May 31-June 1, 2009 | Washington Post, National Law Journal
Supreme Court nominee Judge Sonia Sotomayor has heard thousands of cases and has issued as many rulings, but the early debate over her judicial philosophy in her confirmation battle comes down to one decision that may be overturned by the Supreme Court soon. Half of Sotomayor's six cases reviewed by the Court have been reversed. "Aggregate reversal rates tell you nothing," said Temple Law Professor David A. Hoffman in a page A1 story in the Post. He notes the court customarily reverses three-quarters of the cases it decides to review. "The way to judge a judge is to read the opinions," Hoffman said.
May 31, 2009 | Philadelphia Inquirer
Temple urban studies professor David Bartelt expects a radical change in what we define as Center City. In 20 years, the core of our city may extend deep into West Philadelphia, encompassing the University of Pennsylvania, and as far north on Broad Street as Temple University. Bartelt also likes to point out that in 1950, the city planning commission made its own projection of the future: In the year 2000, Philadelphia would have a population of three million. Actually, it was half that.
May 31, 2009 | Philadelphia Inquirer
In recent months, American newspapers experienced dramatic losses in advertising and felt the impact of a severe economic downturn. Ed Trayes, director of the Temple’s Master of Journalism program, offered his assessment of the Inquirer: "It's a good paper. It is still covering the bases." Trayes noted that the paper is tighter, with smaller pages and fewer stories, but said, "a newspaper's first obligation is to stay in business….The people who bought the Inquirer took on a huge public trust. They're trying."
May 31, 2009 | Philadelphia Inquirer
Obituaries have been part of newspapers from the beginning and today news of recent deaths remains central. To many newspaper readers, a printed obituary offers "value to people as a physical object that they're going to save, that they're going to clip out, that they're going to send to somebody," said Carolyn Kitch, associate professor of journalism at Temple. "It has a sense of proof that online versions do not."
May 31, 2009 | Philadelphia Inquirer
The Inquirer made a reputation for itself during the Civil War as one of the top newspapers in the country. The Inquirer "was of incalculable importance during the Civil War," said Anthony Waskie, Philadelphia historian and assistant professor of language and history at Temple. "It was the paper of record for the Lincoln administration and had a monumental role in shaping opinion about the war effort. It was pro-Lincoln and pro-Union -- but not a mouthpiece for [Lincoln's] Republican Party."
May 31, 2009 | Philadelphia Inquirer
If you like reading the paper version of the Inquirer, you are still going to be able to do that 20 years from now, but you will pay more for the privilege. Journalism Professor Christopher Harper, co-director of the Multimedia Urban Reporting Lab at Temple, said he could see newspapers adapting the model of cable television. In the future, wireless newspaper subscribers would pay a basic rate for basic news content, with incremental increases for more detailed packages.
May 31, 2009 | The Courier-Post (N.J.)
The Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood blames the commercialization of childhood for exacerbating problems like childhood obesity, youth violence, sexualization, underage alcohol and tobacco use and a rise in materialistic values. Sherri Hope Culver, a media professor at Temple and president of the National Association for Media Literacy Education, says parents need to have conversations with their children about what they see on TV. Help children learn the difference between a commercial and a TV program, she said.
May 31, 2009 | The Intelligencer (Bucks and Montgomery cos.)
Why did Bonnie Sweeten, a woman many perceived to be a role model of organization and consideration, concoct a false abduction story -- one of the strangest and most elaborate criminal hoaxes in recent memory? "It almost sounds like your classic cry for help,'' said Temple psychologist Frank Farley. "There was some planning, so it's not totally spontaneous, which is often a factor in crime. The key word is bizarre."
May 31, 2009 | The Intelligencer (Bucks and Montgomery cos.)
According to Susan Jacobson, an assistant professor of journalism at Temple, the Sweeten case, in which an alleged kidnapping turned out to be a hoax, provides us with teachable moments regarding social networking and message boards. "People in general will become more aware that information has a growth cycle," she said. 'People have not had the chance to figure out the dimensions of social media and exactly how much weight to give messages on Facebook or Twitter."
May 30, 2009 | York Daily Record
What's behind the series of earthquakes that has hit York County, Pennsylvania, near Dillsburg? "Geological maps show countless faults in the Dillsburg area, and it's possible that a reverse fault is at play. That's because of the booms residents are hearing," said George H. Myer, professor of earth and environmental sciences at Temple. "The primary waves refract off the surface and into the air, creating a vibrating noise that people can hear."
May 29, 2009 | Philadelphia Business Journal
Philadelphia's largest law firms have reduced summer intern hiring by 19 percent, cut the length of the programs and reduced weekly salaries. Melissa Lennon, assistant dean for career planning at Temple's Beasley School of Law, said students are concerned about receiving offers for full-time jobs. "Firms used to say, 'It's your offer to lose,' at the beginning of the summer," Lennon said. "That's clearly not true anymore. I think the approach will be 'It’s your offer to earn.' I wouldn't be surprised if that's what is communicated during orientation."
May 27, 2009 | CBS News
Katie Couric's "Couric & Co." blog covered a job search strategy session run by Temple's Career Center (the subject of a report airing tonight on "CBS Evening News"). The session was the brainchild of Career Center Director Rachel Brown, who thought in this economy, it made sense to give students extra training in the art of selling themselves. "[Employers] are not going to have time to sift through to find your story," Brown said. "You need to be able to tell your story, sell your story and back it up." CBS News interviewed four Temple students about their job search experiences: Cedric Hall, James Wilson, Tia Johnson and Daniel Santiago.
May 27, 2009 | Wall Street Journal, Reuters, Bloomberg, Xinhua (China), more
New research suggests that a majority of NFL players have elevated blood pressure and the biggest linemen may put themselves at risk of heart disease and diabetes. In the linemen the good cholesterols are lower, and the triglycerides are higher," both signals of potential cardiovascular risk, commented Alfred Bove of Temple's School of Medicine. Bove, the president of the American College of Cardiology, said athletic training is not the problem, unless it exposes a congenital heart defect. "I've worked with athletes for a long time and for the most part, these guys' hearts are fine. They adapt to the workload and their body size," Bove said.
