Albuquerque resident Arlene Harjo's case started out like thousands of others: a seized car, claims of unfairness, and indifference from city officials. But two years later, a federal civil rights lawsuit over the taking of her 2014 Nissan Versa has resulted in the dismantling of Albuquerque's once-lucrative civil asset forfeiture program.
Albuquerque announced this week that it will end the program following a federal judge's recent decision to allow Harjo's lawsuit against the city to proceed. "Given changes in state law and recent court rulings, it's time to update the city's policy on vehicle seizures," Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller said in a statement to the Albuquerque Journal. "As part of constitutional policing, [the Albuquereque Police Department] can continue to seize assets in cases where there has been a conviction. I directed APD to implement this change and have requested City Council to update the ordinance."
Under typical civil asset forfeiture laws, police can seize property they claim is connected to criminal activity, whether or not the owner is charged with a crime, and keep some or all of the proceeds. Police say civil forfeiture is a vital tool to disrupt drug trafficking and other criminal activity. Civil liberties groups say it provides too little protection for property owners and creates too much profit incentive for law enforcement.
Bipartisan concern about those issues led New Mexico to essentially ban civil asset forfeiture in 2015. The law, unanimously approved by the legislature and signed by Republican Gov. Susan Martinez, allows forfeiture only when there is an accompanying criminal conviction.
Albuquerque ignored the reforms, however, arguing that its forfeiture ordinance was not pre-empted by the new law. At the time, the city was seizing about 1,000 cars a year from residents, even in cases where someone other than the owner was driving.
One of those residents was Harjo, whose car was seized after her son drove it while drunk. In 2016, with help from the Institute for Justice, she filed a federal lawsuit, arguing that the city's lucrative vehicle seizure program conflicted with state law and was "driven by a pernicious—and unconstitutional—profit incentive," in violation of her 14th Amendment due process rights.
"It's a scam and a rip off," Harjo said at the time. "They're taking property from people who just loan a vehicle to someone. It's happened a lot. Everybody I've talked to has had it happen to them or somebody they know, and everybody just pays." The city offered to give Harjo her car back for $4,000—a typical settlement tactic—but she refused to pay up.
Two state lawmakers also sued the city in 2015 for its refusal to comply with the new state law, but their case was dismissed due to lack of standing. As the city's forfeiture program continued to attract criticism, revenues from vehicle seizures declined significantly, from $1.81 million in 2010 to $598,000 by 2017, the Albuquerque Journal reported.
Facing a lawyered-up, very determined Harjo, Albuquerque returned her car in 2016 in an attempt to render her lawsuit moot and keep its program intact. But in a March 30 opinion, U.S. District Judge James Browning allowed the case to proceed, warning the city that Harjo had raised plausible claims that the city's profit incentive in seizing cars and its hearing process violated her constitutional rights.
Browning said Albuquerque's ordinance unconstitutionally forced owners to prove themselves innocent. "The Court concludes that the Forfeiture Ordinance's innocent owner defense violates due process," he wrote, "because innocent owners have a great interest in their vehicle, and there is a significant risk of erroneous deprivation flowing from placing the burden of proof on innocent owners." Browning also concluded that New Mexico's reforms pre-empted Albuquerque's ordinance but dismissed that claim to allow state courts to sort the issue out.
Robert Everett Johnson, an attorney at the Institute for Justice, which is representing Harjo, says the mayor's announcement "is a welcome change in the city's position."
"For years Albuquerque refused to abide by state law," he continued. "Now we have to see if the city council will walk the walk and fully embrace the New Mexico Forfeiture Reform Act, including getting rid of policing for profit altogether. We're going to keep on fighting to vindicate not only Arlene's rights, but the constitutional rights of everyone in Albuquerque and New Mexico."
Drug policy reform groups also applauded this week's announcement. "Ridding our state of unconstitutional municipal civil asset forfeiture programs is just one more important step towards repairing some of the damage the drug war has inflicted upon our society and system of justice," Emily Kaltenbach, director of the Drug Policy Alliance's New Mexico office, said in a statement. "Mayor Keller is leading on this issue and setting the right example for other municipalities across the state."
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text:
Another year, another Kilkenny Roots Festival. Twenty years it’s been going. My first gig was Calexico in 1999. Tex-Mex magic and mariachi brass. It was love at first sight. For seven years I reviewed it for the local paper, a four day mad-dash of gigs and late nights and last minute writing. It was exhausting and glorious, an adrenaline rush, an endurance test, a press-pass wielding adventure through the countless zones of roots music, from western swing to psychobilly and all parts inbetween.
When that finished, though, and I became just another punter going to a reasonable amount of gigs, enjoying the music and atmosphere, but with no need to record it in any way, it would be fair to say something felt missing. The thrill wasn’t gone, exactly, but the crazy rush of it, the high, was no more. And there was a kind of junkie quality to it then, lost in the momentum of the weekend, pushing through exhaustion to get to another fix of lunchtime singer-songwriter balm, mid-afternoon rockabilly mayhem, or late-night peddle-steel sweetness in the back of a pub I wouldn’t normally go near.
But the other part was just as important. The recording of it, capturing the flux of experience in words. Without this, it just melded into the flow of every other fleeting experience or event in life. I couldn’t seem to grasp it properly, or intensely enough, if I didn’t make it take form in language. Eventally that passed though. I kind of forgot about the lack and settled into enjoying the festival like any other normal person.
Until, of course, the arrival of photography into my life. Suddenly, the recording gene was reactivated, a desire to traverse the festival in unnecessary fashion was reawakened. It started in earnest last year and continued over the bank-holiday weekend just gone. In the process, a photo essay is forming, a subjective look at the festival in the round, not just the bands, but the crowds, incidental details, activity on the streets and so on.
Of course, it’s not the same as before, not as all-encompassing and intense. Partly that’s because I’m (probably!) too old for that madness ever again, and partly because it’s unofficial. No press-pass these days. Naturally, the festival has its own photographers recording events. Pros with light-meters and ear-plugs and sensible stuff like that. (And, yes, my ears were ringing after the Marah gig). So I’m just ghost-tracking the festival, recording it for my own purposes, as complete or incomplete as I want or can achieve at the time.
Anyway, it should be said that while my flaky enthusiasm for it has fluctuated over the years, it has always remained a great festival, one of the mini-marvels of the modern world, a monument to community solidarity, personal dedication and love for music undaunted by anything the world has thrown at it. Even the coming fascist dystopia won’t stop it. It’ll be (as it always has been really) an outpost of resistance, an annual act of rebellion against the corrosive fakery of the surrounding culture. Long may it prosper. Below are more shots from over the weekend. I’ll post the 2016 set when I get around to it.

domain: artistic


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There is a familiar saying that dates back about a hundred years that goes, “The grass is always greener on the other side.” It suggests that we tend to feel that somehow our neighbor’s lawn (i.e. circumstance) is superior to ours. This is not a new dynamic. Around two thousand years earlier, the ancient Roman poet Ovid put it this way: “The harvest is always richer in another man’s field.” There is a more recent quote—variously attributed to Mark Twain, Teddy Roosevelt, and a few others—that announces, “Comparison is the thief of joy.” It means, of course, that when we compare what we have with others we somehow diminish our own sense of satisfaction.
It goes without saying that comparing our situation to that of another person whom we feel is more (in some aspect or other) fortunate than we are can lead to unhappiness. While we would be better off to refrain from that line of thinking, it is only human to hold such troubling thoughts. And trying to block these sentiments from one’s consciousness can be extremely challenging. So I’d like to step through this dynamic and offer some insights and constructive strategies to help let go of these unhelpful comparisons.
Insight #1: We don’t know everything about other people.
We just can’t. This is true even for people we know very well; there are always aspects that are hidden, unrevealed, undiscussed, even among intimates. Our perception of other people is based on a combination of the filter through which we view the world, and what other people reveal about themselves. And when it comes to people we are less close to, there is a great deal we don’t know about them. So when we compare ourselves unfavorably with someone else, we tend to do it unfairly both to ourselves and the other person we envy. We are not seeing the whole picture, just the part that jumps out at us, without nuance and often unconnected to a larger context.
For example, sometimes there is a facet of a person that incites envy in other people; yet that seemingly positive facet is connected to something traumatic or painful. Years ago, a friend lost a great deal of weight and received many compliments; but no one knew that she had been desperately ill for months. There are some musicians and athletes who demonstrate tremendous ability, but the punishing price they’ve had to pay to attain their level of prestige may not be a price many people would be willing to accept.
So while we may look at a single aspect of someone else with envy, they carry other aspects that we most certainly would not wish to take on.
Insight #2: When we compare ourselves to others, we reduce them to what we envy.
When we get stuck in comparisons, we inflate one aspect of the other person and focus on that, reducing them to the thing we fixate on.
I realize that may sound a bit confusing. Let me put it this way: suppose we envy someone for something really simple; let’s say, their beautiful hair. Their hair is not the most important aspect of who they are, and certainly not the only aspect of who they are. They may or may not even think it’s an important part of who they are. But by focusing on their hair, and investing our emotional longing onto it, their hair has taken on an oversized role in our understanding of who they are. Obsessing over their hair affects our relationship with them. It diminishes them, in our mind, from a fully multi-dimensional person to “that person with great hair,” because it over-emphasizes a single aspect of who they are.
This may seem like a minor issue, but we are social beings. We yearn to connect with others. Anything that gets in the way of our authentically connecting with the people in our world dims our own inner light.
Insight #3: Comparing ourselves with others only serves to separate ourselves from others.
This is along the same lines as Insight #2. When we compare ourselves with others, we take a step toward isolating ourselves. Not only are we distorting our ideas of who the other person is (as discussed in the previous insight,) we are doing pretty much the same thing to ourselves. A sense of negative self-regard is often part of this dynamic. To use that previous insight’s example, if I’m so envious of your fabulous hair that I inflate its importance to me, I am also negatively inflating that aspect of myself that I consider inferior in myself. I get hung up on what I perceive is its inferiority; which is to say, something wrong about me. These feelings can’t help but make one feel lonelier, less worthy, and disconnected. Moveover, feelings of resentment often accompany such comparisons. (After all, why does someone else deserve some fabulous thing denied to me?)
Disconnection, toxic self-criticism, and resentment all contribute to feelings of isolation, alienation, and feelings of lack.
There is a way beyond negative comparisons
Whether the grass is really greener in the neighbor’s yard, or that neighbor is actually envying the green-ness of your own grass, comparisons rooted in a sense of lack diminish one’s true, most essential self. Anyone who has spent even a little time reading my social media posts will be familiar with my suggested solutions out of this dynamic: embracing mindfulness and gratitude.
The importance of Mindful Thinking
With mindful thinking, we can understand how our envying aspects of another person is dead end thinking. Dead-end thinking offers little benefit to anyone. Allowing space to acknowledge the realities of the three insights we discussed can help dispel traces of envy as well as resentment. As seen through a mindful lens, acknowledging something fabulous about another person may bring us closer to them, or even inspire us. Sometimes, that inspiration can fuel new motivation for us to reach beyond limitations, to find our own way to manifest something fabulous!
Mindful thinking also encourages us to acknowledge everything that is good and positive about ourselves. Putting our focus there invites the second part of my suggested solutions: gratitude.
The importance of Gratitude
The use of gratitude for the things we have is a powerful tool. As I previously wrote in a post about gratitude, acknowledging and focusing on the positive aspects about ourselves can guide us away from the dark rabbithole of envy.
In a very real way, we are the sum of the stories we tell ourselves about ourselves. If our defining stories are about ourselves and not other people, and these stories focus on growth, positive progress, and the blessings we already have… well, our joys need fear no thief!

