By Emma Terry, Contributing Writer As co-director of UAB’s new ALS clinic, Dr. Nan Jiang is one of the faces patients see as they navigate the disease. ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, stands for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. The disease causes paralysis that affects walking, speaking, swallowing, and breathing. Dr. Jiang received her doctorate in Japan before her interest in research and medicine led her to the University of Florida. There, she continued her research and began to focus on neuroscience. The catch was that she did not have her medical license in America, she said. “You can learn…
Author: uabblazermedia
By Trinity Fellows The women’s tennis team at UAB has literally been making quite the racket. The team practices at the tennis courts across from Rast Hall, on 11th Ave S. However, their bathroom is currently located in a building across the street, rented by the University of Alabama at Birmingham. While athletes have voiced their gratitude towards UAB for renting the building, they have also expressed concerns regarding its lack of security. The building currently does not have any safety measures in place. Consequently, athletes have reported members of the homeless community roaming and occasionally breaking into the building.…
By Trinity Fellows The University of Alabama at Birmingham is known for creating diamonds under pressure, especially on the softball diamond. As a first-base player for UAB’s softball team, sophomore Ja’nae Wray represents this well. Wray is majoring in business management with a minor in marketing and is from Douglasville, Ga., a few minutes outside of Atlanta. When she’s not on the diamond, you can find Janae in the Collat School of Business or volunteering in her community. Under new head coach A.J. Daugherty, UAB’s softball season begins Feb 10-12 and will continue throughout May. The Blazers are set to…
By Will Cooley Valentine’s Day is coming up fast. If you still don’t have a date idea for you and your partner, we’ve got you covered. We’ve come up with a list of our favorite spots and date ideas so you and your partner can have a romantic, fun-filled day. We have something for every couple, whether you want something fancy, a nice nature scene or something a little different from your average date. If you’re looking for a date on the fancier side, we’ve got your back. Bottega Bottega is a classic upscale restaurant in Highland Park. This Italian…
By George Barreto It’s that time of the year when film subjectivity goes out the window in favor of elusive podiums at award shows. With 2022 firmly behind, there may be a few films that were forgotten or lost in the ever-flowing content stream. These are just a few I feel are worth seeking out and might even open the door for many others. After Yang dir. Kognada Image courtesy of A24 This brilliant science fiction indie came out at the very beginning of 2022. It premiered at Sundance Film Festival in January and was immediately thrown onto streaming. The…
by George Barreto Sammy Fabelman (Mateo Zoryon Francis-DeFord in his younger years, then Gabriel LaBelle in his teenage years) fearfully awaits in line for Cecil B. DeMille’s “The Greatest Show on Earth” in 1952’s New Jersey. His father, Burt (Paul Dano), explains how a projector works, the mechanisms, and the engineering behind the moving pictures – a shot at logically soothing his son’s fear of the idea of giant moving pictures. His mother, Mitzi (Michelle Williams), explains the situation more artfully than Burt, detailing it as a dream that never ends. The set piece that will keep Sammy awake for…
by Alex Campbell Some UAB students are happy with the institution-wide effort of Wellness Week, but others are skeptical of the actual benefits it is providing to students. The university announced the first-ever UAB Wellness Week on Sept. 21. During the week of Oct. 17-21, professors are encouraged, though not required, to give their students a break from major assignments and exams. There are also a number of events throughout the week aimed at promoting the mental, physical and emotional health of UAB students and staff. “Wellness Week is an institution-wide initiative that highlights the university’s commitment to the health…
by George Barreto Birmingham’s very own film festival this year included a multitude of genres and international films. These films also maintained smaller budgets, providing an exceptional platform for independent projects that would have otherwise gone largely unseen. From recognizable actors to new faces, each film is specifically curated by Birmingham-based organizers that have an immense love for cinema. Every film is given the attention and spotlight it deserves. The festival continues to grow and flourish each year, and the 24th iteration was the biggest one yet. Like any festival, the coveted awards are the highly anticipated closer of the busy…
By George Barreto After the massive success of ‘Get Out,’ Jordan Peele has been preordained with the insurmountable pressure of recapturing lighting in a bottle. But at every opportunity, Peele finds a way to challenge expectations and sidestep convention by creating films that are unique and unequivocally his. A story about an otherworldly visitor antagonizing a pair of siblings in scattered hills outside Los Angeles feels like it could easily rely on overworn tropes to carry itself. However, it’s what Peele does with the audience’s awareness of tropes and iconography that elevates it into a refreshing and exciting stratosphere. The…
By George Barreto In possibly one of the strongest (albeit most rushed) openings to any MCU movie, Gorr the God Butcher (played by Christian Bale) finds himself absent of faith. With a fiery rage, he seeks to dismantle an unforgiving pantheon by killing gods after the untimely death of his daughter. It was during this promising introduction that I began to fear the worst: the movie would be a hodgepodge of promising but ultimately directionless ideas. The fourth installment of the “Thor” franchise and the 20-somethingth entry to the all-consuming MCU conglomerate finds Thor at the same crossroads he’s always…