Steadward Centre - 2013

The Steadward Centre 

Personal & Physical Achievement

SSTattler: You can enrol anytime but the programs are based on the university term i.e. September - December, January - April, May - August.

Our Centre, founded by Dr. Robert Steadward, provides high-calibre, research-based physical activity and sport programs for adults with impairments.

Please see the Website: 
       The Steadward Centre Personal & Physical Achievement

Who Our Programs Are For

Our adapted physical activity programs currently serve over 300 adults (18 years +) with a range of physical and neuro-muscular impairments that include

• Spinal cord injury
• Multiple Sclerosis
• Stroke
• Cerebral Palsy
• Spina Bifida
• Traumatic Brain Injury
• and others

Fitness Programs Include:

• Water in Motion
• Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES)
• iDance Edmonton Integrated Dance
• Interval Circuit Training
• TrailRider Excursion Program
• Rundle Park Ramblers
• Wheelchair Ball Hockey

Where To Find Us


View Larger Map

The Steadward Centre

The primary goal of The Steadward Centre is to provide adults with physical disabilities with opportunities to improve their health, lifestyle, physical fitness and / or athletic performance. In an attempt to accomplish this goal, the following objectives have been established:

• To provide regular fitness evaluations for adults with physical disabilities.
• To design and prescribe group and individual training programs based on the specific needs, interests and abilities of each individual.
• To supervise and monitor group and individual programs.
• To design instructional and resource materials, equipment and techniques used in the assessment and implementation of programs for adults with physical disabilities.
• To carry out research studies in the areas of fitness, sport training & conditioning and motor performance for adults with physical disabilities.
• To expose students, coaches, teachers and other interested individuals to the most up-to-date information available in the areas of sport and fitness for individuals with physical disabilities.
• To promote fitness as an important component in the daily routine of adults with physical disabilities.

Saturday Comics

For Better and For Worse
Lynn Johnston - 2008-07-28

"I've been wanting some time alone with you."

Dilbert
Scott Adams - 2013-08-30

"Chill out. You don't hear the microwave whining..."

Garfield
Jim Davis - 2013-08-30

"My accordion is missing!!"

Betty
Delainey & Rasmussen - 2013-08-28

"What is a TED Talks?"

  
*For Better and For Worse" is a serious topic of stroke but with a very nice cartoons. It is all about Grandpa Jim had a stroke and 88 further cartoon "strips" that happened to Grandpa Jim. See as well  the cartoonist Lynn Johnston.

** I tried to get low or free price at the people http://www.UniversalUclick.com/ for the images for the cartoons. It was too high for Stroke Survivors Tattler i.e. we are not a regular newspaper and our budget is very low. Fortunately, you will have to do only 1-click more to see the cartoon image, it is legit and it is free using GoComics.com and Dilbert.com.

*** Changed from "Pickles" to "Betty" -- "Betty" is a excellent cartoon and Gary Delainey & Gerry Rasmussen are authors/artists/cartoon-strips and they live in Edmonton.

Eclectic Stuff

Definition: Eclectic(noun) a person who derives ideas, style, or taste from a broad and diverse range of sources.

Gym

Amy Shissler
My Cerebellar Stroke Recovery

Jan 23, 2013

I just joined a gym.  Hey stroke survivors: insurances will probably pay for all or part of a gym membership.  They might pay for this anyway, even if you didn’t have a stroke, as a preventative thing.  Insurances are finally understanding that getting you healthy BEFORE you get sick is the way to go.  Hell of a lot cheaper that way.  In the gym I joined, the female locker rooms are UPSTAIRS with no elevators.  Grrrrrrr!!  Oh well, that’s good for me, I’ll be challenged to climb a flight of stairs every time I have to pee.  Anyway, the treadmills in this gym have a DECLINE.  So you can walk downhill on a treadmill.  That’s pretty freakin’ cool.  I have never seen that before.  Physical therapists would have a field day with that.

