July 5, 2002

Carolina in the News

Current National Coverage

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

Herbals Lag as Mosquito Repellents 
The Washington Post
Most insect repellents containing herbal oils are far less effective than those containing 
DEET, a synthetic chemical marketed since the 1950s, according to the first study to 
scientifically compare a wide range of products. Although the botanical repellents have 
attracted chemical-wary consumers, the findings suggest that DEET-containing repellents 
would be the best choice for anyone seeking reliable protection from mosquito-borne 
or tick-borne infections such as West Nile virus or Lyme disease, said researcher Mark 
S. Fradin, co-author of the study in today's issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. 
"If I was traveling to Africa and had to worry about getting malaria or . . . yellow fever, 
I would want a DEET-based product on my skin," said Fradin, a dermatologist at the 
University of North Carolina.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A22061-2002Jul3.html
(Note: This story originated as a UNC News Services release 
http://www.unc.edu/news/archives/jul02/fradin070202.htm. Other pickup of this 
story includes international and national media outlets including The Toronto Globe And 
Mail (Canada), Winnipeg Free Press (Manitoba, Canada), National Post (Canada), The 
Wall Street Journal, The Boston Globe, ABC News, WebMD.com, Contra Costa Times 
(California), The State (South Carolina), St. Petersburg Times (Florida), Grand Forks 
Herald (North Dakota), Akron Beacon Journal (Ohio), and the Nando Times.)

Stubbornness makes roads less safe (Editorial)
Atlanta Journal Constitution 
If highway safety expert Robert Foss were handed the job of Georgia governor and 
given free rein to overhaul traffic safety, he'd lower speed limits, ban cellphone usage in 
cars and impose teen-driving curfews. "And I'd plan on serving only one term because 
I'd never be re-elected," says Foss, a scientist with the University of North Carolina 
Highway Safety Research Center. As Gov. Roy Barnes discovered when he attempted 
to raise the driving age, Georgians regard driving as a right rather than a privilege. Tampering 
with that "right" is risky political business, and Barnes was unable to muster support for 
the change in the House. 
http://www.accessatlanta.com/ajc/opinion/0702/05driving.html

National News Notes

Scott Parker, director of the Institute for Outdoor Drama, was featured on Minnesota Public 
Radio's program, "Marketplace Morning Report" about the connection between consumer 
confidence and outdoor drama attendance. This coverage is part of ongoing efforts by News 
Services and UNC's Institute for Outdoor Drama to promote outdoor dramas in North Carolina. 
To listen to this program, please go to http://marketplace.org/ and click on the July 4 program 
on the right side of the page.

State and Local Coverage

BUILDING PROJECTS: UNC levels the playing field for contractors (Editorial)
No matter what the field, it’s always difficult to break into the good old boys club. That’s 
especially true in construction, where large contractors with big pockets — the good old boys
— tend to monopolize the big projects, thus letting them get bigger still. UNC wants to do 
something about that, at least in terms of its own upcoming building projects. 
http://www.herald-sun.com/opinion/chhedits/57-243915.html

Village Diary: Holding out for bubbles
Journalist and professor Chuck Stone addressed the class of graduating fifth-graders at Estes
Hills Elementary School last month. The theme of his talk was the different talents and abilities 
each student would develop. To illustrate his point, he brought a duffle bag full of hats, and 
pulled them out one at a time, letting the students guess who might wear each type of hat. 
http://www.chapelhillnews.com/Issues/2002/07/03/town01.html
(Note: Stone is the Walter Spearman professor in the School of Journalism and Mass 
Communication.)

Etiquette helps get the most out of e-mail 
More and more people have learned how to use e-mail in a technical sense, but not everyone 
has yet picked up the know-how to use it in a considerate and appropriate way. In other words, 
many of us are still acquiring good e-mail manners. Of course, etiquette guidelines are evolving. 
But there is some consensus on how to be a thoughtful e-mail user...
...Be skeptical of requests to forward messages to everyone you know. While you're checking 
the validity of virus warnings, be sure that e-mail asking you to forward messages, for example, to 
get a chance at free money or help find a missing child are also real, says Penny Ward, a computer 
consultant at UNC-CH.
http://www.newsobserver.com/business/technology/story/1507223p-1537452c.html

Note: If you have any questions about Carolina in the News, 
please call Cathleen Keyser or Mike McFarland at News Services, 
(919) 962-2091 or news@unc.edu or mike_mcfarland@unc.edu