US firefighter has world's most extensive face transplant
By Michelle Roberts, Health editor | BBC News online | November 16, 2015



US surgeons say they have carried out the world's most extensive face transplant to date, including the entire scalp, ears and eyelids.

Plastic surgeon Dr Eduardo Rodriguez led the team that performed the 26-hour surgery to give injured volunteer firefighter Patrick Hardison, aged 41, a new face.

The donor was a 26-year-old, David Rodebaugh, who was fatally injured in a cycling accident.

The operation took place in August.
[...]
Three months on from the million dollar procedure, Mr Hardison, a father of five, is healing nicely, although he will need to take anti-rejection drugs for the rest of his life to stop his body's immune system from fighting the transplant.

Dr Rodriguez estimates that no more than five of the other patients who have received facial transplants around the world died after the new tissue was rejected.

He told a press conference: "The amount of tissue transplanted in Patrick has not been done before.

"He is doing very well today for only day 93 [post-op]."

More at link: http://www.bbc.com/news/health-34831206

Why I miss Dallas -- stuff like this. Surely it is available elsewhere.

Yoga with dogs and beer?
By Kimber Westphall | Dallas News | December 7, 2015

Sun salutations may adhere to the same general form in every single yoga class. But the sprinkles and flourishes that make each class unique are ever-evolving.

Yoga with your pet? You can do that. Yoga and beer? There’s a pairing I would not have conjured up.

Here are some of the most unusual yoga classes offered in the Dallas area:

Doga

This class takes downward dog to a whole new level. Maraliz Campos has an affinity for yoga and canines. She teaches human-dog partner classes each Sunday at 10 a.m. at Craddock Park (Lemmon and Dallas North Tollway) and at other locations around the area.

I’ve never had a dog as a pet and didn’t know how I was going to contort my body with a four-legged friend involved. But Campos is not only a dog whisperer, she is a mastermind with yoga. During class, she let me borrow one of her five rescue dogs: Misti, a sweet, one-eyed Chihuahua. Together we did traditional yoga poses such as warrior and bridge.

I mostly executed poses while I held Misti; I spent some of the time massaging her. It made me happy to see that she seemed to be enjoying it. Campos kept telling me that she was smiling. I couldn’t distinguish a smile, but then again I’m not well-versed on the subject of canine grins.

It was an endorphin-filled class that kept the dogs’ tails wagging and smiles on the humans’ faces the entire time.

Each class is $20. For a schedule of classes and locations, visit maralizyoga.com.

More at link: http://www.dallasnews.com/lifestyles/health-and-fitness/health/20151205-yoga-with-dogs-and-beer.ece

Sounds like fun.

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How mutton flaps are killing Tonga
By Katy Watson & Sarah Treanor | BBC News, Tonga | January 18, 2016

The Pacific island of Tonga is the most obese country in the world. Up to 40% of the population is thought to have diabetes and life expectancy is falling. One of the main causes is a cheap, fatty kind of meat - mutton flaps - imported from New Zealand.

In-depth, more at link: http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-35346493

Don't know about "Mutton flaps"

But LAMB FLAPS was something I cottoned onto as a cheap (and healthy) meal when first married... provided you roast slow and long, a lot of the fat is rendered out.. still fatty to ea,t but layers of lean meat and you can minimize how much fat you eat. Delicious tender roast lamb .. severed with gravy and mint sauce

Later I turned to lamb flaps during my "curry period"... roast first to separate out the lean meat, then GREAT base for curries.

The BAD news is.... it used to be a cheap cut.. feed a family for $2... now its become more trendy (like spare ribs) and expensive to buy. There is a lot less hassle doing same with a leg roast and much less fat to get past and throw away

Even so.. lamb is expensive, not my favorite meat and so I don't buy it often. It is a BIG export item from NZ.. could be why price is so damned high

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Do not go gentle into that good night.
___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light

I thought the article was interesting.

Very impressive Rumpole, as lamb is a delicacy here in Texas... very expensive. I don't order it out, much less cook it. I think I last ate lamb in Las Vegas, back when all their food was inexpensive.

Mutton flaps is the same as lamb flaps.
Only difference is the age of the sheep.

Yes... with age... lamb --> hogget ---> Mutton

To my taste sheep meat smells... and that smell (and taste) is stronger with age.. so I dont like sheep meat even more when its older than lamb.

"Mutton curry" was standard in Singapore.. but I am pretty sure it used lamb meat.. not sure the age distinction applied.. "Mutton" is name for all sheep meat. Malay for sheep meat is "daging kambing" Lamb curry would be "Rendang kambing" which gets translated to Mutton Curry.

_________________
Do not go gentle into that good night.
___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light

Updated January 9, 2018
Smiling can trick your brain into happiness — and boost your health

“Even forcing a fake smile can legitimately reduce stress and lower your heart rate,” adds Dr. Sivan Finkel, a cosmetic dentist at NYC’s The Dental Parlour. “A study performed by a group at the University of Cardiff in Wales found that people who could not frown due to botox injections were happier on average than those who could frown.”

And there are plenty more studies out there to make you smile (or at least, serve as reference for why you should). Researchers at the University of Kansas published findings that smiling helps reduce the body’s response to stress and lower heart rate in tense situations; another study linked smiling to lower blood pressure, while yet another suggests that smiling leads to longevity.

Long article at: https://www.nbcnews.com/better/health/s ... ncna822591