The blessings and horrors of manure lagoons

California cows start passing gas to the grid

By Nichola Groom, Tue Mar 4, 2008 6:30pm EST

RIVERDALE, California (Reuters) – Imagine a vat of liquid cow manure covering the area of five football fields and 33 feet deep. Meet California’s most alternative new energy.

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Man drowns after falling into manure pit

By Ben Winslow Deseret Morning News Published: January 19, 2008

A man apparently drowned after falling into an iced-over manure pit at a Cache County dairy, authorities said….Deputies said the pit is about 8 feet deep and is filled with cow manure, moisture and ammonia from the urine, giving it a “soupy consistency.” “It is loose quicksand is what it is,” Bilodeau said. “You can’t swim in it. You’re almost completely incapacitated in it.”

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You’ve heard of the nocebo effect, right?

We all know about the placebo effect. Well, here’s its ugly brother.

nocebo (no-SEE-bo) noun: A substance producing harmful effects in someone because it is believed to be harmful, but which in reality is harmless. [From Latin nocebo (I will harm), from nocere (to harm). Modeled after placebo (I will please).]

Both groups who received nocebos showed elevated levels of the stress hormone cortisol in their blood.” James Morgan; Is Your Pain a Trick of the Mind? The Herald (Glasgow, UK); Jan 12, 2007.

An article with many interesting examples of nocebo effect.

From words at wordsmith.org

Emotion…

Zing!

P.S. This is one thing I love about English–it’s alive and growing, stealing from any language it can.