International prosecutor speaks at UC Davis School of Law

Speech addresses gender violence, international criminal law

Written by Gabrielle Grow

Aggie News Writer

Published on Mar 10, 2010

The hard head of the gavel is coming down on gender violence thanks to International Criminal Court (ICC) Deputy Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda.

Bensouda spoke to a filled Wilkins Moot Courtroom in King Hall at the UC Davis School of Law about gender violence on Monday, Mar. 8, coinciding with International Women's Day.

Originally from Gambia and currently living and serving in The Hague, Netherlands, Bensouda discussed the role of the ICC and gender violence cases currently under investigation.

Incidences of gender violence include rape, forced marriage and pregnancy, sex trafficking, as well as using children as soldiers.

One of the cases under investigation is the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where sexual crimes are more frequent than deaths and girl soldiers are daily victims of rape.

Rape was not recognized as a genocidal tool until the 1998 Rome Statute.

"In other settings it was as if there was a tacit agreement to look the other way. The ICC cases signal to the world that the deal is off," Bensouda said solemnly about recognizing gender violence as a form of genocide.

Established in 2002, the ICC is a permanent international court committed to investigating genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes; and currently has 110 member states.

The ICC functions as a court of last resort, and can only function in participating states, or when referred by the United Nations Security Council. When national judicial systems fail, such as those in DRC or Sudan, the ICC intervenes to investigate the situation.

"It's important that there's an entity to address international issues," said Michael Wu, a first-year law student. "I think from a conservative perspective it could take away a country's sovereignty and could make a state nervous."

Although President Bill Clinton signed the United States as a participating state in the ICC, President George W. Bush unsigned and revoked the United States' participation due to a concern over national sovereignty.

Despite the U.S.'s hostile track record with the ICC, Bensouda remains optimistic about the nation's future relationship with the international court.

"Fortunately we're seeing better days," Bensouda said. "More U.S. officials are openly supporting the court."

Prior to her election to the ICC Assembly of State Parties in 2004, Bensouda served on the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda as senior legal advisor and became Gambia's first international maritime expert.

"I heard her speak in fall 2009, and I was impressed by her eloquence and passion," said law professor Diane Amann. "I was honored when she accepted the invitation to speak at UC Davis."

First-year law student Joanna Cuevas Ingram echoed Amann's praise for Bensouda, and said Bensouda's trip to UC Davis reflected the quality and prominence of the UC Davis international law program.

Sudan is currently under investigation by the ICC, however present conditions make on-site investigation difficult and dangerous. If and when conclusive evidence is presented, the ICC will likely charge Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir with genocide.

"We have not been able to get al-Bashir, but now he's picking and choosing the countries he visits," Bensouda said. "He will be marginalized and he will be joining us at the ICC sooner or later."

GABRIELLE GROW can be reached at campus@theaggie.org.

Blogging for Huffington Post College

I'm now blogging for Huffington Post College! First, myself and the rest of the Aggie staff get stood up by Hasselhoff, then I meet the "Huff," and now I'm writing for her. Moral of the story Huff>Hoff

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/gabrielle-grow

Check me out :)

UC Davis professor sings for food safety

Song parodies help adults and children remember healthy habits

Written by Gabrielle Grow

Staff Writer

Published on Mar 3, 2010

Fifteen years after playing music in college, Carl Winter has found a new way to use his musical talents: to write food safety parodies.

Winter, director of the FoodSafe program in the Food Science and Technology department at UC Davis and informally known as the "Sinatra of Salmonella," has held over 200 performances across the nation, and released four audio CDs since undertaking the parody project in 1996.

Originally, Winter just wanted to play piano without bothering his children. But once he discovered how far synthesizer technology had advanced since his college days, Winter realized he could be the whole band at once and began writing parodies.

Winter and a team of scientists from across the United States conducted a 2009 study to test the usefulness of musical parodies in food preparation and safety behavior. Their subjects included school food service supervisors, culinary arts teachers and students, family and consumer science teachers, and a youth summer program.

