The Binary Circumstance

Pun intended.

From the New York Times [reg. req.]:

A few years ago, an obesity researcher at the University of Washington named Adam Drewnowski ventured into the supermarket to solve a mystery. He wanted to figure out why it is that the most reliable predictor of obesity in America today is a person’s wealth. For most of history, after all, the poor have typically suffered from a shortage of calories, not a surfeit. So how is it that today the people with the least amount of money to spend on food are the ones most likely to be overweight?

[...]

As a rule, processed foods are more “energy dense” than fresh foods: they contain less water and fiber but more added fat and sugar, which makes them both less filling and more fattening. These particular calories also happen to be the least healthful ones in the marketplace, which is why we call the foods that contain them “junk.” Drewnowski concluded that the rules of the food game in America are organized in such a way that if you are eating on a budget, the most rational economic strategy is to eat badly — and get fat.

This perverse state of affairs is not, as you might think, the inevitable result of the free market…

[...]

For the answer, you need look no farther than the farm bill. This resolutely unglamorous and head-hurtingly complicated piece of legislation, which comes around roughly every five years and is about to do so again, sets the rules for the American food system — indeed, to a considerable extent, for the world’s food system. Among other things, it determines which crops will be subsidized and which will not, and in the case of the carrot and the Twinkie, the farm bill as currently written offers a lot more support to the cake than to the root.

[...]

…the farm bill does almost nothing to support farmers growing fresh produce. A result of these policy choices is on stark display in your supermarket, where the real price of fruits and vegetables between 1985 and 2000 increased by nearly 40 percent while the real price of soft drinks (a k a liquid corn) declined by 23 percent. The reason the least healthful calories in the supermarket are the cheapest is that those are the ones the farm bill encourages farmers to grow.

What? Is the New York Times suddenly advocating for less government interference in the market?

Or are they advocating for more subsidies for vegetable growers?

I wrote previously about the theory that cell phone radiation was causing honeybees to become disoriented leading to Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD).

The New York Times [reg. req.] has an article describing more theories, suggesting that pathogens and/or pesticides may be the cause of the problem.

The volume of theories “is totally mind-boggling,” said Diana Cox-Foster, an entomologist at Pennsylvania State University. With Jeffrey S. Pettis, an entomologist from the United States Department of Agriculture, Dr. Cox-Foster is leading a team of researchers who are trying to find answers to explain “colony collapse disorder,” the name given for the disappearing bee syndrome.

“Clearly there is an urgency to solve this,” Dr. Cox-Foster said. “We are trying to move as quickly as we can.”

Dr. Cox-Foster and fellow scientists who are here at a two-day meeting to discuss early findings and future plans with government officials have been focusing on the most likely suspects: a virus, a fungus or a pesticide.

Bee autopsies are being performed as you read this.

The investigation is now entering a critical phase. The researchers have collected samples in several states and have begun doing bee autopsies and genetic analysis.

It’s possible the bees are getting lost because they get moved around so much. Maybe they have some kind of bee jet lag. Or is it too many bee power bars?

Honeybees are arguably the insects that are most important to the human food chain. They are the principal pollinators of hundreds of fruits, vegetables, flowers and nuts. The number of bee colonies has been declining since the 1940s, even as the crops that rely on them, such as California almonds, have grown. In October, at about the time that beekeepers were experiencing huge bee losses, a study by the National Academy of Sciences questioned whether American agriculture was relying too heavily on one type of pollinator, the honeybee.

Bee colonies have been under stress in recent years as more beekeepers have resorted to crisscrossing the country with 18-wheel trucks full of bees in search of pollination work. These bees may suffer from a diet that includes artificial supplements, concoctions akin to energy drinks and power bars. In several states, suburban sprawl has limited the bees’ natural forage areas.

Poor things. We’ve become a nation of migrant worker bees. Maybe they just don’t know where home is anymore.

In the wake of the VA Tech mass murder, there are a lot of talking heads on TV talking about how we need to limit access to guns in order to stop mass murders. They claim that it’s easy access to guns that is somehow the cause of this type of carnage.