May 27, 2009 | Philadelphia Inquirer
Caroline Stewart's "Social Circuit" column acknowledged the winners of the Fleischer Art Memorial's annual Founder's Awards, including artist Pepón Osorio, a faculty member in the Art and Art Education Department at Temple's Tyler School of Art.
May 26, 2009 | FOX Business
President Obama’s nomination of federal appeals court Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the U.S. Supreme Court will meet perfunctory resistance from some critics who are poised to portray her as anti-business. But her personal narrative is simply too alluring. Legal analysts believe she will almost certainly fly through the confirmation process. "I think there's very little that someone who would want to oppose her could use as a hook to latch on to," said David Hoffman, a professor at Temple's Beasley School of Law. "Ultimately, it’s a safe and savvy choice by the President."
May 26, 2009 | KYW News Radio
Before the nomination of Sonia Sotomayor was announced, Phoebe Haddon of Temple's Beasley School of Law (soon to be dean of the University of Maryland School of Law) was among the experts who said a woman was likely to be nominated to the Supreme Court by President Obama. The pool of potential women was much larger than any other time in history, she said. "There's been significant change. There are presently 212 federal judges who are women, that's about a quarter of the federal judiciary and that's extraordinary, as compared to 10 years ago, 20 years ago and 30 years ago."
May 26, 2009 | Philadelphia Inquirer
Government at all levels has turned to law schools in Philadelphia and beyond for experts to provide ideas and intellectual energy. Recently, Beasley School of Law Dean JoAnne Epps' name was tossed around as a potential nominee to replace retiring Supreme Court Justice David H. Souter. Temple Law also has supplied government agencies with faculty experts. Jan Ting had been an assistant commissioner with the Immigration and Naturalization Service in Washington; Phoebe Haddon, an expert on constitutional law and torts, was with the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority for a time.
May 26, 2009 | Inter Press Service (Italy)
North Korea’s nuclear tests are a grave security concern to Japan and have significantly raised tension in the region. Most analysts believe Japan would be a likely target if the regime were to ever use nuclear weapons in a major conflict. "The test this year is North Korea’s bid to get more attention and bargaining leverage with the United States," says Jeffrey Kingston of Temple University, Japan Campus. "The Obama Administration has played it cool and unlike its predecessors has not panicked, refusing to play the game by Pyongyang rules."
May 26, 2009 | Philadelphia Inquirer
Eleven years after a massive gasoline leak from Blue Bell Gulf tainted groundwater and sent vapors through a swath of Whitpain Township, the problems it caused haven't been solved. A water-pumping treatment system brought the pollution down to a level considered safe, but some gasoline additives are likely to linger for years. "We can't really clean up groundwater," said Laura Toran, chair of Environmental Geology at Temple. "It's a myth. You can protect the soil zone, and you can keep it away from some of the groundwater. But cleaning it up? That's a really tough row to hoe."
May 25, 2009 | NPR's "Talk of the Nation"
Can science keep kids sober at prom time? Temple Psychologist Laurence Steinberg, author of numerous books on parenting, is skeptical. "I worry about leaving parents with the overly optimistic belief that they can talk to their kids about how alcohol is going to affect their pre-frontal cortex and then send them out to the prom and think that the kids are going to be safe. What does work is the old standby-chaperoning, and limiting kids' access to the substances that can hurt them."
May 25, 2009 | Philadelphia Inquirer
Prominent Civil War Union Gen. George G. Meade and little-known Confederate soldier George Ashmead have been buried in Philadelphia's Laurel Hill Cemetery for more than a century, but only the general has been regularly celebrated. Yesterday, a tradition of honoring Meade at the graveyard on the holiday weekend was followed by an unusual twist: a ceremony in remembrance of Ashmead, the son of a prominent Germantown family whose Confederate affiliation was discovered in recent months. Standing before the general's grave, Anthony Waskie, the society's president and a Temple historian, praised Meade's bravery and humility. He cited an instance in which the general asked that praise go not to him, but to the soldiers of his army.
May 25, 2009 | Asian News International
Stressing the importance of play among children, a leading international development psychologist said that today’s kids are not playing enough, which could affect their mental development in adulthood. Temple psychologist Kathy Hirsh-Pasek warned that the trouble with the adults of tomorrow is that the children of today are not playing enough. She will present a paper on the importance of play at an upcoming Brisbane conference.
May 24, 2009 | Agence France-Presse, CNNmoney.com
General Motors Corp. is likely to take a page from Chrysler LLC's playbook in an expected bankruptcy that tests a legal strategy for a quick restructuring with heavy government backing, analysts said. Jonathan Lipson, a professor at Temple's Beasley School of Law, said the Obama administration may be taking a major role in the auto cases to counter hedge funds and others that buy up debt through "what is essentially an unregulated securities market."
May 24, 2009 | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
A few years ago, the SEC began requiring companies to disclose more information regarding not only how much they pay top executives. Now the Obama administration, which has imposed pay restrictions on financial institutions that accepted taxpayer investments through the Treasury Department's Troubled Asset Relief Program, may start limiting compensation at all companies. "President Obama is definitely thinking about doing something," says Fox School of Business compensation expert Steven Balsam, who has testified before Congress on executive pay.
May 22-26, 2009 | USA Today, Reuters, HealthDay, Forbes, Ivanhoe, MSN Health, 6ABC, more
People who are obese with type 2 diabetes can also have high instances of undiagnosed sleep apnea as well, according to a study in the June issue of Diabetes Care. The Temple University-led study found that out of 306 participants, nearly 87 percent had symptoms of sleep apnea, but none were ever diagnosed with the disorder. “The high prevalence of undiagnosed, and therefore, untreated sleep apnea among obese patients with type 2 diabetes constitutes a serious public health problem, said Gary Foster, director of the Center for Obesity Research and Education.
