From Gather.com article

In one of the most unusual UFO videos ever posted, a “cloud” falls from the sky and the cameraman is able to put his hand right through it as it gets caught against a nearby fence.

It’s not clear where the video was filmed, but the witnesses are speaking Arabic and dressed in garb common to the region. The action picks up as the fluffy, unknown substance floats to the ground looking remarkably like a real cloud falling from a clear blue sky. Of course that’s impossible.

Tip: Gather.com

My best guess would be foam of some sort. Too bad the resolution is so low on the video. That could have confirmed it.

Anti-vaccine group wins court victory

The network argued the commission did not have the authority to issue such a warning.

This morning the Supreme Court has agreed the HCCC was not within its jurisdiction to do so.

BREAKING: AVN wins in AVN v HCCC.

The Australian Vaccination Network, led by Meryl Dorey, has won the case it brought against the NSW Healthcare Complaints Commission.

Justice Christine Adamson found that the HCCC did not have jurisdiction to investigate the complaints made about the AVN. The reasoning for the judgement will be published later, but rested on the technical wording of the Health Care Complaints Act.

It’s a technical matter of jurisdiction, which unfortunately means the HCCC overstepped it’s bounds in issuing the public warning. This case does not affect the truth of the warning.

Tip: Dave the Happy Singer on Twitter

It is rumored that the HCCC will appeal the decision but not confirmed.

The Center for Inquiry (CFI) is happy to report today that leader of the Indiana House of Representatives is shelving a Senate-approved bill that would have allowed public schools across the state to teach children the creation stories of various mainstream religions.

House Speaker Brian Bosma (R-District 88) announced last week that he would use a procedural move to kill SB 89.

The bill, as introduced by Sen. Dennis Kruse (R-District 14), originally read that school boards and other authorized educational administrators could “require the teaching of various theories concerning the origin of life, including creation science, within the school corporation.”

Credit: Center For Inquiry

The message is getting around that these types of bills are a waste of time and taxpayer money. They AREN’T going to fly and would be challenged even if they passed. However, Sen Kruse, who introduced the proposal said he will attempt to overturn Edwards v Aguillard, a landmark case that rendered the teaching of Creationism unconstitutional. A lofty goal. (*shakes head ‘no way’*)

Photo release

In early 2008 I was contacted via email by a person claiming to have photographed a Bigfoot.

I know that everyone will have questions about this situation, but please understand there are questions that will NOT be answered about this photo and/or its owner.

Tip: Bigfoot Evidence

Credit: American Bigfoot Society

This was taken under mysterious circumstances the owner is not revealed nor has he/she even stepped forward. Even the location (state) is not divulged.

More to come as it trickles in…

Some of the backstory:

This witness asked for my (Melissa Hovey) help in seeking protection for what he/she claimed was a Bigfoot that had been coming onto his/her property.

The witness broke contact after becoming concerned for his/her privacy and the safety of the animal. He/she was concerned people would discover who he/she is and that he/she would be called, “crazy”. The witness also expressed concern that if his/her identity were discovered the alleged animal would be in danger of being killed.

The witness expressed in multiple emails that his/her interest was in protection of the alleged animal and not financial gain.

UPDATE: Items to note…

• Proximity of the foliage, in focus
• Camera just at the perfect height for head and shoulders
• No provenance for the photo
• Standing VERY still
• No dirt or matting
• No date/time stamp (for trailcam photo)

Credit: JREF forum

UPDATE: The latest speculation is that it COULD be a costume from the move Clawed: The Legend of Bigfoot. (Credit: Bigfoot Forum) Skin tone and hair is similar. Also, the photo above has been updated to a better one.

A Nebraska woman is auctioning a McDonald’s Chicken McNugget that she believes resembles President George Washington.

A check of eBay on Wednesday shows one bid for $100. The auction ends next week.

Speights says the McNugget almost became a snack during a visit to a Sioux City McDonald’s three years ago. Her children didn’t eat the chicken and she was about to toss it when she saw Washington’s resemblance.

Tip: Fark.com

What is it with food resembling things and auctioning them off? Remember the Virgin Mary toast that sold for $28,000?

Silly pareidolia.

A Brisbane woman fleeced Nigerian scam artists by stealing more than $30,000 from their internet car sales racket, a court has been told.

Sarah Jane Cochrane-Ramsey, 23, was employed by the Nigerians as an “agent” in March 2010 but was unaware they were scam artists, the Brisbane District Court heard today.

Her job was to provide an Australian bank account through which they could funnel any payments they received through their dodgy account on a popular car sales website.

Cochrane-Ramsey was to keep eight per cent of all money paid into her account and forward the rest to the Nigerian scammers.

However, the court heard she kept the two payments she received – totalling $33,350 – and spent most of it on herself.

Tip: Fark.com

This is ironic, isn’t it? Curious if she REALLY didn’t know they were scammers. Figured they wouldn’t mind a taste of their own medicine? Anyhow, funny story.

An unknown creature is reportedly frightening and threatening village residents in the Uukwiyu Uushona constituency (Oshana region).

According to regional councillor Andreas Mundjindi, the mysterious animal was spotted late last Saturday chasing dogs and goats. Mundjindi says that the beast even almost injured a young man on Sunday afternoon on his way home.

“This is an alien animal that the people have not seen before. We don’t have a forest here and only bushes. So, this must be black magic at play”, the councillor told Informanté.

The animal is said to be white in colour with a dog-like head and pig-like backside. Locals are now only working and walking in groups whenever they go somewhere – day or night.