I have suggested that the VA Tech shooter, Cho Seung-Hui, who killed 33 people including himself, may have been having an adverse reaction to psychotropic medications. Is it possible that easy access to mind-altering prescription drugs is the problem?

On this, the anniversary of Columbine, which had many similarities with the VA Tech murder/suicide, I was curious as to whether the Columbine killers were using mind-altering prescription drugs as well.

In his manifesto, Cho Seung-Hui, expressed admiration for the Columbine killers, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold. Previous reports have said that Mr. Cho was taking psychotropic medication(s) but they have not been identified. We’ll have to wait for the toxicology reports.

It is clear that the Columbine killers had undergone psychiatric treatment as well and at least one was taking psychotropic medication. From Wikipedia:

On January 30, 1998, both Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold were caught with computer equipment that had been stolen, moments earlier, from a parked van near Littleton, Colorado. Both were arrested and attended a joint court hearing, where a judge decided that, because of their lack of moral judgment, the two needed psychiatric help. They attended a support group. Both were released from the program early due to their good behavior. Harris wrote an ingratiating letter to the owner of the equipment they stole, offering not just apologies, but empathy.[5] During this time he would often boast in his journal entries about faking regret, and applauded himself at his deception.[6] It is believed that shortly after being released from psychiatric care in April 1998, Harris and Klebold began to plot the attacks as a form of retaliation; the pair felt as if they were “at war” against society and needed to take action towards those they hated.[citation needed]

During his evaluation by doctors at the program, Harris was prescribed the anti-depressant Zoloft. Shortly afterwards, Harris reported having suicidal and homicidal thoughts to his doctor.[7] But instead of being taken off anti-depressants completely, Harris was switched to the very similar drug Luvox. Some analysts have argued that this medication may have contributed to Harris’ actions, and claimed that side-effects of these drugs include increased aggression, loss of remorse, depersonalization and mania.[8] [Emphasis added]

HappinessOnline.org has more on the use of antidepressants by school shooters and a lawsuit filed by one of the victims against the maker of Luvox. What is really interesting is that medical records of these young school shooters are often sealed. The official reason is to protect the privacy of minors. Is it instead to protect the drug companies and the cozy relationship they have with government and doctors?

The Physicians Desk Reference (PDR) records that, during controlled clinical trials of Luvox, manic reactions developed in 4 percent of children. Mania is defined as “a form of psychosis characterized by exalted feelings, delusions of grandeur … and overproduction of ideas.” Court records show that the prescription for Harris had been filled 10 times between April 1998 and March 1999, and that three-and-a-half months before the shooting the dose had been increased — a common thread many experts say they are finding prior to adverse reactions to psychotropic drugs. The autopsy on Harris revealed a “therapeutic level” of Luvox in his system.

Other school shooters on antidepressants at the time of their attacks include 15-year-old Kip Kinkel who, while on Prozac, killed his parents and then proceeded to school where he opened fire on classmates, killing two and wounding 22 others; 14-year-old Elizabeth Bush, on “antidepressants” when she wounded one student at Bishop Neumann High School in Williamsport, Pa.; and 18-year-old Jason Hoffman, on Effexor and Celexa when he wounded one teacher and three students at Granite Hills High School in El Cajon, Calif.

The medical histories of scores of “school shooters” have not been revealed, allegedly to protect the minor child. Ann Blake Tracy is a consultant in Taylor’s lawsuit and director of the International Coalition for Drug Awareness. She holds a doctorate in biological psychology and is a specialist in what she believes are the adverse reactions to SSRI medications. She says Luvox caused Harris to go on the Columbine shooting spree and thinks the medical history of children who commit violent acts in school should be made public.

“Suing Solvay for the injuries Mark Taylor suffered is one of the biggest SSRI suits we’ll ever see,” Tracy says. “It’s a pivotal case because what happened at Columbine was so big. It’s really crazy when you think about it. All you have to do is read the Luvox package insert to see that Eric’s actions were due to an adverse reaction to this drug. Show me a drug anywhere that has listed mania and psychosis as frequent adverse reactions. That is what the insert says for Luvox. There is no doubt in my mind that Luvox caused Eric Harris to commit these acts.”

