When Tardive Dyskinesia isn’t just a phase you’ll grow out of…

January 12th, 2010. By AbiK

Greek progressive math-death metallers Tardive Dyskinesia signed with Coroner Records for the release of their second album entitled “The Sea Of See Through Skins”, scheduled for the beginning of October. The album, presented as an experimental and hypnotic trip into an obsessive and structurated world, features an incredible technical approach and an overload of math structures and tempos.

And so there you have it. Yes, there is a band out there that, in all their blue-sky brainstorming for a band name, came up with “Tardive Dyskinesia” as their very own.

I’m trying to envision that session…(note, the band members hail from Greece, so my lingo may be slightly off, but…)

“Hey dude, how bout Epileptic Overdrive?”

“Nah…I mean it’s good man, but it doesn’t speak to the cause and effect…you know, like something’s gotta send you on the trip…”

And somehow someone somewhere came across the condition of Tardive Dyskinesia. All the elements were there. Drug-induced. Not natural. Physically altering. No control. In fact, completely out of control. The ultimate taking over of your body…and hence your mind… That’s it, man.

Here, this is straight from the band’s website:

Here we are: 2003 and the beginning of their more creative period. The change in sound brought about a change in name too: Tardive Dyskinesia (an illness caused by long-term use of psychotropic medication that manifests itself in involuntary, repetitive movements of the limbs).

That’s all they really say about it. And I guess not much more is needed from a fan’s perspective.

But if you’ve been suffering from Tardive Dyskinesia—the real condition, that is—you might question why anyone would want to brand themselves with it–and start pumping out the requisite t-shirts and buttons to promote it. And I guarantee you that the only way some listeners know what the heck the name really means is by happenstance: Read the rest of this entry »

When it takes b@!!s to file a lawsuit…

January 12th, 2010. By AbiK

I’m on a roll, baby. First, the pole dance lawsuit. Now, I’m moving on to lap dances.

The name: Gerard Wall.

The lowdown: Gerard—I feel like I want to call him “Gerry”—is a guy from Delaware; fwiw, reports indicate he’s 39 years old. He visited Larry Flynt’s Hustler Club on the west side in New York City. He went in for a good time. He apparently doesn’t remember how good of a time he may have had. He filed a lawsuit claiming that his good time cost him over $21,000—$21,620.60 exactly, split between his AMEX and Discover cards—when he only agreed to a $300 lap dance. Other details in the suit: he had 2 drinks within 90 minutes and was apparently so blotto that a Hustler employee had to drive him home.

Now, I get that there may have been some error in billing. And that this may well be a legitimate lawsuit. And that this is not, by far, the first time some guy goes into a strip joint and leaves not realizing he’s about to have his memory of the night jarred by a credit card statement in the mail(jarred even moreso if it’s his wife opening the mail).

No, what I find interesting about these kinds of lawsuits is the stigma that surrounds them. Sure, folks’ll be saying “that Larry Flynt, he’s no good” and all. And I’m sure Larry’s used to that kind of talk. But for Gerard Wall, anyone’s Read the rest of this entry »

Men in Suits and Asbestos in my Linoleum

January 11th, 2010. By LucyC

I’ve been writing about asbestos for almost two years now, and I thought I was fairly familiar with the types of products that contain asbestos and information about asbestos handling. But, as fate would have it, I’m about to get a lesson first hand.

Recently, I had a flood in my home, which affected the laundry and storage areas. The building I live in was constructed in 1980 and in those days they used linoleum that contained asbestos in the lining material.  Who knew? Not me.

So I’ve been told, “don’t handle the lino!”…”Stand back from the tile.” “Don’t try and remove it or take a peek yourself.” (Trust me, I had no plans to do anything of the sort! After all, isn’t that what restoration companies are for?)

