December 30, 2004

Carolina in the News

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

National Coverage

Companies, Focusing on Brands, Are Outsourcing Some Design Work
The New York Times
Two years ago, Medtronic, best known for its pacemakers, introduced the CareLink, a home-use wireless gadget that can transmit relevant data from implanted devices...."Companies aren't selling products, but services to wrap around products," said Noel P. Greis, professor of operations at the University of North Carolina's Kenan-Flagler Business School.

State & Local Coverage

Memorial Hall work nears finish
The Chapel Hill Herald
Work on UNC's Memorial Hall is finally nearing completion....It is one of just a handful of recent construction projects -- out of a total pool of more than 100 -- to suffer significant delay, said Bruce Runberg, UNC's associate vice chancellor for planning and construction.

Chronic pain is in genes, study finds
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Some people feel chronic pain, while others don't register it. But don't call the sufferers wimps....UNC-Chapel Hill researchers have discovered a small variation in one gene that leaves some people more vulnerable to pain.
UNC news release: http://www.unc.edu/news/archives/dec04/maix122904.html

N.C. resources on autism
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
The treatment of autism as a neurological difference, not an impairment, has been taking place in North Carolina since the 1970s, through a statewide program based at UNC-Chapel Hill known as TEACCH.

Area jobless rate rises
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
The Triangle's unemployment rate rose two-tenths of one percentage point to 3.3 percent in November as employers in the six-county region shed 3,600 jobs....The unemployment rate is based on a household survey that is too limited to paint an accurate picture, said James F. Smith, a business professor at University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.

The search for Number 2
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Little did Michael Eisner realize when he hired Michael Ovitz as the second-in-command at Walt Disney that Ovitz's employment would last only 14 months, cost the company millions of dollars and evolve into a major legal battle that remains unresolved...."There needs to be clarity about the goals in taking on a No. 2 person," says Burton "Buck" Goldstein, who holds a newly created post at UNC-Chapel Hill as Entrepreneur in Residence.

Welcome to Tar Heel Nation
The Charlotte Observer
Thousands of UNC Chapel Hill fans have turned uptown Charlotte into a sea of light blue this week for today's 1 p.m. Tire Bowl game against the Eagles of Boston College.
Related link: http://www.newsobserver.com/sports/college/story/1972436p-8346601c.html

Issues & Trends

Hedge funds are changing
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Elliot Bossen is guarded about his company....The University of North Carolina system has invested more than half of its $1.2 billion endowment in hedge funds.

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.

Carolina in the News is also posted daily to the News Services Web page, http://www.unc.edu/newsserv/clipsindex.htm.

Please share any questions, comments or suggestions at news@unc.edu.