Saturday News

Contents of This Week Saturday News ▶︎ December 26th / 2015

• Definition: Christmas - A Cappella Quartet / Quintet

Christmas or Christmas Day (Old English: Crīstesmæsse, meaning "Christ's Mass") is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed most commonly on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year, it is prepared for by the season of Advent or Nativity Fast and is prolonged by the Octave of Christmas and further by the season of Christmastide. Christmas Day is a public holiday in many of the world's nations, is celebrated culturally by a large number of non-Christian people, and is an integral part of the Christmas and holiday season. A longer definition comes from Wikipedia.

• Video: Christmas - A Cappella Quartet / Quintet

      - It's Beginning To Look Like Christmas
      - Evolution of Christmas Music
      - Silent Night
      - White Christmas
      - Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
      - The First Noel
      - Chipmunk Christmas Song 
      - Happy Holidays
      - Frosty the Snowman
      - Es ist ein Ros Entsprungen (German Christmas Carol)
      - The Christmas Waltz
      - Let It Snow
      - Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire
      - Carol of the Bells
      - Angels We Have Heard On High

• Headline Blog: Christmas - A Cappella Quartet / Quintet
• The Best of 2015 Stroke Survivors Tattler
• Twas the Night Before Christmas for the Indie Author
• A Stroke Survivor's Christmas
• Travelling
• Santa Baby
• 50 Shades of Chocolate – The Sequel
• New Year's Resolutions for Everybody
• Every Day I’m Shufflin’
• My Current Christmas Thoughts
• Putting It All Together
• Fitting In
• Pinoy Pasko 2011 and Christmas Song Medley

• Eclectic Stuff: Many articles from many Guest Bloggers about Stroke
• Preventable Strokes and Treatment - Finding Answers, Saving Lives
• Pain is a Great Motivator
• He’s Back – And He’s Cranky
• Does the Speech Language Pathologist fix Aphasia with Speech Therapy?

• Weekly Columnists
• Musing: Walking on Ice
• Sunday Stroke Survival: Some Days I Think I'm Fine...
• Caregiver: Bob's 1981 Drawing Is Restored, Matted & Framed!
• Jester: I Ate ...
• TED Talks - Mac Barnett: Why a Good Book is a Secret Door
• Rick Mercer Report: Starwars & New Credit Card
• Laid-Back Admin: Final the meta-Indexes

• Daily Comics: For Better Or For Worse, Dilbert, Mayes, Doonesbury

• Future Topics in SSTattler

     Saturday News | Future Topic
     --------------+---------------------------------------------
     Jan/23/2016   | Global Warming
     Jan/16/2016   | Bobath (NDT - Neuro-Developmental Treatment)
     Jan/09/2016   | iPad Pro & Apple Pencil
     Jan/02/2016   | Emotional Recovery

Definition: Christmas - A Cappella Quartet / Quintet

Christmas From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A depiction of the Nativity of Jesus
with a Christmas tree backdrop

Christmas or Christmas Day (Old English: Crīstesmæsse, meaning "Christ's Mass") is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed most commonly on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year, it is prepared for by the season of Advent or Nativity Fast and is prolonged by the Octave of Christmas and further by the season of Christmastide. Christmas Day is a public holiday in many of the world's nations, is celebrated culturally by a large number of non-Christian people, and is an integral part of the Christmas and holiday season.

The celebratory customs associated in various countries with Christmas have a mix of pre-Christian, Christian, and secular themes and origins. Popular modern customs of the holiday include gift giving, completing an Advent calendar or Advent wreath, Christmas music and caroling, an exchange of Christmas cards, church services, a special meal, and the display of various Christmas decorations, including Christmas trees, Christmas lights, nativity scenes, garlands, wreaths, mistletoe, and holly. In addition, several closely related and often interchangeable figures, known as Santa Claus, Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas, and Christkind, are associated with bringing gifts to children during the Christmas season and have their own body of traditions and lore. Because gift-giving and many other aspects of the Christmas festival involve heightened economic activity, the holiday has become a significant event and a key sales period for retailers and businesses. The economic impact of Christmas is a factor that has grown steadily over the past few centuries in many regions of the world.

