According to a recent survey more than one in three Americans believe the 9/11 attacks were the result of a U.S. government conspiracy of one sort or another. The most popular of these theories has it that neoconservatives in the Bush Administration who wanted to start a war in the Middle East arranged the hijackings and bombings.
Author: jplucas
The gambler (Dateline NBC)
MSNBC.com
A high-roller is living out a gambler�s ultimate fantasy at black jack: The player is betting $30,000 dollars a hand, two hands at a time. He seems incapable of losing. And he�s already won millions. Story is about Adam Resnick, former UW-Madison student.
Isolated kids at risk of heart disease as adults (Reuters)
Reuters
Children who tend to work by themselves, are not very well liked by their peers, or are otherwise socially isolated may have a higher risk of cardiovascular disease in adulthood, new study findings show.
“Longitudinal findings about children followed up to adulthood suggest that social isolation has persistent and cumulative detrimental effects on adult health,” lead author Dr. Avshalom Caspi, of the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and colleagues write in the Archives of Adolescent Medicine.
Sept. 11 Conspiracy Theorists Says They’re Gaining Momentum
WISC-TV 3
MADISON, Wis. — A group of academics who support a theory that the destruction of the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001, wasn’t the work of terrorists said that the recent controversy about University of Wisconsin lecturer Kevin Barrett has increased their membership.
Schools Unveil Biodiesel Reactor
NBC-15
Students at the UW and MATC are doing their part to reduce our dependence on oil.
The Madison Area Technical College introduced its new biodiesel reactor today. The machine converts waste vegetable oil and methanol to make diesel.
MATC bio-diesel reactor to support training
Wisconsin Technology Network
Madison, Wis. – Madison Area Technical College’s new biodiesel reactor will not only produce clean fuel, it will help educate the technicians that will maintain and improve the emerging technology.
Biodiesel Reactor Unveiled at MATC
WKOW-TV 27
UW and MATC teamed up to invest in alternatives to fight those high gas prices and find a feasible alternate form of energy.
A team of UW engineering students unveiled a new biodiesel reactor today at the MATC/Truax campus on Monday.
UW Students Build Reactor To Run On Fast Food Oil
WISC-TV 3
MADISON, Wis. — UW students are thinking of the next form of fuel.
On Monday, UW engineering students unveiled a bio-diesel reactor they designed and built.
Start Of Downtown Crackdown Meets With Stabbing, Large Crowds
WISC-TV 3
MADISON, Wis. — The first weekend of a new police crackdown on downtown violence had Madison police officers dealing with both a stabbing and large crowds around bar-closing time.
What is this woman thinking? (Baltimore Sun)
Quoted: Dr. Janet Hyde, professor of psychology and women’s studies at the University of Wisconsin.
Tribal home ties family together (Green Bay Press-Gazette)
Green Bay Press-Gazette
Quoted: Gary Sandefur, professor of sociology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Efficiencies and the UW system (Beloit Daily News)
THE BATTLE LINES already are being drawn. Gov. Jim Doyle is asking the University of Wisconsin system to hold tuition increases at or below the prevailing rate of inflation over the next budget period. That would be quite a change from the double-digit increases of recent years.
Rep. Katherine Harris Predicts Senate Win (AP)
CBSNews.com
Quoted: Virginia Sapiro, a University of Wisconsin political science professor who specializes in political psychology.
Sept. 11 Conspiracy Belief Draws Attention to Teacher (NPR)
National Public Radio
University of Wisconsin officials will review the teaching of an instructor who believes that the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11 were orchestrated by the U.S. government. The move follows calls from state legislators to fire the professor. Wisconsin Public Radio’s Brian Bull reports.
Editorial: UW Extension cut in protest misses its intended target (Appleton Post-Crescent)
Appleton Post-Crescent
In the big picture, $8,427 is not a lot of money, especially to a governmental agency like the University of Wisconsin Extension, which manages hundreds of millions of dollars. The amount has a greater value as a symbol, which is why the Ozaukee County Board voted to cut that many dollars out of its funding for UW Extension next year.
