Daily Debriefing
By Compiled By Nick Swanson
Published on Thursday, January 11, 2007
Vincent DiFiglia '63 was publicly admonished by the Commission on Judicial Performance Tuesday. According to the Commission, DiFiglia violated judicial ethics when he presided over a case without revealing his personal relationship with the plaintiff's attorney. The case, Border Business Park v. San Diego, began in 1999 and questioned whether the government had provided just compensation when taking private property for public use. DiFiglia, the now-retired judge of the San Diego Supreme Court, decided in 2001 in favor of the plaintiff, who was later awarded $94.5 million. DiFiglia's attorney responded to the allegations by stating that during the case all involved parties had knowledge "of Judge DiFiglia's relationship with both sides of the case."
Dr. Ardis L. Olson of Dartmouth Medical School has released a study that suggests new methods to help middle school students protect themselves against the sun's ultraviolet rays. The study, printed in the January 2007 edition of "Pediatrics," was conducted at ten middle schools in Vermont and New Hampshire for three years beginning in 2001. The study found that beginning in the 6th grade, adolescents protect approximately 23 percent less of their body from the sun than younger children. This percentage, however, can be improved upon by having role models in the adolescents life, such as sports coaches, remind adolescents of the dangers of UV rays. These mentors can make the teens protect 10 percent more of their body from the sun. Olson now hopes to conduct a similar study with high school students.
Several members of the all-male Yale a cappella group The Baker's Dozen were attacked in the early hours of New Year's morning while leaving a house party in San Francisco. The group, which was on its winter tour, was preparing to leave the house after singing the Star-Spangled Banner. At that point, some uninvited guests became hostile and used their cell phones to call for backup. As The Baker's Dozen left the house, 15 to 20 people arrived in cars and attacked the group without provocation. The fight left one singer with a jaw broken in two places and several singers with black eyes and bruises. No arrests have yet been made.