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March 12, 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
A lethal mix of drugs, deployment
The Peninsula (Qatar)
It was the final day of US Marine Seargeant 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.National Coverage
Heavier girls tend to reach puberty early
The Los Angeles Times
Girls seem to be growing up faster these days, and not just because they dress to show more skin. ...In 1997, Dr. Marcia Herman-Giddens, a doctor of public health at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, found that this age had dropped to about 10 years.
UNC News Release: http://www.unc.edu/news/archives/apr97/puberty2.htmlIn Muslim burials, simplicity and community are key
The Associated Press (National)
As the friends and family of the Bronx fire victims prepare to lay the nine dead to rest, they are expected to follow Islamic traditions that experts say consist of specific, centuries-old rules. ..."It's also about the fact that since it is considered meritorious for people to visit the dead on Fridays, it's about giving their families and their community back in their homeland a chance to come and say prayers for them," said Omid Safi, who teaches Islamic studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.Worshiping in Ignorance (Opinion-editorial column)
The Chronicle of Higher Education
For the past two years, I have given students in my introductory religious-studies course at Boston University a religious-literacy quiz. ...In recent years, George M. Marsden, a historian at the University of Notre Dame, and Warren A. Nord, a lecturer in philosophy at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, have argued for the return of "normative religious teaching" to American colleges and universities.Regional Coverage
Report: Patrick ranks as most powerful governor
The Boston Business Journal
Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick is ranked in the top spot of a yet-to-be-published ranking of the nation's governors. The power rankings of state chief executives by University of North Carolina political science professor Thad L. Beyle looks at looks at tenure, budget authority, appointment and veto powers and at whether the governor's party controls the legislature in figuring out which governors have the most clout, according to a report about the list on the Web site stateline.org.S.C. federal court hopefuls await word from Bush
The State (Columbia, S.C.)
President Bush is considering at least four S.C. candidates -- including three sitting judges and the state's U.S. attorney -- for the seat of retiring U.S. 4th Circuit Court of Appeals Chief Judge William "Billy" Wilkins of Greenville, sources say. ...Michael Gerhardt, a professor at the University of North Carolina School of Law, believes Floyd's ruling will hurt his chances of being nominated to the 4th Circuit.Finding the past weighs on the future of new museum
The Herald (Rock Hill, S.C.)
On a recent chilly February morning, a convoy of SUVs barreled down a dirt road in northern York County, traversing the property where the sustainable Kanawha community will be built. ...Stephen Davis and Brett Riggs, professors from UNC-Chapel Hill's Research Labs of Archaeology, think they have found two 18th-century Catawba villages called Nassaw and Weopee paired together on one site.
Related link: http://www.heraldonline.com/109/story/14086.htmlLittle League imposing pitch-count limits to help prevent arm injuries, level playing field
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
It's the universal dilemma among Little League baseball managers: Do you leave the arm-weary star pitcher in and win the game, or take him out and preserve his future? ...About 500 of the 7,400 U.S. Little League chapters tested the pitch-count program in 2005-06, and the organization is in the midst of a five-year study with the University of North Carolina to learn how much throwing is too much for a young arm.Pay up, tune in
The Indianapolis Star
During the next month, basketball fans across Indiana will plop down on the couch and exercise what has come to seem an inalienable right of every American: watching sports on TV. ...But John Sweeney, director of the sports communications program at the University of North Carolina, said leagues and conferences will have to be careful not to push access issues too far.Some camellias adapt well to cold (Question-answer)
The Huntsville Times (Ala.)
...Newer hybrids have pushed the limit to Zone 6 - to me the best of this group are the camellia sasanqua selections that bloom in the fall. For me the best camellia japonica selections were developed by Dr. Clifford Parks from the University of North Carolina.State and Local Coverage
Morehead-Cain scholars announced
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Nine of the brightest seniors at Triangle high schools have been awarded the prestigious Morehead-Cain scholarship to attend the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The Morehead-Cain Foundation announced Friday the 70 students from the United States, Canada and Great Britain who will get scholarships covering all of their expenses for four years of undergraduate study at UNC-Chapel Hill.
