Pepperdine hosts discussion on Supreme Court nomination
Pepperdine University School of Law hosted a discussion entitled “Supreme Court Nominations: The Confirmation Process” with ABC News correspondent Jan Crawford Greenburg, Princeton University Provost Christopher Eisgruber, Pepperdine University School of Law Dean Kenneth Starr, and School of Law professors Doug Kmiec and Akhil Amar on March 20.
The speakers discussed the Supreme Court nomination process. Currently, six justices are eligible for retirement. It is likely that the nation will experience one or more confirmation hearings during President Obama’s tenure.
The event was part of the three-day, ninth annual Wm. Matthew Byrne, Jr., Judicial Clerkship Institute. The purpose of the institute is to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of judicial clerks. The program works in consultation with several of the most highly respected judges in the United States to identify the subjects that new clerks most need to learn.
Competition to showcase top classical guitarists
The Parkening International Guitar Competition has selected 15 competitors representing eight countries who will vie for the largest prize purse among guitar competitions at Pepperdine University’s second triennial classical guitar competition from May 28 through May 30 on the university’s campus.
Renowned guitar virtuoso Christopher Parkening, the competition’s namesake and artistic director, is a distinguished professor of music at Pepperdine’s Seaver College. The competition honors his lifetime commitment to fostering musical excellence in young artists as demonstrated by his mentor, the great Spanish guitarist Andres Segovia.
The 15 competitors range from 18 to 30 years old and are among the international community’s most talented guitarists. They are: Rafael Aguirre, 24, Germany; Yuri Aleshnikov, 24, Russia; Michael Bautista, 30, U.S.; Emanuele Buono, 22, Italy; Silviu Ciulei, 23, U.S.; Carlo Corrieri, 20, Italy; Colin Davin, 21, U.S.; Alexei Khorev, 30, France; Laura Klemke, 27, Germany; Juuso Nieminen, 29, Finland; Marco Sartor, 30, U.S.; Andrew Stroud, 28, U.S.; Edward Trybek, 26, U.S.; Aleksandr Tsiboulski, 29, Australia; and Ian Watt, 18, Scotland.
Judging the competition will be Nancy Allen, principal harpist with the New York Philharmonic; Manuel Barrueco, world-famous guitar virtuoso; Stephanie L. Challener, publisher of Musical America Worldwide; Thomas Frost, Grammy Award-winning record producer; and Costa Pilavachi, former president of EMI Classics.
Three of the competitors will advance to the final round on May 30 to perform a concerto with the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra before a live audience in Pepperdine’s Smothers Theatre. The gold, silver, and bronze medalists will be announced at the conclusion of the final round.
In addition to the Parkening International Guitar Competition, Pepperdine will present the Parkening Young Guitarist Competition on May 26 and 27. The 10 competitors, ages 17 and younger, are: Matar-Itai Batyonathan, 17, U.S.; Bruce Buescher, 17, U.S.; Tim Callobre, 15, U.S.; Alec Holcomb, 13, U.S.; Ji Yeon Kim, 16, Korea; Noah Kim, 13, U.S.; Chaconne Klaverenga, 16, U.S.; Andrea Roberto, 13, Italy; Daniel Tekunoff, 16, U.S.; and John-Marcel Williams, 14, U.S.
The Parkening International Guitar Competition offers the gold medalist the Stotsenberg Prize of $30,000.
More information can be obtained by calling 310.506.4522.
Locks of Love comes to Pepperdine University
The 7th annual Locks of Love event at Pepperdine University took place Monday. Volunteer stylists set up shop and chopped off 10 inches or more of more than 40 willing participants’ hair for the charity.
The event was cosponsored by Housing and Community Living, the Student Programming Board and the Salon at Malibu Creek.
“This is the seventh annual event at Pepperdine,” said Elizabeth Austin, Seaver College graduate student and intern for the Housing and Community Living office. “Thousands of children are helped each year, and Locks of Love offers these wigs to children free of charge. Each wig uses six to 10 ponytails, so there is a continual need for hair.”
Locks of Love is a public non-profit organization that provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children in the United States and Canada under age 18 suffering from long-term medical hair loss from any diagnosis. The prostheses help to restore their self-esteem, enabling them to face the world and their peers.