Tip: Cryptozoologynews.blogspot.com

Not much to go on in this story that has strong tones of occult magic. We’ll watch to see if this things gets a name and becomes the next cryptid du jour to cause panic (or a media flurry).

One revelation from the recent Heartland Institute document leak is that the group is crafting a K-12 curriculum to teach kids that global warming is “controversial.” Heartland officials have confirmed this. So is climate change set to join evolution as the next big classroom controversy?

This “global circulation model” business is more complicated than I thought. (Jupiterimages) Things do seem to be trending that way. Joshua Rosenau spends most of his time defending the teaching of evolution in schools for the National Center for Science Education. But a few years ago, he noticed that the teachers he was doing workshops with were far more interested in learning how to talk about global warming. “They were getting pressure from their own communities, from parents,” Rosenau says. “And they were looking for help on how to deal with this issue.”

Source: Washington Post

I would venture to say that almost all children automatically adopt their parents politics and religious views and bring them to school to share with others. It’s important to talk to your kids about evolution and climate change. If you express your views, they will tell you if the teachers said something weird about it. And, best of all, they stand up to their peers who hold a denialist view. It makes for some very interesting learning experiences. Organizations like the Heartland Institute know that kids are interested in these issues and want to exploit that. Prepare your kids against those misinformation agents. It’s never too early to teach kids about critical thinking, presenting a valid argument, poking holes in an invalid one, and dealing with different worldviews.

One disturbing point in this piece is the use of the word “skeptic” and “skeptical”. Everyone should be skeptical but that doesn’t mean “antagonistic” or “denialist”, it means “looking for evidence”. There’s no reason to be skeptical that global warming is happening. It’s a shame we can’t move beyond that and argue instead about what to do.

If climate change and evolution science is important to you, consider donating to the NCSE — our solid foundation for teachers and communities who need to stand up to anti-science ideologies.

Mystery US outbreak prompts further tests

Last week, officials with the LeRoy Central School District in northwestern New York state approved a plan for further environmental testing at the town’s high school, where 19 people — 18 girls and one boy — have developed a sudden-onset disorder with symptoms similar to the movement disorder Tourette’s syndrome. The outbreak has captured national attention and led experts to suggest an array of possible explanations — none of which seem to quite work. With speculation running high, here is a look at the facts surrounding the outbreak.

Tip: Fortean Times Daily

This seems to be a clear case of “conversion disorder” or mass hysteria. But that is not a popular diagnosis. It is not convincing to the victims and families who do not understand that that is a genuine condition. Instead, more funds will be spent trying to find a cause. As we reported before with some good references that help explain this case, this situation will likely not come to a satisfying close, may result in lawsuits or may result in implicating an environmental factor that is not actually an important player.

See here for related stories:

12 girls suffer mystery condition in NY (Updated: diagnosis)

Mystery illness story expands to next county

Brockovich gets involved in the New York mystery illness case

Mystery US outbreak prompts further tests

Last week, officials with the LeRoy Central School District in northwestern New York state approved a plan for further environmental testing at the town’s high school, where 19 people — 18 girls and one boy — have developed a sudden-onset disorder with symptoms similar to the movement disorder Tourette’s syndrome. The outbreak has captured national attention and led experts to suggest an array of possible explanations — none of which seem to quite work. With speculation running high, here is a look at the facts surrounding the outbreak.

Tip: Fortean Times Daily

This seems to be a clear case of “conversion disorder” or mass hysteria. But that is not a popular diagnosis. It is not convincing to the victims and families who do not understand that that is a genuine condition. Instead, more funds will be spent trying to find a cause. As we reported before with some good references that help explain this case, this situation will likely not come to a satisfying close, may result in lawsuits or may result in implicating an environmental factor that is not actually an important player.

See here for related stories:

12 girls suffer mystery condition in NY (Updated: diagnosis)

Mystery illness story expands to next county

Brockovich gets involved in the New York mystery illness case

Over 120 Sequential Sasquatch Prints Found South of Eugene

A man named Max discovers the tracks and contacts Toby Johnson, Sasquatch investigator

…over 120 footprint tracks were found in a clay-mixed substrate that was a perfect material to capture and record footprints. We believe the tracks were made as recently as Saturday February 11th, although the first few prints were not discovered until Sunday the 12th.

(THURS Feb 15th 3pm-ish) Toby calls Cliff Barackman, co-host of Finding Bigfoot and a self-described “track/cast-nerd”. Cliff drives 2 hours to investigate the scene.

(FRI Feb 16th 6pm) I am able to get a ride with Thom Powell, we meet Beth Heikkenin and Toby Johsnson and see the tracks ourselves.

(SAT Feb 17th 6am) Our original count was around 118 sequential prints. Cliff Barackman was able to count 122, we will confirm if his count are the sequential set or total prints in the area.

Source: Bigfoot Lunch Club

Credit: Bigfoot Lunch Club/Toby Johnson

Interesting. I’m sure more will be forthcoming on this as examination continues.

Although pasteurization eliminates pathogens and consumption of nonpasteurized dairy products is uncommon, dairy-associated disease outbreaks continue to occur. To determine the association of outbreaks caused by nonpasteurized dairy products with state laws regarding sale of these products, we reviewed dairy-associated outbreaks during 1993–2006. We found 121 outbreaks for which the product’s pasteurization status was known; among these, 73 (60%) involved nonpasteurized products and resulted in 1,571 cases, 202 hospitalizations, and 2 deaths. A total of 55 (75%) outbreaks occurred in 21 states that permitted sale of nonpasteurized products; incidence of nonpasteurized product–associated outbreaks was higher in these states. Nonpasteurized products caused a disproportionate number (≈150× greater/unit of product consumed) of outbreaks and outbreak-associated illnesses and also disproportionately affected persons <20 years of age. States that restricted sale of nonpasteurized products had fewer outbreaks and illnesses; stronger restrictions and enforcement should be considered.

