The Physics of ‘Angels’
Tuscaloosa News -May 15
In Dan Brown’s novel “Angels & Demons,” the film adaptation of which opens today, a society called The Illuminati wants to use anti-matter to destroy the Vatican. In reality, the original Illuminati, a group of post-Enlightenment free thinkers, died out centuries ago, after a brief period of operation. Although the Bavarian Illuminati has been said to inspire numerous secret groups that exist and manipulate world events today, no evidence suggests that’s true, beyond the ravings of conspiracy theorists. A quarter of a gram of anti-matter, as posited in the book, coming into contact with matter in a tremendous burst of energy, could indeed easily blow up a city, said Lou Clavelli, a professor of physics at the University of Alabama, an explosion equal to about 12 megatons (one million tons) of TNT. But at current rates of production it would take a million years to gather a quarter-gram of anti-matter, not to mention the enormous amounts of energy needed to create it. And the magnetic field required to contain that much anti-matter would have to be housed in a building-sized structure, not the convenient portable container of Brown’s book. “One has to be careful not to believe the things in the novel,” Clavelli said, “and to separate things that are true from things that are contrived.
UA’s Steel Bridge Team Gets Ready for National Competition
WBRC, Birmingham – May 14
Students from the University of Alabama are gearing up for a national bridge-building competition in Las Vegas next week. The students must build a steel bridge according to specifications that can support 25 hundred pounds. Here’s the catch.
WIAT, Birmingham – May 14
WVUA, Tuscaloosa – May 14
America’s Retirees Working to Protect Health Care Benefits They Earned
WDBR, Louisville, Ky. (from Association of BellTel Retirees) – May 15
University Of Alabama School Of Law Professor Dr. Norman Stein, an expert on the nation’s Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) pension law testified in favor of the proposal at a congressional hearing in the fall, saying Congress should pass legislation “that would make it difficult or perhaps impossible for an employer to terminate retiree health benefits after an employee has retired.” The long time advisor to AARP and the Pension Rights Center argued, “Congress could try to level the playing field for employees with clear, reasonable and consistent rules.”
Social Responsibility Does Not Mitigate Negative Market Response Due to Crisis, New Study Finds
Physorg.com – May 14
Proponents of corporate social responsibility argue that it fosters and promotes ethical behavior by managers, which has a positive impact on firm reputation. Detractors of corporate social responsibility claim that it is expensive and inconsistent with the preeminent goal of maximizing shareholder returns. Manuel Sanchez of the University of Arkansas and colleagues Cheryl Linthicum at the University of Texas at San Antonio and Austin Reitenga at the University of Alabama wanted to use the Enron crisis to shed light on these opposing views….
Student’s I-Report Featured on CNN’s “Campbell Brown Show”
CNN – May 14
We have a lot of communities across America, Main Streets to go to where you’re going to see the disagreement at this table is playing itself out across America. We’ll do more of that throughout the course of this hour. Our first I-Report comes from Troy Davenport, senior at the University of Alabama. His hometown is hit by layoffs. People there are having trouble finding new jobs.
I-report link: http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-257705?ref=feeds/newsiest
Register now for student writing camp
Tuscaloosa News – May 15
The University of Alabama invites local high school students to participate in the summer 2009 Creative Writing Camp. No previous creative writing experience is required. The instructors will be published writers who are graduate students in UA’s master of fine arts program. They will lead a two-week exploration of creative writing under the direction of poet and professor Robin Behn. Students will experiment with different forms of writing, give a public reading and create their own publication.
Music professor will perform organ concert
Tuscaloosa News – May 15
Faythe Freese, associate professor of music at the University of Alabama, will present an organ concert at 2:15 p.m. Sunday at First United Methodist Church in Fayette. Freese will play works by composers Johann Sebastian Bach, Cesar Franck, Felix Mendelssohn and Frederic Goossen.
Opinion: Davis and the Obama effect
Anniston Star – May 15
The Alabama Democratic Party has two strong gubernatorial candidates in Congressman Artur Davis and Agriculture Commissioner Ron Sparks, and two others possibly on the way in Chief Justice Sue Bell Cobb and state Sen. Roger Bedford. This slate of qualified candidates and the growing line still forming on the Republican side provides rich material for those following the 2010 gubernatorial campaign in its earliest stages. Yet, the majority of the discussion, and for those candidates down ballot on the Democratic side, speculation surrounds the potential impact should Davis emerge as the Democratic nominee. . . . Marion Steinfels is a national political strategist and an adjunct professor at the University of Alabama’s Honors College.
Homegrown Alabama Holds Farmers’ Market
WVUA, Tuscaloosa – May 14
It’s all about the locally-grown and fresh produce, the University of Alabama organization, Homegrown Alabama, put on their farmers’ market today. From greens, to strawberries, honey and house plants, folks came out and loaded their baskets with produce grown by West Alabama farmers. Aside from helping the local economy there’re health benefits. “If you get honey within sixty miles of where you live and you have a tablespoon a day it’ll help you with all your allergies.” The Homegrown Alabama farmer’s market will be back next Thursday at Canterbury Chapel on Hackberry Lane.
Meet Your Neighbor – Jon Foster
Leeds News – May 14
Sometimes in life we meet people who just seem to exceed the norms of day to day and whether it be athletics, academics or just plain old hard work, they seem to stand out. Leeds High School senior Jon Foster fits that category and he will be the first to admit hard word does pay off. Academically, Foster is ranked first in his graduating class and is the running for the school’s highest honor as Valedictorian. He has 4.26 GPA and scored a 31 on his ACT that has resulted in a full tuition paid Presidential Scholarship to the University of Alabama this fall. He has also been accepted to the University of Alabama’s College of Engineering and is set to receive $10,000 for the next four years.
Alcovy High School’s Class of 2009 offered more than $2 million in scholarships
CovNews.com (Newton County, Ga.) – May 15
To date, 50 out of approximately 300 seniors have been offered 69 scholarships totaling $2,148,543. A total of 18 different colleges and universities from nine states contributed to this year’s class total. . . . Mary Wright, Alcovy High’s salutatorian, had the second highest scholarship total with over $82,000 in offers. This includes a full tuition scholarship to the University of Alabama, where she plans to enroll this fall.