A Sampling of Clips for January 3^rd, 2008

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

The Rise of a Fierce Yet Fragile Superpower
Newsweek, Dec. 31 -- For Americans, 2008 is an important election year. But for much of the world, it is likely to be seen as the year that China moved to center stage, with the Olympics serving as the country's long-awaited coming-out party. The much-heralded advent of China as a global power is no longer a forecast but a reality. On issue after issue, China has become the second most important country on the planet. (Quotes Susan Shirk, Director of the Institute of Global Conflict and Cooperation at UCSD). More

Unhappy New Year to U.S. Economy from $100 Oil
Reuters, Jan. 2 -- The U.S. economy needs $100 oil like a hole in the head. The spike in oil to a fresh record on Wednesday is not single-handedly going to tip the United States into a recession. But on top of a housing slump and lingering credit crisis, it increases the head winds facing the battered U.S. consumer. (Quotes James Hamilton, economics professor at UCSD). More

California Vote Could Matter with Early Presidential Primary
Associated Press, Dec. 31 -- California's move toward the front end of the presidential nominating calendar means that for the first time in years, voters could be casting their ballots while the race is still very much in play. (Quotes Gary Jacobson and Samuel Popkin, political science professors at UCSD). More

Getting a Fighting Chance for U.S. Grants
Los Angeles Times, Jan. 3 --- In a tree-lined business park here, a start-up company with 17 employees hopes to compete with mega-size defense contractors and give a battlefield advantage to U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. (Mentions UCSD). More

A Bubbly Toast to Researchers
San Diego Union Tribune, Jan. 3 -- It's tougher to teach an old dog new tricks, as the saying goes. Likewise, it's tougher for an older smoker to quit. That's the conclusion of a University of California San Diego study published yesterday in the online edition of the American Journal of Public Health. More

Science, Lightly Done
San Diego Union Tribune, Jan. 3 -- The image is a microscopic melange of muscle fibers stained actin-red surrounded by green filamentous membranes and blue DNA. A rat's tongue never looked lovelier. Beauty is where you behold it. UCSD Staff Research Associate Thomas Deerinck beholds it at the end of light microscopes – not the simple instruments of a high school biology class, but astonishingly powerful and penetrating devices employed at UCSD's National Center for Microscopy and Research (NCMIR). More

Anatomy of a Bubble
San Diego Reader, Jan. 3 -- Who could have foreseen the housing bubble? And its malodorous bursting? Well, San Diegans, certainly, should have seen it, and some did: until late 2005, home prices had soared beyond anybody's imagination as buyers grabbed for exotic mortgages that doomed families to future payments they couldn't afford. (Quotes UCSD economics professor Ross Starr). More

Reviews: Round Up of Forgotten CDs from 2007  
North County Times, Jan. 2 -- "Sound Check Two: Music From UC San Diego." Wildly experimental, this compilation from the UCSD Department of Music sounds like what you'd get if you turned a bunch of incredibly talented college students loose in a state-of-the-art recording studio. More

Deadline Approaches to Overturn Beach Ban
SD News, Jan. 3 -- The final hour is approaching for the deadline to submit the 30,209 signatures needed to repeal the temporary alcohol ban on all city beaches and Mission Bay Park signed into law Dec. 5, 2007. (Mentions UCSD Graduate Student Association). More

UCSD to Honor Local Blues Icon Cheatham
North County Times, Jan. 2 -- This month, UCSD is honoring the career and legacy of local blues icon Jeannie Cheatham, with a special art exhibit and an appearance and concert by Cheatham and friends. More

UCSD Receives $1 Million Gift to Support Lifelong Learning
San Diego Daily Transcript, Jan. 3 -- The Bernard Osher Foundation has awarded the UCSD a $1 million endowment gift to support lifelong learning for older adults. More