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Oct. 2, 2006
Carolina in the News
Here is a sampling of links and notes about Carolina people and programs cited recently in the media:
International Coverage
Therapeutic games for grandma
Agence France-Presse
A 93-year-old resident at an old-age home plays tennis against the wall of his bedroom, using a touch-sensitive glove and wearing a virtual helmet...Jeffrey Toth, assistant professor of cognitive psychology at US’ University of North Carolina, has entered the market with ‘Art Dealer’, a computer game that teaches the player to buy and sell works of art and to recognize originals from fakes.
Related Link: http://www.7days.ae/2006/10/01/computer-games-for-pensioners.htmlNational Coverage
Justices to Hear Abortion, Integration Cases
The Washington Post
Abortion and race dominate the Supreme Court's agenda for the term that begins today, with the Bush administration and its conservative allies urging the justices to put limits on abortion rights and affirmative action..."They don't want to make it look as if the only reason for change is that there are different people here," said Michael J. Gerhardt, a professor of law at the University of North Carolina. "They'll want to make it clear that principles and not politics dictated the outcome."
Waging War on Evolution
The Washington Post
The opposition to evolution discourages the development of entire high-school classes of future scientific talent. "It seems like a raw deal for the 14-year-old girl in Topeka who might have gone on to find a cure for resistant infections if only she had been taught evolution in high school," H. Holden Thorp, chairman of the chemistry department at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, wrote in the New York Times last spring.
‘Whistling Past Dixie’
The New York Times
The Democrats are in disarray. National politicians are unsure what to say about everything from gay marriage to late-term abortion, and what to do about everything from tax rates to Iraq. According to surveys conducted by the University of North Carolina, southerners are more likely than non-southerners to believe that God exists and answers prayers, in the biblical account of creation, and that people are sometimes possessed by the devil.
Note: This article is available through subscription only.Air alchemy: Can humidity solve post hurricane drinking water problem?
The Associated Press
In a country like the United States, one of the human body's most urgent needs is taken for granted. It comes easily out of our faucets, and gallon jugs of it cost less than a dollar - until something like a hurricane makes clean drinking water hard to find..."The simplest method is boiling it to remove microbes, or treating it with chemicals like chlorine," said Dr. Mark Sobsey, a professor of environmental sciences and engineering at the University of North Carolina School of Public Health's Drinking Water Research Center.
More than a night's rest
Life Magazine
Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill found that chronic migraine sufferers who practiced good sleep habits (always going to bed at the same time, not watching TV or reading in bed, eating at least four hours before turning in) had fewer, less severe headaches.
Note: LIFE magazine is distributed every Friday in leading newspapers nationwide in the Boston Herald, the Metrowest Daily News, the Memphis Commercial Appeal, the El Neuvo Herald, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch; and Sunday in the NY Daily News.
UNC News Release: http://www.unc.edu/news/archives/jun06/migraine062206.htmNobles and knaves (Editorial)
The Washington Times
Regular readers of The Washington Times are likely familiar with conservative journalist Michelle Malkin, whose column runs in the Commentary section. For her efforts there and on her own Web site, Mrs. Malkin has earned a few nutty enemies. Attacks on her race (she's Asian American) and her appearance are frequent. But what the liberal blogs Wonkette.com and Isthatlegal.com did to her this week is simply outrageous. The writer of Isthatlegal.com, law professor Eric Muller of the University of North Carolina, criticized Mrs. Malkin's recent column in which she bemoans the culture's sexualization of young girls.
Soul Searching
The Boston Globe
"The Frozen Man" is a sad song - about the displaced life of a man whose heart has been iced over. Dr. Isaac Taylor, James's father, moved his wife, Trudy, and their four young children from Weston to North Carolina in 1951, when he was named dean of the medical school at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. (A fifth child, Hugh, would soon join Alex, James, Livingston, and Kate.) Ike Taylor was often gone, first to a posting at Bethesda Naval Hospital in Maryland to fulfill a military obligation he'd deferred to attend Harvard Medical School, and then on a two-year voluntary polar expedition.
Cultural Riffs
The Chicago Tribune
It's college ranking season, when attention always falls on U.S. News & World Report's annual list. It's a roster with little suspense, since the top six almost always consist of Harvard, Princeton, Yale, CalTech, Stanford and MIT... The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education rates schools where black students and faculty prosper: Duke, Emory, Princeton, Washington U., Vanderbilt, UNC-Chapel Hill, Georgetown, Harvard, Virginia and Brown.
Regional Coverage
Role reversal worth celebrating (Opinion)
The Wisconsin State Journal
Three decades ago, Madison leaders went to North Carolina to learn about an exciting and thriving research park there. Last week, the roles were reversed - a significant sign of progress that's worth celebrating...University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill officials were most impressed last week by the level of trust between Madison city officials and university leaders. "They understand that power relationships are not as important as being good neighbors," said Elmira Mangum, associate provost for the UNC-Chapel Hill.
