Hubble finds phantom objects near dead quasars
Bright Surf – April 6
NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope has photographed a set of wispy, goblin-green objects that are the ephemeral ghosts of quasars that flickered to life and then faded. The glowing structures have looping, helical, and braided shapes. “They don’t fit a single pattern,” said Bill Keel of the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, who initiated the Hubble survey. Keel believes the features offer insights into the puzzling behavior of galaxies with energetic cores. The ethereal wisps outside the host galaxy are believed to have been illuminated by powerful ultraviolet radiation from a supermassive black hole at the core of the host galaxy. The most active of these galaxy cores are called quasars, where infalling material is heated to a point where a brilliant searchlight shines into deep space. The beam is produced by a disk of glowing, superheated gas encircling the black hole.
Archaeology News Network – April 7
Delhi Daily News – April 7
Alabama physicists working on Large Hadron Collider
WAAY-TV (Huntsville) – April 6
One of the world’s premier science experiments is under way again after a two-year shutdown, and two University of Alabama physicists are directly involved with the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). Professors Dr. Conor Henderson and Dr. Paolo Rumerio are both assisting in the massive project, which is close to 17 miles long beneath the Swiss-French border near Geneva. Scientists at the European Organization for Nuclear Research, or CERN, are shooting particle beams with the hopes of making new discoveries.
UA exhibit features models of buildings burned in Civil War
Daily Advance (Elizabeth City, N.C.) – April 6
In the Amelia Gayle Gorgas Library on Friday, a professor of architecture and historian discussed the building’s antebellum predecessor that stood at the site on the University of Alabama’s campus 150 years ago and the influence of its designer on the architecture of the Southeast. “What he did here, I believe, truly defined what Alabama would become, especially in the north of the state,” lecturer Paul Kapp said of William Nichols, the designer of the original UA campus, which was burned by Union cavalry on April 4, 1865. Kapp, an associate professor of architecture at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, discussed the work of Nichols, the architect who designed the old state capitol in Tuscaloosa. Kapp reviewed Nichols’ professional life in the U.S. after the architect emigrated from England, including his residential work in Tuscaloosa, Greene and Lauderdale counties. Kapp’s lecture is among a series of talks on campus marking the sesquicentennial of the burning of the campus. There is a lecture series titled “Confederate Voices,” scheduled from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. today in the Grand Gallery of the Alabama Museum of Natural History. UA’s Gorgas House Museum will also display a new exhibit on the family of Josiah Gorgas and their experiences during the Civil War until Oct. 23.
Fredricksburg.com (Va.) – April 6
Daily Chronicle (Chicago, Ill.) – April 6
The Republic (Columbus, Ind.) – April 6
Hackers find a lucrative target in nation’s police forces
Boston Globe – April 7
At first, the problems with the Tewksbury Police Department system — difficulty calling up arrest and incident records — seemed to be just the usual system crankiness. No big deal. But it persisted, and a technician was called in. That was when the menacing message popped up on the screen, an explanation in the form of a ransom note: “Your personal files are encrypted,” it read. “File decryption costs ~ $500.” It continued: “If you really value your data, then we suggest you do not waste valuable time searching for other solutions because they do not exist.” Tewksbury had joined the list of police departments victimized by “ransomware,” an insidious form of Internet crime that is crippling computers worldwide … The evil genius of ransomware is that victims are far more likely to pay small amounts to recover crucial data. And if enough people give in, the total can be substantial. Although the virus’s success rate is unknown, a survey of CryptoLocker victims in the United Kingdom by the University of Kent found that 41 percent paid up. “It’s the old idea that if a million people give a dollar, you have a million dollars,” said Diana Dolliver, a criminal justice professor at the University of Alabama who specializes in cybersecurity.
The Mind of Those Who Kill, and Kill Themselves
MSN – April 6
He was described, in the immediate aftermath of the Germanwings crash, as a cheerful and careful pilot, a young man who had dreamed of flying since boyhood. But in the days since, it has seemed increasingly clear that Andreas Lubitz, 27, the plane’s co-pilot, was something far more sinister: the perpetrator of one of the worst mass murder-suicides in history. If what researchers have learned about such crimes is any indication, this notoriety may have been just what Mr. Lubitz wanted. The actions now attributed to Mr. Lubitz — taking 149 unsuspecting people with him to a horrifying death — seem in some ways unfathomable, and his full motives may never be fully understood. But studies over the last decades have begun to piece together characteristics that many who carry out such violence seem to share, among them a towering narcissism, a strong sense of grievance and a desire for infamy. Adam Lankford, an associate professor of criminal justice at the University of Alabama, said that in his research on mass killers who also took their own lives, he has found “a significant number of cases where they mention a desire for fame, glory or attention as a motive.”
Times of India – April 7
Tease of burlesque coyly walks stripping’s fine line
News Herald (Port Clinton, Ohio) – April 6
Before her burlesque set in Philadelphia last month, Claymont, Del., native Lucy Smith sat at the bar next to a tightly wound couple that reminded her of Brad and Janet from The Rocky Horror Picture Show. The affable, curvaceous blonde persuaded them to stay for her set. After Harley Aphrodite was through, the woman took her aside and confided: “I didn’t know someone who looked like me could be sexy.” Encouraging self-love among women of every shape is one of Smith’s main reasons for stripping for money. At 25, she isn’t hesitant to call herself a stripper, but adds that burlesque takes it several steps further. Performers are more teasing and theatrical and spend more time bedazzling clothes that wind up in a pile at the end of a routine. Instead of dollar bills, they are rewarded with hoots … On the continuum of striptease and lap dance-style stripping, burlesque could be viewed as “classier,” according to Catherine Roach, professor of gender and culture studies at New College University of Alabama. In burlesque, physical contact with the voyeur is frowned upon. Because of strict zoning codes, dancers typically strip down to pasties and G-strings. Many performers are motivated by artistic sensibility and toy with beauty norms. “Exotic dancers strip for money,” says Roach, author of the book Stripping, Sex and Popular Culture. “Burlesque dancers, for the most part, make very little money at what they do.”
