The 1961 Bel Air fire burned very close to UCLA. LAObserved today pointed to a film made by the Fire Dept. of that era. Some footage taken by UCLA appears around minute 22. The LAObserved link is at http://www.laobserved.com/archive/2011/03/lafd_film_on_the_1961_bel.php
In today’s NY Times, columnist and Princeton professor Paul Krugman notes that computer technology advances are undermining the job market for certain kinds of occupations that are identified with college-educated workers. “It is a truth universally acknowledged that education is the key to economic success. Everyone knows that the jobs of the future will require ever higher levels of skill… But what everyone knows is wrong…” “The fact is that since 1990 or so the U.S. job market has been characterized not by a general rise in the demand for skill, but by “hollowing out”: both high-wage and low-wage employment…
The photo above shows the 1962 funeral of actress Marilyn Monroe in Westwood Memorial Cemetery. The cemetery was developed in 1905 on essentially empty land, well before the UCLA campus arrived nearby in the late 1920s. Because the cemetery is now hidden by various buildings along Wilshire Blvd, many are unaware of its existence. It is behind the building housing the AVCO movie theater. (See the Google map photo on the right.) Due to its location, the cemetery the final home to many entertainment types, ranging from actor Eddie Albert to musician Frank Zappa and Hollywood mogul Darryl Zanuck. But…
Some news from the National Bureau of Economic Research: After a court decision on California’s “right to know” law, the Sacramento Bee newspaper established a website in early 2008 that made it possible to search for the salary of any state employee, including both faculty and staff at the University of California (UC). To determine how the availability of such salary information may affect workers’ job satisfaction, researchers David Card, Alexandre Mas, Enrico Moretti, and Emmanuel Saez contacted a random subset of employees at three UC campuses, informing them of the existence of this website. A few days later, they…
I received this item from AAUP in the form of an email newsletter. I was unable to find a link on the AAUP website. Since the item may be of interest to those in medicine and other fields in which patent rights can be important, I reproduce the text below: Recently the AAUP filed an amicus brief in support of the ownership rights of thousands of faculty researchers and inventors to their inventive work. The joint amicus brief, filed in collaboration with the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and IP Advocate, a nonprofit advocacy group, was submitted to…
Valentine’s Day unmasking A special Valentine’s Day viewing of a new exhibition at the Fowler Museum will be held Monday, Feb. 14. “Central Nigeria Unmasked: Arts of the Benue River Valley” unmasks the history of Central Nigeria by examining the dynamic interrelationships among its peoples and their ritual arts. You can see 150 wood sculptures, masks, ceramic vessels as well as elaborate bronze and iron regalia. There will also be Valentine’s Day treats in the courtyard served from 2-4 p.m. ==================And for those looking for (almost) eternal love, this blog offers:[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4i96M0YDfGE]
For those interested in the so-called “Irvine 11” Muslim students case, you might be interested in the KPCC Airtalk program of Feb. 7. Below is the text that goes with the podcast. Below that is a link to a podcast of the program. The Orange County District Attorney has charged the so-called “Irvine 11” with conspiring to disrupt a speech by Israeli ambassador Michael Oren at UC Irvine last year. In a statement, District Attorney Tony Rackauckas defended the misdemeanor charges against the Muslim students saying “we cannot tolerate a preplanned violation of the law, even if the crime takes…
Four scenes of Westwood. The top photo shows the construction of a Ralphs grocery store near the soon-to-be-opened UCLA campus in the 1920s. Below that is a view alongside the store in the 1940s, possibly taken by famed photographer Ansel Adams. (He took several photos of the building at the time and this one looks similar to others on the web.) The bottom two photos were taken in the same location in the 1950s. Nowadays, the former Ralphs building houses a coffee shop. Question: Why is there no apostrophe in “Ralphs”?Answer: Because the founder was named George Ralphs.
I thought we had enough troubles on campus, what with the budget crisis and the pension crisis. But today, while I was on my way towards the (soon-to-be-demolished) UCLA Faculty Club, I spotted this sign with yet more crises to worry about.
Then Vice-Chancellor (later Chancellor) Charles Young deals with student demonstrators in 1965. UCLA History Project.
