Feb. 1, 2006

Carolina in the News

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

National Coverage

Nation mourns death of 'extraordinary woman'
The Miami Herald
Coretta Scott King built a legacy from pain and progress, first as the wife who stood tall next to a man bent on changing the ways of this land, then as a widow veiled in delicate black lace, and finally as the curator of Martin Luther King Jr.'s dream. ...''Coretta Scott King was a woman of immense dignity and a moral statute. She continued her husband's work in a very persuasive and compelling way,'' says Harry Watson, director of the University of North Carolina's Study for the American South. "She was outspoken but not an overt activist. She didn't go into cities and turn them upside down, but she was a figure that reminded us of what needed to be done, what needed to change.''

If NWA survives, it should be strong
The Detroit Press
If Northwest Airlines manages to avoid a destructive confrontation with its unions, industry experts say the airline would be well placed to survive and perhaps even thrive once it emerges from bankruptcy. ..."The industry is going to grow, but this doesn't mean every airline is going to be picked up by a rising tide," said John Kasarda, director of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise and its Center for Air Commerce. "This is going to be painful for everybody, but the new realities of the airline industry are, if Delta and Northwest do not get further cost reductions, they will not be able to compete."

Players dying young: Football rate higher than baseball
Scripps Howard News Service
Professional football players are now more than twice as likely as Major League Baseball players to die before their 50th birthday, and medical experts say the culprit is probably differing body bulk. ...“There seems to be a linear relationship between weight and the likelihood of cardiovascular disease,” said Kevin Guskiewicz, director of the Sports Medicine Research Laboratory at the University of North Carolina.

The Painful Lives of Football Players
ABC News
On Nov. 17, 1991, the Detroit Lions were playing the Los Angeles Rams in what should have been a typical regular season NFL game. ..."We have seen that 61 percent of all players in our database have reported at least one concussion during their professional playing career," said Dr. Kevin Guskiewicz of the University of North Carolina Center for the Study of Retired Athletes.

State & Local Coverage

Inner strength inspired those who knew her
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
For Triangle residents who knew Coretta Scott King, news of her death stirred memories of a woman most people only admired from a distance. ...At the time, UNC-Chapel Hill would not admit black students. Instead, the state paid Lennon and other black students' tuition bills at out-of-state schools. Lennon went to Boston University.

Triangle residents react to Mrs. King's death
News 14
The first lady of the civil rights movement died Tuesday. Coretta Scott King, the widow of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., passed away at the age of 78. Former UNC-Chapel Hill Professor Chuck Stone knew Dr. and Mrs. King as close friends. He said, “If you're committed to the cause, she was as Martin was, you risk the attacks.”
Related Link: http://www.heraldsun.com/nationworld%5C14-696283.html

Face up to global warming (Commentary)
The Charlotte Observer
While the debate continues as to cause and ultimate effect, few scientists disagree that a climate change phenomenon exists. Further, there is general agreement that climate change is likely being influenced by human activity -- particularly through the burning of fossil fuels. ...Excerpted from remarks by Paul Anderson, chairman and CEO of Duke Energy, at a forum on energy and global climate change at UNC-Chapel Hill Jan. 23.

Yes, avoid trans fat -- but remember saturated is bad, too (Commentary)
The Charlotte Observer
Food companies now have to list trans fat on food labels, and that's good news for shoppers looking for information to guide healthy food choices. But the hoopla around the new labels has a potential downside: Attention to trans fat could shift the focus from saturated fat, which researchers say is equally damaging to your health. ...Suzanne Havala Hobbs is a registered dietitian and a clinical assistant professor in the Department of Health Policy at UNC-Chapel Hill.

Clues unravel a mind robber
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
A blockbuster diabetes treatment is providing clues on how to halt or reverse the progression of Alzheimer's disease, say GlaxoSmithKline researchers in Research Triangle Park. ...Alzheimer's "is a jigsaw puzzle," said Dr. Kirk Wilhelmsen, a molecular biologist and neurologist at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine. The GSK study "links two big chunks. That's really cool."

UNC Professor Rips Brown’s ‘The Da Vinci Code’
The Southern Pines Pilot
Did Jesus marry Mary Magdalene? Did they have a daughter? Has author Dan Brown in his best-selling book “The Da Vinci Code” revealed truths the Church hid? Dr. Bart Ehrman, professor and chairman of religious studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, attempted to set the record straight at Sandhills Community College during his “Truth and Fiction in the Da Vinci Code” lecture. Erhman has received outstanding reviews of his book by that same title.