domain: literature


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The Jackson County Commission held a short work session on Monday afternoon. The commission had three items on the agenda to discuss at the meeting.
The first item of discussion was a temporary employee for the Sanitation Department. Commission Chairman Tim Guffey said the department had been picking up a great deal of garbage cans lately, and they needed help picking up the cans and cleaning them so the cans could be put back into service. The temporary employee would be a six-month employee to help the shorthanded department with this project.
The second item of discussion was the County Road 43 Matheny’s Bridge Deck Rehab update. County engineer Jonathan Campbell said the bids for the project had been reviewed, and he had been in contact with the low bidder. He has also had correspondence with ALDOT concerning the project. He said everything is on track and moving as planned.
District 3 Commissioner Melinda Gilbert asked if the Public Works Department would have to do any work on the project. Campbell said the only work they would have to do is traffic control because the entire roadway would be closed for the duration of the project. He said it would be closed at least two weeks, but all the major work would be done by the contractors.
District 4 Commissioner Mike Sisk asked Campbell if the detour would be accessible for farm equipment because farming season is in full swing. Campbell said he does not see an issue with farm equipment traveling the detour.
The third item of discussion on the commission’s work session was the Sportsman’s Club. Guffey said the club had a lease on the property in the Lakeside Community in Scottsboro for 99 years. The group used to take care of the property, but they no longer do.
Guffey said the area is grown up and run down. He said the City of Scottsboro asked if the club would sign the property over to the county and if the county would sign it back over to the city. The city would renovate the dock and maintain the area and make it accessible to the public.
The Jackson County Commission’s next meeting is on Monday, July 8.

domain: news


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News Hunter X Hunter Manga to Restart on October 6
posted on 2008-08-27 05:47 EDT
An upcoming issue of Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump magazine will reportedly announce that Yoshihiro Togashi will restart his Hunter X Hunter shōnen action manga in this year's 45th issue on October 6. Togashi is well-known for halting and restarting his manga for months at a time. Coincidentally, his longest break from the manga — 20 months — ended on October 6, 2007. That time, he drew 10 new weekly installments before going hiatus again at the end of 2007. Viz Media has been releasing the Hunter X Hunter manga in North America.
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Holiday holdovers “Little Fockers” and “True Grit” are expected to top the weekend box office despite wide berths for Relativity’s first in-house release, “Season of the Witch,” and country tuner “Country Strong.”
The Nicolas Cage starrer “Season of the Witch” opens at 2,816 engagements, while Sony/Screen Gems’ Gwyneth Paltrow starrer “Country Strong” expands to 1,424 after a limited two-week run in Nashville and Los Angeles.
The weekend’s wide entries have scored solid pre-weekend tracking, with decent total awareness and first-choice percentages among moviegoers — especially those under 30 — but insiders say they’re likely to open small.
Universal’s “Fockers,” with almost $109 million domestically, has topped the domestic charts for two weeks, though strong word of mouth and awards buzz for Paramount’s “True Grit,” with $93 million, could give the Western a slight edge this weekend. Both pics enter their third frame.
Overseas, “Fockers” and 20th Century Fox’s “Gulliver’s Travels” wrestled for top coin over the New Year’s frame, with “Fockers” taking about $25 million over the sesh for a cume of $49 million. “Fockers,” which Par is distribbing overseas, tallied $24.4 million, totaling $73.9 million internationally.
Looking to gain ground in the domestic specialty market, the Weinstein Co. expands “Blue Valentine” to the top 10 U.S. markets, totaling 38 locations, up from four engagements last weekend, when the pic posted a terrific $48,432 per-screen average.
Specialty pics “Black Swan” and “The King’s Speech” have profited from recent awards traction, with both landing in the top 10 last weekend. “Black Swan,” with better-than-expected standing during midweeks, has cumed nearly $52 million so far, while “The King’s Speech” crossed the $25 million mark. Latter adds 58 locations today, up from last week’s 700 count.
Meanwhile, Sony makes an added theatrical push for “The Social Network” in advance of the pic’s DVD launch on Jan. 11.
Though the pic was still playing at 249 locations last week, Sony execs are calling it a re-release given that most of the added 354 locations already screened the film. “Social Network,” which initially launched Stateside on Oct. 1, is poised to hit $200 million worldwide.
As Sony looks to tempt repeat auds and “Social Network” latecomers, Relativity takes the distribution reins on PG-13 rated “Season of the Witch.”
After taking over Overture’s domestic distribution operation in July, Relativity announced plans to release 10 films within a year. Early last month Relativity released martial arts-Western actioner “The Warrior’s Way,” but the company kept the pic at arm’s length, citing the effort as a service deal only for marketing and distribution. “Warrior’s Way” grossed a dismal $5.6 million domestically.
Relativity has higher hopes for “Season,” after promoting the pic at international and Stateside press junkets. Most B.O. observers expect the film to land at $10 million-$12 million, but with pre-sales to foreign distribs, the company has covered much of the pic’s estimated $40 million pricetag. Par is handling distribution for “Season” in the U.K., launching the pic day and date with the U.S.
Screen Gems’ “Country Strong” is predicted to land in the mid to high-teens. That pic, however, cost significantly less, at about $12 million.
Sony launched the film at two locations over Christmas, hoping to build word of mouth and take advantage of the holiday sesh. “Country” debuted with a so-so per-screen average of $15,226; domestic cume is $133,168. Pic should play best in the Midwest and South.


Mum burns after row
A MUM died from severe burns after she set her clothes on fire with white spirits and a cigarette lighter following a minor argument with her partner, an inquest heard. Yvonne Buckley, 38, of Holly Grove in Smithills, Bolton, a cook at a children's nursery, suffered 65 per cent burns and died in a specialist hospital unit four days later.
Yvonne Buckley, 38, of Holly Grove in Smithills, Bolton, a cook at a children's nursery, suffered 65 per cent burns and died in a specialist hospital unit four days later.
The inquest in Bolton was told that she poured white spirits on to her clothes then ignited the liquid with a cigarette lighter in the kitchen.
The clothing caught fire as she walked into the living room, where her partner of 24 years Mark Jackson was watching football on the television with their 16-year-old son Alex.
Neighbour Andrew Tongue told the inquest that he heard rowing and raised voices moments before Alex desperately knocked on his door shouting that his mother was `on fire'.
Mr Jackson told how he battled to douse the flames with cushions.
The family had returned home on February 24 after visiting Yvonne's sister.
Mr Jackson said: "She opened the door and I could smell turps. I sat up and asked had she knocked the turps over? She did not say anything.
"I heard the lighter go as if she was lighting a cigarette. She was stood in the living room.
"There were a lot of flames. I was trying to use cushions and get her garment off her. It was obvious that her garment was on fire."
Mr Jackson said a `niggly' argument developed, but the inquest was told that it was no more than a commonplace domestic row.
He added: "She started to get niggly and I cannot say about what. I had a happy life and she loved her son.
"There was never any threat to harm herself, ever."
Yvonne was taken to the Royal Bolton Hospital then rushed to Whiston Hospital on Merseyside.
The inquest was told that she admitted pouring the flammable liquid on herself to a fire officer at the scene and later to a nurse.
She told one nurse that it was a `mistake', the inquest heard.
Yvonne died four days later after her organs shut down.
Medics said patients with 65 per cent burns had an `extremely high mortality rate'.
Pathologist Dr David Bissett said: "It is unlikely that adults would survive burns as extensive as this."
Fire service investigator Jonathon Stewart said an investigation appeared to rule out an accident.
He said: "There would have to be a naked flame applied."
Deputy coroner Alan Walsh recorded a verdict of misadventure and said it was `an act that was spontaneous and an act that was born out of temper'.
He pointed to `quite unimaginable and unbelievable circumstances' and said: "They had argued, but it was no different to general domestic arguments. It was an attention-seeking or temper reaction.
"I am sure that she did the act that caused her death, but I am not sure that she intended to take her own life.
"There was no evidence of self-harm in the past and she was having no problems."


