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UA In the News — Dec. 5

Aged want your time for Christmas
Times Daily – Dec. 5
Christmas arrives yet again and with it that familiar seasonal joy but also stress. Mom and Dad and Grandma and Grandpa are getting older, and ideas for gifts have run thin for quite some time.  What could they possibly want?  When people get closer to their deaths, their priorities shift from seeking information, knowledge, money and resources toward seeking meaningful emotional experiences.

The thrill of victory: UA gymnastics team hosts Christmas party for Rise students
The Tuscaloosa News – Dec. 5

Dozens of children from the Rise Center came Wednesday to jump, fall and run with the University of Alabama gymnastics team at the Frances Smith Practice Facility at Coleman Coliseum for their annual holiday party. During the party, gymnasts played with children at different training stations, from the high beam to pits filled with foam. The gymnastics team has a long partnership with Rise, having hosted the party for the last 25 years. Members of the team have also volunteered at Rise throughout the years, reading to children and doing other things to help out with the program that serves children from 8 weeks to 5 years old. The Rise Center has students who are traditional learners and those with special needs.
WVUA – Dec. 4
Fox 6 – Dec. 4

UA LIBRARY STUDENTS HOST ANNUAL BOOK SALE
WVUA – Dec. 4
The University of Alabama’s School of Library and Information Studies is hosting its annual book sale this week. The book sale offers thousands of new, inexpensive books for both children and young adults just in time for the holidays. There will also be free books available, but quantities are limited. “It’s an easy way for even parents to come up and buy books for not that much money and they’re brand new,” said UA graduate administration assistant Emily Amos. “They’re going to be really interesting and exciting and maybe something the school or library doesn’t even have.”

More schools adding sensory rooms
ABC 33/40 – Dec. 4, 2019
Even at the college level the aware of sensory sensitivity is expanding. This year at some home games at Bryant-Denny, the Autism Clinic at The University of Alabama gave out these sensory bags, equipped with items like head phones to help with loud noises. Dr. Laura Stoppelbein, director of UA’s Autism Clinic says, “It helps dampen the parts that are kind of disrupting or agitating. It’s kind of like when we have had a really long day, and we’ve had a lot of noise and people pulling at us, we want to go home and just have some time down.”

UA creates new mental health behavioral center for K-12 students
Fox 6 – Dec. 4
The University of Alabama has been on a mission for years to improve education on the K-12 level in schools across the state, including right here in Tuscaloosa, by providing alternative discipline methods to support students with mental health issues. Recently, the Board of Trustees approved a new type of research center just for interconnected behavioral and mental health systems. This combines existing research and service efforts on campus under one organization to boost schools and prepare educators who can actually try their methods.

Take a deep breath: Vaping in perspective.
Al.com – Dec. 4

By Alan Blum | Gerald Leon Wallace Endowed Chair in Family Medicine at the University of Alabama and the director of the Center for the Study of Tobacco and Society In 2009, Congress passed a bill giving the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) the authority to regulate tobacco products. When the treacly named Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act was signed by President Obama, the bill’s proponents, notably the Washington lobbying group Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids, touted it as a long-awaited victory over Big Tobacco. When it was revealed that the Campaign had secretly co-written the bill with Altria, maker of the top-selling cigarette Marlboro, we realized that the brand’s iconic cowboy wouldn’t be riding off into the sunset just yet.

We honor the victims of mass killings equally. Why can’t politicians and the press?
Religion News Service – Dec. 4

Knife crime represents 39% of all murders in the U.K. and has reached its highest level since the Second World War. In 2019, attacks — typically involving robbery or violent assault — in London have reached a seven-year high. Yet none of these crimes have been international stories, until this weekend when a man named Usman Khan, who was out on parole with a previous terror conviction, stabbed innocent civilians indiscriminately on the London Bridge. The first victim to be lost was an outstanding young man, Jack Merritt, who had been advocating for prison rehabilitation, which would obviously benefit a convict like Khan. This double standard of reporting isn’t some Muslim conspiracy theory or a figment of an imam’s imagination. Earlier this year, researchers at Georgia State University and the University of Alabama found that terror attacks by Muslims receive an average of 357% more media coverage than those by other groups.

‘It’s OK to ask for help’
The American Legion – Dec. 4
While most American families gathered around the table to celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday, nearly 80 student veterans of the University of Alabama and Auburn University were walking over 150 miles across the state of Alabama to raise awareness for the estimated 22 veterans who commit suicide each day in the United States. Supporting them in this mission was The American Legion’s Department of Alabama, which provided logistical and emotional support every step of the way, including driving a truck and trailer that had food and water for the ruck marchers at each stop.

Are Trump supporters anti-Muslim? A ‘Muslims in the West’ reaction essay
Brookings – Dec. 4
When political commentators discuss the rise of “populism” in Western democracies, United States President Donald Trump’s 2016 election victory is often the first example named — typically followed by the “Brexit” vote in the United Kingdom, the right-wing governments in Hungary and Poland, and growing right-wing strength in many other countries. As the world’s largest economy, as well as a world leader in culture and politics, it is understandable that the U.S. receives disproportionate attention. . . . George Hawley, associate professor of political science, University of Alabama

Intelligent.com Announces Best Master’s in Supply Chain Management Degree Programs for 2020
Times Union – Dec. 4
Intelligent.com, a trusted resource for online degree rankings and higher education planning, has announced the Top 25 Best Master’s in Supply Chain Management Degree Programs for 2020. The comprehensive research guide is based on an assessment of 147 accredited colleges and universities in the nation. Each program is evaluated based on curriculum quality, graduation rate, reputation, and post-graduate employment.
Stamford Advocate
SFGate
…and many more