SoCal Minds

Hit the pause button ....

2010-11-01T22:00:47-07:00

SoCalMinds will take a sabbatical as the world of real, paying work leads to some scheduling, logistics challenges for its author(s) to find the time to research and write posts. Back soon, maybe with an altered plan on frequency or type of info ...

Sound the alarm, beware the evil red palm weevil

2010-10-25T23:31:13-07:00

From UCR

Beware that evil weevil, say experts in Riverside, who last week brought together scientists and growers in an emergency meeting to discuss prohylactic measures that need to be taken to prevent a widening infestation of red palm weevils (as shown in photo at right). The nasty bugs, considered one of the planet's most damaging pests to the palm trees that are so iconic in California, have been confirmed in a Laguna Beach discovery. Palm weevils, which bore fatal trees into their host trees' trunks, have flourished as plants get shipped and traded internationally. They can survive and thrive as eggs, larvae or pupae hidden in palms. Officials plan an education campaign, as well as a weevil eradication program.

Experts plan campaign against pest, a lethal killer of iconic Southern California flora

Millions for 'dirty bomb' response; risky returns for juvies

2010-10-25T23:30:50-07:00

From UCLA

Far be it for anyone to suggest the existence of an economic anomaly in nationl priorities. And congratulations go to the Bruins in some degree for winning money to support important research all around. Still, just taking note here that researchers have received a $14 million renewal from the feds to study potential medical countermeasures that might be needed after a hypothetical radiological or nuclear assault, say, as in what might possibly occur in the aftermath of a terrorist 'dirty bomb.' To be sure, the measures and compounds that are found to help protect particularly sensitive blood, bone marrow and soft organ tissues that suffer great harm in nuclear havoc also may have application in, say, radiation treatments for cancer.

A search for compounds, practices to curb radiological, nuclear harm

Meantime, while the exact sum to support another kind of research isn't disclosed, another work does raise questions about the human aid given to a different but societally destructive element: juvenile offenders, who, a study from Westwood shows, often come from poor, violent minority communities, and, when done with incarceration, get dumped back in those same areas with little support. Researchers tracked 4,400 young offenders who had served time in Los Angeles probation camps and then were released into specified zip codes. Guess what? The juvies, many of them poor minorities, returned to areas marked by higher than norm incidences of assaults and violence, of disporportionate numbers of liquor vendors and empty or abandoned housing. Experts say more research is needed to see if improving risky neighborhoods leads to less crime and recidivism by juveniles.

Young, poor, minority offenders found to go back to violent areas with lots of liquor outlets

Ah, and while they're at it, the Bruins report that African American and Latino kids tend to be poorer, less well insured and so less likely to get the medicine and care they need for the ear infections that plague kids and can lead to more serious and debilitating conditions.

Racial, ethnic disparities in medicines, care that kids get for all too common ear infections

Net wonders: voyeur video, extreme and inspiring photos...

2010-10-25T23:30:26-07:00

From Caltech, the Annenberg Space for Photography, the Getty & UCI

Gosh, some days there's just no getting around what the Internet can do, and, while these aren't exactly the highest marvels of the medium, it's worth checking out online wonders such as: from the folks in LaCanada-Flintridge, how about the 'curiosity cam,' a cyber video voyeur's dream glimpse into construction of the next Mars Rover? Course, also gotta hand it to the folks in Century City for the, as planned, hugely entertaining online video presentations on the photographers involved in the recently opened 'Extreme Exposure' photo exhibit. The final shots on display, of course, are artistic and technical marvels. But as experiences go, the backstory videos with the shooters rates up there, too. If photography's the thing, by the way, it's worth checking out a blog post from the folks in that ginormous institution up on that Westside hill, as they offer a curator's choice of available documentaries 'inspired' by great photojournalism. And speaking of idiosyncratic takes on the world, try out the intellectual skew from a physics prof and sci fi writer in Irvine who finds much to mine about the zeitgeist in decades of predictions about the future recorded in the pages of Popular Science.