See the original article + 4 Comments:
      Gym
      in My Cerebellar Stroke Recovery

People are Awesome 2013 (Hadouken! - Levitate)

Monty Becker
Stroke Survivors Tattler

Published on Jan 22, 2013

The song is 'Levitate' by Hadouken, from the album 'Every Weekend' available on iTunes.

SSTattler: Weird exercise including crutches, wheelchair, infant, ...

Standard YouTube License @ Hadouken!

Tools, Techniques and Technology

Peter G. Levine
The Stroke Recovery Blog

Saturday, January 15, 2011

I do a lot of seminars on driving cortical neuroplastic change, the unequivocal bedrock of recovery, in stroke survivors. I've done talks in some of the best rehab hospitals in this country. I've also done talks in rural areas where the nearest rehab hospital is hundreds of miles away. Some of the attendees have access to a smorgasbord of leading-edge technologies. Some home care therapists have access to very little technology. And whatever technology they do have has to fit in the car. Some have immediate access to neurologists and physiatrists. Other's laugh when I say "Kick it upstairs to physiatry." "We rarely see any doctors,” they say. Rehab settings run the gamut; feast or famine or somewhere in between.

Walking Linked to Fewer Strokes in Women

Jeff Porter
Stroke of Faith

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

I've espoused exercise for years. Now, new research added more strength to the argument for exercise, especially among women. This story reports that walking is linked to fewer strokes in women:

"The message for the general population remains similar: regularly engaging in moderate recreational activity is good for your health," lead author José María Huerta of the Murcia Regional Health Authority in Spain told Reuters Health.

Past studies have also linked physical activity to fewer strokes, which can be caused by built-up plaque in arteries or ruptured blood vessels in the brain.

... Women who walked briskly for 210 minutes or more per week had a lower stroke risk than inactive women but also lower than those who cycled and did other higher-intensity workouts for a shorter amount of time.

Be sure to click on the link above and check out the whole story.

Walking is cheap and easy exercise for most, and is a great way to start an exercise regimen. You can start at the distance, time and speed that is comfortable, and move from there. And as always, if you're starting an exercise program, check with your health professional first!

See the original article:
      Walking Linked to Fewer Strokes in Women
      in Stroke of Faith

Not Making Exercise Personal = Non-Compliance

Rebecca Dutton
Home After a Stroke

June 4, 2013

I stop doing a home exercise if I don't see what I hope to get from it even though I'm an OT.

I think non-compliance is more likely when therapists do not make exercise feel personal.  PTs have an easy time explaining exercise.  When I was in rehab my PT had me slide a towel around on the floor with my hemiplegic foot.  Every exercise my PT gave me was to help me walk.  My OT had me slide a towel on the table with my hemiplegic hand.  That exercise was to help me........  What was that exercise for?  The hand can reach to pull up pants, get a soda can out of the refrigerator, or sign a credit card slip.  Unlike the foot, the hand is so versatile it is hard to picture what sliding the towel on the table would do for me.  

Problems with Goals

Marcelle Greene
Up Stroke

Sunday, June 2, 2013

In January I set three goals to be finished by the end of June. I'm not going to achieve any of them.

The first goal was something I thought I should do but realized I didn't want to do. I crossed it off my list. The stroke has taught me not to waste time on things I don't want to do.

I put the second goal on hold because another project came along that is equally important, but more time sensitive. Pre-stroke my solution to having multiple projects was to try harder and work longer. Post-stroke I don't have the stamina. Deadlines are now guidelines; stuff comes up, priorities shift.

Effects of Circuit Training as Alternative to Usual Physiotherapy After Stroke: Randomised Controlled Trial.

Dean Reinke
Deans' Stroke Musing

Sunday, May 13, 2012

I can just see our insurance/HMOs salivating at this. You don't need no stinking therapist help, get yourself a gym membership without our help and just rotate amongst the stations. Its scientifically proven to be at least as good as physical therapy. Full article is Effects of Circuit Training as Alternative to Usual Physiotherapy After Stroke: Randomised Controlled Trial, but no specification of what stations were used.

