Arlington blog

Kalamazoo River Oil Spill Clean-up Continues

117 were from local residents and 24 from clean-up workers and four were from visitors. Illness reports included symptoms of nausea and vomiting, headache, coughing and choking. Vision, skin and heart issues were reported as well. About 70 percent of those who got ill reported moderately severe symptoms.

Thehas provided several resources and guidelines for residents affected by the Kalamazoo oil spill. Thehas put together a fact sheet for residents who live near the Kalamazoo River oil spill. This guide addresses health tips, safety alerts, resident warnings and natural resources.

A life-long resident of "Pure Michigan", Marilisa Kinney Sachteleben writes for the Yahoo! Contributor Network about people and policies, education and economy, natural resources and social justice in Michigan.

Weight-Loss Surgery May Cut Migraine Pain in Obese Patients

Obesity is thought to contribute to worsening of migraine, particularly for severely obese individuals, yet no study has examined whether weight loss can actually improve migraine headaches in these patients," study author Dale Bond, a researcher with the Miriam Hospital's Weight Loss and Diabetes Research Center, said in a journal news release.

"Our study provides evidence that weight loss may be an important part of a migraine treatment plan for obese patients," Bond noted.

About 28 million Americans struggle with migraines, the study authors pointed out. The problem primarily affects women, and is characterized by throbbing pain, typically confined to one side of the head, lasting anywhere from four hours to three days, they noted. Often recurring between one and four times a month, these headaches are accompanied by nausea, vomiting and sensitivity to light.

Although the exact mechanism driving migraines is not fully understood, they are believed to be triggered by abnormal brain activity that itself is set in motion by stress, particular foods and a range of environmental factors. To date, there is no known cure, though medications can sometimes help control severity and frequency of attacks.

To explore the potential benefit of bariatric surgery on migraines, Bond and his associates focused on 24 severely obese patients with a history of migraines.

Most of the patients were women (88 percent), with an average age of about 39, and more than 70 percent were white. All were severely obese, with an average pre-surgery body-mass index (BMI, a measurement that is based on height and weight) of 46.6. More than half underwent the banding surgical option, according to the report.

Although 70 percent of the patients were still characterized as "obese" six months post-surgery, by that time point, patient BMI had plummeted to an average of 34.6.

Questionnaires completed before and after the procedure revealed that whereas the patients had experienced an average of 11 migraine headaches over the prior three months leading up to surgery, that figure dropped to less than seven by the six-month post-surgery mark.

Specifically, 58 percent of the patients said they had fewer headaches post-surgery. Another 17 percent experienced no change, while a quarter said they actually had more frequent headaches, the investigators found.

Overall, the greater the weight loss post-surgery, the greater the apparent drop in migraine risk, the researchers reported.

Aside from frequency, migraine severity and the disabling consequences that can result also seemed to dissipate post-surgery. While half of the patients said their migraines were either moderately or severely disabling pre-surgery (requiring medical care), only 12.5 percent said the same was true six months following surgery.

Commenting on the study, Dr. Frederick J. de la Vega, a neurologist at the Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla in San Diego, said that the observations raise a lot of as-yet unanswered questions.

"It seems to be good news for these types of obese patients, of course," he said. "It's a win-win. But this kind of surgery involves some risks. And so I don't think people who suffer from migraines who are just a little chubby are going to go get bariatric surgery just to reduce their migraine risk."

"And secondly, there's probably a lot of factors interacting here to influence on migraines related to the benefits of shedding all those pounds," he noted. "Blood pressure changes, other metabolic changes, mood changes resulting from people feeling better about themselves, increased exercise participation after weight loss. And whether the lost weight has a secondary effect on the hormone levels of women, and how all of that might impact on migraines. All of these factors would have to be looked at."

More information

For more on migraine and obesity, visit the American Headache Society.

Analyst view: Obama sets out Libya strategy

President Barack Obama set out his strategy for Libya in a televised address on Monday, seeking to refute criticism that he was slow to explain the scope of the mission and his exit plan.

Here is reaction from analysts to Obama's speech.

KENNETH POLLACK, MIDDLE EAST EXPERT, SABAN CENTER AT THE BROOKINGS INSTITUTION

"It was mostly intended for a domestic audience. That was always the target. I think it answered the bell for the domestic audience. I think internationally there was only ever so much it was going to do. I think it probably did convince people overseas that the president has a good grasp on why he decided to commit the United States to Libya, what he's seeking to do there, how he's planning to do it."

"I think that he did convince them 'Look you know, I'm not planning to make a bigger American investment in Libya but by the same token I'm also not intending to just simply leave Gaddafi in power forever.' And I think that those are ultimately the major issues."

MICHAEL WOOLFOLK, SENIOR CURRENCY STRATEGIST, BNY MELLON

"Certainly President Obama's words were positive but market players are skeptical as to whether or not Obama himself really has any significant impact on market behavior or market sentiment."

STEPHEN FLANAGAN, NATIONAL SECURITY EXPERT, CENTER FOR STRATEGIC AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

"He showed that in fact there was fairly deliberate and decisive action, that this took place over a matter of a few weeks as opposed to a year in the case of Bosnia."

"He made clear that this wasn't open-ended ... In the back of the speech the makings of an Obama doctrine on the use of force where he was saying that we will both defend our values and our interests..."