Tip: Fark.com

James Ravilious © Beaford Arts

As in all scientific research, the causes are more complicated than a blanket statement saying farm bacteria causes people to get sick. There are other factors such as storage and underlying health issues. People also get ill (and one died) from pasteurized products. But, the clear conclusion is that you are taking a risk from consuming unpasteurized products.

Still, some people are willing to take that risk because they perceive some benefits. The article only addresses the reasons of why people wish to consume nonpasteurized products briefly:

The increased risk for outbreaks associated with legal intrastate sale of nonpasteurized dairy products demonstrated in this analysis can be weighed against the purported nutritional or other health benefits attributed to these products. Scientifically credible evidence for the health benefits of nonpasteurized dairy products beyond the benefits of those of otherwise equivalent pasteurized products is lacking.

But, they also give them to their children. Here is an important point in the article:

Among outbreak-associated cases involving nonpasteurized dairy products, 60% involved persons

This is worth a read for those interested.

Here is a link to a USA Today article for more on this study.

Today, we see the former senator, now running for the Republican presidential nod, get looked at cross-eyed because he once talked about Satan attacking America.

Blogs get devilish over Rick Santorum

Conservative bloggers slammed the mainstream media Tuesday for attempting to marginalize presidential candidate Rick Santorum for comments made about Satan, but many others on the right saw the backlash over Santorum’s comments as a legitimate reason to doubt his effectiveness in a general election campaign.

The blogosphere erupted after the Drudge Report pointed to remarks Santorum had made in 2008.

“Satan has his sights on the United States of America,” Santorum said in a speech at Ave Maria University in Florida. “This is a spiritual war. And the Father of Lies has his sights on what you would think the Father of Lies would have his sights on: a good, decent, powerful, influential country – the United States of America. If you were Satan, who would you attack in this day and age?”

Source: Politico

Metaphor? I don’t think so. He REALLY believes this stuff. While the article doesn’t talk too much about Santorum’s Satanic references as much as his faith-based comments, it also mentions “zombie” ideas. So, the I’m spinning this post on all the monsterous things just for fun. (The truly scary thing is actually Santorum’s worldviews – so conservative, they go backwards.)

So, for added humor, check out info on the new Ron Paul ad, where Bigfoot once again reappears in the Republican rhetoric. (He sure is popular with that crowd.)
Bigfoot goes after Santorum in new Paul ad – Washington Times

The Ron Paul presidential campaign released a new television ad Tuesday morning claiming that rival Rick Santorum sold out conservatism with a variety of “not groovy” votes in Congress — even likening the former Pennsylvania senator’s claims to the conservative mantle to the myth of Bigfoot, the legendary sasquatch.

Why we sued Simon Singh: the British Chiropractic Association speaks

The BCA gives a fascinating account of why it sued the writer for libel over article in Guardian, and the aftermath of its defeat.

BCA: “In a move largely unexpected by many, rather than sue the newspaper, the BCA sued Simon Singh personally for libel. In doing so, the BCA began one of the darkest periods in its history; one that was ultimately to cost it financially, reputationally and politically.”

…a report commissioned by the British General Chiropractic Council in the aftermath of the BCA vs Singh libel case confirmed this lack of sound evidence.

And what about the risks? There is no effective reporting system for adverse events after chiropractic treatments. Consequently, we have to rely mainly on anecdotal evidence. Several hundred severe and frequently life-threatening adverse events have been reported, mostly caused by vertebral artery dissections after chiropractic neck manipulations.

Due to under-reporting, these figures are probably only the tip of a much bigger iceberg. Vohra et al have demonstrated that “serious adverse events might be associated with pediatric manipulation”.

Tip: Edzard Ernst

Ernst concludes that much good has come out of the case, mostly through the attention now paid to alternative medicine and their claims of efficacy. Citing the recognition that “…there are rules all healthcare professionals must follow, and the realisation that those who ignore them are irresponsible and must therefore be held to account.”

Oh, yeah. Forgot to mention, BCA lost the case.

In this week’s eSkeptic:

• MonsterTalk: The Zombie Autopsies
• Feature Article: Zootherapy Debunked
• Lecture this Sunday at Caltech: Dr. Peter Diamandis

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About this week’s eSkeptic

Are people with pets more active and healthier than those without? Can pets increase the survival rate of cancer patients, stimulate good behaviour in children, relieve loneliness and redeem delinquents? In this week’s eSkeptic, Charles Danten takes a critical look at the animal-assisted therapeutic method known as Zootherapy.

Charles Danten was a long-time veterinarian in Montreal. After seeing the true nature of pet love, he sold his clinic and abandoned his profession. He is presently doing a master’s degree in biomedical translation.

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Zootherapy Debunked

by Charles Danten

Zootherapy is a term “that can refer to institutionalized therapy sessions led by health professionals, or another such intermediary, as well as simply having an animal at home. The word ‘zootherapy’ is thus a generic term designating the positive impact of animals on people,”¹ and I would add, the impact of people on animals, since it is generally believed that zootherapy is as good for them as it is for us.

