A Sampling of Clips for April 19, 2011

* UCSD faculty and staff may obtain a copy of an article by e-mailing the University Communications Office

Let Tepco Go Bankrupt, If It Must
The Wall Street Journal, Opinion, April 19 -- As the Japanese government struggles to control the nuclear crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant, it also faces pressing financial questions: How will the utility that owns Fukushima, Tokyo Electric Power Co., finance the decommissioning of this plant and possibly others, and how will it compensate those affected by the crisis? (Co-authored by Takeo Hoshi and Ulrike Schaede, professors at the School of International Relations and Pacific Studies at UC San Diego) More

Frustration and Hope as Oil Drilling Regulator Remakes Itself
The New York Times, April 18 -- In Sunday’s Times, we assessed the Interior Department’s progress in revamping the Minerals Management Service, the scandal-ridden agency responsible for regulating offshore oil and gas drilling and collecting royalties from oil development on public lands. (Mentions UC San Diego) More

The Mix: 100 Composers Under 40
NPR, April 17 -- A few weeks ago, Q2 and NPR Music launched a crowdsourced project to determine listeners' favorite composers under the age of 40 — and, by extension, those pieces which were shaping our contemporary musical scene and defining what it means to be a composer in the 21st century. UC San Diego graduate students Nicholas Deyoe and Ben Hackbarth made the list. More

Cancer Theory Faces Doubts
Nature, April 19 -- It can't be easy to stand in front of hundreds of colleagues and tell them that 10 years of research has led them in the wrong direction. But at the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) earlier this month, UC San Diego pathologist David Tarin did just that, by challenging a leading hypothesis on how cancers metastasize. More

Sympathy for the Pharaoh
Slate, April 18 -- Most versions of the Passover story depict Pharaoh as an archetypal villain, an arrogant tyrant who gets his just deserts for challenging God and stubbornly refusing to let the Hebrew people leave Egypt. But a close reading of the text—particularly the climactic episode in which Pharaoh "hardens his heart" and repeatedly refuses to let the Hebrew people go—reveals a more complex character, a more subtle interplay between the forces of good and evil, and raises many thorny questions about the nature of biblical justice and free will. (Mentions research by UC San Diego historian William Propp) More

More Non-Californians are Offered Freshman Slots at UC Schools
Los Angeles Times, April 19 -- The University of California's recent decision to boost its enrollment of out-of-state students for the extra tuition they pay was evident in the higher number of non-Californians offered freshman admission for the fall, according to data released Monday. (Mentions UC San Diego) More

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Orange County Register
San Diego Union-Tribune
10News
San Diego 6
FOX 5 San Diego
La Jolla Light

Anti-HIV Drug Doesn’t Prevent Women from Becoming Infected
KPBS, April 18, 2011 — Researchers are trying to figure out why the medication Truvada, which is used to treat people with HIV, isn't working in preventing HIV in women. Last fall, the results of a clinical trial showed gay men who took it as a preventive measure had a 44 percent lower risk of getting HIV. But a similar trial involving women in Southern Africa has been terminated early, after researchers found the pill didn't seem to work. Steffanie Strathdee heads up UC San Diego's Division of Global Public Health. More

Methane-to-power Project Begins
San Diego Union-Tribune, April 18 -- The city officially launched a move to convert excess methane gas into power Monday when San Diego officials broke ground on a new project at the Point Loma Wastewater Treatment Plant. The $45 million project — privately funded with the aid of federal and state grants — is expected to generate enough energy to power 7 percent of UC San Diego campus and power up to 2,700 homes once construction ends in October. More

Similar story in
North County Times

What Does the S&P 'Negative' Outlook Mean?
San Diego Union-Tribune, April 18 -- The Standard & Poor’s credit agency hinted Monday that it may downgrade its rating of U.S. credit because of concerns over “very large budget deficits” and rising government debt. (Quotes UC San Diego economist Allan Timmermann) More

Cancer in Young Adults Poses Special Challenges
San Diego Union-Tribune, April 19 -- How do you save the fertility of a young person affected by cancer so that they too can eventually have children? We asked Dr. Irene Su, an assistant professor of reproductive medicine and director of the UC San Diego Fertility Preservation Program. More

Preparing for Passover
San Diego Union-Tribune, April 18 -- One of Judaism’s central holidays, Passover celebrates the Jewish people’s escape from bondage. Moses warned that, unless Jewish slaves were freed, Egypt would suffer the wrath of the Almighty, Yahweh. Through nine plagues, the Pharoah refused. The 10th plague killed all firstborn children — except in Jewish homes, where doorways were marked with a sacrificed animal’s blood. Those homes were passed over. Stunned, the Pharoah finally freed the Jews. (Quotes Eric Ertel, a rabbi who serves UC San Diego’s Jewish Awareness Movement) More

Vocal Wizard Theo Bleckmann at UCSD Friday
San Diego Union-Tribune, April 18 -- “Theo Bleckmann and his Larynx” is an unlikely title for a YouTube video, let alone one that fascinates both sonically and visually. But it is a suitable introduction to this German-born, New York-based singing marvel, who is equally adept at jazz, new music, yodeling and performing vocal duets with, well, himself. He will perform at UC San Diego Friday. More

Issa to Probe Biotech, Pharmacutical Regulatory Issues
North County Times, April 18 -- Rep. Darrell Issa is bringing his quest to highlight government regulations he argues stymie job growth to San Diego County's biotechnical and pharmaceutical world on Thursday. Issa, R-Vista, will preside over a House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing on the campus of UC San Diego. More

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