UA archaeology office curating items collected during TVA project
Tuscaloosa News – July 19
Researchers with the University of Alabama’s Office of Archeological Research are in the middle of a project to rehabilitate a collection of tens of thousands of artifacts collected in Alabama during the 1930s and 1940s. The work, which began in February, is a collaborative effort between the Tennessee Valley Authority, which owns the collection, and the university, which is curating it for the government-owned power company. The work is likely to last several years. “TVA would like to see more academic research conducted with these collections, and improving the inventory of these artifacts and their condition will allow more students to easily access the data for this purpose,” said Erin Pritchard, archaeological specialist with TVA’s Natural Resource Planning & Programs, Reservoir Property & Resource Management.
Tuscaloosa County’s unemployment numbers increase
Tuscaloosa News – July 18
Tuscaloosa County’s unemployment rate rose more than half of a percentage point in June, part of a trend seen throughout much of Alabama. The county’s June unemployment rate was 6.3 percent, compared with 5.7 percent in May. A year-ago June, it was 7 percent. “Job growth slowed down slightly in June from the pace we saw during the first five months of the year,” said Ahmad Ijaz, director of economic forecasting at the University of Alabama’s Center for Business and Economic Research. The state’s official unemployment rate was unchanged from May, remaining at 6.1 percent. Alabama’s unemployment rate was 6.8 percent in June 2014. The state’s official rate is seasonally adjusted while rates for counties are not seasonally adjusted. If the state rate was not seasonally adjusted, it, too, would have increased from 6.2 percent to 6.7 percent.
How a virtual ‘mob boss’ from Texas became the new face of organized crime
Startup Smart (Australia) – July 20
On October 2 2013, after months of extensive joint federal investigations, the FBI arrested Ross William Ulbricht (aka “Dread Pirate Roberts”) for his role in leading a major online criminal enterprise. In May, Ulbricht – now 31 years old – was sentenced to life in prison without parole after being convicted on multiple felony charges in connection with his operation of the Silk Road website, which had become an anonymous black market for drugs and other illegal items. US District Judge Katherine Forrest chose to impose the harshest sentence she could, essentially equating him with a mafia boss in hopes of sending a message to other would-be cyber criminals. As she said during sentencing: “The stated purpose [of the Silk Road] was to be beyond the law. In the world you created over time, democracy didn’t exist. You were captain of the ship, the Dread Pirate Roberts. You made your own laws. What you did with Silk Road was terribly destructive to our social fabric.” Ulbricht represents the changing face of organized crime. His sentence – considered unduly harsh by some – uncovers the reality that leaders of criminal organizations may no longer resemble a character from The Sopranos. (Diana S Dolliver is Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice and Cybercrime at University of Alabama.)
University of Alabama interns spend summer in Walker County
Daily Mountain Eagle – July 15
Four students from the University of Alabama are spending their summer working in Walker County. The Walker County Internship Program is a partnership between the university’s New College and the Walker Area Community Foundation. To allow the interns to get a proper feel for the community, they are placed with various organizations according to their interests. Jeff Rogers was assigned to the Walker County Center of Technology because he is interested in a career and technical education. Rogers is working on what he calls “Pathway Documents,” or brochures about each of the 15 programs that WCCT offers. “It gives a little bit of information about what classes we have here, what classes are offered at Bevill State, if there’s a corresponding curriculum. And then what sort of job opportunities there are, either after high school or college,” he said.
Better Sleep May Mean Less Chronic Pain
Drugs.com – July 17
Improving sleep quality might help ease pain among those with osteoarthritis, a new study suggests. That’s because disruptions in sleep are associated with changes in how the body processes and feels pain, the researchers said. More than half of all people with osteoarthritis have pain during the night. This may lead to broken sleep and frequent shifts between sleep stages. Previous studies have suggested that disrupted sleep can help predict the severity of pain, the scientists explained. The team of researchers, from the University of Alabama and the University of Florida, were led by Megan Petrov, an assistant professor at Arizona State University in Phoenix. The team investigated whether or not poor-quality sleep was linked to greater sensitivity and reduced tolerance for pain among those with chronic pain.
Medbroadcast.com – July 17