Life News (Popular Culture)

Filters close
Released: 20-May-1999 12:00 AM EDT
NBA Draft Lottery--Are Teams Losing to Win?
Baylor University

With Saturday's National Basketball Association draft lottery looming, two Baylor University economists have released their findings on tournament incentives in pro basketball, specifically the time-honored notion that teams "lose to win."

   
Released: 8-May-1999 12:00 AM EDT
USA Today Founder Al Neuharth: Commencement Speaker
Washington State University

Allen H. Neuharth, founder of USA Today and the Freedom Forum, will present an address at an Edward R. Murrow Convocation at Washington State University Friday, May 28.

Released: 1-May-1999 12:00 AM EDT
Portrayal of Native Americans In Novels Parallels Sad Reality
St. Lawrence University

A St. Lawrence University professor gives some recent novels high marks for accurately portraying Native Americans' experiences in college. Unfortunately, the realism of the books makes it clear that college is a negative experience for most Native Americans.

Released: 1-May-1999 12:00 AM EDT
Lab assistant clears Preakness trash to save rainforest
 Johns Hopkins University

It is the day after the Preakness Stakes. Another crowd of 90,000 has left behind mounds of beer cans, chicken legs and tip sheets. It's time for the PhD trash pickers from Johns Hopkins to go to work to save the rainforests.

Released: 16-Apr-1999 12:00 AM EDT
New Book Explores Nike Culture
St. Lawrence University

A new book co-authored by a St. Lawrence University professor takes a look at the cultural contradictions found between advertising done by Nike and the company's actual practices.

   
Released: 10-Apr-1999 12:00 AM EDT
Undergraduate Student Helps Expose Melissa Virus
University of Delaware

19-year-old Rishi Khan was cruising the Internet from his University of Delaware room when he spotted a message from a fellow coder, who wanted to unlock the twisted programming secrets of the "Melissa" computer virus. Soon, the unassuming cybersleuth was receiving attention from national publications such as the April 12 Newsweek, which describes his role in exposing the most contagious computer virus ever concocted.

Released: 30-Mar-1999 12:00 AM EST
Analyze This: New Book Examines Shrinks on Screen
American Psychiatric Association (APA)

The familiar Hollywood theme of psychiatrists and psychiatric treatment takes a turn ìon the couchî in a new book by Glen Gabbard, M.D. and Krin Gabbard, Ph.D. Psychiatry and the Cinema, by published by the American Psychiatric Publishing Group, is a careful scrutiny of cinematic psychiatrist past and present.

Released: 26-Mar-1999 12:00 AM EST
UA Chemist Reconciles Science, Religion Conflict
University of Arkansas, Fayetteville

As Passover and Easter turn our attention toward religious faith, many people feel more strongly the conflict between science and religion. But a University of Arkansas chemist claims such a conflict need no longer exist. His evidence -- science, itself.

Released: 24-Mar-1999 12:00 AM EST
The Scoop on Peeps: Easter treats are getting a bad rap, UD expert argues
University of Delaware

Shaped like baby chicks in shades of yellow, pink, purple, white and even blue, Marshmallow Peeps are getting a bad rap, says registered dietitian Marianne Carter, assistant director of the University of Delaware Wellness Center.

Released: 18-Mar-1999 12:00 AM EST
How Does Your Garden Grow? Tips from aVegetable Garden Expert
DePauw University

If you want to enjoy fresh vegetables from your own garden this year, now is the time to begin. A professor of botany at DePauw University and a vegetable grower for more than 30 years, offers an easy-to-follow guide to gardening that will get you through from start to harvest.

Released: 18-Mar-1999 12:00 AM EST
University of Iowa

A group of national and international experts in disability studies and in film studies will gather at The University of Iowa March 26-28 for the first-ever conference examining the representation of disabilities in movies.

Released: 3-Mar-1999 12:00 AM EST
Y2K:Just a Bug, Not the Apocalypse
Halstead Communications

Many people simply need something to worry about, and the synergy between the millenium and the Y2K bug gives them a convenient excuse to panic, according to an expert on religion, culture, and apocalyptic literature at Agnes Scott College in Atlanta.

