Untitled Document

Thursday, August 10, 2006

Good morning! Here's today's summary of news coverage of Auburn University.
NOTE: Any errors in text are due to formatting by the publication.

Total Clips: 10

	Date	Outlet
Trading Victims	08/10/2006	LewRockwell.com
Richardson to speak on new academic guidelines	08/10/2006	Opelika-Auburn News
Auburn honors Weaver	08/10/2006	Brewton Standard
Senator seeks info on lobbying by USA, other schools	08/10/2006	Press-Register
TV spot featuring local officers to air starting next week	08/10/2006	Opelika-Auburn News
In the wild, Area feral cat population could grow without AU program	08/10/2006	Opelika-Auburn News
Sports cleared in grade probe	08/10/2006	Birmingham News
Alabama site eliminated for federal bioterrorism facility	08/09/2006	Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Water is everywhere in south Alabama	08/09/2006	Press-Register
Groundbreaking Collaboration to Photograph Never Before Seen Calcification Mechanism	08/09/2006	Azonano


Trading Victims 08/10/2006 LewRockwell.com Roderick T. Long		Return to Top
This story was authored by Roderick T. Long, Associate Professor of Philosophy at AU. By most reports, Israeli bombings of Lebanon are strengthening Hezbollah's support among Lebanese civilians, while Hezbollah bombings of Israel are strengthening the Israeli government's support among Israeli civilians. So here we have (what are by libertarian standards) two criminal gangs, both blasting away at innocent civilians, and the result is to increase these gangs' popularity among the civilians being victimised! A very successful outcome for both sides. The trick, of course, is that each gang is blasting away at civilians in the other gang's territory. If each gang were to attack its own civilians directly, those civilians would quickly turn against the gangs in their midst. But since in fact each side's continuation of bombings is what allows the other side to excuse, and get away with, its bombings, the situation isn't really all that different; each side is causing its own civilians to be bombed. It's just that by following the stratagem of attacking each other's civilians, the two gangs manage to avoid (and indeed promote the exact opposite of) the loss of domestic power that would follow if they were to bring about the same results more directly. Think of it as the geopolitical version of Strangers on a Train. No, I'm not suggesting that Hezbollah and the Israeli government are in cahoots. They don't need to be. This is how the logic of statism works, this is how its incentives play out, regardless of what its agents specifically intend. The externalisation of costs is what states do best. (True, Hezbollah isn't a state, but it aspires to be one, and its actions are played out within a framework sustained by statism.) What would happen if the civilian populations of Israel and Lebanon were to come to see this conflict, not as Israel versus Hezbollah, or even Israeli-government-plus-Israeli-civilians versus Hezbollah-plus-Lebanese-civilians, but rather as Israeli-government-plus-Hezbollah versus ordinary-people-living-on-the-eastern-Mediterranean? Both Hezbollah and the Israeli government would quickly lose their popular support, and their ability to wage war against each other would go with it. But by encouraging the identification of civilians with the states that rule them, statism makes it harder for civilians to find their way to such a perspective. (Of course racism and religious intolerance are part of the story too - yet another way in which such cultural values help to prop up the state apparatus.) As long as the people of the eastern Mediterranean continue to view this conflict through statist spectacles, Hezbollah and/or the Israeli government will continue to be the victors, while the civilian populace in both Israel and Lebanon will remain the vanquished and victimised. Roderick T. Long is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Auburn University; Editor of the Journal of Libertarian Studies; President of the Molinari Institute; Senior Scholar of the Ludwig von Mises Institute; and author of Reason and Value Aristotle versus Rand.