May 22, 2009 | Associated Press Radio
Governor Ed Rendell addressed graduates of Temple's Beasley School of Law yesterday, including his son Jesse, saying new lawyers shouldn't expect to get rich. Rendell, who served as Philadelphia's district attorney for two terms before becoming the city's mayor and later the state's governor, said that concentrating on public service and family may yield a less traditional type of success but one that is ultimately more enriching.
May 22, 2009 | The Comcast Network
Art Fennell talked with guests regarding a new sports betting deal in Delaware. According to Bryant Simon, a history professor in Temple’s College of Liberal Arts, our acceptance of gambling as a revenue form is here to stay. “What is interesting about this is that 30 years ago when gambling came to Atlantic City, there was a vast amount of moral opposition. That simply has melted away.”
May 21-22, 2009 | Associated Press, Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia Daily News, 6ABC, more
Pennsylvania Gov. Edward G. Rendell, the keynote speaker at the Beasley School of Law's commencement ceremony in the Liacouras Center, told Temple Law graduates that making a difference in people's lives was more important than a quest for personal wealth. He encouraged grads to consider entering a career in public service. After his son, Jesse, received his degree, Rendell greeted him with a hug -- a moment that was captured in a photograph that was published on the back page of the Inquirer's "Local" section.
May 21, 2009 | Philadelphia Inquirer
R. Seth Williams, the Democratic nominee for district attorney in Philadelphia, captured a decisive plurality by mining votes in the city's predominantly African American and Latino wards. Williams' winning combination of "African Americans and liberal whites" is the same coalition credited with Nutter's primary victory two years ago, said Temple University political science professor Michael Hagen, an expert on campaigns and elections. "I know a lot of people would want to declare that the influence of race [in electoral politics] is over, both in Philadelphia and nationally, but I don't think that is the case."
May 21, 2009 | Jewish Exponent
The release of Narcissism Epidemic has caused a stir nationwide. According to the authors, narcissism has become pervasive in American society today, contributing to the current economic crisis and creating a generation of young people in whom narcissism is the new normal. Brian Daly, a pediatric psychologist in Temple University's College of Health Professions, disagrees. "I think there have been some increases in narcissism, but it's not an epidemic."
May 21, 2009 | NBC Philadelphia, NBC Chicago, NBC Bay Area, more
President Obama's suggestion that it may be a good time for the best and the brightest to work for the government has inspired more than a few students, but a government job has other virtues. "It seems more secure from the student perspective and the benefits are good," said Zelon Crawford, director of graduate career management and corporate relations at Temple University's Fox School of Business.
May 21, 2009 | Inside Higher Ed
To some, Google's mammoth book digitization project with universities has the potential to make millions of volumes available to audiences that could never visit major research libraries in person. To others, the project represents a dangerous centralization and corporatization of content. Steven Bell, associate university librarian for research and instructional services at Temple University, said that despite some of the complications he remains “optimistic that this can be a good thing for the preservation and accessibility of these collections."
May 20, 2009 | International Herald Tribune, New York Times
In his "Letter From America" column, IHT's Richard Bernstein explores the subject of The Bitter Road to Freedom, the latest book by Temple historian William Hitchcock: "the underappreciated, almost ignored fact in the grand narrative of World War II that the Allied invasion of Normandy caused something on the order of 19,890 civilian deaths" in France. These deaths took place between June 6 and Aug. 25, 1944, when, as Hitchcock has put it, “Normandy would be chewed into a bloody, unrecognizable mess.” It is important to stress that these civilian casualties were among the allied and friendly French citizens who, as Hitchcock writes, “yearned for liberation.”
May 20, 2009 | Philadelphia Inquirer
Most everyone knows artists and young people to be the urban pioneers of modern-day cities, seeking cheap real estate in neighborhoods suffering postindustrial decay. But dogs? With couples putting off child-rearing while they establish their careers, "pets, especially dogs, can serve that companion role," said David Elesh, an urban sociology professor in Temple’s College of Liberal Arts. Neighborhoods are changing in cities across the country, he said, and dogs are increasingly part of that shift.
May 20, 2009 | International Herald Tribune, New York Times
In his "Letter From America" column, IHT's Richard Bernstein explores the subject of The Bitter Road to Freedom, the latest book by Temple historian William Hitchcock: "the underappreciated, almost ignored fact in the grand narrative of World War II that the Allied invasion of Normandy caused something on the order of 19,890 civilian deaths" in France. These deaths took place between June 6 and Aug. 25, 1944, when, as Hitchcock has put it, “Normandy would be chewed into a bloody, unrecognizable mess.” It is important to stress that these civilian casualties were among the allied and friendly French citizens who, as Hitchcock writes, “yearned for liberation.”
May 20, 2009 | Philadelphia Inquirer
Most everyone knows artists and young people to be the urban pioneers of modern-day cities, seeking cheap real estate in neighborhoods suffering postindustrial decay. But dogs? With couples putting off child-rearing while they establish their careers, "pets, especially dogs, can serve that companion role," said David Elesh, an urban sociology professor in Temple’s College of Liberal Arts. Neighborhoods are changing in cities across the country, he said, and dogs are increasingly part of that shift.
May 19, 2009 | Philadelphia Inquirer
On Sunday’s Weekend Edition, National Public Radio's Nina Totenberg tossed out a few names as possible dark-horse Supreme Court nominees. Among them was Temple Law School dean JoAnne Epps, who says she was "stunned and amazed to be on the list." But when asked if she would accept an offer, she said she would decline. "I feel like I have the better job here," said Epps.
May 19, 2009 | Philadelphia Inquirer
On Sunday’s Weekend Edition, National Public Radio's Nina Totenberg tossed out a few names as possible dark-horse Supreme Court nominees. Among them was Temple Law School dean JoAnne Epps, who says she was "stunned and amazed to be on the list." But when asked if she would accept an offer, she said she would decline. "I feel like I have the better job here," said Epps.
May 18, 2009 | CNBC.com
Financial institutions and insurance companies that become too big to manage are likely to become too big to fail, writes William Dunkelberg, an economics professor in Temple’s College of Liberal Arts, as a guest blogger. According to Dunkelberg, “Until we can be convinced that having the “largest bank in the world” is good for the average saver, consumer and small business, smaller, better run, more customer oriented banks might better serve our economic interest.
