The number of people sickened by contaminated raw milk from a Chambersburg-area farm has increased to 38, the Pennsylvania Department of Health said Friday.

Edwin and Dawn Shank, owners of Your Family Cow, released a heartfelt letter of apology to their customers.

“So now the wondering, suspense and uncertainty is over for our family and farm crew and is replaced by humiliation and embarrassment,” Edwin Shank said in the letter. “Dawn and I have shed a lot of tears over this. Now we know for sure what the growing list of emails and calls from you were pointing to. It was us. We are very sorry.”

Nearly half of the people sickened by the raw milk are under the age of 18, Pennsylvania health officials said. Officials expect additional cases to be confirmed.

The state has 153 certified raw milk providers among its 8,500 dairies. Dairies certified to sell raw milk must pass standards set by the state and four unannounced annual inspections.

Inspectors look for cleanliness of the milk parlor, packaging, temperature of the milk and the health of the herd, Elliott Krepps said.

“We are a regulatory agency and we follow protocol to make sure we protect the safety of the public when it comes to food-borne illnesses and food safety,” she said.

Source: Penn Live (The Patriot News, Harrisburg, PA)

James Ravilious © Beaford Arts

People who purchase raw milk over pasteurized milk, which removes bacteria, think that raw milk is more natural. They assume, that this more natural state is “healthier”, that is has more enzymes and nutrients.

“It’s a whole food. It has all the components that nature provided,” said Mary Lusk, a holistic health coach who lives in Newberry and buys her raw milk from the The Healthy Grocer.

Lusk, who buys the raw milk produced at an Elizabethtown dairy, said raw milk has improved her health and that of her children.

“I feel for so many years we’ve been told raw milk is a bad product. It’s going to make us sick and die,” she said. “Yes there’s a risk involved, but there are risks in everything you do. Walking out of your house poses a risk, getting into car. People who drink raw milk have done the research and have learned it has more extreme benefits to the ratio of risks.”

But, here we have to call out a logical fallacy. First, there is no evidence that any of the above is true. To appeal to a less processed, natural product is a logical fallacy. Many things that are natural will kill you. This is why many laws were instituted to assure food safety. Other things that are natural but dangerous is arsenic (found in high values in groundwater supplies), many mushrooms and wild plants, radon (natural radiactive gas), bacteria (certain kinds in high amounts) and viruses. So, you can see that argument falls apart easily. Second, Ms. Lusk cites the risk we have everyday. But why risk potentially contaminated food when you can reduce the risk tremendously by consuming foods prepared under modern methods. The argument hinges here on her belief that the raw milk is somehow more beneficial than pasteurized milk, which is not demonstrably true, it’s just her opinion from her personal experience (the least reliable form of evidence).

The Patriot News ran an editorial regarding the sale of raw milk back in May of last year. Pennsylvania has a large dairy industry. They advocated that “As long as raw milk drinkers understand the higher risks, they should be allowed to drink it.”

Comments to the piece were mostly in favor of the removal of government interference and the continued allowance of the sale of raw milk.

There are several issues at play here that result in a controversy. First, people are not keen about government interference telling them what they can and cannot do for themselves or their family. Second, there is a public safety issue regarding the product – is it ethical or are you liable for potentially making your customers or your children sick? Third, there is the “natural benefits” issue, that the product is better for you than what we can currently use or the current product (pasteurized milk) we have access to is actually bad and the more natural (less processed) product is better. Not everyone understands the risk or is aware of the risk-benefits analysis. Often, they simply believe whatever sounds good to them.

For more on the controversial issues surrounding the sale of raw milk see this piece on Keystone Inquiry which concludes that naturalistic fallacies are exploited as marketing tools. The public is quick to forget how modern advances made our lives WAY safer and we live longer, healthier lives than before technology and scientific methods were used.

For doomsday theorists, Dec. 21, 2012 could mean the end of civilization, according to some interpretations of the Mayan calendar.  But for some tour operators and property owners, the end of the world also means a chance to cash in on the apocalypse hype.

In the most prominent countries of the Mundo Maya – Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, and parts of Honduras and El Salvador – the tourism industry is gearing up for a record year, with dozens of Maya-themed offerings designed to lure visitors.

As 2012 rolls ahead, hotels, tour companies and other travel vendors have rolled out all sorts of Maya-themed packages and itineraries, which vary from authentic to outrageous.

Source: Fox News

Can’t say this isn’t unexpected. People do enjoy visiting mystical places. Paranormal tourism is a growing market. But this story was interesting in an aspect I’d not seen before this:

In order to avoid perpetuating misconceptions about impending destruction, some tour operators have been careful to avoid references to “end of the world” or “apocalypse” in their marketing.