Video: Christmas - A Cappella Quartet / Quintet

SSTattler: Many teenage kids went to the church to sing at the choir (and hay-rides, chasing girls / boys, etc). For me, I thought I would join some kind of A Cappella Barbershop Quartet - it is still on my list; maybe next year! Take a look / hear at 14. Carol of the Bells by Pentatonic and 15. Angels We Have Heard On High by Home Free - both excellent quintet!

Def'n: a cappella - without instrumental accompaniment
              quartet      - a group of four people playing music or singing together
              quintet      - a group of five people playing music or singing together

It's Beginning To Look Like Christmas
(A Cappella Barbershop Quartet)

Published on Dec 4, 2012

It's Beginning To Look Like Christmas, a barbershop quartet a cappella cover!
    by Julien Neel

► Get My Christmas Albums: http://bit.ly/xmasCD1 http://bit.ly/xmasCD2
► Want to Learn This Song? http://julienneel.com
► Support This Channel: http://patreon.com/trudbol
► Download my Music: http://trudbol.bandcamp.com
► Facebook: http://facebook.com/trudbolmusic

It's Beginning To Look Like Christmas, a one man barbershop quartet cover by Julien Neel. This piece was composed by Meredith Wilson (arranged by Willis Diekema): http://www.harmonymarketplace.com/7009




Standard YouTube License @ A Cappella Trudbol

Headline Blog: Christmas - A Cappella Quartet / Quintet

Definition: Blog (noun). Add new material to or regularly update to a blog. (≃1990s: blog shortening of weblog)

The Best of 2015 Stroke Survivors Tattlerby Dr. Beagle C. Cranium

Merry Christmas

for the 

Great Guest Bloggers
on SSTattler

The Best of 2015: Stroke Survivors Tattler

• Introduction
• Best of Saturday News: Definition - Wikipedia, Video - YouTube/Vimeo
• Best of Headline Blog & Eclectic Stuff with Guest Bloggers
• Best of Weekly Columnists
• Dean, Jo, Diane, Dan,  Jackie,  TED and Rick
• Best of Daily Comics i.e. Every,  Everyday,... !

SSTattler: p.s. This cartoon is dedicated to our new kitten, Al G. Orithm (we call her Al). 

Introduction

Yesterday is Christmas Day and most people like Christmas and Christmas week -- it is a very beautiful holiday.   Christians have Christmas, Jews have Hanukkah, people of African descent have Kwanzaa, others celebrate the Solstice, Buddhists remember the five precepts... but all people giving gifts, kindness, love, peace to all mankind.

It is time to reflect what happened to the this year especially what happened to Stroke Survivors Tattler site.

Twas the Night Before Christmas for the Indie Author

Jo Murphey
The Murphey Saga

Saturday, December 24, 2011

Twas the night before Christmas, nothing could be brighter

Only one creature was stirring, and that was the writer.

My fingers were clicking the keyboard with care.

In hopes the new novel wouldn’t leave cupboards bare.

A Stroke Survivor's Christmas

Beth Sinfield
Beth's Story

Saturday, 19 December 2015

Don't get me wrong, I love Christmas but I hate now how the countdown seems to begin earlier and earlier every year; even before Halloween you see Christmas adverts on TV. I know that I probably sound like a right Scrooge but seriously, sometimes all the fancy lights and special gifts isn't what it's all about.

