December 2, 2003

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

National Coverage

A Gentler Type of Colonoscopy Proves Effective
The New York Times
A new study finds that virtual colonoscopy, a method that uses a C.T. scanner
for colon cancer screening, can be just as effective as traditional colonoscopy in
finding polyps, the mushroomlike growths from which most cancers arise....The
question of who gets referred for a traditional colonoscopy "may say more about
us than about the science," said Dr. Russell Harris, a professor of medicine
at the University of North Carolina.

Medical Students Go Beyond Books to Learn About Activism
The New York Times
She already knows how to read an EKG. And she was taught to measure blood
pressure three years ago. But in her fourth year of medical school, Hilda Fernandez
is learning how to quantify hope....Over the past six years, similar courses have
been introduced at several medical schools, including Case Western Reserve
University, the University of North Carolina and the University of Pennsylvania.

Panel Urges Obesity Screening for Adults
National Associated Press
Clinicians should screen all adult patients for obesity and offer to refer those who
are obese to intensive counseling and behavioral therapy, an influential federal
task force has recommended...."I think one of the underlying messages here is
that we don't just have to throw up our hands at this problem," said Dr. Russell
Harris, a task force member and associate professor of medicine at the
University of North Carolina School of Medicine.

The Atkins effect
CNN/Money
To hear some people tell it, low-carbohydrate diets have caused the worst crisis
for bakers since Marie Antoinette supposedly told bread-starved Parisians to eat
cake...."Clearly, all of those 83 calories are carbs -- that is what high fructose
corn syrup and other sweeteners are," said Barry Popkin of the University of
North Carolina, a co-author of the study.

Internet2 takes shape in Michigan
The Detroit News
If the Internet is the information superhighway, then Internet2 may become the
information Autobahn...."It's a vital stride in developing virtual collaboration
environments, which can increase efficiencies in higher education and research,"
said Tyler Johnson, a telecommmunication systems analyst at the
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

More college students studying religion
Akron Beacon Journal
Students crowd into two of the University of Miami's Religion 101 classes, the
latecomers sitting cross-legged in the aisles....``There's a different attitude: It's
more acceptable, not as contentious'' to be religious, said Christian Smith, a
sociology professor at the University of North Carolina who is directing
the National Study of Youth and Religion.

Your Baby's Memory
American Baby
Many parents have no idea how strong their young child's memory can be....
J. Steven Reznick, PhD, professor of psychology at the University of North
Carolina, recently studied babies' ability to access short-term memory.

State and Local Note

Peter Leone, an associate professor in the School of Medicine's Division of
Infectious Diseases, was interviewed by WCHL 1360 am on AIDS research. WCHL used recorded sound bites from the live interview last night and this morning.

State and Local Coverage

Task Force: Adult Patients Should Be Screened for Obesity
WRAL-TV (CBS, Raleigh)
An influential federal task force has recommended clinicians should screen
all adult patients for obesity and offer to refer those who are obese to intensive
counseling and behavioral therapy....Dr. Russell Harris, a task force member
and associate professor of medicine at the University of North Carolina
School of Medicine, said one of the underlying messages with the report is
professionals don't have to just throw up their hands at the problem.

Anglophile UNC professor catches queen's eye
The Herald-Sun
Ted Leinbaugh is reasonably sure that neither his acting ability nor his musical talent were the reasons for his being selected as a recipient of one of this year's Order of the British Empire awards.

Countywide reading program focuses on race
The Chapel Hill News
Next week, Orange County will make its first foray into a community-wide reading program.  The Orange County Department of Human Rights and Relations is sponsoring the project in the hope that it will promote discussion across racial and ethnic lines....The book of choice is "Summer Snow: Reflections from a Black Daughter of the South," by Trudier Harris-Lopez, the J. Carlyle Sitterson professor of English at UNC.

Small wonders
The Chapel Hill News
The holly bushes in Maryann Roper's yard are unusually prolific this year....The result - actually, the second incarnation of the berry drawing - is among the pieces that will be on display and up for auction this week in the Holiday Diminutive Art exhibit at the North Carolina Botanical Garden.

ACLU takes on UNC student's music case
The Herald-Sun
A UNC student's entanglement with a music industry watchdog group has attracted the notice of the American Civil Liberties Union.

'Choice' proves right
The News & Observer
PlayMakers Repertory Company is at the top of its form with a nigh-perfect production of the 1915 British comedy "Hobson's Choice."

Theater that hits home
The News & Observer
There were many moments on that crisp autumn night in Pittsboro when time seemed to go backward and the sly trickster that is memory fooled us again....Short history: In 1988, students at UNC-Chapel Hill compiled an oral history of the hard times lived in the state's textile mills.

Catotti set to try new stage
The News & Observer
On Monday, Diane Catotti, a pixie-haired PTA mom who has never held political office, will take a seat at a table where the conversation is raw, the allegiances enshrined and the audience unforgiving....Lars Scholtz, Catotti's political science professor 20 years ago when she was an undergraduate at UNC-Chapel Hill, thinks she can hold her own in Durham's "kabuki play" governance, heavy on posturing.

Issues and Trends

Pepsi gets beverage deal at A&T
Greensboro News & Record
Pepsi: It's the cola for N.C. A&T, at least for the next five years....UNC-Chapel Hill uses the $695,000 it gets each year from its non-exclusive Coke deal to retire the debt taken out to refurbish its dining halls.

Town doesn't need to target businesses (Editorial)
The Chapel Hill Herald
The Town Council's hands-on approach to downtown business development is a balancing act. Even when it acts with the best of intentions, there's always the risk of making a mistake that could do more to kill downtown than to help it.

Note: If you have any questions about Carolina in the News, please call Russell Campbell at News Services, (919) 962-2091, russell_campbell@unc.edu, or Mike McFarland in University Communications, mike_mcfarland@unc.edu

Note: Web links on this page are time-sensitive, so stories might not be available after the day they first appeared.