miscellaneous

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Who Needs Light, Anyway? Or Gravitas?

Byuclafaculty

inShare After 144 years with the same old Victorian seal, the University of California has decided to go mod. The university’s original logo — with its open book, 1868 date stamp and “Let there be light” script — will still be in circulation, appearing on president’s letters and official university documents. But marketing materials and websites will feature a radically simple and more contemporary symbol: a little “C” nesting inside a shield-shaped “U.” “They wanted something that would reflect the innovation, the character of California — just more modern, user-friendly,” said Dianne Klein of UC’s Office of the President. “That’s…

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UCLA Forecasting

Byuclafaculty

This 1966 photo from the LAPL collection shows a local effort at forest fire prevention by getting weather forecasts through a new “weather-fax” machine. The individual in the photo is identified as Bob Helfman, 28, a UCLA graduate in meteorology. [Note: Did you think the word “fax” (for facsimile) was a more recent invention?] There will be forecasting at UCLA this coming week using more modern technology.  The UCLA Anderson Forecast conference will be held on campus on Wednesday, December 5. Info on that event is at:http://www.uclaforecast.com/event/eventDisplay.asp?iEventID=69 Meanwhile, as far as the kind of forecast for the next few days…

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The Westwood Tree Issue Continues

Byuclafaculty

We have previously noted the issue surrounding the proposed removal of certain trees from Westwood near UCLA.  From the Westwood-Century City Patch today: Days after the city OK’d the Westwood Village Improvement Association’s request to remove 18 trees in the area, the Westwood Community Council urged the preservation of as many trees as possible.  The council last week passed a resolution to support the preservation of mature Westwood Village trees and called on the Westwood Business Improvement District, managed by the WVIA, to save as many trees as possible as it embarks on a sidewalk repair and replacement project… Full…

Your California students will be able to sign their names…

Byuclafaculty

  Penmanship class …but your out-of-state students that UCLA is recruiting may not.From the LA Daily News: The pen may not be as mighty as the keyboard these days, but California and a handful of states are not giving up on handwriting entirely. Bucking a growing trend of eliminating cursive from elementary school curriculums or making it optional, California is among the states keeping longhand as a third-grade staple…  Full story at http://www.dailynews.com/breakingnews/ci_22061429/california-is-preserving-penmanship-digital-age Being able to sign one’s name does seem like a worthwhile skill for a college student to have, at least to your blogmeister.Sincerely,

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More on the Harran Case Hearing

Byuclafaculty

The LA Daily News carries a story about the hearing concerning the fatal lab fire in 2008 for which the local DA is holding Professor Patrick Harran criminally responsible.  A possible four-year prison sentence is involved.  As we have noted in past blog postings, the Regents were at one time charged along with Prof. Harran but have been dropped from the case.  UCLA legal counsel believes that this matter is being overcharged by the DA for whatever reasons and is providing his defense.  We have also noted that the DA has charged another UCLA professor in a totally-unrelated case, possibly…

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Hearing on UCLA Chemistry Fire Case

Byuclafaculty

Apparently, the trial of UCLA Prof. Patrick Harran is under way although it is receiving limited media coverage.  Readers of this blog will know that the case stemmed from a lab accident in which a student assistant, Sheharbano “Sheri” Sangji, was killed.  At one time the Regents were also charged but they were dropped form the case by the DA.  We have suggested that in this case and another involving a faculty member, the DA is overreaching in what should be a civil case.  UCLA agrees and is providing legal defense for Prof. Harran,  Coverage can be found in the…