NEW Celtic recruit Kristoffer Ajer is convinced he will get his chance to shine for the Hoops after watching Brendan Rodgers’ notorious Liverpool documentary.
The highly-rated Norwegian teenager was persuaded to sign for the Glasgow giants by former Parkhead boss Ronny Deila.
But it is Rodgers he will now have to impress after Deila quit at the end of last season.
However, Ajer – who has already racked up more than 50 league appearances for former club IK Start while aged just 18 – is confident he will be have plenty of opportunity to make the breakthrough at Celtic after watching how Rodgers operated as Anfield boss.
The Norway Under-21 midfielder told the club’s official website: “I watched a lot of games when Brendan was the Liverpool manager and he’s a great manager and I’m looking forward to training with him.
“I haven’t met him before but I have heard some great things and I’m really excited.
“I spoke to a few guys back in Norway that know him and I also talked to my agent and Ronny and they all said really good things about Brendan.
“I have seen him being interviewed on TV and his documentary at Liverpool, and he looks great at working with the young kids in the squad which is perfect.
“I knew that Ronny might not be here when I came in but then I saw Brendan Rodgers had been appointed, and what he brings with him made me really excited.
“Ronny spoke to me when Brendan was appointed and he wished me good luck and he told me Brendan was a good manager. Ronny has always been a great manager and I just wished him good luck and hopefully we will meet again at some point.
“It’s a dream come true, being able play under Brendan Rodgers and play alongside so many great players.
“He wants the team to have the ball and be comfortable with it and I like to play in that way so I’m really looking forward to it, along with walking out at Celtic Park and hearing You’ll Never Walk Alone.”
Celtic have already sold more than 41,000 season tickets and Ajer – who has joined the Hoops on a four-year deal after agreeing a pre-contract earlier this year – admits walking out to a sold-out Parkhead will be like nothing he has experienced before.
“In my head I have dreamed about that so many times since I signed for Celtic,” he said. “Here in Norway we have five or six thousand at each game and at Celtic there will be 50-60,000 at some games so that will be crazy.
“For me it’s a big dream come true to play in front of so many people. At Start we sold 900 season tickets this year so it’s a big difference and that’s what football is all about, playing in front of amazing supporters and hopefully we can bring them some success.
“I’m most looking forward to just being a professional footballer and living out my dream, to walk out at Celtic Park in front of thousands of supporters and hopefully score some goals and celebrate in front of so many people.
“I do extra training a lot by myself and I always picture this in my head and I really think it will be similar to what I will actually experience at Celtic.
“I am really looking forward to the big change from Norway to playing in front of so many fans. I’m really proud to become a Celtic player.”
While the talented teenager knows there is still room for him to develop as a player, he wants to stake a claim for a starting slot when the Scottish champions gear-up for the new campaign during their pre-season tour of Slovenia.
“It’s important as I want to play a lot next season and if you want to do that you have to perform in training and in the games,” he said. “I’m looking forward to pre-season and travelling to Slovenia, where I will try to play well and to get to know the players and staff.”
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domain: food


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Celebrating the new year takes different forms for different people. For some, it is a day to relax while watching football games or doing nothing. For others, it is a time to spend "Watch Night" in church and be thankful to see another year. Others bring in the year at a party and revel in song and cheer as the clock strikes midnight. Many will struggle to come up with short-lived resolutions.
I usually don't celebrate the midnight spectacle, and I don't think too much of resolutions anymore. At age 77, I try to celebrate life every day and to make it more meaningful to me and my fellow man. Although I have "retired" several times, I have not retired from life. It seems I am now busier than I was when I had a regular job. I am not prodded by an alarm clock, but I do not spend mornings in bed. There is always something worthwhile to do.
During the past year, I was invited to speak at six service clubs, three churches and two local colleges. I did programs at the Farragut Folklife Museum, the East Tennessee History Center and the Beck Cultural Exchange Center. I played records for the Swift College reunion in Pigeon Forge and for the Halls Senior Center's prom.
In November, I took my music system to the new senior citizens complex at Eastport in Park City to play music of the 1950s, '60s and '70s. I had no idea their best cooks had been assigned to lay out such a sumptuous spread. It seemed like old home week as I ran into so many old friends who have moved into that complex.
The life of the party was vivacious 92-year-old Sarah Fain, who seemed to be everywhere and constantly on the dance floor. One would never guess her age as several men, including me, got up to dance with her. There was a time I loved dancing in nightclubs, but the music of today is unfriendly to my mature ears.
I try to compensate by going to karaoke bars at least twice a week. There the music runs the gamut, depending on the tunes chosen by the performers. One can hear R&B, pop, country, show tunes and other kinds of music. It is a real joy to listen to a good singer. Of course, some of us are not as good as we think we are.
At least three of the bars that I visit have karaoke masters with a vast variety of music. They have spent much effort and money to accommodate their patrons. Johnny Mills, the master at Marie's Olde Towne Tavern on Magnolia Avenue and Toot's Little Honky Tonk on Anderson Avenue, Darrell Ward at Armstrong's Sports Bar on John Sevier Highway and Toot's, along with Susan Prince at Susan's Happy Hour Lounge on Amherst Road, have impressive collections of music. I would be truly impressed if one of them could find an Eddie Fisher collection.
During the new year, I will not exercise by walking at the mall. Instead, I will walk behind my lawn mower from March to November. I won't spend money at a gym but will do my workouts trimming bushes and hedges. I will plant vegetables, weed flower beds and spend most of the year in my yard if it is not raining. In my spare time, I will read history.
No, I don't need to resolve to do anything less or more. I don't need to turn over a new leaf. If I can keep my old friends and make a few new ones, I will appreciate the experience. If I can maintain my level of relative good health, I will be grateful.
Robert J. Booker is a freelance writer and former executive director of the Beck Cultural Exchange Center. He may be reached at 546-1576.
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domain: hobby


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Clark's Pump-N-Shop operates c-stores in Kentucky, Ohio, West Virginia and Florida. The brand promise is "Return, Refresh and Refuel." Some locations feature Krispy Krunchy Chicken or Chester's fried chicken, and the Clark's Cafe proprietary program of breakfast sandwiches, tacos, fried chicken and burgers. The coffee bar features Coffee Beanery coffee, hot chocolate and cappuccinos.
When the pandemic hit, the retailer revamped its packaging with enhanced safety measures. It shut down its roller grills and placed those hot dogs and sausages in warmers to be served pre-wrapped. While this initially hurt roller-grill sales, it increased hot-food sales. It also halted its reusable cup program and switched to disposable cups only for coffee and fountain drinks, and it implemented a new beverage lid dispenser tower from which customers can access only one plastic lid at a time. Clark’s redesigned its physical menu with a layout that features updated prices, cleaner text and new specials. It is also working on a new catering menu to keep up with demand for takeout and delivery.
John Clark founded the company in 1976, and his sons, Rick and Brent Clark, now own and operate the chain.
For benchmarking purposes, store counts are as of Jan. 1, 2022.
|No. of Stores:||69|
|Rank Last Year:||97|


Toyota offers its hydrogen fuel cell patents royalty free
Toyota announced at the 2015 Consumer Electronics Show that it would be throwing open the doors to thousands of its hydrogen fuel cell patents.
TOYOTA SAYS BY making thousands of its hydrogen fuel cell patents available to other car makers, it hopes to “spur development and introduction of innovative fuel cell technologies around the world”.
Car makers will be able to access, royalty free, around 5680 fuel cell related patents held globally, including “critical technologies developed for the new Toyota Mirai”. “The list includes approximately 1970 patents related to fuel cell stacks, 290 associated with high-pressure hydrogen tanks, 3350 related to fuel cell system software control and 70 patents related to hydrogen production and supply,” Toyota said in a statement.
“At Toyota, we believe that when good ideas are shared, great things can happen,” said Bob Carter, Senior Vice President of Automotive Operations at Toyota Motor Sales, USA Inc. “The first generation hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, launched between 2015 and 2020, will be critical, requiring a concerted effort and unconventional collaboration between automakers, government regulators, academia and energy providers. By eliminating traditional corporate boundaries, we can speed the development of new technologies and move into the future of mobility more quickly, effectively and economically.”
This is not the first time Toyota has allowed other car makers to gain access to its intellectual property, although when it offered access to its hybrid technology it charged for the privilege. This time it’s free. This “represents the first time that Toyota has made its patents available free of charge and reflects the company’s aggressive support for developing a hydrogen-based society”.
But car makers won’t get total access, the release of patents only applies to those car makers who will produce and sell fuel cell vehicles, and there are only a few of those. Although it does also apply to fuel cell parts makers, and the hydrogen tanks knowledge will be beneficial, it will also offer the information to those makers building fuel cell buses and forklifts. Everyone else will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.


