Have You Heard of the Stone Man Syndrome?

I must be living in another planet since this was my first time to hear of this very rare genetic disease. The following video is very informative.


Fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva (FOP), sometimes referred to as Stone Man Syndrome, is an extremely rare disease of the connective tissue. A mutation of the body's repair mechanism causes fibrous tissue (including muscle, tendon, and ligament) to be ossified spontaneously or when damaged. In many cases, injuries can cause joints to become permanently frozen in place. Surgical removal of the extra bone growths has been shown to cause the body to "repair" the affected area with more bone.

Children born with FOP have deformed big toes, possibly missing a joint or simply presenting with a notable lump at the minor joint. The first "flare-up" that leads to the formation of FOP bones usually occurs before the age of 10. FOP is a genetic disease. The bone growth progresses from the top downward, just as bones grow in fetuses. A child with FOP will typically develop bones starting at the neck, then on the shoulders, arms, chest area and finally on the feet. Specifically, FOP involvement is typically seen first in the dorsal, axial, cranial and proximal regions of the body. Later the disease progresses in the ventral, appendicular, caudal and distal regions of the body. However it does not necessarily occur in this order due to injury-caused flare-ups. Often, the tumor-like lumps that characterize the disease appear suddenly.

Because the disease is so rare, the symptoms are often misdiagnosed as cancer or fibrosis. This leads doctors to order biopsies, which can actually exacerbate the growth of these lumps. According to a report last year, there are only about 700 cases of this disease worldwide and about 1 case in 2 million people. A very rare disease indeed.

With the exception of glucocorticoids that may help reduce inflammation, there is currently no treatment or cure for FOP. For the afflicted, it disfigures, distorts, and renders the person immobile, frozen into fixed positions. Often FOP forces individuals to become reliant on others for basic needs, eg, eating, drinking, and hygiene. The worst part of this disease is that not only does it entomb individuals in a shell of bony growths but their dignity and independence get slowly stripped away.

For details read the Wikipedia.

Crab Quiche Recipe for the Amateur Cooks

Due to the abundance and reasonably price( only $3.99/lb) fresh Dungeness Crabs this week here in Northern California, I was able to experiment preparing several dishes using crab meat. I have prepared crab omelet, corn and crab soup and crab cakes. Today I am experimenting on preparing my first crab quiche recipe. The following is the simplest I found in the Web.

1/2 cup mayonnaise

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 eggs, beaten

1/2 cup milk

1 cup crab meat

1 cup diced Swiss cheese

1/2 cup chopped green onions

1 (9 inch) unbaked pie crust


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). In a medium bowl, beat together eggs, mayonnaise, flour, and milk until thoroughly blended. Stir in crab, cheese, and onion. Spread into pie shell. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Enjoy and Bon Apetit!

Reference: allrecipes.com

My Favorite Crab Cake Recipe

I was searching for the simplest crab cake recipe in the Web with a lot of crab meat and less additives. I found this classic Maryland crab recipe by Susie Middleton published at Fine Cooking Magazine. The only additive is the breadcrumbs. With the abundance of Dungeness Crab this week here in Northern California, I was able to purchase 4 whole 1.5-pounder Dungeness Crabs from Food Max at only $3.99/lb the other day. I believe this will be the cheapest price the crab market will allow based on historical data of the crab season here in California.

This was my first time to prepare crab cakes, but the recipe looks very simple. The hardest part was cleaning the crab. It took me about an hour to harvest about one pound of meat from the two whole crabs bodies and claws. My neck started to strain from the concentration of extracting the meat from the crab shells and claws. If you are lazy, and have no time or patience to extract the meat from the whole crab, you can purchase fresh and pasteurized meat. The disadvantages are that you will miss the butter or fat of the crab and you will pay much higher for your meat. For example a 4 oz of lump meat cost about $21.99 in Safeway.