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Richardson to speak on new academic guidelines 08/10/2006 Opelika-Auburn News Amy Weaver		Return to Top
Auburn University Interim President Ed Richardson is expected to reveal guidelines for future directed studies in a press conference this afternoon. AU sources say Richardson is considering measures that include an application process for students seeking independent study or directed reading classes, a required curriculum for all such classes as well as the approval of department chair or dean before a class can be offered to a student. At his last press conference, Richardson said that a set of policies created by Provost John Heilman, the faculty and the Board of Trustees' Academic Affairs Committee would limit the number of directed studies courses that any single instructor can offer, ensure that every course offered at Auburn is taught with the academic rigor students deserve and respect, and ensure that proper administrative oversight is in place throughout the university. Directed reading courses are intended to allow students the opportunity to explore a given topic in detail, beyond the scope of the regular classroom. Because the course is independent, students meets with their professor often. It usually ends with students writing a thesis-like paper. The courses have been a hot topic in Auburn since sociology professor James Gundlach accused criminology professor and department head Thomas Petee of teaching 250 students, including 18 athletes, in directed reading courses and giving high grades for little or no work. An internal investigation is under way. Richardson was supposed to discuss academic reform with board members at a special meeting last Friday but it was canceled due to scheduling conflicts and incomplete information.
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Auburn honors Weaver 08/10/2006 Brewton Standard Lisa Tindell - news writer		Return to Top
Brewton resident Earl H. Buddy Weaver received an honorary doctor of humane letters degree during summer graduation ceremonies at Auburn University. The ceremony was held in Beard-Eaves Memorial Coliseum on Monday. Outstanding attitude, innovation and work ethic demonstrated by the honoree are some of the characteristics exhibited by Weaver to earn him the honor. "I'm as honored as I can be to receive this," Weaver said. "It's one of the highlights of my life. They don't give out those degrees at the drop of a hat." Weaver knew about the honor a couple of weeks before the presentation and was able to have some of his family attend the ceremony with him. "It meant a lot to have my grandchildren there to see all that going on," Weaver said. "The older children really knew the significance of the honor. I'm pleased they were able to be there with me." Those attending the ceremony with Weaver were his wife, Sandra, his sister and brother-in-law, Anita and Bernie Wall, his daughters Suzanne Simmer and Laura Grier, his son-in-law, Jeff Zimmer and his grandchildren Joshua and James Zimmer, Allen, Camilla and Caroline Grier. Auburn University Interim President Ed Richardson spoke at a luncheon prior to the actual ceremony and presented a plaque to Weaver commemorating the special day. "Robert E. Lowder, a trustee at the college actually presented the degree to me," Weaver said. "He made the presentation on the behalf of the trustees for the college." Weaver has previously earned three degrees from Auburn University, including a doctorate of education. He serves as the co-chairman of the "It Begins at Auburn" campaign, a six-year organized effort by alumni volunteers to raise $500 million in new private support for the college. To date, the campaign has raised nearly $400 million. Weaver is known locally and throughout the state as a major figure in Alabama's forestry-related industries for more than two decades.
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Senator seeks info on lobbying by USA, other schools 08/10/2006 Press-Register Sean Reilly, Washington Bureau		Return to Top
WASHINGTON -- An Oklahoma senator is asking more than a hundred colleges and universities across the country, including the University of South Alabama and four other state schools, to explain their use of paid lobbyists to pursue congressionally earmarked money. In his recent letter, U.S. Sen. Tom Coburn, a Republican, asked the presidents of USA, Auburn University and the three University of Alabama campuses to spell out their policies and practices on those issues. Coburn also sought a list of all federal appropriations received since 2000, along with information on what that funding was meant to accomplish. The schools were among about 110 nationally from whom Coburn, who chairs a federal financial management subcommittee and is often critical of earmarking, requested the data by Sept. 1. He is "open" to holding a hearing on the findings later on, spokesman John Hart said Wednesday. In his July 27 letter, Coburn said he wants the information because of the schools' role in research and development, which is heavily dependent on taxpayer dollars. Coburn's inquiry was first reported Monday by the Capitol Hill newspaper, Roll Call. On Wednesday, USA spokesman Keith Ayers said he was unsure whether the school had received Coburn's request but said officials will "definitely cooperate eagerly." Across the country, universities' reliance on