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Man Does Not Live on Bread Alone

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I like to think that Marx is reaching for a handgun in this picture It is an interesting fact that rates of depression have not decreased since the introduction of antidepressants in the 1950’s. One would expect and hope that the discovery of a medication to treat a particular disorder would lead to a subsequent drop in said disorder; but this has not occurred since antidepressants were first introduced in the 1950's. [1] In fact, rates of depression have skyrocketed at the same time that medications have become the treatment of choice for Major Depressive Disorder and other related disorders. The conspiracy theorist in many of us (I’m sure) is quick to draw some connection between this increase in depression diagnoses and prescriptions of antidepressants, and I propose that there is a connection --- but not in the direct, causal way that we are likely to assume. Good statisticians always keep in mind that correlation does not equal causation: that is, two or more events that oc...
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Call me Newbuck

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I finished reading Moby Dick several weeks ago and highly recommend it to anyone who is looking for a good read. Prior to dipping into it, I had the impression that the book was dour, serious, and long. Those characterizations are true… but it is also hilarious in parts, peopled with wild and entertaining characters, and is a deep and thoughtful meditation on human nature and our world. A short background and summary: Herman "that's a nice beard" Melville Herman Melville published Moby Dick in 1851, after he had given up his work as a merchant-seaman and whaler. Melville based the novel on his own experiences on the sea as well as the actual sinking of the whaleship Essex after being struck by a whale in 1820. Moby Dick is narrated by the merchant-seaman Ishmael who joins the crew of the whaling-ship Pequod during the height of the American whale-fishery in the first half of the 19 th century. As the novel progresses, Ishmael’s participation in the novel gradual...
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Coronavirus Thoughts

If there has ever been a good time to begin a blog, the current coronavirus lockdown is it. The abundant free time inflicted by the stay-at-home order means that my already limited self-control is strained far beyond capacity. On a typical day, my schedule is imposed by my duties, but with classes being over, work ending (for the most part), and most forms of entertainment being off-limits, I am faced with the unpleasant chore of actually having to choose to be productive. Over the previous two months, I have been spectacularly unsuccessful at accomplishing anything of meaning, so this blog is my attempt at rescuing something valuable from this wasted time. At the risk of beating a dead horse into a bloody pulp, I want to begin this blog by discussing what I feel has been one of the major takeaways from the Covid-19 pandemic: the fact that nobody knows the future. This truth has been borne out by the host of contradictory predictions which the coronavirus disaster has generated: the ...
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