Related link: http://charlotte.com/115/story/45884.html
UNC News Release: http://www.unc.edu/news/archives/mar07/moreheadcain030907.htmlTraveling labs give kids a taste of biotech
The Charlotte Observer
"When I grow up, I want to be a biotechnician." Maybe you haven't heard your kids say it, but you might. ...Making students aware of such choices is one of the goals of Destiny, a science education program from UNC's Morehead Planetarium and Science Center that includes a traveling science laboratory.
UNC Media Advisory: http://www.unc.edu/news/media/2007/destiny022607.htmlibiblio Now Rides the 'Rail' at MCNC Through NCREN
WRAL-TV (CBS, Raleigh)
Long before Google and Wikipedia, Paul Jones and a team of people at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill set about building a library for people on the Web known as ibiblio.org.Prostate study zeroes in on care
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Cutting death rates from prostate cancer among African-American men likely requires improving access to medical care -- not just raising awareness of the disease -- a new study of black and white prostate cancer patients in North Carolina suggests. ...Study authors, who include physicians at UNC-Chapel Hill, Harvard University and elsewhere, concluded the reasons for the gap are largely socioeconomic.
UNC News Release: http://www.unc.edu/news/archives/mar07/prostatecancergodley030707.htmlCheck It Out
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
This morning, it's an hour earlier three weeks earlier than it was a year ago. ...Deal with it. And here's Dr. Maha Alattar, assistant professor of neurology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, to tell you -- and your kids -- how.
Related link: http://www.nwobserver.com/newsfeed/?p=1202
UNC News Tip: http://www.unc.edu/news/newstips/2007/daylightsavingstime030807.htmlBaldness helps research
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
First of all, Dixie Halberstadt wants to make it clear she is NOT a Britney Spears wannabe. ...The hundreds of heads shaven locally add to a $20 million national research pot collected over the last seven years -- a nice chunk of which came back to North Carolina last year. That includes a $110,000 fellowship for UNC researcher Don Coulter to study neuroblastoma, the same cancer Owen was born with.
Related link: http://www.chapelhillnews.com/100/story/5998.htmlStudy seeks key to memory in genes
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Maura Styczynski sat ramrod straight before a computer screen at Duke University and tried hard to memorize where a series of colored squares flashed. ...Cognitive psychologists, who have long tried to understand the human mind's workings, are eager to see what such genetic and brain imaging studies find, said Neil Mulligan, director of a graduate program in cognitive psychology at UNC-Chapel Hill.Developing Clutch Players Takes Some Mind Games
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
As the country's best college basketball teams sprint into the NCAA tournaments this week, those players really hungry to win will want to mimic Al Thornton of Florida State. ... "We know there are some personality variables that interact with performance. They get accentuated under stressful conditions," said John Silva, a UNC-Chapel Hill psychologist and founding president of the Association for the Advancement of Applied Sport Psychology.Stress makes acne worse
The Winston-Salem Journal
Which came first - that painful red bump on your forehead or final exams? ...Children as young as 8 or 9 can get acne, said Dr. Dean Morrell, a dermatologist at School of Medicine at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.Easley comes in a lowly 47th in governors' power rankings
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
No one should be surprised if there is a power outage in Gov. Mike Easley's office. He doesn't have much to begin with. That's according to a new study by Thad Beyle, an expert on governors and a retired professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.Governor Easley Addresses Needs of Returning Veterans
The Lincoln Tribune
Gov. Mike Easley said on Friday that North Carolina is developing new programs and building on existing ones to address the needs of North Carolina's veterans, particularly those who are returning from service in Iraq and Afghanistan. ...Additionally, Easley's budget expands the North Carolina Health Information Portal, which is part of UNC-Chapel Hill's Health Science Library, to include a specific, easy-to-use web site for veterans and their families.Council member finds challenge in remaining a nonconformist
The Wilmington Morning Star
