A Sampling of Clips for 

December 19, 2005

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


Report Says More Money
Is Needed to Maintain the
Country's Aging Heavy Icebreakers
The New York Times, Dec. 16-- The nation's two heavy-duty icebreakers are nearing the end of their useful lives, and there is neither enough money to maintain them nor a plan to replace them, according to a report from a panel of the National Academies, the country's pre-eminent scientific body. (Quote by James Swift, an author of the report and an oceanographer at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography) More

Social Commentary, or Just a Dog's Opinion?
The New York Times, Dec. 19 -- The Entertainment Software Association's publication ''Essential Facts About the Computer and Video Game Industry'' for 2005 opens with this assertion from Sheldon Brown, a visual arts professor and director of the Center for Research in Computing and the Arts at UCSD: ''Whether we like it or not, this is the medium of our moment. It is a medium that is telling our cultural story, and the fact that it is a primary tool of youth and adolescents means it will have a tremendous impact on how the next generation or two plays itself out.'' More

Big Pharma's Favorite Gadfly
Business Week, Dec. 19 -- At a time when drugmakers are under fire for selling risky products, Dr. Steven E. Nissen occupies a unique position. A cardiologist at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Nissen is both a gadfly and a leader of clinical trials determining the effectiveness and safety of new drugs. (Quote by Dr. Anthony N. DeMaria, a top cardiologist at UCSD's School of Medicine and Nissen's former boss in Kentucky) More

Inhale, Exhale, Wait for Results
Los Angeles Times, Dec. 19 -- Someday soon, some scientists predict, hand-held devices similar to a Palm Pilot may be routinely used for the early detection of breast, colon and other cancers, tuberculosis, diabetes and pre-eclampsia, the dangerous hypertension that sometimes occurs during pregnancy. (Quote by Dr. Antonino Catanzaro, a TB expert at UCSD) More

A Battle Looms to Succeed 'Duke'
Los Angeles Times, Dec. 19 -- The downfall of former Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham in a bribery scandal has cleared the way for a surprisingly competitive race for his San Diego County congressional seat, a contest that will test the strength of Democratic efforts to regain control of Congress. (Quotes by Gary Jacobson, a UCSD political science professor) More

Similar story in the
San Diego Union-Tribune

UCSD Doctors Find
New Therapy for Kawasaki Patients
10News, Dec. 16 -- The hallmarks of Kawasaki disease are body rash, prolonged fever, red, dry eyes, redness of the mouth, lips and tongue and swollen hands and feet. Doctors at the UCSD Medical Center are researching a new therapy to treat this mysterious disease. More

UCSD Student-picking not so Cut and Dry
San Diego Union-Tribune, Dec. 18 -- About 30 UCSD admissions readers crowded around eight tables, debating the merits of a fat stack of college applications. There is plenty of gray in a system designed in black and white. In an attempt to bring fairness and efficiency to its admissions process, UCSD has used a point system for about 20 years. The system attempts to categorize every part of students' lives and assign it a numeric value. More

Nurses Ratify Two-Year Contract
10News, Dec. 18 -- University of California nurses ratified a two-year contract worked out between the university system and the California Nurses Association, UC reported Saturday. The pact applies to about 9,000 nurses, including those working at UCSD Medical Center, UC Irvine Medical Center, UCLA Medical Center and those assigned to student health centers in the UC system. More

Similar story in:
The North County Times

Concern over Local Impact of Legislation
San Diego Union-Tribune, Dec. 17 -- Before the sweeping enforcement-based immigration bill had even passed the House, anxieties were running high in the parking lot of the Grantville Home Depot. (Quote by Wayne Cornelius of the Center for Comparative Immigration Studies at UCSD) More

New Kid on the Block Has Chops
San Diego Union-Tribune, Dec. 18 -- Ray Suen doesn't have his own band or a Web site, and he hasn't made any solo albums. But this 20-year-old virtuoso is fast becoming a secret weapon of the San Diego indie music scene, thanks to his stylistic diversity, infectious enthusiasm and stellar instrumental skills on violin, guitar and mandolin. A third-year psychology major at UCSD, Suen has also been a member of the La Jolla Symphony since 2003. More

Basketball Brings Afghans Together
San Diego Union-Tribune, Dec. 19 -- An early game in a basketball tournament for Afghan players yesterday was a nail-biter to the very end. The two-day tournament began Saturday at UCSD's RIMAC Arena. The event, held for the first time in San Diego, brought more than 30 Afghan men's, women's and youth teams from all over the United States to vie for championship trophies and bragging rights. More

How E. Coli Bacterium
Generates Simplicity from Complexity
Innovations-Report, Germany, Dec. 19 -- The ubiquitous and usually harmless E. coli bacterium, which has one-seventh the number of genes as a human, has more than 1,000 of them involved in metabolism and metabolic regulation. Activation of random combinations of these genes would theoretically be capable of generating a huge variety of internal states; however, researchers at UCSD will report in the Dec. 27 issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) that Escherichia coli doesn't gamble with its metabolism. More