American psychiatrist Boris Levinson, who is considered the father of animal-assisted therapy, summarized the importance that animals could have in people’s lives in several beacon articles published in the 1960s and 1970s.² His ideas, which have been accepted into pop culture and become a leitmotif of the pet industry, offer justification for our present passion for animals. According to Levinson, an emotional relationship with an animal is in itself a physiological intervention comparable to a drug. Since the publication of his writings, this line of thinking has become so widely accepted that zootherapy is now a modern institution, with many such interventions being carried out as official treatments. They are “administered” by individuals and by organizations, all of whom aggressively promote the perceived benefits of companion animals. Here are just a few of the many praises zootherapy receives: “The enhancive and stimulating presence of an animal, and particularly that of a dog, in a school setting can thus trigger good conduct, but can also serve as a behavior modifier for young people,” writes the veterinary chronicler Dr. François Lubrina. His article put the spotlight on a group of specialized psychologists solidly embedded in small schools—much in the same way as are multinational corporations such as Coca Cola—with its program “Fudge.” The goal of the program is to create public awareness of the benefits of zootherapy.

French psychiatrist David Servan-Schreiber, author of the book Healing without Freud or Prozac, cannot say enough good things about zootherapy: “As for his depression, the most beneficial thing this patient could do would be to get himself a dog (a little dog, of course, to minimize the risk of falling). If the patient believes this to involve too much work, a cat, which won’t have to go outside, will do the job. If a cat is still too much, a bird, or even a fish will do. If the patient still refuses, then a nice apartment plant.”³

American veterinarian Marty Becker summed up the vital role he believes animals play in people’s lives at a symposium on animal wellness: “Most important, veterinary medicine is embracing the bond as a vital force for not just happy, healthy pets…but happy, healthy people as well.”⁴

Zootherapy supposedly contributes to better health, stimulates good conduct in children, redeems delinquents, helps autistic and disabled children improve, increases the survival rate of cancer patients, facilitates social interactions, relieves loneliness and helps animals improve their lot. But where is the proof to these claims?

In science, there are basically two approaches to conducting research:

• Descriptive or hypothesis-generating studies. These are presented in the form of anecdotal reports. This kind of study is extremely useful in identifying novel phenomena. They help form a hypothesis, which must then be tested by more controlled studies. They rarely demonstrate the value of a treatment or the existence of a causal relationship. Anecdotal reports and expert opinions are the weakest form of medical evidence. Unless they are documented by hard facts, they do not make a science.
• Studies designed to test a hypothesis. Newly discovered phenomena are tested with experimental studies or epidemiologic surveys that utilize carefully constructed control groups and allow for the possibility that the hypothesis being tested is false. In other words, it is not enough to “know” something is true; one must prove it by following standard protocols. These are devised to eliminate any biases, which could influence the results and conclusions of a study and thus lead us astray.⁵ The objective of good science is more about disproving a theory than proving it. Good science always leaves the door open to revision of accepted truths. But before yelling “Eureka!” one must consider the quality of the scientific methodology used, the source of research funding, as well as the affiliations of the researchers.⁶

Where Does Zootherapy Stand?

Almost all of the studies on the benefits of pets fit into the first category. The contributions of pioneers such as New York psychiatrist Boris Levinson are merely simple anecdotal observations rather than scientific experiments.⁷ Yet these are the type of studies that are used by the pet industry to promote the benefits of zootherapy.

In a critical article published in 1984 in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, American scientists Alan M. Beck and Aaron Honori Katcher warned of the poor quality of research being conducted in animal-assisted therapy.⁸ They debunked the claimed benefits of pets so thoroughly that it is a wonder that the pet industry bothers to continue “research” in this field with such unrelenting intensity. In 1997, epidemiologist Dr. T. Allen reported in the above publication, “Most reports describing the effects of human-canine interactions fall into categories at the bottom of the hierarchy ladder [of scientific validity].”⁹ In 2006, Drs. K. A. Kruger and J. A. Serpell concluded:

As demonstrated, animal-assisted interventions draw from an impressive variety of disciplines and perspectives (e.g., genetics, biology, developmental psychology, psychoanalytic theory, behaviourism). […] While impressive in their variety and scope, not a single theory [that appears in this chapter] has been adequately tested empirically, and most studies have returned equivocal or conflicting results when the necessary testing has been attempted.¹⁰

Alleged General Health Benefits

If you think walking the dog keeps you fit, think again. In a comparative study, professor Mike Kelly of Greenwich University showed that walking without a dog is far healthier than walking with one. Because of the dog’s numerous “pit stops” along the way—which the researchers called “lamppost syndrome”—the owner’s heart rate is never sufficiently elevated to levels considered to be beneficial for health. After only 14 weeks, the weight, cholesterol levels, and blood pressures of the non-owners were much lower than of those of the group that owned dogs. Overall, the general health of the group without four-legged companions was much better than that of the group saddled with canine company.¹¹

A Finnish study published in 2006, which surveyed 21,000 Finnish adults aged 20 to 54, is one of the few independent studies that has looked at the effects of pets on the general population. In this study, scientists Leena K. Koivusilta and Ansa Ojanlatva showed that pet owners are sick more often and have a below-average amount of exercise: 26% of the pet owners in the study were overweight, compared with 21% for those who did not have pets; 16% of the pet owners exercised less than once a month in comparison to 2% for those without pets. The risk of having health problems is from 10% to 20% higher in pet owners than in non-pet owners, even when factors such as age and socio-economic level are considered. This is comparable to the risk in bachelors, widowers, and divorcees. Overall, this study associated pet ownership with poor, rather than good, health.¹²

Alleged Educational Benefits

Parents buy animals for their children not only for the company, but also because they believe that having a pet will teach their kids to become better human beings—more loving, responsible, and respectful, not only towards their own kind, but also in regards to nature and other species in general. It is commonly thought that children who are raised with a pet have a greater sense of empathy and compassion. None of these assertions is true.¹³

The Nazis for instance were quite fond of pets and animals in general. Would you believe that they had the strictest animal protection laws ever written? One of their decrees, from February 15, 1942, prohibited Jewish people—ironically considered by the Nazis to be naturally cruel towards animals—from owning a pet, reports Boris Sax in his eye-opening book, Animals in the Third Reich: Pets, Scapegoats and the Holocaust. Kosher slaughtering was banned for its cruelty. Vivisection was also outlawed. Any infringement was considered contrary to the spirit of the German people. Hitler and his entourage also believed that Germany’s future lay in vegetarianism; they thought that such a change would lead to spiritual growth for humankind. It may be so but it certainly didn’t stop them from committing the worst atrocities ever recorded.

