University of Alabama’s Summer Enrichment Workshop offers plethora of courses for kids
Tuscaloosa News – June 27
A popular reality TV show challenges contestants to survive 21 days in a remote wilderness without any resources, except for one item they get to select beforehand. After taking a survival class at the University of Alabama College of Education’s Summer Enrichment Workshop for gifted students this month, Jamal McKnight, a 14-year-old rising freshman at Tuscaloosa County High School, said he thinks he could survive on the show for about five days. Though he’s confident about what he learned, he said anything beyond five days would be stretching it. “It was real fun,” Jamal said. “I recommend that anyone who comes here next summer take the survival class. I learned how to make a fire with a water bottle with water in it. You use the reflection of the sun and the water has to be clear. You have to fold a piece of paper in four pieces and concentrate the light on the black ink written on the paper because black absorbs heat. “It lights up and you wave it around and it usually lights on fire. When holding it, it can get frustrating after a while.”
University of Alabama astronomy event offers chance to see Venus, Jupiter
Tuscaloosa News – June 29
Depending on the weather, stargazers will get a chance to view the planets Venus and Jupiter during a free event at the University of Alabama’s observatory on Tuesday. “This will be the closest conjunction of Jupiter and Venus we’ve been able to see since 1999,” said William Keel, UA professor of physics and astronomy. Celestial bodies appear near each other in the sky when they are in conjunction. Though the planets will appear to be close from an earthly viewpoint, they are actually 516 million miles apart, Keel said. Visitors are invited atop Gallalee Hall on the UA campus from 8 to 9:30 p.m. Tuesday. The visitors will get to use UA’s 16-inch, research-grade telescope for the viewing. The planets, appearing as bright stars, are visible with the naked eye low in the western sky about 90 minutes after sunset, Keel said. “These will be the two brightest things in the sky at that point,” Keel said.
As Confederate flag debate swirls, what will Baldwin County do about its seal?
AL.com – June 27
A seal that represents a variety of Baldwin County’s diverse culture and economy also includes one image that is under siege around the U.S.: the Confederate battle flag. But county officials, aware of the national fervor the flag has caused at the state government level in the past week, are not prepared to scrub the 41-year-old seal’s design clear from the battle flag’s inclusion. . . . The issue on what to do with the battle flag has rapidly trickled down to local governments in the South following last week’s tragedy in Charleston, S.C., when suspect Dylan Roof shot to death nine churchgoers inside a historically black church. Several pictures surfaced after the shooting showing the gunman posing with the battle flag. “If you had said to me a week and a half ago that a week and half from now the Confederate battle flag would be coming down all over the South, I would have thought you were crazy,” said Josh Rothman, a history professor and director of the University of Alabama’s Summersell Center for the Study of the South. “I think most people would have thought there was no way this was going to happen.”
SECU reports it delivered $772 million in value during 2014
CU Today – June 28
State Employees’ Credit Union is reporting that it delivered $772 million in value to its members during 2014. That figure is the result of analysis performed by Dr. William E. Jackson III, who has published the findings as part of the 2014 Report on Financial Benefits of Membership in State Employees’ Credit Union of North Carolina. “Through his extensive study and comparison of State Employees’ Credit Union financial products, services and fee structures to the marketplace, Dr. Jacksonfound thatalmost one out of every five North Carolina citizens was a member of SECU and enjoyed the full range of financial benefits that accompanied SECU membership during 2014,” the credit union said in a statement. … “ Dr. Jackson, professor of finance, professor of management and the Smith Foundation endowed chair of business integrity in the Culverhouse College of Commerce at the University of Alabama, researched and documented member savings in a number of categories. Lower rates on loans, higher rates on deposits, lower fees, and benefits from SECU’s Salary Advance Loan program were among the categories included, the credit union said.
The rise of social-human lawyer
Global Legal Post – June 28
I am delighted to announce that I believe we have actually reached the tipping point, a la Malcolm Gladwell style (author of The Tipping Point). Last weekend I jetted off to share my current and future vision, insights and suggested solutions with the partners of Allen & Overy who asked me to join them at their retreat conference in Amsterdam. After spending the day with the lawyers and support staff in the A&O Amsterdam office I am of the opinion that they are ahead of the pack in their thinking and grasp of the opportunities for their future, in no uncertain terms. A goliath of the legal world is now well and truly awake. But will it be too late? Pamela Bucy Pierson, the Bainbridge Mims Professor of Law at The University of Alabama School of Law, expressed in an article that the legal market was tipping in favor of solo and small firms. In the piece, Pamela discusses five market conditions that spell hardship for large and medium-sized law firms and opportunity for small firms, boutiques and solo practitioners.
Working to get interns to love Cincinnati
Cincinnati Enquirer – June 27
Greater Cincinnati could be in economic trouble, if more isn’t done to draw in more young people. So officials at the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber recently had more than 350 interns file into a meeting room at the Great American Ball Park, as part of the Chamber’s initiative to bring younger faces to the Queen City. The interns, who work for various businesses and non-profits throughout Greater Cincinnati, attended as part of the Cincinnati Intern Network Connection program or CINC. . . . Allen Bailey. Age: 22. Hometown: Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Major: Marketing/management. School: University of Alabama. Interning where: Marketing at Cintas in Mason. The Mason-based company provides facilities services, first aid and safety, fire protection services, and document management among other services. Plans after school: “I’m considering going back to China, where I previously went for an internship, to get my Ph.D. in marketing. I was offered a full scholarship there. If not, I’m keeping my options open right now. I like Cincinnati, but I need to be fully acclimated with the city before I make a decision to stay here.”
School News
Tuscaloosa News – June 28
Haley Thompson, Holy Spirit Catholic School class of 2015, was recently awarded through the Mercedes-Benz International Scholarship Program. The $2,000 scholarship is awarded to five high school seniors by Mercedes-Benz International each year. Haley will be attending the University of Alabama Honors College Program in the fall and plans to major in elementary education. She is the daughter of Jeff and Cherry Thompson of Tuscaloosa.
University of Alabama full President’s list an Dean’s list for spring 2015
Tuscaloosa News – June 28
(Article contains the list of Dean’s and President’s lists honorees for spring 2015.)