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Steel raw materials markets moving into Q1 with optimism on demand ...Mon, 27 Nov 2023 00:00:00 GMT
Steel raw materials markets hoped for stronger demand and higher forward pricing cues this week, with buyers and traders converging in Dubai showing cautious optimism after a weak fourth quarter. At a Liberty Steel event Nov. 21 around a regional industry conference, iron ore suppliers, steel and ferroalloy producers and traders discussed the restart of a blast furnace at Galati in Romania a week earlier as a sign of better times for the industry. Feeding expectations of further restarts and
Liberty Steel wins tender to buy Hungary's Dunaferr steelworksWed, 12 Jul 2023 00:00:00 GMT
Liberty Steel has won a tender to purchase Hungary-based flat steel producer Dunaferr, the UK-based company told Fastmarkets on Tuesday July 11.Liberty Steel and Vulcan Steel, a private company registered in Mauritius, were the two main bidders for Dunaferr, industry sources told Fastmarkets. Liberty won with a bid of 55 million ($60.35 million), submitted
Liberty Steel unit awarded two North Sea pipe contracts by Subsea7Wed, 24 May 2023 00:00:00 GMT
Liberty Pipes Hartlepool, a subsidiary of UK-based Liberty Steel Group, has been awarded two contracts by engineering company Subsea7 to provide pipes for the Yggdrasil and Valhall PWP-Fenris offshore field projects in the North Sea. The steelmaker will supply 16.6 km of longitudinally submerged arc welded (LSAW) pipe for the contracts, with work set
Dunaferr restarts hot strip millTue, 21 Mar 2023 00:00:00 GMT
Dunaferr has restarted its hot strip mill after a three-month stoppage, a spokesperson for Liberty Steel, which is managing the insolvent Hungarian steelworks, tells Kallanish. This follows the restart of its blast furnace no.2 and cold rolling mill last month, as well as the stabilisation of its coke batteries. The move means customers can
Romanian steelmaker Liberty Galati to restart its only blast ...Wed, 22 Feb 2023 00:00:00 GMT
Liberty Galati, the largest integrated steel producer in Romania, will resume pig iron and steel making operations in full after restarting its only blast furnace in March, parent company Liberty Steel said Feb. 21. Flat-rolled steel producer Liberty Galati will restart blast furnace No. 5 in mid-March 2023 on signs of market recovery in
GFG Alliance acquires Aartee Bright BarMon, 20 Feb 2023 00:00:00 GMT
GFG Alliance has acquired insolvent UK engineering steel distributor Aartee Bright Bar (ABB) via the purchase of 100% shares in Aartee Group Pte Limited. This follows Aartee going into administration earlier this month. GFG has provided funding to cover wages for four weeks to prevent a reduction in jobs expected under the administration. The
Liberty Steel wins Hungarian state support for restarting Dunaferr ...Fri, 17 Feb 2023 00:00:00 GMT
Liberty Steel has secured a deal with the Hungarian state allowing it to draw a credit line in state-owned EXIM Hungary in connection to Hungarian integrated flat steel producer Dunaferr, a source close to the matter told S&P Global Commodity Insights Feb. 16. UK-registered Liberty Steel declined to comment on the state guarantee for
Dunaferr restarts blast furnace amid market uptrend: sourcesThu, 16 Feb 2023 00:00:00 GMT
Dunaferr has restarted one of its two idled blast furnaces after months of completely suspended production. Coking coal feedstock for the troubled Hungarian steelmakers coking plant, the shortage of which was a major factor behind the production stoppage, has been supplied by Liberty Steel, informed sources tell Kallanish. Iron ore feedstock has been sourced
Liberty rejects Luxembourg mill public acquisition offer: reportsTue, 07 Feb 2023 00:00:00 GMT
Liberty Steel has rejected an acquisition offer for its Dudelange galvanizing mill in Luxembourg from local public-law banking institution SNCI, which was negotiated by the economy ministry, Kallanish learns from local reports. The original plan of the ministry was for SNCI to acquire the mill and then find a new owner. The move is
Liberty Steel Group investigating restart of Dunaferr: union ...Mon, 30 Jan 2023 00:00:00 GMT
Liberty Steels specialists are investigating the restart of Hungarian integrated flat steel producer Dunaferr, a representative of the steelworks trade union told S&P Global Commodity Insights Jan. 27. Liberty Steel Group is also negotiating a possible acquisition of the plant with the government and the liquidation commissioner, he said. The UK-based company declined to
Liberty Liege attracts attention of several buyers: administratorThu, 26 Jan 2023 00:00:00 GMT
Several companies are interested in buying the ex-Liberty Steel galvanizing line plant in Flmalle and tinplate line plant in Tilleur, both in Liege, Belgium, a provisional administrator and legal representative of the production sites Lexlitis law firm told S&P Global Commodity Insights on Jan. 25. I can confirm that I am in contact with
Liberty Liege attracts buyers' interest, Dudelange remains idledTue, 24 Jan 2023 00:00:00 GMT
Liberty Steels coil rolling plants in Belgium have started attracting some interest from potential buyers, according to local Belgian press reports. Indias JSW Group has allegedly registered its interest for the purchase of the assets, while other steel suppliers are also evaluating the case. Liberty Steel declined to comment when contacted by Kallanish on
Number of GFG Alliance / Liberty Steel news reports: 12Subscribers get access to full set of industry releases (up to 20 press articles).
Click here to subscribe.
GFG Alliance is a collection of global businesses and investments. The organisation - headquartered in London, United Kingdom - is structured into three core industry brands: Liberty Steel Group, Alvance Aluminium Group and Simec Energy Group. Operations centre on the metals, mining and industrial energy sectors and in early 2021 the firm employed ~ 35,000 people across 30 countries.
In steelmaking, the company aims to increasingly recycle ferrous scrap using electric arc furnaces powered by renewable energy, adopting a so-called 'GREENSTEEL' business model.

domain: economics


Toyota 2TC/3TC Valve Guide Set of (8) Short
The valve guide supports the intake/exhaust valve stem, stabilizes the valve attitude and allows heat transfer from the valve to the cylinder head for more efficient cooling, hence, it needs to be precision machined for exact valve concentricity, durability and made using specific materials.
Our Pro V Bronze Valve Guides are made using our proprietary bronze alloys and have superior friction resistance and mechanical properties. Using our alloys lends itself to a more predictable expansion rate which allows you to run a much tighter valve to guide clearance "As tight as .0008" for improved lateral valve stability and reduced valvetrain wear.
- Toyota 2TC/3TC Valve Guide Set of (8)
- High Lift Length - (Short)


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After a brilliant sophomore release, East of the Wall are entering the studio once again in May to record their third full-length, entitled The Apologist. I went out after work and caught up with guitarist and vocalist Kevin Conway, after hearing a great live set at Union Pool, where they played a few songs from their upcoming record, The Apologist (Translation Loss Records).
Read the interview after the Jump.
Defeater's new record, Empty Days & Sleepless Nights is, perhaps the most highly anticipated hardcore record of Spring 2011. This release, on Bridge9 records is a follow-up to the critically acclaimed Lost Ground EP and something of a partner record to Defeater's debut full-length, Travels.
At first listen, it is obvious that the band has progressed musically. This record is more overtly somber, lacking many of the Verse-like qualities that their previous efforts have displayed. There are more melodies in the guitar and although Defeater has never been a very typical band, they have further rejected the normally accepted styles of hardcore on this record.
More after the jump.
Recent Deathwish Inc. Signees, Touché Amoré have been busy little bees recently. With the announcement of a new full-length, Parting the Sea Between Brightness and Me, a US tour in support of Title Fight, South By Southwest and... ok, maybe they haven't been much busier than most other bands out there, but they sure haven't been lazing about.
If you're following TA vocalist, Jeremy Bolm, Deathwish Inc. or Fuckyeahthewave on Tumblr, this isn't new news, but if you're one of those "I just don't get Tumblr" people, Bolm has been posting lyrics to the new album one at a time on his Tumblelog. Definitely worth checking out.
Lyrics and video after the jump.
Coachella, listen up. THIS IS HOW YOU DO A FESTIVAL.
As far as 3-day festivals go, there are a bunch and they all have a few really good bands on them, but the weekend of May 21 will be quite legendary. Louisville, Kentucky is home to Krazy Fest, a 3-day hardcore and punk rock festival that pulls no punches. Sure, it doesn't have the clout that Coachella has, or the brutality of the New England Metal and Hardcore Festival, but this is a wet dream for any fans of underground hardcore. Every band in The Wave will be in attendance, This is Hell, Former Thieves, Title Fight, 7Seconds, Frontier(s), Cave In, Coalesce, and so many other great bands will be playing.
The best part is that a 3-day pass is just $75... no, wait, the best part is that there won't be any of that Attack Attack/Vanna-type bullshit there, the second-best part is that a 3-day pass is just $75. I'm tempted to say that there won't be any Warped Tour fluff either, but Anti-Flag will be playing. Here's hoping that I'll get to go.
Title Fight are hitting the road in May to support their upcoming full-length, Shed (coming May 3rd on SideOneDummy). This tour has 33 stops on it, including The Boneyard in my hometown, Will's Pub in Orlando and Santo's Party House in NYC.
This will be Title Fight's first headlining tour. Shed is Title Fight's first release on SideOneDummy Records, following their signing to the label in January of this year; it is also their first full-length, making this a spring of firsts for Title Fight. Don't be that guy, don't miss out.
Dates after the jump
I've been writing a serial about The Wave for some time (though I haven't posted any of it yet), and one of the things I noticed was that all 5 bands are about due for new records this year.
Defeater's been in the studio for a minute now, and today Bridge 9 released a bulletin announcing the title and tracklist for their new Double LP. I want to talk about how excited I am to have some new Defeater in my life, but I am only capable of understating the fact.
Defeater's new record is a dual LP called :


