April 21, 2003

Carolina in the News

Current National Coverage

Here is a sampling of links and notes about Carolina 
people and programs cited recently in the media:

The New Rules of Saving for College
Kiplinger's Personal Finance
For parents of future college students, the headlines are discouraging. Tuition 
increases last year were the largest in over a decade ... At the University of North 
Carolina at Chapel Hill, for example, tuition climbed an eye-popping 62% between 
1999 and this year -- although at $12,500, the total cost of attending Chapel Hill 
for a state resident is still a screaming bargain.
http://www.kiplinger.com/magazine/archives/2003/May/managing/college.html

Heeling power 
New York Daily News
Roy Williams found out just how big Dean Smith's shadow can be as soon he walked 
into his posh new office at the University of North Carolina's Smith Center on 
Wednesday, the day after he was announced as the Tar Heels' new basketball coach. 
http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/story/76862p-70946c.html

Inactivity to blame for obesity
United Press International (international wire service)
A study shows too few physical activities rather than too many calories are at the 
root of adolescent obesity. An analysis by a University of North Carolina, Chapel 
Hill, nutrition researcher shows between 1980 and 2000 obesity rates increased 10 
percent among adolescents.
http://www.upi.com/view.cfm?StoryID=20030410-030810-9789r
(Note: This study was the subject of a UNC news release.)

Fewer Football Players Dying of Brain Injury 
Reuters (international wire service)
Thanks to changes in helmet standards and rules of tackling, the rate of deaths from 
brain injuries in U.S. football players has markedly decreased since 1975, new 
research shows. ... Now, even though more than one million athletes play football, 
only a handful of players die or are permanently disabled every year, study author 
Dr. Frederick O. Mueller of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
http://reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=healthNews&storyID=2590271

Hypertensive studies: 2 results
The Los Angeles Times
In December, a study of more than 42,000 white and black Americans found that 
old-fashioned, cheap diuretics -- "water pills" -- work at least as well and sometimes 
better than more expensive drugs to treat high blood pressure and certain heart 
problems. ... But it's reassuring that the ALLHAT study found diuretics to be so 
effective, says Dr. Sid Smith, past president of the American Heart Assn. and 
professor of medicine at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
http://www.latimes.com/features/health/la-he-sense21apr21,1,6275441.story
(Note: The Los Angeles Times requires free registration to access articles.)

Aspirin the miracle vs. aspirin the mystery
The Chicago Tribune
When scientists recently announced results of a study demonstrating that aspirin can
reduce the risk of developing colon polyps, the precursor to colon cancer, nobody
seemed particularly surprised--not the medical community nor the public. ... "We 
really don't know with any certainty how [aspirin] works to prevent polyps from 
forming in the colon," said Dr. Robert Sandler, who directed the colon cancer 
study at the University of North Carolina.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/health/chi-0304200413apr20,1,4555156.story
(Note: This story also appeared in The South Florida Sun-Sentinel and The State 
(Columbia, SC). The Chicago Tribune requires free registration to access articles.)

Bad rap on soy can't outshine its good
The Miami Herald
April is National Soy Month, but apparently the city of Miami celebrates soy all 
year round. According to a recent survey, Miami is ranked seventh in soy sales 
among U.S. cities. ... Suzanne Havala Hobbs, vegetarian author and assistant 
professor at the School of Public Health at the University of North Carolina, 
says that some poor but highly publicized research has created misunderstanding 
about the health benefits of this high-quality protein.
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/living/5643718.htm

Heart at work
The Fort Worth Star Telegram (Texas)
It's widely believed that one reason men die sooner than women is the stress that 
working for a living puts on their hearts. ... Researchers aren't exactly sure why
this is, but it's possible that black women benefit more from employment than white 
women because black women tend to start out poorer, says April Perry, lead 
investigator of the study and a doctoral candidate at the University of North
Carolina at Chapel Hill.
http://www.dfw.com/mld/startelegram/living/5671575.htm

Flexible plan, integration of forces spelled success
St. Louis Dispatch (Mo.) 
Despite some snags and setbacks, the campaign in Iraq played out largely according 
to the American war plan. ..."They adjusted and replanned and recalibrated," says 
military historian Richard Kohn of the University of North Carolina. "And then it 
went pretty much as they wished." 
http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/News/DD0057B0CB2823BF86256D0D0065FF83?OpenDocument&Headline=Flexible+plan,+integration+of+forces+spelled+success
Judas the betrayer
Fort Worth Star Telegram (Texas)
He is the Benedict Arnold of the Bible, a man synonymous with treachery and 
betrayal. ... Bart Ehrman, chairman of the religious studies department at the 
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, theorized that maybe all Judas was 
guilty of was "spilling the beans" about Jesus' true intentions.
http://www.dfw.com/mld/startelegram/living/5671585.htm

