Conferences

The Palestine Liberation Organization, preparing for a second round of talks with the United States today, said it will focus on persuading Washington to put its weight behind plans to hold an international conference on Mideast peace. That proposal has previously been rejected by Israel. The United States has said it prefers that the two sides hold direct talks. In an interview Tuesday, PLO spokesman Ahmed Abderrahman also said the PLO will reject any U.S.

Adults considering a return to college after several years in the work force, and students who have already made that step but are struggling to manage, will have some help today at a Cal State Northridge conference aimed at assisting reentry students through the maze of college life.

Cal State Northridge will sponsor a conference next week to examine how new technology can be applied to help the disabled. The conference, titled "Technology and Persons With Disabilities," will be held March 14 through 18 at Los Angeles Airport Marriott and Los Angeles Airport Hilton hotels. It will feature educators, researchers, government officials and manufacturers as well as disabled speakers.

Gathering for an economic summit in Downey, business leaders from across southeast Los Angeles County are expected to set aside their competitive instincts for a few hours Thursday to brainstorm on how to create jobs. The meeting, sponsored by the Southern California Assn. of Governments, will focus on a recent study that identified 13 key industries that fuel employment in the region, including aerospace, oil production and international trade.

Adapting to and capitalizing on technological change are the central themes of the 21st annual National Black MBA Assn. conference this week in Anaheim. More than 10,000 are expected to attend the seven-day event, which runs through Monday. Sessions will take place at seven hotels in and around Anaheim, including the Anaheim Marriot and the Hilton Anaheim.

The Democratic Leadership Council announced Tuesday that its annual meeting next year will take place in New Orleans. Sen. Sam Nunn (D-Ga.), chairman of the council, said the conference is scheduled for March 22-24.

College football is a billion-dollar business … here are my two cents: Super conferences appear on the way, so let's get on with it. Rearrange the deck chairs, cut the checks, board up office windows, consolidate and reconfigure. "Things change," Oklahoma Coach Bob Stoops said this week as his school contemplated a move from the Big 12 Conference to the Pac-12. Fine, but let's disassociate "collegial" as college's root relative. This isn't collegial, this is cut-throat.

A 3-day international conference of the Institute for Historical Review, an organization that claims the holocaust did not occur, has been canceled this weekend at the Red Lion Inn in Costa Mesa. The announcement followed complaints by the national leader of the Jewish Defense League and an Orange County Christian group, Concerned Christians Against Anti-Semitism.

The economic and emotional devastation that Korean immigrants suffered in last year's riots is changing what they value in life, experts said at a national conference on the Korean-American community at USC over the weekend. "Their immediate concern is no longer money but safety, mental well-being and community participation," said John D. Song, a former education professor whose printing shop was destroyed during the riots.

Education leaders from across the nation will discuss K-12 academic standards for language arts, mathematics and science during a free two-day conference at Cal State Northridge on May 21 and 22. The public is encouraged to attend and talk with experts about the challenges California educators could face in implementing a standards-based accountability system for public schools.