Sweetener lowdown
The Dallas Morning News
Who knew corn could be so sweet? Who knew corn could be so controversial? "This is 5 to 10 percent of the calorie intake of every American," says Dr. Barry Popkin, professor of nutrition at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. "We really should be studying it more.” The same food that gives us muffins, grits and tamales now accounts for about half of the added sugars that Americans consume each day.
UNC News Release: http://www.unc.edu/news/archives/mar04/popkin032504.htmlState and Local Coverage
James Taylor honored, performs 'Carolina' before hometown crowd
The Associated Press (N.C.)
Five-time Grammy winner James Taylor, who penned "Carolina in My Mind" while homesick for North Carolina, has been honored by his hometown university. Taylor, 58, performed the song with the North Carolina Symphony on Sunday when both were given 2006 Carolina Performing Arts Lifetime Achievement Awards by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
UNC News Release: http://www.unc.edu/news/archives/sep06/lifetime091406.htmYou must forgive him if he's ...
The News and Observer (Raleigh)
In 1967, a musician from Chapel Hill wrote a song about daydreams of going home. On Sunday, he came back to perform it before a crowd of 2,000 at UNC-Chapel Hill's Memorial Hall. Five-time Grammy winner James Taylor told the crowd that he wrote "Carolina in My Mind" when he was homesick. "I've sung it many times," Taylor said. "It's strange but somehow compelling to come home and sing it."
Related Links: http://www.heraldsun.com/orange/10-774783.htmlWhat to make of Madison (Opinion)
The Chapel Hill News
The primary lessons learned from the various presenters in Madison, Wis., on land use and the environment include the importance of leadership, having a framework and collaboration. The mayor of Madison is the former executive director of 1000 Friends of Wisconsin, an environmental organization. When he came into office, he declared that Madison would become America’s number-one green city.
Note: Includes commentary by James Moeser, Kevin Foy, Jon Wilner, Robert Dowling and Bernadette Pelissier.Leaders: Continue discussing Wisconsin trip
The Chapel Hill Herald
Local leaders hope that what happened in Madison doesn't stay in Madison. To keep the discussion going about the lessons from last week's trip to the Wisconsin state capital, the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Chamber of Commerce hopes to set up some kind of public session in the next few weeks. The Community Leadership Council of the chamber's Foundation for a Sustainable Community was the official host of the trip. The group of 100 or so participants included elected officials from the towns and county, along with UNC representatives, local business people, nonprofit directors and others.
Related Link: http://www.chapelhillnews.com/159/story/2636.htmlUNC secures $5M in federal funds for citizen-soldier program
The Triangle Business Journal
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has secured $5 million in federal funding to support military reservists and their families. The program is part of a nationwide project to mobilize local community agencies and services to support citizen soldiers -- men and women who make up the National Guard and the other reserve components of the armed forces -- and their families. Congress gave final approval Friday to the 2007 U.S. Department of Defense Appropriations bill, which includes $5 million for UNC's Citizen-Soldier Support Program.
Related Link: http://www.heraldsun.com/orange/10-774350.html
UNC News Release: http://www.unc.edu/news/archives/sep06/citizensoldier.html
Online history museum sheds light on UNC
The Chapel Hill Herald
Visitors to UNC might not realize that slaves helped build much of the campus or that one hall is named after a Ku Klux Klan organizer. But an online history museum that debuts this month aims to expose these and other sometimes-hidden truths about the university. The virtual museum was conceived in the aftermath of a controversy about racism and the university's past, but its scope is not limited to black history. Other topics include the first women at UNC, the development of the university's research mission and key leaders, such as Bill Friday and Frank Porter Graham.
Health leaders on pandemic flu: Prepare for the worst
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
North Carolina's public health leaders, including state Health Director Dr. Leah Devlin, led a forum on pandemic flu preparedness Friday. The national webcast was part of a regular series of discussions offered through the School of Public Health at UNC-Chapel Hill in collaboration with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
UNC News Release: http://www.unc.edu/news/archives/sep06/grandrounds092006.htmSave on college fees
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
So far, my cousins have spent about $210 on college application fees, including $70 for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and $60 for N.C. State University. They paid about $130 for three SAT preparation exams. The balance went toward visits to local campuses. Actually, my cousins are being spared some expenses. They saved on essay preparation courses because their son took advantage of free essay-writing workshops. The big savings came from his decision to attend a college in the Triangle.
