USC Dornsife in the News Archive - 2011 December December 26, 2011 - January 3, 2012 The New York Times featured a Q&A with David Treuer of English, who recently wrote Rez Life, a book about growing up on a reservation in Minnesota. The Washington Post quoted Dan Schnur, director of the Jesse M. Unruh Institute of Politics, about Mitt Romney’s ascendance in the field of Republican presidential candidates. Today (Singapore) cited Antonio Damasio, director of USC’s Brain and Creativity Institute, about the neural processes governing empathy and deep thought. Friday, December 23, 2011 Los Angeles Times ran an op-ed by Janet Fitch of the Master of Professional Writing Program reflecting on her mother’s cooking during the holidays. Wired quoted David Bottjer of earth sciences and biological sciences about new research on fossils that may hint at how multi-cellular creatures first came into being. Smithsonian cited research by Kaspar Meyer of psychology, finding that when study subjects were shown silent film clips, the brain regions governing sound would light up. Thursday, December 22, 2011 The New York Times ran an op-ed by David Treuer of English about how American Indian identity has been exploited by both the U.S. government and tribal people themselves at various times in history. Racial mixing has led to complications in tribal identification as well as knowing who should receive reservation benefits, Treuer wrote. Ultimately, tribes need to use metrics beyond bloodlines to identify members. "Having survived this long and come this far, we must think harder about who we want to be in the future, and do something more than just measure out our teaspoons of blood," he wrote. Jewish Telegraphic Agency featured an exhibit on the Cuban-Jewish experience of the Holocaust sponsored partly by the USC Shoah Foundation Institute for Visual History and Education. The exhibit includes video clips of refugees from Nazi Germany and the testimony of Holocaust survivors. Spanning 56 countries and 32 languages, the testimonies were pulled from the Shoah Foundation Institute's archives. Reuters quoted Dan Schnur, director of the Jesse M. Unruh Institute of Politics, about the impact of the Tea Party on the 2012 election. Tuesday, December 20, 2011 The Washington Post aired an interview by Bloomberg West with David Kang, director of the USC Korean Studies Institute, about North Korea maintaining its global isolation. Kang said about 60 percent of North Koreans in the capital city of Pyongyang has a cell phone, but those living in the provinces are unlikely to have any access to that technology. New York Daily News ran an op-ed by David Kang, director of the USC Korean Studies Institute, about the outcome of Kim Jong Il’s death. Kang notes that the event isn’t likely to change much in North Korea. Kim Jong Un, heir to the regime, is unlikely to make any radical changes because his legitimacy is derived solely from his family. American Public Media’s “Marketplace” interviewed David Kang, director of the USC Korean Studies Institute, who spoke about the North Korean economy and what effect a regime change could produce on surrounding economies. Kang noted that even though the North Korean economy operates at a very low level, instability there could cause ripples in the South Korean, Chinese and Japanese economies, with global effects. Arirang (South Korea) quoted David Kang, director of the USC Korean Studies Institute, about the uncertainties that South Korea and the U.S. face with Kim Jong Il gone. Bloomberg Businessweek quoted David Kang, director of the USC Korean Studies Institute, about the stability of North Korea after Kim Jong Il’s death. CNN cited David Kang, director of the USC Korean Studies Institute, about North Korea walking a line between opening to reform and maintaining control. Appeal-Democrat quoted Dan Schnur, director of the Jesse M. Unruh Institute of Politics, about Ronald Reagan’s political ascent. ABC News Denver, Colo. affiliate KMGH-TV cited a study led by Alan Watts of biological sciences, physiology and biophysics identifying the biochemical signals used by the brain to regulate blood sugar. The story notes this research could help treat diabetes. December 17-19, 2011 C-SPAN ran a lecture by Steven Ross of history and author of “Hollywood Left and Right: How Movie Stars Shaped American Politics” about the history of Hollywood and American politics. “As Marlon Brando told reporters just before the March on Washington in 1963, ‘If an actor can sell deodorants, he can be just as important in selling ideas,’” Ross said. NPR interviewed David Kang and Sandra Fahy of the USC Korean Studies Institute about North Korean leader Kim Jong Il’s death. CW News Los Angeles affiliate KTLA-TV interviewed David Kang, director of the USC Korean Studies Institute, about Kim Jong Il’s death and his son succeeding him. MinnPost quoted David Kang, director of the USC Korean Studies Institute, about the likelihood of change in the North