Heading soccer ball can give player a jolt 
Cleveland Plain Dealer (Ohio)
Hector Marinaro feels lucky. His MRI exams show no abnormalities. Doctors tell 
him he can play again. He thinks he has escaped a lifetime in a dangerous sport 
without permanent damage. ... Dr. Don Kirkendall at the University of North 
Carolina is part of a group commissioned by the U.S. Soccer Federation to study
the effects of heading the ball on cognitive function.
http://www.cleveland.com/sports/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/sports/1050831360136752.xml

National News Note

Kerry Bloom, professor of cell biology, was interviewed on National Public 
Radio's "Morning Edition" on Friday, April 18. Bloom commented on the recent 
discovery of DNA of plants and animals from over 400,000 years ago from soil taken 
from Siberia. To listen to this segment online, go to 
http://discover.npr.org/rundowns/rundown.jhtml?prgDate=4/18/2003&prgId=3 
and scroll down to "Siberian Soil Yields a Wealth of Ancient DNA."

Regional Coverage

UNC dean tapped for LSU's No. 2 post 
The Times-Picayune (La.)
Louisiana State University has named Risa I. Palm, a geographer and dean of the 
College of Arts and Sciences at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 
as executive vice chancellor and provost for the Baton Rouge campus. 
http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/neworleans/index.ssf?/base/news-0/1050731748275270.xml
(Note: Local coverage includes a mention in today's News and Observer and 
this Herald-Sun story, http://www.herald-sun.com/orange/10-343984.html)

Experts say community involvement crucial to success
The Sun News (S.C.)
The Grand Strand's fast-growing population provides a wealth of new ideas, but 
experts say it is largely up to institutions such as the government, civic groups and 
colleges to spark a sense of community that leads to a better quality of life. ...
Grand Strand leaders - whether they be from business, politics or both - must 
step forward and "start engaging a process that would highlight the problems with 
unplanned development and lack of civic participation," said Jim Fraser, a senior
researcher at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's Center for 
Urban and Regional Studies.
http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/mld/sunnews/news/local/5675627.htm
(Note: This story also appeared in The State (Columbia, SC).)

North Carolina News Note

David Weber, professor of epidemiology in the School of Public Health and 
professor of medicine and pediatrics in the School of Medicine, was one of 
the guests on Sunday's edition of "At Issue," WNCN-TV's weekly state-oriented 
public affairs program. Weber spoke about the SARS epidemic and the public's 
health. WNCN is the NBC affiliate in Raleigh.

State and Local Coverage

He lives by mom's ideals 
News and Observer
All those years ago, Roy Williams would pile his little son, Scott, into his car, and 
begin the Sunday-morning trek, often in the dark. 
http://newsobserver.com/news/story/2474141p-2300789c.html

Booster’s plane snuck Williams to UNC the day he was hired 
The Herald-Sun
Roy Williams himself aside, the person with the most critical role in orchestrating 
the new coach’s arrival in Chapel Hill last Monday evening may have been a natural 
gas executive from Fayetteville. 
http://www.herald-sun.com/orange/10-344011.html

Grad student funds target of budget cut 
The Herald-Sun
Graduate students who become research assistants and instructors are recruited 
like star athletes. ... "The idea is for us to attract the very best, and it’s very, very 
competitive," said Jerome Lucido, an admissions director at UNC Chapel Hill. 
http://www.herald-sun.com/durham/4-343780.html

Father helps son heal after Kinston blast 
The Herald-Sun
James "Red" Edwards Sr. leans over his son Jim and gently offers him a drink. ... 
The younger Edwards would probably like to forget about being at the N.C. Jaycee 
Burn Center at UNC Hospitals, forget about the fire and explosion at the 
pharmaceutical plant on Jan. 29 that forever changed his life. 
http://www.herald-sun.com/orange/10-344007.html
(Note: A related story was featured in The Charlotte Observer, 
http://www.charlotte.com/mld/observer/news/5674861.htm)

Ida Friday honored for her dedication to learning 
Chapel Hill News
The George Watts Hill Alumni Center was the place to be Thursday afternoon and 
the word on everyone's lips was "Ida." Ida Friday received the Cornelia Phillips 
Spencer Bell Award for her years of dedication to the learning institution, the town 
and the state of North Carolina. 
http://www.triangle.com/triangle.com/communities/chapelhill/community/story/2469916p-2297114c.html

Note: If you have any questions about Carolina in the News, 
please call Cathleen Keyser or Mike McFarland at News Services, 
(919) 962-2091 or news@unc.edu or mike_mcfarland@unc.edu