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Verbatim — daydreams, foot massages and Prop. 8

UCLA faculty members are quoted every day in the national media on a wide range of subjects. Here is a recent selection.
 
Bjork edit“The new angle here is that a period like that will not only largely eliminate the learning you might have done, but will impair access to what happened before you started daydreaming."
 
Robert Bjork, distinguished professor of psychology, said on July 30 in a Discovery News article about daydreaming. Bjork commented on a study that says daydreaming of a past time or place can cause people to forget about the present.
 
 
“Many non-Asians and non-Chinese are using (the treatment) not because they think it's exotic, but because they believe it has some benefit.”
 
C. Cindy Fan, associate social sciences dean and professor of geography and Asian American studies, said in a Los Angeles Daily News article on Aug. 1 that foot massages are growing in popularity, particularly in Los Angeles because urbanites tend to be more open to trying new things. Foot massages can relieve pain through pressure point stimulation.
 
 
“By bringing this lawsuit, the federal government has done something essential for national cohesion.”
 
Hiroshi Motomura, Susan Westerberg Prager professor of law, in a New York Times op-ed on Aug.3. The professor referred to the lawsuit against Arizona’s new immigration law. Historically, he said, the role of the federal government has been to prevent states from marginalizing individuals based on race or ethnicity.
 
 
“The entertainment industry wants immediate action, and who can blame them? But the higher-education community wants to have a ‘teachable moment’ approach, where we are trying to teach our students about what the law is.”
 
Kent Wada, director of strategic information technology and privacy policy, said in an Aug. 3 USA Today article that illegal file-sharing at UCLA is being monitored systematically, a method which has been working well. At first, offenders are reprimanded by the dean of students, and Internet access is restricted. Eventually, repeat offenders lose Internet access for one year.
 
 
“The risk is especially great because a strong Supreme Court ruling denying gay marriage would push back the possibility of gaining recognition of same-sex marriage by years, if not decades.”
 
Adam Winkler, professor of law, on Aug. 5 in a Toronto Globe & Mail article. Winkler commented on a possible outcome if a recent ruling on Proposition 8 by a federal appeals court judge in California goes before the U.S. Supreme Court. The current Supreme Court is the most conservative since the 1930s according to the article.