USC in the News 10/9/2009

The New York Times, in a widely carried Associated Press story, reported that filmmaker Steven Spielberg received the National Constitution Center's Liberty Medal for his human rights work, which includes founding the USC Shoah Foundation Institute for Visual History and Education. The institute has collected 52,000 video testimonies in 56 nations and 32 languages from genocide survivors, the article noted.

Los Angeles Times cited a study led by LaVonna Lewis of the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development which found that one in three grocery stores in low-income Los Angeles neighborhoods often sells expired food. "It's a quality question," Lewis said. "Shouldn't people have access to fresh, healthy foods no matter where they live? It's also a resource question. If you have limited resources, aren't those resources used less effectively if the food you purchase in your neighborhood is quickly out of date?" Future studies will try to determine whether expired food products are found more often in low-income areas, Lewis said.

Los Angeles Times reported on USC football player Stafon Johnson's recovery progress. Johnson, who was injured in a weightlifting accident last week, is up and moving around, USC Head Men's Football Coach Pete Carroll said. Associated Press also covered the story.

The Courier-Mail (Australia) highlighted work by Mark Humayun of the Keck School of USC and USC Viterbi School and colleagues at the USC Doheny Eye Institute. The story reported that the Australian Research Council denied an application by Queensland researchers for funding to further research on artificial retinas. Humayun's team would have been part of the consortium receiving the funds, the article stated. The Doheny Eye Institute is the world leader in bionic eye technology, and Humayun's team has successfully implanted artificial retinas in 45 people, the story stated. "We have 10,000 hours of experience with these implants," Humayun said. "Next we want blind people to recognize faces and see colors, and ultimately, to read." The Doheny Eye Institute holds the intellectual property rights for the technology, the article noted.

BusinessWeek cited a study by the USC Cinematic Arts School's Entertainment Technology Center (ETC@USC) and the Consumer Electronics Association which found that consumers would be willing to pay a premium for a 3-D-capable television, but only about $150 to $200 more than for a conventional TV. The study also found that only 16 percent of adults were interested in watching 3-D movies or TV shows at home. "For 3-D to be truly mass-market, consumers will want not only movies and games but also live events, sports and other programming," said David Wertheimer of the USC School of Cinematic Arts, the center's executive director.

The Sydney Morning Herald (Australia) cited David Carter of the USC Marshall School regarding controversial NFL player Michael Vick's signing of an endorsement deal with Nike. "It is quite evident that athletes that run afoul of the law are by no means relegated to obscurity when it comes to pitching products," Carter has said.

Scientific American highlighted USC in an article about the research vessel Ocean Watch. Experiments performed aboard the boat are part of collaborations among eight different universities and agencies, including USC, where jellyfish samples will undergo DNA analysis.

American Public Media's "Marketplace" interviewed Jason Squire of the USC School of Cinematic Arts about the Los Angeles City Council's goal of courting film productions through tax incentives, easier location booking, and free parking. "For years, the city of Los Angeles has not been implementing this, believing that because it is the center of entertainment, that it wasn't necessary and it wasn't really a serious enough issue," Squire said.

The Philadelphia Inquirer quoted Martin Kaplan of the USC Annenberg School in an article on Comcast potentially purchasing NBC Universal. One company is in the conduit business and the other is in the content business, Kaplan pointed out. "One is at the rational, hierarchical, bean-counting end of the spectrum. The other -- though it's just as profit-oriented -- is also a culture of magical thinking, superstition, and illusion." According to Kaplan, the question is whether Comcast CEO Brian Roberts would "empower some Hollywood hands to manage on his behalf -- and risk hearing, 'No, it doesn't work that way in this tribe out here.'"

Los Angeles Times mentioned USC in an article on the 50th anniversary of a court decision that preserved the Watts Towers. USC and UCLA professors participated in a test that proved the towers could withstand gale-force winds, the story reported.

Los Angeles Times noted that novelist Nick Hornby received a USC Libraries Scripter Award in 2000 for his book "High Fidelity."

Los Angeles Times ran an historical article from 1959 about USC students protesting new regulations imposed after the death of a student during a fraternity hazing.

NBC News Los Angeles affiliate KNBC-TV reported that KUSC-FM broadcast Gustavo Dudamel's debut as conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Walt Disney Concert Hall.

The Orange County Register reported that a football signed by USC Head Men's Football Coach Pete Caroll and former USC alumni Matt Leinart, Reggie Bush and Carson Palmer is among the donations that will be auctioned off to benefit a disabled third grader who lost his mother to brain cancer.

The Mercury-News quoted Sherry Bebitch Jeffe of the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development about a recent poll showing that California Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Campbell is running neck and neck with billionaire Meg Whitman. "It's really interesting that Campbell is so close with no money and not much name recognition," Jeffe said. "But it's also clear that the campaign really hasn't begun to catch the broad attention of Californians."

The Mercury News quoted Dan Schnur of the USC College about Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's refusal to sign hundreds of bills in a bid to convince legislative leaders to overhaul the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, which serves as a conduit for most of California's drinking water. "There's no guarantee that it will pay off," Schnur said of the governor's stalling. "But there's an absolute guarantee that he won't get a water deal without taking this type of risk."

Bay Area Reporter reported that President Obama plans to appoint David Huebner of the USC Gould School as U.S. ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa. If confirmed by the Senate, Huebner will be the third openly gay ambassador in U.S. history and the first pick by this administration.