Archive for June, 2009
A Penn State Expert On Jon & Kate
I’ve never watched Jon & Kate Plus 8, and I’m not someone who has much interest in reality TV. But I guess it’s a sign of the times that when such a couple decides to divorce, national media call on legitimate legal scholars for their opinions. In that, at least, Penn State can offer a voice of reason: Robert Richards, distinguished professor of journalism and law in the College of Communications and founding co-director of the Pennsylvania Center for the First Amendment at University Park.
As this Jon & Kate thing is apparently pretty huge news, USA Today asked Richards for his take on the couple’s divorce filings being kept private in Montgomery County, Pa. Richards argues that the records should be kept open, since it’s the dissolution of a marriage through the public courts. That case is countered by privacy advocates who say that the family’s business should be kept just that. Whether the fact that this particular family agreed to do a reality show on national TV has any effect on that privacy argument, I have no idea.
Ryan Jones, senior editor
A Penn Stater in Charge of AFRICOM
Gen. William Ward ’79g, AFRICOM commander
I heard an interesting piece on NPR as I was waking up this morning—Morning Edition co-host Renee Montagne was interviewing Gen. William Ward, the guy in charge of the U.S. Africa Command, also known as AFRICOM. In my sleepy haze, I thought I remembered that Ward is a Penn Stater, and upon checking later, I found out that indeed he is.
We last profiled Ward ’79g in 2005, when he was the U.S. security envoy to the Middle East. Ward, who earned his master’s degree in political science from Penn State, is a four-star general in the Army. In 2007, he was named the first-ever commander of AFRICOM, an effort to coordinate U.S. military operations on the African continent.
The U.S. doesn’t actually have much military presence in Africa, but it’s a continent of immense strategic importance, with new terrorism threats emerging in countries that have (as Montagne put it) “weak or chaotic governments.” And there are plenty of hot spots on the continent—Darfur and Somalia, to name just two. Ward’s thoughts on the U.S. role in Africa are worth a listen. You can hear the five-minute piece here.
Tina Hay, editor
Steve McCurry to Shoot Kodachrome—One Last Time
A sign of the times: Kodak announced today that it will no longer manufacture its legendary Kodachrome slide film. Hardly anyone is buying the stuff—everyone’s shooting digital these days.
What I didn’t know is that the world-famous photo of an Afghan girl by Steve McCurry ’74 was shot on Kodachrome. Fittingly, Kodak is asking McCurry to help mark the end of the Kodachrome era:
Photojournalist Steve McCurry’s widely recognized portrait of an Afghan refugee girl, shot on Kodachrome, appeared on the cover of National Geographic in 1985. At Kodak’s request, McCurry will shoot one of the last rolls of Kodachrome film and donate the images to the George Eastman House museum, which honors the company’s founder, in Rochester.
Meanwhile, an exhibition of McCurry’s photography, including that famed image of the Afghan girl, opened at the Palmer Museum of Art yesterday.
Thanks to John Rafacz, a staffer over in the College of Arts and Architecture, for calling my attention to the Kodachrome story.
Tina Hay, editor
Penn State Pretzels in the U.K.?
A reader by the name of Jon Bayer ’73 just got back from a trip in Europe, where he encountered something he wasn’t expecting. He writes: “On our flight from Athens to London last week we first noticed Penn State Pretzels. Later in London we found them stocked on the shelves of stores.”
Jon points out that the company has a Web site where you can get all different flavors of Penn State Pretzels.
I remember hearing about these Penn State Pretzels once before—I think a reader actually sent us an empty bag one time. I have no idea why the folks in the U.K. decided to name their pretzels after a university in the United States. I’m sure there’s some sort of licensing violation going on here, but Penn State probably has bigger fish to fry than to go after a pretzel company across the pond.
The reason for Jon’s trip to Europe was a 40th-anniversary celebration with his wife, Sharon. Their itinerary made me just a little jealous: Israel, Palestine, Turkey, the Greek Isles, and London.
“By the way,” Bayer reports, “the pretzels are pretty good.”
