Student’s independence becomes class project
Tuscaloosa News – April 26
Mike Parker acts cool about it, even making jokes about state laws that would allow someone like him behind the wheel of a car. The truth is, when he gets serious about it, a wheelchair-friendly truck would give the 25-year-old a little independence. . . . Now, a class of University of Alabama students who started out strangers and were, at best, classmates of Parker just four months ago, have banded together at the suggestion of his professor to buy him a truck. Professor Owen Sweatt saw the project as the practical application of the senior level management class’s course of study and scrapped the second half of his class syllabus to work on the project. In less than a month, the small class had essentially formed a small, well-oiled charity bringing in money from several sources.
Collier couture: The late businesswoman rubbed elbows with bigwigs while wearing the finest threads
Tuscaloosa News – April 28
For aficionados, fashion is more than just cloth and thread. It’s a Christmas party, a presidential inaugural ball or even a dinner at the White House. More than two dozen brightly colored ballgowns, suits and dresses, some of them worn to such momentous events, line the perimeter of the downstairs gallery at the University of Alabama’s Smith Hall. Each was worn by Alabama businesswoman June Collier. And all were designed by Alabama couture designer Kellé Thompson. The exhibition of his couture clothing, ‘June Collier: A Couture Retrospective 1973-2006’ will be on display at the Alabama Museum of Natural History through Saturday. The outfits range from a houndstooth coat and a grey silk suit to a lustrous wedding gown that Collier wore to her second wedding.
The longest lap: Palestinian swimmer works to bring facilities and expertise to Jericho
Tuscaloosa News – April 26
A dream of going to the Olympics may have initiated Sadeq Damrah’s involvement with the Palestinian Swimming Federation, but now he’s dreaming larger than just swimming on the world’s biggest stage….Damrah, 25, was born and raised in Jordan, his mother’s native land. His father, however, is Palestinian. For the last several years Damrah has lived in Tuscaloosa while working on a doctorate in applied mathematics at the University of Alabama.
University Of Alabama Team Earns HudsonAlpha Innovation Prize
Medical News Today – April 28
For their groundbreaking research on diseases of the nervous system, especially in relation to Parkinson’s disease, the husband and wife team of Drs. Guy and Kim Caldwell has been awarded the first HudsonAlpha Prize for Outstanding Innovation in Life Sciences. The $20,000 prize, in addition to recognizing exceptional talent and research of superior merit, aims to raise awareness of biotechnology’s burgeoning impact on Alabama’s economic vitality.
College News
Tuscaloosa News – April 28
Mike Perko, chair and associate professor of health sciences in the University of Alabama College of Human Environmental Sciences, was named Health Educator of the Year by the American Association for Health Education for outstanding achievement in the field of health education. . . . . Two third-year students at the School of Law were honored this week by national legal associations for contributing to the advancement of women in the legal profession and demonstrating excellence in clinical fieldwork. Katharyn I. Christian of Montgomery Village, Md., received the National Association of Women Lawyers’ Outstanding Student Award for commitment to improving women’s lives through public service in the law. . . . The UA chapter of Order of Omega, a national honorary for Greeks, recently announced the honors at its annual banquet at NorthRiver Yacht Club in Tuscaloosa:
BUSINESS SCENE: UA SIFE team wins regional again
Tuscaloosa News – April 27
After presenting a report of its year-long community outreach projects to a panel of 16 business leaders, the Students in Free Enterprise team at the University of Alabama has been named a SIFE USA Regional champion. This is the second consecutive year UA’s SIFE team has won the regional competition, held this year in Charlotte, N.C.
Helping Others Live Together
Tuscaloosa News – April 27
Holt, like numerous other cities across the nation, has its problems with crime. Residents have complained about it for years, but that’s done little to stem criminal activity in the area. On Saturday, residents, with the support of several groups and organizations, took the first step in a different direction to solve the problem. Between noon and 4 p.m., more than 150 Holt residents, black and white and of all ages, came together at Evans-Roshell Park for fellowship, a barbecue and games. . . . The Hope for HOLT, Helping Others Live Together, community discussion and fun day was organized by a group of University of Alabama social work students who organized the event as part of a project for their social work in the community class.
US Congressman to host “Energy Summit 2008” at UA
WBRC-Fox 6, Birmingham – April 27
U.S. Congressman Artur Davis makes a stop in Tuscaloosa tomorrow morning. He’s scheduled to host “energy summit 2008” at the University of Alabama. The session will include a panel of energy experts with broad knowledge on the topic. Participants can learn more about efforts being made to curb our dependence on foreign oil and opportunities for growth and economic development.
Montgomery Advertiser – April 28
UA ad team places third in competition
Crimson White – April 28
A team of 12 UA students were awarded third place in the National Student Advertising Competition, sponsored by the American Advertising Federation, in Chattanooga, Tenn., last Friday. “We were a little disappointed to have placed third, because we worked really hard on the campaign and felt it was a first-place campaign. Nonetheless, we were very proud of the work put in,” Lisa Romano, a senior majoring in advertising, said.
