Independent Lens and The Washington Post Launch First Joint Online Distribution Venture, After the Storm
Independent Television Service – April 28
Independent Lens and The Washington Post announced today that After the Storm, their first joint online distribution venture, has launched on the fourth anniversary of the deadly tornado that ripped through Tuscaloosa, Alabama, destroying 4,700 homes, injuring over 1,500 people and leaving 50 dead. Created by Andrew Beck Grace, an independent documentary filmmaker based in Tuscaloosa who lived through the event, After the Storm is an innovative interactive short documentary essay that explores what happens after the storm passes, the media leaves town, and the adrenaline subsides. After the Storm unfolds as an immersive, full-screen narrative that is propelled forwards by user interaction. The main narrative is driven by an intimate and direct voice-over that develops along a linear path with smaller branching pieces providing context and additional information. The viewer is guided through the story by an intuitive navigation system that drives a richly textured collage of full-screen video, animation, music and voiceover to deliver a surprisingly tactile and emotional experience. … Andrew Beck Grace (Writer/Director/Photographer) is an award-winning independent documentary filmmaker based in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. … He directs the Program in Nonfiction Storytelling at the University of Alabama and was recently named one of the “Most Creative Teachers in the South” by Oxford American Magazine.
Washington Post – April 27
CBER’s economic forecast shows signs of job growth for Alabama
Birmingham Business Journal – April 28
The first half of 2014 may have been slow for Alabama job growth, but that seems to be changing. Alabama gained 28,600 jobs from March 2014 to March 2015, according to the most recent economic forecast from the University of Alabama’s Center for Business and Economic Research. Goods producing firms added 1,300 employees, while service providing firms added 27,300. Additionally, professional and business services gained 8,400 jobs in Alabama, while the leisure and hospitality sector added 6,700 and educational and health services gained 5,700 workers. Increased consumer spending and demand helped to boost job gains among Alabama retailers, bringing 1,300 new jobs in motor vehicle and parts dealers and 900 jobs in general merchandise stores .
Montgomery Advertiser – April 28
Madison native, UA student designs ‘romantic,’ ‘fantastical’ clothing
AL.com – April 28
She describes her design style as “Madame Pompadour meets Madam Secretary.” Madison, Ala. native Paige Denton, a 21-year-old senior at the University of Alabama, has been selected as one of 16 semi-finalists in Birmingham Fashion Week’s 2015 Emerging Designer Competition. “My clothes are romantic and fantastical; I like little details that create surprises in a garment,” said Denton, who graduated from Bob Jones High School in 2012 and is now majoring in apparel and textiles at UA with a double-concentration in fashion retailing and apparel design, and a minor in business. “The women I imagine wearing (my designs) come from all walks of life and are very confident and kind. They aren’t afraid of dresses and frills because they know they have power in their own identity and not in a suit.” Denton will showcase her designs on the runway during the 2015 Emerging Designer competition at Birmingham Fashion Week on May 7-8. The winner of the 2015 Emerging Designer Competition will be announced during the May 9 runway finale. Denton said competing in the Emerging Designer Competition has been stressful but exhilarating and motivating – and even life-changing. “It sounds silly, but having this opportunity before I graduate is indescribable,” she said. Her focus right now is finishing the real-life versions of her designs in time for them to go down the runway in May.
Happy birthday Hubble: A quarter of a century of inspiring images
New Scientist – April 28
The Hubble Space Telescope launched 25 years ago and changed our view of the universe forever. Many of its images are iconic and earned Hubble a special place in Earthlings’ hearts. New Scientist asked researchers, astronauts and even a Martian rover which Hubble image inspired them most and why. . . . “This one just keeps on giving. One can trace intricate dust structures in the backlit regions, and follow a whole spray of stars against the background of deep space. The foreground galaxy shows signs of interacting with a cloud of neutral hydrogen and the background galaxy nucleus shines through dimly. The total exposure is long enough to make the outer regions a deep field in their own right, now looking through the Abell 1060 cluster of galaxies Abell1060 and including some very dim, diffuse dwarf galaxies. Taking a broader view, these kinds of systems show the depth of the universe in a very striking way … Layers upon layers of galaxies stretching into the depths. I have a one-metre-square print of this above my desk and keep seeing new things. This system is also my twitter avatar and it has been my handle in several online forums for many years, not that “fixated” would be appropriate.” — Bill Keel, astronomer at The University of Alabama
5 Questions with UA Cyber Institute Executive Director Reginald Hyde
Tech Alabama – April 28
UA Cyber Institute Executive Director Reginald Hyde on cybersecurity: How beneficial is Cyber Huntsville for the community? “I think it’s tremendously beneficial. Talking with people here, I was already well aware of the Cyber Huntsville initiative. There is a lot of cyber expertise in the Huntsville area between government, the private companies and the universities, and I think pulling things together is very helpful. They’re doing things like tabletop exercises which is something that is very effective. We’ve always found that very useful in government to exercise these capabilities. I’m very impressed that you have a city that’s as focused on this as Huntsville is in Alabama.”
The 10 best (and worst) cities for starting a business
Business News Daily – April 27
If you’re starting a new business, you might want to consider moving down South and avoiding California, new research suggests. Six of this year’s 10 best cities in which to start a business are located in Southern U.S. states, and seven of the worst are in California, according to a study from the personal finance social network WalletHub. Shreveport, Louisiana, tops this year’s list of the best cities in which to start a business, as it ranked highly for having accessible resources for entrepreneurs and a friendly business environment. . . . The city in which an entrepreneur chooses to operate his or her business can be critical to the company’s success, said Lou Marino, a professor of entrepreneurship and strategy at The University of Alabama. “Despite the plethora of online resources and the use of virtual teams, nothing can take the place of the ecosystem that exists in the city in which your base of operations is located,” Marino said in a statement. “Perhaps even more important than the formal institutional support that exists in a city for entrepreneurship, the culture and livability of the city can significantly impact your ability to get the best people to work for you and how happy they are to be there.”