Phew, a hectic and notable week for all manner of speakers

2010-10-25T23:29:54-07:00

From ALOUD, Zocalo, UCLA, Skirball, Claremont McKenna

OK, this isn't meant to be anywhere near close to encyclopedic but let's try to capture a slice of the many and varied really smart folks who will speak in the next few days in sessions, mostly free and all requiring registration, such as: the amazing cookbook author, food expert and New York Times columnist Mark Bittman in a chat with renowned L.A. chef Evan Kleiman at 7:30 tonight (Tues) on the Westside; MacArthur 'genius' fellow and Haitian native Edwidge Danticat in a talk with journalist Amy Wilentz on the 'immigrant artist at work,' at 7 tonight (tues) downtown; a panel of scholars, artists and activists will examine 'race, class and residence in Los Angeles,' in a Westside program at 7 tonight (tues); Matthew Kahn, a public affairs prof, Luskin Scholar and author, will ponder 'how will cities survive climate change,' in a program at 7:30 tonight on the Westside; on Wednesday night at7:30 in mid-city, national correspondent Robert Kaplan takes on the question whether the 'U.S. is ready for the rise of Asia;' on the Westside on Wednesday night at 7, the gifted, talented, iconoclastic one-time editors of the LA Weekly will celebrate their second edition with readings and performances by contributors to their new literary venture, Slake; in Claremont on Wednesday night, sports writing legend Frank Deford will be in the spotlight; and on Thursday night at 7 downtown, though the session shows at full now, noted Los Angeles experts Glen Creason and D.J. Waldie will discuss their new examination of the City of Angels in maps.

$4.6 million to study HIV-AIDS and L.A. jails

2010-10-25T10:06:31-07:00

From UCLA

Because Los Angeles runs what may be one of the largest jails in the nation, and, indeed, the world, Bruin researchers will tap a $4.6 million National Institutes of Health grant to study inmates who pass through the system and who may be infected and need care for HIV-AIDS. Experts estimate that one in seven HIV-infected individuals go in and out of some kind of correctional facilities with sad regularity, including the regrettably Dickensian, overcrowded conditions that prevail to much criticism in the L.A. jails. But the hope is that by understanding more what happens, in particular, with those who shuttle between the slam and their local communities, that health officials may be able to curb HIV infection rates and better care for those with the disease so they don't spread it. This study, among other items, will focus on jail inmates' drug abuse, hospital and emergency room use and recidivism in the correctional system.

Research deals with reality: 1 in 7 HIV-infected individuals cycles through incarceration

In 'Blowout,' scholars find deep scandal in Gulf spill

2010-10-25T10:06:05-07:00

From UCSB

While the critical caricature holds that scholars dawdle while coporate types zip along, two professors not only have belied the stereotype, they've raced to print with a salvo at the demonstrable malfeasance by oil companies and government regulators that resulted in the calamitous Gulf Oil spill. In their new book, 'Blowout in the Gulf,' the experts in Santa Barbara and Lafayette, La., rip British Petroleum and other greedy oil and gas giants for their pell-mell rush to pad their profits at all costs and the lax federal oversight that gave free rein to all manner of poor practices. While much of the scandalous revelations about what led to the BP Gulf Oil spill now has been written about widely, the profs also point out the giant policy passes given to Big Oil by the U.S. government: while most businesses pays an income tax rate around 27%, Big Oil chips in a meager 9%; while BP paid a royalty rate of roughly 40% on its Gulf oil, governments around the globe charge for similar supplies twice as much (Norway -- 75%), or more (80% plus in Vietnam, Tunisia, Kazakhstan and even Brunei).

New book rips lax regulation, murky energy policies, greedy companies

A catch-up lagniappe with a soupcon from all over

2010-10-25T10:05:26-07:00

From Cal State Fullerton, RAND, CSUN, Loyola Marymount, UCLA, UCR, UCI, Claremont Graduate University, Chapman

Let's play fast catch up. With apologies that the press of fuller time employment for actual pay has cut into the posting here -- and may continue to do so -- here's stuff from around the area worth a gander:

The Bruins open their spiffy, new Terasaki Life Sciences building today, a major facility named after the emeritus surgery prof, transplant pioneer and key developer of tissue typing technology who also donated $50 million to the school.

Also of note in Westwood: a $2.9 million study on gum disease among diabetics with emphasis in new genetic techniques that will let researchers better understand whether changes in health affect body systems and allow certain types of bacteria to flourish. Bruin scholars also will join colleagues from five other schools in a major new scrutiny of climate change in the Southwestern United States, a region that experts predict will be among the most affected by issues related to global warming.