Summer helpin’: UA offers a hand to students looking for a summer job
Crimson White – April 28
Every year, there are some Capstone students who stay in Tuscaloosa for summer classes while their peers head home for a much-needed break. To supplement the cost of summer classes, some students are left with one question: “How will I make money?” Fortunately for them, the University is implementing a new program to help them out.
Give-N-Go drive to collect discarded goods
Crimson White – April 28
As students pack up a year’s worth of books and memories and head back home after finals, they have another opportunity to help those in need in the Tuscaloosa community. The Community Service Center, Housing and Residential Communities and Sigma Pi fraternity are teaming up for the third annual Give-N-Go drive, which focuses on helping students donate goods to the needy, rather than take them home for the summer.
Films of a different view: Non-film students document justice, injustice in Alabama
Crimson White – April 28
The Center for Ethics and Social Responsibility and the department of telecommunication and film will host the second annual Documenting Justice Film Screening on Tuesday at 7 p.m. in the Bama Theatre in downtown Tuscaloosa. Admission is free and open to the public.
McCain’s poverty tour builds his brand but raises questions
Kansas City Star – April 25
…Still, McCain risks muddying his image in the public mind, said Karen Johnson-Cartee, an expert in political communication at the University of Alabama. “When he goes into a place like Selma and says, `Y’all need this, that and the other,’ to me, he’s created a violation of type,” meaning it goes against the image he’s built over the years, Johnson-Cartee said. “You’re only as good as how solid that public image is. … Trust is all you’ve got, and if you violate that trust, you’re screwed.”
Opinion: Strategic necessity
Montgomery Advertiser – April 28
Oil prices are at record levels, and the price of transportation fuels has increased dramatically. There are two questions that almost everybody asks: Why? and What can I do about it? .. .The world has a voracious appetite for oil. Demand is approximately 85 million barrels per day, and of this the United States uses approximately 20 million barrels per day or 840 million gallons per day. If gasoline, ethanol mixed with gasoline, and diesel are lumped together as motor fuels, we use in excess of 400 million gallons per day. These are big numbers and part of the reason that oil prices are high. Peter Clark is an associate professor of chemical and biological engineering at The University of Alabama. His research focuses on the area of complex fluid flows. Clark has served as a Society of Petroleum Engineers’ Distinguished Lecturer and traveled the country lecturing about ways to increase oil and gas production.
Quitting ‘Most Powerful Addiction’ Not Impossible
Lakeland (Fla.) Ledger – April 27
Cigarette smoking is the leading preventable cause of death in the United States. On average, smokers die 13 to 14 years earlier than nonsmokers….Dr. Alan Blum, a professor of family medicine and director of Center for the Study of Tobacco and Society at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, said quitting is easier if you understand what makes you crave a cigarette. Then find something to substitute that urge. Oral substitutions include sucking on lemon drops, drinking iced tea – or even kissing.
Lean times, local bounty: Money, health, environment drive demand for Alabama produce
Tuscaloosa News – April 28
For many, there’s not much doubt about the taste difference between a tomato plucked, sun-ripened, from the backyard, and one bounced in on a truck from halfway across the country….“Prices are definitely going up,” said Joe Brown, an assistant professor in New College at the University of Alabama, who teaches in a program about sustainable food systems. “People are going to have to start taking stock, and thinking more about food, about the economies of it, if not just the taste, the health benefits and the ethics of eating locally.”… Brown is one of the UA faculty members who pushed to create another farmers market on campus, which will begin Thursday from 3 to 6:30 p.m., at Canterbury Chapel on Hackberry Lane. The Tuscaloosa Farmers Market now opens at 6 a.m. Saturdays, and it will open on Tuesdays and Saturdays in May. In July, when produce is at its peak, it will be open Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
Ambiguously ill pose challenge for doctors
Amednews.com – May 5
Scenario: How should you respond to a patient whose trustworthiness you doubt? A patient appears at the emergency department with chest pain, nausea and profuse sweating. The patient has a long history of medical deception, but is that reason enough to assume that he is not having a heart attack? Response: The answer to that question is, “Of course not.” How, then, should physicians respond when they encounter “ambiguously ill patients? James C. Hamilton, PhD, associate professor of psychology and affiliate associate professor of internal medicine, University of Alabama; has written widely on factitious disorder and malingering…Marc D. Feldman, MD, clinical professor of psychiatry and behavioral medicine, University of Alabama; author of “Playing Sick?: Untangling the Web of Munchausen Syndrome, Munchausen by Proxy, Malingering, and Factitious Disorder.”
Felicitous Future?: Grover Norquist’s Leave Us Alone argues that the political prospects for smaller government are brighter than some think. By Michael J. New
National Review – April 25, 2008
Events during the past few years have caused many conservatives to be decidedly pessimistic about their future political prospects. Republicans fared poorly in the 2006 U.S. midterm election, losing control of both the House and Senate. . . . However, Americans for Tax Reform president Grover Norquist takes a far different view. In his recent book, Leave Us Alone: Getting the Government’s Hands Off Our Money, Our Guns, and Our Lives, Norquist makes a compelling case that the future actually looks quite bright for limited-government conservatives. Michael J. New is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University of Alabama.