Released: 27-Feb-1999 12:00 AM EST
Book Provides Background on Oscar-Nominated Kazan
University of Delaware

A University of Delaware English professor's 1983 book on the career of director Elia Kazan remains the first and only comprehensive look at the enormously successful professional life of this alienated film-maker who will be honored March 21 with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Released: 27-Feb-1999 12:00 AM EST
Sleep Expert on USA-Today Hotline
Cornell University

A professor of psychology at Cornell University and author of "Power Sleep: The Revolutionary Program That Prepares Your Mind for Peak Performance" (Villard, 1998), will answer questions about sleep problems when he participates in a toll-free "Sleep Hotline" on March 24, 1999.

Released: 26-Feb-1999 12:00 AM EST
Student Comedy Troupe Takes Campuses by Storm
Muhlenberg College

Seven Muhlenberg College students with completely different backgrounds and virtually nothing in common have formed a tight-knit improvisational comedy troupe and taken the College and several other campuses by storm.

Released: 20-Feb-1999 12:00 AM EST
Wisconsin's Lake Superior Shipwrecks Easy To Explore
National Sea Grant College Program

Armchair adventurers and divers alike can now easily explore seven of Lake Superior wrecks thanks to a Web site and a set of dive guides produced by the University of Wisconsin Sea Grant Institute and the State Historical Society of Wisconsin.

Released: 9-Feb-1999 12:00 AM EST
Reared on Bugs Bunny, Jonny Quest, and Super Friends
Swarthmore College

Cultural observers sometimes contend that today's twenty- and thirty-somethings lack the common experience that binds previous generations. But a Swarthmore College professor and his co-author brother take exception in a new book. The members of Generation X do have something in common, Timothy and Kevin Burke claim --the Saturday morning cartoons they devoured with their Cap'n Crunch back in their childhood.

Released: 6-Feb-1999 12:00 AM EST
Blues in the Bedroom Campaign
Spectrum Science Communications

Dr. Judy Kuriansky, psychologist and host of the popular nationally-syndicated radio show "LovePhones," has unveiled the BLUES IN THE BEDROOM campaign, a program to prompt frank discussion among patients and doctors about sexual problems and antidepressant therapies.

Released: 5-Feb-1999 12:00 AM EST
Philosophy Chair Wants to Change Reputation
Temple University

The new chair of Temple University's philosophy department, is trying to shed philosophy's crusty old image of elitism.

Released: 5-Feb-1999 12:00 AM EST
Anthropologist Studies Love
 Johns Hopkins University

A Johns Hopkins University anthropologist is studying the nature of romantic love in various cultures and is teaching a course called "The Anthropology of Love." She is available as a source for Valentine's Day stories.

Released: 3-Feb-1999 12:00 AM EST
Film Fest Features Blood-Sucking Insects, Humans
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Mosquitoes will be the guests of honor Feb. 20 at the University of Illinois, and those who come to see them are invited to get pumped for blood. It's the 16th annual Insect Fear Film Festival, which this year will feature a blood drive.

Released: 3-Feb-1999 12:00 AM EST
Researchers Pinning Pro Wrestling Fans
Mississippi State University

When Diamond Dallas Paige and Sting apply a scorpion death lock to their opponents, thousands of fans cheer them on. Mississippi State research seeks to understand what attracts the fans to a sport skyrocketing in popularity.

Released: 28-Jan-1999 12:00 AM EST
Are Super Bowl Ads Worth the Expense?
Cornell University

The Marketing Club, a student group at Cornell University's Johnson Graduate School of Management, and an associate professor of marketing at the school will meet the week after the SuperBowl to analyze the ads that aired the previous Sunday and try to decide if advertisers got their money's worth and made good marketing decisions.

   
Released: 23-Jan-1999 12:00 AM EST
Book explains dumb money decisions
Cornell University

Why Smart People Make Big Money Mistakes by Cornell University psychologist Thomas Gilovich and financial journalist Gary Belsky is about "behavioral economics," including the cognitive and motivational shortcomings that make even smart people act unwisely with their money.

