This seems to be the week for losing your Brains.

We regret to report that Mr. Denton is unable to contribute his usual Thursday bit of grey matter due to a severe case of being Elsewhere (specifically, the Land of the Flying Monkeys).

In the meantime, let us note that on This Day in History, in 1958, The Artist Formerly Known as The Artist Formerly Known as Prince was born.

We mention this to draw scrutiny to the fact that TAFKATAFKAP and Mr. Denton have never been seen in the same place at the same time.  Coincidence?  Happenstance?

Conspiracy?

We are not accusing.  We are merely asking:

If they are NOT in fact the same person, why are they so afraid to prove it?

Continuing with today’s bird theme…

While other crises (global warming, Iraq, governmental corruption, warrantless wire tapping…) fill the infosphere, the H5N1 bird flu appears to be quietly mutating to a form more transmissible to humans. Meanwhile, many health professionals appear not to be paying very close attention. From Effect Measure:

A survey of doctors specializing in the infectious diseases of children attending a conference showed over half weren’t very worried about a bird flu pandemic. I guess they know something I don’t. Or maybe I’ve been reading the wrong things. Things like this:

The H5N1 bird flu virus in Indonesia may have undergone a mutation that allows it to jump more easily from poultry to humans, the head of the country’s commission on bird flu control said on Wednesday.[snip]

etc.

The editors of Effect Measure—a group of senior public health professionals—can make neither beak nor tailfeathers of the lack of concern, based on numerous troubling indications, including this:

A microbiologist at the bird flu commission said the suspicions were based on preliminary findings of molecular genetic tests conducted at laboratories in Indonesia.

“Virus samples from poultry cases have increasingly shown a similarity in their amino acid structure to virus samples extracted from humans,” Wayan Teguh Wibawan told Reuters.

“This makes it easier for the virus to attach to human receptors,” he said, referring to receptor cells lining the human throat and lungs.

Yes, I’m definitely reading the wrong things. I should just stop reading.

Bird flu in its current form kills 60% of those who contract it, and the primary victims are the young. Preparations for a pandemic are still important.

To stay up to date on the latest bird flu information, check out the bird flu wiki. Prepare a flu kit. Have emergency food, water, medicines, and lighting/ fuel on hand. The experts recommend up to 3-6 months’ worth of supplies. You may never need it, but if you do, it may save your life, and those you love.

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An excellent post on how to build your own flu kit, from misia’s livejournal page, after the jump.

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Did you ever wonder why intact dinosaur skeletons often have the head arched way back? Apparently it’s not simply bad posture…it’s a characteristic of all animals in the midst of slow and agonizing death throes. Click the pic to read more about it.

Click on the pic.  Click and drag up or down to zoom.  I’m wondering if one could write a story like this.  (Via Janice Gelb.)