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Nov. 26, 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
GSK accused of trying to intimidate critic
The Gaurdian (United Kingdom)
GlaxoSmithKline's former scientific supremo has been summoned by a powerful congressional body to explain his role in the alleged intimidation of a scientist who criticised its diabetes drug, Avandia...Shortly after Avandia was put on sale by GSK's predecessor, SmithKline Beecham, in 1999, doubts were raised about its safety by Buse, a diabetes specialist at the University of North Carolina.
Related Link: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21919895/History of migraines associated with increased risk of retinopathy
SpiritIndia.com
Middle-aged men and women with a history of migraine and other headaches are more likely to have retinopathy, damage to the retina of the eye which can lead to severe vision problems or blindness, than those without a history of headaches, according to a study from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.National Coverage
Hard to Be an Audiophile in an iPod World
The New York Times
IN the heyday of the stereophonic recording boom, during the 1960s and later, there were several magazines for serious classical music buffs with reviews of almost every new recording...This is certainly the view of Mark Katz, an assistant professor of music at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the author of “Capturing Sound: How Technology Has Changed Music,” published by the University of California Press in 2004.Work off those holiday calories fast
The Associated Press
This shouldn't come as a surprise: Thanksgiving is not the green light to a six-week indulgence that precedes the waddle back to the gym Jan. 2...The holiday season that starts with Thanksgiving (or even Halloween) and ends with New Year's is a slippery slope, said Barry Popkin, who directs the University of North Carolina Interdisciplinary Obesity Center.
UNC News Release: http://www.unc.edu/news/archives/nov07/popkinbev111907.htmlHeart-disease deaths not down among younger adults
The Associated Press
For decades, heart disease death rates have fallen. But a new study shows a troubling turn -- more women under 45 are dying of heart disease due to clogged arteries, and the death rate for men that age has leveled. ... The rates must be monitored to see whether this is a trend. But if the analysis holds, the study may be an early look at the impact of escalating obesity and diabetes on U.S. deaths, said Wayne Rosamond, a UNC Chapel Hill epidemiology professor and expert on heart-disease statistics.On the Knife's Edge
The Associated Press
Patients with palpitating hearts, high blood pressure and bad kidneys traveled for miles though the Adirondack woodlands on a recent rainy morning to see Dr. John Rugge...Remote areassuch as the Adirondacks or Appalachia tend to operate on the knife's edge since there are so few practitioners to begin with; the loss or retirement of even a few doctors can create big problems, said Thomas Ricketts, a professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's School of Public Health.Healthcare Reform
"Here & Now" WBUR-FM (Boston, Mass.)
In the early 1990's, healthcare reform was the talk of Washington DC. But the effort, led by First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton, did not succeed. This presidential election, all the the major candidates are touting their reform plans. We'll look at the highlights of some of the plans and at the lessons learned from the Clinton administration's failure. Our guest is Dr. Jonathan Oberlander, associate professor of Medicine and Health Policy and Administration at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
UNC News Release: http://www.unc.edu/news/archives/oct07/oberlander102607.htmlRegional Coverage
New England revolution
The Boston Globe
Reading Philip F. Gura's "American Transcendentalism: A History" puts us in mind of our own times...Into this rich, complex interval of American intellectual history Philip F. Gura is eminently qualified to lead us. The William S. Newman distinguished professor of American literature and culture at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, Gura is the compiler, with Joel Myerson, of "Critical Essays on American Transcendentalism."Law to ban driving by students during school sought
Newsday (Long Island, N.Y.)
Following the recent deaths of three teenagers from Smithtown in a car crash during school lunch hour, a Queens assemblyman is proposing legislation that would close high school campuses statewide to teen drivers...A 2002 study conducted by researchers at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine found that crash rates were three times higher for 16- to 18-year-olds in North Carolina counties where teens were permitted to drive during lunch, from noon to 2 p.m., compared with those with a closed campus.Aerotropolis seen as key to reviving Detroit area
The Detroit Free Press
As metro Detroit struggles to renew and rebuild its economy, one goal has emerged as pivotal -- the creation of a new economic hub around Metro and Willow Run airports...Airport consultant John Kasarda of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is to finish a benchmarking study early next year to see how the Detroit aerotropolis plan stacks up against other cities in the nation that are thinking the same way.North Carolina business park weighed for 2 kinds of green
The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, Va.)
A massive business park proposed for Camden County, N.C., could become a model for high-paying jobs and environmental stewardship, but questions remain whether it would replace millions in revenue expected from a landfill project quashed earlier this year... Officials with the Golden LEAF Foundation and the University of North Carolina Institute of the Environment visited Camden County earlier this month about the park, said Camden County Manager Randell Woodruff.Payday lender replacement?
The Daily Press (Newport News, Va.)
One of the most frequent questions payday lending opponents get from legislators about eliminating the industry is, "How will people using payday lenders get short-term loans?" ...A study released this month by the University of North Carolina for that state's banking commission concluded that residents didn't miss payday lending after it was banned in 2006.The virtual university
The Mercury News (San Jose, Calif.)
