Eclectic: Monty - Look at that happening ...

Monty - SSTattler

Look at that happening 

in Sabadella, near Barcelona, Spain

6:00 pm / 19 May 2012

(SSTattler: It was published 6/July so I re-published Oct/27 -- you have to listen 

                   (and maybe again, again, ...))

Saturdays Comics Aug/25/2012

For Better and For Worse Lynn Johnston / 2007-02-25 "Today, you made the sunshine!"	Dilbert Scott Adams / 2012-08-23 "Elbonian hackers stole a million ..."
Garfield Jim Davis / 2012-08-22 "I wouldn't want to be you !"	Betty Delainey & Rasmussen / 2012-08-24 "I'll try anything ..."

* 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 author 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.

YouTube: ICE Trikes (aka Tadpole) Front and Rear Suspension.

ICE 2010 Trikes Road Response Suspension film. For the Ultimate in recumbent trikes visit the ICE trikes website.  http://www.icetrikes.co.uk




A few comments (of many):

If I had that rig I simply couldn't resist putting an electric assist drive on there and load a LiPo battery pack into the frame... then it would really make sense. 

-- SquirrelFromGradLife

We do ship these suspension units as retro fit kits. Please could you e-mail us direct for a quotation including shipping to your area. There are 2 types of Velomobile shells available for the Sprint. One of which is sold direct from Canada - The Borealis from (velomobiles.ca/Borealis.html) or the UK from Ocean Cycle - the Challenger )(oceancycle.co.uk.) 

-- Icetrikes 

The Vortex isn't available with suspension? Is that due to suspension stealing some force and performance? Or just weight or that it's not considered necessary on a road bike? I would also be interested in knowing how performance would compare to two-wheel bikes such as the M5 low-riders. 

-- JohanKH 

The Vortex is generally aimed at faster road riding and like fast road bikes in general it is not configured with suspension. If greater comfort is a higher priority over pure speed then do consider the Sprint model. We are adding an option for the hard shell seat on the Sprint. True performance comparisons with other vehicles would be interesting though we have not had the chance to do this so far. M5 have some nice details of comparisons on their products. 

-- Icetrikes

SSTattler: If you want to read a lots of comments see YouTube: Ice Trikes 2010. Front and Rear Suspension.

Saturdays Comics Aug/18/2012

For Better and For Worse Lynn Johnston / 2007/02/10 "Aphasia ... it should be called 'confuse-ya' !"	Dilbert Scott Adams / 2012-08-18 "Now I see why you use euphemisms!"
Garfield Jim Davis / 2012-08-18 "Unless you get carried off by ants."	Betty Delainey & Rasmussen / 2012-08-18 "...much a business as a day care for nerds."

* 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 author 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: Jackie - Brilliant ideas!

70 Funny and Creative Inventions of 2011

This post showcases some funny, crazy, weird, creative and wacky inventions introduced to markets and submitted to patent offices around the world in 2011. Most of these highly unusual gadgets and gizmos will make you laugh but still serve really useful purposes. Typically, it’s some of the most absurd patents and inventions that successfully land on the shelves of Brookstone, in pages of Sky Mall Magazine, and other fun gadget stores. Some of these designs are pretty hilarious, I hope you can enjoy.

(SSTattler: I cut to the amusement of the Stroke Survivors Tattler;  if you want more you can look at Brookstone, Sky Mall Magazine, ...)

YouTube: Oscar Pistorius 2012

The history of Oscar Pistorius from a disability teenager to a competitor at Olympics London 2012. Should a handicapped racer be allowed to race against able-bodied runners?  Does his artificial carbon-fibre legs give him advantage or disadvantage?  Many YouTube/articles say both positive and negative.  Please we need your comments in SSTattler at the bottom of the article.

Article: Oscar Pistorius knocked out of London 2012 Olympics

Oscar Pistorius knocked out of London 2012 Olympics but his achievements will resound for years to come.

by http://www.telegraph.co.uk

Oscar Pistorius’s Olympic journey ended on Sunday night but he leaves London having kicked down another door with his carbon-fibre blades.

The South African was eliminated from the 400m, finishing last in his semi-final, but his presence was always likely to be more significant than his achievements on the track.

Pistorius secured his place in sporting history by becoming the first double amputee to compete at the Olympics. He will be back in a few weeks to add to his haul of Paralympic titles, but the impact of the 95 seconds or so he spent in competitive action will reverberate longer in the sport than anything he achieves next month.
See the full article Oscar Pistorius knocked out of London 2012 Olympics.

YouTube: Oscar Pistorius - The Blade Runner

2012 Olympic hopeful Oscar Pistorius working toward the London Games. Oscar is a double-amputee since 11 months old.

YouTube: Blade Runner Has Eyes Set On Olympics

Should a handicapped racer be allowed to race against able-bodied runners? South Africa's Oscar Pistorious is known as the Blade Runner, because he runs on artificial legs. And, as Len Berman reports, he has fought his way to the World Championships. His goal, despite all obstacles thrown in his path, is the Olympics.

