Jay-Z Named President of Def JamThursday, December 9, 2004
The Associated Press is reporting that Jay-Z, who recently announced his retirement from his rap career, will be the new president and chief executive of Def Jam records.
Rumors have been flying for months, but the appointment was finalized with an announcement on Wednesday by Antonio ''L.A.'' Reid, the chairman of Island Def Jam Music Group.
Officials at the label declined to discuss terms of the agreement Wednesday. But a source familiar with the deal told The Associated Press Jay-Z signed a three-year contract valued at between $8 and $10 million.
The ultimate value of the deal depends on whether the multiplatinum rapper can meet revenue and market-share incentives, the source said on condition of anonymity.
Jay-Z, whose, ''The Black Album,'' was nominated for three Grammys on Tuesday, will take the helm on Jan. 3. He will also continue to run Roc-A-Fella records, which he co-founded with Damon Dash in 1995 after early efforts to obtain a record deal sputtered.
PROZAC and Suicidal Ideation: Is there a cover-up?
Saturday, October 30, 2004
Exclusive
Some claim that the manufacturers of the prescription medication Prozac have engaged in a cover-up of the drug's possible side effects.
Prozac is one of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI's) currently on the market. SSRI's are a class of antidepressants that act within the brain to increase the amount of the neurotransmitter serotonin by inhibiting its re-uptake at synapses. SSRIs were specifically designed to treat depression. Drugs in this class include:
• fluoxetine (trade name: Prozac®, Fontex®, Seromex®, Seronil®)
• paroxetine (trade name: Paxil®, Seroxat®, Optipar®, Aropax®)
• sertraline (trade name: Zoloft®)
• escitalopram oxalate (trade name: Lexapro®)
• citalopram (trade name: Celexa®, Cipramil®, Emocal®, Sepram®)
• fluvoxamine maleate (trade name: Luvox®, Fevarin®)
• venlafaxine (trade name: Effexor®)
As reported by Sarah Bosley's article, "They Said It Was Safe" published in The Guardian (10/30/99), Eli Lilly, manufacturer of Prozac has known the drug causes akathisia, a condition defined as an extreme subjective feeling of inner restlessness. This condition has long been known to be caused by antipsychotic drugs and recognized as leading to suicidal and homicidal-suicidal feelings. Internal documents from Eli Lilly show the condition was identified in association with Prozac as early as 1978.
August 2, 1978, when only three trials were underway, minutes of a meeting of the Fluoxetine Project Team read: "There have been a fairly large number of reports of adverse reactions... Another depressed patient developed psychosis... Akathisia and restlessness were reported in some patients." A similar meeting held 10 days earlier stated, "…some patients have converted from severe depression to agitation within a few days; in one case the agitation was marked and the patient had to be taken off [the] drug." The minutes further state, "…in future studies the use of benzodiazepines to control the agitation will be permitted.” From that point on, Lilly's trial subjects were put on tranquillizers to get them over the akathisia experienced by some in the early days on the drug. Those who developed akathisia or who had any suicidal tendencies were excluded from the trial data on the basis that they would otherwise obscure the results of the drug's success in treating depression.
Lilly internal documents, May 25, 1984 – Upon examing Prozac trial results, the German licensing authority (the Bundes Gesundheit Amt (BGA)) issued a letter stating: "During the treatment with the preparation [Prozac], 16 suicide attempts were made, two of these with success. As patients with a risk of suicide were excluded from the studies, it is probable that this high proportion can be attributed to an action of the preparation [Prozac]."
January 1985, the Germans told Lilly that they would not license the drug, citing "suicidal risk" as one of the reasons for their decision. Lilly's scientists continued trying to persuade the BGA to grant a license, but focused most of their efforts on the US. By August 1989, it was clear to Lilly that the BGA would demand that Prozac carry a warning to General Practitioners (GPs) that they should be aware of the risk of suicide unless they gave patients sedation along with Prozac. A warning of a "risk of suicide" finally went on the German package insert in 1992. It also stated, "For his/her own safety, the patient must be sufficiently observed, until the antidepressive effect of Fluctin [Prozac] sets in. Taking an additional sedative may be necessary."
During the licensing process in the US Lilly did not tell the Food an Drug Administration (FDA) about the concerns of the German licensing authority.
