July 9, 2003

Carolina in the News

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

Current International Coverage

Study on dengue by Lankan professor released in US 
Daily News (Sri Lanka)
A Sri Lankan professor attached to North Carolina University in 
the US has lead a major study on Dengue fever, the results of which 
have been just released by the University. 
Dr. Aravinda de Silva, assistant professor of microbiology and 
immunology at University of North Carolina School of Medicine, 
is the senior author of this major study. 
http://www.dailynews.lk/2003/07/09/new30.html
(This story resulted from a UNC News Services release)

Unique Buying Proposition makes more sense
Economic Times (India)
The USP was a flawed idea 50 years ago when it was invented, 
says Robert Lauterborn. In this exclusive for Brand Equity, the 
advertising guru and best-selling author of Integrated Marketing 
Communication explains why the Unique Buying Proposition makes 
more sense....Robert Lauterborn is the James L Knight Professor of 
Advertising University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/cms.dll/xml/uncomp/articleshow?msid=66225

Current National Coverage

Reading, Writing and Special Attention in Queens
The New York Times
Finding the special education students in Marilyn Murphy's first-grade 
class is challenging...The Schools Attuned program was developed by 
Mel Levine, a pediatrician and researcher at University of North 
Carolina, Chapel Hill, who says teachers must pay close attention to 
every child's style of learning.
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/07/09/education/09SCHO.html

You Want Statins With That? 
Newsweek
Jim Moviel never met an egg roll he didn’t like. His list of favorite 
foods also includes garlic chicken wings smothered in blue-cheese 
dressing, and mashed potatoes made with real butter and whole milk...
While the doctors in the front lines of the war against heart disease 
agree that lifestyle changes should be the cornerstone of cholesterol-
lowering therapy, they also say their fast-food-loving patients simply 
aren’t up to the task. “There is a great deal of truth in what Ornish is 
doing,” says Dr. Sidney Smith, professor of medicine at the University 
of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and former president of the American 
Heart Association. 
http://www.msnbc.com/news/934526.asp?0cv=KA01

National News Note

Carolina is mentioned in an article about former Minnesota senator 
and UNC alumus Paul Wellstone in the July 21 issue of The Nation.

Regional Coverage

North Carolina bites into predatory loans
Orlando Sentinel (Fl.)
The apparent success of a North Carolina law designed to reduce 
predatory lending has given fresh ammunition to Florida consumer 
groups who say this state needs better laws to curb such abusive loans...
For example, the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill researchers 
found that mortgages with prepayment penalties during the first three 
years of the loan's term fell 72 percent after the law was passed, while 
loans with balloon payments -- larger-than-normal final installments -- 
dropped 53 percent.
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/orl-bizpredatory09070903jul09,0,5561488.story?coll=orl-business-headlines

State and Local Coverage

Budget cuts $14 million at UNC
Chapel Hill News
Bigger worry, officials say, is erosion of salaries and the loss of top 
faculty to other universities. University officials are reviewing the potential 
impact of cuts handed down as part of the recently passed state budget.
http://www.triangle.com/triangle.com/communities/chapelhill/story/2678381p-2483593c.html

UNC's reading selection criticized 
Chapel Hill Herald
It isn't religious in nature, but UNC's summer reading program selection 
has still managed to ruffle some feathers this year. 
http://www.heraldsun.com/orange/10-369590.html

Criticism of book assignment misses point (Editorial)
Chapel Hill Herald
UNC's summer reading program is under fire again, a year removed 
from the wrangle about the assignment of a book called "Approaching the 
Qur'an" to incoming freshmen. 
http://www.heraldsun.com/opinion/chhedits/57-369598.html
(A North Carolina Associated Press story about this issue also has 
been distributed based on Tuesday's report in The News and Observer. 
That story has appeared on some news outlets' Web sites as well as in 
The Charlotte Observer and The Myrtle Beach (S.C.) Sun News.)

Lincoln principals to train in county
Highly sought-after Chapel Hill program is hitting the road
Charlotte Observer
Students won't be the only ones with homework in Lincoln County 
this year. Principals will be studying hard, too. Education researchers 
from UNC Chapel Hill have chosen Lincoln County Schools for a pilot 
program to train principals in their home districts. If successful, the 
program could eventually expand to other districts.
http://www.charlotte.com/mld/observer/news/local/states/north_carolina/counties/gaston/6262144.htm

Blue Cross abandons effort to be for-profit
Citing an uncertain outcome and the prospect of additional regulation, 
Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina officials announced Tuesday 
that they are withdrawing their request to convert to a for-profit company...
Anil Shivdasani, Wachovia Distinguished professor and chair of finance at 
the Kenan-Flagler School of Business, said he believes the potential for 
greater scrutiny of corporate executive compensation packages may have 
been a key factor in the decision.
http://www.triangle.com/triangle.com/communities/chapelhill/story/2678384p-2483597c.html

The boss is back
Chapel Hill News
Robert Dowling saw Bruce Springsteen perform for the first time in 1973 
at Nassau Coliseum in New York. The young artist was just getting his 
start in the music business and was opening for the Beach Boys that night. 
Even though Dowling was unfamiliar with his music, he came away from 
the concert impressed.
http://www.triangle.com/triangle.com/communities/chapelhill/our_town/story/2678319p-2483533c.html

Don't call it a scooter 
News and Observer
After seeing pictures of President Bush's tangle with a Segway Human 
Transporter, one has to wonder: Surely in a Triangle filled to brimming 
with avowed techies, there would be scores of Segways humming along 
the bike trails in Research Triangle Park, skirting the Capitol building
in Raleigh or cruising up and down Franklin Street in Chapel Hill...
"It's a really messy issue," said Lauren Marchetti, manager of public 
information programs at the University of North Carolina's Highway 
Safety Research Center in Chapel Hill.
http://newsobserver.com/business/story/2679850p-2484799c.html

Issues and Trends Affecting Carolina

UNC professor joins ranks of Town Council hopefuls 
Chapel Hill Herald
A longtime UNC professor and Coker Hills resident filed Tuesday to 
run for the Town Council, becoming the fourth announced candidate so 
far in the race. 
http://www.herald-sun.com/orange/10-369589.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