A Sampling of Clips for
August 21, 2006
* UCSD faculty and staff may obtain a copy of an article by e-mailing the University Communications Office
Why the Lights Go Out in California
Los Angeles Times, Opinion, Aug. 20 -- When blackouts hit, utility executives invariably say there aren't enough power plants. Yet the California Independent System Operator, which manages much of the state's power grid, says there is ample capacity to generate electricity. So why all the blackouts? (Written by Steven P. Erie, professor of political science at UCSD) More
Bankruptcy Reform Gave Creditors Too Much
Washington Post, Opinion, Aug. 21-- Last fall, following years of intense lobbying by the credit card companies, Congress passed the "Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005.” While U.S. bankruptcy law was very debtor-friendly prior to BAPCPA, it has become much more pro-creditor today. (Written by UCSD economist Michelle J. White, also a research fellow for the National Bureau of Economic Research) More
The Singles Life Can Be a Shorter One
Los Angeles Times, Aug. 21 -- Here's some bad news for the confirmed bachelors and runaway brides of the world: They don't live as long as married people, especially if they never get married, according to new research by Robert Kaplan of UCLA and Richard Kronick of UCSD. More
Study: Ocean Noise Up Sharply Since 1960s
UPI, Aug. 21 -- The U.S.-based Scripps Institution of Oceanography says declassified Navy documents indicate noise in the North Pacific Ocean is up sharply since the 1960s. More
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Daily India
3 Critics of NASA Cuts Quit Panel
Washington Post, Aug. 18 -- Three NASA advisers who spoke out against budget cuts to the space agency's science programs turned in their resignations this week, officials said Thursday. Wesley T. Huntress Jr., Charles F. Kennel, director of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, and Eugene H. Levy each served on the NASA Advisory Council's science committee. Kennel resigned by choice, but Huntress and Levy were asked to leave by NASA Administrator Michael D. Griffin. More
Burying the Evidence of Global Warming
USA Today, Aug. 21 -- All of humanity might look towards burial for help with one of its potentially biggest mistakes, global warming, a new study suggests. The idea is called carbon sequestration — basically injecting carbon dioxide produced by coal-burning power plants into underground aquifers. Carbon dioxide is perhaps the most worrisome greenhouse gas that burning fossil fuels, the mainstays of the modern era, produces. (Cites research by the Scripps Institution of Oceanography) More
A Bang-Up Business in Illegals
Newsweek International, Aug. 7 -- Earlier this year President George W. Bush ordered the deployment of 6,100 National Guard troops to back up the U.S. Border Patrol in its losing bid to stem the tide of illegal immigration. Unmanned drone surveillance planes, not to mention private vigilantes known as minutemen, also patrol the border. As a result, demand for coyotes' services has never been higher, particularly in the vicinity of Arizona, whose parched hinterland took the lives of most of the 473 immigrants who died crossing the border last year. (Quotes Wayne Cornelius of the Center for Comparative Immigration Studies at UCSD) More
A Harsher Border Crossing
Los Angeles Times, Aug. 20 -- America's vast frontier with Mexico remains a highly porous landscape, where migrants by the hundreds of thousands cross annually. But stepped-up patrols, more barriers and high-tech monitoring have made the boundary impenetrable for many. (Quotes UCSD professor Wayne Cornelius) More
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UPI
High Gas Prices Loom Over Mid-term Elections
CBS MarketWatch, Aug. 18 -- High gasoline prices don't pinch the economy as much as they used to, but big numbers at the pump still threaten to wallop incumbents seeking to return to Congress in November. And since Republicans control both chambers of Congress and the White House, they may bear more voter wrath than Democrats, said Gary Jacobson, a political scientist at UCSD. More
Famous Surfers Take to Waves in La Jolla for Charity
10 News, Aug. 20 -- Well-known names from the surfing world, along with executives from local companies, took to the waves at La Jolla Shores Sunday in a longboard competition to raise money for cancer research. The theme of the 13th annual Moores UCSD Cancer Center Luau & Longboard Invitational is "Surf for a Cure." More
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North County Times
Need for Speed
San Diego Union-Tribune, Aug. 21 -- Do we need to turn our homes into supercomputer centers? Engineers and industry observers say the answer is yes: We will need bigger, better and faster technology for the foreseeable future. New services and applications will emerge to use up the massive capacity and ultra-fast technologies appearing on the horizon. And those innovations soon will become as indispensable as computers and the Internet are now to most of us today. (Quotes Ramesh Rao, director of UCSD’s division of Calit2) More
Price for an Airport Search: $16.9 Million
San Diego Union-Tribune, Aug. 20 -- The search ended with the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority's proposal to explore the possible use of Miramar Marine Corps Air Station. Now an unofficial figure can be placed on the cost it took to get there: more than $16.9 million. (Mentions UCSD economist Richard Carson) More
Local Schools Slip in U.S. News List
San Diego Union-Tribune, Aug. 19 -- The closely followed and often criticized U.S. News and World Report college rankings were released yesterday, and local universities have slipped slightly from the past year. The top slots were largely unchanged, with Princeton ranking No. 1, followed by Harvard and Yale. (Mentions UCSD) More
Area Hospital Buildings Need
Clean Bill of Health to Stay Open
San Diego Business Journal, Aug. 21 -- The law referred to as Senate Bill 1953, dating from 1994, requires hospitals to retrofit for seismic safety or rebuild structures deemed not in compliance with the law. If the mandates are not met, the hospitals face closure by 2008, or as late as 2013 if the hospitals seek a deadline extension. (Mentions the UCSD Medical Center) More
From Fever to Fizzle to Forgotten in the 50th
Voice of San Diego, Aug. 21 -- It might qualify her as a masochist, but Francine Busby is actually looking forward to her November rematch with Rep. Brian Bilbray. The pundits don't give her much of a chance, again. Cunningham's demise is a distant memory; the Democratic Party is focusing its money and resources on other campaigns. Yet Busby persists, quietly ramping up her campaign for a September kickoff. (Quotes UCSD political scientist
Gary Jacobson) More
