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The High Price of Gas
Posted by Hometownpulse | Filed under Automotive
The High Price of Gas
If you haven’t noticed, the price of fuel isn’t going down anytime soon. With some people traveling 50 miles a day or more for work I can’t imagine how much they are paying for fuel on a weekly basis. How much do you budget for your gas tank? Which raises the question of what grade of fuel should you use? The answer is still a mystery to me, here’s why. I’ve had lots of customers tell me that their car runs better on High Test gasoline, or 93 Octane, or just the “expensive stuff” at the gas station. Is it really worth the additional expense, as much as 25 cents a gallon or more? Or is it just a sales pitch from the Oil Producers? And how much better can it make your engine run? How bad did the car run before?
Well anyway, my feeling is that if you think that it runs better, than it runs better, pay the extra money if you want. But I also feel that most vehicles are designed to run just fine on the 89 Octane (the cheap stuff), and if they don’t, most likely there is another problem.
Original gasoline had lead in it and burned very inefficiently. It wasn’t the gasoline’s fault. Low engine compression kept power and efficiency way down. About the time lead was determined to be very harmful- Ok so they used it for another 20 years, but they started adding alternative additives to reduce knock characteristics. Lead was removed in the 70’s. The catalytic converter, introduced in 1975, requires no-lead fuel.
Depending on the amount of additives they put in the gasoline, the octane is rated from a low of 87 to a high of 98. The concept is that the additional additives are better for keeping the injectors clean. In theory it works great. In reality, injectors can still get clogged and valves can still accumulate carbon over time. So regular cleaning and maintenance are the answer. It’s a good idea to run a can of fuel injection cleaner in your tank every now and then. The intake and plenum should be cleaned at least once a year. This will control carbon buildup on intake valves and keep the injection system operating at it’s full potential.
These are the small things that keep an engine running smoothly all the time. If you find that your car actually runs better on the more expensive gasolines, than consider trying these fairly inexpensive services for better performance and driveability, and save your money by using the cheaper gas. I know some people are going to argue this point with me but I just don’t think it’s worth the additional expense. These are things you can do yourself for very little expense.
Statistics do not support paying extra for higher octane fuels. Otherwise they would use that information to sell us all on it. And they don’t. The fact is that it may make the engine run better but you probably can’t prove it other than better driveability or performance. These are not measurable statistics.
Either way, like I said earlier, if you think that it’s worth it, than it’s worth it. But the next time you see me at the pumps, I’m filling up with the cheap stuff. Frugal? Cheap? Maybe a little of both. Save your money and take the family to a movie.
Holiday Survival Strategies
Posted by Hometownpulse | Filed under Health
Holiday Survival Strategies
Recent studies have shown that even a few pound weight gain over the holidays can be difficult to lose, so it make sense to prevent the weight gain in the first place. Of course, this is easier said than done, what with all the delicious food around and less time to stick to your regular exercise routine. But, if you stay aware of the choices you’re making, you should be able to maintain your weight while still enjoying yourself. Keep the following strategies in mind over the holidays to help yourself stay in control.
First, plan ahead whenever possible. Try to find out what’s being served so you can fit it into your meal plan or adjust your intake for the rest of the day. At buffets, review what is served before you fill your plate. Start with a salad or other low calorie choices. Be aware of extra calories hidden in foods with cream sauces, mayonnaise or oil marinades. Use a small plate. Choose calorie-free beverages and mixers. To maximize your fullness and satisfaction, select a variety of foods. Be sure to include plenty of raw vegetables along with low fat proteins, such as shrimp, turkey and ham.
A second guideline is to be sure to have the special holiday foods you enjoy most. People often eat just because the food is there, not because it’s something they really enjoy. Don’t waste calories on foods you don’t really like. You can have ordinary mashed potatoes anytime, so why waste your calories? Many workplaces have an abundance of “goodies” throughout the holiday season. Make your sandwich on light bread so you can sample the secretary’s homemade cookies. Increase your lifestyle activity as much as you can to burn off the extra calories from nibbling.
Most of all take care of yourself! The holidays are a stressful time. Make sure to exercise, get enough sleep and take relaxation breaks. Figure out strategies ahead of time to deal with difficulties so you don’t wind up overeating out of stress. If you overdo it, don’t waste time beating up on yourself. Learn from it and resolve to make better choices next time. Forgive yourself and move on. Focus on the true meaning of the holidays and you’ll be healthier both physically and spiritually.
“How To Eat” Method helps resolve food and weight issues
Posted by Hometownpulse | Filed under Health
Dieting is NOT the answer.
The “How to Eat” method helps resolve food and weight issues.
EATING IS OKAY
Eating well is one of life’s great pleasures. However, for many people, the enjoyment is ruined by feelings of conflict, anxiety and guilt about eating. They are distressed about their eating and locked in a struggle to change their bodies. They feel pressure to lose weight, but are burned out with dieting. As a “dieting casualty,” they are out of touch with their body’s natural regulatory signals of hunger and fullness.