Feeling Normal

Robin
Rocky Mountain Stroke Survivors

Posted on August 23, 2013

I meant to write about Stroke Camp first and this experience at Stroke Camp second, but you’re getting it out of order. It took me over a week to recover from camp and just as I was feeling myself again, we all got sick. So here we are weeks out without any posts. Maybe I’ll write my next one on how long it takes to bounce back from illnesses or vacations…

Ever since my stroke, I have lived in a continual carnival.

Because my stroke is cerebellar, I am constantly playing games of coordination, speed, dexterity to just get through normal activities. Reaching for something and picking it up is as challenging as one of those arcade games with the arm that you use to pick up a stuffed animal and drop it down a chute.

Summer is Ending and Fall is Rapidly Approaching

Greetings to our friends who have expressed interest in Make Rocks Talk and The Teaching of Talking. Just thought I would bring you up to date on what has been happening with our new book entitled: "The Teaching of Talking, Learn to do Expert Speech and Language Stimulation at Home with Children and Adults."

• We presented at the Aphasia Recovery Connection June meeting in Las Vegas, and presented to caregivers and those with aphasia. The subject of the presentation was "Increasing the Odds of Success with Speech Therapy. In that 30 minute presentation, I shared with the audience what I believed to be the key foundation points for success with speech therapy. Having practiced speech therapy for over 40 years, it was time to share with those who have been extremely thirsty for information. The presentation is on Pinterest at http://www.pinterest.com/markittleman/boards/ At the ARC meeting we also met with many people who had aphasia and offered suggestions for speaking improvement.

The Pleasures of Dealing with Bureaucracy

Diane
The Pink House On The Corner

Sunday, August 25, 2013

Earlier this week, Bob received a glossy brochure in the mail from the insurance company. The brochure read: Thousands of United Healthcare Medicare Advantage members save $104.90 a month in Medicare Part B Premiums! It's easy to see if you qualify! Then, in two large colored boxes:

To qualify if you're single:

Your gross monthly income must be under $1,456.25 with less than $13,300.00 in assets.

To qualify as a couple:

Your gross monthly income must be under $1,958.75 with less than $26, 5840 in assets.

And I'm reading this, thinking, wow, he now qualifies for this! I had heard about this program before, but last I checked it, he didn't qualify because his income was too high. So they must've changed the income guidelines. And I'm thinking wouldn't it be nice to not have to pay that $104.90 Medicare premium every month?!! We really could use a break.

Sunday Stroke Suvivor ~ Grief- Denial

Jo Murphey
The Murphey Saga

Sunday, August 25, 2013

As promised this is the first of my grief counseling for stroke survivors. Not all the stages occur in order within your life and you may experience several at the same time. The order is just a guideline.

Today is about denial, bargaining and guilt. Now don't say you are not going through this because you are. You are just in denial. <G>

At first denial is easy. I spent my first 24-hours in denial. I still go to sleep each night, after a year, hoping to wake up in the morning and finding this has been a bad dream similar to "Dallas." If you are not familiar with this old television show, a whole season was choked up up a bad dream sequence. Well, I can hope can't I. But the next morning I awake and find it wasn't a bad dream. I had a stroke. I'm am recovering daily from a stroke and all the new and old challenges from the day before lay in front of me. I could deny it all day long if I could lie in bed not moving, thinking, or speaking not that it happens that way. I can only play Ostrich with my head buried in the sand so long before I have to roll over to shift positions or have to pee.

How The Brain Works

Grace Carpenter
My Happy Stroke

Saturday, July 20, 2013

Our seven-year-old daughter was working on a drawing a few days ago. It was a diagram of the brain:

How The Brain Really Works

She had color-coded each part of the brain in the drawing, and she explained to my husband and me how it all works:

Pink -   Separate World ("Seperate World")-- i.e., imagination. Everyone can have a separate world, she told us. You can decide the color of your separate world. My daughter's world, of course, is pink.

Green - Silly Beans. Everyone is born with 1,000,000 silly beans. After birth, you start losing them. Between the ages of 4 to 7, you have 1,800 (or at least, I think--her calculations were too complicated for me to follow). At this stage of life, my husband has 900; I have only 700 silly beans left.

