Inquirer front page: Temple Theater students give Philadelphia students a voice
North Philadelphia high school students worked with Temple Theater Department faculty members and Philadelphia Young Playwrights to write The Receiving Schools Project, a play documenting the effects of school closures. Temple Theater students performed the play last week at the playwrights' school. For Temple student Niema Dunbar, Class of 2016, it wasn't just another acting gig—her son attends a school affected by closures. "We hear about these big decisions, we see them on the news," she said. "As parents, we even go to the meetings. But we never listen to what the kids say, and we have to." The article included a photo of Temple students Aurica Hurst, Class of 2016, and Taylor Byerly, Class of 2015.
The Philadelphia Inquirer | Nov. 17, 2014

Research by CPH's Ma on hepatitis B in Asian Americans featured by NBC
Scientists at Center for Asian Health in Temple's College of Public Health hope to get insight into skyrocketing hepatitis B rates among Asian Americans, fueled by a new three-year, $1.8 million grant from the Washington, D.C.–based, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute. "The major concern is there are a lot of hep B patients in the Asian-American community not going for regular monitoring, follow up and treatment," said Professor Grace Ma, director of the Center for Asian Health. "Our goal is to make sure patients who have been diagnosed don't fall through the cracks, or develop cirrhosis and liver cancer."
NBC News | Nov. 18, 2014

Fox News covers pharmacologist Praticó's potential Alzheimer's breakthrough
A new study by Temple scientists suggests that blocking a brain cell receptor may diffuse the consequences of Alzheimer's disease. The researchers, led by the School of Medicine's Domenico Praticó, analyzed the body's use of oxygen to produce energy, which can result in the formation of highly reactive molecules called oxygen free radicals. Oxidative stress can also occur when the production of these free radicals is greater than the body's ability to detoxify them. "Besides the two major signature brain pathologies associated with Alzheimer's disease…researchers have also known for a while that there is a signature from oxidation stress," Praticó said.
Fox News | Nov. 18, 2014

SMC's Tharps makes case for "Black with a capital B" in New York Times op-ed
Lori Tharps, a faculty member in the School of Media and Communication's Journalism Department, contributed an opinion piece published by The New York Times that addressed one of her "greatest frustrations" as a writer: "When speaking of a culture, ethnicity or group of people, [Black] should be capitalized. Black with a capital B refers to people of the African diaspora. Lowercase black is simply a color," she wrote. "Linguists, academics and activists have been making this point for years, yet the publishing industry—our major newspapers, magazines and books—resist making this simple yet fundamental change."
The New York Times | Nov. 18, 2014

Medicine's Bromberg explains ice-chomping disorder in Washington Post
Patients suffering from pagophagia—one of many types of pica—compulsively crave and chomp on ice, even scraping buildup off freezer walls for a fix. The disorder appears to be caused by an iron deficiency, and supplements of the mineral tend to ease cravings. Patients with pica eat unusual nonfoods such as clay, chalk or paste. Although they will admit to having pica if asked, patients often don't volunteer the information readily. "Patients tend to be somewhat secretive about these kinds of behaviors. You have to tease it out," said Temple hematologist Michael Bromberg, MED ’84, ’88. "I had one patient tell me: 'I love ice. It's better than sex.'"
The Washington Post, The Guardian, more | Nov. 8–14, 2014

Time to call Abenomics a failure? TUJ's Kingston in New York Times
Is this the end of Abenomics—the economic policies advocated by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe? And if so, why did it fail? These are the questions being asked in a shell-shocked Japan just days after government accountants announced that the economy, which most experts said they believed was rebounding, had in fact fallen into a sharp recession. "I'd say it's time to call Abenomics a failure," said Jeff Kingston, a faculty member at Temple University Japan in Tokyo. "The recession means Abe has failed to deliver on growth, and he has whiffed the structural reforms. All that is left is disappointment."
The New York Times | Nov. 20, 2014

Inquirer praises Temple Libraries' Urban Archives
The Wagner Free Institute of Science hosted a screening of Unedited North Philadelphia: Girard to Lehigh, a film created from footage in Temple Libraries' Urban Archives. "Temple University hosts a trove of photos, film and other archival material about Philadelphia history in its Urban Archives," wrote the Inquirer. "It's an incredible resource for academicians, journalists, students and others interested in studying the city's ever-changing neighborhoods." Temple archivist John Pettit, SMC ’06, CLA ’12, said that the film "further impressed upon me just how many truly dynamic events and people were contained within a few blocks. Just to see it edited together on a timeline is really striking."
The Philadelphia Inquirer | Nov. 19, 2014

Beasley School of Law Dean Epps tapped for city's Board of Ethics
Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter has nominated JoAnne Epps, dean of Temple's Beasley School of Law, to serve on the city's Board of Ethics. If, as expected, Epps is confirmed by the City Council, she will join the board at a busy time, as it is likely to have some oversight of and opinions about next year's elections, including the races for mayor, City Council and city commissioner. "I think it's important for citizens to have faith in government," said Epps, who resigned from the board of the government watchdog group Committee of Seventy last month to accept Nutter's nomination. "But I'm not in a position to say what specific issues will come up."
The Philadelphia Inquirer | Nov. 20, 2014

Fox's Savor talks to Bloomberg about Halliburton takeover of Baker Hughes
Of all the megamergers announced this year, Halliburton Co.'s $35 billion takeover of Baker Hughes Inc. is promising the most aggressive cost cuts. Halliburton, an oil-field-services provider, says it can slash $2 billion after acquiring its similar-sized rival. Deals are riskiest when they involve a company acquiring another that's roughly the same size, according to Pavel Savor of Temple's Fox School of Business. "What's clear is that the management teams of both companies—especially of Halliburton—are taking a significant risk here, and so far the market doesn't seem to think it's a risk worth taking," said Savor, who has published research on mergers and acquisitions.
Bloomberg, Bloomberg Businessweek, more | Nov. 18, 2014

Temple's Farber adds historical context to GM CEO's situation
Investors need to be persuaded that General Motors won't once again sink into another long decline, as it did last century. Some analysts compare GM CEO Mary Barra’s challenge to that of Alfred P. Sloan, who rescued GM from insolvency in the 1920s. The key for Barra will be to echo Sloan's emphasis on accountability, said Temple historian David Farber, who wrote a book (Sloan Rules: The Triumph of General Motors) about the executive who shaped GM. Barra may need to "throw out some of the people who had gotten used to almost a crony-like system and instead figure out a very hard metric that balances accountability and responsibility," he said.
Bloomberg | Nov. 18, 2014

Community leaders seek to bring version of TUH antiviolence program to Erie
Temple University Hospital's Cradle to Grave program has captured the attention of community leaders in the city of Erie, Pennsylvania. UPMC Hamot, a 446-bed hospital in Erie, and the group Mothers Against Teen Violence hope to start a similar program at UPMC Hamot in the near future. Community leaders invited Scott Charles, trauma outreach coordinator and co-founder of Cradle to Grave, to discuss the program. Charles and Amy J. Goldberg, interim chair of the Department of Surgery at Temple School of Medicine, started the program at Temple in 2006 as a way to educate at-risk youth about the perils of gun violence.
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, WICU/WSEE (Erie, Pennsylvania) | Nov. 9–11, 2014

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