UAlbany in the News

by Lisa James Goldsberry (October 8, 2004)

� The August 2004 issue of Audubon magazine featured information about research done by Eric Block of the Department of Chemistry. �A Case for Bad Breath� focused on his research on garlic as a natural bird repellent as published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. In the article Block said that garlic can be used as a nontoxic repellent, keeping birds away from valuable crops and sensitive areas like airport runways. Block�s research found that the more garlic added to the bowls of caged European starlings, the less the birds ate. �They just didn�t like it,� Block was quoted as saying. They reacted in the same way humans do when they eat hot peppers.

� The September 9 edition of the Chicago Sun-Times featured quotes from Alan Chartock, professor emeritus of political communication. �Kerry Blasts Catastrophic Course in Iraq: Says $200 Billion Spent on War Needed for Job Training, Other Programs� focused on a Kerry speech in Ohio and remarks made by Vice President Dick Cheney about Kerry�s ability to lead the country. In the article, Chartock was quoted as saying, �It�s obvious that these polls showing Bush with a bump don�t mean that much and in no time we�ll be back to 50-50.�

� The September 13 broadcast of National Public Radio featured Judith Langer of the School of Education. The program �Talk of the Nation� focused on the subject of improving test scores. Langer, the author of Getting to Excellent: How to Create Better Schools, was one of three featured guests on the popular program.

� The September 20 issue of The New York Times featured quotes from Robert F. Wesser, an emeritus professor of history. �Guess Who�s Not Coming to Dinner� discussed why President George Bush and Senator John Kerry were not invited to the annual Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner this year. According to the article, the reason is believed to be the issue of abortion rights. It questioned how Smith himself would have handled the dinner. �I�ve gone through all of his papers in Albany and never found anything on abortion,� Wesser was quoted as saying. He added that if Smith had a position on it, no one has found it. Smith was governor in the 1920s and the first Roman Catholic presidential nominee of a major party.