"I thought it was a very clear statement of how he views and prioritizes the defending of our core interests, our other interests and values when they are threatened."

"It is reminiscent a bit of a speech that President Clinton gave in the aftermath of the Kosovo crisis when people were saying 'Well why Kosovo and not elsewhere and is this an open-ended commitment?'"

WILLIAM LARKIN, FIXED INCOME PORTFOLIO MANAGER, CABOT MONEY MANAGEMENT

"I think that people are going to look at the facts that come out of the Middle East. I think that my takeaway is that it was very clear to me that this was: 'Lesson learned by the American people.' Don't do it alone, the initial passing it over to NATO to do the heavy lifting, they're hopefully going to take care of this situation. It's progress. He's being very transparent about his tactics. All those are positives. The market is going to like that."

STEVEN COOK, MIDDLE EAST EXPERT, COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS

"He did what he set out to do, which is to explain why we're doing it. I thought he raised all the right points -- why Libya but not other places, which is the thing that's been dogging him most recently."

"It may not satisfy everybody but I think it was pretty effective -- the fact that Gaddafi was going to steamroll over Benghazi ... He raised the humanitarian issue very effectively."

"All in all it was good. The part that was a little bit shaky from my perspective was when he divorced the military objectives from the political objectives."

"Publicly they're not going to say that they're involved in regime change. But in essence what he said by leveling the playing field and allowing Libyans to take matters into their own hands, they're creating an opportunity where Libyans have at least a fighting chance to engage in their own regime change."

SHARON STARK, CHIEF FIXED INCOME STRATEGIST, STERNE AGEE

"Investors decided to flock to the safety of bonds when this all started and I think now that the president has said the immediate crisis is over you won't see that massive exodus out of equities into bonds. However, the situation is still fragile enough that it wouldn't take much for investors to do that again."

(Reporting by Tabassum Zakaria, Joanne Allen and Eric Walsh; Editing by John O'Callaghan)

Stocks push higher on improving economic reports

Stocks edged higher to start the week after economic reports suggested that the recovery is continuing.

The Commerce Department said consumer spending rose at its fastest pace in four months in February, though some of the increase was driven by higher gas prices. The National Association of Realtors said more Americans signed contracts to buy homes in February than economists were expecting. Sales rose in every region but the Northeast, but remained below what is considered a healthy level.

The Dow Jones industrial average gained 17 points, or 0.2 percent, to 12,238 in afternoon trading Monday. The broader S&P 500 index rose 2, or 0.1 percent, to 1,315. The Nasdaq composite inched up 2, or 0.1 percent, to 2,745.

"We are continuing to grind higher because all of the economic data that was stronger than expected," said John Brady, a senior vice president at MF Global. "There was no more bad news out of the Middle East over the weekend and the situation in Libya looks like it's stabilizing."

In Libya, rebels gained ground against longtime leader Moammar Gadhafi after international airstrikes against Gadhafi's forces. Oil prices fell as Libyan rebels retook control of key port towns Ras Lanouf and Brega and said they would resume exporting crude within weeks.

In the U.S., Eastman Kodak Co. jumped nearly 9 percent after the U.S. Trade Commission said it will review a judge's finding in a patent dispute with Apple Inc. and Research in Motion Ltd. A favorable ruling could pave the way for Kodak to reap higher fees.

Oil-services companies Halliburton Co. and Schlumberger Ltd. each rose more than 5 percent to lead the 500 stocks in the S&P index. Netflix Inc. rose 4.5 percent after announcing a deal with Paramount to stream more movies to subscribers in Canada.

Retailer Harry & David said it would file for bankruptcy reorganization after battling weak revenue and hefty debt. The seller of fruit baskets and snack gifts has struggled as consumers cut down on discretionary spending.

This is a data-heavy week on Wall Street. A crucial jobs report and manufacturing surveys will be released over the next five days.

Lady Gaga boosts Japan relief funds at Zynga

Efforts by social game star Zynga and the American Red Cross to raise money for relief efforts in Japan got a $1.5 million dollar boost on Monday from pop diva Lady Gaga.

Lady Gaga, whose birth name is Stefani Germanotta, raised the money by selling "We pray for Japan" plastic wristbands at her ladygaga.com website.

"I'm inspired that my little monsters banded together to help those affected by the terrible tragedy," Lady Gaga said in a release. "What Zynga's players have done for the cause is equally inspiring."

Lady Gaga is on a "Monster Ball" concert tour and refers to her fans as her "little monsters."

Zynga players have raised more than $2.5 million in the past two weeks through charitable purchases of virtual goods in online games including FarmVille, Cafe World, CityVille, and Zynga Poker.

The money from Lady Gaga raised to more than $3 million the amount of money Zynga is routing to a Japan Earthquake Tsunami fund being overseen by Save the Children.

"We've seen our players show tremendous generosity when presented with opportunities to give back," said Zynga founder Mark Pincus.

"We're very happy that Lady Gaga has chosen to donate to our fundraising efforts and hope our players take pride in what they've accomplished."

San Francisco-based Zynga has made raising money for charity a part of play in its games since the company launched in 2009.

A website devoted to the startup's Japan fund is online at http://www.savethechildren.org/japanzynga.