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April 10, 2007
Carolina in the News
Here is a sampling of links and notes about Carolina people and programs cited recently in the media:
International Coverage
Sculpting Dubai's workforce
The Gulf News (United Arab Emirates)
Numbers may be keys to the nature of Dubai's workforce and its economy. According to a 2005 government report, 97.13 per cent of Dubai's total labour force is foreign. ... His project examined four million items of data which took a supercomputer, provided through the University of North Carolina where he was studying at the time, eight hours to sort through to make the necessary calculations.National Coverage
Pfizer Drug for Diabetes Is Lagging
The New York Times
Exubera, the first and so far only commercially available inhaled-insulin diabetes treatment, is on the verge of turning into an expensive failure for its maker, Pfizer. ...“Out of 2,000 times or more I’ve tried to start patients on insulin, I’ve only been turned down twice,” said Dr. John Buse, professor of medicine at the University of North Carolina.Prize for Elizabeth Spencer
The New York Times
Elizabeth Spencer has been named the winner of the 20th annual PEN/Malamud Award. The accolade recognizes a body of work that demonstrates excellence in short fiction. Ms. Spencer, who teaches writing at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, is the author of seven collections of short fiction, nine novels, a memoir and a play.Newspapers will never be as profitable as they once were, experts say, but can still do well if they see ...
Newsday
They don't feel like part of the traditional newspaper thrown on your doorstep - online chats, podcasts, video and audio feeds, plus searchable databases to aid in the hunt for a new home, used wheels or the best pizza on Long Island. ..."Newspapers will never go back to their historical level of profitability," said Philip Meyer, a journalism professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.Renowned Coach Faces Harassment Trial
Inside Higher Ed
Anson Dorrance is one of the country’s most powerful and successful college coaches. ...And his employer, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and one of its former officials must defend themselves against accusations that they failed to put a stop to his behavior.
Related link: http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/soccer/2007-04-10-soccer-harassment-suit_N.htm
UNC Statement: http://www.unc.edu/news/archives/apr07/appealsruling041007.htmlRegional Coverage
The nature of memory
The Buffalo News (N.Y.)
Maura Styczynski sat ramrod straight before a computer screen at Duke University and tried hard to memorize where a series of colored squares flashed. ...Cognitive psychologists, who have long tried to understand the human mind’s workings, are eager to see what such genetic and brain imaging studies find, said Neil Mulligan, director of a graduate program in cognitive psychology at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.Teen driving restrictions move ahead
Capitol Media Services
Arizona senators are moving to enact restrictions on new teen drivers, but some critics — including the head of the House Transportation Committee — say the state should stay out of the matter. ...AAA lobbyist Stuart Goodman said a study by the University of North Carolina found that having one teen passenger in the car raises the chance of an accident by 39 percent; increasing that to three teen passengers boosts the likelihood of a mishap by 182 percent.
UNC News Release: http://www.unc.edu/news/archives/may02/foss051602.htmWashoe County School District to launch dual-language pilot program
The Associated Press (Regional)
The Washoe County School District plans to launch a dual-language pilot program to help Spanish-speaking elementary school students. Local administrators cited a recent University of North Carolina study that found Spanish-speaking children become better adjusted in school if teachers speak some Spanish to them.
UNC News Release: http://www.unc.edu/news/archives/mar07/fpgspanish032207.htmlDifferent learning styles key
Chester Observer Tribune (N.J.)
Come September, the township schools will be working towards individualizing education for students through a new “Schools Attuned” program developed by pediatrician and professor, Mel Levine. ...Levine is a professor of pediatrics at the University of North Carolina Medical School in Chapel Hill. He is also the co-founder with financier Charles r. Schwab of “All Kinds of Minds,” a non-profit institute for the study of differences in learning.Lawmakers still wrangling over property taxes
Daytona Beach News-Journal
Aaron Powell doesn't particularly like property taxes, but that doesn't mean he wants to pay a higher sales tax instead. ...The sales tax is generally considered regressive, because it absorbs more of the income of a less-wealthy person than of a wealthy person, said Douglas Shackelford, a professor of taxation at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.Slicing up the album
The Sacramento Bee
Album sales are in a seven-year decline as the computer has replaced the brick-and-mortar store as the gateway to record shopping. ..."Popular music did not take advantage of the LP for quite a while," says (Mark) Katz, who is also an assistant professor of music at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.Why are your children at R-rated flicks?
The St. Cloud Times (Minn.)
I go to a lot of movies. I like the theater experience, so I'm willing to overlook the sticky floors, overpriced popcorn and anti-piracy commercials because they go with the territory. ...Several studies, including a recent one by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation, have indicated a connection between exposure to R-rated films and increased smoking among teens.Father-son outing fast turned into lake rescue
The Roanoke Times (Va.)