Lines and Dots  - Files. Most of the space in your brain, she told us, is occupied by files.

Red -  Blood  ("Blud")

Blue - Thinking. Note the size of the part of the brain that is devoted to thinking.

See the original article + 10 comments:
      How The Brain Works
      in My Happy Stroke

Can You Name This Strange Old Tool?

Jackie Poff
Stroke Survivors Tattler

I thought you would enjoy this educational moment in Canadian history. 

• Can you name this strange old tool?
• Do you know what it is?  

Tobacco Smoke Enemas (1750s - 1810s)

The tobacco enema was used to infuse tobacco smoke into a patient's rectum for various medical purposes, primarily the resuscitation of drowning victims. A rectal tube inserted into the anus was connected to a fumigator and bellows that forced the smoke towards the rectum. The warmth of the smoke was thought to promote respiration. Doubts about the credibility of tobacco enemas led to the popular phrase, 'blowing smoke up your ass'.

Amazingly, it is still in constant use in Ottawa,
by the best senators money can buy. 

Surgery - Gall Bladder

Andrea
A Year of Living In My Head

Wednesday, August 7, 2013

I need my gall bladder removed.  Since the stroke I have dozens of little stones that have formed in it, and cannot be on any statins because they give me an attack.  (Doctor point of contention "There are no studies that show statins cause gall stones").  Well, doctors. When you put me on statins they give me an attack. When I don't take statins, the attacks stop unless I do something like, say, for instance, eat a brownie. A big one. Or down something cooked with lots of dairy.

Authenticity

Barb Polan
Barb's Recovery

August 19, 2013

Being authentic pre-stroke was easy: I knew who I was, what my goals were, and how to be my best self. I had some natural characteristics I admired, so I could let them have free rein: intelligence, compassion, empathy, helpfulness, generosity, faith, tolerance, wit, along with being logical and straightforward. As a result, I felt good about myself. Who wouldn’t? Post-stroke, it’s harder. Being authentic now frequently gets me where I don’t want to be. I don’t want to be slow – mentally or physically.

Updated to "Guest / SSTattler Bloggers" and "Dynamic Weekly Stats"

John C. Anderson
Stroke Survivors Tattler

During this summer I changed to 2 menus involved "Authors/Contributors" and "SSTattler Weekly Stats":

• I e-mailed to the people "Contributors" and changed from "Authors/Contributors" to "Guest Bloggers" & "SSTattler Bloggers" - this is more accurate for "Bloggers" instead "Authors/Contributors".  We have about five real "Authors" but they know the difference between "Authors" versa "Bloggers".  
• Right now we have 23 "Guest/SSTattler Bloggers".
• If you like write about "stroke", either you have a personal blog or just e-mail, just send to me for details, SSTattler11@gmail.com, and I will add you to the list.
• Take a look About Us.

Bob Mankoff: Anatomy of a New Yorker Cartoon

Published on Jun 26, 2013

The New Yorker receives around 1,000 cartoons each week; it only publishes about 17 of them. In this hilarious, fast-paced, and insightful talk, the magazine's longstanding cartoon editor and self-proclaimed "humor analyst" Bob Mankoff dissects the comedy within just some of the "idea drawings" featured in the magazine, explaining what works, what doesn't, and why.

Bob Mankoff has been the cartoon editor of The New Yorker since 1997. But his association with the magazine started many years before that, when he began submitting his own cartoons to the title in 1974. 2,000 rejections later, his first "idea drawing" was finally accepted and published, and in 1980, he accepted a contract to contribute cartoons on a regular basis. Since then, more than 800 of his cartoons have been published in the magazine.

These days, Mankoff is mainly responsible for helping to select from the 1000 cartoons the magazine receives each week, in order to select the "16 or 17" he says will actually make it into print.

Bob Mankoff is the cartoon editor of The New Yorker, as well as an accomplished cartoonist in his own right.


