http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/ Headlines from the University of California, Berkeley Steve McConnell - steve.mcconnell@berkeley.edu en-US http://www.berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2008/06/30_titan.shtml The UC Botanical Garden is celebrating a noxious smell permeating its Tropical House, thanks to the blooming of Odora the Titan arum, also known not so fondly as the corpse flower. Published: 30 June http://www.berkeley.edu/news/berkeleyan/2008/06/04_commencement.shtml Good graduation pictures, in capturing joy and a sense of accomplishment, resemble one another closely. Good graduation speeches, if carefully written and skillfully delivered, strike their own singular chords. Herewith examples of both, from the Berkeley commencement season just concluded. Published: 04 June http://www.berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2008/05/14_commence.shtml The Class of 2008, gathered under sunny skies to celebrate the end of their beginning and the beginning of their new lives, left commencement ceremonies at the Greek Theatre on Tuesday with a clear message ringing in their ears: "Go out and change the world." Published: 14 May http://www.berkeley.edu/news/berkeleyan/2008/05/08_chinasymposium.shtml As activists excoriate the nation's rulers over human-rights issues, a campus symposium makes the case for a less confrontational attitude toward Beijing. Published: 08 May http://www.berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2008/05/08_convocation.shtml Craig Newmark, founder of craigslist, the hip and ubiquitous classified advertising Web site, says he'll be winging his keynote speech to graduating seniors at UC Berkeley's Commencement Convocation next Tuesday, May 13. But overall, Newmark says he will urge students to change the world using the tools of the Internet, and to follow these simple business do's and don'ts: "Never read a prepared speech unless you're really good at it; for a genuine perspective on corporate life, read Dilbert; and brevity is the soul of wit." Published: 08 May http://www.berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2008/04/16_cega.shtml The role that U.S. universities play in global development will be addressed in a panel discussion on Thursday, April 17, as part of the official launch of UC Berkeley's new Center for Evaluation for Global Action (CEGA). Published: 16 April http://www.berkeley.edu/news/berkeleyan/2008/04/16_sustainability.shtml Reflecting the growing importance of sustainability on campus, Berkeley's fifth annual summit on the issue is expanding to a half-day, with workshops on everything from greening your own life to the energy frontier far beyond fossil fuels. Published: 16 April http://www.berkeley.edu/news/berkeleyan/2008/04/16_presidency.shtml A Pulitzer-winning historian, a Washington bureau chief, a neoconservative pundit, and the chief strategist for the Bush-Cheney re-election campaign gathered on campus last week to assess the Bush presidency. History, it seems, hath no fury like a brain-truster scorned. Published: 16 April http://www.berkeley.edu/news/berkeleyan/2008/04/16_filmfestival.shtml Springtime signals the arrival of the San Francisco International Film Festival, which has served up a banquet of global film for 51 years. Among the festival's venues is the campus's Pacific Film Archive, whose senior film curator, Susan Oxtoby, personally chooses the works that will screen there - 36 of the festival's 100-plus invited films this year. Published: 16 April http://www.berkeley.edu/news/berkeleyan/2008/04/09_photobooth.shtml In a two-day photo session, hundreds of staff, faculty, and students line up to say 'cheese' . . . . and 'thank you.' Published: 09 April http://www.berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2008/04/03_scandinavian.shtml Want to learn how to say "I love Cal Day" in Swedish? How about in Norwegian, Danish or Finnish? On Cal Day in Room 33 of Dwinelle Hall, the Scandinavian Department will offer free, 30-minute lessons starting at 11 a.m. that essentially offer highlights of the first day of UC Berkeley classes in beginning Finnish, Danish, Swedish and Norwegian. Published: 03 April http://www.berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2008/04/03_mathgirl.shtml A wide variety of music will echo across campus on Cal Day, but Nicole Campbell's got a niche all her own. The long-haired, acoustic guitar-strumming, third-year UC Berkeley student will be in Room 1015 of Evans Hall performing songs she wrote about math and science. Published: 03 April http://www.berkeley.edu/news/berkeleyan/2008/04/02_calday.shtml That would be Cal Day, naturally, a multi-species extravaganza of science, art, awesomeness, and just plain fun for the whole Cal family. Published: 02 April http://www.berkeley.edu/news/berkeleyan/2008/04/02_piano.shtml Generosity and serendipity both play a part in the first Berkeley Piano Competition. Published: 02 April http://www.berkeley.edu/news/berkeleyan/2008/04/02_tanner.shtml Annabel Patterson, Sterling Professor Emerita of English at Yale and a distinguished literary scholar, will present the Tanner Lectures on Human Values on April 8 and 9. On April 10 she will take part in a seminar discussion with commentators from three academic disciplines. Published: 02 April