Bragg urges lawmakers to remember the working poor
Tuscaloosa News – Dec. 7
Pulitzer Prize-winning author Rick Bragg spun yarns and told tales in his keynote address to the new Alabama Legislature on Monday, but he also issued a stern warning not to forget government’s role in helping those who need help. Bragg spoke at the beginning of the Legislature’s three-day orientation session at the University of Alabama School of Law… “I believe in the working poor,” said Bragg, who now teaches journalism at UA after a career that saw him win a Pulitzer for reporting at The New York Times…
FOX6 (Birmingham) – Dec. 6 and 7
ABC 33/40 (Birmingham) – Dec. 6 and 7
NBC13 (Birmingham) – Dec. 6 and 7
CBS42 (Birmingham) – Dec. 6
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – Dec. 6
WAFF (Huntsville) – Dec. 6
WAKA (Montgomery) – Dec. 6
WSFA (Montgomery) – Dec. 6
WLTZ (Columbus, Ga.) – Dec. 6
EDITORIAL: Gathering shows legislators what to expect
Tuscaloosa News – Dec. 7
Every four years since 1974, the newly elected Alabama Legislature has been in Tuscaloosa for an orientation session at which the newly elected governor also makes his first formal address to the new lawmakers. This year’s three-day session, the 10th one organized by the Alabama Law Institute and the University of Alabama School of Law, kicked off yesterday with a keynote address by Alabama-born author Rick Bragg. He won a Pulitzer Prize for his work at The New York Times, wrote the best-seller ‘All Over but the Shoutin’ ‘ and is now a UA journalism professor. Bragg reminded what will be the first Republican-controlled Legislature in 136 years not to forget the common, everyday Alabamian…Gov.-elect Robert Bentley wraps things up with his address at 11 a.m. in the Moot Courtroom at the law school, where the sessions are being held…
Nation of whiners: We want everyone to feel our pain
MSNBC.com – Dec. 7
… We also have a slew of exciting new things to complain about, says Martha Crowther, associate professor of psychology at the University of Alabama. “We’ve had a proliferation of talk shows for the last 20 years where they talk about issues that were just not discussed before,” she says. “There’s a proliferation of medications and commercials for various conditions. We’re putting names on things we didn’t know the name for before. We think, ‘Well, maybe I have a problem with that.’”…
Defuse the family drama
Philippines Star – Dec. 7
…To get the support you need from your family this holiday season, use the following tips: • Be upfront. If your illness means you can’t prepare this Christmas feast, or medical costs make it hard for you to buy the kind of fancy presents you’ve loved giving in the past, don’t be afraid to talk about it. “You just can’t assume that your family knows well your situation,” says Linda Enders, PhD, associate professor of human development and family studies at the University of Alabama. “The best way to avoid a confrontation is to be totally transparent.” Remember: one of the toughest things about being sick is that your condition isn’t always visible, and it can be hard for some people to understand your limitations if you “look fine.” Explain the effects of your illness and you may be surprised by the support you get…
Safety advocates say license does not prepare teens for all driving situations
Birmingham News – Dec. 7
… That same year, 8.8 percent of all drivers involved in fatal crashes in Alabama were age 19 or under and 22 percent were younger than 25, according to the 2008 Alabama Traffic Crash Facts published by the University of Alabama’s Center for Advanced Public Safety…