thymus ignoramus

okay, so what if mr. bixler gave me an F in biology? so what if earlier today i didn't know what a thymus was? i do now. (it's a mass of glandular tissue located in the neck or chest of most vertebrate animals and it plays a major role in the development of the body's immune system. there. and that wasn't ALL copied from wikipedia, either.)

what you learn, however, when you don't know what a thymus is (or what a cow's thymus is used for) is fascinating, random, and scary:

"if (mad cow) disease does come to the United States, it will inevitably wreak havoc because nearly everything we touch or taste has cow in it."  -- discover magazine

think about that, as you go through your day touching and tasting. every time you touch or taste something in the next 24 hours i want you to think "moooooo, moooooo," or "cooowww, cowwww," or "mmmm, tastes like cow thymus," or "how many cows had to die for my diet coke."

for instance, did you know cow brains are used in cosmetics? (this may help explain kathie lee gifford.) cow bile is a very effective industrial cleaner (this may also help explain kathie lee gifford.) cow nasal mucus or lung mucus is used in heparin, a blood thinner i'm pretty sure my dad takes. and cow tallow (from hooves, bones, and horns) is used in chewing gum. consider that the next time you're chewing your cud. bessie.

and hey mr. bixler -- guess why-mus.