Standard YouTube License @ TED Talks

RMR: Rick and Olympic Trampolining

Uploaded on Jan 31, 2012

Rick trains with London 2012 athletes Jason Burnett, Karen Cockburn, and Rosie MacLennan in Richmond Hill, ON.

Standard YouTube License @ The Rick Mercer Report

---------

Quick Note: Summer Holidays End This Year Next Week Aug / 31 / 2013 and Toward the Future...

John C. Anderson
Stroke Survivors Tattler

Next week, Aug / 31, it is the end of summer holidays and the start of autumn:

• the first week is "Steadward Centre - 2013" about Edmonton of University "Personal & Physical Achievement" for stroke survivors - it is similar to last year but updated a little bit.
• I have list of new "Guest Bloggers and SSTattler Bloggers"'s (formally titled  "Authors/Contributors").
• Detailed about the statistics, "Dynamic Weekly Stats".  
• See as well "Weekly Index" about the past, one and half year for SSTattler, and about, usually, one month in the future.

See you next week,
John C. Anderson
SSTattler11@gmail.com

Saturday Comics

For Better and For Worse
Lynn Johnston - 2008-07-26

"And despite your grouchiness..."

Dilbert
Scott Adams - 2013-08-18

"You have 25 alleged accomplishment..."

Garfield
Jim Davis - 2013-08-23

"Why don't they make tuna-flavoured ice cream?"

Betty
Delainey & Rasmussen - 2013-08-23

"Follow these steps, starting with the proper grip..."

  
*For Better and For Worse" is a serious topic of stroke but with a very nice cartoons. It is all about Grandpa Jim had a stroke and 88 further cartoon "strips" that happened to Grandpa Jim. See as well  the cartoonist Lynn Johnston.

** I tried to get low or free price at the people http://www.UniversalUclick.com/ for the images for the cartoons. It was too high for Stroke Survivors Tattler i.e. we are not a regular newspaper and our budget is very low. Fortunately, you will have to do only 1-click more to see the cartoon image, it is legit and it is free using GoComics.com and Dilbert.com.

*** Changed from "Pickles" to "Betty" -- "Betty" is a excellent cartoon and Gary Delainey & Gerry Rasmussen are authors/artists/cartoon-strips and they live in Edmonton.

Sunday Stroke Survival ~ The Stages of Grief

Jo Murphey
The Murphey Saga

Sunday, August 18, 2013

Wait a minute Jo! I'm not dead, but survived a stroke. I hear you, but a devastating, life altering event such as a stroke has a grief or loss process similar to a death of a loved one. Once again this is an Amy inspired blog. She just blogs so prolifically that's hard not to reference back to her.

I've actually mentioned the stages of grief in various blogs but I don't think I've ever broken it down like this before. I do know that I charged $100 for grief counseling sessions that lasted twelve weeks in my ministry profession. This is a gimme course that is free so take advantage of it.

So over the next five weeks I'm going to explain to you the stages as it pertains to your stroke recovery. I will give real world examples of what I've gone through, coping skills, and exercises for you to do to gain a level of acceptance in conquering each step. After all, knowledge is power and control. It is something we as stroke survivors rarely feel until we work through the process. Understanding is the key. Think you've mastered it all? You've been a survivor for multiple years and this doesn't pertain to you, think again. I've met dozen of survivors still grappling with these after ten or twenty years post stroke. Am I through it all? Yes and no. I'm still bouncing around the steps taking victories where I can.

If it seems like I'm donning my ministerial hat, I am in a way. I'll be paraphrasing this to my pastor's blog as well because it is a whole spirit concept. I've spent years in grief counselling both as a grief stricken person and as a counsellor. So needless to say, I recognized it in my own stroke recovery as well.

The Stages

And if you want to carry it farther into seven steps, you can.

Both apply in a case like a stroke. I usually combine Shock and Denial, and Bargaining and Guilt, the Upturn, Reconstruction with Acceptance. So my version is five steps while taking the seven into consideration. Now with death this process takes roughly a year to complete or maybe a little longer. With stroke recovery it may takes years! You may bounce between levels or be on multiple levels at the same time and you may gain acceptance in certain areas faster than others.

