Finding pieces of history: Discovery of whale fossils leads to new theories about their evolution
Tuscaloosa News – Sept. 21
A fossil found on the banks of the Tombigbee River revealed clues about the evolution of whales, suggesting they had usable legs for a longer period in their evolution than previously thought. The scattered remains of a predecessor of today’s whales likely show that instead of a tail flute, the ancient whale had two legs with a tail in between, according to a paper published in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology by Mark Uhen, a University of Alabama paleontologist. “We thought they might have had flutes, but we didn’t have the bones,” Uhen said. “It told us about parts of the tail we didn’t know about before.”
Paralympics player’s strength leads her team to a gold medal victory in Beijing
Tuscaloosa News – Sept. 22
Stephanie Wheeler, who has played wheelchair basketball for more than 15 years, returns home from the 2008 Paralympics in Beijing this week with a second gold medal to add to her collection of medals and world championships…She was already a professional athlete by the time she enrolled at the University of Alabama, where she is working on her Ph.D. in applied sports education…
Sports Digest
Birmingham News – Sept. 20
A day after getting stage one approval to study another expansion of Bryant-Denny Stadium, University of Alabama Athletics Director Mal Moore told the UA system board of trustees that he’s seen a transformation on campus. “I’ve been here a long time and I’ve never witnessed the `oneness’ we have here, both on the academic side and on the athletic side,” Moore said in a public address Friday morning at the Bryant Conference Center. “It’s a great time to be at the University of Alabama.” On Thursday, trustees approved a feasibility study of Bryant-Denny expansion. The study would include a designation of potential architects, pinpoint funding and determine increases in the number of skyboxes and new tickets available, according to Deborah M. Lane, the executive director of the office of public relations at the university…
UA Board of Trustees Vote for Feasibility Study on Expanding Stadium
WBRC-Fox 6, Birmingham — Sept. 19 and 20
Bama fans could have a little more room at Bryant Denny pretty soon. The University of Alabama system trustees are moving forward with a feasibility study on expanding the stadium.
WIAT-CBS 42, Birmingham
WVTM-NBC 13, Birmingham
WVUA 7 Tuscaloosa
WAKA-CBS, Montgomery
Takeovers of AIG, Fannie and Freddie raise business and political questions
Los Angeles Times – Sept. 21
…The history of federal bailouts has been generally good, said Benton E. Gup, a finance professor at the University of Alabama and editor of the 2003 book “Too Big to Fail: Policies and Practices in Government Bailouts.” The government even turned a $313-million profit on stock options it received when it provided $1.5 billion in loan guarantees to automaker Chrysler Corp. in 1980, he noted…
Southern Political Forum: Watching The First Debate
Atlanta Journal-Constitution — Sept. 21
Coming Friday, the foreign-policy debate in Oxford, Miss., will highlight McCain’s considerable experience, and it will give Obama a chance to convince skeptics that he understands the issues.
DAVID LANOUE, professor of political science, University of Alabama: The foreign policy debate creates opportunities and risks for each candidate. John McCain will have the chance to display his mastery of international affairs and to highlight his early and gutsy support for the Iraq surge. He will almost certainly highlight Barack Obama’s opposition to the surge as evidence of the Democrat’s faulty judgment. Still, voters remain war-weary, and McCain must persuade them that his presidency will, where possible, build alliances and seek peaceful crisis resolution, especially vis-a-vis Iran.
AT LARGE: Ready for a debate?
Tuscaloosa News – Sept. 21
Debates Are for Losers. At least that’s the provocative title of a feature story in a recent issue of PS: Political Science & Politics, authored by David Lanoue, the chairman of the political science department at the University of Alabama, and Peter R. Schrott, a colleague at Heilbronn University in Germany…The main point of the five-page article, complete with four tables, 11 footnotes and 15 references, is that despite the popular perception that ‘winning’ a presidential debate can be pivotal in an election, what actually is more important — if only marginally, since Lanoue does not subscribe to the theory that debates are decisive in modern political campaigns — is that a candidate not ‘lose’ the debate, either by a poor, uninformed performance, gaffe or simply a projection of a unattractive image…
Inside The First Presidential Debate
NBC 13 Birmingham – Sept. 21
This Friday, John McCain and Barack Obama will go head to head in Oxford, Miss. at Ole Miss in their first presidential debate. Poll numbers are so tight, analysts predict this face off could be a key turning point for many undecided voters, and possibly the whole election. . . . University of Alabama political scientist and author David Lanoue explains – for many voters – McCain’s credibility on these issues is already firmly established, no matter what happens. Lanoue says McCain’s weakest point Friday may be his delivery.
Football fans say pump prices won’t keep them from Alabama and Auburn games
Mobile Register – Sept. 20
University of Alabama officials said there were 200 more cars and 51 fewer motorhomes in campus lots during the Tide’s win over Western Kentucky last weekend, than for the Tulane game the weekend before. “It could be a combination of both gas and the fact it was Western Kentucky,” said Gina Johnson, associate vice president for auxiliary services at Alabama.
