An Update of My BBC Radio Interview on Soul Music

Last July, Mr Melvin Rickarby of Radio 4, BBC, Bristol, UK interviewed me on how and why Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez touched my heart. The summary of the interview along with other fans of Rodrigo were taped and you could download it in the website as follows:

SoulMusic: Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez for Guitar, Tuesday, July 09, 2013 4:00 AM

My three minute interview start at 11 minutes and ends at 14 minutes of the 27 minutes tape. I felt weird hearing my own voice with my distinguishable Ilonggo-American accent. However, I am proud to be chosen by BBC as one of the fans of Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez.

http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/radio4/soulmusic/rss.xml

A brief summary of the recording which was broadcasted live on July 9, 2013 at 4:00AM is as follows:

Written by Joaquin Rodrigo in 1939, the Concierto de Aranjuez is a guitar classic. It was written amid the chaos of the Spanish Civil War, and in circumstances of poverty and personal tragedy. This progamme explores how the piece touches and changes people's lives.

The composer's daughter Cecilia Rodrigo explains how the blind composer was inspired by the fountains and gardens of the palace of Aranjuez. Nelício Faria de Sales recounts an unforgettable performance deep inside one of Brazil's largest caves, while David B Katague remembers how the piece got him through a difficult period of separation from his family in the Philippines.

Guitarist Craig Ogden explains the magic of the piece for a performer, and actor Simon Callow recalls how hearing the piece was a formative experience for him during his schooldays, when it turned rural Berkshire into a piece of Spain.

Producer: Melvin Rickarby

http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/radio4/soulmusic/rss.xml
Media files: soul music_20130709-1200a.mp3 (MP3 Format Sound, 12.7 MB)

New Words and Phrases I learn Today

The English language is for sure not a dead language. Every year new words and phrases are coined and added to the vocabulary of our younger generation. Eight of the new words and two new phrases that attracted my attention are as follows: Number 10 is my favorite since I do it almost every month. I have also done a selfie, but will never do number 2 and 9. Do you have a favorite new word or phrase that you can add to this list?

1. Pomosexuality refers to a nonorientation in which people disregard sexual labels altogether. In the world of pomosexuality, the superficial orientation identifications (a.k.a. gay, straight, etc.) are insignificant and not what people should accord to.

2. Plopping: See definition in the reference cited on bottom of this page.

3. A Selfie: A picture taken of yourself that is planned to be uploaded to Facebook, Myspace or any other sort of social networking website. You can usually see the person's arm holding out the camera in which case you can clearly tell that this person does not have any friends to take pictures of them so they resort to Myspace to find internet friends and post pictures of themselves, taken by themselves.

4. Ratchet: A diva, mostly from urban cities and ghettos, that has reason to believe she is every mans eye candy. Unfortunately, she's wrong. Typical signs to beware of include, but are not limited to:-owning a Blackberry,-BLARES anything by Drake, 2Chainz, Nicki Minaj, Gucci Mane, Waka Flocka,and Lil Wayne.

5. Molly: Abr. of 'molecular'. Pure form of MDMA (ecstasy), usually a free powder or in capsules. Oftentimes MDA is sold as molly. Should be white in color (when it's pure) but is more often beige or yellow-brown, and sometimes brown or rarely gray.

6. Hipsters: Are a subculture of men and women typically in their 20's and 30's that value independent thinking, counter-culture, progressive politics, an appreciation of art and indie-rock, creativity, intelligence, and witty banter. The greatest concentrations of hipsters can be found living in the Williamsburg, Wicker Park, and Mission District neighborhoods of major cosmopolitan centers such as New York, Chicago, and San Francisco respectively.

7. Reekris: African American slang for Jesus. A word you scream when shit goes terribly wrong. Reekris motherfuckin bootleg firework SHIT

8. Randy: Overly excited in a sexual manner. See also horny.

9. Alabama tuna melt: See definition on the reference cited on bottom of this page.

10. Egosurfing (also Googling yourself, vanity searching, egosearching, egogoogling, autogoogling, self-googling) is the practice of searching for one's own name, pseudonym, or screen name on a popular search engine in order to review the results. Similarly, an egosurfer is one who surfs the Internet for his or her own name to see what information appears. It has become increasingly popular with the rise of internet search engines, as well as free blogging and web-hosting services. Though Google is the search engine most commonly mentioned when referring to egosurfing, other widely known search engines include Yahoo and Bing. Once a month I do egosurfing, indeed!

