Here is a sampling of links and notes about Carolina people and programs cited recently in the media:
International Coverage
Grinch halting Christmas may be depression
United Press International
Being irritable, grumpy and seeking social isolation are hallmarks of depression and may explain why the Grinch hated Christmas, a U.S. psychologist suggests. Cynthia Bulik of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill says the fictional children's book character is likely depressed — explaining his disdain for the Who, his mistreatment of his dog Max and why he tried to stop Christmas from coming.
Related Link:
http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2009/12/24/grinch-depression.html
UNC Release:
http://www.med.unc.edu/www/news/grinch-likely-depressed-
suffers-from-lack-of-love-joy-unc-expert-says
Can you really cure a hangover?
The Times (United Kingdom)
Festive partying seems like a good idea until you wake up with your tongue stuck to the roof of your mouth and your head beating like an African drum. But is there really anything you can do to relieve the morning after the night before? …Theory: James Garbutt, a professor of psychiatry at the University of North Carolina who specializes in alcohol studies, recently concluded that no hangover cure will work. So, why not crawl under the duvet and sleep it off?
UNC Release:
http://www.med.unc.edu/www/news/what2019s-the-best-hangover-
cure-truth-be-told-there-isn2019t-one
National Coverage
Assisted Living: Back to the Future (Blog)
The New York Times
…Known by a variety of names (residential care homes, board and care homes, adult foster care, assisted living), sometimes operated by families who share the house with those they care for, they’re still around. …Small-scale residences have fans among professionals as well. “Nobody, but especially older people, likes to be herded into large groups,” said Philip Sloane, the Goodwin Distinguished Professor of Family Medicine at the University of North Carolina. “As people get confused or demented, they get overstimulated by a large group environment. There are too many choices.”
Nostalgia: Power of the "Good Old Days"
"CBS Sunday Morning" CBS
It's delicate, but potent. In the television series "Mad-Men," advertising executive Don Draper knows all about the power of nostalgia: "it takes us to a place where we ache to go again. …It's called the George Bailey effect; remember not what was, but imagine what might never have been. And envisioning a different path life might have taken could actually help people, says research professor Sara Algoe of the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
Regional Coverage
Slow recovery seen in 2010
The Miami Herald (Florida)
Many business executives will be glad to see 2009 in the rearview mirror. But will 2010 be better? Recent surveys suggest that the corner-office types are saying yes — but not necessarily starting Jan. 1. …From April to October, the percentage of chief financial officers and similar executives who expressed optimism about the economy has increased, according to surveys by the University of North Carolina business school for the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.
UNC Release:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/2807/67/
No easy answers for health care problems
The Morning Sun News (Mt. Pleasant, Mich.)
Answering the question of how to get all Americans access to affordable health coverage presents many complexities. Health care reform seems to be the question of the year, and the answers aren't in multiple-choice format. …The University of North Carolina requires all full-time undergraduate students and full-time graduate students to have insurance covered by their parents or by an individual health plan, according to its Web site. Those whose insurance coverage cannot be verified are charged $305.50 per semester for health insurance.
State and Local Coverage
Take advantage of Carolina’s fun, free events (Opinion-Editorial Column)
The Chapel Hill Herald
In the fall, Carolina hosted a fantastic event called the North Carolina Literary Festival. For a few days in September, our campus was swarming with thousands of people who love books, from high-brow literary types to kids eager to meet the guy who writes the scary Goosebumps series. It was fun, educational and free. I’m reminding you about the literary festival because, as we are about to begin a new year, I want to encourage you to take advantage of some upcoming events that will be happening in your own backyard. (Holden Thorp is chancellor of the UNC at Chapel Hill.)
Obama Nominates UNC Grad For U.S. Attorney
WCHL 1360-AM (Chapel Hill)
UNC graduate Anne M. Tompkins was nominated to be the next United States Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina as part of a group of seven nominations issued today by the White House. Ms. Tompkins was an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Western District from 2000 to 2005. Tompkins is a three-time graduate from the University of North Carolina, earning her bachelor’s degree in 1984. She earned a Master’s Degree of Public Affairs from the Institute of Government at UNC in 1989, and got her law degree from the UNC School of Law in 1992.
