THANKS, PROPS, AND ADMISSIONS BY DR. TOFUHEAD

Short but sweet: that will be today's blog. As Thanksgiving approaches, I'm reminded how much I have to be thankful for.

THANKS:

1. V., for pointing out that Adeline penguins get pink eye. The question of why disparate species can get the same diseases is complicated, and, I believe, has critical clues as to the nature of disease and immunity. Why, for example, do humans, monkeys, birds, mice, and lizards get malaria, while many other species don't? Why do penguins get pink eye, when other mammals closer to humans don't? These issues continue to perplex and amaze me.

2. Mrs. Church for kind comments about my seafood blog. Her blog, The Leather District Gourmet, is amazing, and several quantum leaps in quality above this one. Check it out.

3. Anonymous, for the comments about bird flu. He or she points out that bird flu can be cured by early administration of a medication called osteltamivir (Tamiflu) in specialized hospital. I do agree that early hospitalization of patients with bird flu, who need intensive supportive care, can save lives. But unfortunately there is no scientific evidence that osteltamevir, steroids, or any of the other medications impact the clinical course of this disease. I stand my my assertion that prevention and avoidance are the best approach to bird flu. But I welcome, thank, and listen to people who disagree with me because that's how I learn new things.

PROPS:

To my brother who puts all the images in this blog and helps me learn how to blog in general. I'm not good with most things technological and computer-related, and I could never have gotten this blog off the ground without him.

ADMISSIONS:

1. It's becoming more clear by the day that I'm pretty much the only person I know who thinks camo clothing is fashionable. I stand by that assertion, much like some folks stand by the assertion that the Earth is still flat.

2. I love Crocs and think they look great. But you should know that most people disagree. You should also know that the history and management of that company is so thoroughly dysfunctional that the story of Crocs reads like a bad soap opera. The Crocs company got greedy, and too big for their britches, and as a result there are literally millions of pairs of Crocs in warehouses across the globe gathering dust. That's a lot of plastic, and a lot of waste, and a lot of investors in Crocs lost their shirts. So a message to the Crocs company: GET YOUR SHIT TOGETHER. I won't support your company much longer.

3. Want some good clogs? Skip Crocs for now, and invest in some Danskos. I think they look great, for whatever that's worth.

4. I'm addicted to the show "Project Runway."

5. Despite my encyclopedic knowledge of food, nutrition, and health, I have calculated that I am approximately 23 pounds overweight and have started a new diet. I'll let you know how it works. When I tell you that you should eat something, you should probably eat less of that thing than I would in one sitting.

XXXOOO

Dr. Tofuhead