The first thing Pat Delair did as a Wilmington City Council member was speak out. ...But it's debatable whether that strategy is beneficial for a new politician, said David Lawrence, a professor of public law and government with the University of North Carolina's Institute of Government.Water quality program looks for funding
The Outerbanks Sentinel
Funding for one of the country's most innovative and cost-efficient water quality monitoring programs is never a sure bet, so supporters are back at the North Carolina General Assembly this year asking for funds to keep the FerryMon program afloat. "We'd like to secure recurring funding in order to stabilize the program for long-term water quality monitoring, but at this stage it is one year at a time," said Hans Paerl, co-director of the program and professor of marine and environmental sciences at the Institute for Marine Sciences at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.Asheville teacher's work featured by UNC School of Education
The Asheville Citizen-Times
A lesson plan developed by Edie McDowell, lead teacher at Maccabi Academy of Asheville, was recently selected as the project of the month by the UNC Chapel Hill School of Education and featured on the Web site www.learnnc.org.Students' art designs earn awards
The Charlotte Observer
Developers of The Palisades are bringing real estate and art together in the neighborhood. ...Lori Esposito, a student at UNC Chapel Hill, took home the grand prize, $8,000. The school's art department will receive $2,000.Religion policy questioned
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Nineteen professors from Triangle universities have signed a letter asking the Wake County Board of Education to meet with them to discuss an incident at Enloe High School in which a teacher brought in a guest speaker who denounced Islam. ...The professors who signed the letter are from UNC-Chapel Hill, Duke, N.C. State and Shaw universities.The New L.A.
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
You may have already connected the dots, but we'll go ahead and say it anyway: The Triangle is just one televised car chase away from becoming the new Los Angeles. ...The Muslim man plowing his car into a group of UNC-Chapel Hill students in a gesture of solidarity with terrorists.Hardly abnormal (Letter from the editor)
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Regarding the March 6 news article "Outburst reveals the 'other' Taheri-Azar": You say, "Normal Ray smiles at his sisters and parents in court. He writes poems. He no longer owns a Quran." ...I denounce Taheri-Azar's action that aimed to hurt or kill UNC students but also criticize the malicious attempts to link his action to the mainstream teachings of Islam and its holy book. ...Nabil Rahman, Ph.D.Evangelist banned from UNC campus
The Chapel Hill Herald
UNC students may no longer face the wrath of a well-known proselytizer as they walk to class. The man they call the "Pit Preacher" has been banned from campus.
Note: No link available.
Related link: http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/1229617/Issues and Trends
Faculty Salaries Up 3.8%
Inside Higher Ed
This academic year is featuring better raises for most faculty members than they received last year. ...As with administrators, faculty salary increases were greater at public institutions than at private institutions — a reversal from last year.
Related link: http://chronicle.com/weekly/v53/i28/28a01301.htmMany enroll, leave in 1st year
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
As an impressionable N.C. Central University freshman, Kai Christopher hung around his dormitory lobby listening to older students debate the merits of W.E.B. DuBois, Booker T. Washington and Martin Luther King, Jr. ...At NCCU, just 44.9 percent of students who enrolled in 1999 graduated within six years; the system average was 59.1 percent. At N.C. State University, 70.5 percent of students graduated within six years; at UNC Chapel Hill, 83.7 percent did so.Chinese educators learn from PCC peers
The Daily Reflector
Education officials from China's Wu Xi Institute of Technology were on the Pitt Community College campus last week, discussing their school's academic practices with faculty and staff. .... The visit was sponsored by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's World View program, which provides state educators with a closer look at education abroad.Feeling the pain (Editorial)
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Wilmington Rep. Thomas Wright was close to former state House Speaker Jim Black, who awaits federal and state sentencing for his scandalous behavior in office. ...A pay-to-play culture saw special interest groups -- the insurance industry, even a PAC from UNC-Chapel Hill -- doling out big bucks.
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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