Martin Luther King Jr. Day events at UNC
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
From rallies to pot luck dinners, from oratory contests to candlelight vigils, UNC students and employees will mingle with community members in a series of events to honor the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. next month. MLK Day traditionally has been a time surrounded by civic and service events on the UNC campus, and this year is no different.
Related Links:
http://wchl1360.com/detailswide.html?id=12867
http://www.heraldsun.com/pages/full_story/push?article-Reaction+mixed+on+Glover
+invitation%20&id=5326538-Reaction+mixed+on+Glover+invitation&instance=main_article
A survivor supports a fighter
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Thousands of North Carolina football fans will be cheering Robert Quinn on Saturday in Charlotte, eager for more glimpses of his speed, savvy, and ability to rush and crush quarterbacks in the Tar Heels' Meineke Bowl matchup with Pittsburgh. But at his home near Fayetteville, 18-year-old Lavelle Sloan will be rooting for the sophomore defensive end for a different reason. …Still, the fact that Sloan and Quinn have gone through similar experiences – watching from the sidelines their senior high school seasons, persevering through the needles and doctor visits and tests, worrying about their futures – is what spurred the Tar Heels player to visit the teenager on a recent Monday.
UNC student's action keeping others safe
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
Dark had long since fallen over the Pit on UNC's campus, some stragglers strolling to either dorms or library, cramming in a little more studying two days before 2009 spring exams. Bethany Corbin and her boyfriend at the time, walking towards Hinton James dorm, got in a fight. …Now, eight months later, Corbin gears up to jumpstart her new program, Project Safe Girls, with a self-defense and awareness class as part of the Chapel Hill-Carrboro YMCA's middle school afterschool program.
Related Link:
http://www.heraldsun.com/pages/full_story/push?article-Both+physical-+mental+self-defense
+part+of+program%20&id=5325964-Both+physical-+mental+self-defense+part+of+
program&instance=main_article
N.C. milestones in health and safety (Opinion-Editorial Column)
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
When we enter the New Year, two historic public health and safety achievements will make North Carolina a healthier and safer place to live. On Jan. 2, our state's Smoke-Free Bars and Restaurants law takes effect, a milestone public health achievement that has received deserved praise and attention in North Carolina and across the country. …On New Year's Day, take a moment to thank our legislature for making North Carolina a safer place. On Jan. 2, go out to eat at your favorite restaurant, take a deep breath and offer another moment of thanks that North Carolina is a healthier place. (Adam Goldstein, M.D., is professor of family medicine at the UNC-Chapel Hill School of Medicine. Ernest Grant is director of burn prevention and community outreach at the North Carolina Jaycee Burn Center.)
Advisers scour state for savings
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Gov. Bev Perdue, faced with the deepest budget crisis in decades when she took office, assembled a group of outside experts and asked them to put North Carolina state government under a microscope and to report back how it could be improved – and how money could be saved. …Norma Houston, a commission member who is on the faculty of UNC Institute for Government and is a former chief of staff for Senate leader Marc Basnight, said the commission also wants to learn how other states and private corporations such as Lowe's, McDonald's or SAS handle their bulk buying.
Gurley aims to grow indy drugstore holdings
The Triangle Business Journal
Tony Gurley lives in Raleigh and serves as chairman of the Wake County Board of Commissioners, but the pharmacy he owns is in Durham. That’s about to change. …With the plan, Gurley’s on to something, says Stefanie Ferreri. The professor in the Eshelman School of Pharmacy at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill says such partnerships are frequently how independent pharmacies are perpetuated. A senior pharmacist with greater ownership partners with a junior pharmacist, and as time passes, the ownership shifts to the younger partner.
