University of Alabama archaeologists, campers help uncover 19th century Perry County plantation
Al.com – July 14
A plantation home constructed during the earliest days of the state and destroyed by fire in the early 1900s is slowly being rediscovered by University of Alabama archaeologists and young students this summer. According to a UA report, Auburn resident Charles Weissienger has been interested in his ancestral home for at least 50 years, when he received his great-great-grandfather’s tombstone, who was buried in 1837 on the plantation land. Interested in finding both the cemetery and remains of the home, Weissienger enlisted the help of UA’s Office of Archaeological Research four years ago. A fire destroyed the home in the early 1900s but architectural features were naturally preserved in the area used for pasture. This summer, UA’s Alabama Museum of Natural History had the assistance of middle and high school students in their annual summer expedition. The students were tasked with helping researchers with field work and achieving a number of goals, including determining the house’s size and layout, analyzing artifacts and locating the cemetery.
Beyond Accommodation: Hobby Lobby as a Challenge to Our Perception of Religious Organizations
Huffington Post – July 12
Despite the fact that Americans continue to walk away from organized religion en masse, the nation continues to engage in its perpetual struggle to characterize religious institutions. The Supreme Court’s decision in Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc. has engrossed the American public for many reasons — its implications span ongoing debates over healthcare, religion and reproduction. Appropriately, commentary on the case runs the full gamut as well: conservatives and liberals alike have exhaustively explicated the 95-page opinion handed down by SCOTUS. But the national discourse surrounding the ramifications of this case is replete with continuing attempts to identify the reason that this case has struck such a resounding chord within Americans … Professor Paul Horwitz of the University of Alabama School of Law wrote that Americans are especially disconcerted by the Supreme Court’s increasingly lax attitude toward accommodation. He wrote: The first source of controversy is the collapse of a national consensus on a key element of religious liberty: accommodation. Throughout American history, there has been widespread agreement that in our religiously diverse and widely devout country, it is good for the government to accommodate religious exercise. We have disagreed about particular accommodations (may a Muslim police officer wear a beard, despite police department policy?), and especially about whether religious accommodations should be ordered by judges or crafted by legislators. But we have generally agreed that our nation benefits when we help rather than burden those with religious obligations. That consensus seems, quite suddenly, to have evaporated.
What does LeBron James going to Cleveland mean for the economy?
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – July 11
NBA superstar Lebron James says he’s returning to Cleveland to play for the Cavaliers. This announcement is sending Cleveland into a frenzy, but what can it mean for its local economy? … They say Tuscaloosa may have experienced something very similar … When Nick Saban arrived to coach Alabama Football in 2007, it created an economic stimulus for the Druid City. Gary Lewis, owner of Rama Jama’s: “The whole place was abuzz, and since his arrival I think it’s continued to be abuzz, not necessarily because of Coach Saban but because he brought the winning tradition back.” And Tuscaloosa business leaders say bringing a winning tradition to Cleveland can bring increased fan interest, which can do wonders for a local economy. Al Spencer, Chamber of Commerce of West Alabama: “Cleveland is very excited with not only LeBron but Johnny Manziel in that market.” With Tuscaloosa, a case example: Alabama football brings big dollars to the area, to the tune of $119 million dollars throughout the season. “It really has affected the brand of the University of Alabama and the brand we’re known really nationwide which is remarkable for a city of this size.”
‘Forrest Gump’ remains popular after 2 decades
Charlotte Observer – July 12
When he learned from his dad about a neighbor’s child who despite mental handicaps displayed savant behavior, University of Alabama graduate Winston Groom already was a successful journalist and novelist, but he didn’t envision such a story ever becoming a pop-culture phenomenon. Groom didn’t foresee a best-selling novel that would become a movie that, 20 years after release, still plays almost continually on TV, somewhere in the world. And he didn’t foresee a movie breaking box office records, winning six Oscars and adding indelible characters and catchphrases to popular culture, spinning off a restaurant chain and inspiring adaptations around the world. That same movie he didn’t see coming is inspiring a Japanese musical version even now and a possible Bollywood adaptation in the near future. Groom just knew he had to shelve the other project he’d begun and start writing about this big galoot he’d imagined — a man with an IQ of 70 who nonetheless showed sparks of brilliance, romping through a bizarrely eventful life. The satirical novel “Forrest Gump” — a variation on the “wise innocent” archetype, a la Huck Finn, journeying through the heyday of Paul W. “Bear” Bryant, rocketing thrills of the space race, horrors of the war in Vietnam and more — was written in an inspired six-week burst.
Deseret News (Salt Lake City) – July 12
Pi Kappa Phi fraternity members cycle across America to help people with disabilities as part of Journey of Hope ride
Tuscaloosa News – July 14
Noshua Vincent, a senior member of the Pi Kappa Phi fraternity at the University of Texas, chats with Chase Rumley, a graduate student at the University of Ala-bama, at the fraternity house in Tuscaloosa after cycling from Meridian, Miss., on Sunday. The fraternity brothers are cycling across America this summer to raise money and awareness for people with disabilities.
UA Professor wins Pritchett-Moore City Tennis Invitational
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – July 11
Men’s singles action last night at the Pritchett-Moore men’s city tennis invitational being held at Indian Hills Country Club … 68-year-old University of Alabama professor Edward Schnee defeated Charles Crowther in a three-set thriller, dropping the first set 4-6 but bouncing back to win the next two 6-4,6-3, to advance to the weekend in 3.5 singles.