Lilly has repeatedly attempted to suggest suicidality reflects patient’s disorders. Yet, Lilly’s own scientist, John Heiligenstein, wrote in an internal memo on September 14, 1990: "We feel caution should be exercised in a statement that 'suicidality and hostile acts in patients taking Prozac reflect the patient's disorder and not a causal relationship to Prozac'. Post-marketing reports [reports from GPs of suicides and violence in patients on the drug] are increasingly fuzzy and we have assigned, 'Yes, reasonably related', on several reports.
This Heiligenstein memo was written in 1989, two years after Prozac was granted a license by the FDA, and just months after a study report by Martin Teicher, Jonathan Cole and Carol Glod was published. According to the study, 6 patients with a history of depression became violently suicidal in a way that surprised themselves and their doctors while on the drug. The report noted that suicidal thoughts occurred within days or weeks of going on Prozac, or of having the dosage increased beyond a certain level, and that such thoughts disappeared when the patient stopped taking the drug. Lilly insisted that Prozac did not cause akathesia; the company asserted that the link between akathesia and suicide is questionable.
Eli Lilly states in Prozac's information sheet that the drug can cause akathisia. However, Eli Lilly has said that less than 1 percent of Prozac users experience this side effect, while a 1989 report in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry estimates that the actual share of Prozac users who suffer from akathisia is between 10 percent and 25 percent. Other reports on the link between Prozac and akathisia have appeared in psychiatric journals.
Akathisia is related to a breakdown in the ability to control impulses. Thus, it has been associated with violent and suicidal acts in a number of studies and reports. A double-blind clinical study established a link between akathisia and suicidal or homicidal thoughts, according to a report in the Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology.
Akathisia was associated with acts of extreme violence in an article in the American Journal of Forensic Psychiatry, which described three patients who attacked other people or committed murder. Other researchers have noted that patients who take Prozac and develop akathisia may, in turn, become preoccupied with thoughts of suicide. A 1991 article in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, for example, reports on three patients who attempted suicide during fluoxetine (Prozac) treatment and were then reexposed to the drug. The second time around, all three developed severe akathisia and said the condition made them feel suicidal; they also attributed their previous suicide attempts to akathisia.
Lilly's internal documents of that time show that public criticism was threatening the drug’s success. Some were coming out of the UK.
An internal memo from Leigh Thompson, one of Lilly’s chief scientists, stated, "Anything that happens in the UK can threaten this drug [Prozac] in the US and worldwide…" "We are now expending enormous efforts fending off attacks because of 1) relationship to murder and 2) inducing suicidal ideation [suicidal behavior].”
Another memo from Thompson read: "I am concerned about reports I get re UK attitude toward Prozac safety. Leber [Dr Paul Leber of the FDA] suggested a few minutes ago we use CSM [British Committee on Safety of Medicines] database to compare Prozac aggression and suicidal ideation with other antidepressants in the UK. Although he is a fan of Prozac and believes a lot of this is garbage, he is clearly a political creature and will have to respond to pressures. I hope Patrick [probably a Lilly employee, but not identified fully in the memo] realizes that Lilly can go down the tubes if we lose Prozac, and just one event in the UK can cost us that.”
In 1990, Lilly scientists were pressured by corporate executives to alter records on physician experiences with Prozac, changing mentions of suicide attempts to "overdose" and suicidal thoughts to "depression." In an electronic communiqué (obtained by author Dr. Joseph Glenmullen, Prozac Backlash) from Claude Bouchy, a Lilly employee in Germany, to three Lilly corporate executives at Lilly’s Indianapolis headquarters, dated November 13, 1990: Bouchy says he and a colleague "have problems with the directions our safety people are getting from the corporate group (Drug Epidemiology Unit) and requesting that we change the identification of events as they are reported by the physicians. . ." He further reported, “Our safety staff is requested to change the event term `suicide attempt' [as reported by the physician] to `overdose.' " He added, “...it is requested that we change . . . `suicidal ideation' to `depression.' " He informed his US Lilly colleagues: "I do not think I could explain to the BGA, to a judge, to a reporter or even to my family why we would do this especially on the sensitive issue of suicide and suicidal ideation. At least not with the explanations that have been given to our staff so far."
