Here is a sampling of links and notes about Carolina people and programs cited recently in the media:
International Coverage
The philosophy of good intentions
"All In The Mind" Australian Broadcasting Company
Reading the minds of others can be darned hard. Are their intentions good, bad or indifferent? Whether we hold people accountable for their behaviour depends on the answer. Scientists probe questions like this through experiments. Philosophers traditionally appeal to intuition and argument. But now a young band of experimental philosophers are taking armchair philosophy to task, and digging for data. (Guests included assistant professor of philosophy at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Joshua Knobe. This interview was recorded at the Carolina News Studio .)
National Coverage
Obama's call of college for all: Could it be done?
The Associated Press
…The Associated Press asked six experts — from the worlds of policy, philanthropy, and some who work directly with struggling students — to answer the same two questions. Is the president's goal realistic? And what would it take to attain it? Here are their responses. …Nicole Hurd, executive director of the National College Advising Corps, which places recent college graduates in low-income schools to work as college guidance counselors: All students are capable of continuing their education beyond high school. And while there are no easy answers, one way to open the door wider is to demonstrate to our young people that college is possible.
Note: The National College Advising Corps is based at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Now in its second year, the program is operating in 13 states, including North Carolina.
Regional Coverage
A call for fair finances for all families (Opinion-Editorial Column)
The Courier-Journal (Louisville, Ky.)
…But there's one other scourge that has afflicted our city for many more years, and is nearly out of control — sharks. You read that right — in this fresh-water river town we are becoming infested with sharks. This particular species is the loan-shark variety, and it comes in the form of what is called "payday lenders." …A study done last year by the University of North Carolina showed that consumers in that state have been better off without it.
Living Well: There's a downside to positive thinking
The Post-Intelligencer (Seattle, Wash.)
Optimism might be harder to come by these days, say, than at this time last year, but there is no shortage of research that indicates being optimistic is a positive health habit. …Some of strongest evidence comes from life-expectancy studies. For example, in a University of North Carolina study, nearly 7,000 students who took personality tests in the mid-1960s were followed over four decades.
State and Local Coverage
Thorp works for changes along Franklin
The Chapel Hill News
Holden Thorp was in his second interview for chancellor when he got a question he didn't expect. "What do you think about Franklin Street?" Thorp told the Friends of Downtown last week that he may not have anticipated the question, but it made sense.
Schizophrenia can hit anyone
The Herald-Sun (Durham)/The Chapel Hill Herald
…Scientists have grappled fruitlessly with schizophrenia for many decades. The human brain's complexity shrouds the disease in mystery. …John Gilmore, a psychiatrist at the Schizophrenia Research Center at UNC-Chapel Hill, says while the positive symptoms of schizophrenia ebb and surge, the negative and cognitive symptoms endure.
Related Links:
http://heraldsun.southernheadlines.com/orange/10-1110193.cfm
http://heraldsun.southernheadlines.com/orange/10-1110201.cfm
College seniors seek jobs
The News Herald (Morganton)
As unemployment rates continue to rise across the nation, college seniors are facing a fiercely competitive job market. …Kory Suttles, a communications and media production major at the University of North Carolina, said the economy has made a significant impact on the number of jobs available in the entertainment industry.
UNC Feeling The Effects Of Poor Economy
WCHL 1360-AM (Chapel Hill)
UNC is starting to feel the effects of the poor economy. Departments on campus have been asked to plan for a permanent budget cut of at least seven percent. Reporter Lauren McGaha found out just what these cuts will mean for students on campus.
UNC and others facing tough decisions
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
With the University of North Carolina system facing up to a seven percent cut in state funding, the North Carolina athletics department is trying to scrimp and save as much as at it can.
