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Nov. 15, 2005Carolina in the News
Here is a sampling of links and notes about Carolina
people and programs cited recently in the media:International Coverage
The money makers
Bloomberg
Prime brokers' fees are hitting new highs as the hedge fund industry explodes, write Bradley Keoun and Katherine Burton. ..."The profits are huge because the prime brokers haven't committed any of their own capital," said Adam Reed, a finance professor at the University of North Carolina's Kenan-Flagler Business School in Chapel Hill. "It's the short seller's or the hedge fund's capital that is invested."
Study links selenium, osteoarthritis
United Press International
A North Carolina study finds that low levels of selenium are linked to osteoarthritis. ..."Our results suggest that we might be able to prevent or delay osteoarthritis of the knees and possibly other joints in some people if they are not getting enough selenium," said Dr. Joanne Jordan. "That's important because the condition, which makes walking painful, is the leading cause of activity limitation among adults in developed countries."
UNC News Release: http://www.unc.edu/news/archives/nov05/jordan111005.htmNational Coverage
Psst! 'Human Capital' (Commentary)
The New York Times
Help! I'm turning into the "plastics" guy from "The Graduate." ...Or it can mean knowing the basic rules of politeness. The University of North Carolina now offers seminars to poorer students so they'll know how to behave in restaurants.
Note: The seminars Brooks cites are offered as part of the Carolina Covenant, which provides a debt-free education to qualified low-income students. Brooks discussed the Covenant with Chancellor Moeser and others during a recent campus visit. Subscription required.
Abbott Heart Drugs' Mixed Results Raise Concerns Over Patient Care
The Wall Street Journal
Human studies of two heart drugs important to Abbott Laboratories' future produced mixed results, raising questions about their potential impact on patient care and disappointing investors. ..."This is an encouraging short-term result, but we need more information to see how this drug will fit into a total treatment strategy for these patients," said Sidney Smith, a cardiologist at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and past president of the AHA.
Open Questions For Heart Failure Drugs
Forbes
A heart-failure drug from Abbott Laboratories provided one of the few strongly positive results here at the annual meeting of the American Heart Association. ... Sid Smith, a cardiologist at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, also said he would like to see more data.
Related Link: http://www.webmd.com/content/Article/115/111602.htmSupplements Don't Help Mild Arthritis Sufferers: Study
Health Day News
Thinking about taking the supplements glucosamine and chondroitin as a treatment for arthritis? ...The findings? "The lower the selenium level, the more likely you were to have more severe arthritis. And you were more likely to have it in both knees instead of one," said Dr. Joanne M. Jordan, associate professor of medicine and orthopedics at the University of North Carolina.
UNC News Release: http://www.unc.edu/news/archives/nov05/jordan111005.htmHow's ya house?' overtakes 'Where y'at?'
The Associated Press (National)
In this city of so many linguistic influences, Hurricane Katrina is the latest to reshape the colorful local tongue. ..."One thing about the dialect of New Orleans is it has the characteristics of other urban areas that developed by immigration," said Connie Eble, a New Orleans native and professor of English at the University of North Carolina.
Excavated Village Unlocks Mystery of Tribe's Economy
National Geographic News
A recent excavation by archaeologists has cast new light on how the Catawba Indians lived two centuries ago in a village near the North Carolina- South Carolina border. ..."The perception of the Catawbas has been that they were in a perpetual state of decline," said University of North Carolina archaeologist Brett Riggs, who worked on the project.
Knight Ridder says sale possible
The Star-Telegram
Knight Ridder Inc., owner of the Star-Telegram and 31 other newspapers, said Monday it is formally looking for ways to boost its stock price, including possibly selling the company. ..."You have to ask who would be the buyer," said Phil Meyer, a journalism professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and author of a 2004 book, The Vanishing Newspaper: Saving Journalism in the Information Age.
Related Link: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2002624230_krjoa15.htmlState & Local Coverage
Mom's concerns help autistic kids
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
Jordan Sawyer never wants to be disturbed when she's watching her favorite TV show, the Backyardigans. ..."The state helps to fund Division TEACCH [UNC's autism program], an amazing resource, but it simply cannot fill the gaps," she (Inga Smith Sawyer) said. "The public schools lack the resources to appropriately support our kids. Many of our kids are very bright and without modifying the teaching style, one would never tap into their abilities."
Med schools not keeping pace in primary doctors
The Triangle Business Journal
Mirroring a national downward trend, North Carolina medical schools still are not producing the number of primary care doctors that state lawmakers determined more than a decade ago were needed. ...Legislation passed during the height of the managed-care craze in the mid-1990s directed the board of governors of the University of North Carolina to implement changes so that 60 percent of graduates from the state's two publicly funded medical schools - at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and at East Carolina University - go into primary care careers.
Medicare's prescription for confusion (Opinion-editorial column)
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Next week millions of Americans will travel home for Thanksgiving, blissfully unaware that their holiday has already been ruined. The culprit is not crowded highways, salmonella or family feuds. It's Medicare. Medicare is about to become the program that stole Thanksgiving. ...Jonathan Oberlander is author of "The Political Life of Medicare" and associate professor of social medicine at UNC-Chapel Hill.
Watch out for deer at this time of year
News 14
The North Carolina Highway Patrol is warning drivers that deer collisions are common at this time of year. ...A recent study, conducted by the University of North Carolina, found that there were more than 15,000 crashes last year involving deer.
UNC News Release: http://www.unc.edu/news/archives/sep05/rodgman092905.htmTask force proposes 'clean and safe' audit
The Chapel Hill Herald
A patch of weeds and cigarette butts here, a poorly lit alleyway there. ... The goal in part would be to come up with a "punch list" of improvements that could be made, both by private property owners and the town or UNC, depending on the specific property.
Issues & Trends
The tuition scam (Editorial)
The Charlotte Observer
This may qualify for Boondoggle of the Year in North Carolina: Starting next year, the state's taxpayers will pick up the tab for a large portion of hundreds of out-of-state students who get full athletic or academic scholarships to the UNC system's largest schools.
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.
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