South Jersey Eye Physicians: Glaucoma Patients May Help Preserve EyeSight by Changing Lifestyle

Glaucoma is one of the leading causes of vision loss, affecting about 3 million people in the United States.Because there are no symptoms early on, about half of people with the disease don’t know they have it. Once vision is lost to glaucoma, it can’t be regained.

During Glaucoma Awareness Month in January, South Jersey Eye Physicians joins the

American Academy of Ophthalmology

in reminding the public that early detection and treatment, and some lifestyle choices can help protect your sight.

Glaucoma damages the optic nerve, which transmits visual information from the retina to the brain. Typically, the disease progresses slowly, gradually destroying peripheral vision. Because people are unaware of early peripheral vision loss, a patient can lose most of it before they even know they have glaucoma.

That’s why the Academy recommends that everyone have a

comprehensive

eye exam at age 40. This exam provides ophthalmologists – physicians who specialize in medical and surgical eye care – an opportunity to carefully examine the eye including the optic nerve for signs of damage and other possible problems that may affect vision. Individuals at greater risk for developing glaucoma include people:

over age 40;

of African, Asian or Hispanic heritage;

who have

high eye pressure

detected during an eye exam;

who are

farsighted

nearsighted

;

who have experienced eye trauma or eye injury;

whose

corneas

are thin in the center;

or who have health problems such as

diabetes

migraines

high blood pressure

or poor blood circulation.

Appropriate treatment for glaucoma depends on the specific type and severity of the disease. Medicated

eye drops

or laser treatments are the most common initial approach. These techniques work by lowering eye pressure to reduce the amount of

fluid in the eye

, and by increasing fluid outflow from the eye.

Beyond drugs and surgery, several recent studies suggest that lifestyle choices may also help minimize the risk of losing vision to glaucoma.

Exercise regularly.

study

just published in Ophthalmology, the journal of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, showed that people who engaged in physical activity can slow vision loss from glaucoma.

Meditate.

A new

study

published last month in the

Journal Glaucoma

showed that a relaxation program with meditation can lower eye pressure in glaucoma patients and improve their quality of life by lowering stress hormones like cortisol.

Don’t use CBD as a “natural” glaucoma remedy.

CBD, or cannabidiol, is the non-psychotropic component of cannabis and hemp being touted as a magical cure-all. A

study

published last month in

Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science

shows it actually raised eye pressure in mice.

Eat a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, especially green, leafy ones

. One study showed that people who ate more leafy vegetables have a 20 to 30 percent lower risk of developing glaucoma. Why? Nitrates in green vegetables can be converted to nitric oxide, which can improve blood flow and help regulate pressure inside the eye.

Don’t smoke

. Smoking cigarettes increases the risk of glaucoma and has an overall negative impact on eye health.

Maintain a healthy body weight

. People with a higher body mass index (BMI) are at increased risk for diabetes, and having diabetes puts people at risk of glaucoma. Having a too low BMI is also associated with increased glaucoma risk.

“Patients are often surprised when their ophthalmologist tells them they have glaucoma because they don’t have symptoms,” said Dianna Seldomridge, M.D., a clinical spokesperson for the American Academy of Ophthalmology. “That’s why it’s so important to have your eyes examined regularly; to detect the signs of disease you don’t see. The good news is that today’s innovative treatments and surgical techniques are better than ever.”

source

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How to Design Your Shop to Boost Sales

(Gloucestercitynews.net((January 6, 2020)–Enticing customers into your shop is a vital part of becoming a successful business. After all, you need people to buy your products for you to continue trading. Your customers can also be your biggest cheerleaders because, depending on their experience with your brand, they may well recommend you to other people they know. This, of course, means more sales for you.

However, your customers’ experience will also include what your shop is like. You might sell the exact product they’re looking for, but your store may not be a pleasant place for them to be in. That could mean a sale you lose to a competitor. So if you don’t want that to happen to you, then have a think about some of these tips on how you can boost sales by improving your premises.

Think of Your Threshold

Your threshold area

will be the first place your prospective customers go when entering your store: it will be their initial experience of what you have to offer. It’s also at this point that customers will make judgements such as how cheap or expensive your store may be, and how well coordinated items such as your displays, fixtures and colors are. Customers are also more likely to miss products, carts or signs you place here, because they’re in the transition mode from high street to store.

