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March 5, 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
U.S. teens work late, long and in danger: study
Reuters
U.S. youngsters aged 14 to 18 who work at retail and service jobs during the school year put in an average of 16 hours a week, often at jobs that are dangerous and unsupervised, a study said on Monday. The report from the University of North Carolina said some of the working conditions found in interviews with a representative sample of 928 teenage workers violated federal law.
UNC News Release: http://www.unc.edu/news/archives/mar07/teenwork030107.htmlChildhood obesity brings early puberty for girls
New Scientist (United Kingdom)
Increasing rates of childhood obesity may be responsible for a dramatic increase in early-onset puberty in girls, new research suggests. ...Marcia Herman-Giddens at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, US, who first noted the declining age of puberty in US girls in a landmark 1997 study, says the findings are further cause for alarm.
UNC News Release: http://www.unc.edu/news/archives/apr97/puberty2.htmlCancer nanotechnology: small, but heading for the big time
Nature.com (United Kingdom)
Back in September 2004, the US National Cancer Institute (NCI) launched the Alliance for Nanotechnology in Cancer to stimulate and coordinate research in biology, engineering and materials science to push cancer nanotechnology forward. ...Joseph DeSimone, professor of chemistry and chemical engineering at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA, is putting these principles into practice.Jewish groups to bring Israel Studies to US campuses
Israel Today
A coalition of 31 American Jewish organizations is set to launch a three-year initiative, bringing Israel studies to American higher education. ... Through the Bina Initiative, students and faculty at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill would have an opportunity to participate in a ten-week Israel studies program for small groups, “which has been shared in other parts of the country.”Multimedia brought in to make Games special
China Daily
A multimedia website under construction is expected to make this year's Special Olympic Games more special, according to Zhao Kai, dean of the School of Journalism at Fudan University, Shanghai. ...Zhao is currently in the United States discussing details of the project with officials of the US partner - the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC-Chapel Hill).National Coverage
A Gift Aimed at Good Health, but Also Good for Business
The Chronicle of Higher Education
To Dennis Gillings and his wife, Joan, giving the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill the $50-million pledge that put the institution over its $2-billion fund-raising goal made good business sense. ...Matt Kupec, vice chancellor for university advancement, says the dean of the school of public health and chancellor of the university "did the bulk of work" to secure the $50-million pledge, but that the Gillingses had an interest in helping to keep the school competitive among peer institutions.
UNC News Releases: http://www.unc.edu/news/archives/feb07/breaking2B022107.html
http://www.unc.edu/news/archives/feb07/gillingsgift022107.htmlIn Wartime, Who Has the Power?
The New York Times
The Constitution seems relatively clear. The president is the commander in chief, and he has the power to deploy troops and to direct military strategy. ...“I think it’s inconceivable that Congress will cut off appropriations, because no one wants to leave people on the field without support,” says Michael Gerhardt of the University of North Carolina Law School.Hiring Becomes Family Affair
The Wall Street Journal
To recruit daddy's little girl, some employers in the U.S. are courting daddy. ...Employers are saying, "'If we can't beat them, we might as well join them,'" says Marcia Harris, director of career services at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.A military wife's battle is lost here at home
The Los Angeles Times
It was the final day of Marine Sgt. Travis Woody's second tour in Iraq when the sergeant major pulled him aside. ...When spouses get into trouble, whether it's drugs, credit card debt or extramarital affairs, they are often reluctant to seek help, said Dennis Orthner, a professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill who has studied the pressures faced by military families.Teenagers Face More On-The-Job Dangers
The Associated Press (National)
The first national study to interview teenagers about on-the-job dangers found many violations of federal laws, including sizable numbers performing risky tasks or working too late on a school night. ..."Teenagers are being put in the position of doing tasks that are either illegal or dangerous," said lead author Carol Runyan of the University of North Carolina Injury Prevention Research Center. While enforcement of laws could be improved, she said, "the real burden lies with employers."
Related link: http://www.ajc.com/health/content/shared-auto/healthnews/cdev/602455.html
UNC News Release: http://www.unc.edu/news/archives/mar07/teenwork030107.htmlQ&A with the scientist studying women's ACL injuries (Question-answer)
The San Jose Mercury News
The alarming number of knee-ligament injuries seen in women's athletics has confounded the medical community for years. ...Stephen W. Marshall, an associate professor of epidemiology at the University of North Carolina School of Public Health, hopes to offer some insight when his five-year study is completed in 2009. Marshall has teamed with the U.S. military academies to collect data from men and women cadets for the Joint Undertaking to Monitor and Prevent ACL Injury project.
