Lear on the 2nd Floor

Composer Anthony Davis presents a modern take on Shakespeare’s classic, King Lear.

Lear on the 2nd Floor tells the story of Nora Lear, a neuroscience researcher suffering from early-onset Alzheimer’s. As Nora loses her bearings and autonomy, she is increasingly at the mercy of her three quarreling daughters. In this version, Nora’s dead husband Mortimer is Shakespeare’s fool and her constant companion, as she wanders through a world where past and present blend and reality bends.

Davis’s music incorporates diverse styles and influences, ranging from classical opera to jazz to reggae. This performance by UC San Diego’s Kallisti Vocal Ensemble includes various music styles from classical opera to reggae, as well as a libretto by playwright Allan Havis.

Check out our other chamber music videos.

Elephants and the Ethics of Extinction

Domestic cats in America kill millions, maybe even hundreds of millions of song birds each year.

It is estimated that one third of all song bird species are declining in the United States. If this pattern continues, people will eventually be forced to take sides on which animals existence is more important.

This is just one example Robert Wiese, Chief Life Sciences Officer at the San Diego Zoo, gives to illustrate the way humans interfere with the ebb and flow of animal populations. He discusses what happens when people introduce foreign species to an unfamiliar ecosystem with no natural predators and why it’s important to maintain checks and balances in populations.

If humans cause the decline in a species’ population, are they responsible to restore it? With success stories like the captive breeding program of the California Condor, we know that it is possible to save species from extinction. But at what cost?

Check out “Elephants or People? Ethical Dilemmas in Recovering Endangered Species,” part of “The Silent Spring Series-Exploring Ethics.”

Check out more videos about the environment and conservation.

Fighting Food Allergies in Children

Every three minutes some one goes to the emergency room because of an allergy-related event.

When you have an allergic reaction to something you eat, your body recognizes a protein in the food and reacts against it. There are many different responses that can happen-rashes, hives, diarrhea-but, the most dangerous occurrence is when there is potential for anaphylaxis, which can cause death.

In this episode of Health Matters, Dr. David Granet talks with UC San Diego’s Dr. Stephanie Leonard who is the director of the Food Allergy Center at Rady Children’s Hospital here in San Diego.

More than 3 million people under the age of 18 have been diagnosed with food allergies, but Dr. Leonard says that number is on the rise. In a ten year period, she says, there has been an 18% increase in the diagnosis of food allergies in children.

Watch “Children’s Food Allergies- Health Matters” to hear the various theories behind why that number is increasing.

For more on food allergies, check out Food Allergies: Past, Present and Future.

Climate Justice: A Humanitarian Approach to Environmental Equality

We have all heard about climate change, but did you know that there is a fight for justice within this claim?

Climate justice is more than just a demand for the stop of wrongful damage to the environment. It goes deeper into the tangible effects of climate change and the way they are unequally effecting the world’s population.

According to the Center on Global Justice at UC San Diego, “Climate Justice links human rights and development to achieve a human-centered approach, safeguarding the rights of the most vulnerable and sharing the burdens and benefits of climate change and its resolution equitably and fairly. Climate justice is informed by science, responds to science, and acknowledges the need for equitable stewardship of the world’s resources.”

Mary Robinson was the first woman president of Ireland and has served as the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. She has been a long standing icon for social justice and has recently devoted her attention to campaigning for climate justice.

In “Pursuing Climate Justice with Mary Robinson and V. Ramanathan,” presented by UC San Diego’s Center on Global Justice, hear Robinson discuss climate justice with V. Ramanathan, distinguished professor of Atmospheric and Climate Sciences at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography.

If you like this video, check out V. Ramanathan’s series “Lifting the Blanket:The Pursuit of a Climate Change Solutions.”

A Career in Beer is Near

San Diego’s beer business is booming as the city is becoming known as the craft brew capital of the nation.

The beer industry brought San Diego $680.8 million in sales in 2011 and totaled $299.5 million in wages, contracts, and capital expenses. In 2011, there were 52 licensed breweries in San Diego county and since then 33 more licenses have been issued. As the industry grows, many new jobs are created and UC San Diego Extension is offering a way for you to get your foot in the door.

Watch this discussion, titled “Is Beer in your Career?” as some of the leading regional brewers, including Stone Brewing Company CEO and co-founder Greg Koch, Lost Abbey brewer Tomme Arthur, Ballast Point brewer and co-founder Yuseff Cherney, and the founder of White Labs Inc. Pure Yeast and Fermentation, Chris White, discuss the opportunities for those who wish to have a future in the craft brewing scene and the future of the industry itself.

Want more from inside the beer industry? UC San Diego Extension is offering a Brewing Certificate that will teach you everything you need to know to be a professional brewer. Also, catch some candid moments with Greg Koch.