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

National Coverage

Rabbis, heterosexuals join NJ gay marriage debate
The Associated Press

The leaders in the local large Orthodox Jewish community go to great lengths to keep out the outside world, discouraging nonbusiness use of the Internet and encouraging strict filters to keep the ungodly out when members must use the Web. But last month, several rabbis and other elders did something astounding for them: They took a public stand on a political issue, declaring their opposition to same-sex marriage in the state. …Orthodox Jews traditionally have been regular voters who oppose candidates who support abortion rights and gay rights, said Yaakov S. Ariel, a professor of religion at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. "The visible part is what's new," Ariel said. "The opinions and the support of candidates is not new."

New Evidence That Early Therapy Helps Autistic Kids
Time

…A report in the current issue of Pediatrics helps fill in the gap, providing the first randomized, controlled trial — the most rigorous kind of study — of a comprehensive autism treatment that appears to work well for children as young as 18 months. …"We were extremely pleased to see how effective this was," says Geraldine Dawson, lead author of the study and a professor of psychiatry at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. "This really underscores the importance of early detection and very early intervention for autism," says Dawson, who is also the chief science officer for the advocacy group Autism Speaks.

How Accurate Is Teens' Insistence That "Everyone Else Is Doing It"? (Blog)
Newsweek

One of the curious phenomena of adolescence is the way teens compare what risky behavior they’re getting away with against what their friends are getting away with. …The University of North Carolina went to great lengths to collect data so that it had credibility when presented to students. Researchers patrolled dorms and fraternities every night for three weeks, giving thousands of breathalyzer tests. They saturated the campus with a public-awareness campaign built on their results – two out of three UNC students came home on Thursday, Friday or Saturday night with a blood alcohol content of 0.00.

Regional Coverage

Doctors weigh in on Steelers QB Roethlisberger's absence
The Tribune-Review (Pittsburgh, Pa.)

Count a former Steelers team physician and one of the country's top neurosurgeons as not being surprised that quarterback Ben Roethlisberger developed some delayed symptoms from a concussion he sustained last week. …(Dr. Julian E.) Bailes has studied the effects of football concussions since 2000 when he set up the Center for the Study of Retired Athletes at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. He recently was asked to serve on the new committee formed by the NFL Players Association to study the long-term effects of head injuries in football.

State and Local Coverage

UNC gets grant to help researchers develop better treatments
The Triangle Business Journal

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has received a $700,000 grant to boost the number of researchers working to turn scientific discoveries into improved treatments for patients. The four-year grant from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute will go to the university’s Graduate Training Program in Translational Medicine. The program is designed to train rising biomedical Ph.D. researchers to work with medical doctors to translate scientific research into new and improved bedside therapies, says Patrick Brandt, UNC’s program coordinator.

Keep thumbs on wheel, not your cell
The News & Observer (Raleigh)

It's more than moronic to read and send text messages and e-mail while you drive. Starting today, texting while driving is against the law, too. …"Texting is clearly a very dangerous thing to do," said Arthur Goodwin, a senior research associate at the UNC Highway Safety Research Center in Chapel Hill. "It takes your hands and your eyes and your brain off the road, all at the same time."

200 UNC Physicians Selected As Best In U.S.
WCHL 1360-AM (Chapel Hill)

More than 200 physicians at UNC have been included in the latest compilation of The Best Doctors in America database. Many of the same doctors were also listed as some of the best doctors in the State in a recent issue of Business North Carolina Magazine. …The selections also comes as great news for the physicians at UNC as Brian Goldstein, UNC hospitals chief of staff says the selections reflect the great works being done in Chapel Hill.
UNC Release:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/3111/71/

Game over? Zoning issues could shut down video-gaming sites in Shelby
The Star News (Burlington)

…In December 2008, a Guilford County Superior Court judge ruled that sweepstakes machines were exempt from the statute and issued an injunction to prevent law enforcement officers from arresting sweepstakes operators. The ruling doesn’t directly apply to agencies in other judicial districts, said Richard Ducker, associate professor of public law and government at the University of North Carolina School of Government in Chapel Hill.

Issues and Trends

Wine-tasting benefit Thursday
The Herald-Sun (Durham)

Soiree Under the Stars, a benefit wine-tasting featuring North Carolina's finest locally grown wines and hand-crafted desserts, will be held from 7 to 10 p.m. Thursday at the Morehead Planetarium. All proceeds benefit the Community Empowerment Fund — Chapel Hill's local microfinance initiative for individuals experiencing or at-risk of experiencing homelessness — and the Senior Marshals Homelessness Committee. The event will feature live jazz with UNC Chancellor Holden Thorp and Equinox.

Author to read at Bull's Head
The Herald-Sun (Durham)

Suzy Barile, a 1975 UNC Journalism graduate, will read from her new book, "Undaunted Heart: The True Story of a Southern Belle and a Yankee General," at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Bulls Head Bookshop in the Student Store on the UNC campus. "Undaunted Heart" tells the story of Ella Swain, the daughter of UNC President David L. Swain, and her controversial courtship and subsequent marriage to Gen. Smith D. Atkins, the leader of the Union troops occupying Chapel Hill at the close of the Civil War.

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