Letters: Why support some agendas, censure others? (The Sheboygan Press)
There have been several letters supportive of Professor Kevin Barrett’s right to promote his agenda at University of Wisconsin- Madison at taxpayers’ expense.
Moved by the spirits: Some hair-raising ghost stories come to light (Seattle Times)
Seattle Times
The real center of “Ghost Hunters” is not, as its subtitle suggests, William James, the American pioneer in psychology and researcher in the paranormal, but Leonora Piper, a Boston housewife, mother and paranormal phenomenon. Her astounding capacities as a medium captured the attention, and often the approbation, of not only James but a crowd of 19th-century scientists.
Editorial: Need for more math is no-brainer (Appleton Post-Crescent)
Appleton Post-Crescent
There’s no question Wisconsin needs a highly educated work force to grow its economy in the future.
There’s also no question that our system of higher education is going to be crucial to ensure we get the kind of work force we need.
Scientists use trapping, predators to eliminate invasive species (AP)
Duluth News
Quoted: Tim Kratz, the director of the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Trout Lake research station.
Fact and Friction: Putting Election-Year Stem Cell Claims Under the Microscope (Wispolitics.com)
MADISON ââ?¬â?? So, it has come to this: A degree in molecular biology will be required of anyone wishing to vote in Wisconsinââ?¬â?¢s Nov. 7 elections.Or perhaps it only seems so in light of 2006 campaign year claims and counter-claims swirling around the ââ?¬Å?wedge issueââ?¬Â of human embryonic stem cell research. To assist those who wonââ?¬â?¢t complete their doctoral degree by fall, here are a few frequently asked questions based on those frequently made charges.
9/11 conspiracy theorists thriving (AP)
Yahoo! News
Kevin Barrett believes the U.S government might have destroyed the World Trade Center. Steven Jones is researching what he calls evidence that the twin towers were brought down by explosives detonated inside them, not by hijacked airliners.
Nationwide Meningitis Vaccine Shortage (Inside Higher Ed)
Inside Higher Education
In 2005, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention took a dramatic step to curb illness among college-age people, formally recommending that all freshmen living in dorms be vaccinated against meningitis. The disease, which tends to thrive in close-knit quarters, causes an inflammation of brain tissues and the spinal cord, and can sometimes lead to death.
Partner benefits may give U of L edge (Louisville Courier-Journal)
Lousiville Courier-Journal
Kentucky lawmakers might want to look at the University of Wisconsin’s experience before deciding whether to bar public universities from offering health insurance to unmarried domestic partners of employees.
Embryonic stem cells cure disease? Prove it. (Wisconsin Radio Network)
Wisconsin Radio Network
A Pulitzer prize-winning science writer says there might be too much hype about the potential for embryonic stem cell research, but not enough evidence. Deborah Blum, who is also a professor of journalism at the University of Wisconsin, explains that the vaccine for smallpox proved ultimately to be one of the most successful medical treatments we know, but England Doctor Edward Jenner had to prove himself.
Uw Doctor Makes Second Complaint
Wisconsin State Journal
A doctor who complained in January she was being harassed by a fellow physician at the university fertility clinic where they both work has brought a new complaint against the UW School of Medicine and Public Health alleging continued discrimination, in part because of her first complaint.
Dr. Elizabeth Pritts said Dr. Steven Lindheim has roughly scrutinized her work since she filed the sexual harassment complaint against him, turned staff against her and confronted a patient who had transferred to Pritts’ care, leaving the patient “red-faced and tearful.”
Critic questions gay marriage explanation on referendum
Wisconsin State Journal
Wisconsin Attorney General Peg Lautenschlager sent two ballot explanations of the gay marriage and death penalty referendums to the state Elections Board Friday, providing the plain English translation that voters will use when they weigh in on the hot-button issues in November.