Results showed that all participants in the study were able to quote lines or phrases from the songs, and employed safer food-handling behaviors after listening to them.

"The influence of music really reaches people," Winter said. "When my kids heard the originals on the radio they would say 'hey dad, they stole your song!"

Despite 59 percent of participants from culinary art school responding that they disliked the music, 94 percent remembered the music and commented that they found themselves singing it later.

Parodies range from the Beatles to Ricky Martin, and even feature Will Smith. Titles include "Don't get sicky wit it," a parody of Will Smith's "Gettin' jiggy wit it," "Beware la vaca loca," a parody of "Livin' la vida loca,'" and "You better wash your hands," a parody of the Beatles' "I want to hold your hand."

Winter is often invited to food and health conferences across the nation to add levity to otherwise serious events.

In addition to his four CDs, Winter has six animated music videos available on YouTube and iTunes, and is currently writing original music for a children's album.

Though he usually performs in front of adult audiences, Winter said his music is used informally in schools all over the nation, and knows of programs in Idaho, South Carolina and North Carolina that use his food safety curriculum.

Elementary school teachers who participated in the 2009 study reported that the music "helps the students learn without knowing it," and that "students learn better when they use all the senses."

In the United States 76 million people each year suffer from food borne illness. 320,000 food illnesses result in hospitalized cases, and 5,000 result in death.

"You have to generate the desire by the individual to take the extra [safety] step, and his creative and innovative approach helps people," said Christine Bruhn, director of the center for consumer research. "When it comes to safe food handling, we need all the help we can get."

Student living isn't usually known for its cleanliness, but Winter has four steps to help make kitchens a safer place.

By washing hands, food, and food prep areas; and avoiding cross-contamination by taking measures like cleaning cutting boards, heating food to the appropriate temperature to kill bacteria, and refrigerating leftovers within two hours, everyone can reduce food poisoning and illness.

Deborah Brayton, principal of Pioneer Elementary School in Davis said that hand washing prior to mealtime is a priority at her school, and Winter's music might be helpful for kindergarten through second graders.

"Remember: You don't have control over who touched food before you," Winter said.

More information can be found at foodsafe.ucdavis.edu.

GABRIELLE GROW can be reached at campus@theaggie.org.

UC research finds evidence of marijuana induced pain relief

Intoxication unnecessary to get full benefits

Written by Gabrielle Grow

Aggie News Writer

Published on Mar 2, 2010

Results of the UC Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research (CMCR)'s most recent publication found conclusive evidence that marijuana successfully alleviates pain.

In a four-trial study, CMCR's research sought to determine if marijuana had therapeutic value. Smoked cannabis was compared to placebo cigarettes with THC removed.

Gov. Gray Davis' 1999 legislation, Senate Bill 847, commissioned the University of California to establish a research program dedicated to expanding scientific knowledge on the medicinal usages of marijuana.

Three trials involved patients with pain caused by HIV or HIV treatment, neuropathic - or damaged nerve - pain, diabetes related pain and pain from physical injuries. The control group included healthy volunteers to experience induced nerve pain.

According to the study, over 50 percent of participants had a 30 percent reduction in pain intensity. Patients continued standard treatment for their illness while participating in the study.

"The reduction amount [observed] is the amount at which it really makes a difference in someone's life," said J. Hampton Atkinson, a co-director of the study from UC San Diego. "It is about the equivalent to what someone would get with standard treatment like morphine or anti-depressants."

The results of the CMCR study offer alternative treatment for conditions like neuropathic pain and spasticity caused by multiple sclerosis to treat ailments.

"The reason I use medicinal marijuana is because I have a lot of social anxiety," said a UC Davis graduate who preferred to remain anonymous and who has used medicinal marijuana for two years. "The sativa helps get rid of a lot of my anxiety and I become a lot more sociable, but there's a lot of stigma behind it."

A survey of Californian medicinal marijuana users by the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws found that the three most reported uses of medicinal marijuana are chronic pains, AIDS related illnesses and mood disorders.

