In a war, death comes in many forms: jury-rigged bombs, sleek fighter jets, assault rifles, rocket-propelled grenades. But a stealthier killer lingers long after the fighting is done, in the psychological toll that combat exacts. More than 6,000 veterans take their own lives every year — about 20 percent of the 30,000 American suicides annually.

In an effort to quantify the psychological cost of war, a recent report from the National Bureau of Economic Research has come up with the magic numbers. They estimate that lower-bound costs of mental health problems from the global war on terror are...

With something like 50 bike races — road and mountain — spread over four days, the Sea Otter Classic has become the unofficial kickoff to the U.S. cycling season. It has also, between the racing and the beer tents, become an important quasi-trade show for the bike industry, with demos, meetings and major product launches. For bike geeks, no event can match Sea Otter’s mix of racing action and pure gear porn.

Of course, we’re not racing (have we mentioned the beer tents?). We're prowling the festival grounds in search of product highlights. Here are some of the standouts from our f...