UA unveils mobile hearing center
WSFA-NBC (Montgomery) – Aug. 5
The University of Alabama unveils a mobile hearing center that will soon be traveling to several West Alabama counties … the University of Alabama’s new Hear Here Alabama vehicle may be a motor coach, but university hearing specialists have turned it into a health center on wheels. And in a couple of months it will begin offering services to several underserved parts of West Alabama. Associate professor Marcia Hay McCutcheon says this will improve the quality of people’s lives by addressing their hearing problems. It will drive to places like Demopolis or Wilcox, park in a public place and they’ll see people for free. Because of their location or lack of insurance or money, people with hearing problems may not see a doctor about it. Specialists will be able to examine their inner or outer ear.
Honoring a Tuscaloosa treasure
Tuscaloosa News – Aug. 5
All eyes were glued to Nick and Terry Saban, the head coach and the first lady of University of Alabama football, at Nick’s Kids annual luncheon Wednesday inside Bryant-Denny Stadium. But there were a good many eyes drawn to the loving couple sitting on the far table in the front row. In fact, all four tables across the front row were filled with family and friends of the honored couple, Jim and Peggy Harrison. Aside from distributing nearly half a million dollars to 130 organizations across the state, Nick’s Kids, the charitable arm of the Sabans, also recognized the contribution by the Harrison family, particularly the patriarch and matriarch, Jim and Peggy. The Sabans presented the couple with the Nick’s Kids Lifetime Achievement Award. “The entire family is probably the most unique family, the most giving family, most helpful to other people, caring for other people family,” Nick Saban said. “To this special family that Jim and Peggy are responsible for, I think everybody should share a special appreciation for all they’ve done.” The $480,000 distributed to different organizations brings the Nick’s Kids nine-year total to nearly $5 million awarded. That, beyond any football game, is a source of pride for the Sabans. “This is my favorite day of the year,” Nick Saban said.
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – Aug. 5
CBRE joins the ACRE Corporate Cabinet
Al.com – Aug. 5
The Alabama Center for Real Estate, housed within the the Culverhouse College of Commerce at the University of Alabama, welcomes the transformational leadership of CBRE, the newest member of the ACRE Corporate Cabinet. CBRE (NYSE:CBG), a Fortune 500 and S&P 500 company, is the world’s largest commercial real estate services and investment firm. The Company has more than 52,000 employees and serves real estate owners, investors and occupiers through more than 370 offices worldwide. Every day, in markets around the state, we apply our insight, experience and resources to help clients make informed real estate decisions. Our deep experience and expertise allows us to paint a precise picture of local, national, and global commercial real estate conditions and trends. It allows us to recognize opportunities quickly and take advantage of them.
Can a Man and a Woman Be ‘Just Friends’
WGNA.com – Aug. 5
Wondering if your man is running around on you with that chick that’s “just his friend”??? You’re probably trying to be cool about it, all the while wondering if a man and a woman can really be “just friends”. Well, lucky for you, science is involved! Researchers from the University of Alabama found that both men and women believe that actual platonic friendships between opposite sexes are possible! Yay, right? Well, not so fast! Most people reported thinking that most men-women friendships do hold some secret sexual attraction. And estimated 63 percent of male – female relationships have at least one person who secretly wants to get physical. So……..Your best bud of the opposite sex might be into you “like that” but, do consider that this study doesn’t actually mean that sexual attraction happens in 63 percent of male-female friendships—it only means that’s how often people think it happens.
Plankton Threatened by Ocean Acidification. Why that Matters
Naharnet.com – Aug. 5
The balance of various plankton species will radically change as the world’s oceans increase in acidity over the next 85 years, according to a new study released this week. By 2100, ocean acidification will have grown to such an extent that some species of phytoplankton “will die out, while others will flourish,” according to a report by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where experts teamed up with the University of Alabama to conduct the study. That could be a big problem, given what scientists have recently learned about plankton’s role in the global ecosystem. The tiny critters supply half of the planet’s oxygen, microbial biologist Linda Amaral Zettler told The Christian Science Monitor in May. The process of ocean acidification is linked to carbon dioxide. Our waters have already absorbed up to a third of manmade carbon dioxide emissions, according to researchers. The report went on to say: Since pre-industrial times, the pH of the oceans has dropped from an average of 8.2 to 8.1 today. Projections of climate change estimate that by the year 2100, this number will drop further, to around 7.8 – significantly lower than any levels seen in open ocean marine communities today.