The effect of cannabis added additional benefits to the relief participants experienced from standard treatment, Atkinson said.

The study concluded that lower doses of cannabis intake were just as effective as higher doses, showing that patients do not have to become intoxicated to experience pain reduction.

"Bobby," another UC Davis student who preferred to remain anonymous, got a recommendation to use medicinal marijuana two months ago for what he refers to as an eating disorder.

"It cost $125, and I told them I had an eating disorder," Bobby said. "They already had the paperwork filled out and ready to go."

According to the National Institute for Drug Abuse (NIDA), cannabis smokers increase their lungs' exposure to carcinogenic smoke by inhaling more deeply and holding their breath longer than tobacco smokers do. By twelfth grade, 42.6 percent of teenagers have used marijuana at least once, NIDA research showed.

California became the first state to legalize marijuana for medicinal use in 1996 with the voter initiative, the Compassionate Use Act.

Of twelve states with legalized medicinal marijuana, California has the largest user population by 82 percent.

"I personally believe in medicinal because we're in a pill society; it bothers me that it's okay to take chemicals and pills, but it's not okay to put something organic that grows from the ground in your body," the UC Davis graduate said.

GABRIELLE GROW can be reached at campus@theaggie.org.

Arianna Huffington speaks about 'brave new world'

Online news pioneer offers average citizens a form of expression

Written by Gabrielle Grow

Staff Writer

Published on Mar 1, 2010

We aren't in Kansas anymore. Or, at least journalists aren't, said Huffington Post co-founder and editor-in-chief Arianna Huffington, who spoke to a packed Mondavi Center Friday evening.

Huffington predicts the future of journalism will be a hybrid of the best of the old and new journalism: a combination of fact checking and journalistic reporting with the immediacy and interactivity of online journalism.

The speech highlighted the importance of social media outlets, such as Twitter and Facebook, to news today.

Though CNN and other media outlets were banned from Iran during the upheaval of the summer 2009 presidential election, the government of Iran could not control the thousands of Twitter and Facebook feeds - feeds that leaked the majority of the information about the resulting protests.

"You can't use an analog map to find your way in a digital world," Huffington remarked about the necessity of using new media.

The speech also touched upon her disappointment with the media's obsession with trivial news stories. Huffington sees altruism, what she calls "the fourth sense," as the solution to overcoming the media's weakness.

Stories like the "balloon boy," whose real name is Falcon Heene, should be replaced by stories about the thousands of impoverished children in the United States, she said.

In a 25 minute question and answer session with the audience immediately following the event, an audience member shared his experience as a blogger for the Post.

"I would like to thank you for providing me the opportunity to express myself at a time when the Huffington Post was the only outlet to do so," said Joseph Palermo, a professor at Sacramento State who was recently furloughed. Palermo uses his blog on the Post to voice his frustrations with the economic crisis.

The popular site seeks to become the eyes and ears of the nation, as contributors like Palermo blog about personal effects of the economic crisis such as layoffs and furloughs.

Last Monday, the Post launched a section dedicated to college news, with the leading story titled "Majoring in Debt." University papers across the nation, including The California Aggie, are teaming up with the Post to give college students the expression they may lack in mainstream media.

"I thought it was an interesting speech, but I don't think anything she said was particularly insightful," said Jeremy Botherwa, an Australian exchange student at UC Davis. "I felt like she talked just for the applause. It was something you hear all the time."

After the event, Huffington sat down with Aggie reporters to discuss the UC fee increases.

"[The cuts] are really unfortunate. I understand that the state is broke, but education shouldn't be made less accessible," Huffington said. "Ultimately, it is the state that is responsible for making the cuts."

The Huffington Post, a news and blog site launched in 2005 is one of the most widely read online media outlets. Huffington, a native of Greece and candidate for Governor of California in 2003, was named one of the world's most influential people by Time Magazine in 2006, and one of the most influential women in media by Forbes in 2009.

ERICA LEE contributed to this article. GABRIELLE GROW can be reached at campus@theaggie.org.