After tasting the recipe below, I will prepare it again perhaps next year Dungeness Crab season. If the price of Dungeness Crab is still $3.99/lb next week, I plan on cooking another crab omelet, a crab quiche, a crab garden salad Louie and may be another crab cake dish again. Bon Apetit!

1 lb. crabmeat, fresh or pasteurized ( Dungeness, Maryland or Philippines)
1 large egg
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1-1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard
1-1/2 tsp. Old Bay seasoning
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce Kosher salt
1-1/4 cups fresh breadcrumbs (from soft white sandwich bread)
1 Tbs. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 Tbs. unsalted butter
1 Tbs. olive oil
Lemon wedges for serving

Drain the crabmeat, if necessary, and pick through it for shells. Put the crab in a medium mixing bowl and set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk the egg, mayonnaise, mustard, Old Bay seasoning, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, and 1/4 tsp. salt. Scrape the mixture over the crab and mix gently until well combined. Gently break up the lumps with your fingers but do not overmix.

Sprinkle the breadcrumbs and the parsley over the mixture, and mix them in thoroughly but gently; try not to turn the mixture into a mash—it should still be somewhat loose. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 to 3 hours.

Shape the crab mixture into 8 cakes about 1 inch thick. In a 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat the butter with the olive oil over medium heat. When the butter is frothy, add the cakes to the pan (8 should fit comfortably). Cook until dark golden brown on the underside, about 4 minutes. Flip the cakes, reduce the heat to medium low, and continue cooking until the other side is well browned, 4 to 5 minutes. Serve with lemon wedges on the side for squeezing over the cakes.

Reference: www.finecooking.com/classicmarylandcrabcake/Photo by Scott Philip

Another Scam Letter Capitalizing on the Popularity of FaceBook

I received the following in my eMail today. It is very convincing, but originating from West Africa smells of rotten fish, although the origin of the letter is supposed to be in Menlo Park. The street address of #1 Hacker Way sounds very appropriate.

FACEBOOK INTERNATIONAL LOTTERY AWARD 2013
The Online FaceBook Consumer's Promotions 2013.
Facebook Corporate Office Headquarters HQ
#1 Hacker Way, Menlo Park,
California 94025 USA
Official Website: www.facebook.com

Dear Sir/Madam,

Congratulations We Are Happy To Inform You That Your Email Address
Have Won $500,000.00 (Five Hundred Thousand Dollars) From FaceBook
International Christmas Lottery Award 2013.

This Lottery is sponsored and promoted by the FaceBook International
Lottery Award U.S.A as the part of COMMUNICATION around the World and
to promote the use of INTERNET in the world, no tickets were sold but
all E-mail addresses were assigned to different ticket numbers for
representation and privacy. Your E-mail Access Code: 101 to avoid
Scam/Fraud lottery going on internet.

(WINNING NOTIFICATION NUMBERS)
TICKET NUMBER: 00545 188 564756
WINNING NUMBER: FB/575061725
PRIZE NUMBER: 7780129/N
SERIAL NUMBER: 5368/02

FILL YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION AND SUMMIT TO YOUR REGIONAL CLAIMS
AGENT IN WEST AFRICA NIGERIA (REV. JOHN TIMOTHY) FOR MORE DETAILS AND
DIRECTIVES FOR CLAIMS.

1.Full Name:
2.Full Address:
3.Marital Status:
4.Occupation:
5.Age:
6.Sex:
7.Nationality:
8.Amount Won:
9.Mobile Phone Number:
10.Your lucky email address:
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Rev. John Timothy
Email: rev.johntimothy2013@live.com
Phone Number: +234-80323-06470
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
NOTE: Keep your winning private from public to avoid double claim and
unwarranted taking of advantage because it will lead to
disqualifications.

Yours in service,
Prof. Wilcox Bruce
Award Co-ordinator
FaceBook International Lottery Board USA.