May 18, 2009 | Advertising Age
In an op-ed responding to an AdAge editorial about the government's automotive task force slashing Chrysler's advertising budget, Jonathan Lipson, a professor in Temple's Beasley School of Law, defended the government's involvement with GM and Chrysler. "I believe if you make a good product, you should get to sell it and make money. If you make a lousy product, you should go out of business," wrote Lipson. "Thus, in ordinary market conditions, I would say the government has no role in salvaging any U.S. automaker…The problem is that our capital markets have not worked properly since at least last September."
May 18, 2009 | Bloomberg
In Japan, a new law is ending prosecutors' long-held control over indictments, handing it to a panel of eleven citizens -- effectively a grand jury. The law is part of a reform aimed at restoring public trust after miscarriages of justice undermined a system that produces guilty verdicts 99.7 percent of the time in criminal trials. "We're likely to see a continuation of high conviction rates," said Matthew Wilson, general counsel at Temple University, Japan Campus, and adviser to the national bar association on jury trials. Wilson said that if convictions to fall from the current level, it would "call into question the system that has been built in Japan over the last 60 or 70 years."
May 18, 2009 | CNBC.com
Financial institutions and insurance companies that become too big to manage are likely to become too big to fail, writes William Dunkelberg, an economics professor in Temple’s College of Liberal Arts, as a guest blogger. According to Dunkelberg, “Until we can be convinced that having the “largest bank in the world” is good for the average saver, consumer and small business, smaller, better run, more customer oriented banks might better serve our economic interest.”
May 17, 2009 | USA Today, Houston Chronicle, MyFox Atlanta, many more
A group of American Muslims is moving closer to fulfilling a vision of founding the first four-year accredited Islamic college in the United States. Mahmoud Ayoub, a retired professor of Islamic studies at Temple University, believes Muslims are better off attending established American schools. "I don't know that I would send my child to go to a college where they can only learn tradition. Young people have to live," said Ayoub, who has worked with the U.S. State Department, representing America in the Muslim world. "I like mixing people. I don't like ghettos."
May 17, 2009 | USA Today, Houston Chronicle, MyFox Atlanta, many more
A group of American Muslims is moving closer to fulfilling a vision of founding the first four-year accredited Islamic college in the United States. Mahmoud Ayoub, a retired professor of Islamic studies at Temple University, believes Muslims are better off attending established American schools. "I don't know that I would send my child to go to a college where they can only learn tradition. Young people have to live," said Ayoub, who has worked with the U.S. State Department, representing America in the Muslim world. "I like mixing people. I don't like ghettos."
May 17, 2009 | NPR's "Weekend Edition"
In response to hints from the White House, NPR legal affairs correspondent Nina Totenberg offered a list of potential U.S. Supreme Court nominees, focusing on "people who are not often mentioned in the media." JoAnne Epps, dean of Temple's Beasley School of Law, was one of eight prospective nominees on the list. Totenberg said that Epps "has won plaudits as a scholar after serving many years as a prosecutor in the state and federal courts."
May 17, 2009 | Allentown Morning Call
Bethlehem, Pa., has pinned much of the city's future on the new jobs, host fees and cash-carrying visitors that the Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem is expected to bring. But some critics wonder whether it's the right time to open a casino. Bryant Simon, a Temple historian, says much has changed since Sands first came to Bethlehem in 2008. Extravagance has become less appealing spending is in retreat. ''Can [Sands] be successful? Maybe, but Pennsylvania got into the casino business based on the idea of growing the spending pie,'' Simon said. ''Since last year, the pie is shrinking.''
May 17, 2009 | 6ABC
Temple celebrated a milestone -- its 125th anniversary -- at the annual Founder's Day Celebration. Alumni and friends attended a gala in Center City honoring Temple's founder, Russell Conwell, and the achievements of the university's alumni over the years.
May 15, 2009 | Philadelphia Business Journal
Students graduating from area colleges may be having a tougher time finding a job than their predecessors, but they're still better off than those in other parts of the country. Career placement officials say the situation for grads isn't as dire as the news about the economy indicates. "It's definitely a little bit tighter than it has been in the last couple of years, however, we are trying to instill a sense of hope in the students," said Corinne Snell, the executive director of the Center for Student Professional Development at Temple's Fox School of Business.
May 15, 2009 | WHYY-FM
The Gun Violence Task Force, a partnership between the offices of Philadelphia's District Attorney and the Commonwealth's Attorney General, has made more than 300 arrests since its inception in 2006. The task force works with the Philadelphia Police to attack the proliferation of illegal guns on city streets. "The natural question that arises is how many of these folks will actually get convicted, how long will they go away for and will there be a demonstrable improvement in public safety directly attributable to these efforts," said Ralph Taylor, a professor of criminal justice at Temple's College Liberal Arts.
May 15, 2009 | Reuters Health
Primary care doctors who counsel African-American patients about obesity should remain sensitive to the perceptions of their patients, according to a recent Temple study. "Patients want and expect their physicians to initiate a discussion on weight management, and the manner in which they communicate does affect how patients receive these messages," said Stephanie H. Ward of Temple's School of Medicine. "Messages need to be individualized, emphasize the benefits of weight loss, and be timed appropriately in order to motivate the behavior change necessary for weight loss."
May 15, 2009 | AP Radio News
Some freshly minted grads at Temple wasted no time starting their job searches. They went straight from the university's 122nd Commencement Exercises to a school-hosted career fair.
May 14-15, 2009 | Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times, Philadelphia Inquirer, Miami Herald, Boston Globe, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, San Francisco Chronicle, Denver Post, ABCNews.com, MSNBC.com, Forbes.com, many more
Some Temple graduates went straight from Commencement to the university's Career Center for a job search open house -- the first Temple had ever conducted on graduation day. In this economy, says Career Center Director Rachel Brown, it's important to show support for the newest alumni. Among the gown-wearing graduates who came to pick up portfolios of job search strategies were Lauren Archut, Jacquelyn Pinto, Alex McMahon and Neil Dubin. "I know the economy is bad," said Dubin, adding he's "just trying to g! et! any information I can." He's thinking about government work, which is one of the fields in which Brown sees opportunities. She also sees good prospects in education, health care and smaller, entrepreneurial companies. Brown asks students to "think outside the box" as they searched for opportunities. "Put yourself out there," she urged.