Preschool kids play to help build literacy
Wisconsin State Journal
Quoted: Joan Ershler, Waisman Center.
Milfred: Ozaukee supervisors miss mark
Wisconsin State Journal
At least state Rep. Steve Nass can shoot straight.
The Ozaukee County Board just shot itself in the foot. And now it’s encouraging every other Wisconsin county to do the same.
Ozaukee County supervisors voted 18-11 last week to cut $8,427 out of its budget for university services.
Stem cell star a shining example
Wisconsin State Journal
UW-Madison does its best to fend off academic poachers who try to lure away prized professors to other institutions.
And every so often, UW pulls an academic star back home – hopefully to stay.
That happened last year when stem cell researcher Gabriela Cezar returned to UW-Madison.
Students learn from global field trips
Wisconsin State Journal
Reference: The Center for East Asian Studies at UW-Madison.
Project Management Outrages Kreibich
Wisconsin State Journal
A key lawmaker said Wednesday he was outraged to learn details about the way the University of Wisconsin System managed a $26 million information technology project that failed.
Rep. Robin Kreibich, chairman of the Assembly Colleges and Universities Committee, said in a letter to University of Wisconsin System President Kevin Reilly he was troubled to learn no employees were disciplined over the project and that an inexperienced project manager was put in charge.
Plan Would Keep Uw Tuition Under Inflation Rate
Wisconsin State Journal
The UW Board of Regents on Wednesday backed Gov. Jim Doyle’s call to hold down tuition increases to below the rate of inflation for the 2007-2008 and 2008-2009 school years.
Former Uw Dean, Leon Epstein, Dies At 87
Wisconsin State Journal
Leon Epstein, 87, dean of the UW-Madison College of Letters and Science during one of the most tumultuous periods in the school’s history, died Tuesday in a Madison hospital.
Epstein suffered head injuries from a fall in his apartment Saturday and never recovered consciousness, friends said.
He was dean of the College of Letters and Science from 1965 to 1969, a time that coincided with student protests, sit-ins and marches marked by clouds of tear gas and numerous arrests as students opposed the Vietnam War.
Economic booster is off and running
Wisconsin State Journal
A man in New York once drew attention and job bites by walking the sidewalks wearing a sandwich board with his resume on it.
His example highlights the powers of vision and promotion — traits the Collaboration Council is harnessing to draw companies and good-paying jobs to south-central Wisconsin.
In just a few months, the council has raised more than $1 million from dozens of private businesses to help create a regional economic development corporation.
Average freshman spends $1,200 to spruce up, gear up
USA Today
As part of their off-to-college shopping frenzy, freshmen ââ?¬â? both boys and girls ââ?¬â? are concentrating as never before on decorating dorm rooms as a way to define their post-high-school selves. College freshmen are treating their rooms like mini apartments and using the technology they buy as design elements in their new, cool space.
Expansion plan raises questions
Wisconsin State Journal
Before the University of Wisconsin System increases its number of incoming students, it ought to make sure more of them are prepared to succeed.
UW System wants to add as many as 7,700 more students to its 160,000-student enrollment over the next six to eight years. The proposal is part of a growth agenda that also includes more faculty and research money.
Obituary: Epstein, Leon D.
Madison.com
Leon D. Epstein, age 87, died on Tuesday, Aug. 1, 2006. An emeritus professor of political science, he had been a member of the faculty of the University of Wisconsin-Madison from 1948 to 1988. He chaired his department from 1960 to 1963, served as dean of the College of Letters and Science from 1965 to 1969 and held at various times Bascom, Hilldale and WARF professorships.
Dueling wedge issues in Wisconsin
Gay marriage isn’t what it used to be, and Democrats may have found something — stem cell research — that trumps it. Ballot initiatives banning gay marriage may have lured more conservative voters to the polls in 11 states, and Bush won all those states except Michigan and Oregon. But in the battleground state of Wisconsin, early polling suggests that gay marriage may be losing some of its Election Day magic — and that Democrats have found a wedge issue of their own with as much or more drawing power.
