Some great events coming up at the UC Berkeley J-School. Check it out! -mia

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*”The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks” http://rebeccaskloot.com/ A talk with author Rebecca Skloot*

*When:* Monday, April 26, 2010, 12:00 PM

*Where:* North Gate Hall http://www.berkeley.edu/map/maps/AB45.htmlLibrary

Please join us for a conversation with award-winning writer *Rebecca Skloot*about her new book, *The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks*.

Henrietta Lacks, known to scientists as HeLa, was a poor Southern tobacco farmer who worked the same land as her slave ancestors, yet her cells—taken without her knowledge—became one of the most important tools in medicine. The first “immortal” human cells grown in culture, they are still alive today, though she has been dead for more than sixty years.

HeLa cells were vital for developing the polio vaccine; uncovered secrets of cancer, viruses, and the effects of the atom bomb; helped lead to important advances like in vitro fertilization, cloning, and gene mapping; and have been bought and sold by the billions—yet Henrietta Lacks remains virtually unknown, buried in an unmarked grave.

Henrietta’s family did not learn of her “immortality” until more than twenty years after her death, when scientists investigating HeLa began using her husband and children in research without informed consent. And though the cells had launched a multimillion-dollar industry that sells human biological materials, her family never saw any of the profits. The story of the Lacks family—past and present—is inextricably connected to the dark history of experimentation on African Americans, the birth of bioethics, and the legal battles over whether we control the stuff we are made of. [MORE]

*Matt Winkler, Editor-in-Chief, Bloomberg News The Federal Reserve and the Public’s Right to Know*

*When:* Thursday, April 29, 2010, 3:30 PM

*Where:* North Gate Hall http://www.berkeley.edu/map/maps/AB45.htmlLibrary

One of America’s most influential editors discusses the court fight Bloomberg is waging on behalf of all news organizations for access to public records in connection with the Fed’s financial bailout of American banks.

* Leaping Tigers, Hidden Dragons: A Wide Angle on India-China *

*When: * Thursday, April 29, 2010

Reception: 5:00PM Lecture: 5:30 PM

*Where:* North Gate Hall http://www.berkeley.edu/map/maps/AB45.htmlLibrary

China and India, two of the biggest developing countries and euphemistically referred to as the Asian Tigers, are poised to dominate the 21st century. Their economic growth continues to surprise the developed world even after the financial meltdown of 2009. Both countries have tremendous potential amid significant social problems.

The two countries account for 40 percent of the world’s population and 9 percent of the world GDP. They vie as rivals for western markets on the ground and for business in space. The two countries whose bilateral trade exceeds 52 billion US dollars are also geo-political rivals.

Both India and China are nuclear powers, having gone to war once (1962) and remain in conflict over the last six decades regarding border issues and on Tibet. What does this rivalry mean for the region and the world?

Both countries have significant disparities in their populations’ sex ratio, widespread corruption, poverty and censorship. How will these factors affect their success?

*Panelists include* *Gerard Roland*, Chair of Economics Department, UC Berkeley *Maureen Fan*, China Correspondent, The Washington Post *Ashok Deo Bardhan*, Senior Research Associate, Haas School of Business, UC Berkeley *Ben A. Oppenheim*, Research Fellow, Institute of International Studies, UC Berkeley *Shashi Buluswar*, Dalberg, Global Development Advisors *Todd Carrel*, Visiting Lecturer, Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism *Xiao Qiang*, Adjunct Professor, Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism, founder and editor-in-chief of the China Digital Times Moderated by *Nupur Basu*, Visiting Lecturer, Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism Join us at the Graduate School of Journalism for a lively panel discussion about these power-house countries.

* The Census and Demographics: Telling California’s Story *

*When:* Monday, May 3, 2010, 10:00 AM

*Where: * Sutardja Dia Hall http://www.berkeley.edu/map/maps/AB45.htmlBanatai Auditorium * Pre-registration is requested. *There is no charge to attend. To register, please contact *Kelly Holt* at (415) 291-4498 or holt@ppic.org.

The 2010 Census is different from any in history. It is designed to provide valuable information about who we are—as a state and as a nation—at the beginning of the 21st century. But it’s based on the answers to just 10 questions. In California, the stakes are high: seats in Congress and millions of dollars for health care, transportation, schools, and social services.

The challenge for journalists will be to find the stories in the data and provide a picture of the new California, in new ways and using new tools.

This forum brings together experts on demography and multimedia journalists to talk about what the 2010 Census will—and will not—tell us, what alternative data sources are available, and how demographic data can be used in everyday reporting. Lunch will be provided.

*Panelists include* *Chase Davis*, Investigative Reporter, California Watch *Mary Heim*, Chief, Demographic Research Unit, State of California *Richard Koci Hernandez*, Ford Foundation Multimedia Fellow, Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism *Hans Johnson*, Senior Fellow, Public Policy Institute of California

*The Wind Doesn’t Need a Passport Tyche Hendricks speaks about reporting in the U.S.-Mexico borderlands*

*When: * Thursday, May 6, 2010, 5:30 PM

*Where: * North Gate Hall http://www.berkeley.edu/map/maps/AB45.htmlLibrary

From a distance, the border looks like a dividing line. Journalist *Tyche Hendricks*, MJ ’97, believes that it’s really a region: more borderlands than borderline. In *The Wind Doesn’t Need a Passport *, she captures the stories of American and Mexican ranchers, factory workers, police and doctors who inhabit one of the least understood places in either country.

A new picture of the borderlands emerges from her reporting — as a common ground alive with the energy of cultural exchange and international commerce, burdened with too-rapid growth and binational conflict, and underlain with a deep sense of history.

With a stalled immigration policy and a raging drug war, it’s the people who live in the borderlands who are bearing the brunt of the violence, the political friction and the pressures of the recession, Hendricks found. But a better understanding of the borderlands — and the way the United States and Mexico are connected — could help policymakers reach more lasting solutions that benefit both countries.

Hendricks is an editor at KQED Public Radio and a lecturer at UC Berkeley’s Graduate School of Journalism. For many years she covered immigration and demographics at the San Francisco Chronicle. Her talk will be followed by a reception and book-signing.

* **************** EVENT OF INTEREST *****************

*Chris Johns, Editor in Chief, National Geographic: Water is Life The Horace Albright Lecture in Conservation

When:* Tuesday, April 27, 2010, 7:00 PM

*Where: * David Brower Center: Goldman Theatre (2150 Allston Way)

The April 2010 issue of *National Geographic* will be devoted to a single topic: fresh water. With striking visuals and in-depth reporting, we will focus on the emerging challenge of global freshwater shortages and the choices ahead as the world manages a limited supply. This coverage continues the magazine’s tradition of documenting key environmental issues and educating readers to care about the planet. *Chris Johns * will provide insight into key freshwater issues facing us today as reported by a team of renowned National Geographic contributors.