earmarked money has skyrocketed in the last decade, with Alabama schools among the top recipients. In its last comprehensive rundown three years ago, The Chronicle of Higher Education, a trade publication based in Washington, D.C., found that Alabama colleges and universities ranked sixth in the country in 2003 with almost $88 million. Detractors frequently deride the money as "pork" and question the wisdom of letting politicians decide where coveted research funds should go. But in USA's case, Ayers said, the money goes to "people-oriented programs" such as the school's cancer institute. "It improves the quality of life for this region," Ayers said. The trend has also improved the incomes of numerous Washington, D.C., lobbyists. Last year, the five Alabama schools queried by Coburn spent a combined total of more than $800,000 on contract lobbying, according to disclosure reports filed with the Senate Office of Public Records. USA's share was $300,000, which was split among three firms, the reports show. The principals in those companies include Stewart Hall, a former staffer for U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Tuscaloosa; Michael Sharp, who worked for retired U.S. Rep. Sonny Callahan, R-Mobile; and Randy Hinaman, a consultant now involved in the re-election campaign of U.S. Rep. Jo Bonner, R-Mobile. Auburn reported spending a total of $60,000 on one firm. For the University of Alabama System, which covers campuses in Tuscaloosa, Birmingham and Huntsville, contract lobbying costs amounted to $460,000 -- most of which went to a firm that includes former staffers for Shelby and U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Mobile, the disclosure reports show. The remainder went to Hinaman's firm. Happy Fulford, USA's director of governmental relations, attributed the school's use of outside lobbyists in part to its efforts to attract funding for the cancer institute. For the last fiscal year, Congress earmarked $20 million toward the project. This year, Fulford said, the school has dropped Hinaman's firm. While Hinaman and his partner, Don Smith, did a "good job," Fulford said, "we kind of felt like we had accomplished a lot of the things we needed to and obviously we were trying to reduce our cost."
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TV spot featuring local officers to air starting next week 08/10/2006 Opelika-Auburn News William White		Return to Top
The Media Production Group of Auburn University’s office of information technology developed statewide TV/radio safety awareness campaigns. Viewers will recognize the on-camera talent, Lee County Sheriff's Deputy Denise Ingram and Alabama State Trooper Damon Summers from the "Click It or Ticket" TV spot, but the theme has changed to the DUI "Over the Limit, Under Arrest." Tuesday night, local officials filmed a new DUI public service announcement at the National Guard Armory in Auburn. This DUI awareness campaign will target the key at-risk group of 17- to 34-year-old drivers, especially male drivers of that age group, in two ways. One way is with enforcement efforts from Aug. 18 to Sept. 4, and the other way is paid media advertising on broadcast and cable system television and radio in Alabama on the dates leading up to the Labor Day weekend: Aug. 16 to 20, Aug. 23 to 27, and Aug. 30 to Sept. 3. The Media Production Group of Auburn University’s office of information technology is responsible for developing the statewide TV/radio awareness campaign to help let Alabamians know that law enforcement will be out in full force from Aug. 16 through Sept. 3, warning drivers to not drink and drive. This year's campaign theme is "Drunk Driving: Over the Limit, Under Arrest!" Tom C. Lenard, producer and director, developed a creative concept to get the message out that "More than 400 people died on Alabama highways in 2005 by drivers under the influence of alcohol." The 17-34 driver age group was responsible for more than half of those deaths. Most of those drivers were male drivers under the influence. The Care Research and Development Laboratory at the University of Alabama, http://care.cs.ua.edu, provided the statistics included in the spot’s message. The ad's message continues to inform the public that law enforcement will be out in full force looking for drivers under the influence, followed by a stern warning, "Drunk Driving in Alabama Over the Limit, You will be Arrested!" Local law enforcement personnel and equipment of Opelika and Auburn police departments, Opelika and Auburn fire departments, Alabama Public Safety, Life Saver helicopter, Emergency Medical Services and Ledbetter Wrecking provided support to the production. Once again, Summers and Ingram provided on-camera advice to help make Alabama roads safer in the coming holiday. Funding was provided by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration through the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs, Law Enforcement and Traffic Safety Office with support provided by law enforcement agencies around the state. The production was filmed at the National Guard Armory on Shug Jordan Parkway in Auburn with post-production editing in the Media Production Group Avid Edit Suite on campus. After duplicates are generated, the completed television and radio spots will be shipped to television broadcast and cable systems and radio stations around the state for airing beginning Wednesday.