Saturdays Comics - August 4th / 2012

For Better and For Worse Lynn Johnston / 200-/02-09 "... I'm so pumped !!"	Dilbert Scott Adams / 2012-08-03 "... if we have to work all night!"
Garfield Jim Davis / 2012-08-03 "Garfield! Lunch!"	Betty Delainey & Rasmussen / 2012-08-02 "It's an interesting process."

* 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 author 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: Jackie - Rock'n August Events !

Five days of activities begin early Tuesday morning at the St. Albert Inn when City TV kicks off Rock'n August with the Breakfast Television. Many of the classics that will be competing in Saturday's Show 'n Shine competition will be at this event. Each evening until Friday Night's Cruise and Street Dance different locations in St. Albert host an evening of classic car shows, community barbecues and musical entertainment. Friday night, the streets of St. Albert are packed with thousands of eager spectators viewing the 400 plus classic cars as they parade past City Hall. The party continues as the stage is filled with some of the best musical entertainment of the year. St. Albert’s Sturgeon River valley is home to the much anticipated Show 'n Shine that starts early on Saturday morning. The cars are parked and polished one more time awaiting the decision on who will walk away with the 2012 trophies and bragging rights to "Best in Show". Between 15,000 and 18,000 people attend the Show 'n Shine that has something for everyone in the family to enjoy.

Start Tuesday Morning August 7th, 7-9AM until Saturday August 11th, 7:00pm to Close.

See the full article 2012 Rock'n August - Events ! 

Article: Supporting Stroke Survivor’s Goal Setting

Recently in the Yahoo Groups List serves, Stroke Survivors International and Stroke Talk for Young People, there have been conversations about stroke survivors’ goals and relationships with professionals as they try to set goals.

The evidence in rehabilitation clearly demonstrates that people achieve more function and better quality of life if they work towards the goals they set. Indeed the mandate of all rehabilitation professionals is to encourage patients to set their own goals.

Really— working with stroke survivors and their families to set goals and giving them the tools to accomplish those goals is like the old adage—“teaching someone to fish rather than giving them the  fish.” Carolyn Baum, an occupational therapy professor in the John Stanley Coulter Memorial lecture (February, 2011) says that rehabilitation professionals need to start thinking of rehabilitation differently—not as a time limited medical service, but to support participation in daily life.

 Supporting participation in daily life means working with stroke survivors and their families to give them the skills and tools to live their daily lives.  So while goal setting was seen as key component of rehabilitation practices, many of the stroke survivors on Stroke Survivors International and Stroke Talk for Young People lists clearly did not experience collaborative goal setting.   Was their experience unusual?   According to several authors (Barnard et al., 2010,  Bright et al., 2012; Jones et al., 2012; Levack et al., 2011;) who recently explored goal setting,  many therapists set the goals for  stroke survivors or manipulate the stroke survivors’  to accommodate the needs of the rehabilitation system and  what can be achieved within a  specified timeframe.

The goal setting picture is not as grim as Barnard, Jones, and Levack describe in their research. Many professionals strive to set goals collaboratively and ensure that they increase stroke survivors control and ability to manage their in their own home.

Recently when talking to a physician, she stressed that most patients don’t know what would be ideal for them or what they should get from the health system or even much about long term self-management.  Like Carolyn Baum, this physician spoke passionately about the need to working collaboratively with patients to support their learning and goal setting.

When John had his stroke, we were incredibly lucky to have several physiotherapists work very collaboratively with us.  Diana Wong from Neuro Home Rehab,  Jacqui Levy from Action Potential Rehab,  and Avi Nativ from Neurogym in Ottawa all took the time to educate us about neuroplasticity, what therapy could do, and what we could do.

 And -- although I don’t remember her name, I am forever grateful to the young physiotherapist in the hospital who put us in touch with Diana and Jacqui to begin with when John’s  prognosis was bleak --only nursing home admission—no rehab. If it hadn’t been for her, as the physician I was talking to yesterday reminded me,   I too would never have known what the possibilities were.  We are forever grateful to these wonderful physiotherapists who supported John’s participation in everyday life.

Links to articles:
• Bright, Collaborative Practice
• Barnard, Goal Setting
• Levack, Goal Setting
• Jones,  Getting the Balance between Encouragement and Taking Over

Article: The Mirror Therapy Program Enhances Upper-Limb Motor Recovery and Motor Function in Acute Stroke Patients

The Mirror Therapy Program Enhances Upper-Limb Motor Recovery and Motor Function in Acute Stroke Patients

ABSTRACT

Lee MM, Cho H, Song CH: The mirror therapy program enhances upper-limb motor recovery and motor function in acute stroke patients. Am J Phys Med Rehabil 2012;91:689Y700.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of the mirror therapy program on upper-limb motor recovery and motor function in patients with acute stroke.

