Alabama Claims No. 1 Spot in College Football’s BCS Standings
Bloomberg News – Nov. 2
The University of Alabama took over the No. 1 spot in college football’s Bowl Championship Series standings after Texas Tech’s last-second upset of the University of Texas. The Crimson Tide, ranked second last week, improved to 9-0 after a 35-0 win over Arkansas State yesterday in Tuscaloosa, Alabama…
Fox News anchor discusses the “Palin Watch” study with Geraldine Ferraro (video included)
Fox News Network – Oct. 31
…We have a study out here…they say the two of you (Palin, Ferraro) were criticized on three levels: experience, what they call political stunts, and gambling…The University of Alabama is defining experience as having run for president…
Antifreeze for Your Plants (video included)
Ivanhoe Broadcast News – Nov. 1
…”At minus 6.6 or minus 6.3 centigrade, plant tissues freeze solid, and we have to deal with that solidity, that freezing,” David Francko, Ph.D., a botanist at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Ala., told Ivanhoe. Dr. Francko developed a solution that works like antifreeze for plants. It lowers the plants’ freezing temperatures and enhances the plants’ natural mechanisms to resist freeze damage. “The ability to reduce the freezing point of water that’s inside the tissues of that plant and also, once that water freezes, to allow that plant to survive freezing temperatures [helps],” Dr. Francko said. “It can be frozen solid and still be viable.” A freezing chamber put his freeze-proof solution to the test. Untreated, plant after plant couldn’t make it below 30 degrees. Plants sprayed with the antifreeze solution survived the freeze with vital structures still intact. “It’s like moving your whole home landscape about 200 miles farther south,” Dr. Francko said. “That’s about the effect that you get, anywhere from three to 10 degrees more cold tolerance.”…
Financial Report
Florence Times-Daily – Nov. 2
The relatively lower value of the U.S. dollar during the first six months of the year has significantly boosted Alabama exports, based on a quarterly economic report released by the Center for Business and Economic Research at the University of Alabama…
Unsure economy has people rethinking their golden years
Florence Times-Daily – Nov. 2
…Robert Brooks, a professor of finance at the University of Alabama, recommends anyone seeking to create a nest egg for their retirement and willing to make a long-term investment take advantage of the low stock prices. He said the stock market has risen and fallen throughout its history and investors who gobbled up low-priced stocks and waited for prices to rise have reaped big benefits. “In good times, stock prices rise. In bad times, they fall,” Brooks said. “That is the risk you take when investing in the stock market and the reason stocks can have such a high rate of return on an investment. In a down economy, it’s the stockholders who suffer first. But when the economy is good, stockholders can do very good.”…
Tenn. tends to vote GOP for president, but Democrats hold many state seats
Jackson (Tenn.) Sun – Nov. 2
…But Tennessee is not solidly Republican, some say. Aside from state legislative races, Democrats are just missing the people, money and effort being spent in more challenged states this election cycle, said Patrick Cotter, a University of Alabama political science professor…Cotter said what is likely to ensure a continued strong Republican presence in Tennessee is the state’s large population of conservative evangelicals, the fuel of Republican dominance in the South for most of a generation…
Alabama officials predict record voter turnout of 79-81%
Birmingham news – Nov. 3
…David Lanoue, chairman of the political science department at the University of Alabama, said the “Obama effect” is a primary reason for the surge among minority voters. Lanoue said in addition to excitement about the first black candidate for president, Obama’s campaign put together well-organized voter registration drives in Alabama and other parts of the country to help secure the Democratic nomination. Fowlkes, who is black, said she knew she wanted to vote for Obama when she registered to vote last year…
UA professor comments on stock market
Tuscaloosa News – Nov. 2
University of Alabama economics professor Robert Brooks said unprecedented uncertainty may have driven the free-fall drop in the stock market last month…Brooks said the market runs greatly on trust that is easy to lose and hard to get back. “One problem is people don’t believe what executives are saying about their own companies,” he said. Sellers are putting money into treasuries and securities that are taxed at a lower rate, in essence tax protection investments. “Tax avoidance probably does account for say 10 percent of the overall move,” he said…“It does appear Obama wants to dramatically increase regulation, increase government involvement in private enterprise, and typically that has a negative implication for the value of stock,” Brooks said. “However, I cannot say the fear of him is running the stock market either way. The primary concern is what is it that executives are telling us we need to know.”…
Hank Jr., Saban kickoff Homecoming festivities
Tuscaloosa News – Nov. 1
The University of Alabama’s homecoming weekend kicked off on Halloween night with fire, Nick Saban and country music…This is a very special place,’ Saban said. ‘Thank you for helping me and my wife, Terry, feel welcome.’..After the bonfire, the crowd began to migrate to Coleman Coliseum for the homecoming concert starring country music legend Hank Williams Jr…
Over 1,500 books collected during homecoming week
Crimson White – Nov. 3
Between the pomping and the painting, UA students found time to collect 1,782 books for the RISE school at the Gene Stallings Center. Boxes for donations were placed in the Ferguson Center, Student Recreation Center, all residence halls and Reese Phifer throughout the week. UA homecoming director Kendall McGiffert, a senior majoring in nursing, said that the outpouring of support was a pleasant surprise. “We never expected to get that much, were really excited and so glad we can help them,” McGiffert said.
2008 Alabama Homecoming Queen crowned at halftime
Montgomery Advertiser – Nov. 2
Caroline Gwaltney of Alexander City was crowned The University of Alabama’s 2008 Homecoming Queen during halftime of Saturday’s Alabama vs. Arkansas State homecoming game. The senior journalism major was crowned by Governor Bob Riley and 2007 Queen Kathleen Kelley. The 2008 UA Homecoming Court included Caroline Ball, an applied mathematics major from Glenview, Ill.; Patty Ann Green, a communication studies major from Columbus, Miss.; Phillips Thomas, an international studies major from Anniston and Maegan Wrenn, an accounting major from Gadsden…
Alexander City Outlook – Nov. 2
WTVA (Columbus, Miss.) – Oct. 31
Award to help with pre-k vision screening
Tuscaloosa News – Nov. 1
Stephen Black, head of the University of Alabama’s Center for Ethics and Social Responsibility, has won $125,000 to further his mission to screen preschool children for vision problems. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation selected Black as one of 10 winners of its 2008 Community Health Leaders Award. The winners were selected from among 800 nominees. ‘I thought the work we’ve done was deserving, but I was still surprised,’ Black said. ‘The greatest thing about the award is it will let us hire staff and screen more children.’…
Bataan survivor Bert Bank honored
Associated Press – Nov. 2
Bert Bank, a 94-year-old survivor of the infamous Bataan Death March…the annual Alabama Military Hall of Honor Ceremony at Marion Military Institute…Several friends from Tuscaloosa, including University of Alabama athletic director Mal Moore, drove down to honor Bank, who helped launch the university’s radio football network when he returned from World War II…
WAKA (Montgomery) — Nov. 2
Davis endorses Obama, will speak at UA
Crimson White – Nov. 3
…U.S. Rep. Artur Davis, the first congressman outside of Illinois to endorse Sen. Barack Obama for president, will speak this afternoon at 4 p.m. in Room 205 at Amelia Gayle Gorgas Library…