North Carolina’s Own Furry ‘Forecaster’ Set To Predict Weather
The Southern Pines Pilot
With our recent cold snap, who really wants to see six more weeks of winter? But we’ll all soon find out whether that’ll be the case. ...They’ll also find complete Groundhog Day results from previous years, thanks to a collaboration between the Museum, North Carolina State Climate Office and the University of North Carolina Department of Geography.

Brazile to speak on redistricting
The Chapel Hill Herald
Donna Brazile, chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee's Voting Rights Institute and former campaign manager of the Gore-Lieberman campaign, will give the keynote address at a conference Friday examining redistricting issues. The UNC School of Law's Center for Civil Rights will host the national conference, "Who Draws the Lines? The Consequences of Redistricting Reform for Minority Voters."
UNC News Release: http://www.unc.edu/news/archives/jan06/redistrict012706.htm

Roses & raspberries (Editorial)
The Chapel Hill News
Roses to the UNC women's basketball team, which rode a scintillating performance in Sunday's game against Duke to its first-ever No. 1 national ranking. The Tar Heels collided with Duke Sunday night in a battle between the only two remaining unbeaten teams in NCAA Division I ball.

Former nun will serve three months in prison
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Gail Phares, a former nun and social activist from Raleigh, received a three-month prison term Tuesday for crossing into a closed military base in an act of civil disobedience. ...An active prison sentence might be harsh, but Richard Rosen, a professor of law at UNC-Chapel Hill, said Phares' punishment was intended to send a message.

Tax break: New residents may get 3 years to pay
The Fayetteville Observer
Recently annexed residents may get up to three years to pay a portion of their Fayetteville property tax. ...City officials consulted with the League of Municipalities, the School of Government at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and bill writers for the legislature for alternatives.

Nation's health-care crisis could be avoidable (Opinion-editorial column)
The Chapel Hill News
Let's give President Bush credit for turning attention to the nation's health-care problems in his State of the Union address -- even if you do not agree with his proposals. ...A few weeks ago, I had supper with former state representative Jack Hunt and members of his family, including his daughter Judy, also a former legislator. One of their guests was John Buse, director of UNC Diabetes Care Center and a nationally recognized expert on the prevention and treatment of diabetes.

Issues & Trends

President Proposes Billions for Basic Research and Teaching of Math and Science
The Chronicle of Higher Education
In his State of the Union address on Tuesday night, President Bush proposed spending billions over the next decade on basic science research and on mathematics and science education. In his speech to a joint session of Congress, the president provided few details of his plan, which he dubbed "The American Competitiveness Initiative." Specifics are expected to be provided in his budget request for the 2007 fiscal year, which is due out next Monday.
Related Link: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/01/AR2006020100358.html
Note: Subscription required.

The President Discovers Science
Inside Higher Ed
A year ago, science and technology barely seemed to be on President Bush’s radar screen. His only mentions of research in his 2005 State of the Union speech were to note that the government had expanded research on defending against biological and chemical attacks, to thank Congress for having doubled funding for the National Institutes of Health, and to warn — in a critique of embryonic stem cell research — that the country must “ensure that scientific advances always serve human dignity, not take advantage of some lives for the benefit of others.”

Towns could merge fire departments
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Mayor Mark Chilton has proposed merging the fire departments of Chapel Hill and Carrboro, saying the move might negate Carrboro's need for a new fire chief and fire station. ...UNC-Chapel Hill recently leased land to Carrboro for a new fire station on Homestead Road, projected to cost about $2.5 million.

Faculty prepared to meet with Shelton
The Arizona Daily Wildcat
When Robert Shelton visits the UA in the next few months to plan for his presidency, faculty and staff members said they look forward to taking advantage of his strength in sciences and challenging him to improve issues of diversity. Shelton, who will succeed President Peter Likins, is finishing out his last semester as executive vice chancellor and provost of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

A look under the hood
The Daily News (Jacksonville)
The new president of the University of North Carolina system was full of questions Tuesday. “What else can we do? What do you really need?” asked Erskine Bowles as he began his two-hour visit of N.C. State University’s Center for Marine Science and Technology in Morehead City.

Still waiting for wireless
The Chapel Hill News
UNC students on campus and customers at Weaver Street Market can pop open their laptops and log on to the Internet with ease. ...The UNC campus is a hodgepodge of wireless service, Gerdau said. "The campus has a lot of wireless, but it doesn't have a campus-wide network," Gerdau said.

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/news/clips/index.shtml.

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