Back in 2012 I wasn't allowed home, my first (and last hopefully!) Christmas spent in hospital. And to tell you the truth, it was rubbish. The nurses can only do so much; the unit was decorated all festive and on Christmas morning, they even played Christmas music for us but.. there was no escaping the rigid daily routine; breakfast at 8am then shower time at 8:30 and out in my wheelchair for the day ahead. No waking up and coming downstairs in pyjamas and sitting on the floor opening the pile of presents before me. Not being able to see the look on my parents' faces when they unwrapped their present I had thought so carefully about. No turkey dinner. No crackers with bad, cringey jokes inside. No tradition. Nothing was the same.

Travelling

Barb Polan
Barb's Recovery

Posted 19th December 2012

We - my husband, daughter and I - are going to California (Santa Monica) to visit our son and his fiancee for Christmas. Another trip through security holding my left hand as far as my right hand can raise it in the Xray machine; having my entire body (all my clothing, really) and electronic gear swabbed and tested for explosives; giving up my cane to walk through the metal detector; standing on a two-foot square for a search. On our last flight,a security person chided me for leaving a tissue in my back pocket that was revealed by the search even though she had TOLD me to empty my pockets; I pulled it out and handed it to her, and she went to get a trash can, watching me the whole time. Seriously? What was I going to do with a used tissue if she turned her back to me? I can understand why she didn't want to touch it, but watching me while she walked sideways to get the can and carry it to me? What happened to profiling? I am doing something a little differently this time, compared to our last flight (to Boulder): I am going to cooperate with my husband and use a WHEELCHAIR. He always frets because I walk so slowly, but I hate taking the easy way out. My recovery is all about challenging myself, so why wouldn't I walk? To please Tom. He puts up with enough annoyance caused by me; it's the least I can do, I think. And in February, I'm going BY MYSELF to visit a friend who spends the winter in Florida. Tom will accompany me to the airport and ensure I get through security okay, and Lisa will pick me up at the other end. Wheelchairs at both ends; one good thing about wheelchairs at the airport is that they come with a driver, someone to push and steer, and knows what line to go to. In fact, when Tom once took over for a driver at Logan, he had to go through a 50-point check before I was handed over. I am afraid to travel by air all alone. I know I'll be well taken care of, but I'm still nervous about it.

See the original article:

Travelling

in

Barb's Recovery

Santa Baby

Grace Carpenter
My Happy Stroke

Monday, December 20, 2010

Even though I wasn't in a high-risk group for stroke--I was healthy, walked a lot, normal blood pressure, comparatively young--I'm very aware now of risks of stroke in other people. Whenever I see someone very overweight, I worry for them. I want to tell them, "don't kid around! You don't want to go through what I've been through."

I'm probably overreacting. A few nights ago we were watching TV. Whenever I saw another rotund Santa in an ad, I thought: there's a stroke waiting to happen.

See the original article:

Santa Baby

in

My Happy Stroke

50 Shades of Chocolate – The Sequel

Sas Freeman

December 21, 2015

I have mentioned before the benefits of chocolate and about enjoying your chocolate over the festive period without feeling guilty, but there is yet more good news related to cocoa.

I may have mentioned previously that since my stroke I often now have a kidney infection on my one side, my less strong side. I had never had infections before. I also now have to take both beta and alpha blockers.

The reason for mentioning the above is that both the heart and kidneys are major organs, and if one stops functioning properly the other will be affected.

photo

If the heart stops pumping correctly it becomes congested with blood and pressure will build up. This can cause a congestion of blood in the kidneys and a lack of oxygenated blood.

Conversely, if the kidneys stop functioning correctly due to damage, the hormone system that regulates blood pressure goes into overdrive to get blood to the kidneys putting extra pressure onto the heart. The heart can become damaged by the extra workload.

New Year's Resolutions for Everybody

Joyce Hoffman
The Tales of a Stroke Patient

Dec 19, 2015

I think of myself as more "normal" now, not altogether damaged by the stroke, thanks to the help of my therapist, Theresa, who says, "Everyone is damaged. It's called 'being human.'" I believe her now. And thus, even though I write the blog "The Tales of a Stroke Patient," I'm not as damaged as I thought. I now say, "Damage is a state of mind." I believe that, too.