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Age And Duration Of Illness
Increased age has been associated with the presence of hallucinations. This might be explained by accerelated sensory loss or age related side effects of medication. One of the main confounders with age is duration of illness when the non-independence of these variables was controlled, Fénelon et alfound that duration of illness was the crucial factor. Grahamet al identified two subgroups of patients with Parkinson’s disease experiencing hallucinosis: in those with disease duration of 5 years or less, visual hallucinations were associated with rapid progression of the motor but not the cognitive component of the disease. In the remainder with longer histories, visual hallucinations were associated with postural instability, global cognitive impairment, and the lack of depression. Goetz et al contrasted patients with Parkinson’s disease who experienced hallucinations within 3 months of levodopa therapy with those who experienced hallucinations after 1 year of treatment. Diagnoses in the early onset group more often changed to Lewy body or Alzheimer’s disease. Lewy bodies are present to a greater or lesser degree in all cases of Parkinson’s disease and are known to be associated with visual hallucinations.
Create A Sleep Schedule
Talking to your doctor and reviewing medications is key, but there are also lifestyle changes that may be able to help, Dr. Petrossian says. The biggest is sleep. Even without PD, poor sleep quality can cause challenges with cognitive function, and those who have PD might see worsening physical and mental health, she says. Focusing on a consistent bedtime and wake time schedule is crucial, and its also useful to avoid naps as much as possible in order to get more quality sleep at night.
Whats The Treatment For Parkinsons Disease Psychosis
The single most important thing to do when it comes to Parkinsons disease psychosis is to tell your care providers and partners the minute you notice changes in your vision, hearing, thinking and behavior. The earlier they know whats going on, the sooner they can begin interventions to help you feel better.
Once you bring your concerns up to your doctor, they will typically do a clinical evaluation, review your medications and dosage, assess your lifestyle and determine the severity of your symptoms. Depending upon what they find, they may refer you to counseling or therapy, adjust your medication, change your medication, eliminate medication or do all of the above. If none of those strategies work, they may try antipsychotic drug therapy to see if they can adjust chemical levels in the brain. This can bring with it an entirely different set of problems so its important to be invested every step along the way and be sure youre well-informed before you move in that direction.
Recommended Reading: What Is The Life Expectancy Of Someone With Parkinson’s Disease
What Causes Parkinsons Disease Psychosis
Parkinsons is a brain disorder associated with a loss of dopamine-producing nerve cells deep inside the brain. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that helps regulate the bodys movement, and it also allows us to think clearly and regulate our emotions. When you try to replace the dopamine thats been lost in a person with Parkinsons, it can cause the system to get out of whack which can impact thinking, how visual things are processed and more. Parkinsons disease psychosis is therefore typically a side effect of the disease itself or the medications used to manage it.
As a result, its an ongoing balancing act for Parkinsons doctors to prescribe enough dopamine to control a person with Parkinsons motor symptoms, but not so much that the person experiences hallucinations and/or delusions.
How Can Caregivers Support Their Loved Ones
Caring for someone who sees, hears, or believes things that arent real can be very difficult. Try to be as patient and calm as you can.
Avoid arguing with the person. If they still have insight, gently explain that what theyre seeing isnt real. Tell anyone who cares for or visits your loved one what to expect, and how to respond.
Stay in close contact with the persons doctor. If their symptoms dont improve, ask whether they need a medication adjustment.
Check whether the person needs hearing aids or glasses. Poor hearing or vision can sometimes lead to hallucinations. It can also help to turn on bright lights at night, to prevent the shadows that may trigger visual illusions.
Secure any dangerous objects, and keep pathways in the home clear to prevent falls and injuries. If you ever feel like the person is a risk to themselves or others, call their doctor.
You May Like: How Does One Die From Parkinson’s Disease
How Delusions May Affect You
When delusions are mild, the person with Parkinsons may know what is happening and can be helped to overcome their false beliefs. A GP or specialist may just monitor the situation.
However, when delusions make people suspicious and distrusting, they can cause problems in relationships, medications and treatments.
With a serious delusion, there is a chance the person could accuse your partner or a family member of something they havent done. They may no longer be able to tell whether things are real or not, which can make them feel very anxious or irritable.
Some people with Parkinsons experience a mixture of hallucinations and delusions. This could lead them to feeling confused and can have an impact on day-to-day life.
What Treatments Are Available For Parkinsons Psychosis
Your doctor may first reduce or change the PD medication youre taking to see whether that reduces psychosis symptoms. This is about finding a balance.
People with PD may need higher doses of dopamine medication to help manage motor symptoms. But dopamine activity shouldnt be increased so much that it results in hallucinations and delusions. Your doctor will work with you to find that balance.
Read Also: What Color Is Parkinson’s Awareness
What Are Parkinsons Delusions
Delusions are thoughts that arent grounded in reality. Theyre not as common as hallucinations, affecting only about 8 percent of people with Parkinsons disease. But they are harder to treat.
The most common delusions involve paranoia for example, the feeling that people are out to get you, or that your partner is cheating on you. Having these thoughts can lead to aggressive or even dangerous behavior.
Youll start with a visit to your doctor for an evaluation. Your doctor may diagnose you with this condition if you:
- have had symptoms like hallucinations and delusions for at least 1 month
- dont have another condition that could be causing these symptoms, like dementia, delirium, major depression, or schizophrenia
Not everyone with Parkinsons disease will develop psychosis. Youre more likely to have this if you:
- are older
There are two possible causes of Parkinsons psychosis:
- changes in levels of brain chemicals like serotonin and dopamine from the disease itself
- changes in levels of these chemicals from medications that treat Parkinsons disease
Dopamine is a chemical that helps your body move smoothly. People with Parkinsons disease have lower than normal levels of dopamine, which causes their body to move stiffly.
Drugs that treat Parkinsons improve movement by increasing dopamine levels. Yet they can sometimes cause psychosis as a side effect.
Recruitment And Administration Of Questionnaire
patientslikeme® is an online patient network where members share personal health data to track their disease progression, communicate with other patients, and contribute to research studies. Members of the community are regularly invited to participate in optional questionnaire-based research studies . Although patients with any illness are able to sign up to the website, patientslikeme® has a large online community of individuals with PD at the time of this study, there were 6841 such members.
All members of the patientslikeme® community who had previously self-identified as having PD were invited to participate in the study via email . The link provided in the email enabled potential participants to access the study information and indicate whether or not they wished to participate. Submission of the completed questionnaire was interpreted as provision of consent for study enrollment in line with ethical guidelines from The University of Sussex on the acquisition of anonymous questionnaire-based data from patient groups . The online survey remained open for 1 week and to verify the testretest reliability of the EH questionnaire and, in line with routine practice in questionnaire-based surveys hosted on the patientslikeme® platform, all participants were invited by email to complete a retest phase 2 weeks later in which an identical questionnaire was administered.
Figure 1. Flowchart illustrating the recruitment and progression of participants through the study.
Managing Hallucinations And Delusions
Get medical advice. In mild cases simple monitoring may be all that is required. In more severe cases changes in medications may be necessary.Rule out other causes such as eyesight issues or infections.Talk to your family and or carers to help them understand how you are feeling. It can help them to be more patient and supportive with you too.Try not to worry.Reassure yourself that these symptoms may be a side effect of Parkinsons medication.Seek counselling. People with Parkinsons, carers and family members may need support, counselling and specific advice. Medicare covers 6 – 12 sessions with a psychologist to provide a range of strategies to help.
