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Here is a sampling of links and notes about Carolina people and programs cited recently in the media:

 

International Coverage

When good vitamins turn bad
The Telegraph-Journal (Canada)

Like running with scissors, skimping on folate – an important B vitamin found in beans, greens, and fortified breads, breakfast cereal and noodles – is a health accident waiting to happen. …In fact, it might have even have raised the odds for advanced and multiple tumours, reports the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. And despite early promise, this B vitamin hasn't been found to reduce the risk of heart disease either.

Lost Gospel Revealed; Says Jesus Asked Judas to Betray Him
The Mindanao Examiner (Philippines)

He is one of the most reviled men in history. But was Judas only obeying his master's wishes when he betrayed Jesus with a kiss? …Bart Ehrman is chair of the Department of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. "This gospel," he said, "has a completely different understanding of God, the world, Christ, salvation, human existence—not to mention of Judas himself—than came to be embodied in the Christian creeds and canon."

National Coverage

All hail the rock docs!
The New York Daily News

Six women's cancer docs are practicing more than medicine – they're rehearsing songs for an upcoming album. …The hard-rocking track "False Pretenses," urging genuine communication when time is short, is sung by Dr. John Boggess, whose specialties also include guitar and robot-assisted surgery at UNC-Chapel Hill.

Treating AIDS, Cautiously (Letter to the Editor)
The New York Times

Your editorial nicely summarizes the idea that we may be able to use antiretroviral therapy to treat our way out of the H.I.V. pandemic. But beyond the logistical and monetary challenges mentioned are two absolutely critical yet unproven assumptions: that very early treatment will provide a personal health benefit that outweighs long-term toxicity; and (most important) that antiretroviral therapy will durably prevent transmission of the virus to sexual partners. (Myron S. Cohen, Chapel Hill, N.C. The writer is a professor of medicine and the director of the Institute of Global Health and Infectious Diseases at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.)

Regional Coverage

Mental exercises can help prevent falls
The Baltimore Sun (Maryland)

An agile mind may be as important as strong limbs when it comes to the crucial task of preventing falls. That's the finding of recent research at the University of North Carolina that had exercise classes trying mind-over-matter exercises such as the "four square step test," a regimen that resembles a Scottish sword dance in its focus on memory, movement and speed.

Vanderbilt researchers help re-create SARS virus
The Tennessean (Nashville, Tenn.)

A team of researchers in Nashville synthetically re-created a virus similar to the one that causes severe acute respiratory syndrome — a step they say helps identify how SARS jumped from animals to humans and could help prevent future epidemics. …(Mark) Denison co-led the research with Ralph Baric, professor of epidemiology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
UNC News Release:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/news/health-and-medicine/researchers-recreate-
sars-virus-open-door-for-potential-defenses-against-future-strains.html

Palin was wrong to mock research on fruit flies (Opinion-Editorial Column)
The Statesman Journal (Salem, Ore.)

While catching up on events that occurred while I was out of the country during the elections, I ran across comments by then-vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin that caught my attention. …And, ironically, fruit fly research at the University of North Carolina has led to advances in understanding autism, one of the disabilities covered under the very act that Palin wants fully funded.

Porcelain Peccadillo: Why Flush?
The Ledger (Lakeland, Fla.)

…Waterfree-urinal manufacturers "sell expensive replacement cartridges. That's the way their business model works," said Cindy Shea, director of the University of North Carolina's Sustainability Office, told The Daily Tar Heel last month. The university is currently replacing the water-free urinals, some in use since 2002, with low-flow urinals.

State and Local Coverage

Obama noted for quick picks
The Herald-Sun (Durham)

With Barack Obama's announcement on Monday of his national security appointees, the president-elect and his transition team finished designating the new core Cabinet faster than any president-elect in the last 30 years. …Speed is of the essence when it comes to the ability of the new administration to hit the ground running rather than having to learn on the job, said Terry Sullivan, associate professor of political science at UNC's College of Arts and Sciences and executive director of the White House Transition Project.
UNC News Release:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/news/government-and-law/obama-sets-record
-on-appointment-of-core-cabinet.html

What Pearl Harbor should still teach us
The News & Observer (Raleigh)

…Pearl Harbor, by contrast, changed most everything and for a long time. More than 16 million Americans put on a uniform, including one of every 10 North Carolinians. "People scattered all over the world," is how Richard Kohn put it the other day when I talked to him. A former chief historian of the Air Force, Kohn teaches military history at UNC-Chapel Hill.

