University of Alabama interim course looks at fantasy author Terry Pratchett
Tuscaloosa News – May 14
Classics of fantasy — Heinlein, Tolkien, Herbert and the like — rest on Andrea Barton’s shelves. They’ve been read. Terry Pratchett’s books sprawl all over the kitchen, the bathroom, by the bed, everywhere. Those have been read, are being read, and will be read again. “With Pratchett, you kind of live with it,” said Barton, an instructor in the University of Alabama English department, teaching an interim course on his work, titled “Special Topics in Literature: Discworld.”
University Herald – May 14
Tattoos, piercings, and the search for better health
Wish TV – May 14
Instead of seeing a doctor, thousands of people are turning to their local tattoo shop for a potential solution to migraine pain and a way to boost their immune system. A new study published in the American Journal of Human Biology by researchers at the University of Alabama finds receiving multiple tattoos can actually strengthen your immunological responses, potentially making it easier to fight off common infections.
COLLEGE NEWS: May 15
Tuscaloosa News – May 14
University of Alabama – Members of Sigma Chi fraternity in conjunction with UA sororities, raised $25,000 for Children’s of Alabama hospital in Birmingham. The students generated the proceeds through Derby Days, a weeklong series of events and competitions and through contributions by local businesses. Sigma Chi made a second donation of $3,000 to the Pi Beta Phi Foundation, which promotes literacy.
Veterans travel to DC to see memorials to their service
Washington Times – May 15
Jackie Luksic of Dayton, Ohio, took a detour to see the World War II Memorial as she traveled through Washington on May 11. She traveled to see the monument to the generation that includes her father and uncles who fought in the war. She arrived as the latest group of veterans from the Rotary Club of Tuscaloosa’s seventh Honor Flight toured the monument. As the first of many rain showers began, the veterans spread out across the monument’s plaza ringed with pillars for each of the states and territories and a wall for the dead … University of Alabama junior Jordan Forrest has been part of student efforts that helped raise $20,000 for the flights over the last three years. The Honor Flights cost about $80,000, Turner said.
Abruzzo.tv – May 15
Franklin Daily Journal (Ind.) – May 15
Think ink: Limestone City Tattoo and Arts Festival coming to town
Kingston Region (Canada) – May 15
Hoping to put Kingston on the edginess map in September, a couple of homegrown promoters are bringing The Limestone City Tattoo and Arts Festival to town. On September 17 and 18, 45 tattoo artists and other creative types from as far away as Denmark will show and share their craft at the Four Points by Sheraton in downtown Kingston. You can get new ink or simply enjoy the artistic and fun atmosphere … Immediately after getting a tattoo, you are more susceptible to illnesses like the common cold. But in the long term, you become more immune to diseases like the flu and colds. When you get a tattoo, your body releases immunoglobin A to prevent infection. The more tattoos a person gets, the higher the level of immunoglobin A becomes. According to a study at the University of Alabama, people with one tattoo had a much lower level of immunoglobin A compared to people who have multiple tattoos.
Creationist to biologist: how my past informs teaching & advocacy of evolution
Daily Kos – May 15
I was a creationist. Now I’m an evolutionary biologist and advocate for science ed in the South. This is a story of science, religion, teaching, and politics. I remember (I have no idea why) one instance in high school in Alabama when, while waiting for our psychology class to start, a couple of friends and I were sitting around chatting about their biology class … We also see this “backfire effect” with other non-scientific beliefs, like anti-vaccination. Interestingly, a recent survey study by Dr. Leslie Rissler’s lab at the University of Alabama showed that Alabama college students’ level of acceptance of evolution is more strongly correlated with strength of religious belief than with education.