Korean state after Kim Jong Il’s death. Los Angeles Times cited a USC Dornsife/Los Angeles Times poll finding that 55 percent of Californian voters surveyed opposed the Dream Act, which would provide university financial aid for illegal immigrants. Friday, December 16, 2011 The New York Times featured a photo exhibit at the Museum of Contemporary Art that is curated by Richard Meyer of art history. The exhibit, “Naked Hollywood: Weegee in Los Angeles,” highlights the work of Arthur “Weegee” Fellig, a photographer famous for documenting New York. Weegee also released a book called “Naked Hollywood,” detailing life in Tinseltown, a work that Meyer said is more relevant than ever as “the boundaries separating art, photography and commerce have become ever more blurred in the decades since ‘Naked Hollywood’ first appeared.” KCET-TV mentioned that the new book “L.A.’s Early Moderns” features an introduction by William Deverell of history, and noted that the city’s historic Gamble House is operated by USC and cared for by USC School of Architecture students. The Huffington Post cited the book “Descartes’ Error” by Antonio Damasio, director of the Brain and Creativity Institute. Thursday, December 15, 2011 Jewish Journal quoted Dan Schnur, director of the Jesse M. Unruh Institute of Politics, about former President Ronald Reagan’s expressions of religious faith. Tuesday, December 13, 2011 The Wall Street Journal ran an op-ed by Steven Ross of history, author of “Hollywood Left and Right: How Movie Stars Shaped American Politics,” detailing his favorite five books about Hollywood and politics. Ross’ selections were “The Power and the Glitter,” “Hedda Hopper’s Hollywood,” “The People’s Machine,” “The Inquisition in Hollywood” and “The Big Tomorrow.” Pacific Daily News (Guam) profiled USC Dornsife alumna Esther Kia'aina who is a candidate for the second Congressional District of Hawaii. December 10-12, 2011 The Huffington Post highlighted the USC Shoah Foundation Institute for Visual History and Education, noting that since its founding by filmmaker Steven Spielberg in 1994, the institute has collected more than 50,000 testimonies by Holocaust survivors. The institute has expanded its mission to include the survivors of other genocides, and is training five survivors of the Rwandan genocide to use its archiving methods, with the intention of eventually assembling at least 1,000 interviews. PBS News New York affiliate WNET-TV interviewed Bruce Zuckerman of religion and linguistics about the flaws in digital technology used to reconstruct ancient scroll fragments. Los Angeles Times cited the USC Dornsife/Los Angeles Times Poll, which found that 64 percent of California voters favored raising taxes in order to better fund public schools. Thursday, December 8, 2011 The Sydney Morning Herald (Australia) cited Richard Easterlin, University Professor and Professor of Economics, about increases in gross domestic product over a certain income level not being correlated with happiness. Politico quoted Dan Schnur, director of the Jesse M. Unruh Institute of Politics, about the upcoming debate between Republican presidential candidates Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich. Kyiv Post (Ukraine) cited research by Antonio Damasio, director of the Brain and Creativity Institute, on the role emotions play in decision-making. Wednesday, December 7, 2011 Los Angeles Times highlighted research by Kaspar Meyer of psychology, finding that when study subjects were shown silent film clips, the brain regions governing sound would light up. Meyer said that though no sound was affecting the subjects’ ear drums, researchers believe they create their own sounds in their minds. Fox News Portland, Ore., affiliate KPTV-TV featured a study by Wendy Wood, Provost Professor of Psychology and Business, and scholar David Neal, who was affiliated with USC Dornsife while the research was conducted, on mindless eating. Moviegoers were given fresh popcorn or popcorn that was a week old. The people who made popcorn a regular part of their moviegoing experience ate more of the week-old popcorn, suggesting that the habit was more important than how it tasted. When moviegoers were asked to use their non-dominant hand to eat the popcorn, they seemed to pay more attention to what they were eating. La Opinion noted that Los Angeles mayoral debates will be held at several schools including USC, and quoted Dan Schnur, director of the Jesse M. Unruh Institute of Politics, on the subject. LA Observed featured a poem by Janet Fitch of the Master of Professional Writing Program, which chronicled the aftermath of a recent windstorm. Tuesday, December 6, 2011 USA Today quoted Kenneth Nealson of earth sciences and biological sciences about a bacterium that appears to use arsenic in its metabolism. The Guardian (U.K.) quoted Pamela Starr of international relations about a conference of Latin American countries being organized by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.