Author: Sean Patterson

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Bethel Nutritional Consulting this week recalled the company’s “Quick Thin” and “Bethel Advance” products. The recall was issued due to the FDA finding banned substances inside the capsules.

FDA tests on the products found that they contaned the substances Sibutramine and Phenolphthalein. Sibutramine has been linked to an increase in blood pressure and pulse rate for some patients, as well as a risk of life-threatening interactions with other medications. It was removed from the U.S. market in 2010 due to safety concerns for patients with heart issues. According to the FDA, Phenolphthalein has also been linked to health risks such as irregular heartbeat, muscle cramps, cancer, and “serious gastrointestinal disturbances.”

Bethel’s “Bethel 30″ product was recalled back in June over tests that found these same substances. Bethel 30 was labeled as having no side effects and no diet restrictions. For all three of these products, the FDA is urging consumers not to consume them, and to call Bethel customer service. The products have been removed from Bethel’s online store. None of the products have ever been approved by the FDA as drugs.

Bethel Nutritional Consulting markets a variety of “herbal” and homeopathic products. The products include those marketed for weight loss, “detox,” prostate health, cholesterol, and “sexual potency.”

The FDA just last month warned manufacturers of “natural” and homeopathic products that claim to treat diabetes that their products are illegal. Consumers were also warned that such products can be dangerous or cause them to mismanage their diabetes.

Apple fans and movie fans alike were skeptical of the new Steve Jobs biopic when Ashton Kutcher was announced to be playing the title role in Jobs. Since that time, pictures from the set have reassured everyone that Kutcher can be made up to look like Jobs’ doppelganger. The “>first trailer for the flick last month also showed that Kutcher can capture Jobs’ famously abrasive personality.

This week, a second trailer for Jobs has been released. It’s a bit more fast-paced than the first one and shows off Kutcher’s angry side as Steve Jobs:

For those wondering: that music from the first portion of the video is Macklemore’s “Cant Hold Us.”

The movie was originally scheduled to be released in April, but was delayed at the last moment for “additional marketing.” The movie is now scheduled for a wide release in the U.S. on August 16.

An investigative report has angered Hong Kong coffee drinkers this week after it was revealed that a local Starbucks was using water from a bathroom spout to brew its coffee.

According to an HK Magazine translation of an Apple Daily report, the Starbucks located in the Bank of China Tower was using “toilet water” from a spout just feet away from a bathroom urinal. Employees allegedly wheeled a cart behind the coffee house to the bathroom dozens of times each day, filling the cart with the bathroom water. The water was then filtered and then used to prepare Starbucks drinks.

A spokesperson for Starbucks in Hong Kong told HK Magazine that the particular Starbucks location used the bathroom water because it was the closest source of water. The spokesperson emphasized that the water had passed certification in the past, and that it “adheres strictly” to regulatory standards.

Hong Kong’s Food and Environmental Hygiene Department has stated that the restaurant’s practice was not up to regulations. The department has issued a warning to Starbucks.

A public health professor at the University of Hong Kong told HK Magazine that filtering the water should be good enough to remove harmful bacteria, but that smaller pathogens, such as viruses, would require a purifier.

The Florida Panthers organization today announced that the NHL team’s 20th anniversary will be celebrated with a special 20th anniversary logo.

In addition to the new logo, the team promises a “host of fan recognition and interactive opportunities.” The Panthers celebrations will include a tribute to original season seat holders, giveaways, collectible merchandise, a themed in-game presentation, and “visits from heroes of the Panthers’ past.” A new center-hung scoreboard will also make its debut at the BB&T Center.

“The Florida Panthers 20th Anniversary Season is going to be a special one for our fans, partners, supporters, staff, players, coaches, and the entire South Florida community,” said Michael Yormark, president of the Panthers. “From the franchise’s inception, to the 1996 Eastern Conference Championship, to our most recent Division title, there is a wonderful history that we are excited to celebrate, while also honoring our incredible fans for two decades of loyal and passionate support.”


Further details of the Panthers’ 20th anniversary celebration will be announced on NHL draft day, June 30. The team will be integrating its new logo into a season-long marketing campaign on TV, in newspapers, and online.

