more and more wandering off into untraveled territory, roaming the countryside, so to speak, and chewing on topics that have little to do with food. Yet where would I fit in? Who would come and visit? And would anyone respond, sharing their own tales and tribulations? I’ve asked this of you before, and take comfort in your response, your encouragement.

I have so many stories hidden inside of me, ripe for the telling. Secrets dark and private yearning to be written about. I long to bust the myths and fantasies that others perpetuate about life in this land of romance and lights, the day to day realities where men are not all seductive, women not all chic and slim and children far from well behaved. I make light of our private, personal situation, yet is it all fun and games? How does one go about a transformation and begin writing the dark side? Maybe I have already begun this metamorphosis, writing about husband and sons, the decisions we face, our growing list of projects, obligations and choices. Am I already there?

I am not at all in a humor for writing; I must write on till I am.
- Jane Austen in a letter to her sister Cassandra, October 26, 1813

Blasé. Grumpy. Cynical. I need to shake myself off, find my footing and begin moving forward. My men hover and revolve around me as if I am the sun, grab onto me as if I am their anchor. All four of us are now home together, each one of us starting new careers, new professions, new projects and new adventures, stepping on each other’s toes and demanding attention, and this certainly has the power to discombobulate and distract! Quite possibly, I spread my attention too willy-nilly, allow my commitments to wander wide and far, engrossed by two many projects and my family that my mind jumps back and forth at random. Yet shouldn’t this actually inspire and be a source of enthusiasm and stimulation? Maybe I need to throw myself wholeheartedly into what I have already begun, turn the short stories into a novel, bare my soul, share my secrets, unveil my desires. So where does this adventure start and how do I get there? Shall I clean the slate and begin anew?


My wonderful, talented, funny friend Lisa of Parsley, Sage, Desserts & Line Drives is hosting this month’s Bread Baking Day, a challenge created by Zorra of 1x Umruhren Bitten, that I have long participated in and loved. I promised that no matter what was going on in my life I would bake for her this month. BBD #47 is all about Bread & Chocolate (there is nothing better!); this was the perfect opportunity to turn to the pages of my own mother’s old Sisterhood of Temple Beth Shalom (Satellite Beach, Florida) cookbook Our Favorite Recipes (c. early to mid-1960’s) that I purloined from her kitchen cabinet. The paper is stained and torn, the cover faded, the plastic rings binding the pages together disintegrates into tiny pieces each time I pick it up. My funny mother who hated to cook was actually the Cookbook Committee Chairman, which I find absolutely comical! I find her own recipes throughout; many I remember, some are foreign, eliciting no memories.


This recipe for Butter Horns is not hers, but a creation of Marlene Keilsohn, who I do not remember. Butter Horns, which are actually in the shape of crescents (although they have the tendency to blow up like the Michelin Man), are light, delicately sweet, butter and egg-rich brioche yeast dough although very quick and easy to make. Once the dough rises overnight in the refrigerator, it is divided and shaped into crescents, rolled around a filling of cinnamon sugar, chocolate chips and chopped nuts – or really any sweet filling you please. Baked, these babies puff up and offer you a stunning brioche roll, absolutely delicious. And I share these scrumptious treats, perfect for both breakfast and snacktime, with Lisa for BBD #47!


I would also like to send these to my friend Susan of Wild Yeast, for Yeastspotting, her weekly event highlighting all things yeast!


BUTTER HORNS WITH CHOCOLATE CHIPS & PECANS
From Our Favorite Recipes of the Sisterhood of Temple Beth Shalom, Satellite Beach, Florida

Dough:

1 package (8 g) dry yeast
¾ cup (150 g) granulated white sugar
1 ¼ cups (300 ml) milk (I used 2% lowfat)
½ lb (225 g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
3 large eggs at room temperature
1 tsp salt
Grated zest of 1 small lemon
4 – 5 cups (560 – 700 g) flour + more for kneading

Filling:

A couple of tablespoons melted butter
¼ cup (50 g) granulated white or light brown sugar
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
½ cups or more mini chocolate chips or chopped chocolate
½ cup or more chopped pecans, walnuts or blanched almonds

Prepare the dough the day before:

Place the yeast with 1 tablespoon of the white sugar in a small bowl. Gently heat the milk until it is lukewarm or body temperature. Pour the warm milk over the yeast and sugar and allow to activate, about 15 to 20 minutes for active dry yeast, 20 to 30 minutes for traditional dry yeast; there should be a thick head of foam about an inch thick on the top and no more or very few grains of yeast left.