What Path Will They Take?

Of all the consumers in North America, 90% of them will unconsciously turn right when they enter a store. So pay attention to the ‘power wall’ — the first wall they see — as this will give a high-impact first impression of your merchandise.

Then create a clear path for your customers through your store. This is so they get maximum exposure to your products, which can increase the chances of a purchase being made. A well thought-out path can also control the flow of traffic.

Your tills should then be at a natural stopping point that you’ve purposefully designed. So if your customers turn right when they enter, then the front left may be the ideal location. However, this will depend on the size and layout of your store.

Be a Curator

Carefully editing your merchandise

is a way to escape from the number of choices available to your customers. So treating each product you have as an exhibit is a way to make your space feel more like a gallery.

Curated retail means you can have focused shopping and product relevance. Your customers are then also shown the products that are most important to them. Curation puts customers in the center of the retail process, with their preferences highlighted as being important with an uncomplicated, yet compelling shopping experience.

By using

retail design

, you can also make the experience fun. Humans crave entertainment and intrigue, so using items such as touchscreens and other retail technologies can turn your space into a playground, while also providing personalization and competing with online competitors.

Attention Camden County Residents! Caregivers Support Group Meetings

Branching Out to Caregivers is a caregiver support group that provides resources and health caregiving. Join us on January 21st from 11 AM to 12 PM at the Bellmawr Branch of the Camden County Library System to learn about caregiver stress, legal concerns, respite programs, adult medical day centers, Alzheimer’s and dementia education and much more. This event is presented by the Camden County Board of Freeholders, Department of Health & Human Services Division of Senior & Disabled Services and ADRC.

Please RSVP by calling (856) 374-2582 or emailing

erin.small@camdencounty.com

Camden County Library – Bellmawr Branch

35 E Browning Road, Bellmawr, NJ, 08031, United States

Tuesday, Jan 21st, 2020 @ 11:00 am

–

12:00 pm

Senator Tom Kean Calls on Governor to End Attacks on Freelance Reporters & The Media

Local Publisher Set to Reduce Community Coverage After Being Fined by State for Using Independent Contractors

Senate Republican Leader Tom Kean (photo) called on the Murphy Administration to end its attacks on

independent contractors and the media after the Westfield Leader was fined for not classifying freelance reporters and photographers as employees.

“Many people choose to freelance for a variety of reasons, and those self-employed individuals make it possible for small media outlets like the Westfield Leader to offer comprehensive coverage of local government meetings, school sports, and community events,” said Kean. “Unfortunately, the Westfield Leader has been forced to end its freelance program completely after being fined by the Murphy Administration. I’d like for Governor Murphy to explain to the Leader’s many former contributors how his assault on the company that paid them has improved their situation or that of the community they proudly served. This is a clear example of how the Governor’s flawed labor policies will hurt New Jersey families and further erode a media industry that is already struggling to survive.”

According to the Westfield Leader

, it was forced to end its freelance program after the New Jersey Department of Labor fined the paper’s publisher going back to 2015 for not treating freelance reporters and photographers as employees.

Under the Governor’s direction, the State has fined a variety of businesses and services,

including Uber

, that have allowed freelancers and independent contractors the freedom to work when they want and the opportunity to earn extra income at their own pace.

Kean has been a vocal opponent

of efforts by Democrats in the Legislature to codify through

S-4204

the Murphy Administration’s treatment of independent contractors as employees under State law.

“Some people have a full-time job and want the opportunity to freelance to earn extra income to support their families, and others have caregiver responsibilities that prevent them from working traditional 9 to 5 jobs,” added Kean. “In 2020, we shouldn’t limit people’s ability to work based on some outdated 1950s mentality of what a job should be. Governor Murphy should stop denying the overtaxed people of New Jersey any opportunity to work.”

Dyheam Williams, 18, Charged with Murdering the Owner of Shamrock Deli

CAMDEN CITY, NJ (January 5, 2020)–Dyheam Williams, 18, of Lindenwold, NJ, was charged this morning in connection with the fatal stabbing of Jerome Pastore in Haddon Township. Williams was charged with Murder,

Jerome Pastore

(image source social media)

Unlawful Possession of a Weapon and Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose, according to Acting Camden County Prosecutor Jill S. Mayer and Haddon Township Police Chief Mark Cavallo.