Why should stroke survivors care about this? The ultimate of ultimates of recovery is to be...

• the best you can be given the circumstances
• a more proactive survivor
• aware that this is going on and it's normal.
  Isn't it nice to be considered normal. <g>
• forewarned is forearmed

Knowledge is power. Foresight is awesome. Being prepared is everything. Tune in next week for the first installment...Shock and Denial.

Nothing is impossible with determination.

6 Comments:

Zan Marie August 18, 2013 said... Powerful truth, Jo!

oc1dean August 18, 2013 said... If my medical staff had done anything at all useful I might have exited the anger stage a long time ago.

J.L. Murphey August 18, 2013 said... Yes, Zan Marie it is.
Dean the awful truth is medical staff are not trained in grief counseling only drug therapy. It takes a psychiatrist or minister to enter for curing the human spirit.

Barb Polan August 19, 2013 said... Wonderful,wonderful! I have never heard of the "reconstruction" phase, but I've been there a long time. Thank you for your insight. 

BTW, I looked for a counselor for nearly a year. When I finally ran into a psychotherapist who had lost her husband the year before, I thought, "Bingo!" She's been perfect for me.

Hilary Melton-Butcher August 19, 2013 said... Hi Jo .. I came on here yesterday and get bombed out by Chrome .. but eventually return ... the tricks of blogging!

I was interested from another point of view .. well actually two -

My mother, who was severely stroked - bedridden and fed via tube - but mentally fine .. however she could not cry, nor could she express sadness --- so I needed to watch when I was talking to her .. really why I never chatted about life - because she could not be emotional - even though I could see in her eyes she wanted to be ... 

From my point of view - it was adjusting to what my mother could and could not do .. 

That was never explained to me ... I worked it out and how to cope ...

The thing that frustrated me, and showed in my mother's eyes, was that my brothers did not think about her ... they were visiting, but not adjusting to her situation .. and that was and is very difficult to deal with ... they would talk very quickly, not look her in the eye ... and let her join in the conversation ... 

Anyway - at least you know what's going on .. and learning the process of grief ...

Thanks for highlighting it .. Hilary

Amy August 19, 2013 said... Thanks for the mention. :). You know I don't think I ever bargained. I've had a whole heck of a lot of the other stuff though, and still do. Especially anger.

See the original article:

      Sunday Stroke Survival ~ The Stages of Grief

      in The Murphey Saga

Mormon Tabernacle Choir's Concert for a Girl With Cancer

Monty Becker
Stroke Survivors Tattler

Published on Dec 30, 2012

A Concert for One - This is about the Mormon Tabernacle Choir on tour in Memphis, Tennessee, when at St. Jude's Hospital. There, a little girl had been admitted with an aggressive form of brain cancer and had her first chemo treatment, which meant she shouldn't be in crowds and couldn't attend the Mormon Choir's concert the night before. Somehow her family sent a request asking that some of the choir members, maybe, could meet the young girl at a hotel lobby. See what happened, when the little family, so distraught with their daughter's cancer, walked into the lobby!

Top Comments:

Paul Klenk The primary point for me is that there are people who still care. I am not a very religious person, but I believe that people should follow a creed of kindness and goodness. And, music is so powerful in evoking emotion. We know, with scientific certainty, that attitude plays a substantive role in healing. In short, I, too, was very much moved.
Pam Dieterich Thank You this was wonderful. Many great voices. So glad Chase is doing better.
Eric Cawley The good news: Chase was five years cancer-free as of Aug. 2012 Google chase "st. jude" "brain cancer" for details...
See for more comments: Mormon Tabernacle Choir's Concert for a Girl With Cancer.

Standard YouTube License @ Mike Sadowski

A Mouse. A Laser Beam. A Manipulated Memory...

Published on Aug 15, 2013

Can we edit the content of our memories? It's a sci-fi-tinged question that Steve Ramirez and Xu Liu are asking in their lab at MIT. Essentially, the pair shoot a laser beam into the brain of a living mouse to activate and manipulate its memory. In this unexpectedly amusing talk they share not only how, but -- more importantly -- why they do this. (Filmed at TEDxBoston.)