May 14, 2009 | CNN
Millions of people suffer from migraines, which can be triggered by noise, lights or scents and are certainly debilitating. Ausim Azizi, chair of the Department of Neurology at Temple's School of Medicine, says symptoms change as we age and even mimic more serious neurological conditions as we approach our fifties. "Of course, at age 50, the other neurologic signs and symptoms catch up with us, so we have to not ignore those and make sure that we work our patients for strokes and other things and be aware of those other conditions."
May 14, 2009 | 6ABC, NBC10, CBS3, Fox29, Comcast Sports Network
Thousands of Temple students and their families crowded into the university's Liacouras Center today to attend Temple's 122nd Commencement Exercises. Although the occasion was joyous, some graduates expressed anxiety about the economy and job prospects. "It's hard -- real hard," admitted Temple historian David Farber, one of the speakers at the ceremony. "But every time we've faced this challenge, we've come back stronger," he said. One of the beaming graduates was C. Wilbert McCabe, age 67, who earned a Ph.D. in African American ! st! udies. Another was Temple basketball star Dionte Christmas.
May 14, 2009 | Associated Press
Some graduating students at Temple wasted no time beginning their job searches: They went straight from commencement to a school-hosted career fair. Nearly every speaker at the main ceremony referenced the bad economy. Graduates who later visited the school's career center received a portfolio of job search strategies and employment counseling. Career center director Rachel Brown says Temple officials thought it was important in this economy to show support for their newest alumni.
May 14, 2009 | Philadelphia Daily News
Recent research indicates music influences our cognitive, spiritual, physical, social and emotional well-being and causes physiological improvements in heart rate, blood pressure and anxiety. "In short, music affects our quality of life," said Joke Bradt, a music therapist who works at Temple's Arts and Quality of Life Research Center. AQLRC recently conducted a program at a North Philadelphia community organization that explored the impact of music therapy on cardiovascular disease in Latina women.
May 14, 2009 | NBC10
More than 4,000 Temple students and their families will crowd into the university's Liacouras Center today to attend graduation. The students will march inside the center just before 10 a.m. for Commencement ceremonies scheduled to last just under two hours. This is Temple's 122nd graduation. The school's first freshman class attended back in 1884, when Chester Arthur was president.
May 14, 2009 | philly.com
The light rain falling in Philadelphia this morning didn't dampen the excitement of graduating Temple students as they made their way to the Liacouras Center for the ceremony. Pictured are: Adrienne Long, Beth Davis, Catharine Flanagan, Allison Paytas and Tiffany Miller.
May 13, 2009 | Philadelphia Inquirer
With close to half of all marriages ending in divorce, most weddings today come with multiple mothers and stepfathers, blended in-laws, grandparents and step-siblings. Managing them is on every event planner's agenda. In fact, ex etiquette is a subject that's increasingly being covered in hospitality and event-management programs at local colleges. Ira Rosen, an adjunct professor at Temple University's School of Tourism and Hospitality Management, said the topic started showing up in courses about eight years ago.
May 12, 2009 | CBS3
The Philadelphia skyline looks a little different tonight. And it’s all to honor an educational institution. Temple University is celebrating its 125th anniversary. Landmarks including Liberty 1, 2 and the Ben Franklin Bridge are taking part in “Paint the Town Cherry” week. Cherry is the school’s signature color. Temple is also touting the way students and staff make a difference in their communities. A Temple fact? One in eight greater Philadelphia college graduates holds a Temple degree.
May 12, 2009 | NBC10
A new study by a local doctor has found some interesting cultural differences in the way women view their bodies. The Temple University study surveyed 81 women from North Philadelphia, mostly Hispanic or African American, about their perceptions of their current and ideal body size, and most thought they were slimmer than they actually are. “When the women picked their ideal body size, it was smaller than their current size but still not what we would consider to be healthy,” said the study’s author, Marisa Rose, who added the reasons could be social or cultural.
May 12, 2009 | Glamour
"Vitamin G," Glamour magazine's health and fitness blog, reports on a Temple study on the counterintuitive correlation between body image and weight. Marisa Rose of Temple's School of Medicine studied the body image perceptions of 81 underweight, normal weight, overweight or obese women and found that the majority of the overweight women believed they were at their
May 12, 2009 | Glamour
"Vitamin G," Glamour magazine's health and fitness blog, reports on a Temple study on the counterintuitive correlation between body image and weight. Marisa Rose of Temple's School of Medicine studied the body image perceptions of 81 underweight, normal weight, overweight or obese women and found that the majority of the overweight women believed they were at their ideal size/shape. "So the question for doctors then becomes, 'How can we effectively treat our overweight and obese patients, when they don't feel they're in harm's way?'" asked Rose.
May 12, 2009 | CBS3
During a morning traffic report, CBS3 showed a scene from Boathouse Row, one of the Philadelphia landmarks illuminated in cherry or white as part of Paint the Town Cherry Week, a celebration of Temple's 125th anniversary.
May 12, 2009 | Philadelphia Inquirer
In an op-ed on the confirmation of Cass Sunstein, President Obama's nominee to serve as the federal government's "regulatory czar, co-author and environmental law expert Amy Sinden, a professor at Temple's Beasley School of Law, explores the increasingly controversial use of "cost-benefit analysis" to evaluate proposed regulations. The authors argue that such analyses serve only to water down health, safety and environmental regulations.
May 11, 2009 | BBC Radio
The Japanese government has come under pressure to help end the civil war between the Sri Lankan government and the Tamil Tigers. "Japan has a long track record demonstrating its reluctance to use leverage to pressure governments to change their policies," said Jeff Kingston of Temple University, Japan Campus. "The Japanese are the leading donor of official development assistance to Sri Lanka…They have a lot of influence in Sri Lanka, but they prefer to remain behind the scenes."
