A Sampling of Clips for May 26, 2011

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

John Davies Dies at 76; Longtime San Diego Civic Leader
Los Angeles Times, May 26 -- John Davies, a major civic figure in San Diego for decades, particularly in education, urban planning and the revitalization of a once-crumbling downtown, died of pancreatic cancer Friday at his home in downtown San Diego. He was 76. Along with his civic involvement in San Diego, Davies was a member and then chairman of the University of California Board of Regents and also a trustee of the UC San Diego Foundation. More

Want to Stop Junk Email? Block Payments to Spammers
PC World, May 25 -- Stopping spam is an almost futile effort if the focus continues to be on spam filtering and botnet takedown, according to a research team from UC San Diego, UC Berkeley, The International Computer Science Institute and Budapest University. These measures are simply like cutting the head off of a hydra monster, because spammers quickly find ways to replace lost resources. More

Study Finds Aspirin Still Best at Preventing 2nd Stroke
U.S. News, May 25 -- A new drug that had shown promise in animal testing is not better than aspirin in preventing a second stoke in someone who's already had one, a new study has found. (Mentions UC San Diego) More

Layoffs are Likely in Compton as Auditor Questions City's Solvency
Los Angeles Times, May 25 --  An independent auditing firm has concluded that Compton's budget crisis is so dire that it's an open question whether the city can remain solvent. (Quotes Steve Erie, a UC San Diego political science professor with a specialty in local government) More

Why Are Spy Researchers Building a 'Metaphor Program'?
The Atlantic Monthly, May 2011 -- A small research arm of the U.S. government's intelligence establishment wants to understand how speakers of Farsi, Russian, English, and Spanish see the world by building software that automatically evaluates their use of metaphors.  (Quotes Benjamin Bergen, a cognitive scientist at UC San Diego) More

China Used Prisoners in Lucrative Internet Gaming Work
The Guardian, U.K., May 25 -- Scores of Chinese prisoners are forced to play online games to build up credits that prison guards would then trade for real money. (Quotes Jin Ge, a researcher from UC San Diego, who has been documenting the gold farming phenomenon in China) More

UCSD's Crafty Ace Has Team in NCAA Finals
San Diego Union-Tribune, May 25 -- It is quite possible that UC San Diego softball’s Camille Gaito will throw every pitch for her team in the NCAA Division II Championships that begin today in Salem, Va. It doesn’t matter if the Tritons go undefeated in four games to seize their first national title, or they have to take a longer road through the elimination bracket. Gaito is their go-to star. More

Did UCSD Breach Professor's Academic Freedom?
San Diego Union-Tribune, May 26 -- The UC San Diego faculty assembly has expressed "grave concern" about what it deems a violation of academic freedom and called on the administration to acknowledge and correct the situation. More

Playhouse's 'Dram' is Uneven, but Filled With Fairy Fun
North County Times, May 25 -- Attention, skeptics: La Jolla Playhouse's charming Scottish-themed comedy "A Dram of Drummhicit" may have you believing in fairies. (Mentions Eva Barnes, who worked as a dialect coach for the play and is on the UC San Diego faculty) More

Preuss, La Jolla High Among Schools With Best Honors Class Rankings
La Jolla Light, May 25 -- La Jolla High and UC San Diego’s Preuss School were among the San Diego County high schools in the United States for providing their students access to honors classes, according to an annual report released Wednesday. The Preuss School at UC San Diego led the way, ranking 24th on the High School Challenge list compiled by The Washington Post. La Jolla ranked 216. More

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