Abortions, births decreasing
Baltimore Sun – April 27
…A report this month from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows the trend in stark numbers: Between 1990 and 2004, the estimated abortion rate declined by 24 percent. In no single year did the rate even inch upward. . . . But Michael New, a professor of political science at the University of Alabama, argues that parental consent and notification laws deserve more credit than they’re often given. “We see the largest and most consistent declines in teen [abortion] rates in the states that have been most active in passing pro-life legislation,” said New, who wrote an article on the subject last year for the conservative Heritage Foundation.
Bad news: You were caught speeding; Good news: Ticket won’t take as long
Daily Times (Florence) – April 25
Area law enforcement officers are going high-tech. New technology in patrol cars is allowing officers to write citations faster. “Which means they can be back on the streets patrolling,” said Russellville Police Chief Chris Hargett. Eight local agencies are equipped with computers, software and other equipment that allow them to write electronic citations, or “E-citations.” . . . Russell said the funding for the computer, equipment and software is through the Department of Economic and Community Affairs with the University of Alabama doing the installation and training.
CrimsonRide deals with Rising Gas Prices
WVUA, Tuscaloosa – April 25
(Gina Johnson was interviewed for this story.) With rising gas prices, people everywhere are having to make some adjustments. Even drivers for the University of Alabama are learning some new tricks. Crimson Ride drivers recently went through special training to learn how to conserve the gas buses’ fuel. One of the tips is to turn off the ignition if a bus is idle for more than five minutes.
The Ferg to rent laptops
Crimson White – April 28
The Ferguson Center has always been a popular spot for students to kill time in between classes, and starting next fall, thanks to the SGA, they will be able to rent a laptop to accomplish any task from finishing classwork to checking Facebook. During the annual Week of Welcome in August, 15 Dell ATC laptops will be available for free rental from the Ferguson Center.
Victor Ellis’ Jersey Retired At Red Bank
WDEF (Chattanooga, Tenn.) – April 25
The number will never be worn again at Red Bank High. The name will never be forgotten. One month after his death, Victor Ellis is immortalized. Not just as a football player, but as a student, as a brother and as a son. “To have had such a wonderful son who accomplished so much in such a short time…it meant the world to me that Red Bank would honor him,” says Debbie Ellis, Victor’s mother. Victor moved to Chattanooga for his junior year of high school. His two years as a Lion earned him four years at the University of Alabama, where he made the SEC Academic Team.
WRCB-NBC (Chattanooga, Tenn.) – April 25
Minority-owned business event planned for May 5
Mobile Press-Register – April 26
Alabama business leaders who participated in a recent online survey are increasingly worried that the economy isn’t just slowing, it’s shrinking. The Alabama Business Leaders Confidence Index, produced by the Center for Business and Economic Research at the University of Alabama and sponsored by Compass Bank, was 42.9 for the second quarter of 2008, down more than 4 points from the first-quarter reading. An index less than 50 indicates that leaders expect the economy to contract during the next three months.
Symphony prepares to crown next cello fellow
Montgomery Advertiser – April 28
As cellist Katerina Juraskova’s fellowship draws to a close, the Montgomery Symphony Orchestra is preparing to select her successor. The 2008-2010 Cello Fellowship Finals will be at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts’ Wilson Auditorium. . . . This year’s finalists are all young men . . Heiki Palm, who has a bachelor’s degree from Estonian Academy of Music, a master’s degree from the University of Akron and a doctorate in progress from the University of Alabama.
Book Folks: Arms inspector to talk at CBU
Memphis Commercial-Appeal – April 27
Also at Off Square, Kate Bernheimer will appear Wednesday at 5 p.m. to read from and sign her book for readers ages 9 to 12, “The Girl Inside the Castle Inside the Museum” (Swartz & Wade, $17), illustrated by Nicoletta Ceccoli. Bernheimer is a well-known authority on and interpreter of fairy tales. The editor of the journal Fairy Tale Review, she is author of two novels, “The Complete Tales of Ketzia Gold” (2002) and “The Complete Tales of Merry Gold” (2006). She edited the anthology “Mirror, Mirror, on the Wall: Women Writers Explore Their Favorite Fairy Tales” (1998, revised and expanded 2002). Bernheim teaches in the creative writing program at the University of Alabama.
A doctor in the making
Daily Sentinel (Jackson County) – April 28
On the outside, he seems just like a typical boy his age, mixing in with the crowd at Section High School. He could even be called an All-American boy. One who makes good grades, works a part-time job and loves playing his guitar. But on the inside of Section senior Kyle Cooper, there’s so much more….Last summer, Cooper attended a program at the University of Alabama titled, “Rural Health Scholars.” “It was a program for people from small towns who wanted to practice medicine,” he said. Seeing other kids from small towns planning on going to a big college outside of Alabama, Cooper began dreaming he could do the same.