July 21, 2003

Carolina in the News

Current International and National Coverage

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

A plan to 'Get Kids in Action'
USA Today
With government statistics showing that 15% of kids, or about 9 million, are 
overweight - triple the number in 1980 - it's clear that the USA has a children's 
health epidemic on its hands. ... Get Kids In Action, the $4 million program 
directed by researchers at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and under-
written by Gatorade, targets physicians, community organizations and families in a 
drive to make kids more physically active. ... "Too many parents think that the 
answer to helping overweight kids is getting them to eat less, when getting them 
active, not just sitting around watching TV, is an important part of the story," says 
Steven Zeisel, chairman of UNC's department of nutrition. 
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2003-07-20-kids-fitness-usat_x.htm
(Note: This story is the subject of an announcement event today in Washington, D.C.;
To see a news release, click here.)

Blizzard Babies May (or May Not) Inundate Hospitals This Fall 
The Washington Post
When the blizzard blew in last February, some residents made emergency plans. 
Others made snow angels. And some, most certainly, made babies. ... "I don't 
know why people assume that..." said Richard Udry, a veteran demographer at 
the University of North Carolina.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A17269-2003Jul19.html

One Sure Thing About Grapefruit: Citrus Sales Are Beginning to Sour
The Wall Street Journal
About half of the world's grapefruit grows on a mineral-rich strip of land along 
Florida's eastern seaboard. ... This isn't a major public-health concern," says Paul 
Watkins, a professor of medicine at the University of North Carolina who has 
studied grapefruit-drug interactions.
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB105838482362121800,00.html?mod=todays%5Fus%5Fpageone%5Fhs
(Note: The Wall Street Journal requires an online subscription to access articles.)

Maybe baby
The Sunday Telegraph (Australia)
When Toni, 32, fell pregnant with her first child, it was a minor miracle. ... Studies 
at the University of North Carolina found that breastfeeding reduced the risk of 
breast cancer by 20 per cent in women aged 20 to 49, and by 30 per cent in 
women aged 50 to 74.
http://www.dailytelegraph.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,6765916%255E22807,00.html

Falls contribute to state's high ranking in accidental deaths, report shows
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Watch your step, and make sure that landing is adequately supported. A study 
on home safety ranks Wisconsin fifth in the number of home injury-related deaths. 
... The most common falls result from people tripping over objects, toddlers 
learning to walk, elderly people less steady on their feet or people dizzy from 
medication, according to Carol Runyan, lead researcher and director of the
University of North Carolina Injury Prevention Research Center.
http://www.jsonline.com/news/metro/jul03/156477.asp

His goal: help lawyers beat rap of addiction 
The Portland Press Herald (Maine)
David Kee knew he had problems, but he never thought he had "a problem." ... A 
study by the University of North Carolina found lawyers to be almost twice as 
likely to suffer from addiction than the general population, and Johns Hopkins 
University researchers determined law to be the most stressful profession.
http://www.pressherald.com/news/local/030721lawyer.shtml

State and Local Coverage

Impasse at the end 
The News and Observer
The N.C. House of Representatives single-handedly ended the General Assembly's 
2003 session Sunday night, walking out on a Senate plan for a $180 million cancer
center at UNC-Chapel Hill. 
http://newsobserver.com/news/story/2710677p-2513365c.html

Hospital is needed (Letter to the Editor)
The News and Observer
In response to your July 18 editorial ("Hospital as a 'correction'?"), it should be 
noted that building a cancer hospital at UNC has been part of active legislation for 
two years, received approval by the UNC Board of Governors and that two bills 
regarding the proposal were introduced early in the current legislative session. 
http://www.newsobserver.com/editorials/story/2706110p-2509434c.html
(Note: Jeffrey Houpt is dean of the School of Medicine.)