Taking on the Morehead (Blog)
The News & Observer (Raleigh)

Don Taylor has a mild case of Morehead envy. Taylor, 41, is the director of the Benjamin N. Duke Scholarship program at Duke University, which targets students from the Carolinas. As such, he quite often finds his program competing with UNC Chapel Hill and its Morehead-Cain scholarship program, this state's entrenched, gold standard for merit scholarships.

It takes time, teamwork to mold a Rhodes Scholar
The News & Observer (Raleigh)

At a reception for Rhodes scholarship finalists the night before their interviews, Aisha Ihab Saad worked the room with the confidence of someone who had been there before. She had, in a way. The UNC-Chapel Hill senior had already done a walk-through at a cocktail party at UNC-CH that simulated the Rhodes reception.
Related Link:
http://blogs.newsobserver.com/campusnotes/the-making-of-a-rhodes-scholar
UNC News Release:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/news/students/uncs-saad-wins-rhodes-scholarship.html

How to be a Rhodes Scholar (Blog)
The News & Observer (Raleigh)

At UNC Chapel Hill, students who win Rhodes and other prestigious scholarships often give credit to George Lensing and his office of distinguished scholarships. …One UNC Rhodes Scholar, Benjamin Lundin, told me Lensing played such a role in his winning the award that he was the third person he called to tell the good news — after his parents.

Peeling the Orange
The Chapel Hill Herald

Last week, as members of the Chapel Hill Town Council and UNC Board of Trustees haggled over details — or a lack of details, depending on whom you ask — of the Carolina North development agreement, Chancellor Holden Thorp tried to calm concerns about the out-of-the-gate functionality of the research campus. …"We're taking a huge step by putting the law school of the University of North Carolina out there," Thorp responded.

University hasn't yet made its case for an airport (Editorial)
The Chapel Hill News

Ever since we discovered that UNC got legislation passed in the General Assembly last summer creating a body to plan and build a new airport in Orange County, we've been waiting for the university to make a convincing argument for the project.
Related Link:
http://www.chapelhillnews.com/opinion/story/29858.html

Pope Center honors faculty
The Herald-Sun (Durham)

The John W. Pope Center for Higher Education Policy recently honored three UNC Chapel Hill faculty members. The Pope Center's Spirit of Inquiry Award recognized the professors for inspiring class discussion, driving their students to greater achievements, and instilling respect for knowledge and inquiry.
Related Link:
http://blogs.newsobserver.com/campusnotes/pope-center-honors-three-unc-profs

Colleges: CMS change won't hurt chances
The Charlotte Observer

With Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools poised to trim its graduation requirements, college admissions counselors say the lower threshold won't hurt students' chances of getting in as long as they pursue rigorous courses of study. …Steve Farmer, director of undergraduate admissions at UNC Chapel Hill, said he couldn't comment on the particulars of CMS's plan. “But in general, I don't think there's anything magic about the number of credits a student is required to earn in high school,” he said.

Tree stance draws ire
The News & Observer (Raleigh)

UNC-Chapel Hill officials got a flurry of complaints Friday about a decision not to display Christmas trees at campus libraries, but Chancellor Holden Thorp said visitors could find lots of signs of Christmas on campus.
Related Links:
http://www.newsobserver.com/100/story/1322599.html
http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/4082345/

Big water users may need permits
The News & Observer (Raleigh)

North Carolina leaders should regulate large withdrawals of water from rivers and aquifers and develop models of how much water each river basin contains to avoid future shortages, water experts say. …"We use water the same way a government or home that has no budget spends money," said Richard Whisnant, a UNC School of Government professor.

Who controls the spigots?
The Charlotte Observer

…A state that's been awash in water now faces never-settled decisions about water rights, avoiding conflict and heading off shortages. …The recommendations before them came from a study team led by UNC Chapel Hill's Richard Whisnant and Bill Holman of Duke University's Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions.

