Week in Review

Local

Food stamp program not being utilized

According to new reports, many Rhode Islanders are not taking advantage of their eligibility to receive food stamps.

In fact, the Rhode Island Community Food Bank reports that "only 36 percent of the client households served through the Food Bank's network of member agencies receives Food Stamps. This is down from 46 percent in 2001 and 49 percent in 1997."

Many legislators and employees of the food stamp initiative argue that the problem lies in the lack of awareness among the poor of the services available to them.

According to a study by the federal government, Rhode Island ranks above only four states for levels of food stamp use among those who are eligible.

Each state receives federal funding to pay for the food purchased with the debit card known as the Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT), and states also receive funding for half the cost of the implementation of the program.

According to the Rhode Island Food Bank, if Rhode Island's food stamp participation grew at the same rate as the national average, this would amount to more than a $30-million gain for the local economy on an annual basis.

National

News leak prompts jury barring

A new development has unfolded in the Scooter Libby trial, in which the former White House aide is being accused of lying and obstructing FBI officials in the leak of CIA agent Valerie Palme's cover.

According to an Associated Press report, a member of the jury was barred from the case Monday after she was accused of leaking information regarding the case over the weekend. While the U.S. District Judge Reggie B. Walton removed her from the case and did not elaborate on the information that was exposed. He classified the discrepancy as a misunderstanding. The trial will continue as normal, however, with the 11 remaining jurors who began their deliberations last Wednesday, Feb. 21.

International

Find signals long road ahead in Iraq

The U.S. Department of Defense announced Monday, Feb. 26, that local Iraqis have led U.S. troops to a bomb-making factory in Western Iraq approximately 10 miles east of Fallujah.

The discovery, which was made Tuesday, Feb. 20, in Gharmah, Iraq, by a team from the U.S. Parachute Infantry Regiment, initially yielded materials including "blasting caps, ballistic glass used in up-armored Humvees, and five vehicles, one full of propane tanks and initiation devices."

As troops inspected further, however, they found various chemicals including nitric acid, fertilizer, mortars, rockets, and a Russian bomb.

Despite the fact that the discoveries are believed to be possessions of al Qaeda units stationed in Iraq, and show that stability and safety within the country will be a long time coming, they also give the U.S. military hope.

In a press release from the Department of Defense regarding the discovery the Department commented, "Iraqis are demonstrating that they want to be a part of this effort and help clear their communities of terrorists."

Science

If you sweat it, you'll forget it

According to a new study released by the American Psychological Association, it has been proven that apprehension before math exams may actually contribute to lower scores.

By focusing on the anxiety before an exam rather than learning the material, the brain capacity becomes limited, inhibiting the individual from grasping concepts.

Although it is a general assumption that too much stress before any exam will hinder performance, psychologists Mark Ashcraft and Elizabeth Kirk who initiated the study argue that performance in math is specifically proven to be impacted.

They assert that it "leads to avoidance, which leads to lower competence; second, it temporarily inhibits working memory capacity, possibly by failure to inhibit attention to intrusive thoughts."

Ashcraft and Kirk assert that anxiety can be prevented or reversed, by seeking resources such as extra help through meeting with professors after class or seeking student tutoring.

They also acknowledge however, that the issue at hand is especially significant in today's society where a considerable emphasis in higher education admissions is placed on standardized test scores that include a major math component.