If you think having a pet makes children more respectful of other species, think again. The problem is in the very concept of pet. Every species has an essence, an innate core that includes a compulsion to engage in a series of intrinsic activities and to meet specific needs that were formed over millions of years of evolution. No animal in captivity can fully incarnate its essence. Although they have lived by the side of humans for thousands of years, today’s pets carry with them most of the instincts of their wild predecessors; however, in the interest of survival under domestication, these must be kept in check.

The dog will always be a denatured wolf deprived of satisfying its pack instincts; the domestic cat will always be a carnivorous predator in a permanent state of inhibition; the bird in a cage, like the others, will remain a creature deprived of its most fundamental prerogatives: to come and go freely, to explore its territory, to socialize with others of its kind, to reproduce, to eat the right foods.

An animal constrained to life in an environment that is not its own is subjected to an almost constant disequilibrium. Impoverished by captivity, bored by inactivity, it necessarily develops a host of neurotic behaviors due to the emotional ties of total dependence and to the lack of factors that it needs to realize its true nature. Says psychiatrist Hubert Montagner in a speech given in 1998 at the French Information Center on Pets:

Man does not hesitate to control every aspect of his animals’ existence. He tampers with his appearance. He confines it to spaces under his control, imposing exclusive or near-exclusive proximity. He limits his communication with others like it. He selects for behaviors that meet his expectations and conditions his animal to follow rituals. He imposes his whims and self-serving decisions. He encloses it within his own emotions and projections.¹⁴

Such violation of any being’s essence is the negation of true love and empathy.

Alleged Benefits for Disabled and Autistic children

In 2007, in a paper entitled “Dolphin-Assisted Therapy: More Flawed Data and More Flawed Conclusions,” Emory University psychologists Lori Marino and Scott Lilienfeld concluded:

Nearly a decade following our initial review, there remains no compelling evidence that Dolphin-Assisted therapy (DAT) is a legitimate therapy, or that it affords any more than a fleeting improvement in mood. […] The claims for efficacy of DAT remain invalid. […] The studies [reviewed] were either too small, prone to some obvious bias, or offered no long-term perspective. […] The evidence that it produces enduring improvement in the core symptoms of any psychological disorder is nil.¹⁵

What Marino and Lilienfeld have found about dolphin-assisted therapy is true for any type of animal-assisted therapy. After more than 50 years of intense “research” and countless articles published there is no evidence to this day that animal therapy works to combat any form of disability, disease, or condition, psychological or otherwise.

Alleged Redeeming Benefits for Prisoners

Some of the most influential studies on the redeeming qualities of pets, like the prison study of David Lee, were never published in scientific journals. These “studies” were never peer reviewed, and according to scientists Beck and Katcher “they were taken from published proceedings, documentary films, personal communications, or internal documents. There were also frequent citations from articles in the popular press and newsletters.”¹⁶

Alleged Social Benefits

Despite the commonplace belief that pets offer their owners an opportunity for increased contact with other people, French sociologist Jean Yonnet explains that the opposite is more likely true:

The twice-daily obligation of taking one’s dog for a walk appears to be insufficient to promote the social interactions attributed to zootherapy, and all the more so for cats, which are more popular than dogs and hardly ever leave their apartments. In addition, the presence of an animal on the street can be just as easily an obstacle to haphazard social interaction as a facilitator of it. In reality, the dog walker often has to keep far away from others because of the fear he arouses (in children, in the presence of other, incompatible dogs, out of fear of allergies or of dogs in general).¹⁷

People whose lives are socially unsatisfying often try to spice things up by acquiring an animal, but according to a recent study by psychologist Andrew Gilbey, there is no evidence to this day that having a pet relieves loneliness.¹⁸ In fact, some scientists such as Finish researchers Leena K. Koivusilta and Ansa Ojanlatva believe that a pet is more likely to exacerbate underlying problems, which remain unaddressed.¹⁹

Sharing thoughts and feelings with a person, animal, or object that cannot challenge you may lead to emotional hyper-dependence. Children, as well as immature adults, are particularly vulnerable to the trap. This phenomenon of psychological transference is well-known to psychologists.²⁰ In other words, the contemplation of self through the distorting prism of an object or an animal that will not or cannot set you straight is both a shelter and a danger. The systematic escape from existential problems short-circuits one of nature’s most potent agents of change: sorrow. Only sorrow can make us appreciate the urgent need of change. Those who avoid it at all costs suffer countless negative effects on their relationships and on life in general. Escapism has become a way of life in our consumer society.²¹

Alleged Effects on Cancer Patients

Some children undergoing chemotherapy are said to be calmer and to have a better attitude in the presence of an animal, as shown by a lower-than-normal cortisol level in their blood. This is an empirical measure of their psychological state, but the observation says little about the effectiveness of the treatment. Also in question is the link of the animal itself to the observed decrease in anxiety. It could have more to do with the novelty of the situation, the demonstration of interest in the child, or the presence of a reassuring person close by. A game, a clown, a parent, or a friend might be just as effective if not more so, as many children are uncomfortable with animals.²²

Pseudoscience

When brief psychotherapies were introduced in the 1960s, positive thinking was popularized almost to the point of becoming a religion. These therapeutic methods were not conceived to cure, but rather to soothe patients just enough so they could go back to work and lead a so-called normal life. Zootherapy, or animal-assisted therapy, which became trendy at that time, is an offshoot of this line of thinking.