One day Professor Jeremy Kemp entered his classroom and found himself next to a student dressed as a gigantic monarch butterfly...Schools such as the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill are even creating virtual school pharmacies and planetariums or interactive library catalogs and book-loaning projects.State & Local
Big name coming to campus
Kannapolis Citizen
While universities aggressively hire and transfer people to Kannapolis, the N.C. Research Campus has attracted another big academic name. Dr. Blake Brown, an economist who earned a national reputation for helping structure the federal tobacco buyout, will move his innovative agriculture program from Raleigh to the Research Campus. ... N.C. State will have 10 fulltime employees in Kannapolis by Jan. 1. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill already has six fulltime employees there, plus Dr. Steve Zeisel, another endowed professor who spends about one day a week in Kannapolis.Beam them down (Editorial)
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
One wonders what color the sky is in the world of Dick Baddour, athletic director at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Certainly it is not of this world.Former UNC president seeks review of raise for football coach
The Associated Press
Former University of North Carolina President Bill Friday says leaders at UNC-Chapel Hill should review a $291,000 raise for football coach Butch Davis. Davis got both the raise and the one-year contract extension this week.
Related Link: http://www.newsobserver.com/news/higher_education/story/789871.htmlDavis favors green (Commentary)
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Wednesday was a good day for North Carolina football coach Butch Davis, who got a fat salary raise and a contract extension despite having compiled a lean record before his first season on the job was completed.Get to know our nation's fastest growing community (Commentary)
The Charlotte Observer
Immediately after my second "In Closing" column, "Looking ahead to make sure the talent pool doesn't run dry," I received an e-mail from a Latino Charlottean with an MBA, huge corporate credentials and fluent in English and Spanish...Finally, the Latino community's impact in the N.C. economy will top $18 billion in 2009, says a recent UNC Chapel Hill study. In 2004, the impact was $9 billion.Search process sets the standard for others (Opinion-Editorial Column)
The Charlotte Observer
When the University of North Carolina system was hiring a new president for its 17-campus complex a couple of years ago, there was intense interest across the state...What's also interesting about the community college's short list of candidates is that it's public. Too often, searches for college and university presidents are regarded as too controversial to share with the taxpaying public. Those looking for a new chancellor at UNC Chapel Hill, for example, have pledged secrecy in their quest. Among other things, they fear a public search would limit the number of candidates and discourage the best from applying.Falling between two worlds
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
The debate over immigration often dwells on keeping illegal immigrants from slipping into the country, but when it comes to Hispanic youths who are already here, an opposite concern arises -- too many are slipping away...A recent study of nearly 300 Hispanic immigrant teens in North Carolina, done by the UNC-Chapel Hill School of Social Work, sketched a picture of a population with emotional scars, uneducated parents and the pervasive feeling that they are not accepted by Americans.Revelation may cost lawyer his license
The Winston-Salem Journal
A lawyer’s attempt to prove a convicted man innocent of murder by disclosing a decades-old confession from another man could cost him his law license...He became a witness for Hunt’s defense team when he signed a sworn statement for Rosen, a law professor at UNC Chapel Hill who took on Hunt’s case.UNC Health Care's Roper joins Medco board
Triangle Business Journal
Bill Roper, CEO of UNC Health Care and dean of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's medical school, has been named to the board of directors at pharmacy benefit manager Medco. Roper, 59, is also a member of the board at Delhaize Group, the Belgian parent of Food Lion supermarkets, and kidney dialysis company DaVita.
Drug linked to serious reactions
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
Researchers found what they call an alarming frequency of serious allergic reactions to cancer drug Erbitux in a band of states in the middle South that include North Carolina and Tennessee, according to a recent study...Bristol-Myers Squibb, the drug's distributor, ruled out that the reactions could have been caused by a bad batch of medication, said lead study author Bert O'Neil, a medical oncologist at UNC's Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center.ACLU skeptical of anti-lingering rule
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
The day after town leaders passed an anti-lingering ordinance, a civil rights group said Wednesday it might challenge the measure as unconstitutional...The town contacted experts at the UNC-Chapel Hill School of Government and Orange County District Attorney Jim Woodall, who disagreed with the ACLU, Brough said.Early exposure to sunlight perilous
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
High exposure to sunlight early in life may cause genetic mutations leading to skin cancer, according to a recent study by public health expert Robert Millikan at the UNC School of Public Health. Exposure in later years may affect a different gene, also causing skin cancer, the study revealed.How to add flaxseed to diet (Commentary)
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
During the oat bran craze in the 1980s, the grainy white cholesterol-buster was added as a fiber supplement to muffins, bread, hot and cold cereals and cookies. Oat bran is still used these ways, but the newest prize in your cereal box these days is likely to be flaxseed.
