Farming is
one of the most hazardous industries in America, according to federal statistics. Most farm deaths are caused by accidents. There is another danger that gets far less publicity.
I found this site from
AgriWellness, based in Iowa, to be very helpful in leading me to some background sources.
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) says the suicide rate for farmers is double the average rate. According to the National Farm Medicine Center (Marshfield, Wis.), "Suicide is the fifth leading cause of death of farmers in the Midwest."
Farming is a high pressure occupation with all sorts of stressors that farmers cannot control, such as the weather, the fact that many farmers work alone in isolated conditions, many carry high debts, and the planting and harvesting seasons mean long and intense work days.
Analysts who have studied long-term farm suicide rates don't understand why farmers tend to kill themselves on Sunday mornings while the general population is more likely to take their own lives on Friday and Saturday nights. Farmers are also more likely to commit suicide during the periods of planting (spring) or harvest (fall).
But the most important findings seem to be that farmers and farm families may not have access to mental health support or may not take advantage of it because of stigmas attached to seeking out such help.
This is not just an issue with American farmers. I have noticed stories about farmers and suicide in New Zealand, which was hit by floods that wiped out farmers.
Media in India have been recently reporting that up to 2,200 farmers have killed themselves in the last 15 years, partly underpinned by overwhelming financial pressures. Another story said at least 1,000 farmers in India have claimed their own lives since May of this year alone. Some of the stories call the farm suicides in India an epidemic.
AgriWellness.org and others are raising some awareness these days about the possible connection between pesticide exposure and depression. I bet that topic would lead to a lot of interesting reporting. The site mentions a film that has been produced on the topic.
I was also interested in the data I read about how farm teens were killing themselves. The National Farm Medicine Center cites a NIOSH study that looked at youth suicides from 1995-2000, which found that "suicide was the predominate cause of death among older farm youth..." Another study I found said:
...suicide rates are much greater in the "frontier" states of the mountain west and Great Plains. Some of the highest rates (per 100,000) for suicide among 15-19-year-olds during the period of 1992-1996 were found in Alaska (31), Wyoming (23), Montana (22), South Dakota (21), North Dakota (20), New Mexico (19), Utah (19), Arizona (17), Nevada (16), Idaho (15), Colorado (15), and Kansas (15).
Additional resources on covering suicide:
>
Why no stories about suicide as a health problem?>
Reporting on suicide>
Al's Morning Meeting items on suicide
Average Gasoline Prices Top $2 -- Oil Sets New Records
A week before the election, the price of gasoline has topped $2 per gallon, the highest price since June. At the same time, Exxon, Royal Dutch Shell, and BP will report earnings this week, beginning today; all are expected to report a combined $14 billion in profits in the last quarter (about the size of the annual GDP of Peru).
Bloomberg says:
Houston-based ConocoPhillips, Norway's Statoil ASA, and New York-based Amerada Hess Corp. will release earnings on (Wed.) Oct. 27, followed the next day by Exxon Mobil, headquartered in Irving, Texas, and Shell, which is based in London and The Hague. San Ramon, California-based ChevronTexaco reports on (Fri.) Oct. 29.
Oil prices hit new records Monday. Heating oil prices also set new records. Some experts are now talking about $60 per barrel of oil within months. Demands for jet fuel and kerosene are also adding pressure on tight supplies.
Still, as AP reports:
While crude futures prices are more than 80 percent higher than a year ago, they still need to reach $80 per barrel in order to surpass the all-time peak -- in inflation-adjusted terms -- set in February 1981.
Here is John Kerry's energy plan.
Here is George Bush's energy plan.
Workplace Bullying
According to a recent article in the BBC News, bullied workers -- individuals who are exposed to persistent devaluing, demeaning, or harassing behavior in the workplace -- experience the very same emotions and stresses as battle-scarred soldiers. Bullying can take many forms, from malicious gossiping to overt physical violence.
Bullied workers take an average of seven more sick days per year than other workers, the BBC said.
The BBC story also said:
Dr. Noreen Tehrani has counseled victims of the troubles in Northern Ireland, soldiers returning from combat overseas, and victims of workplace bullying.
"The symptoms displayed by people who have been in conflict situations and workplaces where bullying happens are strikingly similar," Dr. Tehrani told BBC News Online ...
"Generally, male bullies indulge in quite physical and loud verbal bullying," said Dr. Tehrani.
"Female bullies favor a strictly psychological approach to inflicting pain on others such as gossip and persistent criticism."
University Password Hacking
The Indianapolis Star reports a story that might have local application. It is about a big security breach of university computers.
Purdue University computer security experts on Thursday advised all students, faculty, and staff to change their passwords after discovering a breach in the university computer systems.
At least 100 passwords had been obtained by unauthorized users, who gained access to 100 to 200 university computer servers, said Scott Ksander of Purdue's information technology office.
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Editor's Note: Al's Morning Meeting is a compendium of ideas, edited story excerpts, and other materials from a variety of websites, as well as original concepts and analysis. When the information comes directly from another source, it will be attributed, and a link will be provided, whenever possible.