In fact, in Belize, the message has been repackaged as an event celebrating a “transition” in the Maya Calendar and the Tourism Board has recently come out with its latest brand: “Where Will You Be When The World Begins Anew Belize? Maya 2012.″

Well, look at that. Reasonable interpretation. That’s excellent. Visitors can get a more genuine (hopefully less hyped) experience and learn about the history and culture of the area.

Regardless, Mexico’s tourism agency expects to draw 52 million visitors to the five states richest in Maya heritage.

For doomsday theorists, Dec. 21, 2012 could mean the end of civilization, according to some interpretations of the Mayan calendar.  But for some tour operators and property owners, the end of the world also means a chance to cash in on the apocalypse hype.

In the most prominent countries of the Mundo Maya – Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, and parts of Honduras and El Salvador – the tourism industry is gearing up for a record year, with dozens of Maya-themed offerings designed to lure visitors.

As 2012 rolls ahead, hotels, tour companies and other travel vendors have rolled out all sorts of Maya-themed packages and itineraries, which vary from authentic to outrageous.

Source: Fox News

Can’t say this isn’t unexpected. People do enjoy visiting mystical places. Paranormal tourism is a growing market. But this story was interesting in an aspect I’d not seen before this:

In order to avoid perpetuating misconceptions about impending destruction, some tour operators have been careful to avoid references to “end of the world” or “apocalypse” in their marketing.

In fact, in Belize, the message has been repackaged as an event celebrating a “transition” in the Maya Calendar and the Tourism Board has recently come out with its latest brand: “Where Will You Be When The World Begins Anew Belize? Maya 2012.″

Well, look at that. Reasonable interpretation. That’s excellent. Visitors can get a more genuine (hopefully less hyped) experience and learn about the history and culture of the area.

Regardless, Mexico’s tourism agency expects to draw 52 million visitors to the five states richest in Maya heritage.

A bogus therapist and his wife who told women they could diagnose and treat cancer have been found guilty of sexual assault and fraud.

Reginald and Leila Gill claimed to offer therapies for women at their home in Cwmduad, Carmarthenshire, despite not being medically trained.

Mr Gill, 77, was found guilty of nine sexual offences and two fraud charges at Swansea Crown Court.

@BenGoldacre on Twitter

So, what’s the harm in seeking alternative therapy? You are placing yourself in the hands of someone who has not been medically trained. Also, consider that if this person believes such odd and non-reality based things such as Mr. Gill believed, they might not be quite trustworthy in other areas.

Real physicians take an awful long time to attain the positions that they have. There are certainly bad apples but the odds of getting assaulted by a physician in a well run office is a heck of a lot less likely than if you enter the home of some unlicensed therapist that answers to no one. Well, the Gills now answered to the law.

Twitter and Facebook were buzzing with a bevy of theories Thursday afternoon after Amarilloans reported hearing a noise emanating from the sky about 8 p.m. Wednesday.

“We know for a fact it wasn’t an airplane,” said Lynn Lunsford, a spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration in Dallas.

So what was it?

The Federal Aviation Administration said it received reports from people who saw a meteor streaking across the Texas sky, ranging from as far north as Oklahoma City and to as far south as Houston.

“We had a lot of reports from people who heard a sonic boom,” Lunsford said.

Maurice Clark with the Texas Tech University physics department said a meteor only has to be the size of a baseball to produce a sonic boom.

Tip: Strange Sounds in the Sky

The sonic boom can be a low rumbling sound. And, the meteor was caught on police dash cam:

This normal and satisfying explanation for a bright light in the sky and unexpected noise provides more evidence to me that these types of events will be noticed by widespread observers, reported and likely captured. Many of these so called sky noises of late WERE NOT. They were claimed by one person who filmed it and posted it to YouTube.  Just saying… In the days of people paying attention, they shout when something weird happens. Anyway, this was cool.

A juror in a Brisbane arson case has caused a retrial after claiming she was psychic and already knew what happened before evidence had been presented.

The Court of Appeal in November last year upheld an appeal by Arnesa Omid after he was convicted of setting fire to his own home at Archerfield in Brisbane’s south in 2009 in an attempt to defraud his insurer.

Omid appealed against his conviction and sentence because, among other reasons, the judge only discharged the “psychic” juror and not the entire jury.

In Court of Appeal documents made available on Friday, a transcript of court proceedings shows the juror approached the trial judge and told him she worked as a medium and already knew what happened during the fire.

“Sometimes this can be a real big burden,” she told the judge about her abilities.

