THE SEARCHLIGHT, April 12-18, 2008

THE SEARCHLIGHT
April 12-18, 2008
No Peace without Justice, no Justice without the Facts
Mary K. Matossian, Editor

The Iraq War

Reuters 4-17. According to a study by the RAND Corporation, 320,000 American soldiers deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan, 18.7% of the total, suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression. Of these, half receive no medical care; of those receiving care, half receive only minimal care. Mental illness reduces productivity and increases risk of suicide.

US Presidential Primaries

USA Today 4-15: According to a national Gallup Poll of Democrats, Obama now leads Clinton 51% to 40%.

US Economy

NYTimes 4-15. The price of oil hits $114 a barrel.
BBC 4-15. Delta and Northwest Airlines merge, This was precipitated by a steep rise in oil prices.
PBS and Market Watch, 4-17. Google reported 31% increase in its profits during the first quarter. In late trading Google stock rose to $527 a share.
PBS 4-17. Many businesses are going green in anticipation that there will be wealth shifts to companies that control their carbon dioxide emissions. Some businesses are also trying to save the energy being used by their computers, e.g. by turning them off automatically at night.

California Quake Forecast

Mercury News 4-15. According to the US Geological Survey in Menlo Park, there is a 99.7% risk of a calamitous earthquake in California within 30 years. In the Bay Area the greatest threat is from the Hayward Fault in the East Bay. A quake there would affect the area from San Jose to Santa Rosa.
Health: Alzheimer’s Disease Risk Factors

BBC 4-17. According to papers published by the American Academy of Neurology, life style factors play a role in the risk of getting dementia, and how early the onset of dementia is. Smoking and heavy drinking, defined as more than two drinks a day, are risk factors. People with a high cholesterol level in their early forties are one and a half times more likely to develop the disease.
Exercise and a diet rich in anti-oxidants and vitamins are factors favoring prevention of the disease.
There are also genetic factors.