May 11, 2009 | Wall Street Journal
WSJ's "Law Blog" reported on an unusual debate that has emerged on the periphery of a discussion about Supreme Court nominees. The subject: the Socratic method. The opening salvo was fired by Professor David Hoffman of Temple's Beasley School of Law, who blamed the Socratic method for creating a warped standard for measuring the quality of lawyer and judges. "We don’t want the smartest justice. We want the wisest. Or at least someone who understands that smartness correlates with wisdom about as well as law does to justice," wrote Hoffman.
May 11, 2009 | 6ABC, WRTI-FM, CW Philly
The Ben Franklin Bridge, City Hall, the Cira Centre, Liberty One and Liberty Two are among the major Philadelpia Landmarks that will be illuminated in cherry and white to honor Temple's 125th birthday. The celebration is part of Paint the Town Cherry Week. Alumni around Philadelphia and the world are being encouraged to wear Temple's colors.
May 11, 2008 | Bloomberg
Ichiro Ozawa resigned as leader of Japan's opposition over a campaign-funding scandal, abandoning a two-month fight for survival that jeopardized his party's prospects for an unprecedented election victory. "Ozawa has far exceeded his shelf-life," said Jeff Kingston, a political science professor at Temple University, Japan Campus. "Until the scandal broke out, the election was the [the Democratic Party of Japan's for the taking."
May 11, 2008 | Philadelphia Inquirer
In an op-ed responding to a series on the need to reform Philadelphia's Board of Revision of Taxes, Joseph P. McLaughlin, Jr., director of Temple's Institute for Public Affairs, argues that patronage can help cities thrive. "Political parties need to reward followers, particularly if they are to cope with powerful interests, such as businesses and unions," he wrote. "But patronage is defensible only under three conditions: the jobs are real, not invented; the workers are qualified to do them; and they show up and do them efficiently."
May 11, 2008 | United Press International
Just as a poor body image can lead to health problems, so too can an extremely good body image. Marisa Rose of Temple's School of Medicine studied the body image perceptions of women in the Philadelphia area and found that 20 percent of the obese or overweight participants felt that an obese size was their ideal body shape. "So the question for doctors then becomes, 'How can we effectively treat our overweight and obese patients, when they don't feel they're in harm's way?'" said Rose.
May 10, 2008 | USA Today
From late-night television quips to designer surgical masks, some reactions to the ongoing H1N1 influenza outbreak, better known as swine flu, have been silly. For those who fell ill or lost loved ones, it was no laughing matter, says Temple psychologist Frank Farley. But for many, humor has been a coping tool, he says. "It's a survival mechanism in a sense," Farley said. "Without it, we might get overwhelmed with our fear." Farley says if the outbreak had been called H1N1 from the start, it might not have spawned so many chuckles.
May 10, 2008 | Allentown Morning Call
Studies show that tens of thousands of people are likely to struggle with gambling addiction after a casino opens up in Bethlehem. Those working with senior citizens should expect them to become targets of the casino, especially midweek to keep the slots floor busy, said Bryant Simon, professor of history at Temple, who has studied the impact of slots in Atlantic City. The casino can be a good place for seniors to meet people, he said, but it can also be a dangerous temptation so close to home.
May 8, 2009 | WHYY-FM
An architecture competition in Philadelphia is pushing the uses of sustainable building materials. Design teams from around the world built small shelters in the woods. The experiment tests how far you can stretch green building. One of them looks like a bench canopied by a translucent, silk-screened tarp. "[The material] is a high-density polyethylene fiber that has been layered and made into a fabric," said Rashida Ng, a faculty member in the Architecture Department at Temple's Tyler School of Art who researches emerging building materials. "It's almost paper-like, like a wing. But the material itself is 15 times stronger than steel."!
May 8, 2009 | Philadelphia Inquirer, Associated Press, Chronicle of Higher Education
Temple may have been the first to benefit from a string of mysterious donations to colleges led by women. At least 13 schools with female presidents have received anonymous contributions totaling nearly $75 million in the last two months. In Temple's case, the gift arrived in January 2008 in two envelopes, one with a $1 million check, another with a $4 million check. Temple used the first check to fund student performance groups at its refurbished Baptist Temple and the second for an endowment that has generated scholarships to 25 undergraduates this year, officials said. "I really can't imagine who [the donor] is, if it's someone that I know," said Temple President Ann Weaver Hart. "The person opening the mail had quite a shock."
May 8, 2009 | Los Angeles Times
Overweight and obese women at an inner-city family planning clinic apparently don't assess their physical characteristics in quite the same way that medical professionals do: They tend to like their bodies. A recent study found that some of the overweight participants chose the heavier versions as their ideal, when presented with silhouettes of different body shapes. The researchers, from Temple's Center for Obesity Research and Education, point out that the health risks of being overweight mean women ignore reality at their own peril.
May 8, 2009 | Korea Herald
According to a new book, Korea's national brand is in dire need of a boost. Professor Keith Dinnie of Temple University, Japan Campus, recently gave a seminar in Seoul to promote the Korean translation of his book Nation Branding: Concepts, Issues, Practice. In the book, the professor of business administration analyzes the unique nature of Korea's weak national brand. "The current administration's efforts to boost Korea! 's! brand is positive. It's great that the president is taking a personal interest in nation branding," he said.
May 7, 2009 | Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia Daily News
Temple's football program got a significant boost when the NCAA acknowledged the school's demonstrated improvement in the 2009 Academic Progress Rate report. "Now, a lot of people are emulating our model," said Temple football coach Al Golden. "This is not just a story about academics. It's about commitment and discipline and doing the right things. And not just in the classroom. It all goes into being part of something. Something you can be proud of."
May 6, 2009 | CNN's "Lou Dobbs Tonight"
A Supreme Court ruling finds that illegal immigrants aren't guilty of identity theft if they don’t know they’re stealing a real person’s social security number. This may lead to a reprieve for hundreds of illegal immigrants busted for identity theft in Iowa. Jan Ting of Temple's Beasley School of Law said that in the U.S., we have millions of illegal aliens who are working on illegal documents, as well as a burgeoning counterfeit document industry that has been growing ever since the first amnesty was enacted in 1986.