Related link: http://origin.insidebayarea.com/sports/ci_5338764Sometimes there is crying in baseball (Column)
The Star-Telegram (Fort Worth)
Baseball is our deadliest youth sport. ..."It's amazing that someone would get hit from behind, inside a tunnel," said Frederick O. Mueller, director of the National Center for Catastrophic Sports Injury Research at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.Other Voices: Iran, Spin and Unnamed Sources; Female and Spouseless (Letter to the editor)
The New York Times
A “tipping point” is the point at which something suddenly accelerates or becomes more significant. A “milestone” is the point at which something is labeled in a remarkable way. A milestone is symbolic; a tipping point is significant for the trend itself. ...Philip Cohen; The writer is an associate professor of sociology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.Regional Coverage
HIV research at CWRU led to new drugs
The Plain Dealer
Dr. Michael Katzman never planned to study AIDS. But he was like many infectious disease specialists whose careers coincided with the spiraling epidemic: The young physician found himself drawn into the mysterious world of HIV. ...Dr. Joseph Eron, an associate professor of medicine and infectious diseases at the University of North Carolina, was a principal investigator in the Merck trial. He said it was difficult to find drug compounds that were soluble, that could be taken orally and that worked as efficiently in humans as they did in test tubes.Hallucinogen gains popularity, prompting legislation to ban it
The Associated Press (Regional)
Some young people are turning on, tuning in and dropping out for quick highs on a hallucinogenic drug that is legal and sold openly at novelty stores, smoke shops and adult video stores. ..."It's not toxic as far as we know," said Bryan Roth, a professor of pharmacology at the University of North Carolina's School of Medicine.Doomed to delete history?
The Arizona Republic
Today's technology has proved to be a double-edged sword: There's no dispute that it has improved our lives, but it also has caused us to lose history as fast as we make it. ...Philip Meyer, Knight professor of journalism at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and author of The Vanishing Newspaper, said they "create a sense of community." If future archaeologists find no newspapers, "they'll be damned disappointed. Our time is pretty fascinating."State and Local Coverage
Renaissance pushes innovation
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
For such a high-tech piece of gadgetry, the oversize balloon floating above the parking deck at the Renaissance Computing Institute wasn't behaving very well Friday. ..."I think what you are seeing today is the future," said UNC-Chapel Hill Chancellor James Moeser, one of many guests.
Related link: http://www.renci.org/Teens given illegal tasks
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Many teenagers who work have used dangerous equipment on the job even though it is prohibited by federal child labor laws, according to a UNC-Chapel Hill study. ..."In the same way we worry about sex, drugs, alcohol and driving, we should worry about [teenagers'] work life," said Carol Runyan, director of UNC's Injury Prevention Research Center and lead author of the report.
UNC News Release: http://www.unc.edu/news/archives/mar07/teenwork030107.htmlShielding with copper oxide
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Jeff Gabbay wants to build a better condom. ..."Theoretically, it's conceivable copper would be toxic [to viruses] if put into a condom," said Dr. Charles van der Horst, an AIDS researcher at UNC-Chapel Hill. "I'd like to see the test data."Lack of agreement further delays debate on capital punishment
The Associated Press (N.C.)
The failure of the state to reach an agreement with the N.C. Medical Board over the role doctors can ethically play in executions could keep capital punishment on hold for some time as lawmakers and others try to untangle a confusing legal mess. ..."Somebody has got to figure out what a procedure should be," said Richard Rosen, a law professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Law.Moore: Look at pension fund gain
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
State Treasurer Richard Moore has a bottom-line defense of his management of the state pension fund: $4.2 billion. ...Such calculations are a common measuring stick used to evaluate fund managers, said Bob Connolly, associate professor of finance at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.Join the march to fire-safe cigarettes (Opinion-editorial column)
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Fires that destroy people and homes, life and property and physical and mental health are a stark reminder of the difference between injuries and accidents. Injuries are frequently preventable, while accidents often are not. The common denominator underlying recent fires in the Triangle, and many others over the last decade (including one that killed two N.C. State University students two years ago and another that took the lives of five UNC-Chapel Hill students) is a cigarette. ...Adam O. Goldstein, M.D., is associate professor of family medicine at the UNC-Chapel Hill School of Medicine. Aysha Akhtar, M.D., is a neurologist and preventive medicine physician in Durham.UNC professor to appear on 'Dark Ages' TV special
The Chapel Hill Herald
War. Chaos. Upheaval. That's the image that the Dark Ages often conjures up. Although historians admit that description is exaggerated, UNC professor Brett Whalen sees similarities between today's world and that period more than 1,000 years ago in Europe.FCC chairman to speak at UNC
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin will speak at noon Monday at UNC-Chapel Hill. His talk is the first event held by the UNC Center for Media Law and Policy, a joint effort between UNC's schools of law and journalism.