HOW TO EAT
Is a short-term (8-12 week) program for men & women for whom eating and weight is a major issue in life. It can be completed with individual sessions or small groups. How to Eat is the only program of its kind in Central New York to address the issue of chronic dieting. Unlike other programs promoting healthy weight, How to Eat actually helps participants develop the eating skills they need to break the cycle of dieting and weight gain. Before beginning, you will have thorough evaluation of your eating issues and weight history to help you decide whether the program is for you. Although weight is monitored, weight loss is not the primary focus of the program. “How to Eat” is for people who experience struggles with their eating, such as:
1. Compulsive eating; binge eating
2. Self starvation to maintain body weight
3. Preoccupation and anxiety about eating and body weight
4. Chronic weight gain or loss
5. Repeated failed reducing attempts
6. Drastic and potentially harmful reducing attempts
7. Family struggles about eating and weight
HOW TO EAT
This method teaches normal eating to the person who is caught in the cycle of dieting and repeated weight gain. For individuals with eating disorders, it should be used in conjunction with psychotherapy to treat distorted eating. The program uses focused eating exercises and relaxation to develop internally directed eating skills.
BENEFITS
1. Learn to eat in a positive and structured manner
2. Learn to detect and trust hunger, appetite and satiety
3. Decrease tension and anxiety about eating and weight
4. Develop a consistent and comfortable exercise pattern
5. Evaluate body weight response to eating and exercise changes
6. Learn to eat from your internal cues rather than from external rules
7. Reclaim a sense of wonder and joy over food and eating
8. Move away from body shame towards acceptance
EATING SPECIALIST
Michelle P. Gallant is a certified graduate of Ellyn Satter’s Treating the Dieting Casualty intensive training in Madison, Wisconsin. She specializes in the How to Eat method of eating management.
Is it Alzheimer’s - Or Stress?
Posted by Hometownpulse | Filed under Elder Care, Health
IS IT ALZHEIMER’S - OR STRESS?
How often we are reminded that schools teach us reading, writing and arithmetic, but not the lessons of the applications of life. They don’t teach us how to love, only that we love. They don’t teach us how to remember, just that we remember.
As we age, everything we have been creates an evolving identity of who we are, complete with our memories of the past, our place in the present and our hopes for the future. When we lose our connection to our past due to significant memory loss, we lose sight of everything we are. Our memory is essential to our growth as a person, a family member and as a productive member of society.
“Uh oh,” we think “am I losing my mind? Is it Alzheimer’s?” when we forget a name or maybe a face. We prematurely experience what is called a “senior moment” or we become the butt of an old age joke. We remove the cold morning coffee from the microwave, forgotten in our mad rush to locate our keys so that we could get on with the rest of our day. Where do we draw the line between mere forgetfulness and the problems that are the result of Alzheimer’s and other such disorders?
Every single second of our lives we are receiving and transmitting information. The satisfied look of our golf partner, the disapproval of our boss, the ray of sunshine streaming through the window or a bird on the wing…the blare of the muffler that needs replacing, the roar of the alarm clock or the sweet sound of a symphony…the smell of your father’s aftershave or the feel of silk pajamas against your skin. Every sight, sound, smell, touch and taste is recorded in our phenomenal record-keeping center called the brain.
Every single experience of every second of our lives has the potential of causing a physical neurological change in our brain. To this we owe the great success of music, art and aromatherapy to name a few. Every single message received by our senses goes through an intricate system of procedures. When we learn something or experience something, that “something” enters into a process that will file it according to what we will need it for. In other words, every experience will enter the brain, which will then decide if it should go to the short term memory, the long term memory, some storage area in between (a “recycle bin” of sorts, to be retrieved if necessary) or if it will be expelled as nonessential information.
It is our natural state to sort and file. A healthy brain does this flawlessly. Problems related to memory loss are not a natural state that comes with aging. It is said that we have 90 or so billion neurons and that with age they decrease in number. Neurons are naturally depleted with age by possibly a billion or so… hardly enough to affect our lifestyle.
What gets in the way? No matter what our age, we are affected by stressors such as anxiety, lack of sleep, malnutrition, overwork, hormonal changes and more. Exposure to influences such as drugs, alcohol, electromagnetic fields, medical illness and traumatic events can dramatically affect our memory storage and retrieval system.
Other than avoiding exposure to such things, what do we do to keep our memories on track?
- The old standbys of eating right, getting enough sleep and exercise and trying to decrease stressors is a good start.
- Take some time to discover the growing industry of memory “wellness”. Hundreds of books, websites, school programs and courses are designed to help people to learn ways to adapt, compensate for and prevent forgetfulness. An array of alternative medicine remedies such as ginko biloba, vitamin E, lecithin and vitamin B12 are being professed as playing a part in winning the memory loss game.
- Everything you experience, to a greater or lesser degree, creates a physical change in the brain. If you have had bad experiences in the past, don’t hang onto them because they will continue to affect you in negative ways.
- Be sure you are doing the work you love and that you surround yourself with people who are supportive and nurturing rather than those who are critical or judgmental. You will absorb whatever others have to offer you - positive or negative.