Steve Ramirez: Neuroscientist

When Steve Ramirez published his latest study in Science, it caused a media frenzy. Why? Because the paper was on implanting false memories in the brains of mice.

Steve is a graduate student at MIT’s Brain and Cognitive Sciences department pursuing a Ph.D. in neuroscience. His work focuses on finding where single memories are located throughout the brain, genetically tricking the brain cells that house these memories to respond to brief pulses of light, and then using these same flickers of light to reactivate, erase and implant memories. The goals of his research are twofold: to figure out how the brain gives rise to the seemingly ephemeral process of memory, and to predict what happens when specific brain pieces breakdown to impair cognition. His work has been published in Science and covered by New Scientist, Discover, Scientific American, and Gizmodo.

Ramirez aims to be a professor who runs a lab that plucks questions from the tree of science fiction to ground them in experimental reality. He believes that a team-oriented approach to science makes research and teaching far more exciting. When he’s not tinkering with memories in the lab, Ramirez also enjoys running and cheering on every sports team in the city of Boston.

Xu Liu: Neuroscientist

After studying how to generate a fruit fly able to learn much faster than normal, Xu Liu's latest work investigates how to activate and deactivate specific memories in mice.

Xu Liu received his Ph. D. from Baylor College of Medicine. During his Ph. D., he studied the mechanisms of learning and memory using fruit flies as a model system. By changing the expression of certain genes in the fly brain, he generated smart flies that can learn many times faster than their peers. Using live imaging, he also detected learning induced changes in the brain cells and observed memory formation inside the brain with light.

After graduation, he moved to MIT and joined Dr. Susumu Tonegawa's lab as a postdoctoral associate. He continued his pursuit of memory with light there. Instead of just watching memory formation, he developed a system in mice where one can not only identify and label cells in the brain for a particular memory, but also turn these cells on and off with light to activate this memory at will. This work was published in Science, and has been covered by the media worldwide, including The Boston Globe, Scientific American, The Daily Mail, and The Guardian.


Standard YouTube License @ TEDxTalks

RMR: Rick with Daryn Jones (Segways,...)

Published on Oct 10, 2012

Rick and Daryn head to Horseshoe Valley, ON to ride off-road Segways, learn how to drive motocross, and careen down a hill in a giant rubber ball.

SSTattler: 

1. Gary, Monty and myself (John),  went in the spring to test Segway with Edmonton River Valley Adventure Co.  All of us have a) bum right arm b) we rode the Segway perfectly --  most stroke survivors can ride the Segway!
2. See Feb/09/2013 Segway PT (Personal Transporter) in SSTattler.

Standard YouTube License @ The Rick Mercer Report

Saturday Comics

For Better and For Worse
Lynn Johnston - 2008-07-25

"Iris is going ... for a few days, Dad!"

Dilbert
Scott Adams - 2013-08-12

"Hey, is that a passive job seeker? zzzzzz.. "

Garfield
Jim Davis - 2013-08-12

"Excuse me, I'm needed in surgery!"

Betty
Delainey & Rasmussen -2013-08-13

"...you use the phrase 'grudge purchase' before!"

  
*For Better and For Worse" is a serious topic of stroke but with a very nice cartoons. It is all about Grandpa Jim had a stroke and 88 further cartoon "strips" that happened to Grandpa Jim. See as well  the cartoonist Lynn Johnston.

** I tried to get low or free price at the people http://www.UniversalUclick.com/ for the images for the cartoons. It was too high for Stroke Survivors Tattler i.e. we are not a regular newspaper and our budget is very low. Fortunately, you will have to do only 1-click more to see the cartoon image, it is legit and it is free using GoComics.com and Dilbert.com.

*** Changed from "Pickles" to "Betty" -- "Betty" is a excellent cartoon and Gary Delainey & Gerry Rasmussen are authors/artists/cartoon-strips and they live in Edmonton.