Here’s what the Birmingham Water Works Board won’t tell you about its latest lobbyist
AL.com – April 28
The Birmingham Water Works Board is spending $90,000 to add a fifth member to its team of lobbyists at the State House. The board April 22 hired the Adams and Reese law firm in a surprise vote that was not on the meeting agenda. No details were shared, the firm’s name was not mentioned and no questions were answered. . . . The utility’s silence regarding its spending is a concern and is inconsistent with the role of a public board, said Anne Williamson, a University of Alabama political science professor who specializes in public policy and administration. “The fact that the contract in question likely deals with engaging the services of a law firm for the purpose of lobbying adds to this concern,” Williamson said. “The public has the right to know about this contract, and the fact that it might be uncomfortable or inconvenient for members of the Birmingham Water Works Board to release this information is beside the point. The board must comply with public information laws.”
Reports: Aston Martin could build factory near Tuscaloosa
Fox 6 (Birmingham) – April 28
Another automaker could be coming to Alabama, according to a British automotive magazine reporter who spoke to Aston Martin’s CEO about possibly building a factory in West Alabama. Andy Palmer told Autocar it would make sense for Aston Martin to build a factory near Mercedes in Vance seeing as Mercedes owns 5 percent of Aston. Autocar reports the Aston DBX concept car is based on the new Mercedes GLC which could be built in Vance. If that happens, those cars chassis’ could be sent from the Mercedes plant over to an Aston Martin factory to be finished. Also, Aston could use Mercedes’ existing suppliers for their needs. Fox 6 News spoke with Greg Bell with the University of Alabama’s Center for Business and Economic research about Aston’s possible plans. Bell tells us if Aston decides to build in Tuscaloosa, it would mean a ton of jobs along with a domino effect of other economic opportunities for the region and state. “We not only get the jobs and capital they bring in indirectly … but then there’s the halo effect of spin-offs and suppliers and in this case an entirely [other] automotive line that could be built here. So it’s exciting stuff,” Bell said.
State budget cuts may slash the number of state troopers
Fox 6 (Birmingham) – April 28
A University of Alabama study found the state needs 1,016 troopers. Right now there are 431.
WSFA-NBC (Montgomery) – April 27
Students raise money to fund scholarship in memory of UA law student
Tuscaloosa News – April 28
Tiffany Ray, one of the University of Alabama School of Law students involved in an effort to endow a scholarship in memory of Dominic Desimone, said they have reached their fundraising goal. The students organized Dom Fit, a community fitness fair held on April 11, to raise money for the scholarship. Desimone, a UA law student from West Blocton who loved fitness, died in a motorcycle accident a year ago. Participants in Dom Fit donated money to work out with instructors at CrossFit Candor, a crossfit training facility. They also could purchase T-shirts and bid in a silent auction. Before the event the organizers were halfway to their $10,000 goal. They also collected money through a kickball tournament and from other donors. The Hector Dominic Desimone Memorial Scholarship will benefit one law school student annually with $500 for books.
Reptile death match: X-rays reveal a Burmese python devouring an alligator whole
The Mail Online (U.K.) – April 28
They are both formidable predators, sitting at the top of their respective food chains. But a series of X-ray images has revealed what happens when a Burmese python, one of the largest species of snake in the world, takes on an alligator and manages to swallow it whole. The X-ray images, captured by biologists at the University of Alabama, show how the snake’s digestive system kicks into overdrive to quickly break down the crocodilian’s body. It organs rapidly change size and function at many times their resting rate. Professor Stephen Secor from the University of Alabama and his colleagues found that the snake’s heart increases by 40 per cent while its pancreas increases by 94 per cent and its liver more than doubles in size. The reptile’s kidney’s also increase in size by 72 per cent. The python also floods its small intestine with powerful enzymes and acid, while its metabolic rate increases by forty times.
How PR pros are stewards of corporate character
Ragan’s PR Daily – April 28
PR professionals wear a lot of different hats, but according to Wendi Strong, executive vice president of enterprise affairs and chief communications officer for USAA, their chief role is to protect their brands’ corporate character. In remarks at The Plank Center for Leadership in Public Relations’ annual John Koten Distinguished Lecture last month (at The University of Alabama), Strong emphasized that corporate character is at the intersection of brand and reputation. Organizations must be genuine, authentic and consistent to sway public opinion in their favor. … Taylor Shelnutt is a junior majoring in public relations and Spanish at The University of Alabama. She also serves as assistant firm director and account executive at the student-run firm on campus, Capstone Agency.
UA graduate students offer memory screenings
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – April 27
A group of five students studying geropsychology, or the study of aging, is offering free memory screenings to anyone older than 50. Patients are then encouraged to take that report to their doctors for further treatment if necessary. Memory loss is something many people deal with, and the memory screenings provide patients with an opportunity to see how they compare to their peers.
View the Guild of the Birmingham Music Club celebrating scholarship tradition
AL.com – April 28
The weather outside was frightful April 17, but fellowship and talent in The Country Club of Birmingham’s East Room were delightful. The occasion was the annual scholarship luncheon hosted by the Guild of the Birmingham Music Club. Three first-place scholarship winners performed. … Scholarship chairwoman Elaine Clark introduced the 2015 first-place scholarship winners in piano, voice, and tuba. University of Alabama freshman Grace Elbert was awarded the Mildred Volentine Green Piano scholarship. … Announced as second-place scholarship winners were … Marilyn Liu, instrumental (cello), University of Alabama.