UCLA In the News lists selected mentions of UCLA in the world’s news media. See more UCLA In the News.
Home sales plunge in Southern California to lowest level since 2007, as prices inch up | Los Angeles Times
Stuart Gabriel, director of the Ziman Center for Real Estate at UCLA, said the Federal Reserve’s announcement Wednesday that it would be “patient” in enacting additional rate increases may help prevent mortgage rates from drifting higher. But at the same time, there are concerns over global growth and the cost of housing is already too high for many. “Where do we go from here?” Gabriel said. “The [spring] selling season will be a very important indication.”
The U.S. overestimates power to promote democracy or enable authoritarians | Zócalo Public Square
UCLA political scientist Richard D. Anderson, who has worked on the staff of the CIA and in Congress, dominated the conversation by challenging American assumptions and even definitions of democracy. He said that democracy often elevates more authoritarian leaders who we don’t like — he cited Vladimir Putin, Hungary’s Viktor Orban, and even the two U.S. senators from Texas, Ted Cruz and John Cornyn. But these leaders are democratic actors, who are aligned with the views of the majorities of the voters. Anderson said he strongly opposed Trump as a president, but said he was undeniably a democratic figure. At the same time, he questioned Trump’s ability to influence what happens in other countries, or even his own. (UCLA’s Kal Raustiala also quoted)
‘The Big Bang Theory’ cast gathers on ‘Ellen,’ ponders legacy, including effects on UCLA scholars | Deadline
In another clip, Bialik talks about the comedy’s positive impact on promoting science, especially by inspiring kids. “It feels especially impactful that not only can we bring people joy and make them laugh, but we are also putting a different face on science and on scientists,” Bialik said. Galecki concurred, mentioning the 30 or so UCLA scholars benefiting from scholarship money from the show. Said Galecki, “Inspiring people that are literally molding our culture and our future.… I’m just a theater rat, so that’s very cool.” (Also: Entertainment Weekly)
Gavin Newsom’s record offers hints about how he’ll handle unions and California pensions | Sacramento Bee
Daniel Mitchell, a UCLA professor emeritus who is an expert in public employee labor unions, said Newsom is likely keeping Matosantos on for her finance expertise, not for any policy leanings. He suggested Newsom’s retention of Onishi, combined with his appointment of Wei, could mean he thinks compromise is more attainable than it has been made out to be. “Right now, the positions are that either you have the California Rule rigidly interpreted or you let a judge say what a ‘reasonable’ pension would be,” Mitchell said in an email. “If it looks like the latter is where things are going in the courts, public sector unions might well prefer some kind of more specific protection. In short, the issue might turn out to be ripe for negotiation and political compromise.”
What would make you trust an AI assistant? How about a face? | PC magazine
Although often contested, UCLA Professor Albert Mehrabian claimed in his book Nonverbal Communication that 93 percent of our communication does not involve words or speech.
SoCal housing market: stabilizing prices, cooling demand, Chinese disinvestment | KPCC-FM’s “AirTalk”
“One other factoid that hasn’t been mentioned was that the Chinese stock market actually fell 24 percent last year, which was obviously a tremendous decline,” says UCLA’s Eric Sussman. “That had an impact mainly due to the trade wars and the slowing economy there. No investor, domestic or foreign, likes uncertainty. I think we all would acknowledge that we have plenty of uncertainty in the market these days.” (Approx. 11:20 mark)
Most important meal? A review questions whether breakfast is really good for weight loss | Live Science
Dana Hunnes, a senior dietitian at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles, who was not involved in the review, said that its conclusions don’t appear strong enough to warrant recommending for or against skipping breakfast. Hunnes noted that the review found only a 1-pound difference between breakfast eaters and breakfast skippers, and the studies included in the review were conducted for relatively short periods. “I don’t feel the findings are robust enough to recommend [skipping breakfast] as a weight-loss strategy for most people,” Hunnes told Live Science.
Jackie Robinson at 100: Before the Dodgers, a 4-sport star at UCLA | NCAA.com
Before [Jackie] Robinson was breaking records and barriers in the pro ranks, he was a star at the University of California, Los Angeles…. Robinson remains the only UCLA athlete to ever letter in four sports.