Scientific language alone does not make a science. In fact, one of the hallmarks of pseudoscience is the use of such language—along with sensationalism—to cover its failures.²³

In spite of such critique, however, the perceived therapeutic benefits of animals continue to be regarded as fact, no questions asked, with a surprising and curious lack of skepticism.

Note: This article taken from a manuscript called “Slaves of our Affection: A Veterinarian Takes a Critical Look at our Obsession with Pets” was first published in French in the Québec Sceptique Magazine. It was translated and revised by Erin Lestrade.

References

1. Faure, Gaëlle. 2004. “La représentation de l’animal de compagnie dans la vie psycho- affective de l’Homme adulte. Rapport de recherche bibliographique.” École national supérieure des sciences de l’information et des bibliothèques. 47.
2. Levinson, Boris. 1962. “The Dog as a Co-therapist.” Mental Hygiene, vol. 46: 59–65. 1964. “Pets: A Special Technique in Psychotherapy.” Mental Hygiene, vol. 48: 242–248; 1965. “Pet Psychotherapy: Use of Household Pets in the Treatment of Behaviour Disorders in Childhood.” Psychological Reports, vol. 17: 695–608; 1965. “The Veterinarian and Mental Hygiene.” Mental Hygiene, vol. 49: 320–323; 1978. “Pets and Personality Development.” Psychological Reports, vol. 42: 1031–1038; 1976. “Pets, Child Development, and Mental Illness.” Journal of the American Veterinary Association, vol. 157, no11: 1759; 1974. “Psychology of Pet Ownership.” Proceedings of the National Conference on the Ecology of the Surplus Dog and Cat. Chicago, IL. Conference: 18–31; 1997. Pet-Oriented Child Psychotherapy. 2e ed. Springfield: Charles C. Thomas.
3. Servan-Schreiber, David. 2003. Guérir. France: Éditions Robert Laffont, 194.
4. Becker, Marty. 1997. “Celebrating the Relationship between People, Pets, and Their Veterinarians.” Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, vol. 210, no 8.
5. Wilson, C.C. and S.B. Barker. 2003. “Challenges in Designing Human-Animal Interaction Research.” American Behaviour Scientist, 47 (1): 16-23; 2000–2002. Guide to Clinical Preventive Services. “Evaluating Quality of the Evidence.” 3rd Edition, XIXVIII.
6. Michaels, David. 2008. Doubt is Their Product. How Industry’s Assault on Science Threatens your Health. Oxford University Press; Psaty, Bruce. 2006. “Recent Trials in Hypertension: Compelling Science or Commercial Speech?” Journal of the American Medical Association. April 12; Smith, Richard. 2005. “Medical Journals Are an Extension of the Marketing Arm of Pharmaceutical Companies.” May: http://wwww.plosmedicine.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pmed.0020138PLoSMed (site accessed in January 2010). For an insider look at the mind boggling world of “research” in zootherapy see: Lana Kaiser et al. 2004. “Can a Week of Therapeutic Riding Make a Difference? A Pilot Study.” Anthrozoös, 17 (1): 63–72.
7. Beck, A.M. and Katcher, A.H. 1984. “A New Look at Pet-Facilitated Therapy.” Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, vol. 184, no 4:15.
8. Ibid; Digard, Jean-Pierre. 2005. Les Français et leurs animaux: Ethnologie d’un phénomène de société. Paris: Hachette littératures, Pluriel: ethnologie: 41; Kruger, K.A. & J.A. Serpell. 2006. “Animal-Assisted Interventions in Mental Health: Definitions and Theoretical Foundations.” In: Fine, A.H. (Ed.) Handbook on Animal-Assisted Therapy: Theoretical Foundations and Guidelines for Practice, 2nd Edition. New York: Academic Press: 21–38.
9. Allen, David T. 1997. “Effects of Dogs on Human Health.” Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, vol. 210, no 7.
10. Kruger & Serpell, op cit.
11. Dobson, Roger. 1998. “Walking the Dog Not as Good as Walking Alone.” The Independent (London) March 5. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_19980503/ai_n14154858 (consulted in may 2010).
12. Koivusilta, Leena K. and Ansa Ojanlatva. 2006. “To Have or Not to Have a Pet for Better Health?” PLoS One1(1): e109.doi:10.137/journal.pone.0000109; Pachana, Nancy et al. 2005. “Relations between Companion Animals and Self-Reported Health in Older Women: Cause, Effect or Artifact?” International Journal of Behavioral Medicine, vol. 2, no 2: 103–110; Marino, Lori and Scott, Lilienfeld. 2007. “Dolphin-Assisted Therapy: More Flawed Data and More Flawed Conclusions.”; Kruger, K.A. & J.A. Serpell. 2006. “Animal-Assisted Interventions in Mental Health.”
13. Daly, Beth and L.L. Morton. 2003. “Children with Pets Do Not Show Higher Empathy: A Challenge to Current Views.” Anthrozoös, 16(4): 298; French ethnologist André G. Haudricourt wrote a very interesting article on this topic: 1962. “Domestication des animaux, culture des plantes et traitement d’autrui.” L’Homme (2), No. 1: 40–50; Vilmer Jean-Baptiste Jeangène. 2008. Éthique Animale. Presses Universitaires de France (PUF); Stuart Spencer. 2006. “History and Ethics of Keeping Pets: Comparison with Farm Animals.” Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics, vol. 19: 17–25; Sztybel David. 2006. “Can the Treatment of Animals Be Compared to the Holocaust?” Ethics and the Environment, 11(1); Irvine Leslie. “Pampered or Enslaved? The Moral Dilemmas of Pets.” 2004. International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, vol. 24, no 4: 5–16; West, Patrick. 2004. Conspicuous Compassion: Why Sometimes It Is Really Cruel to Be Kind. Civitas; Nibert D. 2002. Animal Rights/Human Rights: Entanglement of Oppression and Liberation. Lanham, Rowman & Littlefield Publishers; Tuan, Yi-Fu. 1984. Dominance and affection. The making of pets. Yale University Press; Spiegel, Marjory. 1996. The Dreaded Comparison: Human and Animal Slavery. Mirror books; Canto-Sperber. 1997. Dictionnaire d’Éthique. PUF; Swabe Joanna. 1996. Animals as a Natural Resource: Ambivalence in the Human-Animal Relationship in a Veterinary Practice; Wolfensohn S. 1981. “The Things We Do to Dogs.” New Scientist, 404–407.
14. Montagner, Hubert. 1998. “Un élément de qualité de vie.” Rencontres à Nantes, éditions AFIRAC: 5. In: Talin, Christian. 2000. Anthropologie de l’animal de compagnie: L’animal autre figure de l’altérité. Paris: L’Atelier de L’Archet.
15. Marino, Lori and Scott Lilienfeld. 2007. “Dolphin-Assisted Therapy: More Flawed Data and More Flawed Conclusions.” Anthrozoös, Vol. 20, No. 3: 239–249; 1998. “Dolphin-Assisted Therapy: Flawed Data, Flawed Conclusions.” Anthrozoös, vol. 11, issue 4; see also two other reviews of DAT: Baverstock, A and F. Finlay. “Archives of Disease in Childhood.” 93 (11). 2008. 994–995; Humphries, Tracy L. “Effectiveness of Dolphin-Assisted Therapy as a Behavioural Intervention for Young Children with Disabilities.” Bridges, vol. 1, no 6. 2003.
16. Beck and Katcher, op cit.
17. Yonnet, Paul. 1985. Jeux, modes et masses, La société française et le moderne, 1945–1985. Éditions Gallimard; see also Kruger, K.A. and J.A. Serpell. 2006. “Animal-Assisted Interventions in Mental Health.”
18. Gilbey, Andrew et al. 2007. “A Longitudinal Test of the Belief that Companion Animal Ownership Can Help Reduce Loneliness. Anthrozoös, vol. 20, no 4: 345–353.
19. Koivusilta and Ojanlatva. op cit.
20. Anderson, Digby and Peter Mullen, ed. 1998. Faking it: The Sentimentalisation of Modern Society. Social Affair Unit; Charlton, Bruce. 1991. “The Moral Case Against Psychotherapy.” Psychiatric Bulletin 15: 490–492.
21. Fromm, Erich. 1941. Escape from Freedom. London: Routledge.
22. Schwarts, Angela and Patronek Gary. 2002. “Methodological Issues in Studying the Anxiety-Reducing Effects of Animals: Reflections from a Pediatric Dental Study. Anthrozoös, 15(4).
23. Shermer, Michael. 1997. Why People Believe Weird Things. New York: W. H. Freeman; Paul, Richard W. and Linda Elder. 2002. Critical Thinking: Tools for Taking Charge of Your Professional and Personal Life. Prentice Hall; Schick, Theodore and Lewis Vaughn. 2000. How to Think about Weird Things: Critical Thinking for a New Age. Mayfield Publishing Company.