In 1994, David Healy (then consultant to Eli Lilly) published an article entitled "The Fluoxetine and Suicide Controversy, a Review of the Evidence” in which he stated that antidepressants, Prozac included, can indeed induce suicidal behaviour. (CNS Drugs, March 1994)
Dr. Healy estimates at least 250,000 people have attempted suicide worldwide because of Prozac alone and that at least 25,000 have succeeded. He was offered a job at the University of Toronto affiliated Center for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) in 2000. Healy was making arrangements for moving his family to Toronto when he gave a lecture at the CAMH on November 30, 2000 where he reiterated his position on Prozac and suicide. Healy was unceremoniously turned down for the CAMH job. Speculation has it that Eli Lilly may have had a hand in Healy's firing. An international controversy has ensued about Healy's case and the implications it has for academic freedom in academic medicine. Healy filed a multi-million dollar breach of contract lawsuit against the CAMH and the University of Toronto.
The FDA's adverse event reporting system (AERS) reveals 28,623 Prozac adverse events (ADEs) (Garnered from data gathered via Freedom of Information Act):
· 63% of 1,734 deaths reported - 1,089 - were attributed to suicides.
· Suicide attempts numbered 1,885.
· Over 10% of the total 28,623 ADEs reported were attributed to suicides and suicide attempts.
Leah Garnett, staff writer at the Boston Globe, reported in a May 7, 2000 article ("As drug gets remade, concerns about suicides surface")that recent studies revealed over 50,000 deaths related to Prozac and estimate that between 7% and 10% of individuals exposed to Prozac will have some kind of adverse reaction.
On June 19, 2003, the FDA warned that another popular antidepressant "Paxil," manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline, should not be given to depressed children aged 18 and under because of an increased risk of suicide. The "Big Three" SSRI drugs-Prozac (fluoxetine), Zoloft (sertraline) and Paxil/Seroxat (paroxetine)-increase this risk significantly.
Today, Prozac remains currently available for the treatment of depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and bulimia nervosa. It can be part of an effective treatment regime when monitored closely and used in combination with intensive psychotherapy. Prozac has also been used off-label (which means a use not reviewed by the FDA) to treat panic disorder. Under a different brand name (Sarafem), it is also approved for the treatment of premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD).
Patients and their families should watch for worsened symptoms of depression as well as for anxiety, agitation, panic, difficulty sleeping, irritability, hostility, aggressiveness, impulsivity, restlessness, or over excitement and hyperactivity. Call the doctor if any of these are severe or occur suddenly.
Physicians caution not to abruptly stop taking Prozac or other SSRIs. Consult your doctor about discontinuing and reducing dosage gradually. Abruptly stopping may cause serious withdrawal reactions that include crashing into depression with possible suicidal and/or violent behavior. Gradually tapering off Prozac gives your body time to re-adjust back from the adjustments it has made while introducing Prozac into your system. Though not everyone will have serious problems discontinuing, it is much safer to not take a chance by proceeding too fast. Reducing dosage by a small percentage at a time is better than to reduce by a larger one, such as one-half. A slower discontinuation also helps reduce the intensity of withdrawal reactions.
Boy to 911: Help, My Daddy Killed Me
Friday, October 29, 2004
Associated Press
TACOMA, Washington — "Please, help me," said the soft-spoken caller to the 911 dispatcher.
"My daddy killed me with a knife and I'm gone. ... Can you please send the Army men or the ambulance?"
The caller gave an address — the wrong address — and hung up. Police and paramedics were sent rushing to help.
A second dispatcher, Kristine Woodrow, then phoned the caller back and reached 8-year-old Anthony Sukto, who calmly described the attack despite his severe wounds.
A transcript of the calls was released Wednesday, two days after the boy's father, Tony Sukto, 36, pleaded innocent to the first-degree murder of his wife, Pranee Sukto, 39, and attempted first-degree murder of his son on Oct. 22.
"What's going on there?" asked Woodrow, 31, who has three preschoolers at home.
"My daddy killed me with a butcher knife," Anthony said in the 4 a.m. call, his voice composed.
"How did that happen if you are talking to me?" Woodrow asked.
"Because," Anthony answered. "I don't know what happened, but something. He grabbed knives. I woke up. My dad, he was killing my mom and then my, my, my dad told me to go onto the other bed and then he's like, 'You're next,' and then he killed me.
"I'm still alive. I kind of survived."
At first, Woodrow, a dispatcher at the Law Enforcement Support Agency here for more than eight years, wasn't sure what was going on.
"He was extremely calm," she recalled Wednesday. "It didn't feel real. It wasn't a typical response from someone who had just witnessed what he witnessed or had just been attacked."