May 6, 2009 | WHYY-FM
Candidates for Philadelphia City Controller, an office with significant powers, gathered for a roundtable recently. Political scientist Joe McLaughlin, director of Temple's Institute for Public Affairs, said the position often draws politicians with an independent streak who end up irritating others in city government. "Controllers are auditing departments and issuing reports that can make recommendations on how policy should be changed. This gets attention in the press and the relevant departments have to respond."
May 6, 2009 | Agence France-Presse
Chrysler appears to be on a fast-track to clear bankruptcy court and start afresh in an alliance with Fiat, after a key ruling that could allow a quick sale of its assets, analysts say. But the troubled automaker still faces a long road ahead as it tries to emerge from court protection and gain traction in a difficult North American market. Jonathan Lipson, a professor at Temple's Beasley School of Law, said the case is highly unusual because of the involvement of the White House but consistent with precedent on quick bankruptcy asset sales to help preserve a company's value.
May 6, 2009 | Yahoo! News, LiveScience.com
Fear is contagious during a disease outbreak, as shown by a survey last week finding that almost half of Americans worried that they or a family member could get sick from the swine flu. But it's all old news to Hollywood, which has long turned out movies that play on fears of infection and uncertainty. "The way contagion is spread is greatly exaggerated in most fictional depictions of disease, said Sarah Bass, a Temple public health researcher. Bass cited zombie movies "28 Days Later" and "28 Weeks Later," in which viral infections produce instant symptoms -- a stark contrast with reality.
May 6, 2009 | philly.com, Northeast Times
Temple student Shannon McDonald, a senior journalism major, has endured plenty of harshly critical e-mails in the aftermath of a piece she wrote for a class assignment that reported on racial slurs used by a police officer. Yet she remains convinced that she did the right thing in reporting her experiences. "The journalist's job is to be objective and to tell the story, but the community might not like it," McDonald said. She has little sympathy for the young officer's consequences. "I don't know about his interactions with other people. I don't know what he faces every day. I just know what I saw and what he said to me." An associated editorial column defended McDonald, arguing she "was only doing her job."
May 6, 2009 | NPR's "All Things Considered"
NPR education correspondent Larry Abramson visited Temple's Career Center to see how graduates are preparing themselves for a challenging job market. At a session to help students turn their degree into a selling point, Temple's Mary Claire Dismukes urged students to fine-tune their resumes and take care to highlight their individual strengths. Dismukes says students at this diverse, urban school have an obvious selling point: "Many Temple students work while going to school, so they have the ability to manage multiple tasks. They've already had significant responsibilities." Those responsibilities could end up becoming a temporary career. Teresa Heilman, a biology major, explained how she's made some good contacts through her waitressing job. She's been sending out a lot of resumes to local pharmaceutical companies. "It's scary. But I'm persistent. I'm sure my abilities will shine through eventually," Heilman says.
May 6, 2009 | LiveScience
Fear is contagious during a disease outbreak, as shown by a survey last week finding that almost half of Americans worried that they or a family member could get sick from the swine flu. But it's all old news to Hollywood, which has long turned out movies that play on fears of infection and uncertainty. "The way contagion is spread or the time in which it takes contagion to spread is greatly exaggerated in most fictional depictions of disease," said Sarah Bass, a public health researcher at Temple's College of Health Professions.
May 6, 2009 | Philadelphia Inquirer
With $10 billion up for grabs, medical scientists in Philadelphia and across the nation are frantically seeking researchers' lifeblood: grant money. Last week the NIH said it received more than 15,000 proposals for 200 to 300 challenge grants. Temple submitted 90 applications.
May 6, 2009 | Philadelphia Inquirer
Grumpymoms.com -- part of the "bad-mommy" confessional genre, both online and in print -- has exploded in popularity in recent months as it exposes the less-than-blissful side of motherhood. Parenting experts, however, see the reality check that sharing maternal woes can offer, even as they wonder whether more serious concerns lurk below the surface. "It will help us readjust the myth of the perfect mother," said Marsha Weinraub, chair of Temple's Department of Psychology and a specialist in parent-child relations.
May 6, 2009 | Legal Intelligencer
Law schools across the country may soon feel the push toward making their curricula more real-world oriented, according to one panel of law school deans. And to that end, teamwork and management skills are much more important today than they were even 10 years ago. JoAnne Epps, dean of Temple’s Beasley School of Law, agreed, saying law students today need to learn to be strategic thinkers, to understand organizations and to understand management -- skills that were, up until now, taught almost exclusively in business school.
May 5, 2009 | Agence France-Presse
A museum in Philadelphia that possesses a sample of Abraham Lincoln's blood plans to submit the relic to scientific analysis in hopes of shedding light on the mysterious ailments that afflicted the 16th U.S. president. The Grand Army of the Republic Museum's board unanimously approved "further investigation into the sciences, legacy and history of the artifact (a piece of bloodstained pillow taken from the Peterson house where Lincoln died after being shot by an assassin)," according to its vice president Andy Waskie, a Temple historian and professor.
May 5, 2009 | CBS3
A strange disorder leads people to get violent during their sleep. Episodes of REM behavior disorder (or RBD) are very disturbing to sufferers. According to Frederic Jaffe, a sleep disorders specialist at Temple's School of Medicine, it’s not clear what is happening in the brain to cause the unconscious violent outbursts. The disease can strike anyone and is thought to, in some case, preclude the onset of Parkinson’s Disease.
May 5, 2009 | Philadelphia Inquirer
Was the 16th president dying of cancer when he was shot by assassin John Wilkes Booth? Last night the board of Philadelphia’s Grand Army of the Republic Museum and Library turned down a request to test a Lincoln artifact, while leaving open the possibility of future testing by the National Museum of Health. "We are going to pursue this in the best interest of the museum, of the legacy of Abraham Lincoln, and of the integrity of the artifact." said Andy Waskie, a board member and assistant professor of language and history at Temple.