Source: NineMSN

This story makes my head hurt.

Let’s assume psychic powers are real. Even if she COULD see what actually happened, she should not have to disclose this skill to the other jurors. She could keep it quiet and use her enhanced vision to convince the others of the defendant’s guilt or innocence by using the evidence presented.

Wonder if this will be the hot new excuse to get out of jury duty.

Danny Bonaduce, Barry Williams, Howard Hesseman and Sherilyn Fenn are to star in the TV movie “Bigfoot,” U.S. cable network Syfy said Thursday.

Bruce Davison will direct and also appear in the movie, alongside actor Andre Royo and rocker Alice Cooper.

“When Bigfoot is discovered in South Dakota, two life-long rivals [Williams and Bonaduce] battle to capture the creature — one to exploit it and one to save it,” a synopsis said.

The movie is scheduled to premiere on Syfy later this year.

Source: UPI

This pains me greatly. It screams “cheeze ball made for TV movie”. But, ALICE COOPER!!! Why, man, why? Maybe too late, he is already a cliché of himself…

Amy Winehouse’s father has lashed out at a ‘psychic’ who has been pestering him with claims that his daughter is haunting her friends.

Canadian Nadine Rhodes told Mitch Winehouse, 60, that there had been a string of “angelic appearances” by the singer in Canada. She insisted Amy’s ghost was pleading for help for a British man who was suffering in pain.

This incident is just the latest blow for the bereaved father. This week he was told that the coroner at Amy’s inquest was not fully qualified and the misadventure verdict on his daughter may be invalid.

Source: News Track India

How awful. Amy Winehouse’s ghost was first reportedly harassing Pete Doherty and now she is talking to some Canadian woman about a stranger’s ill health? That’s ridiculous. No family should have to be subjected to such nonsense in the name of their deceased loved one. Yet, her notoriety is used in this way.

DN was unable to track down Nadine’s twitter account to see these alleged messages. (I admit I didn’t look that hard and perhaps it is already gone.)

Ryan Deiss Reveals the 7 Simple Steps to the Psychic Sales Funnel in the Digital Marketer Pro Newsletter

This is a press release for a digital marketing company that explains why psychics would make good marketers:

The Digital Marketer Pro newsletter examines the benefits that would be received, if a competent psychic would apply their abilities to marketing, but not because they could hypnotize their prospects, because a good psychic understands that the most important “magical” ability of all is the power of observation. This ability of observation, the Digital Marketer Pro newsletter admits, is an invaluable skill to apply when implementing a prosperous marketing campaign.

When meeting with a new client, the Digital Marketer Pro newsletter explains, that a psychic immediately starts to size the client up, making observations about the client’s needs and wants, to calculate strategies on how best to appeal to the client’s desires. The Digital Marketer Pro newsletter goes on to add, that the psychic analyzes their observations, to make a judgement upon whether the client is seeking wealth, romance, or are they hoping to communicate with a loved one beyond the grave? The psychic’s job is to use their powers of observation to determine what a client wants, explains the Digital Marketer Pro newsletter, and then the psychic appeals to that particular desire.

Tip: San Francisco Chronicle (who reprinted the press release as news)

Just in case you didn’t know how most psychics work, that’s pretty much it.

This was a curious case of open disclosure showing psychics rely on the power of observation and use those to frame their interaction with their client to appeal specifically to what that client is seeking.

Bob Bashara passed a privately administered polygraph examination Wednesday night, indicating he had no involvement with his wife’s murder, his defense attorney David Griem said this morning.

Griem said his polygraph examiner — whose name he would not disclose — told him “that in his opinion, Bob did not have anything with the death of his wife.”

Griem said the second test was given to counter reports that Bashara failed a polygraph performed for the Grosse Pointe Park Police.

“If the prosecution wants to have a battle of polygraph examiners, we will,” said Griem, adding that he does not believe the person who performed the test for police is licensed by the state of Michigan.

The conflicting results underscore why such tests are almost never used in court, Griem said.

“There’s a reason they’re not admissible,” he said. “The results are often more subjective than objective.”

Source: Detroit Free Press

Then why do them? You end up arguing over nonsense.[Polygraph]

A National Academies report said this:

Almost a century of research in scientific psychology and physiology provides little basis for the expectation that a polygraph test could have extremely high accuracy.

The theoretical rationale for the polygraph is quite weak…

Research on the polygraph has not progressed over time in the manner of a typical scientific field. It has not accumulated knowledge or strengthened its scientific underpinnings in any significant manner.

And concluded it was not an appropriate tool for screening individuals who may post threats to national security. It’s also appropriate in the murder case above for the same reasons.