In 1937, Amelia Earhart attempted to circumnavigate the Earth in a Lockheed Model 10 Electra airplane. Radio contact with the pilot was lost over the Pacific Ocean, and both Earhart and the plane were never found.

Throughout the years, Earhart’s disappearance has been the subject of novels, movies, and conspiracy theories. Many expeditions have been launched to find the plane, and many people have claimed to have discovered Earhart’s fate. Now a sonar technology may have finally solved the 76-year-old mystery.

The International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery (TIGHAR) this week released a blurry sonar image of an “anomaly” that could be Earhart’s plane. According to TIGHAR, the object is the correct size and shape for the Electra, and it’s located in a spot where Earhart may have crashed.

The image was taken at around 700 feet below sea level using an underwater vehicle that scanned the coastline of Nikumaroro Island, located in the middle of the Pacific. The scan was testing the theory that Earhart’s plane crashed onto the island’s reef, with the wreckage later being swept over the edge of the reef.

Researchers are excited, and do not believe the anomaly is simply a rock. The image also shows what appear to be “drag” markings, which could indicate that the object landed and was then moved by storms or strong tides.

TIGHAR researchers have not yet been able to confirm that the anomaly is, in fact, Earharts’s Electra. The previous expedition was forced to cut its investigation of Nikumaroro’s underwater cliffs short, due to equipment problems. The organization is currently raising money to mount another expedition to Nikumaroro.

(Image courtesy TIGHAR)

Seven people, including four children, are dead after a tractor-trailer collided with a minivan in upstate New York on Wednesday.

According to an Associated Press report, a tractor-trailer was traveling on a Truxton, New York road just outside of Cortland at around 6 pm Wednesday evening. The semi’s cargo of crushed cars became disconnected from its trailer, causing the trailer to cross the roadway and hit a minivan.

The minivan was reportedly carrying two families. Four children and three adults in the minivan died in the accident, while one man survived and is currently receiving treatment at Upstate University Hospital in Syracuse. The two passengers in the semi were not injured.

One of the two families in the minivan was reportedly from Truxton, a small town of around 1,100 people. The crash occurred on Route 13, a rural, two-lane road that passes through Truxton and serves at the town’s Main Street.

Crash kills seven outside of Syracuse

On May 16, singer George Michael was injured in a car accident in Northwest London. The accident, which involved no third parties, landed the “Faith” singer in the hospital. Though a statement on the singer’s website indicated that Michael had only suffered “superficial cuts and bruises,” subsequent reports have indicated that his injuries were much more severe.

This week, Michael is out of the hospital. A new statement on the singer’s website relates that he has been discharged, though he is still needs time to “rest and recuperate.” There is no word on when Michael could be well enough to return to performing. The statement, in full:

We can confirm that George Michael has been discharged from hospital and continues to rest and recuperate. He is well and thanks everyone for all the messages of support.

According to a BBC News report, Michael was a passenger in a Range Rover that crashed. The singer had to be airlifted to a trauma center in London. Witnesses stated that Michael had a deep gash in his forehead following the accident.

An 84-year-old Florida man this week reached the rare milestone of having donated 100 gallons of blood over the past 36 years.

According to a Palm Beach Post report, the man, named Harold Mendenhall, began donating blood in July of 1977. Since that time, 100 gallons of his O-positive type blood have been donated. Mendhall reportedly began donating when his wife, a nurse, was diagnosed with breast cancer.

It might seem that Mendenhall could easily qualify for the record for most blood donated. The current Guinness World Record for blood donation belongs to another Florida man, John Sheppard of Fort Meyers. Sheppard donated 315 whole blood units, or around 30 to 40 gallons.

Mendenhall does not qualify for the record, however, as he does not donate whole blood. Instead, the Post reports that he donates platelets. The process involves putting Mendenhall’s blood through a machine that separates out the blood platelets, and returns the remainder to Mendenhall’s body. This type of donation has allowed Mendenhall to donate two pints of blood at a time, and means he only has to wait two weeks between donations, rather than the nearly two months whole blood donors have to wait.