She asked how old he was.
"Eight," he said, his voice suddenly more childlike. "Can you hurry?"
"We're on the way," Woodrow said.
It still wasn't clear where he was calling from. When he called in, the computer offered a suburban street and house number that didn't match. Dispatchers consulted maps as firefighters and police hurried to a wrong address. They tried another, also wrong.
"We weren't finding him at any address that made sense," Woodrow recalled. "Units were scrambling all over the place."
She tried to keep the child on the phone.
"Are you bleeding, Anthony?" she asked.
"Uh huh," he answered.
"Where are you bleeding from?"
"From my stomach," the boy said, pain in his voice.
"Are you there by yourself?" Woodrow asked.
"No. My mom is already dead and I am the only survivor," Anthony said.
His mother had been stabbed 10 times.
He told Woodrow his house was white. He said he lived on Forest Street. He answered questions about his father and his dad's red Toyota.
"Please hurry," he said.
Four minutes into the call, he turned abrupt.
"Oh, my gosh," he said.
"What?" Woodrow asked.
"I have to go," Anthony said. "Bye."
And he was gone. Woodrow called back but got no answer.
At 4:17 a.m., Tony Sukto flagged down a fire truck sent to the area. He was standing in the front yard of the family home. Minutes later, police took him into custody.
Anthony is recovering from surgery to repair his lacerated liver at Mary Bridge Children's Hospital and Health Center.
Woodrow hopes to visit.
"I want to tell him how amazing he is," she said. "I don't think he knows that."
As Reported by UrbanMecca.com
MASS MEDIA AND THE AFRICAN AMERICAN CRIMINAL MALE STEREOTYPE BY DENNIS ROME
Jul 29, 2004
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Dennis Rome, a sociologist and associate professor in the Department of Criminal Justice at Indiana University Bloomington, wants to open people's eyes to a form of indoctrination they experience day in and day out. It poisons race relations in the United States, Rome says, by contributing to negative stereotypes of African American men, creating damaging self-fulfilling prophecies for black youth and bolstering an age-old fear many white Americans have of African Americans.
Rome charges contemporary mass media with such "conceptual entrapment by imagery" in his new book, Black Demons: Mass Media's Depiction of the African American Male Criminal Stereotype, published this month by Praeger Publishers. While the book is geared to the college classroom, Rome wrote it to appeal to the general public as well, which he would like to see take a more critical view of media that he says foster a negative stereotype of African Americans.
Contemporary media, he says, particularly through extreme gangster rap music, reality crime shows and newscasts, have essentially defined crime and given it a black face, despite statistics that paint a different picture. For example, he cites statistics that point to higher cocaine use among whites than blacks, an impression one does not get while watching the evening news or the reality show COPS, he says.
Rome has been researching issues related to crime, media, race and ethnic relations for 15 years. What has evolved from his work is a schema, central to his book, that involves several steps:
- The media report on crimes, showing images that viewers then associate with crime.
- The media report on crimes without showing images. Viewers have in mind the images shown previously.
- When viewers later think about crimes, they look for indications that support their conception of crime, which was formed by what they saw in the media reports.
"I want people to understand the conceptualization, the entrapment by the media, and not be too quickly convinced of what they see," Rome says. "If we understand how we conceptualize these media images, we can begin to change our behavior."
The schema has applications for scholars as well. "We have a better chance of understanding how behavior is shaped if we can understand how concepts of crime are shaped in the mind," he says.
Black Demons includes chapters devoted to reality police shows and extreme gangster rap music, which is often brutal toward black women yet is purchased largely by white suburban males, Rome says. He makes a strong case for how the African American male criminal stereotype continues to be used to justify covert and overt racism. He also provides a historical analysis of how the dominant society has employed and still employs this stereotype to keep blacks assigned to second-class citizenship. The myth of the black rapist, for example, was used to justify lynching and to keep African Americans in a vulnerable position.
Rome's schema can be used to evaluate other social issues as well. Concerning crime, however, Rome has some suggestions for reversing the negative stereotypes and images.
"This country needs to stop participating in a prison-industrial complex, where fear is created so people are more willing to fund prison construction than schools," he says. "We also need to look at alternative measures for affecting behavior. Punitive punishment doesn't work."
He says the citizenry also would benefit from news media with more diverse ideas, not just more diverse ethnicity.
Rome can be reached at 812-855-8805 and drome@indiana.edu.