May 5, 2009 | Philadelphia Inquirer, CBS3
School officials aired on the side of caution when they closed two elementary schools after students appeared to show signs of the H191 (or swine flu) virus. Health officials agreed that closing the schools, located in New Jersey and Delaware, was a smart move to minimize the potential spread of the virus. Thomas Fekete, chief of infectious diseases at the Temple's School of Medicine, doesn’t believe the closures were an overreaction. "It depends on whether you like to gamble."
May 4, 2009 | WHYY-FM's "Radio Times with Marty Moss-Coane"
Sarah Bass, a professor of public health in Temple's College of Health Professions who specializes in risk communication, discussed the media's role in disseminating information about the swine flu, why it's gotten so much attention, and what the reported numbers really mean. "When we have a 24-7 news cycle, we always have to have something on," she said. "That breeds a lot of information over a short period of time, which can raise alert levels."
May 4, 2009 | Prevention
Infectious disease experts say there are five reasons why the swine flu will not become a deadly pandemic: geography, timing, advances in medical care, quick diagnoses and mild virulence. "The word 'pandemic' is scarier than it sounds. All it means is a spread of infectious disease from person to person across a
large region or country," said Deborah Nelson, an associate professor of public health at Temple's College of Health Professions.
May 4, 2009 | Fox29
Officials have confirmed a 31-year-old Mexican man is the first confirmed case of H191 virus, or swine flu, in Pennsylvania. There are seven other probable cases in the state. Leading health experts, like Thomas Fekete, section chief of Infectious Diseases at Temple's School of Medicine, urges everyone to exercise good hygiene, like thorough hand-washing, and not panic. "We hope to have a vaccine ready for when the flu season starts so that along with your natural immunity will be enough to protect you."
May 4, 2009 | KYW News Radio
Health officials at all levels have been given a workout, tracking and treating cases of swine flu, and comparing best practices. To a microbiologist like Thomas Fekete of Temple's School of Medicine, the swine flu virus is a marvel of simplicity -- eight or nine genes creating a stealth pathogen that evades the body's defenses. "If I were trying to be a virus, would this be a good model to follow?" Fekete asked. "I think the answer is yes. This virus doesn't want to kill you -- you're a customer!"
May 3, 2009 | Philadelphia Weekly
In an op-ed, Temple journalism instructor Larry Atkins asks: What will we read when newspapers die? If the success of several Philadelphia-area cyber-entrepreneurs is an indicator, the answer lies on the web. Atkins talked to the people behind several of Philly's leading Web sites to find out their secrets of success. Their advice: Emphasize quality content, hard work, marketing skills and passion.
May 3, 2009 | South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Chicago Tribune
Zombies, black magic, dolls impaled with stickpins, witch doctors muttering spells and curses: Vodou, or "voodoo" as many people spell it, is the eye of a storm of fears and stereotypes. Many of them are untruths or half-truths, according to Terry Rey, a religion professor in Temple's College of Liberal Arts. "Vodou doesn't include sticking pins into dolls to harm someone. That's largely Hollywood fiction." Although, said Rey, in rare cases, African culture does include using effigies to direct "supernaturally destructive forces" at a person.
May 3, 2009 | Comcast Network
As health officials keep a close eye on the growing number of H191 (or swine flu) cases, every sniffle and cough is viewed as a sign of having the virus. However, Robert Bettiker, assistant professor of medicine in the Infectious Diseases section at Temple's School of Medicine, says there are other culprits at play, like allergies or colds. He urges life should go on as normal. "I think travel is safe, though if I had a fever or cough I would cancel my trip just as a precaution."
May 1, 2009 | NBC10
Obama's first 100 days have given us a lot to think about in terms of big picture and character issues. Temple psychologist Frank Farley, who has studied the presidency and risk-taking behavior, weighed in, saying that Obama has shown he is a big thinker and master multi-tasker. "One of the standout qualities is the kind of high stakes decision making he's going through."
May 1, 2009 | HealthDay
Stephanie Ward, an internist at Temple's School of Medicine, is a lead researcher on a study dealing with patients' perception of how physicians talk about the touchy subject. The study found that words matter and that patients overall don't care for the word "obese." "Physicians should consider counseling approaches that let them remain accessible to patients, offering concrete advice on weight loss goals, diet, exercise, and potential ways to address individual barriers," said Ward.
May 1, 2009 | Wall Street Journal
A Dow Jones Newswires story explores foreign insurers' fight against legislation that would tax offshore related-party transactions. They will release a study claiming that proposals in Congress would increase U.S. premiums across business lines by an average of 2 percent. That translates to an added $10 billion to $12 billion per year paid by Americans for insurance coverage, according to the study. "There is just not enough capacity in the U.S. market to reinsure all the risk we have," said study co-author J. David Cummins, a professor at Temple's Fox School of Business. "We have so much property and so much exposure that we need to diversify globally."!
May 1, 2009 | News Journal (Wilmington, Del.)
Because putting on a proper opera isn't cheap, OperaDelaware and Temple are partnering to keep the arias coming. "We used the same singers in 'La Boheme,'" said John Douglas, an associate professor at Temple's Boyer College of Music and Dance. "They were Temple students. We shared the sets and costumes. We used OperaDelaware's children's chorus. It saved us both a lot of money." The collaboration is a natural one because of mutual respect and the need to save money, said Jamie Johnson of Temple University Opera Theater. "We talk with each other each year with what we would be doing," Johnson said. "It's a positive, econom! ic! al way to work."
April 21-May 4, 2009 | Chicago Tribune, Orlando Sentinel, South Florida Sun-Sentinel, more
More Americans are starting to understand the reality of what it takes to retire, writes financial columnist Humberto Cruz. According to a survey conducted by Jack VanDerhei of Temple's Fox School of Business, just 13 percent of American workers, down from 18 percent last year, are "very" confident of having enough money for a comfortable retirement. That 13 percent is the lowest on record. "Given the uncertainties that exist about the economy, it is no surprise the downward trend has continued," VanDerhei said.
April In the Media... |