CNN reported in 1999 on Harris’ and Klebold’s toxicology reports:

Toxicology reports on the two killers showed no traces of alcohol or drugs, the Jefferson County Coroner’s office said Monday.

RockyMountainNews reported the same thing.

This does not jibe with the statement “The autopsy on Harris revealed a “therapeutic level” of Luvox in his system.”

Also, Klebold’s toxicology reports were sealed.

Tracy continues, “Beyond the adverse reactions listed about Luvox, one of the first clues I had that these boys were on antidepressants was when it was made public that Eric [Harris] and Dylan Klebold had both been in anger-management classes. Anger-management classes equal antidepressants. Unfortunately, Dylan Klebold’s medical records have been sealed, so there’s no way of knowing what if anything he was on, but it makes sense that if he was in anger-management classes he was prescribed some antidepressant.”

The problem, Tracy concludes, “is that this is a public-safety issue. So why is everything kept so secret, under lock and key? This information should be made available to the public so that people can learn from it and maybe we can stop this kind of tragedy from happening in the future. We’ve got a nightmare on our hands with these drugs, an absolute nightmare. We’ve got kids on these drugs that are ticking time bombs in every school in America.

Dr. Tracy said this long before the VA Tech killings.

It appears that in these cases there’s a double standard when it comes to toxicology reports. They report on drugs that are considered “recreational” but don’t report on drugs that are legal prescriptions.

Let’s connect some dots: It is documented that some individuals have adverse reactions to these drugs. Judges are ordering people into programs where they will be prescribed the drugs. Some of those individuals then go on to kill others and themselves. Doesn’t that make the judges (the government) responsible for the carnage that follows?

HappinessOnline.org has a lot of other information about this including the fact that parents of victims are dropping out of the lawsuit for fear that they may have to pay if they lose their case.

It is nothing short of criminal to seal the medical records of individuals who commit these crimes. No dead person’s “right to privacy” can trump the right of individuals to know if medications being prescribed by their doctors are a hazard to themselves and others. How anti-science can you get?

Cho Seung-Hui was not a minor. Hopefully that means his toxicology reports will not be sealed and we’ll find out what he was taking.

An article in the New York Times lends some support to my theory that Cho Seung-Hui was having a bad reaction to medication when he shot 32 people and then himself.

Mr. Cho went to bed early by college standards, about 9 p.m. He often rose early, but in recent weeks he had been doing so even earlier, frequently before dawn, said Mr. Aust, his roommate. Such was the case Monday.

Mr. Cho awoke before 5 a.m., then sat down to work on his computer and awakened Mr. Aust in the process. Mr. Grewal, who shares a room in the same suite, saw Mr. Cho in the bathroom shortly after 5 a.m.

As usual, Mr. Cho did not say anything to Mr. Grewal. No good morning, no hello, Mr. Grewal said. Mr. Cho stood in the bathroom, brushing his teeth, wetting his contact lenses and applying a moisturizer.

He also took a prescription medicine. Neither Mr. Aust nor Mr. Grewal knew what the medicine was for, but officials said prescription medications related to the treatment of psychological problems had been found among Mr. Cho’s effects.

Medications are supposed to make your condition better, not worse. But many people have reported that Cho was getting less communicative, more withdrawn and erratic as time went on.

Mr. Cho’s eruption of violence, in which 32 victims and himself were killed on the Virginia Tech campus here in a rampage of gunfire, was never directly signaled by his actions or words, several of his acquaintances said Tuesday. But those acquaintances were frequently disturbed by his isolation from the world and his barely concealed anger.

Joe Aust, who shared Room 2121 at Harper Hall with him, said he had spoken to Mr. Cho often but had received only one-word replies. Later, Mr. Aust said, Mr. Cho stopped talking to him entirely. Mr. Aust would sometimes enter the room and find Mr. Cho sitting at his desk, staring into nothingness.

It seems pretty clear that Cho had underlying psychological problems. An effective drug therapy should have made him better, not a suicidal, homicidal maniac.