In Fullerton, a researcher has put together nearly $7 million in grants to study and boost the health of Asian Pacific Islanders, some 870,000 of whom live in Southern California and must deal with particular challenges with obesity and cancer. Other research on campus recently has targeted Asian American women and their reproductive health, particularly since some of the student-assisted work found that this group of females, while sexually active, used contraceptives less and were unlikely to undergo routine testing for disorders affecting women. And yet another Titan scholar has become a surprising expert for highly personal reasons on the topic of suicide among people, especially young women, of Asian descent; suicide is the second leading cause of death among Asian American women ages 15 to24 and women of Asian descent in this age group, joined by those older than 65, have the highest suicide rates across all racial-ethnic groups, experts say.

In Santa Monica, the think tank folks have found thatGood Samaritans could get better, more cost effective results if only they would work harder to coordinate all those after-school programs aimed at helping kids; the full report available here details how, in principle, five cities have proved they can help more urban youngsters reach their fullest potential through the after-school programs if sponsors work together. Other researchers, meantime, have raised questions about the market for residential wind and flood insurance, coverages that were found tragically lacking and still have not been put back together five years after Hurricane Katrina.

In Riverside, itty-bitty guppies have told a tale of species' resilience after a poor, early start in life, while in Orange, little sea slugs, jolted by electricity and shocked by nasty lobster attacks, have provided intriguing insights into brain activity and memory.

In Claremont, researchers have created a computer model to help figure how to reduce public conflicts over the location of power lines and other transmission facilities for advanced but remote solar and wind power plants, while in Westchester, student broadcasters are celebrating the resolution of a frequency dispute so that campus radio station KXLU (88.9) can be heard without interference in eastern Los Angeles, including by underground hipsters in Silverlake, downtown and Pasadena.

They're following the money at 'state of state' program

2010-10-20T06:38:53-07:00

From the Milken Institute

The folks over at the Beverly Hills think tank take their annual big, welcome scrutiny this week of what's working and what isn't in the Golden State, inviting in a blue-chip crowd of politicians, policy-makers, academics, business leaders and others to join in the civic-minded conversation. An array of topics gets dissected by an array of credentialed and eminently qualified speakers, panelists and experts of varied stripe. And think tank staffers do an excellent job of posting about it all, asap. The sessions started, of course, with an institute salvo about the skyrocketing costs of public pensions and what might be done about this giant, looming public finance nightmare. As the day wore on, those assembled also examined: what's the big picture with California's overall economy; how to heal the horribly wounded state housing market; what's really going on in Golden State politics (hint: it's Jerry's race ...); and how CEOs might 'fix' this state. There's a page directory of the videos already available from many of the Tuesday sessions, which also covered small business lending and encouraging business innovation.

SoCal has fashionable displays all stitched up

2010-10-20T06:37:47-07:00

From UCI, the Getty & LACMA

The fascination with how fine we all look all the time -- uh, huh, we are good looking, aren't we -- can so dominate life in Southern California that it might seem like gilding the lily to devote any more attention to fashion, its appointments and details. Fugghedaboutit. This is, after all, Hollywood, where, as the folks in Irvine note in a new exhibit, style and dress rule. It's amply illustrated with costumes from the drama department collections (such as a lavishly ruffled gown worn by Joan Crawford in the 1932 fashion-shaping film 'Letty Lynton) as well as books, magazines, photos, videos, posters and other materials that show how Hollywood from the 1930s foward became nothing less than a giant cultural force. The show in the school 's Langson Library launches tonight and runs until April 2011. And for those who wish to grasp better how details like drapery can make and break not only the wearer but, indeed, a sweeping artistic scene, well the terrific blog from the folks at the monument up on that Westside hill offer a diverting post. Fashion and the fashionable of Europe, of course, are just part of what's on display in what the cognoscenti are calling a fabulous new art space in Mid-City; might be a good reason to go and catch up on the Lynda and Stewart Resnick Pavilion.

In Irvine, fall exhibit focuses on film, fashion

An artistic explanation of why drapery matters

Catch up on new art space, details of hundreds of years of European finery