This New York Times Magazine article about a rash of deaths related to Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in a group of people who ate at the now-defunct Garden State Park Race Track was an interesting read. However, the theory that the deaths were caused by mad cow disease does not seem to have any conclusive evidence. The view that the article takes of Janet Skarbek, its main proponent, especially toward the end of the article, was also not particularly positive. It strayed from a mature, empowered woman ("broad forehead, straight, long hair and grown-up gaze") to a slightly crazed conspiracy theorist, unbalanced by the death of a friend:
Skarbek has a different ending in mind. She sees herself unraveling a conspiracy of government and business interests to hide an epidemic. The idea pleases her. She recited a line from ''The Pelican Brief,'' the movie about a female law student who uncovers a government conspiracy: ''So you're the little lady who started this great brouhaha?''