Released: 22-Jan-1999 12:00 AM EST
Centre Students and Faculty Pick Century's Best
Centre College

What do Elvis Presley and Pablo Picasso have in common? Both made the cut in The Centre 100, an end-of-the-century arts listing compiled by students and faculty at Centre College. The college is celebrating the list with an exhibit and a website (www.centre.edu).

Released: 14-Jan-1999 12:00 AM EST
Get Intimate with E-Mail
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI)

Research by a social scientist at Rensselaer confirms that online relationships can lead to face-to-face romance as in the scenario in You've Got Mail, the hit movie starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan.

Released: 9-Jan-1999 12:00 AM EST
University of Minnesota experts on the Super Bowl
University of Minnesota

Faculty sports pundits from the University of Minnesota (located a stone's throw from Viking land) sound off on Super Sunday.

Released: 23-Dec-1998 12:00 AM EST
Legal Tales from Gilligan's Island
Nova Southeastern University

While it's rare to include "legal issues" in the same sentence with Gilligan's Island, a law professor at Nova Southeastern University documents the extent to which the show dealt with legal issues in recent law review article, "Legal Tales From Gilligan's Island."

Released: 22-Dec-1998 12:00 AM EST
Christmas Trees Can Help Fish and Flowers after Holidays
Ohio State University

When the holiday season is over, the Christmas trees don't have to end up in the trash, according to an Ohio State expert. Old trees can be ground into mulch or used as fish shelters in ponds.

Released: 19-Dec-1998 12:00 AM EST
National Cancer Institute and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

New Web site from NCI and CDC helps you meet New Year's resolutions.

Released: 15-Dec-1998 12:00 AM EST
12-14-98 University of Minnesota Xmas Tip Sheet
University of Minnesota

1. Buying books for kids. 2. Tiny Tim's ailment. 3. Unusual Christmas gift.

Released: 3-Dec-1998 12:00 AM EST
Tragicomic Lives of Jewish Messiahs Chronicled in New Book
University of Utah

A University of Utah Hebrew scholar has spent 12 years researching 2,000 years of Jewish messiahs using many original sources and finds similarity among the messianic movements in a new book from Oxford University Press.

Released: 2-Dec-1998 12:00 AM EST
Friedan's New Agenda: Fairness to Men Too
Cornell University

In an interview, self-described American revolutionary Betty Friedan, the author of The Feminine Mystique and founder of the National Organization for Women, talks about what she's doing lately, in partnership with Cornell's Institute for Women and Work. With her Washington, D.C.--based New Paradigm: Women, Men, Work, Family and Public Policy, she hopes to use such feminist values as equality, fairness and justice to make work, and life, better for men as well as women.

Released: 21-Nov-1998 12:00 AM EST
Death's Central Role in Movies
Emory University

Walt Disney's early films, among the most popular in moviemaking history, are every bit as obsessed with death as any 1990s blockbuster, according to a Emory University professor.

Released: 13-Nov-1998 12:00 AM EST
Good News DreamWorks! Moses & the Exodus Were Real
Wheaton College (IL)

DreamWorks will bring Moses, the Hebrew leader who led Israel out of captivity, to life in its new film, The Prince of Egypt, to be released nationwide December 18. Moses made waves long before he became an animated hero. In his new book, Israel in Egypt, Professor James Hoffmeier gives compelling evidence that the biblical record of Moses and the Exodus is true.

Released: 12-Nov-1998 12:00 AM EST
Squirrel-Squelchers for Bird Feeders
Cornell University

From the 13,000 volunteers who count birds for science in the continentwide Project FeederWatch, Cornell University ornithologists have collected solutions for birders who prefer not to count squirrels.

Released: 11-Nov-1998 12:00 AM EST
Thanksgiving traditions Important and Tasty
DePauw University

Most people think that Americans have celebrated Thanksgiving ever since that first harvest feast where pilgrims and Indians dined together in a symbolic gesture of sharing and ethnic harmony. It's a wonderful story, but, unfortunately, it's just a story.

Released: 10-Nov-1998 12:00 AM EST
Threat of Lawsuits Has Chilling Effect on TV News
University of Miami

A majority of the nation's television news directors say the threat of being sued is producing a major chilling effect on daily news coverage, according to a national survey conducted by the University of Miami.