Design: Twenty-six patients who had an acute stroke within 6 mos of study commencement were assigned to the experimental group (n = 13) or the control group (n = 13). Both experimental and control group members participated in a standard rehabilitation program, but only the experimental group members additionally participated in mirror therapy program, for 25 mins twice a day, five times a week, for 4 wks. The Fugl-Meyer Assessment, Brunnstrom motor recovery stage, and Manual Function Test were used to assess changes in upper-limb motor recovery and motor function after intervention.

Results: In upper-limb motor recovery, the scores of Fugl-Meyer Assessment (by shoulder/elbow/forearm items, 9.54 vs. 4.61; wrist items, 2.76 vs. 1.07; hand items, 4.43 vs. 1.46, respectively) and Brunnstrom stages for upper limb and hand (by 1.77 vs. 0.69 and 1.92 vs. 0.50, respectively) were improved more in the experimental group than in the control group (P G 0.05). In upper-limb motor function, the Manual Function Test score (by shoulder item, 5.00 vs. 2.23; hand item, 5.07 vs. 0.46, respectively) was significantly increased in the experimental group compared with the control group (P G 0.01). No significant differences were found between the groups for the coordination items in Fugl-Meyer Assessment.

Conclusions: This study confirms that mirror therapy program is an effective intervention for upper-limb motor recovery and motor function improvement in acute stroke patients. Additional research on mirror therapy program components, intensity, application time, and duration could result in it being used as a standardized form of hand rehabilitation in clinics and homes.

See the full article The Mirror Therapy Program Enhances Upper-Limb Motor Recovery and Motor Function in Acute Stroke Patients.

Eclectic: Carrie - Jazz for Cows

Cows dig Jazz

at 

Saskatchewan Music Festival !

YouTube: Getting Biking Directions (Google Map)

YouTube: Getting Biking Directions This Summer (Google Map)

You can get routes customized for cyclists by selecting "Bicycling" from the travel mode drop down box, and clicking on "Get Directions". These routes are created using several different kinds of roads and paths, indicated on the map.

• A darker green line indicates bike trails where there are no motor vehicles.
• A lighter green line indicates streets with bike lanes.
• A green and white dotted line indicates streets recommended for cyclists, but without a bike lane.

Bicycling directions are in beta so there are not embedded on the web; but you can click "View Larger Map" at the bottom of the map and then click Bicycle symbol and you still get a bicycle map.  Hopeful soon it is passed beta. Bing and Yahoo do not have bicycle map.

I will give three example maps (only By Car but click View Larger Map and you can see the Bicycle Map) from downtown to:

• Yellow Head Trail,
• West Edmonton Mall,
• Loop - Home to 109 Street Bridge to UofA to Groat Road and home.

Thousands of other routes by bicycle on Google map.  If you are uncomfortable ride bicycle with cars in the same lane,  just switch to path/sidewalk.

From Downtown to Yellow Head Trail (and beyond if you want)

Click "View Larger Map" and click symbol Bicycle to see the Bicycle Map.
A - 102 Ave and 116 street - Downtown
B - 124 Ave and 127 street - Yellow Head Trail
Bicycle main route mainly path near 121 St.
Cycle Distance 5.3 km, Approx Time 18 mins.


View Larger Map

From Downtown to West Edmonton Mall (to get coffee of course!)

Click "View Larger Map" and click symbol Bicycle to see the Bicycle Map.
A - 102 Ave and 116 street - Downtown
B - 170 Street & 88 Avenue - West Edmonton Mall
Partly path and partly comfortable bicycle & car.
Cycle Distance 9.2 km, Approx Time 35 mins.


View Larger Map

Loop - Home to 109 St. Bridge to UofA to Groat Road to Home (excellent  route!).

Click "View Larger Map" and click symbol Bicycle to see the Bicycle Map.
A - 102 Ave and 116 street - Downtown
B - 87 Ave and 112 street - UofA, Good Earth (for good coffee/food)
C - Turn North 116 St & turn left on Saskatchewan Drive &
      Get over the Groat Bridge & climb huge hill Victoria Road & Home.
Partly path and partly comfortable bicycle & car.
Cycle Distance 8.4 km, Approx Time 40 mins.

View Larger Map

Saturdays Comics - July 21st / 2012

For Better and For Worse Lynn Johnston / 2007/02/08 "... and swear words come out! Weird!"	Dilbert Scott Adams / 2012-07-19/ "Maybe you invited it to a meeting."
Garfield Jim Davis / 2012-07-19 "That's all I had prepared."	Betty Delainey & Rasmussen / 2012-07-19 "... career counsellor, but a bum might work."

* 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 author 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.