Earlier this month, 8-year-old Lelia Fowler of Valley Springs, California was found stabbed to death in her home. She was left in the care of her 12-year-old brother while her parents were at a little league game.

The brother told police that he found Lelia stabbed, and saw an intruder fleeing from the house. The boy’s story kicked off a massive door-to-door manhunt that turned up no leads. The 12-year old was arrested weeks later for the murder of his sister.

According to a report from CBS News in Sacramento, the boy, identified as Isaiah Fowler, yesterday pleaded not guilty to a charge of second-degree murder. His attorneys have stated that the boy may have lied about seeing someone flee from the house, but that there is no clear evidence he stabbed his sister.

Isaiah Fowler is currently being held in a juvenile detention center.

The man who was arrested for an explosion that went off Tuesday evening at Disneyland in Los Angeles is due in court today. 22-year-old Christian Barnes (pictured) was arrested Tuesday for suspicion of possessing a destructive device.

Barnes was working as a Disney “cast member” (employee) at the time of the explosion, selling soda and water from a mobile cart. Police believe Barnes placed dry ice into a plastic bottle, then placed it in the Toontown-area trashcan where it later exploded. The area was evacuated, and police brought in a bomb squad to investigate. Barnes was eventually identified as a suspect using surveillance camera footage.

No injuries or property damage resulted from the explosion, but Anaheim police are treating the incident seriously. Anaheim police Sergeant Bob Dunn told L.A.’s KTLA network that, while it is possible the explosion was just a prank, the police are treating it as a crime.

“The message that we would want to send to any individual who decides to do something like this is that, first of all, these may just seem like dry ice in a plastic bottle – it is very dangerous,” said Dunn. “You could be injured. You could injure others. Some people could even die.”

Last night, country music star Miranda Lambert took to the stage at the Healing in the Heartland benefit concert, televised live on network TV. The benefit for survivors of the recent deadly tornado in Moore, Oklahoma was organized in part by Lambert’s husband, country music star Blake Shelton, who also hosted the event.

Lambert was introduced by Shelton as “an amazing woman, a compassionate human being, a great talent – oh, and by the way, an amazing wife.” Lambert’s performance was specifically meant to raise awareness for the animals affected by the tornado. Images of pets and their owners appeared on the giant screen behind Lambert as she sang the song “The House That Built Me.”

Halfway through the song, emotion and tears overtook Lambert. She had to stop singing and pointed the microphone at the audience to take over for her. Though she recovered quickly and managed to finish the song, she was wiping tears from her eyes at the end of the performance:

This week, during McDonald’s annual shareholders meeting, McDonald’s CEO Don Thompson fielded a question about nutrition from a 9-year-old girl.

The girl, who identified herself as Hannah, took issue with the famous fast food company selling food that isn’t good for children using “toys and cartoon characters.” She claims that children her age are suffering from obesity and diabetes, and ends her statement with the question, “Mr. Thompson, don’t you want kids to be healthy so they can live a happy life?”

Sure, it’s a loaded question. One she was no doubt coached into asking by adults who used her as a sympathetic prop. However, Thompson’s answer shows that he may not have been prepared to fend off such a question at the shareholder’s meeting.

Thompson begins his answer by saying, “First off, we don’t sell junk food Hannah.” With junk food generally defined as food with low nutritional value, Thompson’s statement implies that all of McDonald’s food has at least a better-than-low nutritional value.

Thompson goes on to provide a personal anecdote, stating that his children eat McDonald’s, but that they also cook “foods and veggies” at home. He points out that McDonald’s sells apples and salads, and says that the company will try to provide products like kiwi-on-a-stick and pineapple in the future. Thompson’s response, in full:

