American Pop Music

Book review: Touring American pop music by way of of the writers who have addressed it: Virginian-Plot – July 11

“How much history,” critic Robert Palmer asked in “Deep Blues” (1981), “can be transmitted by pressure on a guitar string?” Eric Weisbard quotes that question in his new book, “Songbooks: The Literature of American Popular Music,” and he patiently investigates the many ways music critics and other writers have sought to answer it. Weisbard is a critic and scholar who teaches at The University of Alabama. He’s a past editor of the Village Voice music section, an elite gig in the pop music world; he’s married to Ann Powers, the gifted former New York Times music critic who now comments for NPR.

Fossil Excursions

Alabama fossil excursions kick off just in time for Shark Week: Alabama NewsCenter – July 12

The landlocked Alabama Black Belt isn’t where someone would expect to find fossilized shark teeth, but that’s where Alabama Museum of Natural History shark hunters are leading the state’s only daylong, public fossil excursions from July 10 to Aug. 6.

Vaccine Equity

Navigating the vaccine divide: WBUR – July 14

America is at a critical moment in its fight to end the COVID-19 pandemic. With less than half the country fully vaccinated, the Biden administration is going local. Stephanie McClure, anthropologist at The University of Alabama. Investigator for CommuniVax, a national initiative to improve vaccine equity.
NPR
WBUR (Boston)

Paralympics

University of Alabama Paralympic athletes prepare to compete in Tokyo: NBC 13 – July 14

Some members of Team USA’s Paralympic team are training in Central Alabama. Watch the video above to hear from two athletes as they prepare to travel to Tokyo in just a few weeks.
NBC 13 (Broadcast)

Mountain Light Music Festival

‘Mountain Light’ concert set for Keyah Grande, August 6: Pagosa Daily Post – July 14

Keyah Grande, a spectacular 4,000 acre exclusive destination spot located at 13211 W. Hwy 160 in Pagosa Springs, will be the site for the Mountain Light Music Festival final brass concert on Friday, August 6, at 7p.m. …  This year’s concert will feature the sonorous tones of the MLMF Trombone Choir in an evening of movie-themed music. With faculty professors from Baylor University, University of Alabama, and University of Texas El Paso, along with other professional musicians and students, the concert will include a stunning virtuosic rendering of music from Superman, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Ben Hur, Green Hornet, and JFK.

Mission Critical Buildings

Cellular glass insulation: Making the grade in mission critical buildings: BE Building Enclosure – July 15

Pop quiz: Which of the following commercial structures represents a “mission critical” building? …A 2013 report published by the Ponemon Institute places the average cost of a data center outage at $690,204 per incident. However, a lightning strike on the Moody Music Building at The University of Alabama, ignited the roof insulation and the resulting fire lasted more than 12 hours and required over 1 million gallons of water to extinguish. The building required a complete renovation with no back-up in the interim.

Alligator Sightings

UA expert warns pets, not people threatened with rise in alligator sightings in Tuscaloosa: CBS 42 – July 15

Dr. Scott Jones with The University of Alabama says that your pets may be the ones threatened by the gators. The reptiles typically don’t get aggressive unless they’re harassed, so the best course of action, if you see one, is to avoid getting closer. Jones did say, however, that the rise in sightings does not directly mean there are more gators in central Alabama.
Tuscaloosa Thread
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