Nutshell book talks give essence without the work
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
If your children complain that they're required to read entire books for school, here's one explanation they might buy: Cutting corners makes sense when you're scanning for information, said Jim Dean, a UNC-Chapel Hill business professor. Dean says it's helpful to distinguish between business reading, which is driven by topical information, and personal reading that's defined by an aesthetic and moral dimension.
Library workshop gives students the write stuff
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
The goal of the program -- operated by UNC's Writing Center -- is to make students more confident writers. After receiving a grant from the school last summer, officials wanted to operate in Durham because of the success of similar programs in urban environments, said Julie Wilson, a teaching assistant at the center. The center normally works with UNC students to improve their writing, but Wilson believes working with middle and high school students can help them prepare for college. It also gives them a chance to think about their long-term education goals, she said.
Edwards stumping for more than '06
The Charlotte Observer
With no Senate seat to keep him tethered to Washington, the Tar Heel Democrat has been on a tear since early August. At last count, he had campaigned and/or raised money for 25 candidates in 14 states -- including Democratic House candidate Heath Shuler in North Carolina and Reps. John Spratt and Jim Clyburn in South Carolina...But by helping others, Edwards helps himself, says Ferrell Guillory, director of UNC Chapel Hill's Program on Southern Politics, Media and Public Life.
Voters who rely on ads are sold a bill of bads (Opinion)
The Winston-Salem Journal
I asked a professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill who conducts and studies polls if it were fair to say that TV viewers often don't distinguish between partisan, self-serving ads and objective news aired by news reporters. He said, "Sure. We see that all the time." If that's true, and I believe it is, then we have this strange paradox out there. The poll demonstrated a wide and deep distrust of politicians among the voters.
Lawyer files to remove judge
The Winston-Salem Journal
A judge who is the subject of the motion to step down from a trial usually decides whether to hear the motion and rules on it, said Jim Drennan, a court-system expert at the Institute of Government at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Drennan said that the judicial rules allow the motion to be filed if a lawyer believes that the presiding judge in a case has a personal bias against a party in the case, a legal conflict or personal knowledge of evidentiary facts in the case.
On these dates, you'll want to score ... a job
The Charlotte Observer
How is dating like finding a job? Shawn Graham, who works in the career center at UNC Chapel Hill's Kenan-Flagler Business School, thinks there are lots of similarities. Here are his tips, adopted from his forthcoming book, "Courting a Career: Where Your Dating Experience and Job Search Collide."
What's the future?
The Fayetteville Observer
Black & Decker’s decision to leave Fayetteville is part of a plan to make more money. Although corporate officials in Towson, Md., won’t talk, maximizing corporate profits is likely among the company’s chief obligations to its shareholders...“When you’re a company like Black & Decker, there are a couple of tradeoffs when looking at keeping a plant open or moving to a foreign country,” said assistant professor Brian Tomlin of the University of North Carolina’s Kenan Flagler Business School.
Issues and Trends
Bowles wants cap on UNC tuition increases
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
UNC campuses wouldn't be allowed to raise tuition and fees more than 6.5 percent a year for the next four years under a draft proposal released today by UNC President Erskine Bowles. Bowles will discuss his ideas on tuition later today. The 6.5 percent cap represents the average annual tuition increase since 1972, according to the draft. The trend in recent years has been for steeper increases.
A New Way for Need-Based Aid
Inside Higher Ed
A slew of research reports, books and impassioned pleas making the case that needy students are significantly underrepresented have in recent months resulted in a clear-throated call by a federal panel studying higher education for more need-based aid, prompted more colleges to expand the financial aid they make available to needy students, and contributed, at least in part, to the decisions by Harvard and Princeton Universities to abandon early admissions.College Costs (Editorial)
The Winston-Salem Journal
U.S. Education Secretary Margaret Spellings has good ideas about controlling college costs, but her thoughts about standardized testing on university campuses are wrongheaded...The University of North Carolina system president, Erskine Bowles, recently cut $1.4 million worth of staff positions from his bureaucracy, and that might be a very good place for other universities to begin looking.
Union taking role, raising profile of Raleigh sanitation workers
The Associated Press (N.C.)
A union that backs some of the state's lowest paid workers has rallied behind Raleigh sanitation employees in a move some say could signal change in North Carolina, one of the country's least unionized states...The union has also worked with housekeepers in the University of North Carolina System and city employees in Charlotte.
MPO opens talks with nearby governments
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
A Durham-based transportation group considering expansion has opened talks with a number of neighboring governments. The Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Metropolitan Planning Organization recently held informational sessions for officials in Pittsboro, Person County, Roxboro, Granville County, Butner and Stem. Ellen Beckmann, the MPO's transportation planner, said she'd like to hear from the town and counties within the next couple of months on whether they'd like to work together on traffic congestion and air pollution issues.
Note: This article is not available online.
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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