Alabama team finds backward spiral galaxy
Tuscaloosa News – Jan. 9
A team of Alabama astronomers has made an unusual discovery about what they’re calling “an inconvenient galaxy.” . . .The team, including University of Alabama professors Gene Byrd and Ron Buta, found that the spiral galaxy NGC4622 has a pair of arms that wind in a direction opposite to that of most spiral galaxies. They’ve termed the discovery “inconvenient” because it contradicts what was thought to be common knowledge about the rotation of spiral galaxies and was met with skepticism when they first announced their findings in 2002.
Galaxy’s spiral arms point in opposite directions
New Scientist – Jan. 8
…in 2002, astronomers led by Ron Buta of the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, US, announced that NGC 4622, which lies 200 million light years away, was rotating the wrong way – its prominent outer arms were leading instead of trailing.…Gene Byrd of the University of Alabama, together with Buta and others, analysed processed versions of the Hubble image that were filtered to bring out subtle details. They found two previously undiscovered spiral arms occupying the inner part of the galaxy that are wound in the opposite way to the two outer arms.
Membrana (Russian Web site) – Jan. 9
UA law to host Constitution symposium
Tuscaloosa News – Jan. 9
The University of Alabama School of Law will host a symposium, “Imagining a New Constitution for the United States in the 21st Century,” on Friday. The discussions will be led by scholars from Yale Law School, George Washington University, the University of North Carolina School of Law, the University of Texas School of Law and the University of Toronto.
SaveFirst tax program begins for 2008
Crimson White – Jan. 9
Mayor Walt Maddox reminded Tuscaloosa residents about the 2008 SaveFirst Initiative at the Tuscaloosa City Council meeting Tuesday. Through a partnership with the University and Tuscaloosa, UA students have been trained to prepare taxes for lower-income working families that qualify.
OSHA chooses UA for training center
Birmingham News – Jan. 8
The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration has chosen the University of Alabama as a site for one of its training institute education centers. The center will provide training in safety and health courses to private-sector and federal employees and can serve companies in Alabama, Mississippi and Tennessee.
Crowning moment: 2008 winner talks about pageants, children and UA football
Crimson White – Jan. 9
While warming up for the talent portion of the 2008 Miss University of Alabama pageant on Dec. 8, Meri-Glenn Freeman sprained her left ankle, tearing all of the attached ligaments and tendons. . . . “She’s a trooper,” said pageant director Carol Wright. “Nobody really knew, and she kept on going and finished it. She didn’t want any sympathy; she just wanted to keep on competing, and I appreciated that.”
Alumnus named top speaker
Crimson White – Jan. 9
Ty Warren, a UA alumnus, was originally forced into public speaking by his professor, Mary Bauer, but now he is extremely grateful for the experience. Thanks to Bauer and many other elements in his education and career, he was named Speaker of the Year for 2007 by Delta Sigma Rho National Honorary Forensics Society.
Presidential race has implications for Alabama
Mobile Press-Register – Jan. 9
No fewer than three Republican contenders — John McCain , Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney — have approached Gov. Bob Riley to gauge his interest in joining them on a ticket, according to officials close to the governor. . . . Mike Huckabee, 52, is a powerful campaigner who connected strongly with conservative Christian voters. But project Riley into the race, and it could just as easily be him at the top of the heap in New Hampshire this morning. “It’s a fascinating idea,” said David Lanoue, chairman of the University of Alabama’s political science department. “I think he’s every bit the politician Huckabee is, and he may even carry a little less baggage” with mainstream voters.
Scrushy and Seligman comment
WAAY-ABC, Huntsville — Jan. 8
A federal appeal court’s belief that former HealthSouth CEO Richard Scrushy may be a potential flight risk maybe a good thing for former Gov. Don Siegelman. A University of Alabama political science professor says the ruling by two judges on the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals puts a separate ruling on Siegelman in a new light.
What “Psychopath” Means: It is not quite what you may think
Scientific American — December 2007
We have all heard these phrases before. “Violent psychopath” (21,700). “Psychopathic serial killer” (14,700). “Psychopathic murderer” (12,500). “Deranged psychopath” (1,050). The number of Google hits following them in parentheses attests to their currency in popular culture. Yet as we will soon discover, each phrase embodies a widespread misconception regarding psychopathic personality, often called psychopathy (pronounced “sigh-COP-athee”) or sociopathy. . . . All psychopaths are violent. Research by psychologists such as Randall T. Salekin, now at the University of Alabama, indicates that psychopathy is a risk factor for future physical and sexual violence.
MARVIN JOHNSON: In defense of a great composer
Tuscaloosa News – Jan. 8
I had the misfortune of stumbling over the woefully misguided attempt of Paul Greenberg in today’s Tuscaloosa News [Jan. 4] to discredit the music and the life of the great Austrian composer Anton Webern, 1883-1945. . . . I hope that readers will plan to attend out next School of Music “Less is More Concert,” March 6, featuring the music of Heinrich Isaac and Anton Webern. Let them judge for themselves the relevance and musical merit of the work of this great man. Marvin Johnson is associate professor of music at the University of Alabama.
Ingram prayer service tonight
Huntsville Times – Jan. 9
Not long after Meg Ingram was diagnosed with brain cancer in August 2006, her Hampton Cove neighborhood was blanketed in red-lettered “Pray for Meg” signs. As Ingram – who was a University of Alabama cheerleader when she became ill – continues to battle the illness, the signs stay up.