Cream the butter and the remaining white sugar together in a large mixing bowl. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating just to combine after each addition. Beat in the salt and the lemon zest. Add the activated yeast water and beat on low just to combine. Beat in 4 cups of the flour 1 cup at a time. Then beat in the remaining cup of flour a little at a time, adding just enough to form a sticky dough (I added the entire cup). Scrape the dough out of the bowl onto a floured surface – the dough will probably be sticky if not downright wet – and knead for a few minutes, adding flour as needed, until the dough is homogeneous, very soft, smooth and supple yet no longer sticky.

Place the dough in a large, greased or buttered mixing bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator overnight.


Prepare the Butter Horns:

The dough should have doubled in size overnight. Remove it from the refrigerator and allow it to come to room temperature (or mostly) – I took the bowl out when I finished breakfast and got to the Butter Horns once everyone had eaten, kitchen cleaned and I had washed and dressed! Perfect!

Scrape the dough out of the bowl and knead briefly. Cut the dough into 10 pieces (12 is fine and will simply make slightly small Horns). Roll each piece out on a lightly floured work surface to a round of about ¼-inch thick, about 7 inches in diameter. Lightly butter each round with the melted butter.

Stir the granulated light brown sugar together with the ground cinnamon. Sprinkle the buttered rounds of dough generously with cinnamon sugar then sprinkle with chocolate chips and chopped nuts. (Remember that the dough really puffs up, so add more chocolate chips than less or they may be lost in the dough once baked. I also left about a quarter-sized rough chip and nut free in the center and you will understand why once you begin rolling the crescents.)


Gently press the chocolate chips onto the surface of the dough with the side of your rolling pin using gentle pressure – this just keeps the chips and nuts in place when rolling them up. I also made the circle of dough a bit wider. Using a sharp knife, cut the rounds into quarters. Roll each quarter up tightly, starting with the wide towards the narrow end/point. Press the point onto the crescent to seal. Place each roll on a parchment-lined or greased baking tray, point side down, and shape into a crescent. Leave room between the crescents for rising and spreading.


Cover each baking sheet loosely with plastic wrap and let the crescents rise for 2 hours at room temperature until doubled in size.


Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).

Remove the plastic wrap and bake the Butter Horns for 15 to 20 minutes until evenly browned and nice, deep golden. Gently lift to make sure the underside has also browned.

First batch, less filling.

Second book more filling.

Remove from the oven and brush with more melted or soft butter while still hot, if desired (this gives them a nicer color).


Once cooled (or just warm) you can drizzle the Butter Horns with Powdered Sugar Glaze (1/2 cup powdered/confectioner’s sugar + about 2 teaspoons milk) if you like.

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A Real Hero: Australian Cameraman Glenn Edwards Dives Into Creek and Saves Autistic Boy

Autism news is seldom this good.  Australian Nine Network cameraman Glenn Edwards dived into a swollen creek and saved an autistic boy, missing for 16 hours, from a swollen Creek. The story at CabooltureNews  quotes Mr. Edwards extensively and is very uplifting.

Well done Mr. Edwards.  Very well done!

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Ο έχων καταθέσεις....σωθήτω;;

ΚΥΒΕΡΝΗΣΗ ΚΑΙ ΤΡΟΙΚΑ ΕΒΑΛΑΝ ΣΤΟ ΜΑΤΙ ΤΑ 172 ΔΙΣ. ΕΥΡΩ ΝΟΙΚΟΚΥΡΙΩΝ ΚΑΙ ΕΠΙΧΕΙΡΗΣΕΩΝ ΣΤΙΣ ΤΡΑΠΕΖΕΣ.

Το άρθρο έχει δημοσιευτεί στις 25-2-2012 από το Απεργιακό φύλλο εργαζόμενων της Ελευθεροτυπίας.

