VOLUME 45, ISSUE 25
WWW.UCSDGUARDIAN.ORG
MONDAY, JANUARY 23, 2012
David J. Peterson’s WORDS ▶ FOCUS OF HONOR The Guardian interviews David J. Peterson, the linguist who created the Dothraki language for HBO’s “Game of Thrones.” BY MARGARET YAU Managing Editor
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avid J. Peterson is good at what he does. That’s why the former UCSD graduate student beat out 40 other professionals to snag a highly coveted role in the production of HBO’s hit fantasy series, “The Game of Thrones.” His job: to create a functional, legitimate language for a tribe of nomadic horselords called the Dothraki. It would be a tough job for any language creationist, but it’s made even more difficult by the fact that the original book series canon was so small — author George R.R. Martin originally only came up with a few See GAME OF THRONES, page 6
“Game of Thrones” is set in the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros, where the leaders of ancient powerful houses battle for control of the Iron Throne. A tribe of nomadic horselords called the Dothraki live outside of the fray, but their leader, Khal Drogo, marries into the political arena.
uc system
UC Regents to Rally in Sacramento BY NICOLE CHAN Associate News Editor The UC Board of Regents will rally alongside students, staff and faculty at the state Capitol in May, chair of the board Sherry Lansing announced at the Jan. 18 Regents meeting. “We are really happy that the Regents have decided to work with us to put pressure on the state,” Vice President of External Affairs Samer Naji said. “It shows that our activism last year really had an impact.” The Board of Regents will hold its May 16 and 17 meeting at the Sacramento Convention Center in order to participate in the rally and to address effects of cuts in state funding to the UC system. “The truth is, this university was founded by and for the people of California,” Lansing said in a statement released after the meeting. “Unless our elected representatives start funding us at a realistic level, UC’s ability to serve the state and its citizens will be at serious risk. UC is the best investment in California’s economic future that our state leaders can make. It’s up to all of us to remind them of that.” Lansing met with students from UCSD See Regents, page 3
The House Targaryan
The House Lannister
“Fire and Blood”
“Hear me roar!”
The House Stark
The House Baratheon
“Winter is Coming”
“Ours is the Fury”
campus event
Dalai Lama to Visit San Diego Universities in April By Aimly Sirisarnsombat Staff Writer UCSD, SDSU and USD announced on Jan. 19 that the XIV Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso will come to San Diego for a two-day symposium on April 18 and 19. UCSD Executive Vice Chancellor Suresh Subramani, San Diego State University Provost Nancy Martin and USD Provost Julie Sullivan assembled at the Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego for a news conference to announce the Dalai Lama’s spring visit. While the Dalai Lama has traveled to more than 62 countries, this will be his first trip
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to San Diego. The two-day symposium, entitled “Compassion Without Borders,” consists of three public events. The symposium was arranged by faculty members from the three participating universities in the form of organizing, public relations and fundraising committees. Funds raised through sponsorships and ticket sales will be used to cover the expense of the events. Because the Dalai Lama does not charge a speaking engagement fee and will not profit financially off of the visit, surplus funds from the event will be donated to charitable organizations under
FORECAST
It’s just a testament to these kids and effort they’re been putting out every single day.”
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the advisement of the spiritual leader. UCSD will host the first event on April 18 at 9:30 a.m. at RIMAC arena. The Dalai Lama will mediate a panel discussion entitled, “The Global Impact of Climate Change: Balance through Universal Responsibility, Compassion and Human Consciousness.” Subramani, Scripps Institute of Oceanography Research professor Richard Somerville and UCSD Professor of Atmospheric and Climate Sciences Veerabhadran Ramanathan will comprise the panel. “I am confident we each will learn
Students Protest Regents Meeting at UC Riverside By Rebecca Horwitz Associate News Editor Protestors interrupted a Jan. 19 Regents meeting held at UC Riverside, resulting in a closed meeting and police violence. A large group of students and a few faculty members attended the beginning of the meeting, which had a 20-minute public comment period. Regents Board Spokeswoman Sherry Lansing extended the comment period for another 20 minutes. When that time period ended, the students gave a speech about how they felt the regents were not representing the interests of students or workers at the University of California. The students were upset because they were only given one minute of speaking time during the public comment session. “It’s very patronizing and paternalistic the way they do it; they actually allow only one minute to each speaker and there is a timer that goes off promptly at one minute,” Ethnic Studies Ph.D. student Alborz Ghandehari said. At the end of the public comment
See DAlai, page 3
See Protest, page 2
GAS PER GALLON
SURF REPORT monday Height: 5 ft. Wind: 2-9 mph Water Temp: 58 F
Tuesday Height: 5 ft. Wind: 5-12 mph Water Temp: 58 F
Wednesday Height: 4 ft. Wind: 4-8 mph Water Temp: 58 F
Thursday Height: 3 ft. Wind: 5-7 mph Water Temp: 58 F
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INSIDE Birdland..................................2 Lights and Sirens....................3 Field Notes.............................4 Letter to the Editor.................5 In Focus..................................7 Sudoku...................................9 Sports...................................12