Quoted, cited: Kathy Cramer Walsh, associate professor of political science at the University of Wisconsin, and the UW-Madison Survey Center
Conklin: From busboy at Gino’s to country’s top young wine steward
Wisconsin State Journal
Chancellor’s speedy recovery
UW-Madison Chancellor John Wiley was spotted in a coffee shop without crutches or a cane the day after his knee surgery last week, joking that his goal had been to best the knee recovery record of athletic director Barry Alvarez.
Asked about his surgery, Wiley admits the two can’t fairly be compared. His was outpatient via orthoscope for a torn meniscus, not the knee replacement Alvarez necessitated in 1999. But he says Alvarez’s high-profile recovery spurred him on.
“When people told me it would take weeks to recover, I joked that Barry was walking almost immediately, and I intended to do the same. As it happened, my ‘prediction’ was true, but I doubt I have ever beaten any of his injury/recovery records!”
The best news is that Wiley says his knee “is now much better than it has felt in months.”
Sex assault suspect charged
Wisconsin State Journal
Brian C. Carley, 30, was charged Wednesday with 27 misdemeanors – nine counts of disorderly conduct, nine counts of bail jumping, five counts of lewd and lascivious behavior and four counts of fourth-degree sexual assault. At least one reported incident occurred at UW-Madison’s Union South.
Wray wants to add patrols to quell rising crime Downtown
Wisconsin State Journal
It’s been a while since Noble Wray has worked the streets like a regular cop, but one thing is clearly different, he said.
On Downtown ride-alongs he took this summer to get a handle on rising crime, the Madison police chief spotted something out of place: groups of older teens, too young to drink, milling around the bar area late at night with no apparent destination or purpose.
Fireflies flash when they’re looking for love?
Wisconsin State Journal
Q: Why do fireflies glow?
A: Fireflies, also known as lightning bugs, light up, scientists believe, because they are advertising for a mate. Maybe.
Verstandig: Watered-down upper class tarnishes UW’s reputation
Wisconsin State Journal
UW-Madison has one of the brightest undergraduate student bodies in America.
The school’s admissions standards are rigorous. As a result, a diploma from UW is among the most precious of bachelor’s degrees.
But that is changing.
Cook: MATC transfers are prepared and work hard
Wisconsin State Journal
Students who transfer to UW- Madison earn 20 percent of the bachelor’s degrees. And Madison Area Technical College is the primary source of those students.
By admitting well-prepared, third- year students from MATC, UW- Madison generates revenue otherwise lost when some of its own freshmen and sophomores leave school.
The new learning curve: Technological security
USA Today
Raising awareness among computer users about privacy protection is a never-ending job, especially on college campuses where the student population changes each year. USA TODAY reporter Mary Beth Marklein examines how and why security breaches have occurred on campus, some of the ways colleges are trying to protect data and how students can protect themselves.
Why break in? The reasons vary
USA Today
A USA TODAY review of 109 computer-related security breaches reported by 76 college campuses since January 2005 found that about 70% involved hacking ââ?¬â? breaking into or gaining unauthorized access to a computer system.
Colleges are textbook cases of cybersecurity breaches
USA Today
A high volume of security breaches on college campuses, including about a dozen reports this summer, underscores a growing concern among privacy advocates: Colleges and universities aren’t up to speed when it comes to safeguarding information on their networks.
Stem cell issue under the microscope
Wisconsin State Journal
Forum: Was President Bush right to veto legislation that would have expanded federal funding for human embryonic stem cell research?
UW football: Future finally here for Bielema
Wisconsin State Journal
When University of Wisconsin football coach Bret Bielema was asked how he enjoyed his time off during the offseason, he responded, “What time off?”
The pace has not been as frantic as it was while wrapping up recruiting and hiring a staff in January, or going through his first spring practices as head coach in March and April, but he has been busy, nonetheless.