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In the wild, Area feral cat population could grow without AU program 08/10/2006 Opelika-Auburn News Amy Weaver		Return to Top
There are so many feral cats in Lee County, it's impossible to know exactly how big the population actually is. While some prefer to control the population by euthanizing those that are caught, officials at Auburn University's College of Veterinary Medicine preferred to trap, neuter and release adult cats back into the wild where they could be monitored by volunteer caretakers to live as wild animals. Kittens were treated and taken to the Lee County Humane Society for adoption. AU started a trap-neuter-release program called Operation Cat Nap in 2000 strictly for the campus cat population. The university was able to include cats found in the city and surrounding areas two years ago when the veterinary college earned a six-year grant from Maddie’s Fund, a pet rescue foundation funded by PeopleSoft founder Dave Duffield, and his wife, Cheryl. At that time, AU also started offering classes on shelter medicine as part of its curriculum. Program director Dr. Brenda Griffin believed the university was doing the right thing by teaching future veterinarians about shelter animals and helping the community. She said the program and classes were "a great way for students to learn about feral cats." It’s part of the reason she was disappointed to see the outreach effort come to a surprising halt earlier this summer. It also left her without a job. The decision AU does not have the means to run the program without outside funding. Veterinary college Dean Tim Boosinger’s decision to return the money limits the university’s scope to campus only, the way it started. Boosinger claimed to have nothing against the program, but had to make the decision because he felt the university could no longer meet the standards required by the foundation, including expanding the program outside of Lee County. A larger program would have its benefits, but could detract from the college’s main responsibility, its students, and he wouldn't stand for that. Cornell University had watched Auburn's program closely through the years and even used Griffin as a consultant to get its shelter medicine program started. The Ivy League school in Ithaca, N.Y., tried to recruit her, but she had a job, until this summer. Before leaving for the East Coast, Griffin said she would be doing the same work at Cornell that she did at Auburn, focusing on shelter medicine, feral cats and teaching. She was permitted to take equipment for the Auburn program with her. "I hope to have a successful program there to model for other vet schools," she said. "I wanted to do that here (in Auburn) but didn't get the chance." Griffin called the dean's decision "complicated." She said teaching shelter medicine can carry its share of controversy - using live animals as teaching tools - but is necessary with numerous shelters across the country. The Lee County Humane Society has had a successful working relationship with the Auburn veterinary college for years, according to Executive Director Jack Fisher. It was a win-win situation for the shelter and the vet students. He believes the elimination of the community TNR program won't affect the shelter's day-to-day operation, but will negatively effect the community cat population. Just how much is unknown, he said. "When any program gets cut, it's always a difficult time," Griffin said. The problem Feral cats are the wild offspring of domesticated cats. They are often the product of pets who were lost or let go. There are an estimated 70 million feral cats living in the United States, according to some experts. The large number will continue to grow as long as there are no attempts to control the population. It is a problem because, as experts say, a fertile female cat can produce an average of three litters of four to six kittens each in one year. After seven years, that cat and her offspring could theoretically have made 420,000 cats. Fisher admitted that when AU started treating cats outside campus, kittens of feral cats were not brought in to the shelter as frequently, leading him to believe the population was coming under control. He said that may or may not change now that the program is over. The vast majority of animals that come to the humane society don’t have owners because they are either strays or lost pets. Fisher encourages area residents to bring feral cats to them to be neutered by local vets and tagged, but those who don't have a caretaker, someone who watches and provides food for a cat colony, will be euthanized. Those that are released back into the wild have the left ear tipped. Ideally, caretakers would monitor a colony of all neutered cats in one particular area. By limiting their production, the group will die off naturally, he said. Feral cats are not adoptable, Fisher stressed. They don't do well in homes for numerous reasons, besides their aggressive nature. Domestication can lead to death. Kittens of feral cats can be domesticated and, if healthy, adopted. "This is not the end of our shelter medicine program with the university," Fisher said. "We will continue to work with them just in a different way now."
