Tuscaloosa Symphony Orchestra

Tuscaloosa Symphony Orchestra presenting a holiday concert tonight: Tuscaloosa News – Dec. 17

Even a season encapsulated as “Malice and Majesty” can be broad enough to encompass Christmas music, according to Tuscaloosa Symphony Orchestra Music Director Adam Flatt … The community chorus is named for the late Fred Prentice, a UA School of Music professor who founded it, and co-founded another holiday tradition, “Hilaritas.” Last year, the Shelton State Singers joined the mix, led by Director J.F. Mark Brown.

Ethnic Bias

Democrats accuse Paul Ryan of ethnic bias with jobs giveaway to Irish: Breitbart – Dec. 17

House Speaker Paul Ryan is facing Democratic criticism for his planned visa-giveaway to Irish college-graduates, and the Irish government is reportedly trying to overcome the opposition by promising to deliver reciprocal benefits for American graduates … Michael Innis-Jiménez, a University of Alabama professor and expert on Latino and Labor issues said, who is of Irish and Mexican descent, admitted that he thinks race is a factor.

Dead Shoes Primary

Part 2: What was the “dead shoes primary”?: Hartselle Enquirer – Dec. 17

As noted last week, Alabama has been the only state in the Union to hold a primary in anticipation of the death of one or more incumbent officeholders. (By Dr. Bill Stewart, University of Alabama professor emeritus)

Young Texas Artists Music Competition

International panel of judges selected for 2019 Young Texas Artists Music Competition: The Paper (The Woodlands, Texas) – Dec. 18

An elite panel of judges has been selected for the 2019 Young Texas Artists Music Competition, scheduled for March 7-9, 2019,  at the Crighton Theatre, 234 North Main St., in Downtown Conroe … Diane Schultz, professor of flute at the School of Music at The University of Alabama, joins the panel in 2019.

Doctoral Research University

University of Alabama rated as elite research institution: Yellowhammer News – Dec. 18

The Carnegie Foundation listed The University of Alabama among the top doctoral research universities in the nation in its new classifications released this week, joining Auburn University.
Birmingham Business Journal – Dec. 18

Tattoos

Can tattoos really protect you from a cold?: Sohomen (Germany) – Dec. 18

There it is again, this nasty season, where everyone around us seems to be permanently cold. In the office, handkerchiefs are traded as hot commodities and at home, nothing works without a large bowl of ginger and lemon … Christopher Lynn of The University of Alabama claims that tattoos can protect against colds.

Alt-Right

The Alt-right downturn: Slate – Dec. 18

In flooding social media with racist sentiments and frog memes, the alt-right is practically asking to get banned from the internet … Hawley is a professor of politics at The University of Alabama and the author of The Alt-Right: What Everyone Needs to Know.

John Stuart Mill

John Stuart Mill’s paper dolls: Liberal England (blog) – Dec. 22

Albert Pionke, Professor of English Literature at The University of Alabama, has written an article for The Conversation on the marginalia to be found in John Stuart Mill’s library.

Katie Farms

Katie Farms honored as Tuscaloosa County Farmer of the Year: Tuscaloosa News – Dec. 23

Jon Fleenor and Margaret Purcell only started getting into farming 10 years ago, but their work is already starting to pay off … Looking at Fleenor and Purcell’s jobs, it would be hard to predict that they would become so invested in the farming industry. Fleenor works as a real estate agent while Purcell is a political science professor at The University of Alabama.

Advanced Dance Degree

University of Alabama adding advanced dance degree: Tuscaloosa News – Dec. 26

The University of Alabama’s Department of Theater and Dance will begin offering a master of fine arts degree in dance in fall 2020. The three-year program will use the 2019-20 academic year to recruit and audition prospective students. The new degree program was approved by the UA System board of trustees in June.
ABC 33/40 (Birmingham) – Dec. 27

Music Therapy

Lend a Hand: UA music program helps Capstone Village residents with memory disorders: Tuscaloosa News – Dec. 29

Students in The University of Alabama’s music therapy program performed in mid-December for residents of Capstone Village retirement community who have Alzheimer’s and dementia.

Attacks on the Press

7 presidents who were tougher than Trump on the media: The Stream – Dec. 29

The president was frustrated with the media coverage of him and his policies, swearing that 85 percent of all newspapers were against him … Past presidents took tangible actions to undermine a free press. Trump has so far taken only a more negative rhetorical tone toward the press, said David Beito, a history professor at The University of Alabama. “Would he like to do something? He probably would, but a change of tone has been the biggest difference,” Beito told The Daily Signal, characterizing Trump’s rhetorical attacks on the press as more aggressive than most of his predecessors.

Hospice Care

11 questions to ask before choosing hospice care: Market Watch – Jan. 2

Making the decision to transition your loved one to hospice care (for people whose medical conditions mean they are expected to die within six months) is a time of emotional upheaval. It’s often accompanied by confusion, with little understanding of available options or how hospice actually works … “If you have an opportunity to go with a free-standing hospice house, jump wholeheartedly into it because the environment is created specifically to help people as they die and the family members of people as they die,” said Dr. Rebecca Allen, a geropsychologist and professor of psychology at The University of Alabama’s Research Institute on Aging.

Mass Shooting Epidemic

Do journalists deserve some blame for America’s mass shootings?: Editor and Publisher (Fountain Valley, California) – Jan. 5

The reporter who won the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for feature writing initially thought she was in Charleston, S.C. to chronicle the lives of nine church-goers who died in 2015 when a stranger with a Glock murdered them while they were praying … Adam Lankford, one of the nation’s leading academics who studies mass shootings, and a criminology and criminal justice professor at The University of Alabama, said he respects Ghansah and her skillful work, because in-depth investigations like this piece can help scholars find patterns and create solutions to the nation’s mass shooting epidemic.