UA In the News — July 9-11

America needs an upgrade
Sacramento Bee – July 10
“I want to use every tool we can to invest in infrastructure and build a stronger, more prosperous future.” … It is easy enough to decry the proliferation of potholes on the nation’s streets. But try to formulate a winning nationwide campaign to spend what is needed to rebuild America’s aging infrastructure? Best of luck to you … Michael Kreger, an award-winning professor of civil engineering at the University of Alabama who studies rehabilitation of structural concrete buildings and bridges, had a similar view, telling me in an email: “Perhaps the status quo will not change until deteriorating infrastructure leads to one or more events resulting in significant loss of life.”

To Live and Die on Facebook
The Atlantic – July 11
The present remains quite grim. “It’s an extremely tragic moment in American life,” according to Utz McKnight, a professor of political science at the University of Alabama. For the Philando Castiles of the world, if there’s any solace to be found in these moments of live-streamed shootings and video bleed-outs, McKnight says it is merely, “At least you’re not dying alone.”
CanMua.net – July 11

Adapted Athletics holds camp for kids
CBS 42 (Birmingham) – July 10
In Tuscaloosa, today, The University of Alabama wheelchair basketball team held a camp for kids. Adapted Athletics has gained in popularity over the years. Camps like this keep getting young kids involved, and will only continue to help them grow.

Adults’ reaction to Dallas sniper shootings
Fox 6 (Birmingham) – July 8
Caroline Boxmeyer, a University of Alabama clinical psychologist says the Dallas sniper shootings are on the minds of many adults. “I think that’s why the story is gaining so much attention, because it’s upsetting in a whole variety of ways.” She says some people are really offended by the death of motorists and others at the hands of police, and the thought of intentionally killing police officers is especially jarring. Boxmeyer believes anger and other strong emotions are appropriate for people to experience at these incidents.
NBC 12 (Montgomery) – July 8

What to do in severe weather
Tuscaloosa News – July 9
The University of Alabama and the American Meteorological Society will host a free panel discussion, Sunday, on best practices for weather safety during outdoor events. A panel discussion on best practices for weather safety during outdoor events, which will be moderated by WBMA ABC 33/40 meteorologist James Spann, will be held from 4-6 p.m. July 17 in the Bryant Conference Center on the University of Alabama campus. The panel’s title is “What’s Your Game Plan? Best Practices in Lightning and Severe Weather Safety for Outdoor Events.”

Talking to your kids about the Dallas sniper shootings
WTAE-ABC 4 (Pittsburgh, Penn.) – July 10
Talk of the officer involved shootings is hard to escape, and for young people, the images can be even more difficult to understand. The images coming out of Dallas are being watched by people of all ages. These images are processed differently depending on your age. Dr. Caroline Boxmeyer, associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral medicine at The University of Alabama says there are steps parents should consider taking when it comes to your kids. For kids ages 0 to 5, limit access to media coverage….Dr. Boxmeyer doesn’t recommend dodging the topic completely, especially if your kids are asking about it. She says that’s usually a good sign that kids want to talk about the issue.
NBC 13 (Birmingham) – July 8

Your parents may be to blame for job problems
India Tribune – July 10
Parents, take note! If your kids have problems at work, you may be responsible to some extent for the trouble, according to a new study which found a link between parenting styles and workplace behaviour. “It really is about both parents, but because mothers are typically the primary caregivers of the children, they usually have more influence on their children,” said Peter Harms from University of Alabama in the US. Researchers studied manager-employee relationships in the workplace and found a link between parenting styles and workplace behaviour.
The Statesman (India) – July 10
Pradesh 18 (India) – July 11
Daily Sun (India) – July 11
Times of India – July 11
The Indian Express – July 11

Police pitching hot cases to FBI
Al.com – July 8
A police chief calling in federal agencies to investigate a matter involving one of his or her own police officers used to be a rarity. But the FBI’s involvement with local affairs is becoming commonplace amid a flurry of police shootings and the resulting intense media scrutiny and the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement. In Mobile and Baton Rogue, La. — where white police officers shot black criminal suspects — local police chiefs almost readily forwarded the investigation to FBI agents … “I would say that some chiefs are realizing now that federal involvement isn’t always a bad thing,” said Stephen Rushin, assistant professor at the University of Alabama School of Law. “In some cases, it provides opportunities for a police chief to hand off a controversial and politically polarizing case to what is seen as a third party.”

How a Conservative Wins the Presidency in a Liberal Decade
Blog Social – July 10
A lone white woman walks down an empty city block in the middle of the night clutching her purse. It’s pitch black, and the only sounds that can be heard are the clacking of her sensible heels, the sound of implied danger, and Richard Nixon’s voice. He delivers terrifying crime statistics and a call to action. This woman, her body, and her livelihood are under threat … “White women,” according to Dr. Lisa Lindquist-Dorr, associate professor at the University of Alabama, “embodied virtue and morality; they signified whiteness and white superiority.” Nixon’s use of the vulnerable white woman, fearful of an ominous, yet ever present “other,” blew a dog whistle, one signaling that America, its values, and its power structure were under threat by a violent, liberal agenda.

Why Is Iran Testing Ballistic Missiles After the Nuclear Deal?
Jewish Press – July 10
New evidence of Iran’s confrontational behavior emerged earlier this summer when it came out that its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) conducted another series of ballistic missile tests in late April. This was the eighth such test since the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the formal name of the nuclear agreement, went into effect in July 2015 … The problem is that this is legally nonbinding language, and essentially means that there is no longer a legal prohibition regarding missile testing. Rather, missile testing is now, as University of Alabama School of Law professor Dan Joyner described, merely “not in harmony” with the spirit of the resolution.

Camp for children with diabetes to be held at UA
WVUA 23 (Tuscaloosa) – July 8
A special camp for children with diabetes could help them to better understand and live with their disease. Camp Seale Harris Tuscaloosa starts July 11 and runs through the 15 from 8:30 a.m. until 4:00 p.m., that’s Monday through Friday, in the UA Rec Center at Presidential Village. You can find registration information and more online at www.campsealeharris.org.

UA’s Bass Fishing Team named Cabela’s School of the Year
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – July 9
UA’s Bass Fishing Team won the 2016 Cabela’s School of the Year. This is the first time the team has won the title. They earned points by performing well during fishing competitions over the year.

PORT RAIL: Is human nature truly changeable?
Tuscaloosa News – July 9
Some of us change at the drop of the proverbial hat. Others of us cringe at the possibility of change. Change is part of the human condition, and as I was doing some reading in my family’s past, or genealogy, I was reminded of how often my people had to, or chose to, change. They changed places, changed jobs, changed wives, or husbands as the case may be, changed religion, and some changed countries and changed nationalities. (Larry Clayton is a retired University of Alabama history professor. Readers can email him at larryclayton7@gmail.com.)