For more details and additional new words and phrases please visit the website below:

Reference: http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=new%20words

Water and Your Heart

I received the following e-mail today. It has been forwarded to me by a close relative. When I informed a neighbor about this, she commented it is baloney and told me not to believe everything I read in the Internet. She said it could be a hoax. Please read the article below and let me know your opinion. Here's the e-mail verbatim:

"Share this one with all your friends and family members. It could be a life saver.

How many folks do you know who say they don't want to drink anything before going to bed because they'll have to get up during the night!!

Heart Attack and Water - I never knew all of this! Interesting.......

Something else I didn't know ... I asked my Doctor why do people need to urinate so much at night time. Answer from my Cardiac Doctor - Gravity holds water in the lower part of your body when you are upright (legs swell). When you lie down and the lower body (legs and etc.) seeks level with the kidneys, it is then that the kidneys remove the water because it is easier. This then ties in with the last statement!

I knew you need your minimum water to help flush the toxins out of your body, but this was news to me. Correct time to drink water... Very Important. From A Cardiac Specialist!

Drinking water at a certain time maximizes its effectiveness on the body: 2 glasses of water after waking up - helps activate internal organs, 1 glass of water 30 minutes before a meal - helps digestion, 1 glass of water before taking a bath - helps lower blood pressure, 1 glass of water before going to bed - avoids stroke or heart attack

I can also add to this... My Physician told me that water at bed time will also help prevent night time leg cramps. Your leg muscles are seeking hydration when they cramp and wake you up with a Charlie Horse.

A Cardiologist has stated that if each person after receiving this e-mail, sends it to 10 people, probably one life could be saved!

I have already shared this information. What about you? Do forward this message. It may save lives! "Life is a one time gift"

I did a short internet search and I found that the above article is perhaps a hoax as follows:

"It is certainly true that drinking adequate water is very important for overall health. However, there is no credible evidence to suggest that drinking water at certain times of the day will provide the particular health benefits specified in this message. Staying well hydrated can help maintain overall health and may thereby help avoid serious health outcomes such as heart attacks and stroke. But, this is true at any time of the day. The supposed cardiologist is not named and the message contains no references. And the information did not come from the Mayo Clinic as claimed in some versions of the message. For a detailed analysis and a more comprehensive discussion on the issue read the web site below.

http://www.hoax-slayer.com/correct-time-drink-water.shtml

Are We Waiting for Another Mining Catastrophe?

Please take note of this article, fellow Marinduquenos.. Can we do something?
marinduque rising: Rains, flooding, earthquake and the unstable Marco...: Today's weather report: Metro Manila, Central Luzon, Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon provinces) and Mimaropa (...

Recommended Treatment for Carotid Artery Disease

In my posting yesterday, I described the tests that were done confirming that my wife had carotid artery disease often times called carotid artery stenosis. The following 9 items are recommended to prevent carotid artery disease from progressing:

1. Quit smoking.
2. Control high blood pressure (optimal blood pressure is less than 120/80 mmHg).
3. Control diabetes.
4. Regular checkups with your doctor.
5. Check your cholesterol and get treatment, if necessary.
6. Eat foods low in saturated fats, trans fats, cholesterol, and salt.
7. Maintain a healthy weight.
8. Exercise at least 30 minutes most days of the week.
9. Limit alcohol to 1 drink per day for women, 2 for men.

My wife is doing all these items except quit smoking. She is a nurse and knows the health risks of nicotine, but her addiction to nicotine overpowers her sense of preventing another stroke and perhaps death. The surgery discussed below is not a valid option in our opinion since My wife is physically weak, so the risk of complications during and after surgery is great in her case.

Drugs that Can Reduce the Risk of Stroke?

Your doctor may recommend anti-platelet medications such as aspirin and clopidogrel (Plavix) to decrease the risk of stroke caused by blood clots. Your doctor may also prescribe medications to lower cholesterol and blood pressure. In some cases, Coumadin (warfarin), a blood thinner, may be prescribed in some cases.


Surgical Procedures for the Treatment of Carotid Artery Disease?