Stacy Rothberg, associate dean of students, Housing and Community Living, not only helped bring the event to Pepperdine, but has also donated her hair several times. “As a cancer survivor, it has been meaningful to donate my hair three times through Pepperdine’s Locks of Love,” she said. “Your hair donation is an act of kindness that gives hope and encouragement to kids that need it.”
Professional stylists from a local Malibu salon volunteered their time to cut and style hair for free with a donation of 10 inches to Locks of Love.
City sponsors youth summit
The council last week agreed to partner with the Malibu Foundation for Youth and Families in support of its “Power of Possibility” leadership summit and approve the allocation of $10,000 from the city’s undesignated general fund reserve to help offset the cost of the event.
The summit, scheduled for April 30 at the Malibu Jewish Center & Synagogue, will address various problems facing Malibu youth. It will host a panel of nationally recognized experts in such fields as community building, parenting, health, after school programs and community.
Malibu High School PTSA earns $8,032 from HOWS Market
The Malibu High School Parent Teacher Student Association announced last week that it is one of the top-earning groups with the HOWS Market eScrip Community Card Program, which donates a portion of customers’ purchases to organizations of their choice. As one of the top groups, HOWS Market has contributed $8,032 to Malibu High School PTSA.
The Malibu High School PTSA funds a number of school programs and supplies not covered by state, district or parent contribution dollars. With the recent proceeds from the eScrip Community Card Program, Malibu High School was able to purchase a 47,000-volume online library and extensive periodical subscriptions. The school’s librarian, Joe DiMercurio, explained that these online resources are already being utilized by students and will be even more vital when the library is moved into relocatable classrooms during the upcoming Measure BB Campus Improvement Project.
More information on ways to support Malibu High School can be obtained by calling 310.457.3438.
Water initiative seeks to avert crisis
Ron Wildermuth, public and governmental affairs manager of the West Basin Municipal Water District, the water wholesaler in the Los Angeles area from Malibu to Carson, spoke to the Rotary Club of Malibu March 18 about the state of water resources in Southern California.
Wildermuth said, according to Rotary Club of Malibu Newsletter editor John W. Elman, the California water system that brings water to Southern California from the north was designed to support 18 million people. Now there are 37 million people and the population continues to grow. To add to the crisis, the snow pack that supplies Southern California’s water is disappearing. The entire state is in a drought and Gov. Schwarzenegger has declared a state of emergency. Wildermuth said all the experts agree that external sources of water are unreliable.
Northern California residents are already making major efforts to conserve water and the Water Reliability 2020 initiative by West Basin challenges Southern California to recycle its water so that by the year 2020, 66 percent of Southern California will be locally controlled. Currently only 20 percent of local water comes from Southern California water recycling.
Besides recycling, ocean water desalination is being done. Desalination is an expensive process, but as the price of water increases, desalination becomes more of a viable alternative. More information about the Water Reliability 2020 initiative can be obtained online at www.westbasin.org
Eggs recalled for possible Salmonella contamination
The California Department of Public Health has recalled certain Kirkland Organic Brown Eggs and O Organic Brown Eggs because the eggs may be contaminated with salmonella.
The eggs are distributed by den Dulk Poultry Farms of Ripon, located north of Modesto. The recalled product was distributed to Costco, Safeway and Pack n’ Save stores in Northern California, as far south as Fresno and western Nevada.
No known illnesses have been reported in connection with these eggs.
Den Dulk Poultry Farms voluntarily recalled the product after it was determined that the eggs in question tested positive for salmonella during an internal investigation by den Dulk Poultry Farms.
The eggs sold at Costco are packaged in 18-count cartons under the name, Kirkland Organic Brown Eggs. The eggs sold at Safeway and Pack n’ Save stores are packaged in one-dozen cartons under the name “O Organic Grade A Large Brown Eggs.” Eggs in cartons with April 1 062 or April 8 069 expiration dates and the plant codes 35 P1776 or 35 P1776 should not be eaten.
salmonella bacteria can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Healthy persons infected with salmonella often experience fever, diarrhea (which may be bloody), nausea, vomiting and abdominal cramps. Consumers with the above symptoms should consult their physician. Consumers with these products are advised to dispose of them.
More information can be obtained by calling 209.599.4269.
-Olivia Damavandi