Camden expects $2M grant answer soon
The Daily Advance (Elizabeth City)
Camden County officials expect to learn this spring whether the Golden LEAF Foundation approves a $2 million grant to install sewer and water lines along US Highway 17 North. …A feasibility study for the green park was sponsored by Golden LEAF last year and conducted by a research team at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. UNC’s conceptual design determined the park could cost more than $500 million and take more than 15 years to complete.
Not just blowing smoke on medicinal marijuana (Opinion-Editorial Column)
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
At a recent news conference, Gov. Beverly Perdue rejected the use of marijuana for medical purposes. "I don't see any way I would support medical marijuana," she said. "Right now, every child I look at who's had a problem getting off pot — I worry about that." As a researcher of illicit drugs, I strongly disagree. (Arthur Benavie is an emeritus professor of economics at UNC-Chapel Hill. He is the author of the recently published book "Drugs: America's Holy War.")
Muzzling Mukasey is so 1963 (Opinion-Editorial Column)
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Mr. Mukasey, are you now or have you ever been a card-carrying member of the Bush administration? That seems to be the question these days concerning former U.S. Attorney General Michael Mukasey, who has been invited to speak at the UNC law school commencement in May. Mukasey was invited by the Student Bar Association at UNC. But some students and faculty members have mounted a campaign to disinvite him because he has refused to condemn waterboarding as torture.
Quit dissing Joe
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
…Part of the answer is suggested by an exhibit of cartoons about the South on display through May 22 at UNC-Chapel Hill's School of Journalism and Mass Communication. The exhibit showcases panels from "Snuffy Smith," "Li'l Abner" and other popular strips. It argues that stereotypical depictions of backward hillbillies were less concerned with goofing on the subjects than in helping readers relieve their own anxieties about the modern world.
N.C. Botanical Garden ready for spring with sale, workshops
The Chapel Hill Herald
Signs that spring is quickly approaching are already evident at the N.C. Botanical Garden. …Tours led by Botanical Garden staff and volunteers in March and April include guided hikes in Stillhouse Bottom Natural Area and Johnston Mill Preserve Nature Preserve (small fee); free tours of the Botanical Garden's grounds every Saturday morning at 10 a.m., starting March 7; and free guided tours of the Coker Arboretum on the UNC Campus the third Saturday of each month at 11 a.m.
Here comes Mr. Easley
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Michael Easley Jr., the son of former Gov. Mike Easley, has been spending some of his time at the Wake County Courthouse as of late, shuffling through traffic tickets and some misdemeanor cases as part of an internship he has with the district attorney's office. The younger Easley, who is a second-year law student at UNC-Chapel Hill, is one of five North Carolina law students taking part in the unpaid internship, says Colon Willoughby, Wake County's longtime district attorney.
Issues and Trends
Some nonprofits can't touch their money
The Associated Press
…But because of the slump on Wall Street, the endowment is worth less than the original donations that created it. That means, under North Carolina law, that the money is off limits. …Among the hardest hit are colleges and universities. In the University of North Carolina system, where as many as 70 percent of the endowments at one campus are underwater, some of the system's 16 schools are going back to donors and asking them for one-time donations to pay for what would normally be covered by the endowment.
Business schools' applications down
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
Workers flock to graduate schools in a down economy, hoping for a shelter to ride out the storm while honing skills that will improve their prospects when the economy recovers. …The number of applications being received by both UNC's Kenan-Flagler Business School and Duke's Fuqua School of Business are down this year.
Kenan work continues as scheduled
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
North Carolina is pushing ahead with its ambitious renovations plans for Kenan Stadium, even with the sagging state economy. …"This is an investment in Carolina athletics across the board," (Dick) Baddour said
Man charged in UNC peeping cases
WRAL.com
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill police have made an arrest in connection with three reports of peeping in showers in one of its coed dorms.
Related Links:
http://wchl1360.com/details.html?id=9594
http://www.newsobserver.com/news/crime_safety/story/1422491.html
UNC News Release:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/news/campus-and-community/unc-public-safety
-makes-arrest-in-peeper-investigation.html