- Surround yourself with an aesthetically pleasing environment. Colors, sounds, textures, light can all have an impact on your sense of wellbeing.
- “Use it!” Don’t just play the memory games and take memory classes. It’s the things that you learn that you incorporate into your “being” that have the most profound affect on your memory. It’s looking at life in a whole new way, or looking at yourself with a new attitude. It’s having that internal light bulb go on that say’s ‘Wow, I never thought of it that way before.’ It’s the things that encourage you to take off the old shoe in exchange for new ways of doing and perceiving. It’s living in the moment. The positive experiences that stretch your creativity, your passions and your feelings will create an atmosphere in your brain conducive to optimal memory and cognitive health. In a June 13, 2000 TIME magazine article, George Johnson writes in regard to memory loss: “(Research has shown that) canaries create a new batch of neurons every time they learn a song, then slough them off when it’s time to change tunes.” Don’t be afraid to change your tune once in awhile; it may be just what you need.
- Don’t worry about your forgetfulness unless it begins to impact your patterns of routine, your behavior or your overall functioning. Not being able to find your keys is one thing. Not being able to find your car, well, that may not be quite so bad either. Not being able to find your way home is another story.
- If you feel that memory loss is impacting your life or the life of someone you care about, don’t hesitate to seek medical advice. Many people procrastinate because they “don’t want to know” that they have a cognitive disorder. The fact is there are 100 or more reversible conditions that could cause memory loss. The sooner you find out, the sooner you can realistically get back on track. In the meantime, you can join the rest of us who question ourselves from time to time. Just don’t let it prevent you from allowing your brain to grow from the experience of living life fully.
…And if you can say “Wow, I never knew that” somewhere during the course of this article, my goal has been accomplished.
Employee Discrimination: Or Is It?
Posted by Hometownpulse | Filed under Law
EMPLOYEE DISCRIMINATION: OR IS IT?
It amazes me that when someone is fired from their job that they instantly think they are entitled to compensation. One person telephoned our office and told us that they were caught misplacing money at their job and that they wanted to sue their former employer for employment discrimination. Employment discrimination has little or nothing to do with job performance, your personal integrity, or your ability to earn a living. There is no constitutional entitlement to have or keep a job.
In New York, if you do not have an employment contract you are an at-will-employee. This means that employment can be terminated by either party for no reason or any reason. This includes simply not liking you or the way you dress, or your attitude, or because an employer has suspicions about you and your behavior. An employer has an absolute right to discharge any employee unless they are protected by an express written agreement.
However, under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, an employer cannot fire you because of your race, color, or national origin. National origin means the country from which you or your ancestors came from.
To begin a lawsuit in a federal court under Title VII there are pre-suit administrative steps. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) must be invoked. The EEOC has the power but not the duty to file suit in its own name on behalf of individuals. If the EEOC elects not to proceed, the individual is free to file an independent lawsuit in a federal court. Unless a “charge” is filed in a timely manner, no further action is allowed. The EEOC investigates the charge to determine if reasonable cause exists to believe the charge is true. If the EEOC finds no reasonable discriminatory cause for dismissal it will dismiss the charge, inform the employer and ex-employee, and notify the charging party of the right to commence a private lawsuit. When the EEOC relinquishes its ability to proceed on behalf of the person harmed it then provides that person with a notice of a right to sue. If the EEOC finds a discriminatory cause of the person being fired they then may give up their role in the process. However, this is only after the EEOC determines that a satisfactory resolution to the ex-employees claim cannot be reached and when the EEOC concludes that it will not file a public lawsuit in its own name on behalf of the employee.
Age discrimination is not part of Title VII. Age discrimination is interpreted by the Age Discrimination Employment Act (ADEA). Under the ADEA, a person that has been discriminated against has to be over the age of 40 to bring a lawsuit. For Example: A federal court in New York held that a sixty-one-year-old grandmother, who was rejected from a part-time sales job with a GapKids store after a cursory interview, could proceed with her age-discrimination claim against the clothing retailer. The court ruled that the applicant had provided enough evidence that her rejection for a job at the store was a pretext for age discrimination. The manager who interviewed the applicant never advised her of the range of hours available at the store or asked her to clarify her availability. Further, the store was hiring for a variety of hours at the time, and the applicant had stated on her application her availability to work some of those hours.
Nevertheless, age discrimination lawsuits can be a very slippery slope. An employer is allowed to rely on an “experience cap”-the maximum number of prior years’ work experience it wishes an applicant to possess, for example-when screening applicants. However, an applicant may be allowed to proceed with an age discrimination claim if the employer does not strictly adhere to its own stated job requirements.
Employment discrimination is both a legal and a moral issue. An assessment of employment claims that are discriminatory in nature require the skills of properly qualified attorneys. If you believe that you have been discriminated against, you may wish to telephone the Onondaga County Bar Association at 315-471-2667 for a referral to an experienced employment attorney. Just remember, having been fired from a job is not necessarily a form of discrimination nor creates grounds for a lawsuit. Tread cautiously.