Bill leaves state office out of centers' construction 
The News and Observer (Under the Dome column)
Speros Fleggas, director of the State Construction Office, might need to look at his 
to-do list to see whether it's too long. Senate legislation allowing UNC Hospitals to
build a $180 million cancer center and advocating about $60 million for biomanu-
facturing training centers at N.C. State University and N.C. Central University 
would take oversight from his office and leave it with the universities
http://www.newsobserver.com/news/nc/story/2710745p-2513403c.html

UNC projects get approval from state
The Chapel Hill News
The N.C. General Assembly gave final approval last week to a bill authorizing a 
host of UNC-system capital improvement projects that don't require state 
appropriations, including more than $300 million for projects at UNC-Chapel Hill.
http://www.triangle.com/triangle.com/communities/chapelhill/story/2704631p-2507878c.html

Deep passions draw lightning to UNC campus 
The Herald-Sun
The setting: Chapel Hill. The players: High-minded, progressive academics and 
conservative citizens of a largely rural state. The issue: the potential indoctrination of 
young students into an ideology some find uncomfortable. 
http://www.herald-sun.com/orange/10-373229.html

Carolina book debate bears fruit
The Chapel Hill News
More than a month remains before this year's UNC freshmen will participate in 
discussion sections focused on Barbara Enhrenreich's "Nickel and Dimed: On 
(Not) Getting By in America."
http://www.triangle.com/triangle.com/communities/chapelhill/story/2704648p-2507902c.html

Disputed book can help UNC students (Commentary)
The Charlotte Observer
A few weeks ago, on a warm early summer evening, I was walking with a friend 
across the campus of UNC Chapel Hill, pointing out to her where I used to live, 
go to class and hang out in the mid-1970s.
http://www.charlotte.com/mld/observer/news/local/states/north_carolina/counties/catawba/6343404.htm

Clueless and calculating (Commentary)
The News and Observer
According to officials at UNC-Chapel Hill, they're just a bunch of clueless naifs,
mystified by the controversy surrounding the book they've asked incoming freshmen 
to read, Barbara Ehrenreich's best seller , "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting by 
in America." 
http://www.newsobserver.com/features/columnists/story/2708769p-2511541c.html

U.S. has many reasons to intervene in Liberia - and must (Question and Answer)
The News and Observer, Q Section
THE N&O: What should the U.S. role in Liberia be? JULIUS E. NYANG'ORO: 
Sending troops now is maybe a little bit late. ...
http://newsobserver.com/news/story/2708620p-2511519c.html
(Note: Julius E. Nyang'oro is a professor and chairman of African and Afro-
American Studies at UNC-Chapel Hill.)

Group hopes employment fair will help dads find work 
The Herald-Sun
Thomas Hopkins had steady work after moving to Durham nearly five years ago. In
fact, he had hardly gone a day without a job. After moving here from Newark, N.J., 
on Oct. 5, 1998, he said, he was stocking shelves at Kmart the next day. ... "Most 
of the men tell me that because they don't feel like they can bring substantial means 
to the family, they feel like they need to pull away," said Dennis Orthner, professor 
of social work and public policy at UNC Chapel Hill. 
http://www.herald-sun.com/durham/4-373398.html

Is the U.S. military overextended? 
The News and Observer, Q Section
The United States has peacekeepers in Kosovo, a force positioned in Djibouti for 
counter terrorism operations, 10,000 troops in Afghanistan and 33,000 in Kuwait 
supporting the 146,000 in Iraq. ... Richard Kohn , a professor of military history 
at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, is among the experts who 
think troops are spread too widely.
http://newsobserver.com/news/q/story/2708553p-2511567c.html

A new rule limits to 80 the hours medical interns can work per week 
The Greensboro News and Record
Dr. Ryan Modlinski, bright-eyed and bouncy, breezes into Bill Bingham's room at 
Moses Cone Hospital. The first-year resident's hair is ruffled, his beard stubbly, 
but he looks fashionable, not overwhelmed. ... "There was no question everyone felt
tired," said Dr. Tim Lane, 57, who teaches at UNC-Chapel Hill's School of 
Medicine.
http://www.news-record.com/news/local/medinterns20.htm

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