Related link: http://www.heraldsun.com/durham/4-825591.cfm
UNC News Release: http://www.unc.edu/news/archives/mar07/fccchairman030107.htmlA producer shall lead them to this discovery
The Greensboro News & Record
The hype was that it would turn Christianity on its ear — the discovery of the bones not only of Jesus, but those of his alleged secret wife, Mary Magdalene, and their son. ..."The whole thing is so flawed from the start," says UNC-Chapel Hill religion professor Jodi Magness, who earned a doctorate in classical archaeology and has le d numerous excavations to Israel.Four niche publications step up
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Four new publications are in the works for Triangle readers this year, all targeting niche audiences. ...And, niche publications are the in thing, said Jock Lauterer, lecturer and director of the Carolina Community Media Project at UNC-Chapel Hill.Putting the 'real' in real estate
The Chapel Hill News
The town approved a seven-level building on the site of Parking Lot 5 and a 10-story “green” mixed-use project on the corner of Graham and Rosemary streets. Developers have proposed that 99 apartments be erected across the street from Breadmen’s and a seven-story mixed-use complex put up where University Inn now stands. ...David Hartzell is doing his part to see that they do. Hartzell, the former N.C. Real Estate Foundation professor at UNC’s Kenan-Flagler Business School, has been appointed to a newly designated honor: the Steven D. Bell and Leonard W. Wood Distinguished Professor in real estate.
UNC News Release: http://www.unc.edu/news/archives/jan07/bellwoodprofessorship013107.htmlKidzu museum turns 1 year old
The Chapel Hill News
Since opening its doors 12 months ago, the Kidzu museum in downtown Chapel Hill has become a major attraction for young children and families, drawing more than 28,000 visitors with its exhibits and family programs. ...According to an economic impact survey conducted by UNC professor Nathan Tomasini, almost half of the museum's visitors make a stop at a local restaurant, retailer or other downtown destination when they visit Kidzu.Science world has its own rock stars
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
The ups and downs of N.C. State University ecologist JoAnn Burkholder offer blunt lessons about the nature of modern science. ...Some scientists don’t ever rebound the way JoAnn Burkholder has. They dwell for years, even decades, as the minority voice in important debates. Alan Feduccia, a bird expert at UNC-Chapel Hill is among them.Forum worried about report
The Chapel Hill Herald
UNC employees would be exempt from some regulations of the State Personnel Act under one of the recommendations of the university system's study of ways to make its campuses run more efficiently.Pit attack victim remembers, one year later
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
A year ago today, on a bright morning in UNC's popular Pit, people chatted and laughed, glad to be out in the sun, glad it was Friday and glad that Carolina was going to beat Duke in basketball the next day.
Note: No link available.
Related link: http://www.news14charlotte.com/content/top_stories/default.asp?ArID=135108Taheri-Azar committed to Dix
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
The man accused of driving onto the UNC-Chapel Hill campus a year ago and striking nine people, was committed to Dorothea Dix Hospital this morning after unleashing a string of expletives in Orange County Superior Court.
Related link: http://www.news14charlotte.com/content/top_stories/default.asp?ArID=135154Issues and Trends
We get the bill (Editorial)
The Charlotte Observer
Next year UNC Chapel Hill will jack up tuition for out-of-state undergraduates by $1,250. That's an unprecedented and burdensome hike coming all at one time. The way it happened is bad enough: A campus advisory committee appointed by trustees recommended $500. Trustees ignored that recommendation and did what they wanted.Pack in PACs (Editorial)
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Students from North Carolina's historically black universities who appeared at the General Assembly last Wednesday ought to get extra credit for activism and for having a keen understanding of what's really going on down Jones Street way. They know it, and they said it. And it was the truth. ...It won't work, sad to say, because the members of that board tend to be affluent and often socially connected to the boosters who started PACs for UNC-Chapel Hill and N.C. State University.
Related link: http://www.journalnow.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=WSJ%2FMGArticle%2FWSJ
_ColumnistArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1149193513990&path=%2Fopinion
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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