Jan. 19, 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

Welcome to the aerotropolis (Opinion column)
The Sydney Morning Herald (Australia)
On Monday Max Moore-Wilton will tell an international conference it's a good thing the Federal Government can permit Sydney Airport to open a big shopping centre on part of its land. ...(John) Kasarda, who is the director of the Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise at the University of North Carolina and an airport consultant, says technological advances will make airports cleaner and quieter.

A kidnap that 'killed' the real Shawn in 4 yrs
The Associated Press (International)
More than four years ago when Shawn Hornbeck was snatched near his home, he was known as a spunky little boy who liked to ride his bike, play basketball, draw cartoons and spend time with his stepfather. ... "Most 11-year-olds taken from their support systems are in a state of shock," said Sharon Cooper, a pediatrician on the faculty of the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill School of Medicine.

Biologic drugs comparable for rheumatoid disease
Reuters (International)
Humira (adalimumab), Remicade (infliximab), and Enbrel (etanercept) are useful rheumatoid arthritis treatments and have comparable effectiveness and safety, according to an analysis of combined data. ...(Gerald) Gartlehner of the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill and colleagues studied data from 17 studies involving more than 5,200 patients with rheumatoid arthritis resistant to methotrexate, the standard first-line therapy for the disease.

Man versus machine (United Kingdom)
The Economist
This week Barack Obama applied a jolt of electricity to American politics—and provided a welcome distraction from the dismal spectacle of an imploding presidency. ...He has fleshed out his simplistic “two Americas” theme from 2004, burying himself in the policy literature and establishing a poverty think-tank at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Glorifying the gun
The National Post (Ontario, Canada)
If you believe artists should strive to improve the human condition, don't go looking on the Internet for NWA's 1991 music video, Alwayz Into Somethin. ...One 1995 University of North Carolina research project, which examined "deleterious effects of rap music," exposed control groups of young men to violent and non-violent videos.

National Coverage

Teen Says He Was 'Terrified' Of Captor
The Washington Post
Michael J. Devlin, the suburban St. Louis man accused of abducting two boys and holding one for four years, pleaded not guilty yesterday in Franklin County, Mo., court to one count of kidnapping in last week's abduction of William "Ben" Ownby, 13. ...Sharon Cooper, a forensic pediatrician at the University of North Carolina and a consultant for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, said it would not be hard for someone such as Devlin to make an 11-year-old afraid to leave.

Robert E. Lee, Version 200
The Washington Post
Today, the United Daughters of the Confederacy plan to fly a Confederate flag on Washington Street in Alexandria, on the statue of a rebel soldier who faces South. ..."Now there are all sorts of other ways in which Southerners identify themselves -- Salvadorans, Mexicans, Asians -- [and] the politics and economics of the region are no longer based on white supremacy," said W. Fitzhugh Brundage, a historian at the University of North Carolina and a member of the Society of the Lees of Virginia.

Can blogs make science cool?
"Marketplace," American Public Media
Some scientists and educators are using blogs as a tool to communicate their findings and research. They're hoping, among other things, to get people excited about science.

Cell phones fight obesity?
NBC News
If you've got a youngster in the house who is begging for a cell phone - You've probably heard every line in the book. But how about this one - "Hey mom and dad, a cell phone could help me fight obesity!" ... Researchers at the University of North Carolina are testing cell phone text messaging as an alternative to pen and paper to help youngsters keep track of their eating and exercise habits.

Regional Coverage

Witness: Dems discriminated, didn't break law
The Clarion-Ledger (Jackson, Miss.)
Ike Brown mobilizing black voters in Noxubee County isn't illegal. It's admirable, a government expert testified Thursday on cross-examination. But University of North Carolina Political Science chairman Theodore Arrington reiterated earlier testimony that he believes evidence shows Brown and his associates have engaged in a pattern of racial activities that discriminate against white voters in the majority-black county.
Related link: http://www.sunherald.com/mld/sunherald/news/local/16495302.htm

Health: Football Injuries Cause Depression
CBS 3 (Philadelphia)
Brain injuries from football caused the depression and suicide of a former Eagles player. ...Research from the center for the study of retired athletes at the University of North Carolina.

Pregnancy Scans Could Increase Cancer Development
Central Florida News 13 (Orlando)
A simple scan at the hospital to help moms-to-be, may also increase their chances of developing cancer. ...A new scan is making it safer for doctors to help pregnant women in pain. University of North Carolina radiologist Richard Semelka is using MRI to help safely see inside a pregnant woman, keeping the baby free from the risks of radiation.

