by Lisa James Goldsberry (December 12, 2003)

� The November 9 issue of the Kentucky State Journal featured quotes from Leonard A. Slade, Jr. of the Africana Studies and English departments. �Book Fair Off its High Marks� noted that Slade sold out of copies of his book of poetry For the Love of Freedom at the Kentucky Book Fair, even though book sales were down overall. �There is nothing like the written word. Books provide a reservoir of knowledge to the public, and help with the intellectual enlargement of lives. I think books can help the human spirit to triumph,� Slade was quoted as saying in the article.

� The November 20 edition of the Christian Science Monitor featured quotes by Christopher Thorncroft of the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences. �Sahel Drought: New Look at Clues� focused on his work as one of two U.S. coordinators for the international West Africa monsoon research effort. According to the article, individual researchers have studied the Sahel for years, but this effort could rank as the most ambitious yet. The West African region has served as a prime example of widespread hunger and the loss of farm and grazing land to encroaching deserts. Now, scientists on three continents are planning an intensive set of field experiments to unlock the secrets that govern the region�s annual rainy season, known as the West African monsoon.

� The November 23 edition of the Los Angeles Times featured information about a report written by David Bayley of the School of Criminal Justice. �Iraq Police Training: A Risky Road� focused on how American soldiers are offering instruction to a batch of Iraqi police recruits, schooling them in the fundamentals of what is known as �democratic policing.� According to the article, Bayley wrote a June 2001 report for the National Institute of Justice making several recommendations, including: known human rights abusers must be excluded from new police forces, and police forces must be separated from the military because their missions are completely different. The article was an op-ed written by one of the paper�s editors.

� The November 26 issue of The New York Times featured a profile of UAlbany alum Brett Zweiback, (B.S. �98). �The Man Who Clears Kermit the Frog for Takeoff� discussed how Zweiback, a meteorologist for Metro Weather Service on Long Island, monitors weather during the Macy�s Thanksgiving Day parade. According to the article, one word from him is enough to ground the 15 giant balloons of the parade. �I�ll have my anemometer, my solar panel, the whole kit and caboodle,� he was quoted as saying. Hooked to his laptop, the anemometer delivers instantaneous information and if the average sustained winds are more than 23 mph or gust above 34 mph, down go Uncle Sam, Charlie Brown, and all the rest.