Skeptical perspectives on pseudoscience and primate research…

The Skeptic Encyclopedia of Pseudoscience
Michael Shermer, Pat Linse, Eds.

This in-depth Encyclopedia is an absolute must-have for every skeptic’s library, covering almost every pseudoscience from A—Z. Included are case studies, historical documents and a pro and con debate section on a number of topics. This was published as a library reference book. Save over $50.00 off the price charged to libraries! BUY THE TWO-VOLUME ENCYCLOPEDIA.

The Monkey Wars: The Controversy Over the Use of Primates in Research
by Deborah Blum

This lecture is based on Deborah Blum’s Pulitzer Prize Winning book The Monkey Wars. Activists have taken up the animal rights cause with often furious gusto, using death threats, hate mail, and even bombings of laboratories to relay their messages to scientists. While there is no doubt that animal testing has contributed to the progress of medical science, are there some concessions that scientists can make? In this lecture, Blum provides at last a balanced forum and explores this issue in vivid and unflinching detail, with an up-close, first-hand look at the issues and people involved.
BUY THE DVD.

Lecture this Sunday: Dr. Peter Diamandis

Abundance: Why the Future Will Be Much Better Than You Think

with Dr. Peter Diamandis
Baxter Lecture Hall

This lecture will take place on
Sunday, February 26, 2012 at 2 pm.

SINCE THE DAWN OF HUMANITY, a privileged few have lived in stark contrast to the hardscrabble majority. Conventional wisdom says this gap cannot be closed. But it is closing—fast. According to the X-Prize creator and entrepreneur Peter H. Diamandis, we will soon be able to meet and exceed the basic needs of every man, woman and child on the planet. Abundance for all is within our grasp through four forces: exponential technologies, the DIY innovator, the Technophilanthropist, and the Rising Billion. Diamandis establishes hard targets for change and lays out a strategic roadmap for governments, industry and entrepreneurs, giving us plenty of reason for optimism.

