Not our ads

Note to our readers: Recently, Google/blogspot seems on occasion to be attaching links to key words in our blog that lead to ads for goods and services that have nothing to do with the story.  So unless we say it's a link to something, it was put there by some computer. Example: We might use the word "student" in an article referring to some campus or UC event. If the word is highlighted as a link, it will probably take you to an ad for some trade school.

UPDATE: The links referred to above seem to have disappeared for now.  Whether they will reappear or just appear sometimes is unknown. Again, we don't control this matter but when we add links, there is typically a reference in our posting.

UCLA Health System's Hospitals Ranked Among Nation's Best

The UCLA Health System's hospitals in Westwood and Santa Monica have been named to U.S. News and World report's Best Hospitals 2014–15 honor roll. UCLA was ranked number five in the country and number one in both California and the Los Angeles metropolitan area.

The annual rankings, now in their 25th year, are the magazine's most exclusive rankings, recognizing hospitals that excel at treating patients who need an especially high level of care.

This year's Honor Roll highlights just 17 hospitals out of nearly 5,000 nationwide for their expertise in treating the most challenging patients across a range of medical specialties...

Full story at http://www.smmirror.com/articles/News/UCLA-Health-Systems-Hospitals-Ranked-Among-Nations-Best-/40655

There will undoubtedly be joyful singing on south campus:

Maybe they should rethink again

From Inside Higher Ed: (excerpt)

Officials at the University of California system are reconsidering a policy that prevents the university from discriminating against non-American researchers.

UC traditionally rejects money from research sponsors – including the federal government – that want all researchers assigned to a project to be American citizens or permanent United States residents. Some exceptions have been made for classified research and federal programs meant to provide work force training to young American scientists.

That could change. System officials are now in preliminary discussions about allowing sponsors to dictate broader discrimination against non-American researchers. As federal research dollars dry up and federal authorities fret about work that could harm national security, UC officials have begun to rethink their nondiscrimination policy...

Full story at: http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2014/07/16/uc-system-reconsiders-policy-barring-discrimination-against-non-american-researchers

Waiting for Regents Streaming Video

As of 8:30 am this morning and beyond, the live-stream of the Regents meeting seems not to be working.  Presumably, eventually it will and their (one year) preservation will allow us to make the audio available indefinitely (beyond one year).  The problem is a reminder, however, of the frailties of technology and its use in higher ed.

UPDATE: The student regent who took a pro-Israel stance was endorsed by the regents with only the current student regent (known for an anti-Israel stance) opposed, according to the Daily Bruin:
http://dailybruin.com/2014/07/16/uc-regents-appoint-avi-oved-as-student-regent-designate/  The Regents' streaming video was never accessible to yours truly, however, despite repeated attempts to connect.  As of 12:30 pm, the following notice was on the Regents' website:

Due to technical difficulties, the live webcast for the meeting has been delayed. We are working to resolve the problem as quickly as possible. Please check back.

Further UPDATE: The same notice was still there at 3 pm this afternoon.  

Still further UPDATE: The notice was still there at 5 pm this afternoon.  Will the problem be fixed by tomorrow.  Who knows?

Frack Talk

One more guess about what might come up in the public comments sessions of the upcoming Regents meetings: .  Prior posts have suggested that opposition to the new student regent nomination and, perhaps, the usual demands that the Regents fire President Napolitano might well come up.  To those topics, we might add fossil fuel divestment which is not on the official agenda while a committee studies the issue. 

The Contra Costa Times runs an article about a sculpture attacking what the artist sees as the pro-fracking stances of Gov. Brown and Lt. Gov. Newsom (and maybe Brown's dog Sutter in the lower right hand corner).

An El Dorado Hills artist who has a sort of personal history with Gov. Jerry Brown has once again immortalized him in sculpture – this time, taking him to task for letting oil and gas “fracking” proceed in the Golden State.  Laura Harling’s “Happy Fracking Day” sculpture won an Award of Merit in fine art at the California State Fair, where it’s on display...

Harling... worked way back in the day as a state janitor tasked with cleaning a much younger Gov. Jerry Brown’s apartment...

Full story at http://www.ibabuzz.com/politics/2014/07/14/happy-fracking-day-with-brown-newsom/

Brown mumbled something about maybe divesting from coal (like Stanford).  You don't see a lot of coal mines in California.  You do see a lot of oil wells, however, a source of potential tax revenue when Prop 30 expires and, maybe, the economy suffers a slowdown or worse.  California is in fact a major oil producing state.  Here are the top 4 states' production in thousands of barrels per day in 2013:

Texas      2555
N. Dakota   858
California  546
Alaska      515

Source: http://www.eia.gov/dnav/pet/pet_crd_crpdn_adc_mbblpd_a.htm

But while California is a major producer, production in the state has fallen roughly in half since the mid-1980s.  That downward trend is likely not something the governor - an ex officio regent with his hand on the UC budget lever - would want to see exacerbated.  The lt. governor is also an ex officio regent with an eye on running to succeed Brown four years from now.  Both officials tend to stay away from public comment sessions (for obvious reasons).

Happy Returns May Come Up at Regents

The Regents will be discussing the UC budget at their upcoming meeting.  Recent headlines about CalPERS and CalSTRS having earned 18% over the year may prompt questions about UCRP.  What has it earned?  Funded status?  Etc.

You can find reference to the returns at the other two state funds at:

http://www.sacbee.com/2014/07/15/6555229/calpers-reports-184-profit-on.html

Of course, we're all grateful for happy returns, whatever they are:

Upcoming Public Comments at Regents

It may be that the public comments periods will be the most exciting part of the Regents meeting scheduled for tomorrow and the day after.  Look for protests against the appointment of a pro-Israel student regent.  As we have noted in prior posts, this appointment seems to be part of a regental strategy to "balance" last year's appointment of an anti-Israel student regent.  In this case, the current situation in the Middle East plus the confrontation in Westwood near UCLA are likely to exacerbate feelings expressed in the public comments period.  The latest references to current events are at:

http://dailybruin.com/2014/07/14/hundreds-across-uc-sign-petition-asking-to-delay-oveds-appointment/
http://dailybruin.com/2014/07/14/shot-fired-at-pro-palestinian-protesters-in-westwood/
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-unclear-why-federal-agent-fired-gun-during-la-israel-rally-20140714-story.html 

The Regents have already said they will approve the appointment but this issue may drown out those who regularly appear demanding the Regents fire UC prez Napolitano.   On verra.