Tina Hay, editor
Coquese Washington on Women’s College Players Leaving Early for the Pros
Lady Lion basketball coach Coquese Washington has only been a head coach for two years, but that doesn’t mean she’s not an expert on some big stories in the women’s college game. Washington’s unique resume — a standout player at Notre Dame, she went on to a professional playing career in the WNBA before getting into coaching — made her a perfect source on one of the big offseason stories in the women’s game: Rutgers junior Epiphanny Prince leaving school early to play professionally in Europe. When USA Today went looking for perspective on Prince’s story, Washington, the rare NCAA coach with pro playing experience, was an obvious choice.
The good news for Lady Lion fans: Washington’s high-level playing experience appeals to the kids she’s recruiting, too — especially the ones good enough to have their own dreams of playing pro ball. Look for that fact to start having an impact on the court soon.
Ryan Jones, senior editor
Update on the Time Traveler
Yesterday, I mentioned that Good Morning, America, planned to air an interview with physics prof Ron Mallett ’69, ’70g, ’73g about his research on time travel—and his quest to go back in time to save his father’s life. Mallett dropped us a line this morning to say that the show has moved the interview to Sunday morning, for Father’s Day.
Chas Brua, contributing editor
Talor Battle (and His Family) Are Having Quite a Summer
Just got an e-mail from the folks at USA Basketball announcing the final roster for the World University Games. Among the names on the 12-man roster is Talor Battle, the Nittany Lions’ all-Big Ten point guard. It’s a terrific honor for Battle, who earns a trip to Belgrade, Serbia, next month for the international tournament. The U.S. team will be led by Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan — whose knowledge of Battle’s talent from conference play probably didn’t hurt Talor’s chances — and assisted by University of Miami coach Frank Haith; hardcore Nittany Lion hoops fans will remember Haith as a Penn State assistant coach during the ’95-96 season.
By the time Battle gets back from Europe, he might have a new hometown: With Talor looking at two more years in a Penn State uniform and his younger brother, Taran Buie, committed to play for the Nittany Lions beginning in 2010, Battle’s mother and kids (including Buie) are reportedly moving to Centre County in time for Buie’s senior year of high school. Buie, a top-50 recruit according to some national scouting services, is the most highly touted recruit in the history of the program. As a Penn State hoops fan who lives about a mile from State College High School, I for one am psyched.
Ryan Jones, senior editor
Steven Levy on the New iPhone
Penn Stater Steven Levy ’74g—who used to be the top technology guy at Newsweek but got lured away to Wired magazine last year—has written a review of the new iPhone 3GS, which he says “introduces a long list of improvements, big and small.”
The new iPhone will be released tomorrow, but if, like me, you already have an older iPhone (or an iPod touch), you can download the new 3.0 software for your current device any time now. The software upgrade has many, though not all, of the bells and whistles that the new device has. I did the software upgrade last night and can already tell that I’m going to like the Voice Memos app, the spotlight search, and the ability to turn the thing sideways while typing e-mails in order to get a bigger keyboard.
Levy says if you’ve already got an iPhone and you’re not yet at a point in your contract where you’re eligible to upgrade to the new 3GS, there’s no rush about getting the new device: “…the wise thing for those more recent buyers to do will be to install the new software and stick with their 3G iPhones at least until their contracts run down.”
If you don’t want to read the full review (which isn’t that long), you can read a quick-hit summary of it at Wired’s “Gadget Lab” blog.
Tina Hay, editor
Ron Mallett’s Time-Travel Quest
Physicist Ronald Mallett ’69, ’70g, ’73g has been obsessed with the idea of time travel for decades. He kept the motivation behind his research a secret for many years—he wanted to go back in time to save the life of his father, who died when Mallett was only 10.
The opening spread of The Penn Stater's July/August feature about Ronald Mallett.
Nowadays, Mallett is getting a lot of publicity for his work on the physics of time travel, and his poignant life story. Spike Lee is working on a movie about him, and Good Morning, America, is scheduled to broadcast an interview with Mallett this Saturday. (The show airs on ABC from 8 to 9 a.m.)
In our July/August issue, look for Vicki Glembocki’s feature story about Mallett and the hopes that have driven and haunted him.
Chas Brua, contributing editor
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