A Sampling of Clips for February 20^th, 2008

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

Oil Price Tops $100, Increasing Concerns
San Diego Union-Tribune, Feb. 20 -- The price of crude oil closed above $100 a barrel for the first time yesterday, raising the specter of higher prices for gasoline, food, plastics and an array of other goods. Crude oil for March delivery jumped $4.51, or 4.7 percent, to close at $100.01 on the New York Mercantile Exchange. (Quotes UCSDeconomist James Hamilton). More

Sharks Travel "Superhighways," Visit "Cafes" 
National Geographic, Feb. 19 -- UC Davis's Klimley and his team have also found that scalloped hammerhead sharks stop along a series of pre-established island sites between Mexico and Ecuador for extended periods of time. Creating reserves around such islands will go a long way toward protecting hammerheads, he said, and "will provide the public with places for viewing sharks in their habitat." (Quotes Julia Baum, a marine ecologist at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UCSD). More

Sharks Facing Extinction Risk
Economic Times of India, Feb 20 -- Sharks might soon be seen in the official list of animals at global risk of extinction, for a new research has shown that they are disappearing from the world's oceans.
The study has shown that many large shark species have declined by more than 50 per cent due to increased demand for shark fins and meat, recreational shark fisheries, as well as tuna and swordfish fisheries, where millions of sharks are taken as bycatch each year. (Quotes Julia Baum of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UCSD). More

SoCal Water Authority Takes Issue with Las Vegas Mayor's Comments
KPBS, Feb. 19 -- The head of a Southern California water agency called recent comments by the mayor of Las Vegas "ridiculous and inflammatory" and is vowing a fight to keep farmers' fields irrigated. Mayor Oscar Goodman stirred controversy when he said Las Vegas will meet its needs with the water used by farmers in California. (Mentions Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UCSD). More

Noted Ornithologist Melvin A. Traylor Jr. dies at 92
Chicago Tribune, Feb. 20   - Melvin A. Traylor Jr. did pioneering work in classifying dozens of birds collected during month-long treks through the deepest jungles of Africa and Latin America on behalf of the Field Museum. (Mentions Scripps Institution of Oceanography). More