It’s a sad day for Mount Horeb
Wisconsin State Journal
Also on Monday, the body of a teenager who disappeared Sunday in Lake Michigan was found off the tip of Rock Island. He was Eric McNew, 18, also of Mount Horeb. McNew, “a very bright young man,” enjoyed cutting jokes but was serious in class, and planned to attend UW- Madison this fall, Schumacher said.
Madtown Meltdown
Wisconsin State Journal
Quoted: Frank Pfefferkorn, assistant professor of mechanical engineering at UW-Madison.
Milfred: All points bulletin – police cost too much
Wisconsin State Journal
Consider Downtown Madison. Within blocks of one another are the city police department, the county sheriff’s office, the Capitol police and UW-Madison police. There’s a Secret Service office, U.S. marshals, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and, over on the West Side, the FBI. In addition, Madison’s many surrounding towns and suburbs have forces of their own.
If you drive down the Beltline, you never know which police agency might pull you over.
Obituary: Wood, Candace C.
Madison.com
Candace was employed with the University of Wisconsin Food Services for more than 15 years.
Obituary: Bartholomew, Mary Jean
Madison.com
Mary Jean Bartholomew, age 79, passed away on Sunday, July 30, 2006, at her home. She was born on Feb. 21, 1927, in Pardeeville, the daughter of Robert and Beatrice Lafler. Mary was united in marriage to Robert E. Bartholomew on Feb. 9, 1946, in Arlington.
Teachers Reach For Hip-hop Pupils
Wisconsin State Journal
Most students would never imagine their high school English teachers spending summer break freestyling and listening to hip-hop. But in an effort to reach out to students, that is just how area teachers have spent the last two weeks.
A class offered by the UW-Madison Summer Institute, with help from Youth Speaks Wisconsin, aims to give teachers the tools to bring hip-hop and spoken word poetry into their classrooms.
3 Back To Biotech: Ex-bone Care Leaders Want Madison-based Company
Wisconsin State Journal
Three former executives of the now-defunct Bone Care International are back in the biotech business, hoping to recreate the small Middleton pharmaceutical company’s success.
If Revelers Wreck Halloween Party, Don’t Blame Mayor Dave
Wisconsin State Journal
Mayor Dave Cieslewicz wants to send the rowdiness of Madison’s Halloween celebration to the graveyard.
To inhibit rioting, reveling and other incendiary forms of drunkenness this October, the mayor will gate and charge a $5 entry fee to State Street.
Opponents of the plan say that charging and restricting entry to public property challenges the right to assembly. They also claimed it prices individuals out of the celebration.
Reports Dissect Uw Debacle
Wisconsin State Journal
Poor leadership, a lack of planning and bureaucratic infighting plagued University of Wisconsin System’s failed project to install a new payroll management system, according to critiques by private consultants.
The two assessments, obtained by The Associated Press after an open records request, detail widespread mismanagement of the project that cost $26 million before the System canceled it earlier this month after eight years of planning and attempted implementation.
Flood displaces UW students
Wisconsin State Journal
UW-Madison senior Anil Bhatoya was working on his computer near a window in his room on the lower level of Park Terrace West when Thursday’s deluge of rain hit the area around North Randall Avenue.
“I saw the street flooding,” Bhatoya said. “Ten or 15 minutes later, when I looked up, the water was past the window. Then it started gushing in.”
In another 10 or 15 minutes, the floodwater, which had also begun pouring in through a back door of the apartment building at 45 N. Randall, covered the floor of his room.
THE PRIDE OF PROPHETSTOWN
Wisconsin State Journal
PROPHETSTOWN, Ill. – Take a walk with Bret Bielema, down the main street of his hometown and into his past.
Bielema, the first-year University of Wisconsin football coach, pulls his red Lincoln Navigator Ultimate, into one of the many open angle parking spots on a Tuesday morning on the town’s main drag. He’s been gone for 18 years, but not much has changed in the brick storefronts that line the downtown of the farming community, with a population of 2,023, 30 miles northeast of the Quad Cities.