solution
this is a temporary solution --
Step 1: From Activity Monitor, determine the process id (column PID) for AMCMenu - e.g. 100.
Step 2: Open a terminal window and type the following runes:
sudo kill -stop <value of PID from Step 1>
e.g. sudo kill -stop 100
It will ask for your password - type it fearlessly.
you are done......
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To release it into the wild again:
Either:
sudo kill -cont <value of PID from Step 1>
e.g. sudo kill -cont 100
Or:
it will be started automatically when you restart your Mac.
thanx