USC in the News 10/21/2009

Los Angeles Times stated that Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center and the county's two other public hospitals haven't restricted visitors as the H1N1 flu becomes more prevalent, though officials plan to meet to review visiting guidelines. County-USC began restricting visitor access to those 14 and older after last spring's H1N1 outbreak, and additional restrictions are possible after the upcoming meeting, the story reported. "It's one part of a whole set of policies we have at a time like this, during a pandemic, to protect patients and those coming in," said Paul Holtom of the Keck School of USC. "People understand it's both for the safety of their own children and for the protection of the patients. It is going to be many, many months before people are fully vaccinated."

Los Angeles Times reported that KUSC-FM host Alan Chapman was part of a pre-concert panel on the opening night of the Los Angeles Master Chorale's new season.

CNN highlighted work by Michael Goran of the Keck School of USC in a story about the disproportionately high number of U.S. Latino families with overweight and obese children. "You can't just try to change someone's behavior necessarily without trying to change their environment," Goran said. Goran worked with Latino teenagers to improve their diets, but after four months of the project there wasn't a significant improvement in outcomes, the story stated. "We have to do those studies over longer time periods than we have previously done to kind of give these things a chance to work and kick in," Goran said. "We're taking it one step at a time."

Los Angeles highlighted the event "Twyla Tharp: The Creative Habit: Learn It and Use It for Life," part of Visions and Voices: The USC Arts & Humanities Initiative. On October 13, the legendary choreographer presented a workshop and lecture based on her book "The Creative Habit: Learn It and Use It for Life."

The Guardian (U.K.) cited research by USC Annenberg School Ph.D. candidate Matthew Weber, which suggests that wire services provide the bulk of news online. "The 'system' starts with the wires and ends with the aggregators. Newspapers are jammed in the middle, competing for air," Weber said. The story cited a column on the research that appeared in USC's Online Journalism Review.

The Guardian (U.K.) cited research by Nathanael Fast of the USC Marshall School and colleagues which found that bosses who don't feel like they can handle their jobs are more likely to bully their subordinates. The researchers concluded that bosses become aggressive when they are feeling empowered but inadequate.

National Public Radio's "On the Media" featured research by Dmitri Williams of the USC Annenberg School. Williams and colleagues are studying the massively multiplayer online game EverQuest II to explore how virtual economies represent real-world ones. "When we do standard survey research, we always have to worry about whether or not the people are giving us accurate answers," Williams said. In contrast, the game allows researchers to track every move players make, he said. "A big part of the action and the play of these games is people buying and selling items, making items, repairing items. That lets us track an entire economy and measure supply and demand," Williams noted. "And we can do it with such a level of detail that it's better than anything you could get offline."

Fox News interviewed Dmitri Williams of the USC Annenberg School about games that charge real money for virtual goods. "If you're going to spend $4 or $5 and wind up getting 10 hours out of it, that turns out to be a pretty good value," Williams said. "It's a pretty rational choice in a bad economy."

Jewish Journal featured the event "Belief Behind Bars: A Call for Human Rights and Religious Freedom in Iran," co-sponsored by the USC Office of Religious Life and the USC College's Levan Institute for Humanities and Ethics. The program, which was hosted by actor Rainn Wilson, featured an array of speeches, musical performances and video presentations highlighting the plight of the Baha'i community in Iran.

The State Journal-Register ran an op-ed by Richard Reeves of the USC Annenberg School on health care reform. "Socialism or not, history is pushing health-care reform into law. It will not be 100 percent of what President Barack Obama wanted. It will be a compromise bill with some Republican input -- and it will be added to and expanded over the years," Reeves wrote. "For now, on passage, Obama will say something historic, similar to what Franklin Roosevelt said in 1935: 'We can never insure 100 percent of the population against 100 percent of the hazards and vicissitudes of life. But we have tried to frame a law which will give some measure of protection to the average citizen and to his family against the loss of a job and against poverty-ridden old age.'"

L.A. Weekly remembered Anne Friedberg of the USC School of Cinematic Arts in an obituary written by Holly Willis and Ella Taylor of the School of Cinematic Arts. Friedberg was a visionary film scholar who helped craft the school's Interdivisional Program in Media Arts and Practice, uniting critical studies and interactive media, Willis wrote. Taylor wrote: "When Anne walked into the office, the fabulous quotient went through the roof. Tiny as she was, with her auburn bob and chunky jewels and designer threads in brilliant shades of red, white and black, she brought playful melodrama to the party. Wherever she was, she had a quiet way of making sure everyone was doing okay." The story also cited Howard Rodman of the School of Cinematic Arts, Friedberg's husband: "She truly dragged film studies out of its pomegranate-seedy little room and into the 21st century."

Reader's Digest featured USC student Gregory Woodburn, who started Share Our Soles, a charity that collects running shoes from USC students and other donors and gives them to underprivileged children in the United States and 20 other countries. To date, Woodburn's organization has collected and donated more than 3,000 pairs of shoes, the story reported.

Los Angeles Times mentioned that the archives of postmodern dance artist Rudy Perez are housed at the USC Libraries. Perez has also taught at USC, the story reported.

Los Angeles Times quoted Richard Green of the USC Lusk Center for Real Estate on how banks are responding to government pressure to scale back repossessions of troubled properties. "I don't think people are saying it to each other, but they're seeing it's in nobody's interest to have mass foreclosures," Green said.

Contra Costa Times reported that experts from USC, Cornell University and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory are helping the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power determine the causes for the recent surge in water main breaks. The panel should produce its report in two weeks, the story stated.

CityNews Service reported there has been an increase in patients at Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center, due partly to an increase in H1N1 flu patients, the economic downturn and the closure of Martin Luther King Jr. Medical Center. Los Angeles Daily News also covered the story.

Ventura County Star reported that Johanna Olson of the Keck School of USC is scheduled to speak at a Ventura, Calif., forum on single-payer universal health care and other reform options.

Baton Rouge Business Report mentioned that the Center for Planning Excellence in Baton Rouge, La., hired people from USC to audit the city's growth plan and identify problems.

Glendale News-Press quoted Robert Bridges of the USC Marshall School in an article about rising competition for a shrinking supply of homes on sale in Glendale, Burbank and La Crescenta, as many potential sellers decide against putting their properties on the market. Economic concerns are weighing heavily on homeowners who opt not to sell their properties, Bridges said. The federal government is heavily burdened with debt, causing uncertainty about the strength of the dollar and raising questions about planning major transactions, he explained. "Its just a real mixed picture right now," Bridges said, adding that experts are concerned that a second wave of mortgage defaults could be on the horizon.

Burbank Leader quoted Bruce Spring of the Keck School of USC in an article about an increase in suicides this year in Burbank, and speculation that the recession played a role in the deaths. "It could be, 'I am going to show you how bad it is.' Or a feeling of 'Geez, maybe they'll finally take notice if I make a statement this way,'" Spring said. "When people are clinically depressed, their minds often lead them astray. Thoughts such as, 'My family will be better off without me, they can get the life insurance' can start to make sense." Spring said that by making statistics available, law enforcement agencies are illuminating a path for people to get assistance.