Birmingham area night owls can catch total lunar eclipse tonight
Birmingham News – Dec. 20
If the weather is clear tonight, the sky may turn spectacular after midnight as the moon sails through a total eclipse.,,”Many people also find that the eclipsed moon looks much more three-dimensional, hanging in front of the background stars, than the dazzling full moon does,” said Bill Keel, professor in the physics and astronomy department at the University of Alabama. “There is much more of a sense that this is a ball.” Depending on the amount of clouds and volcanic dust in the atmosphere where the sunlight is bent, the moon could also appear dark gray. Keel will hold a public eclipse watch beginning at 11 tonight and continuing through 3 a.m. Since the moon doesn’t begin to move into the Earth’s shadow until 12:33 a.m., visitors will first have a chance to look at the massive planet Jupiter. Total eclipse begins about 1:41 a.m. and lasts until about 2:53 a.m., according to the website MrEclipse.com. If people stay late enough, they will also have the chance to see the massive ringed planet Saturn after it rises, Keel said. “The eclipse is a chance to watch orbital motions play out,” Keel said. “And lunar eclipses were the first evidence that the Earth is round, because the shadow of Earth is curved as it moves across the face of the moon.”
Tuscaloosa News – Dec. 20
More seek work in Alabama: jobless rate rises
Birmingham News –Dec. 18
…Those who don’t actively look for a job for one month are dropped from the rolls and no longer counted as unemployed, artificially deflating the unemployment rate, said Ahmad Ijaz, an economist at the University of Alabama’s Center for Business and Economic Research. When they resume the job search they’re counted again and the result is often a misleading increase, Ijaz said “Whenever the economy begins to improve, unemployment rates start to go up,” Ijaz said. “That’s what’s happening here. The economy is improving and there are job openings.”…The bad news about the state’s economic recovery is that it is a weak one, Ijaz said. The first workers to get laid off — and the first to be hired back during a recovery — typically are temporary workers. “Employers are cautious about hiring permanent employees,” he said…Still, Ijaz said, the state clearly is recovering. “It was a very deep recession,” he said. “Alabama lost almost 200,000 jobs and it will take a while for those jobs to come back.”
Church, post-holiday sales could make for busy Dec. 26
Tuscaloosa News – Dec. 18
…“Traditionally, the day after Christmas has been important for returns and to clear remaining merchandise,” said Kristy Reynolds, Bruno professor of marketing at the University of Alabama. “However, in the past few years, with the rise in the popularity of gift cards, retailers have also started taking advantage of the opportunity to introduce and sell new merchandise (after Christmas).” She said shoppers after Christmas are likely to see leftover holiday merchandise at sale prices, but also new merchandise at regular prices. “What companies have found is that shoppers tend to spend more than the face value of the gift card,” Reynolds said. “Although the day after Christmas is important, the weeks following Christmas are also now very important, too. Retailers want shoppers to come out and spend their gift cards and more over this period of time. Therefore I don’t think this one day, Dec. 26, will make or break any one. As long as shoppers can get out and shop the next week and following, and they do so, then things will be fine.”
University musicians perform Christmas carols with Tuscaloosa church
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – Dec. 19
Tuscaloosa’s First Presbyterian Church opened its doors tonight for a community “Carols by Candlelight” service. The service included the adult choir, a bell choir, and the children’s choir. The orchestra included members from the University of Alabama…