Steen looks to changes state annexation laws
The Salisbury Post

A state legislator from Rowan County wants people living in proposed annexation areas to be allowed to vote on whether they're annexed and if they are taken in by cities and towns, he wants the residents to be exempt from paying municipal property taxes until they're provided water and sewer. …On Thursday, the committee heard from David Lawrence, a professor at the UNC-Chapel Hill School of Government.

Beach Plan risks worry inland homeowners
The News & Observer (Raleigh)

Each year, coastal residents fear the path of a major hurricane, but the next big one could pummel North Carolina homeowners statewide. Financially, at least. …"It's unclear why coverage options were expanded in 2003, and there's been an exponential increase in the plan's exposure since," said Norma Houston, a UNC program director and Manteo resident serving on a special legislative committee charged with proposing solutions.

Society inducts 176 Tar Heels
The Chapel Hill Herald

Phi Beta Kappa, the nation's oldest and most honored college honorary society, recently inducted 176 UNC Chapel Hill students. Each new member received a certificate and a Phi Beta Kappa key, the organization's symbol. Phi Beta Kappa membership is open to undergraduates in UNC's College of Arts and Sciences and professional degree programs who meet stringent eligibility requirements.
Related Link:
http://www.wchl1360.com/details.html?id=8797
UNC News Release:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/news/students/176-at-unc-inducted-into-phi-beta-kappa.html

True family values, or their lack, make a difference
The News & Observer (Raleigh)

It used to be funny. University of North Carolina students used to tell an apocryphal story about a student in a large survey class who was caught cheating on his final by a professor. Since UNC's honor code in those days prohibited proctoring by faculty (students had to be trusted to self-police,) all the professor could do was challenge the miscreant to turn himself in.

Geneticist bares all, the scientific way
The Durham News

…James P. Evans, a genetics professor at UNC-Chapel Hill, cautions against making too much of genetic information. Even if Angrist or one of his fellow participants learns he has the gene for a horrible disease, that is far from a guarantee that the disease will ever occur, Evans said.

Weight loss study to take place
The Dispatch (Lexington)

The Davidson County Health Department will begin a free weight loss study for midlife women next month. The department received an award in June from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to conduct the study for women who meet the eligibility criteria.

Issues and Trends

Oft-Delayed Rankings of Doctoral Programs Are Near Release, Director Says
The Chronicle of Higher Ed

Barring an earthquake, the National Research Council’s assessments and rankings of American doctoral programs will really, truly, finally be released in mid-February, the project’s director said here on Friday during a panel discussion at the annual meeting of the Council of Graduate Schools.
Related Link:
http://insidehighered.com/news/2008/12/08/nrc

20 Years Later: How One Flagship Has Changed
The Chronicle of Higher Ed

Even in the humble heartland, there is no escape from the academic arms race. …It also helped Kansas retain one of its star researchers, Jeffrey Aubé, an unassuming professor of medicinal chemistry who was courted with a lavish offer from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2005. (Fending off raids on the faculty is another cost that was less common 20 years ago.)

A gloomy economic picture (Editorial)
The Chapel Hill Herald

…Already, the UNC — our economic engine — is tightening its belt. The system's governing board has cut its budget request to the General Assembly for new funding next year by about half. The Chapel Hill campus, like the other system schools, already has been asked to cut 5 percent from its current budget, meaning delaying equipment purchases and keeping open positions vacant as long as possible.

Landlord crackdown
The News & Observer (Raleigh)

Developer Roger Perry wants the town of Chapel Hill to make life a little miserable for out-of-town landlords who let their Franklin Street properties decay. Perry, who is also the chairman of the UNC-Chapel Hill Board of Trustees, says one of the college town's biggest problems is "irresponsible ownership" of what could be thriving retail buildings on the hallowed 100 block of East Franklin Street.
Related Link:
http://www.chapelhillnews.com/front/story/29892.html

Probationers kill, state dawdles
The News & Observer (Raleigh)

North Carolina's probation system, designed to help low-level offenders rebuild their lives and stay out of costly prisons, is risking public safety by neglecting or losing track of thousands of criminals. …It has happened more than nearly anyone realized, even after the highly publicized killings of UNC-Chapel Hill student body president Eve Carson and Duke graduate student Abhijit Mahato.
Related Links:
http://www.newsobserver.com/news/story/1323190.html
http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20081208/ARTICLES/812082998

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