An article in the Christian Science Monitor on this year's Oscar nominations quotes Elayne Rapping, professor of American studies, who said "'Munich' is especially impressive with what [director] Steven Spielberg and screenwriter Tony Kushner are doing to comment on the Israeli situation. It shows the real frustrations of even progressive Jews with the Israeli-Palestinian question."

An article distributed by the Associated Press looks at Ameen, a Muslim rite of passage that celebrates the first time a child reads completely through the Quran in Arabic, and quotes Faizan Haq, a lecturer in Cora Maloney College who teaches Islamic cultural history, who says "In America, the ceremony is highlighted even more. Being here, not in a majority Muslim culture, and still achieving this goal."

A article in The Washington Post looks at a study on drinking in the workplace conducted by the Research Institute on Addiction, and reports that almost one in 10 workers showed up on the job with a hangover at some point in the previous year.

An article in Boise Weekly on antibiotics and hormones that have been found in ground water wells in an Idaho neighborhood near a cattle feed lot quotes Diana Aga, assistant professor of chemistry, who says the science on antibiotic water contamination doesn't point to an acute health concern, but since the long-term health and environmental effects are unknown, the possibility that antibiotic contaminates could contribute to the development of antibiotic-resistant microorganisms is a concern.

An article in The New York Times on the fabric used in the aerodynamic suits worn by alpine skiers in the winter Olympics reports that the fabric was tested "at a facility at the University at Buffalo normally used to analyze the properties of ballistic missiles."

An article distributed by UPI on new experimental drugs designed to target different mechanisms of HIV reports the drug the furthest down the road to clinical use, PA-457, dramatically wiped out about 95 percent of the circulating virus by itself, according to Patrick Smith, associate professor of pharmacy, who presented his report at the 13th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections.

An article in the Detroit News on GM's announcement yesterday that is freezing the benefits for white-collar workers quotes James Wooten, professor of law, who said, "It's another domino falling in the shift away from traditional defined-benefit plans toward cash balance and defined-contribution plans."

An article distributed by the Associated Press on making Olympic skiers more aerodynamic reports that those efforts include wind tunnel testing by Michael Holden, head of the Calspan-UB Research Center. He says, "Suits have an effect, I think, mentally if not anything else. Equipment matters, but fortunately it's got to the point now that that sort of this is less important than the skiers themselves."

An article in Wired magazine looks at work by Michael Holden, adjunct professor in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and head of the Calspan-UB Research Center, to improve the aerodynamics of Olympic skiers. He says, "Getting the suit to fit right, getting the goggles and the helmet on correctly -- equipment can account for about 10 pounds of extra resistance."

An article distributed by Reuters news service reports that after having their tonsils and adenoids removed because of obstructed breathing during sleep some children tend to become overweight, and quotes James N. Roemmich, assistant professor of pediatrics, who with UB colleagues investigated the effect of the operation on weight gain.

An article on MSNBC on companies such as Visa, Coca-Cola, McDonald's and Samsung trying to raise brand awareness by tying their products to the winter Olympics quotes Arun Jain, professor and chair of marketing, who said "Companies like Coke and Budweiser can't afford not to be there; the lost opportunity would cost them dearly. North America is no longer the growth market; India and China now represent the largest untapped markets. And brand awareness can lead to consumption habits."

An article in the Hartford Courant on blasphemy and the violent Muslim outrage in the Middle East and Europe over a cartoon of Mohammed quotes Elayne Rapping, professor of American studies, who says she believes it's no coincidence that so-called blasphemy seems to be more prevalent.

A front page article in today's issue of The New York Times on new warnings that stimulants like Ritalin could have dangerous effects on the heart quotes William Pelham, UB Distinguished Professor of Psychology, Pediatrics and Psychiatry, who said that a black-box warning could prompt families to explore behavioral treatments as an alternative to drugs, which "would be a very good outcome for kids with ADHD and their families."

An article on Voice of America on foreign entities that are using lobbying in an effort to affect U.S. policy quotes Michael Rozeff, professor of financial planning and control, who says "The amount or extent of lobbying depends on the favors and the subsidies and the taxes and the regulations that the U.S. government can pass. And the bigger the government has got and the more activities it's gotten engaged in, the more the lobbying has done."

An article on ABC News reports on Michael Holden's work in the Calspan-UB Research Center wind tunnel to help Olympic skiers reduce their wind resistance. He says "Winning is winning. All of the things add together. You'd be crazy not to take advantage of every aspect of how to win psychologically, physically, equipment-wise."

An article in the Chronicle of Higher Education looks at changes in the responsibilities of Stephen Dunnett, vice provost for international education, whose job when he joined UB in 1989 was to make sure that international students were adjusting to life in the U.S. and doing well academically, but now also includes developing overseas degree programs for foreign students who cannot -- or will not -- come to the United States to study. The article looks at his work in the context of the growing number of colleges nationally that are opening degree programs overseas, both for academic and business reasons.

An article in the Chicago Tribune on the likelihood that Delphi Corp. today will seek bankruptcy court approval to drop its union contracts quotes Sam Tiras, assistant professor of accounting and law, who said "There is no way the workers are going to take an unskilled worker's wage, and no way that Delphi can afford to pay them what they make now.... I don't see how in the long run Delphi can survive if the workers hate the company."

An article on Slate looks at Peter Benchley's novel, "Jaws," and quotes Stefan Fleischer, associate professor of English, who teaches a course on the novel and says "People who are sexual outside of marriage get punished. And if it's society as a whole that has loose morals, it'll get eaten up by a shark."

An article in Newsday looks at the Women's Health Initiative study of the impact of calcium and vitamin D supplements on bone strength and colorectal cancer and quotes Jean Wactawski-Wende, associate professor of social and preventive medicine, who said "Colorectal cancer takes 10 to 20 years to develop. Seven years of supplementation and follow-up may not be enough time to show a benefit."

An Associated Press article on e-books and the slowness with which they are catching on quotes Lewis Mandell, professor of finance and managerial economics, who writes and publishes his own e-textbook and says that because "The investment world is changing on a weekly basis. Tax rates change every year," he's able to update his finance books more frequently.

An article in The New York Times references a Wired magazine article that discusses the work of Michael S. Holden, who heads the Calspan-University of Buffalo Research Center, on how to reduce drag on skiers, speed skaters and the athletes competing in sledding events.

A St. Petersburg Times article reporting that California is spending $1 billion a year to reduce class sizes, but only in kindergarten through third grade, quoted UB education professor Jeremy Finn, who has studied the issue for the U.S. Department of Education.

An article in The New York Times on patients frantically calling their doctors after a government advisory panel's recommendation that ADHD drugs carry a prominent warning about heart risks quotes James Waxmonsky, assistant professor of psychiatry, and William Pelham, professor of psychology.

An article on the front page of the sports section of USA Today reports that UB is making sports history as the only Division I-A school with African-Americans in the three most visible posts in its athletics department.