To improve mental health treatments, scientists try to dissect the pieces that make them work | Stat
An example of that idea in action: the work of University of California, Los Angeles, neuroscientist Michelle Craske and her colleagues. They’ve worked to unpackage the mechanisms behind exposure therapy, a common treatment for anxiety disorders that involves repeated exposures to things that a person fears or avoids. It works for some people, but not everyone. Craske and her colleagues are hunting for ways to tweak the treatment’s mechanisms to make exposure therapy more effective.
Latest news on flipping homes for quick profits | Forbes
Continuing Lecturer of Finance and Real Estate at UCLA Anderson School of Management Paul Habibi explains the fundamentals. “The big decline you see is from the amateurs who want to invest in a market where they see an upward trajectory. That’s what people look to take advantage of,” Habibi explains. “You can do a lot of things wrong in an up-trending market which can save you from your mistakes. That changes when the market changes and it filters out upstarts who don’t really know what they are doing,” Habibi said, not mincing words. Financing has gotten trickier on those deals, weeding more players out of the game.
Israeli scientists say they’ll have cure for cancer within a year. Here’s why that’s highly unlikely | Live Science
Dr. Deanna Attai, an assistant clinical professor in the department of surgery at the University of California, Los Angeles, said that she thinks the Israeli scientists are “making a lot of leaps from what sounds like very preliminary studies.” As such, their claims are just “irresponsible,” Attai told Live Science.
Heart disease affects half of U.S. adults, experts say | Courthouse News Service
Dr. Gregg Fonarow, a professor of cardiovascular medicine and science at the University of California, Los Angeles, says many Americans may be unaware that they have high blood pressure, and that treatment and management can lead to positive outcomes. “High blood pressure is a major modifiable risk factor for heart attacks, heart failure, stroke, kidney failure and premature cardiovascular death. Achieving and maintaining a healthy blood pressure level can markedly lower the risk of these cardiovascular events for men and women, young and old, and all race-ethnic backgrounds,” Fonarow said in a statement.
‘Eight Dates’ could save your marriage, or prevent a bad one | Seattle Times
In 2009, researchers from the University of California at Los Angeles put cameras and microphones into the homes of 30 couples, tracking their interactions. The finding: The couples only talked for a total of 35 minutes a week.
7 closet organizers and storage products under $30 | NBC News
Research has shown that clutter in the home raises levels of the stress hormone cortisol. A study conducted on 32 families by UCLA’s Center on Everyday Lives of Families mirrored these findings: They concluded that managing the volume of possessions was such a crushing problem in many homes that it actually elevated levels of stress hormones for mothers.
Why the northern and southern lights don’t always look identical | PBS “NewsHour”
When this tail is shifted by solar winds, “suddenly this asymmetry is reduced,” said a Margaret Kivelson, a space physicist and professor emerita of the University of California, Los Angeles, who was not involved in this study. This kind of work, Kivelson said, is one more step toward understanding plasma — a form of matter that makes up most of the universe and is found in our planet’s ionosphere, a layer of charged particles surrounding the Earth.
Renegates of punk: Dr. Demento’s new tribute album | Santa Fe New Mexican
Barret Hansen, aka Dr. Demento, is not a practicing physician. And he’s not a Ph.D., though he does have a master’s degree in ethnomusicology from the University of California, Los Angeles…. Despite his goofball persona, the guy knows his stuff when it comes to music.
Let’s protect our scooter riders | Baltimore Sun Editorial
In what is believed to be the first study of its kind to examine the safety of scooters, researchers at the University of California Los Angeles found that riders were hurt more than those on bicycles or walking. Falls accounted for 80 percent of the injuries of the 249 people admitted to two emergency rooms in Southern California from 2017 to 2018. There were all types of injuries from minor to severe, but nearly 30 percent of those hurt came to a hospital by ambulance, perhaps an indication of more drastic injuries. Head injuries made up 40 percent of emergency room visits. (Doctors even came upon some injuries incurred by those driving a scooter while drunk.)