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Dec. 2, 2005Carolina in the News
Here is a sampling of links and notes about Carolina
people and programs cited recently in the media:National Coverage
Expert Disputes 'Healthy Drinking' Theory
HealthDay News
With a slew of studies suggesting light drinking may protect the heart, many have happily taken to having a "medicinal" drink or two a day. ..."At a practical level, I do not think the evidence is strong enough to support the recommendation of alcohol consumption to reduce heart disease to someone who does not normally drink," said Dr. J.C. Garbutt, a professor of psychiatry at the University of North Carolina.Obesity May Raise Risk for Flu Complications
NBC NewsChannel
Health problems like heart disease and diabetes may not be the only deadly side effect to the country's obesity epidemic. New research suggests people who are obese can't fight off the flu as well as their healthy weight peers. University of North Carolina researchers studying mice have uncovered evidence suggesting obesity may be a deadly risk factor for the winter ill. Lead researcher Melinda Beck, PhD, "Within seven to ten days about 40 percent of the obese mice died, so there is a huge mortality difference between lean and obese."
Note: Story has so far run on a variety of local NBC stations across the country, including NBC 10 in Philadelphia, WIS-TV in Columbia, SC, and WILX-TV in Lansing, MI.Lab Animal Violations Decried
The Washington Post
Concerned that the federal government may not be living up to President Bush's famous two-strikes-and-you're-out philosophy, animal rights activists are asking federal officials how many times a university needs to violate animal welfare regulations before it gets hit with some kind of punishment. ...Tony Waldrop, UNC's vice chancellor for research and development, said that many of the problems found in the second inspection were remnants of problems from earlier on, which were still in the process of being corrected. "It was not new information," he said, noting that a recent follow-up inspection resulted in "an absolute clean bill of health and full accreditation."
Related Link: http://www.newsobserver.com/102/story/373355.html
Mainstream media & the terror war
"The O'Reilly Factor” Fox News
...UNC Journalism professor Napoleon Byars had a different perspective. "I think they both have a job, the media and the military. Let's face it, the American public is better served, I think, when it gets information and it can make its own choices about how the war is going." The Factor said that the media could certainly draw a line with its reporting. "CIA landings pinpointed by The New York Times? I don't mind any exposition on policy, but on tactics and pinpointing what the CIA, where they're going, I think that puts us all in grave danger."
State & Local Coverage
UNC purchase in London to aid international study
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
UNC-Chapel Hill has bought a $5 million headquarters facility in London for international study and expanded an exchange program with a British university. UNC had been searching for property in London for some time. In September, the university bought a 4,400-square-foot building in London's historic Bedford Square. The new facility, called the European Study Center in Winston House, will be the base for UNC's honors program in London, as well as any UNC faculty, students and alumni who work and travel in Europe.
UNC News Release: http://www.unc.edu/news/archives/dec05/londoninit120105.htmUNC purchases first European facility
The Triangle Business Journal
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has expanded its international presence with the purchase of the first university-owned facility in Europe and the deepening of an exchange program with King's College London. In September, UNC purchased the European Study Center in Winston House on London's historic Bedford Square for a total cost of $5 million.
N.C. now 3rd among inactive adults
The Charlotte Observer
Get off your butt, North Carolina! The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say we're becoming the Tar-Heels-on-the-Sofa State. ...It could be the recent job losses, says Dr. Dianne Ward of UNC School of Public Health. "The perception is that with unemployment, you're out pounding the pavement. Instead, you're home with nothing to do."
UNC students to re-create edgy, satiric musical
The Herald-Sun (Durham)/The Chapel Hill Herald
The show, as originally conceived, was never produced. ... Tonight, the UNC departments of music and dramatic art, under the direction of faculty members Julie Fishell and Terry Rhodes, will come together for the first time in 30 years to re-create this edgy, witty and satiric musical commentary on capitalism and the corruption that exists in every social institution. Distinguished Professor of Music Thomas Warburton will come out of retirement to provide the solo piano accompaniment.
UNC News Release: http://www.unc.edu/news/archives/nov05/cradle112905.htm
Forum focuses on learning gaps
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
Pediatrician Mel Levine noticed an interesting, but not unusual, phenomenon as he observed an assembly at The Children's Storefront School in Harlem awhile back. ...Levine, a professor of pediatrics (at UNC) and founder of All Kinds of Minds, spoke during Connecting Minds, a teacher training event. He explained his theories to a crowd of several hundred educators from across North Carolina who gathered at the Sheraton Imperial Hotel and Conference Center for the two-day event.
Don't expect too much
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
There is mounting political pressure to let customers pay for only the cable television channels they watch. But any changes are likely to fall short of enabling consumers to be the masters of their own cable universe. ...Sridhar Balasubramanian, associate professor of marketing at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, said that with a la carte pricing, niche channels with small audiences would disappear because they wouldn't be able to generate sufficient revenue. And choosing among hundreds of channels would be more of a burden than many consumers would want.
Lottery panel getting together in Tenn.
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
State lottery commissioners are planning to gather this morning at a hangar at Raleigh-Durham International Airport, then whisk away to Tennessee to inspect that state's lottery operation. ...David Lawrence, an expert on the meetings law at the School of Government at UNC-Chapel Hill, said the field trip constitutes an official meeting under the law. The commission should give notice and keep a record of what happens.
Peeling the Orange
The Chapel Hill Herald
If you're looking for some advice on which of the latest technological gadgets to include on your holiday shopping list, then Roger Perry probably isn't your best source. Perry, a local developer, UNC trustee and also a member of the board of the Chapel Hill Downtown Partnership, argued this week that one person needed to be put in charge of figuring out how to move forward with creating a wireless Internet network in Chapel Hill, possibly in downtown and elsewhere.
Issues & Trends
The breaks on tuition (Editorial)
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
America has been bracing for a wave of baby boomers leaving the workforce as if it will amount purely to a run on Social Security and Medicare. Wrong. Baby-boomer retirements also could leave behind a less competitive workforce that will pull down salaries and tax base, predicts the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education.2 say council not so united
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
The Chapel Hill Town Council usually makes unanimous decisions. ...Both Verkerk and Wiggins were criticized as being too close to Affiliated Computer Services, the company that provided the system, charges the two thought were unfair. Verkerk, a UNC-Chapel Hill art history professor who championed traffic safety, presented data that came from a trade association with a vested interest in seeing more cameras installed.
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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