On January 3, 2020, at approximately 4:50 p.m., officers from Oaklyn, Audubon and Haddon Township Police Departments responded to the Shamrock Delicatessen, located on South Davis Avenue in Audubon, in response to 911 calls reporting a male who had been stabbed. On their arrival, officers found the victim, Jerome Pastore, 52, of West Berlin, lying on the 100 block of Cuthbert Boulevard in Haddon Township, just across the street from the deli he owned. Jerome Pastore was suffering from apparent stab wounds throughout his body. He was pronounced deceased at 5:07 p.m. at Cooper University Hospital.

Dyheam Williams was arrested at his home in Lindenwold and remanded to the Camden County Jail pending a pretrial detention hearing.

All individuals charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

Released Sunday, January 5, 2020.

Former Jersey City Official Charged with Stealing JCETP Funds

NEWARK, N.J. – The former acting executive director of the Jersey City Employment and Training Program (JCETP) has been charged with embezzling JCETP funds, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced today.

Sudhan M. Thomas, 44, (photo) of Jersey City, New Jersey, is charged by complaint with embezzling funds from an organization receiving federal funds. Thomas is expected to make his initial appearance on Jan. 9, 2020, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Leda Dunn Wettre in Newark federal court.

According to the complaint:

Thomas served as JCETP’s acting executive director from January 2019 until his resignation in July 2019. JCETP is a nonprofit organization that operated to assist Jersey City residents to prepare for and enter the work force. JCETP received substantial amounts of its funding from federal grants from the U.S. Department of Labor and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Using his access to JCETP funds and control of JCETP’s bank accounts, from March 2019 through July 2019, Thomas embezzled more than $45,000 from JCETP. Thomas caused checks to be drawn from JCETP accounts that were made payable to others, but ultimately received by Thomas. He also embezzled JCETP funds by issuing JCETP checks made out to cash that Thomas either cashed himself or used to obtain bank checks that Thomas made payable to his entity, Next Glocal, which were deposited into a Next Glocal bank account that Thomas controlled. Thomas used the JCETP funds deposited to Next Glocal’s bank account to pay for his personal expenses, including payments to Thomas’s landlord in Jersey City and airfare and hotel expenses for a trip to Hawaii, and to fund transfers to Thomas’ family trust account.

The count of theft from an organization receiving federal funds carries a maximum potential penalty of up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 or twice the gross pecuniary gain or loss.

U.S. Attorney Carpenito credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Gregory W. Ehrie in Newark; the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of the Inspector General (OIG), under the supervision of Special Agent in Charge Michael Mikulka; and special agents of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, under the direction of Supervisory Special Agent Thomas Mahoney, with the investigation leading to today’s charges.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Tazneen Shahabuddin of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Special Prosecutions Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Lee M. Cortes Jr., Chief of the Health Care Fraud Unit, in Newark.

The charges and allegations contained in the complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

20-003

Defense counsel: Christopher D. Adams Esq., Roseland, New Jersey

ICE: Philadelphia\’s Sanctuary City Title Puts Safety of Public at Risk

ICE arrests 17 criminal aliens on 5-day operation

PHILADELPHIA – Officers from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement\’s (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Philadelphia arrested 17 criminal aliens during a 5-day enforcement operation ending Dec. 13.

Five of the criminal aliens apprehended were previously released by the city of Philadelphia due to the sanctuary city policies. The crimes of these individuals ranged from multiple DUIs to possession and intent to distribute Heroin, as well as violating U.S. immigration law.

Arrests include:

A 33 years-old citizen of Ecuador, who has pending criminal charges for DUI and Endangering the Welfare of Children;

A 30 years-old citizen of Honduras, who has been convicted of three separate DUI offenses;

A 53 years-old citizen of the Dominican Republic, who has been convicted Possession with Intent to Distribute Heroin;

A 20-year old citizen of Jamaica, who has multiple convictions for Possession with Intent to Distribute Controlled Substances and Carrying Firearms without a license;

A 38 years-old citizen of India, who has pending charges of Theft and Receiving Stolen Property

“During this operation, our officers were able to locate and apprehend more than a dozen individuals who have committed crimes in our country, while seeking sanctuary in our cities,” said ICE Philadelphia Field Office Director Simona Flores-Lund. “One-third of these individuals could have been off our streets earlier, however, the city of Philadelphia believes that allowing criminals and drug dealers to roam freely in their communities outweighs cooperating with federal law enforcement.”