Bird Watching in My Backyard in Marinduque

December 1, is the official first day of bird watching in the beautiful Island of Marinduque-Our Second Home!
The Cuckoo Bird in my backyard, Chateau Du Mer, Boac, Marinduque, Philippines

Marinduque Island, Philippines is a tourist destination for Bird watchers all over the world. In my backyard at Chateau Du Mer, you can watch several species of wild birds that reside in the gardens and flowering trees in my back yard orchard. Besides bird watching, one can enjoy beach walking and snorkeling at the resort as well as caving, biking and touring the butterfly farms nearby.
Yellow Breasted Bird
What is this Bird's Name?
For the last four months this year and last year while we were in Marinduque, Macrine and I had been enjoying watching the beautiful wild birds that resides in the gardens and fruit trees of Chateau Du Mer. I do not know most of the bird names except for one, they called "the cuckoo", because of the sounds the bird makes. This bird had a long tail, blackish-brown almost look like a small parrot and very elusive. It flies from the tamarind tree in our back porch to the huge palm tree by the side of the house. It hides in the thick foliage of the trees, so unless you look closer, you may not be able to see this beautiful wild bird. Another bird is multicolored and almost look like the California blue Jay but with a yellow breast but blue throat. It is smaller than the cuckoo, but this one would stay on our clotheslines for minutes and you can enjoyed watching its beautiful plumage for a long while. Besides the above two birds, there several varieties of birds, butterflies, and bees that also reside in the gardens and fruit trees of Chateau Du Mer.

Just recently, I found out that there are bird sanctuaries in Marinduque. The bird wildlife adventure organization of the world listed the following birds that can be watched in the six towns of the province as follows:

Amethyst Brown-dove, Blackish Cuckoo-shrike, White-browed Shama, Mangrove Blue Flycatcher, Purple-throated Sunbird, Mountain White-eye Zosterops, Philippine Duck, Philippine Cockatoo and Green Racquet-tail.

Other activities recommended by the group besides Bird Watching are, Caving, Trekking and Camping. The seashores near Chateau Du Mer is excellent for bathing and snorkeling as well as jogging or just beach walking/combing. Chateau Du Mer Beach Resort and Conference Center is located in Western Marinduque, 8 KM from downtown Boac- the capital town of Marinduque.

Marinduque Wildlife Sanctuary regions are located on the western side of Gasan, northeast side of Sta. Cruz, southern side of Buenavista, northwest side of Boac and at the eastern side of Torrijos.

The best time of the year for bird watching is from December 1 to May 30. For details, visit www.world-wildlife-adventures.com. As Marinduquenos, we should do our best to help in the conservation of these wild birds. They are our national treasures.

A Simple Recipe for Sweet Corn and Crab Soup

With the Dungeness crab in season here in Northern California, the cost of whole Dungeness crabs is only $3.99/lb at Food Max, $4.99/lb in Safeway and $ 5.19/lb at Raleys yesterday. This is an excellent time to feast on Dungeness crabs. I bought two 2-pounder crab for only $16. After cleaning, the two whole crabs yielded about 16 oz of meat including the meat from the claws. I was looking for a simple recipe in the Web, but I did not find one that is simple enough, so that an amateur cook like me can do it without using my brain. Then suddenly I remember a very simple dish that my wife used to prepare. It is her corn and crab soup. Here's the recipe, so simple even a person who has never cook in his/her life will enjoy doing it.

8 oz crab meat ( Dungeness, Maryland or Philippine hard or soft shell)
1 onion ( sweet preferably)-minced
1/2 clove garlic
1 16 oz can golden sweet corn, cream style ( Del Monte brand preferred)
salt and pepper, soy sauce to taste
2 cups water
vegetable oil
chives or green onions (optional)

Saute the onions and garlic in oil until cooked. Add the sweet corn and 2 cups of water. Add salt and pepper or soy sauce to taste. Let the mixture simmer and add the crab meat. Mix and stir until the soup simmers. Add the chives or green onions as the garnishing.(optional). Serve Hot!

Very, very simple! Delicious and Nutritious!