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Sports cleared in grade probe 08/10/2006 Birmingham News Charles Goldberg		Return to Top
AUBURN - Auburn University is prepared to clear its athletic department of any wrongdoing in connection with an independent study program that was accused of giving good grades for little work. The university has found no evidence that its coaches or athletic academic advisers funneled athletes into the program, according to sources familiar with the two-month investigation. It has also concluded the athletes were not given special treatment in the program that was used largely by non-athletes, the sources said. Auburn Interim President Ed Richardson is expected to announce those and other findings, and discuss safeguards to protect the integrity of the independent study program, at a news conference this afternoon. The investigation has centered on independent study, which includes directed reading courses, offered by the sociology department as well as the adult education program in the College of Education. Only a small fraction of Auburn's student body took the courses. Only a small percentage of those were athletes. The investigation is not over, but is in its final stages and will deal exclusively with academic issues, barring a last-minute development.
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Alabama site eliminated for federal bioterrorism facility 08/09/2006 Sarasota Herald-Tribune		Return to Top
WASHINGTON -- A consortium of Alabama universities backed by Gov. Bob Riley has lost its bid to lure a state-of-the-art federal bio-defense center to Fort McClellan in Anniston, Ala. The Department of Homeland Security announced Wednesday that the Alabama site was among 11 locations eliminated from a short list of proposals. The high-security lab, called the National Bio- and Agro-Defense Research Facility, will bring together leading scientists to study biological and agricultural national security threats, including disease pandemics and bioterrorism. It is expected to cost more than $450 million. Auburn University, along with the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Southern Research Institute, Jacksonville State University and Tuskegee University, had applied to the department to host the lab at Fort McClellan, a former Army base and chemical weapons storage site. Supporters said the project could help boost economic development around the shuttered military base, bringing in high-paid doctors and researchers. A University of Georgia study estimated that the facility could have an overall economic benefit of $3.5 billion to $6 billion over 20 years. Yet some local officials near McClellan, where chemical weapons are still incinerated, expressed concern about continuing the community's involvement with hazardous materials by welcoming a lab for studying more lethal substances. Jarrod Agen, a Homeland Security spokesman, said community acceptance was among the factors the agency considered in narrowing its list, along with work force, research capabilities, and acquisition, construction and operations issues. Agen could not immediately provide information about how the Anniston site ranked in each category. Jeff Emerson, a spokesman for Riley, said the governor was still trying to learn from Homeland Security officials why the McClellan site scored negatively.'We know there was a lot of competition for this center,' Emerson said. 'What we're trying to figure out now is why Fort McClellan was eliminated, and until we do we can't comment much more.'Dan Cleckler, executive director of the McClellan Joint Powers Authority, a government-backed economic development agency seeking to redevelop the base, said he did not know whether concern from the community affected the decision.'I don't know whether contacts were made with DHS or not,' he said. 'You just heard conversation on the street that there was some concern, but I didn't get the impression that there was any organized opposition.'Although the project would have been a significant addition, Cleckler said he took the news in stride and is now focused on other prospects.'We never look back when we lose one,' he said. 'We move on to the next.' Homeland Security, which is planning the project along with the departments of Agriculture and Health and Human Services, cut the list of potential sites from 29 to 18. Federal officials plan to make a final site decision in 2008. The new facility would replace the aging Plum Island Animal Disease Center in New York, which was built in the 1950s.