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Lisa Jo Rudy Does A Bettelheim, Demeans ABA Parents While Pushing Her New Autism Book

Lisa Jo Rudy and I seldom, if ever, agreed on autism issues while she was the host of the About Autism web page. Lisa Jo has a high functioning autistic son and leans towards a Neurodiversity perspective on most autistm issues while my son is severely autistic and I have NEVER been accused of buying into Neurodiversity ideology. I did, at one time,  actually praise Lisa Jo Rudy though for her courteous approach to me and others with whom she disagreed on autism issues:

"About.com Autism by Lisa Jo Rudy is a corporate blog written by a parent who shares a neurodiversity perspective but tries honestly to present all sides of autism issues objectively and with impeccable courtesy."

Now that Lisa is no longer the host of the About.com Autism page though she appears to be taking a new approach to discussing autism issues. She has done a  Full Bettleheim in order to promote her new book "Get Out, Explore, and Have Fun: How Families of Children With Autism or Asperger Syndrome Can Get the Most Out of Community Activities."

In promoting her new autism book Lisa Jo demeans parents who employ evidence based ABA therapy to help their autistic children by actually stating that their resort to ABA therapy for their children is more about dumping their kids with the therapists and freeing themselves up to go shopping than in helping their autistic children. In a Wicked Local Cape Cod article linked by Autism Speaks "In the News" section the following segment appears:

“Rudy said although the most common form of autism therapy is Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) she opted for another method.“The ABA recommendation is for 40 hours a week and it’s more about handing your child over to a therapist while you go to the grocery store,” she said. 

Rudy discovered the Greenspan Floortime Approach, developed by the late Stanley Greenspan, which focuses on parent and child interaction.”

Bettleheim's refrigerator mom's theory essentially blamed lack of parent child interaction for causing children to become autistic.  The theory was in fact a fantasy with no evidence in support but it was widely accepted by the psychiatric/psychological professionals for many years and caused great harm to both autistic children and their parents.  Although Bettleheim's fantasies have long been discredited it appears Lisa Jo is still reading his books when she suggests that parents seek ABA therapy not because it is the most evidence based effective intervention for autism but because, according to Lisa, it frees the parents up to go shopping.  Lisa of course prefers the 

Greenspan Floortime Approach because, according to her, it focuses on parent child interaction.

How Lisa Jo knows anything about ABA as someone who didn't "opt for" ABA for her child has always puzzled me.  What is most interesting though, apart from her new willingness to demean ABA oriented autism parents while promoting her book is her failure to mention the different evidence bases for the effectiveness of the two approaches as autism interventions.

Many credible authorities have recommended ABA as the most evidence based effective intervention for autistic children including the office of the US Surgeon General and the Association for Science in Autism Treatment.  The American Pediatric Association issued the following statements about ABA and Floortime therapies in December 2007 noting the abundant evidence over several decades in support of ABA as an autism intervention and the scarcity of quality evidence in support of Floortime and similar relationship/developmental models:

ABA

Applied behavior analysis (ABA) is the process of applying interventions that are based on the principles of learning derived from experimental psychology research to systematically change behavior and to demonstrate that the interventions used are responsible for the observable improvement in behavior. ABA methods are used to increase and maintain desirable adaptive behaviors, reduce interfering maladaptive behaviors or narrow the conditions under which they occur, teach new skills, and generalize behaviors to new environments or situations.

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.31–4

Floortime

"Relationship-focused early intervention models include Greenspan and Wieder's developmental, individual-difference, relationship-based (DIR) model,⁵⁵ Gutstein and Sheely's relationship-development intervention (RDI),⁵⁶ and the responsive-teaching (RT) curriculum developed by Mahoney et al.^57,58 The DIR approach focuses on (1) “floor-time” play sessions and other strategies that are purported to enhance relationships and emotional and social interactions to facilitate emotional and cognitive growth and development and (2) therapies to remediate “biologically based processing capacities,” such as auditory processing and language, motor planning and sequencing, sensory modulation, and visual-spatial processing. Published evidence of the efficacy of the DIR model is limited to an unblinded review of case records (with significant methodologic flaws, including inadequate documentation of the intervention, comparison to a suboptimal control group, and lack of documentation of treatment integrity and how outcomes were assessed by informal procedures⁵⁵) and a descriptive follow-up study of a small subset (8%) of the original group of patients.^59"

American Academy of Pediatrics, Management of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders, Published online October, 29, 2007, Reaffirmed by the APA, September 2010.  