Home selling prices up 5.8%
Huntsville Times – Sept. 21
…In August, 179 single-family building permits were issued, a 36 percent drop from a year earlier, and 18 percent lower than July permits, according to the Alabama Center for Real Estate Research at the University of Alabama.
Mercedes cutback may hamper local economy
Tuscaloosa News – Sept. 21
In the midst of the increasingly alarming collapse of the global financial industry, Alabama got its own piece of shocking news Wednesday as Mercedes-Benz U.S. International announced a switch to a four-day, 32-hour workweek….…David Miller, professor of production management at UA and director of the Alabama Productivity Center, said the first to be affected will be the automotive industry’s Tier 1 suppliers, those companies linked to the production hip of the assembly plants, or OEMs. “The most immediate impact is that of the first tier suppliers, especially those working under just-in-time sequence with the OEM,” Miller said. But because both Honda and Hyundai have their own range of dedicated suppliers, the effects of the Mercedes cutback will likely remain confined to the 35 suppliers serving the German automaker, said James Cashman, professor of management at UA. “I’m not so convinced that it will have an enormous effect on our other nearby auto manufacturers,” Cashman said. “They have less of a total commitment to SUVS and trucks at those plants, and secondly they have more flexibility.”…
Placed in housing limbo: Foreclosures leave many city tenants with no place to go
MacroWorld Investor/Decatur Daily News – Sept. 21
For two months, Burt has directed many questions to many organizations, trying to figure out her rights as a tenant in a foreclosed building. Burt’s story is one echoed in many apartment buildings and rental houses across the city and the nation. The recent housing boom and bust roller coaster has initiated a skyrocketing of foreclosures. . . . Whether the new owners can legally evict tenants depends on the timeline of the contracts, said Bill Brewbaker, associate professor of law at The University of Alabama. “If an owner mortgaged a house after a lease was signed, then the mortgage can’t trump the rights of the tenant,” Brewbaker said. “But if the mortgage occurred before the lease, then the bank can evict the tenants. This is more often the case.”
UA Finance Professors Discuss Turbulent Times on Wall Street
WIAT-CBS 42, Birmingham – Sept. 19
Dr. Benton Gup and Dr. Robert Brooks were interviewed for this story. It’s gonna take some time to work out all these problems. So what can you do to protect yourself as Congress works to improve the marketplace? University of Alabama finance professor Dr. Robert Brooks says to keep your spending in line with your earnings.
Even when the info’s bad, word will spread
Macro World Investor/Anniston Star – Sept. 21
Word spread quickly twice over the last week and a half, and its effect was seen just as fast: long lines snaking around every gas station in sight, plastic bags over pump handles at stores the customers had drained dry. But the word, according to experts, was based on bad information. Plenty of gas was flowing into the county, enough to go around, yet still some gas stations — and residents — had nothing in their tanks but vapor Friday. The word doesn’t have to be true for people to pass it along. And it may be that the worse the news, true or not, the faster it spreads. The rush on gas stations, especially Friday, is indicative of a fundamental human trait, said David Roskos-Ewoldsen, professor of Psychology at the University of Alabama. “From a decision-making aspect, losses loom larger when people are making decisions. People have a tendency to focus on the negative,” he said.
The impact of Hurricane Ike: From Texas to your tank
MacoWorld Investor/Anniston Star, Sept. 20
The sudden rush on gasoline in the Calhoun County area over the last few days has left experts — from professors to fuel-truck drivers — baffled.Gary Barnes, a gas hauler for Murphy USA, said there is still gas — it’s just taking a little longer to get it to the gas stations.The area should have a 20-day supply of gasoline, said Peter Clark, associate professor of chemical and biological engineering at the University of Alabama.
New Abortion Study Fuels Criticism of Obama and Praise of Palin
U.S. News and World Report – Sept. 19
A new survey commissioned by a prominent conservative evangelical group found that abortion rates dropped an average of 13.6 percent in states that passed laws requiring that minor girls either notify their parents or get their consent before medically terminating a pregnancy. The study for the Family Research Council was conducted by Michael New, a University of Alabama political science professor and senior FRC fellow. And it comes as abortion, as well as the makeup of the U.S. Supreme Court, has emerged as a more prominent campaign issue since the vice presidential nomination of Republican Sarah Palin, who opposes the procedure even in cases of rape and incest.
UA to Research Solar Energy
WVUA 7, Tuscaloosa – Sept. 21
The University of Alabama received a half-million dollars from the Department of Energy. Those funds will be used to research solar energy. The university’s solar research project will cost right at $ 1.9 million.
Uproarious backstage comedy launches UA theatre season
Crimson White – Sept. 22
Paint is still drying on the set. Costumes undergo last minute adjustments. The University department of theatre and dance is gearing up for its first production of the semester, and it promises to be a riot. “Moon Over Buffalo” premieres tomorrow, and the players can hardly contain their excitement. When asked what the play is about, knowing smiles hovered about their mouths and amusement crept into their voices.