Here's where all those socks go..

According to this ABC News article, there's a place in the Universe where nothing is there. It's also where my lost keys went.

Oh, no! Mold is in Arkansas, too!

Noooo! I thought I left it in Florida, but it's here, too. I was in a meeting where it came up, and I wanted to jump up and quote Fearless Leader and say, "Administrative Problem!"

I held my tongue. Administration was there.

I really want to go over to the dark side of mold. In Arkansas, I hear you can be the CIH that diagnoses it and remediates it.

Escape from Thesis Hell

Since the last blog, I have written, submitted, and defended a Masters Thesis. I have emerged with only a slight case of PTSD from Thesis Hell.

Oh, and I've moved and started a new job, thank you.

Let's say I've been busy.

Oh, and since I'm doing a background check, don't be surprised if some nice folks come up to you to ask if you know me. It's OK to admit it. They won't bother you if you just answer their questions...

OK, here's some content. I was interested to find that dead bodies are not a special health problem for humans, according to Watson, et al., Emerg. Infect Dis. 2007 Jan;13(1):1-5. "The sudden presence of large numbers of dead bodies in the disaster-affected area may heighten concerns of disease outbreaks, despite the absence of evidence that dead bodies pose a risk for epidemics after natural disasters. When death is directly due to the natural disaster, human remains do not pose a risk for outbreaks. Dead bodies only pose health risks in a few situations that require specific precautions, such as deaths from cholera or hemorrhagic fevers."

They have a table for the management of dead bodies, concerned with identification, culturally appropriate funerals, burial above the water table(!), and universal precautions. Burial is preferable to cremation.

Something to brighten your weekend.

Perhaps they should have issued guns

At Virginia Tech.

Do we need a Surgeon General?

An interesting article from Cato asks this question.

Really, now, do we need one? Isn't this a duplication of effort? I suspect that Reagan would have gotten rid of the office except for Dr. Koop's media presence.

Here are the duties of the Surgeon General:

To protect and advance the health of the Nation through educating the public; advocating for effective disease prevention and health promotion programs and activities; and, provide a highly recognized symbol of national commitment to protecting and improving the public's health;

To articulate scientifically based health policy analysis and advice to the President and the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) on the full range of critical public health, medical, and health system issues facing the Nation;

To provide leadership in promoting special Departmental health initiatives, e.g., tobacco and HIV prevention efforts, with other governmental and non-governmental entities, both domestically and internationally;

To administer the U.S. Public Health Service (PHS) Commissioned Corps, which is a uniquely expert, diverse, flexible, and committed career force of public health professionals who can respond to both current and long-term health needs of the Nation;

To provide leadership and management oversight for PHS Commissioned Corps involvement in Departmental emergency preparedness and response activities;

To elevate the quality of public health practice in the professional disciplines through the advancement of appropriate standards and research priorities; and

To fulfill statutory and customary Departmental representational functions on a wide variety of Federal boards and governing bodies of non-Federal health organizations, including the Board of Regents of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, the National Library of Medicine, the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, the Association of Military Surgeons of the United States, and the American Medical Association.

By the way, I have worked with Dr. Elders as a medical student in the pediatric endocrinology clinic. What a fascinating place!

I agree with the Cato article; none of these need a figurehead to accomplish.

Oh, here's the current guy.

The answer to Sicko

Is here. I wish I had read it before taking some classes in the COPH.

An interesting perspective on environmentalism

Against Environmentalism