Lisa Jo Rudy has chosen to depart from a previously courteous, objective approach to discussing autism issues, unfortunately for autistic children whose parents abandon ABA efforts based on Ms Rudy's personal prejudices.  Most parents demeaned by such comments will not take them too seriously because the Bettelheim cold mother's fantasy has been widely exposed as nonsense (outside of France anyway).  The autistic children  of parents who look to Ms. Rudy for guidance though may not be as fortunate.

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FoodBuzz 24x24: Brazilian Carnival Dinner!

Last night was a special dinner for family. They have always been extremely supportive of my culinary adventures and often enjoy listening about my dinner parties as well as drooling over pictures of food I've served. I figured it was about time to have a party made especially for them and their friends because they are what inspired me to love being in the kitchen after all. Since Mardi Gras recently passed, I thought it was only fitting to throw a dinner party inspired by this festive celebration. Aside from New Orleans and the annual Mardi Gras parties that take place here in the United States, other countries around the world are celebrating too. My dinner party last night highlighted the food and fun of Brazil with a Brazilian Carnival Dinner in celebration of Mardi Gras!

To make my dinner even more special, FoodBuzz is featuring our Brazilian Carnival Dinner for their February 24x24 Food Event. The FoodBuzz's 24x24 Food Event showcases food blog posts from 24 Foodbuzz Featured Publisher bloggers of 24 unique meals occurring around the globe during a 24-hour period. I was thrilled to be featured this month!

 

This Brazilian Carnival Dinner is a unique meal because we're highlighting the food and festivities of other countries during this time. Brazil is known for their annual Carnival celebrations and although we’re far from Brazil, we can still enjoy their delicious culture from afar. For our table setting, I had a large bowl of fresh tropical fruit as the centerpiece. Pineapple, mangoes, avocados, bananas, oranges and grapes were just the perfect fruit to have on the table. The addition of a sequined mask and colorful beads gave a bit of sparkle too.

Scattered on the table were also shiny coins for more sparkle. Each table setting had a feathered mask for each guest to wear along with more colorful beads. Not only did these add a touch of Carnival, but they doubled as get party favors as well!

For the menu, I wanted to feature some Brazilian dishes that were a bit different from the traditional Brazilian favorites that I've done in the past. For this dinner, I prepared the following menu all served with Rice & Beans (unpictured):

Cheese Arepas

Shrimp & Mango Salad

Linguica Sausage

Carne Asada with Chimichurri (on the side)

Roast Chicken with Chimichurri

Baked Caramelized Sweet Plantains

Individual Papaya Cream Cups

Brazilian Guarana Soda

After dinner, we ended the night with dancing. With rhythmic Samba music playing the background throughout dinner, we were ready to dance off our meal! It was a wonderful time for my parents to enjoy the evening and experience a special dinner party just for them and their friends. Everything from the samba music, the colorful tablescape of vivid colors, festive masks and beads we all wore, to the delicious spread of Brazilian fare we enjoyed gave us a little taste of Brazil in our little Midwest corner of the world. Stay tuned for the recipes of the dishes I prepared all this week!

Full Disclosure: As part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program,
I received a stipend from FoodBuzz for hosting this event.

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Volkmar Says Many Intellectually Disabled May Be Excluded from DSM-5 Autism Spectrum Disorder Diagnosis

When I first pointed out that the DSM-5 New Autism Disorder would exclude intellectually disabled I was ignored by most, insulted and mocked by others.  Some were annoyed. When Catherine Lord confessed that the intellectually disabled were the real target for exclusion very few mentioned the exclusion of the intellectually disabled from the DSM-5 autism definition.  Certainly not the New York Times and other prominent Mainstream Media institutions that have wrung their hands over the possible exclusion of the very high functioning Autism ruling class.  

When Fred Volkmar, who kick started the current uproar over the possible exclusion of some with high functioning autism and Aspergers, mentioned in a Yale Daily News interview the possible DSM-5 exclusion of many of the intellectually disabled it did not merit any response from the MSM:

"In its next manual on mental disorders, the American Psychiatric Association plans to issue a single set of diagnostic criteria that will merge the four types of disorders on the autism spectrum, which include autism and Asperger syndrome. Although no current patient will be affected by the new rules, research by Yale Child Study Center Director Fred Volkmar suggests that the revision may disqualify a large number of intellectually disabled patients from receiving a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder in the future."  [Underlining added for emphasis - HLD]

The autism spectrum is not just a spectrum. It is a caste system with the intellectually disabled occupying the lowest rung unworthy of concern or comment from the mainstream media or feel good, autism is beautiful, Neurodiversity variety autism advocates.