Support for you
What Makes Some People With Parkinsons More Susceptible To Parkinsons Disease Psychosis
Not everyone living with Parkinsons will experience hallucinations and/or delusions, but there are several things that can increase your risk. Here are a few to look out for. Be sure to speak to your doctors and care partners if you notice any changes.
- Increased sleep disturbances such as REM Sleep Behavior Disorder, sleep apnea, vivid dreaming and sleep interruptions
- Vision problems such as blurry or double vision
- Hearing problems
- Medication changes such as new medication, dosage changes and drug interactions
- Disease progression
Also Check: How Is The Diagnosis Of Parkinson Disease Made
A Caregivers Guide To Parkinsons Disease Psychosis
While more than 50% of those taking carbidopa-levodopa may experience psychosis , medication management of these symptoms is a balancing act. First, families must bring psychotic behavior to the attention of your medical team. Medical causes of the behavior, like infection must be ruled out, followed by a review of medications and possible medication adjustments before a lifestyle changes and possible medications for treatment are added.
Serotonin Dysfunction In Parkinsons Disease
Dopamine depletion in the dorsal striatum due to loss of nigrostriatal neurons results in the characteristic motor symptoms of PD. Serotonergic dysfunction, however, is thought to be the underlying cause of visual hallucinations that may be experienced in individuals with PD.1,3 Changes in the early stages of PD suggest a shift toward mesolimbic and mesocortical dysfunction.4 These include diminished expression of serotonin transporter in the forebrain, as well as observations of increased serotonergic uptake in the thalamus and raphe nuclei.4,5 SERT expression in the caudate, while preserved in early PD, decreases as PD progresses, correlating with advancing disease stage.6 Furthermore, upregulation of 5-HT2A receptors has been observed in the inferolateral temporal cortex, a critical structure in visual processing, as well as other portions of the ventral pathway, including the bilateral inferior occipital gyrus and right fusiform gyrus in PD patients with visual hallucinations.3,7 This upregulation of 5-HT2A receptors in PD may be a compensatory mechanism.4
Don’t Miss: What Is Signs Of Parkinson’s Disease
What Is Parkinsons Disease Psychosis
Parkinsons disease psychosis is a non-motor symptom of Parkinsons disease that causes patients to experience hallucinations and/or delusions.More than half of all patients with Parkinsons disease eventually develop symptoms over the course of their disease.1
Diagnosing and treating this condition can be complex. The condition relates to both neurology and psychiatry . For this reason, Parkinsons disease psychosis is considered a neuropsychiatric condition, since it deals with mental health symptoms caused by a disease of the nervous system .
Introducing an easier way to track your symptoms and manage your care.
Dont want to download the app? Use the non-mobile version here.
Recommended Reading: Parkinsons Double Vision
Psychosis: A Mind Guide To Parkinsons
Can be downloaded as a PDF or ordered the Parkinson’s Foundation online store. This 40-page booklet is a thorough guide to all aspects of Parkinsons psychosis, including symptoms, causes, treatment options, coping strategies for both the family and person experiencing the psychosis, and a chapter on tips for caregivers.
Also Check: Can Parkinson’s Come On Suddenly
Medications Used For Treating Psychosis
Antipsychotic agents are designed to balance abnormal chemical levels in the brain. Up until the 1990s, the use of antipsychotics in PD was controversial because the drugs used until that time work by reducing excess dopamine. This alleviated psychosis but caused dramatic worsening of PD motor symptoms.Fortunately, medications that are better tolerated by people with PD are now available. Today, there are three antipsychotic medications considered relatively safe for people with PD. They cause limited worsening of PD while treating hallucinations and delusions.
How Can I Tell If I Am Experiencing Hallucinations
Hallucinations are conscious processes that last a certain amount of time. You can talk about them with someone close to you when they occur.
To know if you are hallucinating, you need to be able to confront reality with your perception. You can do this verification yourself or with the help of someone close to you.
In any case, you have to be prepared to accept that your perception may have been tainted. Fortunately, these hallucinations are not related to Parkinsons disease progressing into a form of dementia. They usually disappear when you change your medications.
Speak to your neurologist. They will be able to do tests to evaluate the causes of your hallucinations and possibly review your medication dosages.
Don’t Miss: What Are The 5 Stages Of Parkinson’s
What Triggers Psychosis In Parkinsons Disease
Psychosis in Parkinsons disease is believed to be due to long term use of parkinsonian medications especially dopaminergic and anticholinergic drugs . However, significant medication exposure is no longer a pre-requisite in Parkinsons disease psychosis . The continuum hypothesis states that medication-induced psychiatric symptoms in Parkinsons disease starts with sleep disturbances accompanied by vivid dreams, and then develops into hallucinations and delusions, and ends in delirium. However this theory is now being challenged .
Read Also: On And Off Phenomenon
Section Header Managing Psychosis With Medication
Dont keep hallucinations or delusions a secret from your doctor. Medications — or changes to the medications you take — can help manage Parkinsons psychosis.
Streamlining your meds. The first thing your doctor may want to do is stop or lower your Parkinsons medication dose. They may boost dopamine levels in your brain. That improves motor symptoms but can also cause changes in your emotions or the way you act.
Antipsychotics. These medications balance your brain chemicals. Only a few are considered safe for people with Parkinsons disease. These include quetiapine and clozapine .
Pimavanserin . Another antipsychotic, this first-in-class drug was approved by the FDA in 2016 to treat hallucinations and delusions in Parkinsons disease linked with psychosis.
If you see a doctor who isnt part of your usual care team — say, in the emergency room or an urgent care setting — tell them you have Parkinsons disease and what medications you take for it.
How To Talk To Someone With Hallucinations Or Delusions
- It is usually not helpful to argue. Avoid trying to reason. Keep calm and be reassuring.
- You can say you do not see what your loved one is seeing, but some people find it more calming to acknowledge what the person is seeing to reduce stress. For example, if the person sees a cat in the room, it may be best to say, “I will take the cat out” rather than argue that there is no cat.
Page reviewed by Dr. Kathryn P Moore, Movement Disorders neurologist at Duke Health, a Parkinson’s Foundation Center of Excellence.
Parkinsons Disease Psychosis: Hallucinations Delusions And Paranoia
As part of Parkinsons Disease and its treatment, hallucinations, illusions, delusions, suspiciousness and paranoid behaviors occur in over 50% of patients. In this 1-hour webinar Dr. Christopher Goetz suggests lifestyle changes, medication adjustments and a recently FDA approved drug to specifically treat psychosis in Parkinsons Disease.
You May Like: What Is The Best Exercise For Parkinson’s Disease
What Causes Psychosis In Parkinsons
Currently, there is not a clear understanding of the exact cause of Parkinsons disease psychosis, although certain brain chemicals and receptors are believed to play a role. In general, the condition is believed to be caused by either one of the following:
Side effect of dopamine therapy:
Although an exact causal relationship has not been established, some believe that this condition may be a side effect of dopaminergic therapy .2Dopaminergic therapy increases dopamine levels, helping improve motor symptoms in patients with Parkinsons disease. However, increasing dopamine levels can also cause chemical and physical changes in the brain that inadvertently lead to symptoms such as hallucinations or delusions.
Natural outcome of the disease:
This condition can be triggered by changes in the brain that occur regardless of taking dopamine enhancing medication. Some of these changes occur naturally as Parkinsons disease progresses.2
Also Check: Judy Woodruff Parkinsons
Tips For Living With Hallucinations
It is important for people with PD to talk about hallucinations with their family and care team these are manageable and can be troublesome if not treated. Discuss all possible symptoms with your doctor, no matter how minor, rare or bizarre you may think they are.
Also Check: How Does Parkinson’s Affect The Body
Support Your Loved One And Yourself
PDP is also associated with increased caregiver stress and burden, nursing home placement and increased morbidity and mortality. But, your loved one is certainly not alone in living with PDP, and an effective management plan can improve the complications. Seek out the support that he or she needs, but also make sure that you are getting the emotional care you personally need in order to be an effective advocate for your loved one.