If there is severe narrowing or blockage (>70%) in the carotid artery, a procedure can be done to open the artery. This will increase blood flow to the brain to prevent future stroke. Your doctor may suggest either of the following procedures:

1.Carotid endarterectomy (CEA). This has been the commonly performed procedure for patients who have carotid atherosclerosis and TIAs or mild strokes. While you’re under general anesthesia, an incision is made in the neck at the location of the blockage. The surgeon isolates the artery and surgically removes the plaque and diseased portions of the artery. Then, the artery is sewn back together to allow improved blood flow to the brain. The risks and benefits of CEA depend on your age, the degree of blockage, and whether you’ve had a stroke or TIA.

2. Carotid artery stenting (CAS). Carotid artery stenting (CAS) is a newer treatment option. It’s less invasive than carotid endarterectomy and is performed in a catheterization laboratory. With CAS, a small puncture is made in the groin. A specially designed catheter is threaded to the area of narrowing in the carotid artery. Once in place, a small balloon tip is inflated for a few seconds to open the artery. Then, a stent is placed in the artery and expanded to hold the artery open. A stent is a small, metal mesh tube that acts as a scaffold to provide support inside your artery. The stent stays in place permanently. CAS is a newer procedure, and there is still some controversy as to how well it prevents strokes caused by carotid artery disease. If you need more detailed information read the reference website below.

Reference: http://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/carotid-artery-disease-causes-symptoms-tests-and-treatment

Diagnosis and Confirmation of a Mini or Mild Stroke

Last month our doctor informed us that my wife may have had a mini stroke just recently that we were not aware of. We thought that her symptoms of weakening in her legs and a slight stutter and a slight loss of memory was due to her Parkinson Disease diagnoses about 6 months ago. Our neurologist ordered an ultrasound of her neck first (#1 test). The results showed plaque formation on her right carotid artery. So my wife has indeed carotid artery disease. However, the extent of the blockage is not clearly shown by the ultrasound. So three other instrumental diagnostic tests were ordered besides the first test to confirm and show how extensive is the blockage. The following test were done to my wife during the last four weeks.

1.Medical sonography (ultrasonography) is an ultrasound-based diagnostic medical imaging technique used to visualize muscles, tendons, and many internal organs, to capture their size, structure and any pathological lesions with real time tomographic images. Ultrasound has been used by radiologists and sonographers to image the human body for at least 50 years and has become a widely used diagnostic tool. The technology is relatively inexpensive and portable, especially when compared with other techniques, such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography (CT)

2.CT scanning of the head is typically used to detect infarction, tumors, calcifications, haemorrhage and bone trauma. Of the above, hypodense (dark) structures can indicate edema and infarction, hyperdense (bright) structures indicate calcifications and haemorrhage and bone trauma can be seen as disjunction in bone windows. Tumors can be detected by the swelling and anatomical distortion they cause, or by surrounding edema.
3.Magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) generates pictures of the arteries to evaluate them for stenosis (abnormal narrowing) or aneurysms (vessel wall dilatations, at risk of rupture). MRA is often used to evaluate the arteries of the neck and brain, the thoracic and abdominal aorta, the renal arteries, and the legs (called a "run-off").

4.Echocardiogram, often referred to cardiac echo or simply an echo is a sonogram of the heart. (It is not abbreviated as ECG, which in medicine usually refers to an electrocardiogram.) Echocardiography uses standard two-dimensional, three-dimensional, and Doppler ultrasound to create images of the heart. Echocardiography has become routinely used in the diagnosis, management, and follow-up of patients with any suspected or known heart diseases. It is one of the most widely used diagnostic tests in cardiology. It can provide a wealth of helpful information, including the size and shape of the heart (internal chamber quantification), pumping capacity, and the location and extent of any tissue damage. .

The above four test are all non-invasive tests. There is another test slightly invasive that will confirm the extent of the blockage as follows:

Cerebral angiography (carotid angiogram). This procedure is considered the gold standard for imaging the carotid arteries. It is an invasive procedure that lets a doctor see blood flow through the carotid arteries in real time. Cerebral angiography allows the doctor to see narrowing or blockages on a live X-ray screen as contrast dye is injected in the carotid arteries. This procedure provides the best information. It does carry a small risk of serious complications.

As of this writing date, we have not decided what surgical or medical treatment will be done. We have an appointment to see a vascular surgeon next week. Please pray for my wife's health. The following three web sites are excellent references if you need additional and detailed information on carotid artery disease.

References:
http://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/carotid-artery-disease-causes-symptoms-tests-and-treatment
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2665982/
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/carotid-artery-disease/DS01030/DSECTION=treatments-and-drugs