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Logitech Cube-More than a Mouse

With its breakthrough design, Logitech Cube redefines the computer mouse with a shape that fits in your hand and will fascinate your friends and family, colleagues and clients.


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Movie Watch: Dr. Seuss' The Lorax: An IMAX 3D Experience®

From the creators of Despicable Me and the imagination of Dr. Seuss comes the 3D-CG feature Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax, an adaptation of the classic tale of a forest creature who shares the enduring power of hope. The animated adventure follows the journey of a 12-year-old as he searches for the one thing that will enable him to win the affection of the girl of his dreams. To find it he must discover the story of the Lorax, the grumpy yet charming creature who fights to protect his world.

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Intellectual Disability and the DSM-5 Autism Do-Over: Catherine Lord Then (2003) and Now (2013)

Catherine Lord, and her highly influential views about autism and intellectual disability seem to have changed a bit since the 2003 article published below and the DSM-5 Autism Do-Over which will be published in 2013.  For those who quibble over the reference to 2013 as being "now" they should know that Dr. Lord and the DSM-5 subcommittee have no intention of changing any of the wording of the DSM-5 Autism Do-Over which will take effect in 2013. For the intellectually disabled  the future is now, they are no longer part of the autism spectrum. 

As Dr. Lord has already confessed, the DSM-5 committee of which she is a member has already targeted the intellectually disabled for exclusion  from the DSM-5's New Autism Spectrum Disorder. That confession is also confirmed by the exclusion language in mandatory criterion A of the DSM-5 which excludes an autism diagnosis where the social communication deficits are accounted for by general developmental delay. The writing is on the DSM-5's purple wall.

If there is any change at all in the wording of the DSM-5 Autism Do-Over it will be at the higher functioning end and will favor inclusion of more persons who are least affected by an "autism" disorder.  Persons with high functioning autism and Aspergers have powerful allies in the major mainstream media institutions; allies like Amy Harmon of the New York Times.  For the MSM and Hollywood autism is Aspergers. 

The intellectually disabled who comprise the vast majority of those with DSM-IV Autistic Disorder are never mentioned in those highly influential circles and the recent firestorm over exclusion from the DSM-5. The uproar is over the possible exclusion of the highest functioning persons with an ASD, persons who can work in rock bands, run successful businesses, graduate from university, cavort with New York media and New Jersey and Washington political figures and committees.

Dr. Catherine Lord and her DSM-5 committee will continue with their plans to separate intellectual disability completely from the autism spectrum as though there were no connection between the two.  But Dr. Lord did not always see the intellectually disabled as a lower caste to be excluded from the autism spectrum rooming house as illustrated in this 2003 journal article abstract:

Evidence for Latent Classes of IQ in Young Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder


Jeffrey Munson, Geraldine Dawson, Lindsey Sterling, Theodore Beauchaine, Andrew Zhou, Elizabeth Koehler, Catherine Lord, Sally Rogers, Marian Sigmand, Annette Estese, and Robert Abbotte

Autism is currently viewed as a spectrum condition that includes strikingly different severity levels; IQ is consistently described as one of the primary aspects of the heterogeneity in autism. To investigate the possibility of more than one distinct subtype of autism based on IQ, both latent class analysis and taxometrics methods were used to classify Mullen IQs in a sample of 456 children with autism spectrum disorder. We found evidence for multiple IQ-based subgroups using both methods. Groups differed in level of intellectual functioning and patterns of verbal versus nonverbal ability. Results support the notion of distinct subtypes of autism that differ in severity of intellectual ability, patterns of cognitive strengths and weaknesses, and severity of autism symptoms.


In 2003 Dr. Catherine Lord (and Dr. Geraldine Dawson of Autism Speaks) saw the intellectual ability patterns as a significant basis for distinguishing subtypes of autism that differ in severity.  Apparently her views have changed ... dramatically ... since then.  To the great detriment of the vast majority of those with Autistic Disorder and intellectual disabilities.

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