Tickets are first come, first served at the door. Seating is limited. $8 for Skeptics Society members and the JPL/Caltech community, $10 for nonmembers. Your admission fee is a donation that pays for our lecture expenses.

Followed by…

• The Creative Destruction of Medicine: How the
  Digital Revolution Will Create Better Health Care
  with Dr. Eric Topol
  Sunday, March 11, 2012 at 2 pm

SEE ALL UPCOMING LECTURES

BUY PAST LECTURES ON DVD

Brian Deer, Wakefield exposer, pens another article on a deluded medical idea – AIDS denialism and Peter Duesberg.

Here are intelligent, well-educated, idealistic people who wrestle their freedom from the grip of morbid sickness, big pharma products and despair. There’s a heroic quality about storming towards your destiny, arms outstretched, eyes wide.

According to Peter Duesberg, the scientist who fathered this philosophy, about 6% of deaths in the over 50s are from pneumonia…

“It is concluded,” he declared in the journal Cancer Research, “that Aids virus is not sufficient to cause Aids and that there is no evidence, besides its presence in a latent form, that it is necessary for Aids.”

Thus was born the “Duesberg hypothesis”, which his critics say has led to sickness and death far beyond white, middle-class eccentrics. By some reckonings, in South Africa alone the denialist convictions of former president Thabo Mbeki led to more than 300,000 premature fatalities and 35,000 preventable infant infections.

Tip: @ZenMonkey

This will make you angry. Pseudoscience kills. Thousands.

Cryptomundo » International Society of Cryptozoology ~ NOT!!!.

Cryptomundo cites Wikipedia:

With their website, Facebook group and the tagline ’studying the impossible since 1982′ the International Society of Cryptozoology has resurfaced once again in 2011 with the single goal to reestablish itself within the Cryptozoological community.

Now based in London, England and sponsored by Roslyn Walker the new incarnation of the I.S.C. has kept many of the old values its predecessor set in place, including using the image of the Okapi for its logo. It is notable for the youth of many of the members [a total of seventy as of the beginning of November, 2011].

And asks:

So, who is behind this alleged re-launch of the “new ISC.”

It is there, in print:

Our sponsors: Roslyn Walker is the world’s ORIGINAL gentleman escape artist and is now taking bookings for Christmas 2011.

And why? Can it be as simple as one of Walker’s special skills? He promotes that he is available for…PUBLICITY STUNTS.

Tip: Jeb Card

So, yeah, I don’t know what this is all about but the new sponsor is not a scientist (as the previous heads were). The website link cited is dead (www.internationalsocietyofcryptozoology.net) and the Facebook page is nonexistent as well. I’ve abandoned all hope for getting my membership fee back. With the resurgence of interest in cryptozoology, it is a bit of a wonder why anyone hasn’t legitimately started a new group. Instead, we have dozens of splinter groups based locally in states or by cryptid (mostly Bigfoot). But, this is another sore spot that eats into the credibility of cryptozoology – no overarching organization. A shame, really. I’d join!

In the Appalachian Mountains rests a medical oddity so unusual that it at first seems a massive hoax.

Dating back to the early 1800s, an isolated family in eastern Kentucky – who can trace their roots back to a French orphan – started producing children who were blue.

As a result of a coincidental meeting of recessive genes, intermarriage and inbreeding, members of the Fugate family were born with a rare condition that made them visibly discoloured.

Called methaemoglobinaemia (commonly known as met-H), the condition reduces the individual’s ability to carry oxygen in their blood. As a result, their blood is darker than the colour typically found running through people’s veins.

Aside from the stark discoloration of the carrier’s skin, there are no serious problems associated with the disease.

Credit: Fortean Times

The family portrait above really does look photoshopped. And not all that well done either, but according to the main article, it is real.

Inbreeding and a rare genetic condition can result in some serious anomalies. And some descendants within the bloodline still have blue skin. Luckily for them, there are no other side effects other than the color of their skin. And possibly a bit of Smurf-related comments about appearance. Very weird.

UPDATE: (23-Feb-2012) Here is a very good story on the family and their genetic condition from ABC news.

The Minister for Tourism, Scott Bacon, today welcomed the exciting new late night, adults-only Paranormal Investigation Experience operating out of Port Arthur.

“The Paranormal Investigation Experience will begin after the ghost tours finish and last about 4-5 hours and includes a supper mid-way through the investigation,” Mr Bacon said.

“Through the course of the evening the guides will lead the participants into a number of buildings around the Historic Site which have a reputation for ghostly occurrences.

“Those involved in the tour will then be able to set up the instruments and make observations and readings.

“The Port Arthur Historic Site is believed by many to be one of the most haunted places in Australia, so I have no doubt that those interested in this sort of activity will have a ‘wail’ of a time,” Mr Bacon said.

The first Paranormal Investigation Experience will run on Saturday February 25, 2012.

Ghost tours have become quite popular in the last couple of years as “paranormal tourism” has grown into something people actually do. This Paranormal Investigation Experience will give tourists the chance to do some real ghost hunting, like you see on TV, which admittedly isn’t a lot really. I bet they will be bored.

Richard Dawkins, ethologist, evolutionary biologist and author of books, such as “The God Delusion” and “The Selfish Gene” will be debating the Archbishop of Canterbury about evolution and human nature at the Sheldonian Theatre, Oxford, Thursday, 23 Feburary 2012 4.00-5.30pm.

The discussion will be streamed live as a webcast here!

Tip: Blue_Wode via Twitter