A&S in the News: November 19-25, 2017

August: Osage County

Theater Review: Cast, crew generate hilarity, hysteriaTuscaloosa News – Nov. 19

Dianne Teague. Dianne Teague. Dianne Teague.
If saying her name three times would magically make her appear in every show from here on out, consider that an incantation. It’s tempting to review “August: Osage County,” the searing production of Tracy Letts’ Pulitzer-winning dark comic-drama at The University of Alabama Department of Theatre and Dance, simply by saying “Dianne Teague is in it.” What else do you need to know? But that would be unfair to director Stacy Alley, who’s tempered this three-hour-long melange down to a raw, terrorizing edge that can cut deceptively paper-thin or slice right through the torso. She’s found and brought out, with cast and crew, the hilarity and hysteria, the punches and punchlines, the peaks of hope and the journey-to-the-center-of-the earth pits.

Alt-Right

Alt-right meets ‘alt-tech’: White supremacist finds alternative sources for patronageKeene Sentinel (New Hampshire) – Nov. 19

At Virginia’s Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail, he’s inmate 631424. But outside jail walls, Keene white supremacist Christopher Cantwell has enough of a following to raise more than $28,000 on an alternative crowdfunding platform and about $460 per month on a subscription-based website that hosts alt-right causes. Cantwell has 40 monthly supporters and about 430 one-time donors between the two sites. . . . George Hawley, assistant professor of political science at The University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa and author of a book about the alt-right, said the rally in Charlottesville changed the way white supremacists such as Cantwell raise money for their causes. Before the march, white nationalists raised money using the online payment processing platform PayPal and the crowdfunding site GoFundMe, among other websites. The Southern Poverty Law Center’s Hatewatch blog reported last August that Cantwell raised money on PayPal for his podcast, Radical Agenda.

Roy Moore

Many Christian conservatives are backing Roy MooreAssociated Press – Nov. 19

Alabama’s Christian conservatives see Roy Moore as their champion. He has battled federal judges and castigated liberals, big government, gun control, Muslims, homosexuality and anything else that doesn’t fit the evangelical mold. The Republican Senate candidate has long stood with them, and now, as he faces accusations of sexual impropriety including the molestation of a 14-year-old girl, they are standing with him. . . . But the closest any of Alabama’s previous populist politicians might have come to the current allegations against Moore might have been those made against Gov. Jim Folsom in the 40s, said retired University of Alabama historian William H. Stewart. “Kissing Jim” was alleged to have had a son out of wedlock and was known for kissing women on the campaign trail. “But we haven’t had any instances of a candidate dating or making sexual overtures to a girl as young as 14,” said Stewart.
San Mateo Daily Journal (California) – Nov. 19

Tuscaloosa Youth Orchestra

Tuscaloosa Youth Orchestra offers free performance this SundayCrimson White – Nov. 20

The Moody Music Building will be alive with the sounds of the orchestra this Sunday evening, Nov. 26. The Tuscaloosa Youth Orchestra will be performing for those who want to end Thanksgiving weekend on a musical note. From 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. audiences are invited to come and enjoy the Orchestra’s fall concert for free. The Tuscaloosa Youth Orchestra is a full orchestra of advanced student musicians interested in performing orchestral repertoire and for the community. It is made up of students of all ages, including high school students, middle school students and UA students. There are also a few adult community members in the ranks. The Orchestra is led by a UA School of Music faculty conductor and an assistant graduate student.

Piano Festival

O’Neill youth participate in piano festivalHolt County Independent (Nebraska) – Nov. 21

Nathaniel and Christopher Jennings of O’Neill were invited to participate in the 10th Annual Albion College International Piano Festival from Nov. 2-5 in Albion, MI. . . . Students traveled from all over the Great Lakes states, Nebraska and Albion’s sister city of Noisy-le-Roi, France, to participate. This year’s festival clinicians and guest artists were Dr. Kevin Chance, assistant professor of piano at The University of Alabama; Dr. Bradford Gowen, associate professor of piano at the University of Maryland College Park; and Dr. Diane Petrella, professor of piano and Piano Pedagogy at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.

Million Dollar Band

UA Crowdfunding campaign raises money for Million Dollar BandWSFA-NBC (Montgomery) – Nov. 21

The University of Alabama’s Million Dollar band is turning to crowdfunding to help raise money to buy new instruments. Crowdfunding uses social media to attract donors. All the pledges are done online.

Understanding Physics

Study could alter understanding of physicTuscaloosa News – Nov. 24

An international group of researchers, including several from the University of Alabama, measured the interaction between tiny particles that travel the cosmos, called neutrinos, and Earth. The findings, which carry implications for our understanding of physics and Earth’s core, were published this week in the journal Nature.

Gun Control Laws

If Pakistan can take action after the APS attack, what is stopping the US from stricter gun control laws after another school shooting?Express Tribune (Pakistan) – Nov. 24

On November 14th, the US faced another mass shooting at an elementary school in California. The shooter, identified as Kevin Jason Neal, killed his wife, shot his neighbours, attacked the school and drove by the area while shooting at motorists … According to Adam Lankford, associate professor of criminal justice at the University of Alabama, the desire for fame and success is among the key targets of the new American generation. For the mentally deranged, upset and chronically depressed, quantifying success means to gain fame by any means necessary. The media coverage that these shooters receive following the cases becomes a huge incentive to act similarly.

Hurricane Season

2017 hurricane season was intense, deadlyPalm Beach Post – Nov. 24

In August, the waters of the equatorial Pacific cooled, quieting powerful western gales that act as a balm to the tropical Atlantic during hurricane season. . . . About 6.5 million Floridians evacuated for the storm — the most in the state’s history. “This was a big, nasty Category 5 hurricane and it got people’s attention,” said Jason Senkbeil, a University of Alabama associate professor who interviewed evacuees at a service plaza on Sept. 7 and 8. “Some people thought all of Florida was going to experience Cat 4 or 5 winds.”