Exhibit to explore University of Alabama’s ties to slavery
Tuscaloosa News – Jan. 3
An exhibit of materials related to the University of Alabama’s history with slavery is scheduled to be displayed in February in UA’s Gorgas Library. The display, which will open on Feb. 3 and close in early March, is based on work by UA senior Benjamin Flax, who is researching UA’s ties to slavery as part of an independent research project supervised by history professor Josh Rothman, director of UA’s Summersell Center for the Study of the South. The display will be exhibited in the Gorgas Library in the Williams Americana Collection. It will include a collection of approximately 40 original documents, transcriptions and other research materials used by Flax. The exhibit is a sampling of the materials available at UA, though it represents less than a quarter of the documents the senior said he has used in his research. It will be open to the public during the Williams collection’s regular hours of 9 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. weekdays.
Daily routines may influence sleep quality, quantity
Reuters – Jan. 2
Maintaining a consistent daily routine may be linked to better sleep, according to a small new study. Young adults who went to work and ate dinner around the same time every day typically slept better and woke up fewer times during the night. They also fell asleep more quickly at bedtime. Yet the exact time people performed daily activities – say, eating dinner at 6 p.m. versus 8 p.m. – had little bearing on how well they slept. “For the majority of sleep outcomes, we found that completing activities at a regular time better predicted sleep outcomes than the actual time of day that activities were completed,” Natalie Dautovich, a psychologist at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, said. She led the study, which was published in the Journals of Gerontology: Series B. “For example, people reported better sleep quality and fewer awakenings at night when they were consistent in the time they first went outside,” Dautovich told Reuters Health in an email.
Experts tell what Obamacare needs to succeed in 2014
Anniston Star – Dec. 28
Starting in January, the federal government will fully fund Medicaid expansions in every state for the next three years to provide more health coverage to the poorest Americans. Medicaid is a federal health program that traditionally provides coverage to low-income pregnant women, children, the disabled and nursing-home residents. . . . According to a study by the Center for Business and Economic Research at the University of Alabama released in September, Medicaid expansion would have a significant impact on the state’s economy. If Alabama were to expand Medicaid coverage in January, by 2020 the expansion would increase overall business activity by about $22 billion and the state’s gross domestic product by about $14 billion. Also, workers’ earnings would increase by about $8 billion and the state would gain nearly 27,000 jobs in the health care, retail, scientific, food, finance and insurance services, the report states.
10 strange Alabama sites I hope to visit for Odd Travels features in 2014
AL.com – Jan. 3
I love my job, particularly writing about Alabama’s colorful characters, strange roadside attractions and quirky history in my weekly Odd Travels features. In 2013, I wrote about dozens of strange and unusual places and people and plan to continue my “odd-yssey” in 2014. Here are some places on my list. … 10. Meteorite that Struck Housewife: The meteorite that came through the roof and struck Sylacauga housewife Ann Hodges is located at the Alabama Museum of Natural History at the University of Alabama. To Go: Smith Hall, 427 Sixth Ave., Tuscaloosa, AL.