domain: health


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CATHERINE VONLEDEBUR took her seven-year-old son on a thrill-seeking adventure in Switzerland’s fabulous Alps
MY seven-year-old son and I flew to Geneva Airport for a four-day summer adventure in the family-friendly Swiss resort of Saas-Fee.
For any thrill-seeking young Indiana Jones this is the real deal – skiing on a glacier, zip-wiring across an Alpine gorge, swinging Tarzan-style in trees and bobsleighing.
Our adventure began with a two-hour train journey to Visp and a one-hour coach trip to Saas-Fee past some of the most spectacular scenery in the world – Lake Geneva, Swiss vineyards and the Alps.
The coach wound around hair-raising bends high into the mountains arriving at Sass-Fee, a stunning car-free glacier village.
It was dotted with 400-year-old traditional wooden houses and grain barns and 56 Swiss Chalet-style hotels, which accommodate up to 7,700 guests in peak season.
Saas-Fee nests in a valley below the highest Swiss mountain range, the Mischabel group.
There are activities for children of all ages from baking sessions at the Bread Museum to feeding marmots on Hannig mountain, a fairy trail, mountain climbing, circus school and summer skiing.
At Saas-Fee you can enjoy the unusual experience of summer snowboarding or skiing from July 5 onwards. A ski pass for children up to nine years of age is free.
Late teen and twenty-something snowboarders slide off the slopes straight into apres ski cafe bars like Popcorn.
We stayed at the cosy Hotel La Collina, a small, friendly place on split-levels, with three floors and its own leisure club, swimming pool, jacuzzi, sauna and steam room. My son Jude and I shared a twin ensuite room with a fabulous view from our balcony overlooking the mountains.
Three-course evening meals with wine or soft drinks are included (six nights per week) with a vegetarian option, and at 4pm afternoon tea and cakes are served.
Jude and I were up bright and early on our first morning to get our ski hire equipment fitted in the village. (A one-day lift pass costs £32 for adults, £19 for children over nine).
Taking the Alpin Express and underground funicular Metro Alpin, we ascended 3,600m to the summer ski area.
Until we arrived at a cable car station I was absolutely fine, under the impression we were travelling to the top via alpine railway. Palms sweating. Face drained of colour. It was one of the most agonising 10 minutes of my life – I was so relieved to get to the mountain top, where the altitude literally takes your breath away.
Saas Fee’s glacier offers 20km of varied pistes as well as a half pipe and boardercross area for free-riding snowboarders. Jude is a novice skier and had great fun attempting to stand upright.
Saas Fee is notoriously sunny, but we must have brought the English weather with us – not only did it rain, but thunder and lightning.
It was so bad that they had to close the piste on the first day of opening and bring back stray skiers on snow-ploughs.
We took refuge in the world’s highest-revolving restaurant, Drehrestaurant Allalin, eating spaghetti and apple strudel with unsurpassed 360-degree panoramic views – of stormy black clouds! When visibility is good you can apparently see Milan.
Next door to the restaurant was the world’s biggest ice grotto – you climb down 100 or so steps into the 5,500m large underground ice palace with a Pingo-esque igloo, Disney ice sculptures, gallery, a children’s slide and even a chapel where couples can marry.
“Walk slowly, do not rush” read signs on the wall due to the high altitude and ice-rink floor.
On the way down the cable car stopped in mid-air twice – dangling slowly from side-to-side. Thank God it was foggy!
In the afternoon we were due to swing Tarzan-style from tree to tree in the Adventure Forest – a climbing assault course for adults and children (who must be a minimum of 1.10m tall).
It has a network of hanging bridges, nets, ropes and rope ladders between the trees.
Courses range from beginner to expert, the ultimate challenge being the longest Tyrolean zip wire in Europe – 280m across a gorge.
Sadly, in the case of thunder storms and bad weather it is closed.
Instead Jude and I chilled out in the hotel’s swimming pool before dinner. The next morning we set off on a village tour with friendly German guide Sabine Graeff. We opted out of a cable car trip up to Hannig Mountain.
The plan was to ride back down on ‘Trottinets’ – scooters with huge wheels. The 6km scooter trail to Saas Fee on unpaved roads is suitable for families and takes just under an hour.
Nerves intact, Jude and I had a swim and game of ping pong at the resort’s newly-refurbished leisure club which has a 25m swimming pool with fountains and wave machines, sauna, steam room, indoor tennis and badminton. Huge windows overlooked the gorge and mountains.
One middle-aged couple had even brought a picnic and were sipping wine at the side of the pool.
More adventure was in store for Jude –.the Gorge Alpine, a rugged gorge between Saas-Fee and neighbouring Saas-Grund. Mountain guides assist you across using cable pulleys, hanging bridges, ladders and cables. Everyone is equipped with safety ropes and harnesses.
Jude was able to complete the first task – a zip wire from one side of a 100ft gorge to another, but the rest of the two-hour course was too advanced. One minute he was absolutely terrified clinging to the rockface – “I feel like I am going to die”; the next he experienced a massive adrenaline rush – “I did it!”
As a parent it was nail-biting to watch – particularly if you suffer from vertigo.
Before we left to catch our flight the following day we ended our adventure break with one final ‘thrill’ – a rollercoaster ride on the Feeblitz, a 900m long winter and summer toboggan run with speeds up to 40kph.
Switzerland is still the home of tinkling cowbells and cuckoo clocks; some of the finest cheese, chocolate and trains in the world.
But if you are looking for an alternative summer holiday, action-packed with thrills galore for all the family, snow and a million dollar view, Saas Fee has it all.

domain: geography


The UK launched a new set of standards for schemes that allow people and companies to offset their carbon emissions, on Thursday.
The move will link offsetting schemes to the UN Kyoto Protocol. It could more than double costs for people or companies wanting to be “carbon neutral” by paying others to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.
The UK’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) has also named four offset providers that meet its new standards: Pure, Global Cool, Equiclimate and Carbon Offsets.
Companies have been quick to jump on carbon offsetting as a way to flag their efforts to curb climate change. Individuals have also become more carbon aware, wanting to offset their car and plane journeys. But there have been fears that the offsetting industry boom could be fuelling schemes with dubious environmental credentials.
Carbon offsetting involves paying others to cut emissions on your behalf, by planting trees or building wind farms for example, with the ultimate objective of offsetting all your emissions and going carbon neutral.
“People need to be sure that the way they offset is actually making a difference,” said environment minister David Miliband. “The government’s standard and code of practice, with a quality mark so people can check easily before they choose an offsetting product, will help to provide that certainty.”
Miliband maintains that offsetting schemes are not the solution to climate change but that the new standards would “raise the bar”. A code should be in place by autumn 2007, after a consultation.
Right to emit
Environmental group Friends of the Earth says the move was unhelpful if it encouraged people to think they could buy their way out of cutting their own contribution to climate change. “We urgently need to cut our emissions, but offsetting schemes encourage individuals, businesses and governments to avoid action and carry on polluting,” says director Tony Juniper.
Under the voluntary UK standard, people will have to buy the same carbon credits that countries use when trying to meet Kyoto Protocol emissions targets. They will buy these credits in a market overseen by the UN.
An unregulated market currently supplies most offsets and is less expensive: the UK environment ministry estimates that the right to emit 1000 kilograms of carbon dioxide costs roughly £8 ($16) on an unregulated market, versus £17 per tonne of UN-type carbon credits.
UK officials say unregulated markets will not qualify for the new scheme because they cannot guarantee a standard. One concern about projects in the unregulated sector is that people may be paying for projects to make emissions cuts that would have happened anyway.


text:
p>Oren Lapid, MD, PhD Leonard U. M. Corion, MD Mark J. C. S. Smeulders, MD, PhDJan A. Swinkels, MD, PhD Chantal M. A. M. van der Horst, MD, PhD
Aesthetic Surgery Journal, Volume 34, Issue 5, 1 July 2014, Pages 719–722
Published: 01 July 2014
Patients who desire reduction mammaplasty (RM) also may seek relief from social and emotional challenges that accompany their physical condition, including low self-confidence and impaired body image. Reduction mammaplasty is known to improve patients’ physical and psychological well-being. It may be speculated that patients who undergo RM are motivated by psychological problems and have psychopathologies. Health care insurers reluctant to cover the expense of this surgery may cite mental health as a reason to deny coverage.
The authors assessed the psychopathological profile of patients who presented for RM, utilizing a validated instrument, and compared scores with standard norm values.
Preoperatively, 67 women were assessed with the Symptom Checklist-90–Revised (SCL-90–R), a validated instrument for evaluating a broad range of psychopathological problems and symptoms. The SCL-90–R provides a general psychoneurosis score, as well as scores for 8 symptom subscales.
The mean patient age was 36 ± 11.2 years. The mean (SD) total score on the SCL-90–R was 130 (38.7), which was not significantly higher than the norm score of 123. Only the subscores for somatization and sleep disturbance were significantly higher than the norm scores for these subscales.
Compared with the norm score for women who presented with chronic pain, the total score for our study population was significantly lower.
Patients who undergo RM have normal scores for psychoneurosis according to the SCL-90–R. Health care insurance coverage for RM should not be denied on the basis that the motivation for surgery relates to psychopathology. Additionally, psychological testing is not recommended for most patients who desire breast reduction surgery; rather, clinical judgment based on common sense should be applied.
Level of Evidence: 3

domain: psychology


New Jersey man installs massive .44 Magnum mailbox
Roger Buchko, 49, made the giant replica of the ‘Dirty Harry’ Smith & Wesson firearm as a challenge — and to promote his cabinet making and metal fabrication business.
BY DOYLE MUPRHY / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2013, 4:53 PM
Roger Buchko, a semi-retired cabinet maker in New Jersey, installed his new mailbox in late August.
Go ahead, send junk mail.
A New Jersey man’s .44 Magnum mailbox would make Dirty Harry jealous.
Roger Buchko, 49, built an oversized replica of a Smith & Wesson firearm to replace his old letter box, drawing attention from across the globe.
“I got people commenting from England,” the semi-retired cabinet maker told the Daily News.
Buchko says he was just hoping to attract some attention to his cabinet-making and metal fabrication business when he built a sidearm fit for Paul Bunyan.
The truck-sized sidearm weighs about 350 pounds and sits on a 1,200-pound steel base on his front lawn in the Lopatcong Township in rural New Jersey.
Buchko said he saw a similar project online and thought he could build it better. His neighbor donated the eight-inch PVC pipe for the barrel, and he built the rest from plywood scrap he had lying around.
The replica Smith & Wesson weighs about 350 pounds and sits on a 1,200 pound steel base.
Buchko said the unusual lawn ornament wasn’t designed as a political statement. He was just hoping to pick up work for his cabinet-making and metal fabrication business.
“It’s just to drum up business, because I’m broke,” he said.
That hasn’t stopped people on all sides of the gun debate from weighing in. Long-distance Web commenters claim it gives them nightmares or tell Buchko to slap an orange cap on the tip to identify it as a fake.
“You can’t even believe it,” he said.
The gun is built of plywood with a barrel made from 8-inch PVC pipe.
It took about four months, working an hour or two each day, to finish. Buchko has built mini-choppers and sprint car hybrids in the past and considers himself an artist of “off-the-wall” projects.
He said he checked with the postmaster before he started the mailbox project to make sure he wasn’t breaking any laws.
He doesn’t want to make anyone angry, he said, and the feedback from neighbors has been mostly positive.
A strong breeze will spin the faux firearm’s giant cylinder, which is mounted on ball bearings.
“I got nothing but compliments,” he said. “I had one person throw eggs on it, but I’m sure that was just kids.”
He estimates 500-700 people have stopped to take a picture of the gun. It hasn’t earned him any more business yet, but he’s hopeful.
“I built it because I can,” he said. “You know what I mean?”