ICE focuses its enforcement resources on individuals who pose a threat to national security, public safety and border security. ICE deportation officers carry out targeted enforcement actions every day in locations around the country as part of the agency\’s ongoing efforts to protect the nation, uphold public safety, and protect the integrity of our immigration laws and border controls. These operations involve existing, established Fugitive Operations Teams.

About Detainers

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) lodges detainers on individuals who have been arrested on criminal charges and who ICE has probable cause to believe are removable aliens. The detainer asks the other law enforcement agency to notify ICE in advance of release and to maintain custody of the alien for a brief period of time so that ICE can take custody of that person in a safe and secure setting upon release from that agency’s custody.

When law enforcement agencies fail to honor immigration detainers and release serious criminal offenders onto the streets, it undermines ICE’s ability to protect public safety and carry out its mission. This negatively impacts public safety and ICE’s efficiency in the apprehension of criminal aliens. Federal immigration laws authorize DHS to issue detainers and provide ICE broad authority to detain removable aliens.

Congress has established no process, requirement, or expectation directing ICE to seek a judicial warrant from already overburdened federal courts before taking custody of an alien on civil immigration violations. This idea is simply a figment created by those who wish to undermine immigration enforcement and excuse the ill-conceived practices of sanctuary jurisdictions that put politics before public safety.

Sanctuary Policies Put Public Safety at Risk

When law enforcement agencies don’t honor ICE detainers, these individuals, who often have significant criminal histories, are released onto the street, presenting a potential public safety threat.

Any local jurisdiction thinking that refusing to cooperate with ICE will result in a decrease in local immigration enforcement is mistaken. Local jurisdictions that choose to not cooperate with ICE are likely to see an increase in ICE enforcement activity, as ICE the agency has no choice but to conduct more at-large arrest operations. A consequence of ICE being forced to make more arrests on the streets is the agency is likely to encounter other unlawfully present foreign nationals that wouldn’t have been encountered had we been allowed to take custody of a criminal target within the confines of a local jail.

Additionally, once these criminals are out on the street, confirming their whereabouts is often time consuming and resource intensive. Many of our arrest targets are seasoned criminals who are savvy about eluding law enforcement.

American Life League Calls for Catholic Response to Murphy\’s $9.5M Bailout of Planned Parenthood

\”Planned Parenthood is a vicious, racist institution whose actions are diametrically opposed to Catholic moral and social teaching\”~

American Life League president Judie Brown

WASHINGTON, D.C. (03 January 2020) —

American Life League president Judie Brown

issued the following statement calling on Bishop James F. Checchio of the Catholic Diocese of Metuchen to impose canonical sanctions against New Jersey’s governor, Phil Murphy:

Planned Parenthood is a vicious, racist institution whose actions are diametrically opposed to Catholic moral and social teaching. For Murphy to shovel $9.5 million of New Jersey’s taxpayer dollars into the maw of the nation’s #1 abortion machine is abhorrent.

Such actions taken by Catholic public figures do more than just scandalize the faithful. They present to Catholics the idea that they too can create their own private version of truth. Such a condition not only coarsens society, but further erodes the authority of the Catholic bishops in the United States who continue to allow pro-abortion public figures, such as Governor Murphy, to profane the Holy Eucharist.

On behalf of the millions of pro-life Catholics whom we represent and the over 70,000 families who support our work, American Life League calls on Bishop James Checchio to take the sad but necessary step of enforcing Canon 915 and formally instructing Governor Murphy that he is not to present himself to Holy Communion.

Catholics need to be bold enough to realize the link between abortion and the Real Presence of Christ. It should be no small wonder that only 1 in 6 Catholics actually believe in the Real Presence when we do so little to defend Christ’s image in the womb.

Bishop Checchio, millions of Catholics across America are looking to you to see whether or not the Real Presence is more than what the world sees. Murphy’s mockery should not be met with silence, but correction. What would St. Thomas Becket do?

American Life League is the nation’s oldest grassroots, Catholic, pro-life organization. Its president, Judie Brown, has led the organization since its 1979 beginning. She has served three terms on the Pontifical Academy for Life—appointed twice by Pope John Paul II and again by Pope Benedict XVI.

