Newswise — 'COSBY 101' TALK HIGHLIGHTS FRESHMAN MOVE-IN FESTIVITIES -- Entertainer and Temple alumnus Bill Cosby's one-of-a-kind address has long been a staple of the University's Commencement ceremonies. Now the comedian will dispense his signature words of wisdom to students on their way into Temple as part of the University's Freshman Move-In festivities. The first (un)official class for Temple's biggest and brightest new incoming class in history, Cosby 101, in session at 10 a.m. Friday, Aug. 29, at the Liacouras Center, will serve as indoctrination on all things Temple for students and their parents. Freshmen and new transfer students who attend will also be eligible for a range of exciting raffle prizes, including US Airways tickets, a trip--by limousine--to watch the Owls open the football season at Penn State on Saturday, Aug. 30, and tickets for Broadway shows. Cosby 101 anchors a series of rousing events planned for Move-In leading up to the first day of classes on Tuesday, Sept. 2. For more information on the event, contact the Office of News and Media Relations (NMR), 215-204-7476.
WET SPRING MAY 'BUG' AREA RESIDENTS AS SUMMER WINDS DOWN -- If your Labor Day barbecue has an abundance of unwelcome flying visitors, you can possibly blame the heavy rains during the spring and early summer, says Temple biology professor Stuart Neff. An expert in aquatic insect populations, Neff says the cool, wet weather meant we did not see mosquitoes--which can carry the West Nile virus--until later than normal, but the possibility exists that it may be a bigger population. "It's really hard to predict how big the mosquito population is going to be, but the wet weather provided ideal breeding grounds," he says. Neff points out that the rains have left behind a number of isolated pools of dirty, stagnating water, which are hospitable breeding grounds for mosquito larvae. "If the water is left to stand for even a short period of time, the larvae can go through their cycle very quickly and produce many mosquitoes." Neff offers some tips to avoid becoming a mosquito's next meal. "Most mosquitoes are active in the early morning until about 10 a.m., and in the late afternoon and early evening," says Neff. "So if you're sitting on your patio as the sun's going down, and it's getting a little cooler, the mosquito is ready to feed on you." Mosquitoes are particularly attracted to the carbon dioxide from our breathing and the nitrogen waste that our bodies shed through perspiration, says Neff, and the back of the neck and ankles are favorite feeding spots. "One good way to keep mosquitoes off you is to use any kind of insect spray or lotion that contains DEET, which is a very good insect repellent," he suggests. Finally, says Neff, Citronella, which is frequently used in outdoor candles, is a good deterrent, but doesn't provide long-term protection against the pesky insects. Dr. Neff can be reached at his office, 215-204-7238, or through NMR.
ROOTS OF TERRORISM RUN DEEPER THAN '53 IRANIAN COUP -- In the two years since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, many writers such as Stephen Kinzer in his new book All the Shah's Men and foreign policy pundits have pointed to the 1953 U.S.-backed coup that restored the Shah of Iran to power as the seed of anti-Americanism in the Middle East. However, Richard Immerman, chair of Temple's history department and director of the Center for the Study of Force and Diplomacy, says such thinking may be too simplistic. "Kinzer does not shed much new light on what drove the Eisenhower administration, in cooperation with the British, to oust the Mossadegh regime and restore the Shah to the Peacock Throne," says Immerman, who co-authored Waging Peace: How Eisenhower Shaped an Enduring Cold War Strategy. "He seems more intent on suggesting that a linear line can be drawn between the CIA operation in 1953 and America's current 'War against Terrorism.' This makes for better reading than history. The roots of anti-Americanism in the Middle East, and for that matter throughout the world, are much more complicated and, indeed, precede the restoration of and subsequent support for the Shah of Iran." Reach Dr. Immerman through NMR
RSS