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Jan. 2, 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
Obesity epidemic helps investors fatten wallet
Reuters (International)
The number of overweight people in the world overtook the number of malnourished for the first time in 2006, according to Professor Barry Popkin, director of the department of nutrition at the University of North Carolina.
Duke lacrosse prosecutor could be ousted, or charged
The Associated Press (International)
Joseph Kennedy, a University of North Carolina law professor, said the judge overseeing the lacrosse trial could remove Nifong. "If the defendants are guilty, you want a prosecutor who's not hamstrung by questions of ethics. They would be in better position to secure convictions," Kennedy said.
National Coverage
Heart Disease Still Plagues Southern States
At Risk: Cholesterol Level and Parkinson’s May Be Linked
The Associated Press (National)
Wayne Rosamond, an epidemiologist at the University of North Carolina and chairman of the American Heart Association's Statistics Committee, said studies are under way to determine the reasons behind the regional differences, the news service said.
The New York Times
“If a person is healthy with a cholesterol in the middle range, and no family history of heart disease, radically lowering cholesterol may not be necessary,” she said. “But at the same time, we’re not urging anyone to change his diet or medication based on this finding.” Dr. Huang is a Parkinson’s expert and a neurologist at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine.
UNC News Release: http://www.unc.edu/news/archives/dec06/parkinsonsldl121806.htmTo Protect Against Drug Errors, Ask Questions
The New York Times
“We need a comprehensive approach to reducing these errors that involves not just health care organizations and federal agencies, but the industry and consumers as well,” said Linda R. Cronenwett, dean of the School of Nursing at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill and co-chairwoman of the institute committee.
New Orleans levee-risk study faulted
The Los Angeles Times
Its methodology has prompted much of the criticism, along with the Corps' failure to say how confident it is in its assessment or to put the future risk in a historical context that New Orleans residents can understand, according to Richard Luettich, a member of the NRC review team and a professor at the University of North Carolina.
Defender of free speech to lose his ability to speak
The Associated Press (National)
A law professor who has proven himself brilliant at defending the constitutional right of free speech soon will be deprived of his ability to speak...Bill Marshall of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill law school is one of the many who have reached out to an ailing colleague and friend.
New Year's rituals that go beyond toasts, party hats
The Associated Press (National)
Across the South, black-eyed peas are a New Year's staple. "Each pea has an eye in it and there's a sense of looking into the future and bringing good luck to people who eat them," said William Ferris, a professor at the University of North Carolina and co-editor of the "Encyclopedia of Southern Culture."
New Job Title for Druggists: Diabetes Coach
The New York Times
While diabetics have often shown significant improvements in controlling their blood sugar soon after taking diabetes education classes, they typically relapse within three months, according to a study released in March 2003 by the Journal of the American Pharmaceutical Association. The report was co-written by Carole W. Cranor, a pharmacoeconomist who was then at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
Regional Coverage
Deepwater reefs off S. Florida's coast may get protection from council
The Sun-Sentinel (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.)
As the council drafts its proposal, scientists are continuing to explore the reefs, discovering new stands of coral and communities of marine life. "We're finding all these things because they're so poorly researched," said Steve Ross, associate research professor at the University of North Carolina's Center for Marine Science, who has gone on descents to the reefs off Florida.
Southern stereotypes prove tough to shed
The Tennessean (Nashville, Tenn.)
"To some extent, we're always captive of the past, but as that past becomes increasingly dim, so too will the stereotypes," said Larry Griffin, a sociologist at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, who studies Southern culture.
Yesterday's high technology makes mountain of e-waste
The Post and Courier (Charleston, S.C.)
Mercury, which accumulates in fish and causes reproductive failure and kidney damage, is a common element in circuit boards. And a study released this month by a University of North Carolina scientist, found that oysters are particularly sensitive to cadmium, a toxic element common in semiconductors.
What are you afraid of?
The Rocky Mountain News (Denver, Co.)
About 40 percent of us will make New Year's resolutions today, according to surveys from both the University of North Carolina and Washington University.