Hannah, thank you very much for your question and by the way it’s good to meet you upfront. Couple of things Hanna. First off, we don’t sell junk food, Hannah. My kids also eat McDonald’s, when they were about your size to my son who is with us was a little bit bigger – he was a football player – and also they cook with me at home. I love to cook, we cook a lot of foods and veggies at home. We serve a lot of foods and veggies at McDonald’s and are trying to sell even more with the apples that we introduced into the Happy Meal. We serve different foods and different variety. I was telling you a little bit earlier about things we would like to introduce even more, there is a affinity for them, like kiwi on a stick and pineapples, and we serve salads ,and we serve those for a dollar on the Dollar Menu and they are very affordable. And so there’s a lot of things that we’ve done, our chicken nugget happy meals, fat free milk, both. We also just changed the chocolate factory milk. We are making a lot of changes at McDonald’s and we will continue to. I think it’s really great that you want to continue eating more fruits and more vegetables. I honestly hope even more kids do. I know that as my kids came up sometimes I had to nudge them a little bit more to eat some more fruits and vegetables, but they did eat quite a bit of fruits and vegetables and that’s what we served in our household as well. So thanks so much for the question. Next question?

A Virginia woman was shot and killed this week after threatening police with a knife at a Costco in a Washington D.C.-area suburb.

According to a statement from the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office, officers responded to a report of a disorderly woman at a Costco in Sterling, Virginia. The woman, later identified as 38-year-old Mhai Scott, was reportedly threatening store employees with a knife and scissors.

Two deputies arrived at the store and attempted to subdue the woman with a Taser. According to the Sheriff’s office statement, the Taser was “ineffective” at stopping the woman. The deputy who was not using the Taser then fired multiple shots at the woman.

The woman died in the Costco and one deputy was taken to a nearby hospital for unnamed injuries sustained during the incident. The deputy is now in good condition.

According to an NBC 4 report, Scott was working at the Costco at the time of her death, handing out pizza samples to customers. Witnesses described Scott as making strange comments about the pizza.

View more videos at: http://nbcwashington.com.

A California teen who missed a Memorial Day trip with his friends is now coming to grips with how close his life came to ending.

According to an Associated Press report, 17-year-old Tamer Mosallam’s friends were the teens that died in a fiery Memorial Day car crash in Los Angeles. The teens, who have now been identified, were all students from the Irvine Unified School District.

Police now believe they have pieced together some of the details of the deadly crash. 17-year old Abdulrahman Alyahyan was reportedly driving the car in Newport Beach on Monday when it hit a tree in the road median. The force of the impact split the car in two, and one half of what remained caught fire. Four of the passengers were thrown from the car and died at the scene. One of the teens was only partially thrown from the vehicle, and died after being taken to a nearby hospital.

The other passengers in the car included 17-year-old Cecilia Zamora, 17-year-old Nozad Al Hamawendi, 17-year-old Robin Cabrera, and 16-year-old Aurora Cabrera. The Cabreras were sisters.

Mosallam told the AP that he was to have been the sixth passenger in the car, to make the trip a triple date. His father, however, would not let him go because he was studying for a test.

Irvine Unified School District Superintendent Terry Walker this week issued a statement on the deaths of the students, calling the tragedy an “unimaginable loss.” From the statement:

Our community bears an unimaginable loss today as we mourn the passing of five students who were tragically killed on Monday in a horrific car accident.

There are simply no words to convey the sorrow felt by our students and staff, nor are there sufficient answers to explain the loss of five vibrant teenagers from our schools and this community.

On behalf of the entire organization, our thoughts and prayers are with the families and loved ones of each of these young men and women. We will do everything possible to help our schools cope with this tragedy in the emotional times ahead.

Patrick Stewart is an intriguing man. For all his prestigious acting accomplishments and fame, it seems the X-Men actor had never, until today, eaten a slice of pizza.

The 72-year-old actor today posted a picture to his Twitter account of himself enjoying a slice of pizza. He claims that it’s his first-ever slice of pizza, though the statement is unclear enough that it could just be his first-ever slice of authentic New York-style pizza:

Follow @SirPatStew

Patrick Stewart
@SirPatStew

My first ever pizza “slice”. Please note: the authentic NY fold. http://t.co/X7nWRbftyh

 Reply  ·  Retweet  ·  Favorite
5 hours ago via Twitter for iPhone · powered by @socialditto

The actor, famous for playing roles such as Captain Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation, has not yet provided a follow-up tweet to review his meal, or to explain how someone could go over 70 years without trying pizza. Judging from the grease on the paper plate in front of him, however, the slice was probably fantastic.