Dillion Rodney, of Pemberton Reenlists for Continued Service in NY Army National Guard

LATHAM, NY (01/03/2020)– Major General Ray Shields, the Adjutant General, announces the recent reenlistment of members of the State National Guard in recognition of their continuing commitment to serve community, state and nation as part of the Army National Guard.

Staff Sergeant Dillion Rodney from Pemberton, N.J. reenlisted to continue service with the Battery B, 1-258th Field Artillery.

\”It\’s great to see Soldiers staying in the Army and continuing to serve their State and Nation in the New York Army National Guard,\” Shields said. \”The most important Army asset we have is the individual Soldier. The dedication, skills, and leadership traits they bring to our community and their employers are invaluable.\”

\”By choosing to stay in the Army National Guard they directly contribute to our nation\’s security and to the governor\’s ability to respond to disasters, all while building a bright future for their family through the Guard\’s retirement, education, and health insurance programs,\” Shields said.

For more information about the New York Army National Guard, visit

www.dmna.ny.gov

www.1800goguard.com

The New York National Guard (New York State Division of Military and Naval Affairs) is the state\’s executive agency responsible to the Governor for managing New York\’s Military Forces, which consists of nearly 20,000 members of the New York Army National Guard, the New York Air National Guard, the New York Naval Militia and the New York Guard.

Pittsburg/Scranton Market Lucrative for House Flipping

By Dave Fidlin |

The Center Square

Homebuyers snapping up residential properties and subsequently selling them in short order were able to more than double what they initially paid in two areas of Pennsylvania, according to a recent report.

Researchers with ATTOM Data Solutions, a company specializing in property and real estate records, stated home flippers in the metropolitan statistical areas within Pittsburgh and Scranton were able to sell homes at greater price points in the third quarter of 2019.

The information is included in ATTOM’s

recently released report

on home flipping trends across the U.S.

Home flippers historically have bought and quickly resold homes for a profit, typically after making a series of repairs or improvements to raise the property’s value.

Between July and September, homebuyers who flipped homes and condos in the Pittsburgh area saw overall margins of 132.6 percent, while homebuyers in the Scranton area experienced overall margins of 122.5 percent.

The high flipping yields in the Pittsburgh and Scranton areas bucked a national trend, according to ATTOM researchers, where profit margins in most areas of the country were on the downswing.

The two Pennsylvania metropolitan areas were among eight across the U.S. where home flippers experienced returns on investment of 100 percent or more during the same statistical period. Pittsburgh and Scranton also topped the list.

Other areas of the country with high yields, close behind the two Pennsylvania areas, included Flint, Mich., at 111.2 percent; Cleveland, at 109.8 percent; and Hickory-Lenoir-Morgantown, N.C., at 109.7 percent.

a separate report

from the same statistical period, ATTOM researchers also revealed the Pittsburgh area had some of the largest amounts of all-cash purchases for home flipping.

In metro areas with populations of 1 million or more, Pittsburgh ranked third for all-cash purchases, according to the report, clocking in at 77.2 percent.

The metropolitan area with the greatest preponderance of all-cash purchases was Cleveland-Elyria, Ohio, at 79.2 percent, followed by the Detroit-Warren-Dearborn MSA, at 78.9 percent.

On the whole, 56,566 single-family homes and condos were flipped across the U.S. in the third quarter of 2019, according to ATTOM’s analysis. The figure represented a 12.9 percent decrease from the previous quarter and a 6.8 percent decrease from the third quarter of 2018.

In a statement, Todd Teta, chief product officer at ATTOM Data Solutions, said the home flipping declines point to narrowing profits across many areas of the country.

“The retreat back to more normal levels of sales comes amid broader market forces that are making it harder and harder for investors to complete the kinds of deals they were getting as recently as last year,” Teta said.

In the ATTOM report, Maksim Stavinsky, co-founder and chief operating officer of Roc Capital, said homebuyers in a number of areas of the country have opted to hang on to renovated properties and rent them, rather than sell them at a loss in the current marketplace.

“We have been seeing a decline in projected and realized profits for borrowers on projects, despite the fact that borrower financing costs have been meaningfully coming down,” Stavinsky said in the report.

published here with permission of The Center Square