Keith Siler and his son Ethan drove Wednesday morning from North Carolina to their lake house in Bedford County hoping to spend some time water-skiing. ...(Ethan) Siler, who works in the turf care division for the University of North Carolina, said the rescue leaves him with mixed feelings. "You can't celebrate helping out in an accident when two people did die."Soccer Coach Suffers Setback in Sex Talk Case
The New York Sun
America's most acclaimed women's college soccer coach, Anson Dorrance of the University of North Carolina, suffered a serious legal setback yesterday after a federal appeals court ruled that his penchant for sex-related talk may have amounted to unlawful sexual harassment.
UNC Statement: http://www.unc.edu/news/archives/apr07/appealsruling041007.htmlState and Local Coverage
Public likes Carolina North's 'centers'
The Chapel Hill Herald
Pedestrian-friendly. Car-free. Bold. That is some of the praise that local residents are giving to the Carolina North plan that would limit most development to the Horace Williams Airport site and would put parking lots along the perimeter of the built-out area.UNC students study black people's lives
Rocky Mount Telegram
Prior to October, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill graduate student Anne Morris had never been to either Tarboro or Princeville. Yet over the past six months, she and five of her classmates have been working on a project they hope will help improve both of those communities.Don't write off incentives yet (Opinion-editorial)
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
In recent weeks we have learned about problems inherent to North Carolina's industrial recruitment efforts. A report from two private organizations, CfED in Durham and the N.C. Budget and Tax Center, raises important and timely questions about the use of tax breaks and financial giveaways to lure multinational firms to the state, including Dell and Google. ...Nichola Lowe is an assistant professor in city and regional planning at UNC-Chapel Hill, specializing in economic and work-force development.Town asks UNC its plans for tract
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Town Hall wants to know what UNC-Chapel Hill has planned on Cameron Avenue. Planning Director J.B. Culpepper and Town Attorney Ralph Karpinos have asked Mayor Kevin Foy to write a letter to the university asking how it plans to use 2.3 acres of land it is buying to expand the main campus westward.Soccer player's suit can be tried
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
A federal court ruled Monday that a former UNC-Chapel Hill soccer player should have a trial of her claims that coach Anson Dorrance sexually harassed her and the university failed to respond properly to her complaints.
Related link: http://media.www.dailytarheel.com/media/storage/paper885/
news/2007/04/10/University/Dorrance.Lawsuit.Reopened-2831491.shtml
UNC Statement: http://www.unc.edu/news/archives/apr07/appealsruling041007.htmlSexual harassment lawsuit against UNC back in court
The News & Record (Greensboro)
Melissa Jennings will finally get her day in court. ...The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, sitting en banc, today (April 9, 2007) remanded the case of Melissa Jennings vs. the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for trial. The University is not able to discuss the details of the case, but it may be helpful for reporters to understand the context of such a ruling.
Related link: http://www.wchl1360.com/Those poor CEOS (Letter to the editor)
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Almost buried in the April 6 News & Observer is a brief reporting a Watson Wyatt Worldwide report that equity-based compensation paid to chief executives increased by 48 percent in 2006. Median annual bonuses reportedly grew to $2.2 million. ...And we worry about poor Dr. Bill Roper, CEO of the UNC Health Care System, whose bonus last year was only $110,010.Barbecue Society welcomes all types
The News & Record (Greensboro)
Jim Early knows a thing or two about 'cue. ..."I think we have never had one because we never needed one," said John Shelton Reed, a retired sociologist at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a society member, who's working on his own barbecue book, Holy Smoke.Issues and Trends
Bowles recommends Roper for new deal as UNC med school dean, hospital CEO
The Triangle Business Journal
Bill Roper appears likely to lead the UNC Health Care system and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill medical school for at least five more years, thanks to a recommendation made Monday afternoon by UNC leaders including system President Erskine Bowles. The recommendation to the UNC system's board of governors, made by Bowles, UNC-Chapel Hill Chancellor James Moeser, UNC Health Care Chairman Bill McCoy and UNC-CH Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little, brings an end to a three-month review period during which a pair of committees studied Roper's performance.
Related link: http://www.newsobserver.com/102/story/562481.htmlScientists to tour research campus
The Associated Press (N.C.)
When researchers from around the world meet next week at a conference related to creating healthier food, they'll also be introduced to the North Carolina Research Campus in Kannapolis. ..."It's our first start at letting people know that we exist and we're looking," said Dr. Steven Zeisel, director of the Nutrition Research Institute in Kannapolis, which is part of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Related link: http://www.newsobserver.com/104/story/562525.htmlManteo students prepare for regional robot competition
The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk)
For the last month, six Manteo teenagers have met after school to turn PVC pipe, cabling, wires and motors into an underwater robot suitable for A rctic like missions. ...They will have to sit in front of a panel of experts from NOAA and NASA who will "pick them apart" in an engineering review, said John McCord, education programs coordinator for the University of North Carolina's Coastal Studies Institute, which is coordinating the local projects.
Produced by News Services, Carolina in the News is an e-mail sampling of current news media coverage about Carolina people and programs, as well as issues and trends that affect the university. Stories usually will be online and available free for a limited time - often one to two weeks. Expiration dates before stories move to archives vary by media outlet. Some outlets require free user registration or a subscription.
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