I call this post "New Year's Resolutions for Everybody" because I think of myself as just a human now, one of the bunch, not especially damaged, struggling with life's obstacles put in my path to make me stronger. "Deal with it," I now say to myself. "Get over it." "Stop it." Expressions like that. So now, having my life almost in order (I'm still seeing Theresa though), on with my resolutions! As my mindset has changed, I promise myself:

#1: to revise my bucket list to include things, with assistance, like shopping and visiting favorite people in New York and traveling across the United States. In fact, I'm going to travel in the spring, headed for Nashville again, my favorite place to be with the Grand Ol' Opry's headliners, musicians filling the streets on Broadway, and southern cooking everyplace.

Every Day I’m Shufflin’

Pamela Hsieh
StrokedUP

24 December, 2012

A video a week is definitely overstretching, at least during this saturated holiday season. Not to mention I’m overloading my computer’s hard drive with so much stuff these days, what with my photography practice (more on that later) and all the audio programs I seem to buy every five minutes. (No regrets — audio programs and books are awesome.)

My friend got me an awesome
new neck strap for Christmas!

So, sorry, everyone, I’m going to commit to regular videos at least on a biweekly basis. As I write this, I’m already overwhelmed with all the footage I have to go through in order to stitch together a worthwhile first video montage for you — but I’m not going to quit!

Anyway, in honor of the upcoming holiday, I wanted to announce my Christmas gift to myself: an iPod Shuffle. They were on sale at Best Buy this week, and I had bought one ages ago to “lend” to my former boyfriend to replace the iPod I’d gotten him for Christmas that was later stolen. I say “lend” in quotes because it was understood that I was really giving it to him with no expectation of getting it back.

My Current Christmas Thoughts

Diana Smith
Beyond Reality

December 8, 2013

Thank you to my neighbors that put their pretty lights on their home and evergreens. I love lights. I can’t be bothered to hang mine on my porch, I feel they will highlight the unfinished bits from construction and mess of leaves and other gardening debris. I also don’t plan on being home around the holidays. I plan on staring into the lights of my grand- daughters eyes. I have been thinking today of how strange it is anyway since I have evolved into an Atheist. Decorating is an expression of art to me, so will hopefully decorate my home next year with lights. I am not even going to dig out my little fake trees. I am buying no gifts this year, instead I am giving money or IOUs.

What has really been bugging me is the need for others to feel that people are unfortunate if they don’t have a pile of gifts under a tree. This country is the land of excesses. Other peoples excesses have always made me feel ill.  I have a warmish house, new roof over my head and some of my underwear and socks are not ripped and threadbare. I am alive, hopefully for several more years. I am not in a home or rehab center, so I feel free. I will be with all my children for the “Holidays” and I could not ask for anything more.

See the original article:

My Current Christmas Thoughts

in

Beyond Reality

Putting It All Together

Marcelle Greene
Up Stroke

Friday, December 18, 2015

Last summer I “tried my hand” at rowing a boat. My husband Ian and I were staying with family at the Hood Canal in Washington State. I picked my way carefully over the pebbled beach and climbed into the rowboat while Ian held it steady. He rowed away from shore and handed me the oars – one at a time, of course, because I had to position my affected hand on the left oar.

First uncoordinated attempt: note different oar positions.

I tried to row the boat. The left oar flailed.

I needed to help my affected side through a few strokes so it could get the feel of the circular motion. I gave the right oar to Ian and placed my right hand over my left, guiding myself through the motions -- dipping and pulling, pushing and leaning.

When that felt comfortable, I traded oars with Ian. Now I observed my right side doing the same motions. I felt how the oar pushed on my thumb as I reached forward, and pulled on my index joint as I leaned backward. When I had that sensation locked in my mind, I took both oars.