Released: 30-Oct-1998 12:00 AM EST
Alcohol Is Prime-Time TV's Favorite Beverage
Cornell University

Far more than any other drink or food, alcohol is shown on prime-time programs. Characters, including adolescents, drink on more than 40 percent of the shows, according to a new Cornell University study published in the Quarterly Journal of Studies on Alcohol.

Released: 24-Oct-1998 12:00 AM EDT
Historian Clears up Halloween Witch Stereotypes
Lawrence University

Halloween traditionally depicts witches as ugly old cronies, capable of evil, magical deeds. But a Lawrence University historian says that model is an inaccurate stereotype and that "real" witches were a much more diverse lot.

Released: 23-Oct-1998 12:00 AM EDT
Cheerleading Approaches Its 100th Year
University of Minnesota

The nation's first "cheerleader" was a University of Minnesota medical student who offered to lead "yells and songs" at the Nov. 12, 1898 football game against Northwestern. The Gophers won, and a new tradition was born.

Released: 14-Oct-1998 12:00 AM EDT
Love Doctors Ready for Sweetest Day
Michigan State University

Students at Michigan State University refer to the communication professors as the "Love Doctors." This husband and wife pair team-teach Interpersonal Relationships in the College of Communication Arts and Sciences. The class tackles infidelity, jealousy, deception, romance, and sex.

Released: 9-Oct-1998 12:00 AM EDT
Why Minnesota Said No to a Sports Owner's Demands
University of Minnesota

A campaign for a new stadium for the Minnesota Twins failed because it lacked central organization and was not effectively coordinated, says University of Minnesota speech communication professor.

Released: 8-Oct-1998 12:00 AM EDT
Male Wedding Coordinators at Top of Industry
Texas Christian University

Although women dominate in terms of sheer numbers of wedding coordinators, the men who enter the field are the ones at the top of the hierarchy says a Texas Christian University professor and author of the study, "The Phenomenon of the Male Wedding Coordinator."

Released: 3-Oct-1998 12:00 AM EDT
New Soap Opera Created by Undergraduates
Northwestern University

Forget "Melrose Place," "Dawson's Creek" and "Beverly Hills, 90210." The buzz at Northwestern these days is about "University Place," a soap opera about college life created by Northwestern University undergraduates. The show premieres Oct. 23 at the Ryan Auditorium of the Technological Institute, 2145 Sheridan Road, on the Evanston campus.

Released: 30-Sep-1998 12:00 AM EDT
Cost of Judaism in Popular Culture
University of Illinois Chicago

Compared to most other religions, Judaism requires a lot of time and a high level of personal investment to gain the rewards or benefits of religious participation, says University of Illinois at Chicago professor Carmel Chiswick. "Because the observance of traditional Jewish ritual is 'time-intensive,' Judaism tends to be a costly religion - especially in high-wage households in the United States," Chiswick says.

Released: 11-Sep-1998 12:00 AM EDT
More Study Needed on Androstenedione, Creatine
Ball State University

Did a popular dietary supplement help Mark McGwire break baseball's home run record? There's no evidence either way, according to a researcher at Ball State University's Human Performance Laboratory, speaking for the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA).

Released: 10-Sep-1998 12:00 AM EDT
Big Mac and Slammin' Sammy: Do they top the Babe?
University of Delaware

No matter how many homers Mighty Mark McGwire and Slammin' Sammy Sosa smash this year or in any future year, no player is ever likely to threaten Babe Ruth's indisputable ranking as baseball's greatest batter, contends University of Delaware Treasurer Stephen M. Grimble, author of Setting the Record Straight: Baseball's Greatest Batters.

Released: 28-Aug-1998 12:00 AM EDT
First Aid for Dogs: Professor Writes the Book
Purdue University

A new how-to book for dog owners addresses the problem of what to do when your pet becomes injured. The Purdue professor who wrote the book saw a need for such knowledge in the aftermath of a hurricane.

Released: 23-Jul-1998 12:00 AM EDT
Fume-Free Charcoal Starter
Brandeis University

Like many a backyard chef, Daniel Perlman of Arlington, Mass., disliked the smell and acrid smoke of conventional charcoal starters. So he decided to do something about it.



close
6.51514