A Sampling of Clips for
November 1st, 2007
* UCSD faculty and staff may obtain a copy of an article by e-mailing the University Communications Office
The Genetics of Politics
Scientific American, November 2007 -- When it comes to predicting who will vote, researchers have looked at “everything but the kitchen sink,” says political scientist James Fowler of UCSD. Theorists speculate on factors such as age, gender, race, marital status, education, income, home ownership, political knowledgeability and church attendance. But studies indicate that each one exerts only a small effect. More
Nation Must Adapt to Greater Wildfire Risk
Christian Science Monitor, Nov. 1 -- Droughts, floods, severe storms, and sea-level rise often get the lion's share of attention in the litany of projected effects from global warming. But October's disastrous wildfires in California – part of one of the most intense fire seasons in the United States in nearly 50 years – are likely to raise the profile of such events, even if a firm link between the state's fires and climate change has yet to be made. (Quotes Anthony Westerling, an assistant professor at the University of California at Merced and a lead investigator with the California Climate Change Center at UCSD’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography) More
Airborne Ash Expected to Be Lingering Problem
San Diego Union-Tribune, Nov. 1 – The Santa Ana winds predicted this weekend to kick up soot and ash from the region's wildfires are expected to be too weak to cause widespread problems with air quality. The bad news is the county could be dealing with the problem well into next year. Until a soaking rain, any strong east wind could blow soot and ash from the barren earth all the way to the coast. (Quotes Rick Ford, director of respiratory care at the UCSD Medical Center in Hillcrest) More
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Smoke Gets in Your Skies
San Diego Union-Tribune, Nov. 1 – In the immediacy of a raging wildfire, smoke is a tangible, burning presence. It has a taste and a smell. It can color the world. But smoke is fleeting, too. When the fires are quenched or the wind shifts, the smoke can seem to vanish. (Quotes Veerabhadran Ramanathan, a noted climate scientist at UCSD's Scripps Institution of Oceanography) More
Uninsured Illegal Immigrants among Burn Victims
News 8, Oct. 31 -- Doctors are caring for nearly a dozen wildfire burn victims who are illegal immigrants. UCSD Physician-In-Chief Dr. Tom McAfee says the 10 men and one woman will likely be hospitalized for a long time. Some are able to communicate, and others are so critically burned they can't speak. More
Opponents Pounce on Clinton's Wavering over Driver's Licenses
San Diego Union-Tribune, Nov. 1 – Sen. Hillary Clinton tried to rebound yesterday from an uncharacteristic stumble in the Democratic presidential debate Tuesday night when she seemed to take both sides on the politically charged question of permitting illegal immigrants to get driver's licenses in New York. (Quotes UCSD political scientist Gary Jacobson) More
Scripps Scientist Receives Lockheed Martin Award
The San Diego Daily Transcript, Oct. 31 -- John Orcutt, professor of geophysics at UCSD’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography, received the Marine Technology Society's Lockheed Martin Award for Excellence in Ocean Science and Engineering. More