Protection of the patient in X-ray diagnosis: a report
International Commission on Radiological Protection. Committee III on Protection against X-rays up to Energies of 3 MeV and Beta- and Gamma-Rays from Sealed Sources
Published for the International Commission on Radiological Protection by Pergamon Press, 1970 - Medical - 46 pages
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abdomen Appendix appropriate barium barium enema barium meal bone marrow dose chest examinations Cholecystography clinical judgement collimator cones dental radiography diagnostic radiology diagnostic x-ray diaphragm direct fluoroscopy dose received example exit exposure exposure rate factors film fluorography focus-skin distance foetus genetically significant dose Gonad Dose Group graphy grid hazards Hysterosalpingography ICRP Committee 3[2 ICRP Publication image intensifier important indications involved ionizing radiation irradiation less limit mammography measures minimum mobile equipment mrad necessary operating paragraph 78 particular patient dose patient exposure patient protection pelvimetry peptic ulcer photofluorography possible practice pregnancy primary beam procedures radiation dose radiation exposure radiation protection radio radiological examinations radiologist rays recommendations recording reduced relevant result retakes risk scattered radiation Section sensitive shielding skin dose skin exposure techniques timer tion tissues total filtration type of examination ulcers values voltage x rays x-ray beam x-ray diagnosis x-ray equipment x-ray examinations x-ray tube


text:
Ten years later, will the recent small fire in Russia become the beginning of a horror movie?
On the afternoon of September 16, a small fire broke out in Russia. The fire was not big, but the person who knew the news had a tight heart.
Because of the fire, it is a high-level security laboratory that freezes many viruses.
Once this kind of laboratory has an accident, what is "The Walking Dead", "Resident Evil", "Blood Epidemic", "Amazing 28 Days"... A disaster film that you have seen in a horror film that you have seen, may be in reality. It was staged.


text:
- Annie Oakley
- Dorchester County (MD Manual)
- Dorchester County Historical Society
- East New Market
- Town history including maps, land records, news articles, and more.
- Historic Publications: U.S. Commission on Civil Rights
- Maryland African American History (4 entries)
- National Register of Historic Places
- Probing the Past
- The Center for History and New Media of George Mason University presents this website, including 325 probate inventories recorded between 1740 and 1810 in selected Virginia and Maryland counties.

domain: library


Now showing items 1-6 of 6
Iterative channel estimation for spatial modulation systems over fast fading channels
Spatial Modulation (SM) based on the use of antenna indices to transmit information in addition to the conventional signal constellations has been recently proposed to solve practical problems encountered in MIMO systems. ...
Pilot Symbol Assisted Channel Estimation for 4x4 Space Time Block Coded Spatial Modulation Systems
Recently spatial modulation (SM) and space-time block coding (STBC) are combined to take advantage of the benefits of both while avoiding their drawbacks for multiple-input and multiple-output (MIMO) systems. The pioneering ...
Channel Estimation for Spatial Modulation Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing Systems
A combination of spatial modulation and orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (SM-OFDM) has been recently proposed for multicarrier systems while assuming the perfect channel state information (P-CSI) available at the ...
On channel estimation for spatial modulated systems over time-varying channels
(Academic Press Inc Elsevier Science, 2015)
Spatial Modulation (SM) has been proposed recently for multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) systems to cope with the interchannel interference and to reduce the detection complexity as compared to the conventional MIMO ...
Spline Based Channel Estimation for STBC-SM Systems over Fast-Varying Rician Fading Channels
In the STBC-SM systems the information is carried both by STBC symbols and indices of the transmit antennas from which these symbols are transmitted. Channel estimation is a critical process at the receiver during the ...
Pilot Symbol Aided Channel Estimation for Spatial Modulation-OFDM Systems and its Performance Analysis with Different Types of Interpolations
Spatial modulation orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (SM-OFDM) system has been recently proposed as an alternative for multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO)-OFDM systems to increase spectral efficiency by keeping ...


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|Bitter sweet almond cake|
A few weeks back I shared a recipe on Almond Honey Cake. This recipe is an adaptation of it. I added some chocolate chips and dissolved two tablespoons of honey in half a cup of espresso. The result is a unsweetened mocha cake! If you prefer a sugary dessert then double the honey amount or substitute honey with half a cup of sugar.
Here is the adapted recipe for the almond cake:
|Adapt the amount of sweetness you want by adding more honey or use 1/2 cup of sugar|


by SHAMSUL AKMAR / pic by Bernama
WHEN news leaked out that Datuk Seri Tajuddin Abdul Rahman (picture), MP for Pasir Salak, was the Malaysian ambassador to Indonesia, a public outcry erupted, accompanied by a wailing of sorts, of how the nation had sunk to a new low.
In the first place, contemporary Malaysia frowns upon the appointment of politicians to positions that are supposed to be helmed by professionals, and that include the posts of diplomats.
In other words, the expectations of the Malaysian public are that an ambassador should be a career diplomat and not a politician or a political appointee. Similarly, such expectations apply on other appointments to helm government-linked and government-related companies and corporations.
There have, however, been opinions suggesting that it would be foolhardy for any government to totally observe these conditions and expectations, as political appointees ensure continued support for the party in power.
It then should be a case of straddling public expectations and political reality. By and large, despite public displeasure when it involves political appointees, it would eventually dissipate if the appointee has the stature, qualifications and persona befitting the appointment.
That is, however, not the case with Tajuddin.
By any measure, public opinion overwhelmingly viewed that he would be the last person appointed to represent Malaysia and Malaysians, especially to Indonesia, a close and important neighbour.
More so, despite the brotherly affinity, hiccups in bilateral ties threatening to flow over, is quite common in the nations’ relations, meaning it would require an above average diplomat for such a role.
On Wikipedia, Tajuddin is profiled as an “outspoken” MP for his notoriously brash nature and abrasive language and that he is known of his long history of controversy and uncouth behaviour throughout his political career.
Surely, such attributes are exactly antithetical to what a diplomat should be.
But Malaysians do not need Wikipedia to remind them of what kind of person Tajuddin is.
It is widely shared on social media, Tajuddin’s last performance as the Prasarana Malaysia Bhd’s chairman and spokesperson over the head-on collision between two light rail transits last year causing more than 200 people injured.
In the press conference, Tajuddin came across as being crass, arrogant, insensitive and comically not funny.
His disastrous performance led to demands and petitions from the public for his resignation and the Ministry of Finance, the appointing body, relented and terminated him from Prasarana within 48 hours.
It is therefore not an assumption nor a presumption that Tajuddin had failed as a spokesperson for the nation’s transportation company, a fact affirmed by the Ministry of Finance by his termination.
His failure in handling a GLC should disqualify him from holding any other public office but instead, it seems to qualify him to a much more prestigious position, as an ambassador representing Malaysia and Malaysians.
There are a few ways of looking at it.
For one, Tajuddin should have himself refused to take up the job given his experience of being ineffective to hold position requiring him to be a spokesperson. But to expect that is to expect him to negate the sense of entitlement conditioned into Umno since the last decade or so.
If Tajuddin had lobbied for the post, then Wisma Putra, the government, the prime minister (PM), the Cabinet and whoever else that have the power to appoint him, should have not entertained it knowing fully well that it will be an insult to any Malaysian with an ability to think.
Ultimately, the Malays in particular, have to deal with this sense of entitlement that cheapens merit even within the community which in turn is already being questioned for not observing merit when dealing with the other non-Bumiputera communities.
It is cannon fodder for those opposed to the affirmative action which, despite its successes, had failed to rein in the first among equals from within the Malay/Bumiputera community itself.
It rendered efforts to restructure society in which wealth and poverty is identified not only by class but also by race.
One of the by-products of this sense of entitlement is shamelessness which then sets of a trail of odiousness — from dishonesty, greed, arrogance, deceit and all that serve to justify the entitlement.
The avarice is endless and the value is systematically and consciously injected into the lower strata of society so much so that cash is indeed king.
As such, it is not surprising that there is a price for every vote cast and the price is paid at all levels of power — voters in the general election, to MPs in the formation of Government and again to MPs for the Prime Ministership.
It may not be the way in the past but in the last couple of PMs, that is the way it is. Hence, it should come as no surprise that the likes of Tajuddin ends up as an ambassador.
That is the way the cookie crumbles.
Shamsul Akmar is Editor of The Malaysian Reserve.


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domain: pet