Giant Black Hole Caught Gobbling Gas on Camera
Wired.com – July 28
…”It’s exciting to find such clear evidence for gas in the grip of a massive black hole,” Ka-Wah Wong of the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, said in a statement. “Chandra’s resolving power provides a unique opportunity to understand more about how black holes capture material by studying this nearby object.” Wong is the lead author of the new study of the black hole that was published in the July 20 issue of The Astrophysical Journal Letters…”A leading mystery in astrophysics is how the area around massive black holes can stay so dim, when there’s so much fuel available to light up,” said the study’s co-author Jimmy Irwin, also of the University of Alabama. “This black hole is a poster child for this problem.”…
LiveScience.com – July 28
International Business Times – July 29
Daily Mail – July 29
John Grisham Wins First Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction
ABA Journal – July 28
John Grisham’s The Confession, a novel that chronicles the gut-wrenching politics of a last-ditch death penalty appeal in Texas, has been named the winner of the inaugural Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction. The 2011 Prize will be awarded at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 22 in conjunction with the Library of Congress National Book Festival. Grisham will receive a copy of To Kill a Mockingbird signed by Harper Lee. The prize, created by the University of Alabama School of Law and the ABA Journal, honors Lee for the extraordinary and enduring influence her novel has had in the public perception of the legal profession. The prize will be awarded annually to the published book-length work of fiction that best exemplifies the role of lawyers in society. The creation of the Harper Lee Prize was announced in October 2010 in Tuscaloosa, Ala., by Attorney General Eric Holder. Lee, native of Alabama, was a student at the Alabama law school…
USA Today – July 28
CBS42.com – July 28
ESPN to air documentary on Alabama-Auburn rivalry
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – July 28
…”Roll Tide/War Eagle, about the deep roots of the rivalry between the University of Alabama and Auburn University will air on November 8th. A press release from ESPN says “this is the story of the history between the two programs, the bad blood tween its fans and how this intense rivalry came to a pinnacle, just when they ended up needing each other most.”
Photo Gallery: RISE Holds Graduation
Tuscaloosa News – July 29
Graduates sing and dance during a graduation rehearsal at The Rise Center in Tuscaloosa, Ala. Thursday, July 28, 2011. The students held their graduation ceremony Thursday evening.
CBS 42 (Birmingham) – July 28
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – July 28
City Councilman Johnathan Austin warns nightclubs about violence
Birmingham News – July 29
…Rebecca Howell, a University of Alabama criminal justice professor, said some governments have found crime-fighting alternatives to simply closing venues by cracking down on existing rules including lighting, occupancy and alcohol regulations. “The notice is a great example of a cooperative strategy that some jurisdictions are employing to reduce club-related violence, loitering, noise, and plain old nuisance-type behavior, as well as cut-down on the cost of taking clubs to court and mandating closure,” she said. Mark Lanier, UA’s chairman of criminal justice, said the notices sent to every club sends one clear message to the entire city. “Doing it in a blanket approach would be more fair and equitable than singling out specific clubs because the law applies equally to everybody,” he said. “If I had received a letter like that from the city it would get my attention.” Still, Lanier said officials must be careful not to infringe on the rights of business owners or impede the operation of legal establishments. “If people are going to drink and congregate it’s better to have it in a controlled legal environment than to have it in a speakeasy or at somebody’s backyard cookout,” he said…
Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley tours Toyota engine plant in Huntsville
Al.com – July 29
…Bentley said he thinks rebuilding work will help turn around the unemployment rate – which reached 9.9 percent statewide in June. A study by the University of Alabama’s Center for Business and Economic Research forecasts for this year 51,700 jobs resulting from cleanup, assistance and rebuilding activities.
Anniston Star – July 29
UA grad Amanda Perna to compete on fashion reality show ‘Project Runway’
Al.com – July 28
Amanda Perna will be the second University of Alabama graduate to appear as a contestant on the popular Lifetime Television fashion show “Project Runway” for its ninth season, which premieres on Thursday at 8 p.m. central time. Perna, from Coral Springs, Fla., follows fellow UA grad Anthony Williams, who appeared on the seventh season. While a student at UA, Perna earned second place in the UA Year of the Entrepreneur Elevator Pitch Competition for her clothing and accessories company, Couture Chaos…
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – July 28
UA graduate eliminated in design reality show
Tuscaloosa News –July 29
A University of Alabama graduate’s stay on the cable television reality show “Project Runway” was brief. Amanda Perna, a 2008 UA graduate, was among four contestants eliminated Thursday night on the season premiere of the Lifetime show.