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Water is everywhere in south Alabama 08/09/2006 Press-Register		Return to Top
Shonda Borden, environmental extension assistant at AU Marine Extension and Research Center is cited in this story. Water is everywhere in south Alabama But even though it is abundant resource, we should still help protect our household and natural water supplies It has been a dry year here in south Alabama, but usually we are blessed with an above-average annual rainfall and have plenty of fresh water for both necessities and for recreation. We have more than 7,000 miles of streams, 3.6 million acres of wetlands and 490,000 acres of lakes, ponds and reservoirs. On the other side of the equation, however, development has increased substantially in the last decade, and, according to the U.S. Census Bureau (2005), Alabama has a population of more than 4.5 million. Mobile County is home to 400,000 people and Baldwin County 163,000. In addition to those that live here, Alabama had 21.8 million visitors in the year 2005, with a good portion of those visiting the two coastal counties. That adds up to a lot of water consumed by a lot of people. Many realize the importance of keeping the water we have clean, but it's also important to not waste the water that we have and to not to treat it as a never-ending resource. When I turn on my tap, I take it for granted that clean cold or hot water will come out. There are little things that I can do, and things every household can do to help insure that this will hold true for the next generation. It will also save money, and with gas prices on a steady incline we can all use that. First, make sure you don't have any leaks in your plumbing, toilets or underground piping. A leaky faucet is easy to spot, but other leaks in the system may not be. Mobile Area Water and Sewer has a great guide that identifies how to spot hard-to-find leaks. A small water-saving step that every member of a household can do is to turn off the water while shaving or brushing their teeth. Install low-flow shower heads and low-flush toilets, and run full loads of laundry. Recycle cans, bottles, paper, motor oil, tires, batteries, plastics, etc. Each of these will conserve water indirectly; every ton of paper recycled, for example, saves about 7,000 gallons of water. Don't overwater your landscape, and by mulching and using native plants you can minimize the amount of watering you need to do to keep plants alive. If you do need to water, water early in the morning to minimize evaporation. Doing some of these simple steps in your household will not only help to conserve our most valuable natural resource, but will also save you money. For those itching to get even more involved in water conservation, join a local water watch group and become a volunteer stream monitor, or join an adopt-a-stream or adopt-a-mile program. (Shonda Borden is an environmental extension assistant at Auburn University Marine Extension and Research Center. Sea Grant writers may be contacted at 8-690. )
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Groundbreaking Collaboration to Photograph Never Before Seen Calcification Mechanism 08/09/2006 Azonano		Return to Top
Coverage on this AU-developed technology continues. Groundbreaking Collaboration to Photograph Never Before Seen Calcification Mechanism has announced it has entered into a collaboration agreement with the Fetzer Memorial Trust to photograph the replication cycle of disease-related calcifying particles (also known as nanobacteria or Calcifying Nanoparticles), using light microscopes to break the 200 nanometer (nm) resolution barrier. The breakthrough allows Nanobac scientists to determine if calcification, which occurs in most diseases on the leading causes of death list, has a biological mechanism, which would make it susceptible to therapy. Results could generate new approaches to the treatment of calcifying diseases such as heart disease, kidney stones and diabetes, and validate the significance of related Nanobac diagnostics and therapies. Until now, scientists had to 'fix' or inactivate such nanoparticles to see below the 200 nm threshold using electron microscopy, explained Nanobac's Co-Chairman and Research Group head, Dr. Benedict Maniscalco. Now we can photograph the replication cycle without inactivating the particles. This is essential because some have a replication time of days rather than minutes or hours, which rendered electron microscopy ineffective for this purpose. The technology was developed at Auburn University and is marketed by Aetos Technologies. The CytoViva microscope system is capable of resolving details at or below 100 nm and of detecting particles as small as 50 nm, representing a significant improvement over conventional light microscopes. The CytoViva system was selected in June by R&D Magazine as one of the top 100 most technologically significant products introduced to the marketplace in 2006. This international award is often referred to as the 'Oscar of Inventions.' Calcifying nanoparticles have been isolated by many researchers in diseases ranging from atherosclerosis to kidney stones, but support for research into therapies against these particles has been hampered by lack of visual proof that the particles self-replicate. Since the 1980s scientists have tried to photograph replication of calcifying nanoparticles, without success, Dr. Maniscalco added, Now we have the tools to do it, thanks to the innovative approach of the Fetzer Memorial Trust. The Fetzer Memorial Trust has supported development of this technology for many years, and has made arrangements for Nanobac to use one of a very few available microscopes. The research is being done by Nanobac scientists at Nanobac laboratories located at the NASA Johnson Space Center Astrobiology Laboratories in Houston, Texas, as part of Nanobac's recently announced new core research priorities. The microscope is currently located in Nanobac's labs and work has begun. Initial results are expected by year-end. Nanobac has the exclusive right to intellectual property resulting from discoveries about calcifying nanoparticles in this research project.
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