A Sampling of Clips for April 30^th, 2008

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

North Korea Heading Towards Famine: Report
The New York Times, April 30 — Global food prices and reluctant donors are pushing North Korea back towards famine, which could see the secretive government turn even more repressive to keep control, said a paper released on Wednesday and co-authored by UCSD Professor Stephan Haggard. More

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Agence France Presse
Reuters
The Washington Post

Viscosity Enhancers Curb Bleeding Complications
Forbes, April 29 -- Viscosity enhancers that thicken the blood are highly effective in treating severe bleeding, according to a study by UCSD bioengineering researchers. More

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U.S. News & World Report
Atlanta Journal Constitution
News8, Conn.

Experimental Drug Eases Symptoms of Mild Alzheimer's
Forbes, April 29 -- Patients with mild Alzheimer's disease who took 800 milligrams of the drug tarenflurbil twice a day had less decline in functional ability than those who took a placebo, according to a British phase II trial. (Quotes Dr. Paul Aisen of UCSD) More

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U.S. News & World Report

The Oceans Finally Show Their Stripes
ScienceNOW, April 28 – Researchers, including scientists at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, have assembled the most detailed picture of ocean currents ever produced, and in so doing they have revealed a vast array of striated currents that roughly parallel the equator. This new level of resolution should improve understanding of a wide variety of ocean-related phenomena. More

Hoyer Sides with Obama on Gas Tax
The Washington Post, April 30 – House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) waded into the contentious issue of a suspension of the federal gasoline tax this morning, saying categorically that the Democratic leadership of Congress has no intention of pursuing a policy that he said "would not be positive." (Quotes UCSD economist James Hamilton) More

Olympic Torch Survives Rocky Global Relay, Returns to Chinese Soil
International Herald Tribune, April 30 -- Still burning but battered, the Beijing Olympic torch is returning to the more hospitable territory of China and a chance to leave behind the rancor of the relay's often chaotic and much protested route around the world. (Quotes UCSD political scientist Susan Shirk) More

Google Diving into 3D Mapping of Oceans
C/Net, April 30 -- We've got Google Earth and Google Sky. Next up will be a map of the world below sea level--Google Ocean. The company has assembled an advisory group of oceanography experts, and in December invited researchers from institutions around the world to the Mountain View, Calif., Googleplex. There, they discussed plans for creating a 3D oceanographic map, according to sources familiar with the matter. (Quotes Stephen P. Miller, head of the Geological Data Center at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography) More

Recovering Firefighter Describes Heroic Act of Saving Teen's Life
KPBS, April 30 -- There were plenty of heroes in last October’s wildfires in San Diego County. One fire fighter in particular helped save a teenager’s life, even though she was badly burned herself. (Mentions the UCSD Medical Center, where both the fire fighter and the boy were treated) More 

Housing Prices Off 19.2% in S.D. Area
San Diego Union-Tribune, April 30 -- Las Vegas, Miami, Phoenix, Los Angeles and San Diego, five areas that saw home prices rocket ahead in the housing boom, are now leading the retreat backward, as prices fall in the wake of mortgage-financing troubles and an economic slowdown. (Quotes UCSD economist James Hamilton) More

Wary Unions Tiptoe Toward Francis
Voice of San Diego, April 30 -- In less than five weeks, San Diego residents will cast their ballots to decide the city's next mayor. While the clock is ticking, voters who want to know which candidate is most likely to sympathize with the region's labor movement will have to wait for direction. (Quotes UCSD political scientist Steve Erie) More

Judge to Give Talk on DNA Testing Technologies
San Diego Union-Tribune, April 30 -- Superior Court Judge George “Woody” Clarke, a DNA expert who testified in the O.J. Simpson trial, will detail DNA testing technologies in a talk tomorrow called “DNA Testing: 21st Century Justice.” The discussion begins at noon at UCSD’s Biomedical Library. More

Two UCSD Plant Biologists Elected to National Academy of Sciences
San Diego Daily Transcript, April 29 -- The National Academy of Sciences elected the dean of the Division of Biological Sciences at UCSD and another professor in the division to membership in the National Academy of Sciences. More