 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Pillars of the community
Rick Rose succeeds David Fletcher as assistant VP for student affairs
Former senior consultant becomes environmental safety division director
Financial expert named head of internal auditing
Tea for Two Universities
Women’s Studies Program Reception
Administrative Changes
Seniors and the Internet
While only 22 percent of people currently online are 50 or older, seniors are being viewed as a growing market to attract over the Internet, according an article in the Washington Post. Roger Morrell, assistant director of UGA’s Gerontology Center, is quoted on considerations in building Web sites with seniors in mind. “One thing that you don’t want to do with older adults is present them with too much information at the same time, because they have difficulty ignoring irrelevant information,” Morrell says. “The way to build a Web site for older adults is to simplify the Web site. Stop all the blinking stuff and make the icons large enough to see.”
Jurors venting outrage at industry
A Washington Post poll found opinion divided on whether it’s a good thing for jurors to take a stand against an industry whose products are legal but dangerous. The legislative vacuum on tobacco and guns is increasingly being filled by litigation brought by individuals, organizations, states and the federal government--and that litigation is increasingly finding sympathetic juries, according to the Post. UGA law professor Richard Nagareda, who is quoted in a lengthy article on the subject, says, “The growing body of evidence suggests some jurors are turning mass tort litigation into a vehicle for the moral condemnation of corporate behavior thought to be irresponsible or malevolent.”
Blue collar, big pay
Many blue-collar workers are out-earning white-collar employees as a
blizzard of construction activity boosts demand for plumbers, painters, electricians and other tradespeople, according to a USA Today article. Tens of thousands of skilled workers are getting top wages and perks like stock options and signing bonuses. “So many of these jobs are driven by the construction industry,” says David Mustard, an assistant professor in the Terry College of Business, in the article. “I’ve seen kids drop out of college to take these jobs.”
Bacteria love raw sprouts
The New York Times reports on a new UGA study that finds that sprouts--long considered a healthy part of any diet--are, in fact, more vulnerable to bacteria than other produce and should be avoided by the elderly, small children and those with weak immune systems. The researchers, led by Peter Taormina, tested a number of methods for treating seed sprouts in an effort to curb bacterial growth, including washing them in chlorine or alcohol solutions. They found that the treatments reduced the number of bacteria, but were not totally effective.
Cuban nuclear threat?
In a series called “The Fleecing of America,” NBC Nightly News looked at Congressional spending for monitoring stations in Florida, set up to serve as a warning system in case of a nuclear power plant meltdown in Cuba. But the power plant in question is a rusting hulk, abandoned several years ago, according to the report. NBC asked Jonathan Benjamin-Alvaredo, of UGA’s Center for International Trade and Security, to comment on the likelihood that the plant would ever be finished and operational. Noting the high cost to do so, Benjamin-Alvaredo says: “It doesn’t have a snowball’s chance in Havana.”The UGA News Service monitors coverage of UGA in local, state and national media. Newsmakers appears in every other issue of Columns.
UGA Home ] Admissions ] Directories ] Sports ] Alumni ] Weather ]
Search this site ] Search UGA sites ]
Developed by University Communications News Bureau at the University of Georgia.
Beth Roberts: Columns editor, Juliett Dinkins: Columns managing editor,
Janet Beckley: Columns art director.
This site works best with the latest version of
Netscape Navigator 4.0 and Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0.