I am now awaiting the arrival of men in suits—white suits—you know—HAZMAT gear.  And they’ll have the masks and gloves—the whole nine yards. (Of course my mind conjures up images of men in space suits—I’m thinking Apollo 13—maybe Kevin Bacon…sigh). Anyway, these “specialists” will set up a containment area inside my home, and somehow remove and transport the offending material down seven flights of stairs into a specially licensed vehicle that will take it away to some specially designed facility that will GET RID OF IT.

Needless to say, I’m the talk of my building: “Did you know there’s asbestos in the apartments?” “No! Where?” “In the laundry and storage areas.” “Oh, my goodness—we had ours taken out when we renovated.” My first question to that comment would be how? How did you have the lino taken out? Asbestos causes terminal lung disease, specifically asbestos mesothelioma, the life expectancy of which following diagnosis is about two years. So handling it yourself is really not a good idea.

Just in case you’re the do-it-yourself type—and you want to replace linoleum in your home or garage that may have originated in the 1980s or earlier—a word of advice—don’t. Instead, make a couple of phone calls, find out how to get it tested, and go from there. And if you’ve had a flood that’s affected any kind of old flooring— let the experts handle it.

Can I Get a Witness? (for a Car Accident, that is)

January 11th, 2010. By AbiK

Looking for a car crash witness-on-demand? You just might be able to find one, but it’ll cost you….read on…

True story. I was on I-287 in NJ heading toward Morristown a few years back. Doing about 65. Middle lane. A highway-sized street cleaning truck merged onto the highway, hit the car in the right (slow) lane, which then hit me. I spun into the left (fast) lane, and through some miracle was able to maneuver to the right-hand shoulder. No injuries (thankfully) but no witnesses either. 

So I found myself standing alone in the shoulder—no other car from the accident had pulled over. No witnesses. No help. No involved parties. Nada. Translation: no one for my insurance company to possibly collect from. 

Fast forward to last week. John here at LawyersAndSettlements.com shoots me a link to this website: WreckWitness.com. It’s an interesting and highly simple concept. If you’ve witnessed an accident, you can send in an email—free—about it and you might get paid; or, if you’ve been in an accident, you can search for a witness to your car accident and pay only if you find the right witness. 

At first, I’m thinking back to a recent post I did about commenters who post “eye witness” accounts of accidents Read the rest of this entry »

Pole-Dancing Workout Leads to Lawsuit

January 8th, 2010. By AbiK

I’m on the fence (vs. the pole) on this one. Here’s the low-down (via nydailynews):

• NY Dermatologist Sue Ann Wee is suing Crunch gym (that’s not her, or Crunch in the vid).
• She was taking a pole-dancing workout class.
• She had signed up for a free class (aka, this was apparently her first go at the pole)
• Wee’s suit claims she was left un-spotted (or unsupervised) while upside down on the pole.
• She alleges to have asked her instructor for help.
• She fell.
• She got injured.
• She was out of work for 6 months.

Now, all I know is this (and I feel like I’m channeling Oprah’s , “What I know for sure”):

• If I’m taking a pole-dancing workout class, at the very least I want the equivalent of those mats you see pole vaulters flying into under me. I know that I am not a professional pole dancer.
• If I’m thinking of maintaining a professional career image, I’m not thinking I’ll have my lawsuit involving a pole dance blasted all over the media (time to channel Seinfeld: “Not that there’s anything wrong with that” (i.e., pole dancing)).
• If I’m taking a first-at-bat exercise class of any sort, I’m going into it fully mindful of any potential limitations my body–or whatever it might encounter–might have.  I know I won’t be hanging upside-down from a pole between my legs, simulating some form of gyration or twist with the rest of my bod, and thinking, hey—next up: audition for Cirque du Soleil. I know hanging upside-down by my feet on the pole is an advanced pole dancing move (see the vid, from Polercise Tenerife).

Having said that, I am me and Sue Ann Wee is herself. We do not “know” the same things apparently. And, alas, Crunch gym is being sued. Not that they don’t have any responsibility in this—if the allegations are true, shame on them—particularly with a seemingly novice student. We’ll see where this one goes…