Tuscaloosa Bicentennial

Bicentennial celebration brings Tuscaloosa community together: Tuscaloosa News – Nov. 17

On Dec. 12, 10 community choral groups will participate in “Tusca200sa Sings” at the Moody Music Building on The University of Alabama campus. The show will include 200 singers on stage performing the song “Tuscaloosa” written by Kirsten Hicks. “We also have right here in our own community so many talented musical people,” said Shelley Jones, the community engagement chair for the Tuscaloosa Bicentennial Committee. . . . The events on Dec. 13 will include the unveiling of the bicentennial sculpture at Manderson Landing at The University of Alabama, the dedication of a bicentennial time capsule and the community’s annual Christmas parade.

“The Importance of Being Earnest”

UA’s performance of Oscar Wilde play requires 1895 mindset: Tuscaloosa News – Nov. 18

The University of Alabama Department of Theatre and Dance is performing “The Importance of Being Earnest.” There’s Wilde style: arch, eloquent, rapid. But the surface isn’t the substance. Last time the University of Alabama Department of Theatre and Dance performed Oscar Wilde’s farce “The Importance of Being Earnest,” in 1992, many of those working on this week’s production weren’t yet born. When it was crafted by the Irish poet and playwright in 1895, manners and mannerisms were far different from those of the 21st century.
Crimson White – Nov. 21

Bottle Creek Mounds

Bottle Creek mounds still hold mysteries: Gulf Coast News Today – Nov. 19

The Native American mounds at Bottle Creek had their most extensive excavation and study a quarter of a century ago, but many questions remain about Alabama’s second largest mound site.  Archeologists do not know the purpose of some of the 19 mounds discovered so far. They are not sure if the region doesn’t contain more mounds. It probably does, Ian Brown, professor and curator of Gulf Coast Archeology at The University of Alabama, said.

Sunny Skies

Soaking up sunny skies on the Quad: Tuscaloosa News – Nov. 20

Will Cottrell, a University of Alabama student from Tuscaloosa, studies a photography segment of his art history course as he lays on the Quad beneath a radiant sun Wednesday. The forecast for Thursday calls for sunny skies and a high temperature around 70 degrees. Rain is likely Friday.

United Way Campaign

UA holds United Way Campaign celebration: WVUA – Nov. 21

United Way of West Alabama just finished its annual fundraiser at The University of Alabama and they held a big celebration today, announcing how much they were able to raise. They kicked off in August and have raised $483,807.36! United Way is a team of almost 1-thousand volunteers that help raise and distribute funds to our local agencies and initiatives.

Invasive Plant Consortium

$3.8 million NSF grant funds creation of multi-state invasive plant consortium at UL Lafayette: ABC (Lafayette, La.) – Nov. 21

Invasive plant species threaten biodiversity, harm crops, restructure ecosystems, promote diseases and damage infrastructure. Their havoc annually costs $34 billion in the United States alone. Despite this, little is known about how they become invasive and why. In addition to UL Lafayette, the consortium will include researchers at South Dakota State, Wichita State and West Virginia universities, and The University of Alabama. Research hubs at each institution will focus on different invasive plant species.

Civil War

Both armies in the Civil War thought God was on their side. Churches did not shy away from telling them so.: Times Free Press – Nov. 23

In the years leading up to the Civil War, when polarization over whether people should be able to own other people as property was reaching its fever pitch, a similar and related sort of division was happening.  The North and the South were divided on an issue of human rights, but they were also divided over Christianity. Denominations were split. People on both sides pointed to the Bible in support of the looming, bloody war. And the religious ideologies of the time continue to affect Americans today. Soldiers would write in letters home saying God gave them dispensation to swear, said George Rable, University of Alabama professor emeritus in the history department. Chaplains often had to assure families their sons died painlessly and believing in God. At the time, people’s final words were cherished and seen as important indicators for salvation, Rable said.