Fitting In

Amy Shissler
My Cerebellar Stroke Recovery

December 29, 2014

Christmas Day was a long, long day for me.  It involved a lot of acting as normal as I can and trying to fit in as much as I can in front of a bunch of different people at 3 different houses.  And I was absolutely exhausted by the end of the day and needed 2 days to recover.  AND a comment was made in jest about my intelligence and I’m extra super ultra sensitive about that so I got extremely p***** off.  A lot of people probably think “it’s been almost 4 years, why is it still such an issue?”  It is still very much an issue, and I’m assuming always will be.  My brain isn’t like ‘normal’ peoples’ brains, it is majorly different and affected and I can’t do certain things and now that I look quite normal and sound kinda sorta close to normal, no one gets it.  It was much easier to get people to understand that I can’t do certain things or need lots of breaks when I looked and sounded terrible.  But I don’t now.  My introverted personality made days like this exhausting for me before the stroke, but now….well now I get anxiety about it beforehand and it takes a few days to recover and feel ‘normal’ again.  Ah well, c’est la vie.

See the original article:

Fitting In

in

My Cerebellar Stroke Recovery

Pinoy Pasko 2011 and Christmas Song Medley

Ramon Florendo
Life After a Stroke

Thursday, December 27, 2012

Video Medley, Photos of Filipino Christmas Tradition With Christmas Song Medley, Christmas Music Video, Filipino, Philippines.

Ackowledgement: I do not own any copyright nor patent to these pictures and songs.


Standard YouTube License @ Robert Reintegrado

See the original article:

Pinoy Pasko 2011 and Christmas Song Medley

in

Life After a Stroke

Eclectic Stuff

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

Preventable Strokes and Treatment - Finding Answers, Saving Lives

Jeff Porter
Stroke of Faith

Thursday, December 17, 2015

Photo from Pete via Flickr

I'm sold on stroke prevention. It saves lives and it gives society more resources to battle health problems.

An interesting research take about 'preventable' strokes and treatment:

▶ Three out of four strokes could be avoided, and one in four are "highly avoidable," according to a study assessing stroke preventability. It also found that strokes considered the most treatable were the most preventable. 

Pain is a Great Motivator

Rebecca Dutton
Home After a Stroke

December 16, 2015

My PT made me realize the gluteus maximus (GM) muscle on my hemiplegic (paralyzed) side was as soft as unkneaded bread dough.  This buttock muscle is called a hip extensor because it extends the leg behind the body.  Only ballerinas and runners use the GM in this way.

I am worried about this weak muscle because the GM helps other hip muscles keep the pelvis from wobbling as we swing our leg forward to take a step (1).  If the GM does not help stabilize the pelvis, low back muscles have to do it.  With my history of back pain, my GM has to get stronger.

He’s Back – And He’s Cranky

Tim Seefeldt
Brain Food Cafe for the Mind

Posted December 21, 2015

You may have noticed that it’s been a while since I’ve served up a dish of brain food. At least I hope that you’ve noticed.

This brain food fast ends today.

Stuff – which I’ll blog about soon – just sort of sucked the words out of me.  More on that in the next dish.

Today another birthday is here for me.  And, as they often do, the words of my high school English teacher have come back to haunt me. Words in the form of a letter he wrote me in grade 12. It was all about wasted time.

Me and my dad, Lee, at about the time Mr. Rollings’ letter was
haunting me! The fireplace is his work — bricks were to him
like words are to me. Accept

It took me a while to really get what Mr. Rollings was on about in that letter.   Birthday’s often nagged me in my 20s until, little by little,  I felt that I’d gotten my crap together in a way that would satisfy Mr. R. For the most part, I think he’d be happy with my post high school path.

But there’s still one thing that nags when I think of his letter.  The book thing.

So my birthday vow — between God and Blog Nation – is to have a book on shelves or in cyber space before I put another notch on my birth certificate.

Stay tuned.

-30-

See the original article:

He’s Back – And He’s Cranky

in

Brain Food Cafe for the Mind