Tuesday notes

• Pierce College out in Woodland Hills is offering a course this summer that could be the answer to high gas prices. Fundamentals of Mule Driving, also known as Equine Science 685B, runs July 13-17. Successful graduates can move on to Diagnosing and Treating Mule Injuries and Diseases (685E) and Theory vs. Practice in Mule Training (685F).
• Architect Thom Mayne wrote on yesterday's Times op-ed page that the Southern California Institute of Architecture's future downtown is endangered by the real estate aspirations of — here's that name again — developer and Villaraigosa contributor Richard Meruelo.
• Times editorial writer Mary Engel gets to spend a year at MIT as a Knight science journalism fellow.
• Hoy's Carlos Rajo has given up commentaries for hard news reporting (he's still a political commentator for Telemundo.) Links on the left adjusted accordingly.
• William Morris Agency has hired Hollywood attorney Bert Fields to get tough with the New York Post over unfavorable coverage on Page Six, the LA Weekly's Nikki Finke reports via email.
• Blogs newly noted: CityBeat arts editor Natalie Nichols at hipspinster, including a powerful post ("Dear Marissa") about intervening between a girl and her abusive boyfriend at the Coachella festival; Totally Unauthorized by Peggy Archer, who was up in the Nightsun on a film shoot that blocked lanes of Hollywood Boulevard last Friday night—and who is having bad sex with an unnamed movie star.
• Author Joel Kotkin (The City) lectures on "The New Progressive Vision for Los Angeles and California" next Tuesday, May 17, at 8:30 a.m. at the City Club. It's under the auspices of the Pat Brown Institute of Public Affairs and its California Agenda series.
• Mystery novelist Gary Phillips takes the podium at the Zócalo public lecture series on June 7 at the Central Library.