'Let the World Listen Right' premieres
The Clarksdale Press Register (Mississippi)
The film was directed by two University of North Carolina students, Ali Neff and Brian Graves, as well as by Top Notch himself...Neff was convinced by her advisor at UNC, Bill Ferris, a Mississippi-born author who has written about the blues, to make a film about Top Notch.
State and Local Coverage
Universities face financial dilemma (Editorial)
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
As University of North Carolina leaders, state legislators and others have wrestled in recent years with tuition increases, legislative appropriations and the cost of maintaining and increasing UNC's already impressively high standing among the nation's colleges, one underlying worry has been paramount.
Law classes, then Navy, brought Ford to UNC
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Gerald Ford spent the summer of 1938 in Chapel Hill catching up on some law classes so that he could graduate on time from Yale University, where he had enrolled in law school later than the rest of his class, according to a 1975 story on the former president in UNC-Chapel Hill's Alumni Review.
Poverty book in pipeline
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
The book is the work of UNC's Center on Poverty, Work and Opportunity, which was created by Edwards nearly two years ago to study poverty. The center has held numerous forums on the subject.
UNC News Release: http://www.unc.edu/news/archives/dec06/povertycenterbook121106.htmUsing lithium for Alzheimer's
The Chapel Hill Herald
Pharmaceutical companies are interested in producing other GSK-3 beta inhibitors for the disease because these drugs are relatively easy to make and lithium has been shown to be safe in low doses in treating people with manic-depressive illness, said William Snider, professor of neurology, cell and molecular physiology at UNC's School of Medicine.
UNC News Release: http://www.unc.edu/news/archives/dec06/snider121906.htmIn 2007, politics to be presidential (Editorial)
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
The University of North Carolina's success at recruiting him to launch the Center on Poverty, Work and Opportunity after his unsuccessful 2004 vice presidential race has given Edwards a ready forum for preparing for another campaign. It also ensures high visibility for UNC as the campaign takes shape.
What '07 may bring
The Chapel Hill Herald
Partnerships between the town and UNC likely will continue in 2007, along with town-gown disagreements. And news from the town and UNC could intersect in a major way if the university finally submits a formal proposal for Carolina North campus at Chapel Hill Town Hall.
2007 will be a year of decision-making (Editorial)
The Chapel Hill Herald
Perhaps the most momentous decisions will be those concerning Carolina North. The university's proposed new research campus is a 50-year project, but this year might be the most important of them all.
Note: This article is unavailable online.Grant will pay for lessons on Europe
The Chapel Hill Herald
Robin McMahon got the idea to apply for the grant after she met with advisers at World View, a UNC-Chapel Hill international program for educators, and the UNC Center for European Studies. She did all of the research and wrote the grant with support from Smith staff and district administrators.
We're number 10! -- in population
The Fayetteville Observer
The state might gain enough residents to add another representative in Congress after the 2010 census, said Thad Beyle, a political science professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Issues and Trends
Clamor for AP classes alters program's intent
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Beginning this month, the College Board is requiring all teachers of AP classes to submit materials showing that their courses meet the program's standards.
Interbasin transfer leads this year's Top 10 stories
The Independent Tribune (Concord)
Physical work at the research campus progressed during the year and the University of North Carolina system signed on to the project. Work behind the scenes also went on as developer Castle & Cooke paved the way for changes to the city with the help of the city manager’s office.
Out with the old, in with the new (Editorial)
The Chapel Hill News
This was the year that terrorism -- or something sort of like terrorism; nobody could quite agree on that semantic point -- came to Chapel Hill, when a man named Mohammed Taheri-Azar drove an SUV through a crowd of students at the Pit on the UNC campus in order, he said, to avenge the United States' treatment of Muslims. Somehow, thankfully, no one was seriously injured.
City schools want parents to help with e-mail problem
The Chapel Hill Herald
City schools officials are asking for parents' help in fixing a problem that is causing some e-mail addresses to block messages from the district...District officials said they have tried to work with staff from Earthlink for more than two weeks, even asking UNC's security division for help.
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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