NBC 3 (Cleveland, Ohio) – April 6
[INFOGRAPHIC] Expert Reveals 7 Supply Chain Trends to Watch
Cerasis – April 6
In this article, Professor Burcu Keskin from University of Alabama will share 7 supply chain trends that working professionals should watch. As pressure to improve supply chain cost performance increases for many companies, the evaluation and selection of competent suppliers becomes a key concern. Typically, total cost, quality, and delivery performance appear as critical factors in the supplier selection process. However, complex supplier relationships, unreliable sources of material supply, and ever-increasing customer expectations greatly add to the expectations to select the best suppliers and conduct their operations more efficiently.
The Hunt Is On: Tuscaloosa woman founds Bigfoot group
Crimson White – April 7
Tuscaloosa native Mary Katherine Scruggs said her first encounter with the creature she calls Bigfoot occurred on a warm spring night in 2013. Scruggs’ family lived in a secluded area in northwest Tuscaloosa, where her nearest neighbors are miles away. Sitting in a swing underneath a grove of oak trees, Scruggs said she and her son, Victor, became alarmed when a long guttural growl penetrated the air from behind their house. … Bigfoot sightings have been reported all across North America. Dana Ehret, a paleontologist at The University of Alabama, grew up with stories like the Jersey Devil ingrained into his childhood. Ehret said he finds sightings of Bigfoot fascinating on a social aspect, but he doesn’t believe they are real. “A giant seven-foot primate living in the United States going undetected is just impossible,” he said. “We would have found evidence of it by now. The world is shrinking smaller and smaller. I think a seven-foot-tall primate running around Alabama would be seen pretty quickly.”… Jeffery Lozier, a biologist at the University, said scientists never say anything is impossible, but he, too, is skeptical of the existence of a creature like Bigfoot. Lozier said Scruggs might have encountered a mountain lion.
UA to Hold Service Member to Civilian Summit
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – April 6
The transition from military to civilian life can be tough, for more than just service members. The University of Alabama Veterans Affairs office is hosting the “Service Member to Civilian” Summit. The summit aims to provide insight on the transitions service members and their families go through, and how to help with those transitions. The event is open to both military and non-service members as well. For Army dependent Kaetlyn Martel, she thinks this summit is well over due. “A lot of people don’t really realize that we kind of serve along with our sponsor, so it’s kind of nice to hear that they want to know our issues and they want to help issues that we’re having also.” The summit is April 16th and 17th at the Bryant Conference Center. Speakers from all over the country will host sessions.
Teachers may apply to take part in Paul R. Jones fellowship program
Tuscaloosa News – April 7
The University of Alabama’s College of Arts and Sciences is offering teachers in Tuscaloosa City Schools an opportunity to partake in the 2015 Paul R. Jones Collection of American Art K-12 Fellowship. The Paul R. Jones art collection consist of about 2,000 pieces of art amassed by African-American art collector Paul Jones. Jones donated his collection to UA in 2008 upon the condition that the art be shared with the community, said Lucy Curzon, coordinator for the Paul R. Jones K-12 Fellowship Program. “When Mr. Jones gifted it to the university, we became stewards of the collection for the rest of the state,” Curzon said. “Part of our mandate is that it’s used in the community. So we set up a program where K-12 teachers in Tuscaloosa City Schools can apply to be fellows, and if they’re accepted, they get access to the collection. “The K-12 Fellows program was created to fulfill Jones’s dream that his collection would serve as a resource for Alabamians and as a way to educate students about the importance of art in life.”
Dance Alabama! Spring Rehearsals
Tuscaloosa News – April 6
Student dancers … at the University of Alabama rehearse for the Spring 2015 presentation of Dance Alabama. Each year dance students choreograph, cast and design dances to be performed by their classmates. Shows for this semester’s performances are April 7-9, at 7:30 p.m., April 10 at 5:30 p.m. and April 11, at 2 p.m., in Morgan Auditorium on the UA campus. Ticket prices for the shows are $14 for students, $17 for UA faculty, staff and seniors, and $20 for adults.
Chattanooga State Hosts Writers@Work Series
The Chattanoogan – April 6
Chattanooga State Community College welcomes Rick Bragg, a Pulitzer Prize winner, best selling author, newspaper writer and current journalism professor at the University of Alabama as its featured author during the award-winning Writers@Work series April 13-17. Mr. Bragg won the Pulitzer Prize for Feature Writing in 1996 for his work at The New York Times. He is the author of two best-selling memoirs, All Over But the Shoutin’ and Ava’s Man, as well as The Prince of Frogtown and his newly released biography, Jerry Lee Lewis: His Own Story.
View NSAL highlights featuring Dance presented by ASFA students and Music performed by a string quartet
Al.com – April 6
National President Dorothy Lincoln-Smith visited the Birmingham Chapter, National Society of Arts and Letters, at its February meeting when Alabama School of Fine Arts Music Department Chair and international performer Kim Scott led students in a beautiful string quartet performance. … Both the December and January programs featured Dance. Professor emerita University of Alabama Department of Dance and Birmingham Chapter Vice President Edie Barnes presented a beautiful collection of clips featuring famous ballets produced by Les Ballet Russes.