A Sampling of Clips for January 23^rd, 2009

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

Friendship as a Health Factor
Science, Jan. 23 -- On the first snowy day in December, Harvard researcher Nicholas Christakis and UCSD researcher James Fowler are ensconced in Christakis's rambling home in Concord, Massachusetts, plotting their next conquest. The pair are deep at work on their upcoming book, “Connected: The Surprising Power of Social Networks and How They Shape Our Lives.” More

Environmental Issues Slide in Poll of Public’s Concerns
The New York Times, Jan. 22 -- A new poll suggests that Americans, preoccupied with the economy, are less worried about rising global temperatures than they were a year ago but remain concerned with solving the nation’s energy problems. (Quotes Richard C. J. Somerville, a climate scientist at UCSD) More

Global Warming Threatens Forests, Study Says
CNN, Jan. 22 -- Forests in the Pacific Northwest are dying twice as fast as they were 17 years ago, and scientists blame warming temperatures for the trend, according to a new study. (Quotes Tim Barnett, a research marine physicist at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UCSD) More

Study Gets Inside the World's "Brown Cloud"
TIME, Jan. 23 -- A report released in the Jan. 23 issue of Science confirms that the 'Brown Cloud',' comprised of several small, local clouds, is soot from human burning of wood, dung and crop residue, as well as industrial processes and traffic pollution. (Quotes Veerabhadran Ramanathan, director of the Center for Clouds, Chemistry & Climate at UCSD) More

Calif. Poised to be Leader in Stem Cell Research
San Diego Union-Tribune, Jan. 23 -- With President Barack Obama expected to lift federal restrictions on human embryonic stem cell research, California's taxpayer-funded investment has allowed it to build the infrastructure that puts it ahead of every other state. (Quotes Larry Goldstein, director of UCSD’s stem cell research program) More

It's Big, Expanding and Has a Carbon Footprint to Match
Sydney Morning Herald, Jan. 23 – The Information and Communication Technology frames at institutions as diverse as Melbourne University, and its counterparts at UCSD and UC Irvine, the next generation of virtual meetings, with instantaneous transmission of image and sound, from near or far. More

Louis Andriessen's 'De Stijl' Rocks Los Angeles Philharmonic
Los Angeles Times, Jan. 21 -- An unselfconscious generation of young composers who see no distinction between high art and low has come upon the scene.  (Mentions soprano Susan Narucki, a UCSD music professor) More

Cass Sunstein, President Obama's Pick
for Regulatory Czar, Has Liberals Nervous
Chicago Tribune, Jan. 23 -- They were friends and colleagues for years at the University of Chicago, and if you ask Cass Sunstein, he will tell you that conservatives have nothing to fear from President Barack Obama. Liberals? The jury's out. (Quotes David Schkade, a professor at UCSD, collaborated with Sunstein on a paper about punitive damages awarded in lawsuits) More

Tax Overhaul Panel Facing Daunting Task
Sacramento Bee, Opinion, Jan. 23 – So can a dozen people from disparate backgrounds and ideologies absorb the complexities of California's multifaceted tax system in perhaps 25 hours of meetings and write an overhaul to bring more revenue stability that could survive the political chopping block of the Legislature? (Mentions UCSD) More

New Administration Proves to be Connected to the Digital World
10News, Jan. 22 – President Barack Obama and his administration have proven that they are in touch with everything that is going on in the digital world, according to 10News. (Quotes UCSD student Johan De La Torre) More

From the Valley of the Green Giant, Google Energy Czar Lowers the Heat
Xconomy, Jan. 23 -- Bill Weihl, Google’s green energy czar, says the computer you’re likely using now is a bit like a toaster. It takes in energy and produces heat. He spoke Thursday during a conference at UCSD. More

Alpine's Paul Barry a Real-Life 'Walking Miracle'
San Diego Union-Tribune, Jan. 23 -- Paul Barry smoked a pack of cigarettes a day for 40 years. Even after suffering a heart attack in 2002 it took the Alpine resident three more years to kick the nicotine habit. Beating alcohol – scotch was his chosen poison – proved easier. After Barry was diagnosed with chronic liver disease in 2006, a doctor told him, “You're done.” (Quotes Dr. Navin Sawhney, a UCSD Medical Center cardiologist who specializes in heart rhythm disorders and treated Barry) More

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