Stewart is expected to marry his fiance Sunny Ozell sometime this year. The wedding will be officiated by Stewart’s friend and X-Men co-star, Ian McKellen.

Sports surgeon Dr. Lewis Yocum has died at the age of 65. According to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Yocum died in hospice care Saturday after a battle with liver cancer.

“The Angels family and Major League Baseball have lost one of baseball’s finest gentlemen and truly outstanding professionals with the passing of Dr. Lewis Yocum earlier this weekend,” said the Angels in a statement. “His talents extended the careers of countless professional athletes and provided extended quality of life for so many others he advised, treated and operated on during his distinguished career.”

Yocum was well-known throughout Major League Baseball (MLB) for his skill at Tommy John surgery, which replaces an elbow tendon with another tendon from elsewhere in the body. The surgery is used to extend the usable life of the elbow, and is particularly common for aging pitchers.

Yocum worked as an orthopedist for the Angels for 36 seasons, some of it under the tutelage of Dr. Frank Jobe. In addition to providing Angels players with medical care, Yocum also worked at the Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic in Los Angeles and consulted with MLB players throughout North America.

MLB commissioner Bud Selig stated that Yocum was a “giant in the field of sports medicine” and an “invaluable resource” for MLB players.

(Image courtesy the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim)

Yesterday afternoon, a loud bang in Disneyland L.A.’s Toontown section caused an evacuation and investigation by Ahaheim police. A bomb squad later determined that the blast was caused by a dry ice bomb made out of a plastic bottle that went off in a garbage can. No injuries or damage to park property were reported.

Today, the Anaheim police have announced that a Disneyland “cast member” (employee) has been arrested in connection with the incident. 22-year-old Christian Barnes of Long Beach, who was working at the park as an outdoor vendor, was identified as a suspect using surveillance footage. He has now been arrested on suspicion of possession of a destructive device and his bail has been set at $1 million.

Barnes, who sold soda and water at the park, has not provided a motive for the incident. Anaheim police have stated that Barnes is cooperating with the investigation, and that he told them the bomb was an “isolated incident with unanticipated impacts.”

A yearbook prank by a Missouri girl could now bring federal charges.

According to an Columbia Daily Tribune report, 17-year-old Kaitlyn Booth (pictured), a junior at Hickman High School in Columbia, Missouri, could now be facing a felony charge after changing a classmate’s name in the school yearbook. The girl allegedly changed a classmate’s last name to “masturbate” instead of Mastain. According to the Daily Tribune story, Booth could be charged with first-degree property damage and harassment.

The yearbooks had already been printed when the prank was discovered, and the school declined to reprint some 700 yearbooks at a cost of more than $41,000. Instead, stickers were printed with the student’s real name and placed into each yearbook.

The girl whose name was changed, Raigan Mastain, told the newspaper that she wasn’t friends with the arrested girl and “hardly knew her at all,” though both worked on the yearbook. Mastain stated that the girl’s action was inappropriate and disappointing, but that she was “shocked” to learn that Booth had been arrested. Mastain also stuck up for Booth, saying that she doesn’t think the prank should affect Booth for the rest of her life.

Bigfoot sightings are a perennial sideshow in the U.S. Vague claims invariably turn out to be regular animal hair, gorilla suits, hoaxes, or nothing at all.

This week, a man in Pennsylvania kicked off the latest Bigfoot mania with a bizarre call to 911. According to a report from a CBS affiliate in central Pennsylvania, John Winesickle of Altoona, Pennsylvania this week called police claiming to have evidence for the elusive creature.

Police humored the man, sending out an officer to investigate what Winesickle claimed were Bigfoot tracks. The officer followed the man into the woods, investigated the prints, and concluded that the tracks were left by a bear.

It appears that Winesickle was not trying to pull one over on police, but was generally mistaken about the animal prints. In fact, the man still believes that the tracks he found were left by Bigfoot.

“No, no, no, no, no,” said Winesickle. “See, a bear can’t go down a steep bank on all twos. That’s proven this is a Bigfoot.”

Winesickle also claims that he has heard Bigfoot calls while out in the woods, saying, “The voice is so deep. “I’ve heard bass singers on television – they can’t even come close to the bass sound that it made towards me.”