State and Local Coverage

Carolina North panel wraps up its talks
The Chapel Hill Herald
Although it seemed at times it might never get there, the Carolina North committee wrapped up its work Thursday after four hours of talks. The final meeting showed there could be serious flash points when and if UNC submits a formal proposal for its envisioned research campus at Carolina North -- such as how much housing the university will include, or whether it would seek to build some means of generating electrical power on the property, such as a co-generation plant.
Related link: http://www.newsobserver.com/161/story/533862.html

UNC Sends Volunteers to Peace Corps
The Associated Press (N.C.)
Recruiters with the Peace Corps had signficant success in 2006 in finding volunteers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The school ranked eighth among U-S colleges and universities with the most volunteers with 77.

News Round up with Rusty
"The State of Things," WUNC-FM
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill professor of medicine Charles VanderHorst was featured on today's (Jan. 19) edition of "The State of Things." WUNC reporter Rusty Jacobs joins host Frank Stasio with an update on two stories: The debate over whether someone giving testimony in state court can swear on the Koran or other holy scripture that is not the Bible; and what doctors in North Carolina can and can't do when it comes to the state carrying out the death penalty.

Peeling the Orange
The Chapel Hill Herald
Speaking of that other school, UNC professors Richard Simpson and Bruce Curran got a few chuckles recently at the Town Council when they showed three video public service announcements created by their class at the School of Journalism and Mass Communication.

Updating state taxes (Editorial)
The Charlotte Observer
A legislative study commission examining state and local revenue systems is getting a basic lesson in math these days. One key precept, delivered by UNC Chapel Hill Professor Doug Shackelford: A narrow tax base means high rates. A broader base means lower rates.

New ethics policy bars doctors' aid in executions
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Doctors who do anything more than act as an observer at an execution would violate their ethical rules, the N.C. Medical Board ruled Thursday. ..."I'm not sure how they're going to enforce this role as an observer," said Dr. Arthur Finn, a professor emeritus at UNC's School of Medicine.

Duke plans cancer center
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Duke University Medical Center wants to spend hundreds of millions of dollars to build a cancer center and a tower with patient rooms on its flagship Durham campus. ...The Triangle's growing and aging population demands a response from hospitals, said Mary Beck, senior vice president of planning and program development at UNC Health Care.

Easley slow in naming judges
The Greensboro News & Record
This could have been the first week for Guilford County’s newest district court judge. ...James Drennan, a professor in the School of Government at UNC-Chapel Hill, said it’s not unusual for appointments to take time to fill, particularly given the number that Easley has to make.

'A broader story of N.C. history'
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Margaret Pollard's grandfather was born a slave near Pittsboro in the 1800s. ...Harry Watson, director of the UNC-Chapel Hill Center for the Study of the American South, said a multicultural museum in Chatham would have a far-reaching impact. It might not become a big tourist draw, but "public school children would come in by the score," he said.

Sundiata presents '(dream) state'
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
Sekou Sundiata will present "the 51st (dream) state," a performance of music, dance, poetry and videotaped interviews that will be staged at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
UNC News Release: http://www.unc.edu/news/archives/jan07/sundiata011607.htm

Extra-special theater
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
If you're lamenting North Carolina's waning popularity as a film industry destination, PlayMakers Repertory Company's "Stones in His Pockets" may cure your grief.
UNC News Release: http://www.unc.edu/news/archives/jan07/stones010507.htm

Surprises unceasing
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Art on Paper," a Weatherspoon Art Museum biennial event that dates back four decades, always proves a fascinating glimpse of the possibilities of an ostensibly simple medium, as well as an engaging juxtaposition of regional, national and international artists. ...Mario Marzan, a UNC post-doctoral fellow, is represented by a set of three works mounted on wood supports.

Repeat of water filings likely
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
It appears likely federal and state officials will require Durham's water department to redo its lead-compliance calculations, incorporating results from dozens of tests left out of its October claim that it had met federal environmental regulations. ...The 41-year-old institute, based at N.C. State University and run by UNC Chapel Hill professor David Moreau, has sponsored studies on a variety of water-quality issues.

NAACP opposes City Council referendum
The Fayetteville Observer
The state chapter of the NAACP opposes a proposal to restructure the Fayetteville City Council because it will likely reduce minority representation. ...Hall and Bob Joyce, a government professor at the University of North Carolina, spoke to about 75 people Thursday during a meeting on the proposed council changes.

Issues and Trends

Students Settling for 2nd-Choice Schools
The Associated Press (National)
A growing percentage of students are settling for their second and third choices for college, a new national survey says. But that's not necessarily because they didn't get in to the one at the top of their lists.

Student loan cut is only one step (Editorial)
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
As part of a pledge to pass several pet pieces of legislation in the first 100 hours of the new session, the Democratically controlled House voted overwhelmingly Wednesday to cut the interest rate on federally subsidized loans for college students.

Quantity vs. quality? (Editorial)
The Greensboro News & Record
N.C. A&T has seen tremendous enrollment growth in the last eight years. ...That's not the kind of growth any university wants to see, but it should be viewed as a symptom that must be treated if A&T is to effectively address the larger problem of poor graduation rates -- one it shares with every UNC system school except UNC-Chapel Hill.

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.

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