Note: Suzanne Havala Hobbs is a registered dietitian and a clinical assistant professor in the Department of Health Policy at UNC-Chapel Hill.Safety program needed
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
About three years ago on a wet winter day, I drove to Raleigh Fire Station 14 next to Rex Hospital where a nice, patient firefighter helped me install a car seat...Studies show that about 90 percent of car seats are not installed correctly, said Bill Hall, manager of the occupant protection program for the UNC Highway Safety Research Center.UNC responds to water shortage (Opinion-Editorial Column)
The Chapel Hill Herald
Our state is in the midst of its worst drought ever, with no immediate end in sight. Gov. Mike Easley has called on all North Carolina citizens to do their part to conserve water, and I am very proud of all our campus is doing to be good citizens in that regard. We conserve year round, but have taken extra measures in recent months to save more water because of the drought (James Moeser is chancellor of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill).Tying business to safe drinking water
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
UNC faculty and students are setting out to discover whether applying business principles to public health problems can result in solutions that will save lives in developing countries with limited access to safe drinking water. The Carolina Global Water Partnership has been established to bring together experts from the university's School of Public Health, Kenan-Flagler Business School and Kenan Institute-Asia.Running on Empty: Water Crisis in North Carolina
WHQR-91.3FM (Wilmington)
With the price of oil pushing 100 dollars a barrel and gasoline hitting 3 dollars a gallon, energy costs are in the forefront of our interests. But what about water? ...However, as the drought gets worse, more cutbacks will need to be made. While UNCW, as well as other colleges in the state such as NC State and UNC-Chapel Hill, has taken initiative and decreased water consumption, other schools are not responding as well.Hickory may leap county line
The Charlotte Observer
A Bethlehem property owner and businessman is seeking a change that could alter this sleepy community across the lake from Hickory...By law, a Hickory annexation wouldn't prevent Bethlehem from incorporating, but it could be more difficult, said David Lawrence, a professor of public law and government at UNC Chapel Hill.Kenan-Flagler gift is for sales program
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
William G. Allen has committed $2 million to the Kenan-Flagler Business School at UNC-Chapel Hill to enhance the school's undergraduate and graduate sales program.
Related Links: http://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/stories/2007/11/19/daily29.html
http://www.wchl1360.com/details.html?id=5178
http://www.charlotte.com/business/story/373641.html
UNC News Release: http://www.unc.edu/news/archives/nov07/allengift112107.htmlRailroad stakes claim to its right of way
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Clayton Area Ministries volunteers were ecstatic three years ago when an anonymous benefactor gave them a building for their food pantry..."The idea is after some time, it's unfair for you to call a property yours because you've let them use it," said Chuck Szypszak, an associate professor at UNC-Chapel Hill's Institute of Government.What's a friend worth? 25 bucks
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Short of money for the holidays? Your friends can help...Sridhar Balasubramanian, who teaches marketing at UNC-Chapel Hill's Kenan-Flagler Business School, said such programs are cost-effective by design. "They aren't paying you $25 if a customer doesn't sign up," he said. "It's almost like a commission payment."At this stage in his life
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Kenneth P. Strong has loudly pronounced a dictionary's worth of words over a quarter century at PlayMakers Repertory Company..."That's what I would call old-school dedication to craft," says Ray Dooley, a UNC professor and PlayMakers actor who has performed with Strong in countless productions.
UNC News Release: http://www.unc.edu/news/archives/nov07/littleprince110907.htmlLibrarians say book festival future is bleak
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
From Barbara Kingsolver's keynote speech to the intriguing match-ups of literary kin, it seemed that the N.C. Festival of the Book couldn't get any better than the 2006 event based at Duke University..."I know some people will be disappointed,"said Sarah Michalak, librarian and vice provost at UNCCH.Still fall, still colorful (Blog)
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
We've passed peak color in the Piedmont, but show continues to give a strong performance. Daily, we marvel not only at the brilliance of this year's autumnal display, but its longevity as well. In part, that's because the fall color continues to be highlighted by crisp, blue fall skies that make the color pop. ...My favorite is "Fall Color and Woodland Harvests," by the husband and wife team of C. Ritchie Bell and Anne H. Hindsay (UNC Press). He's a founding director of the North Carolina Botanical Garden and professor emeritus of botany at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; she's a plant taxonomist and pollination biologist.UNC med school planning for expansion
The Business Journal of the Greater Triad Area
The legislature could be asked to come up with as much as $200 million to renovate and add more than a half-million square feet of space at UNC-Chapel Hill. The request won't take lawmakers by surprise. In its last session, the General Assembly appropriated $2 million to draw up designs for the project.Issues & Trends
Student government (Under the Dome)
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
The UNC Association of Student Governments will rethink its future after recent public embarrassments. Cody Grasty, president of the group and the student member of the UNC Board of Governors, has announced a task force that will review the ASG, the governing body of student leaders from across the UNC system.Graham and physics (Under the Dome)
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Bill Graham has been citing Erskine Bowles on the stump...The problem is caused in part by the value of a physics degree, explained UNC spokeswoman Joni Worthington. Although many teachers major in education, physics teachers are supposed to major in physics and take education courses on the side.Full ride proposed for 1st responders’ survivors
The Citizen-Times (Asheville)
No firefighter, police officer or paramedic should have to wonder how their children would afford college should they not come home one day from their dangerous jobs, Rep. Charles Thomas said...Survivors of first responders since 1997 have received free tuition for classes in the UNC system or community colleges.
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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