Hickory police concerned about gaming
The Charlotte Observer
Video gambling is gone in North Carolina but another apparently legal operation has taken its place, police say. Sweepstakes gaming is being played on ordinary desktop computers in at least five businesses in Hickory, police Lt. Reed Baer told the Hickory City Council recently. …Operators responded by switching to a sweepstakes system that allows customers to buy time on personal computers that have gaming software, said Richard Ducker, associate professor of public law and government at UNC Chapel Hill.
Child sex abuse: 'It's a war on our kids'
The Gaston Gazette
Gaston County could have one of the highest rates of reported child sex abuse in North Carolina when new figures are released next year, according to the Hope Circle Children’s Advocacy Center. …Medical evidence of sexual assault is present in just 5 percent of girls and 2 percent of boys examined upon referral from a social services or law enforcement agency, according to the University of North Carolina School of Medicine’s Child Medical Evaluation Program.
Professor gives Starbucks a roasting
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Temple University professor Bryant Simon believes he knows the Starbucks secret. And it's not the caramel macchiato or the 86,999 other drinks the international coffee purveyors sell us. It's the lifestyle we buy with that $3 cup of joe. …In the book, the UNC-Chapel Hill graduate explains how Starbucks became a Wall Street favorite by making its customers feel environmentally aware, upwardly mobile, connected and cool by welcoming us, by name, into their clean, urban-chic stores, pumping hip music, and selling us (some) fair-trade coffee in cups made of 60 percent recycled materials.
They came to be heard (Opinion-Editorial Column)
The Chapel Hill News
They came early on a wintry December morning, defying the stereotype that Latinos always show up late and hate the cold. They came to get the chance to be heard about allowing undocumented immigrant students to be admitted to North Carolina community colleges. Latino professionals, nurses, organizers, businesspeople, teachers, college and high school students came to have their say about an issue that affects their friends and families. (Paul Cuadros is a professor at the UNC School of Journalism and Mass Communication.)
Courage on the bench (Opinion-Editorial Column)
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Our governor is annoyed with the North Carolina courts. After Superior Court Judge Ripley Rand ruled last week that two convicted murders should be released, Gov. Bev Perdue erupted. At a hastily called news conference, she "didn't have words to describe how mad" she was. Still, she gave it a good go. Declaring herself "furious," she reported "never being this disgusted." Surrounded by state troopers, Perdue declared "this is not how courts are supposed to work." (Gene R. Nichol is a professor of law and director of the Center on Poverty, Work and Opportunity at UNC-Chapel Hill.)
Should alcohol be sold in Kenan Stadium? (Commentary)
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
To athletic director Dick Baddour and others who want UNC-Chapel Hill to start serving alcoholic drinks at Kenan Stadium, I say go for it – but don't limit it to the luxury suites. Let us fans of more modest means partake as well of the fruits of the vine and the field. Carolina is, remember, a public university. Call me crazy, but I think it should serve, you know, the public.
Stereotypes of male behavior keep teen boys from genuine expression
The Star News (Wilmington)
…Dealing with these issues alone can cause anxiety for teen boys, and there aren’t many outlets available to resolve this stress in middle and high school. Fortunately, programs exist in college to help males examine stereotypes and contemplate the meaning of manhood. One such program is Men@Carolina, a living-learning community at UNC-Chapel Hill. Members live together in an accepting, secular environment and participate in discussions, mentorships, projects and retreats. This community establishes that it’s okay for men to talk about issues like relationships, sexuality and leadership, and to become aware of them,” said Damitri Martinez, Men@Carolina’s student coordinator.
UNC Event Briefs
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
…“All My Sons” is the title of the play to be shown from 8 to 10:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays, Jan. 27-Feb. 14, and from 2 to 4:30 p.m. Sundays and Saturday (Feb. 6) at the Paul Green Theatre in the Center for Dramatic Art on the UNC campus…
UNC Release:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/3201/66/
Issues and Trends
Coyote concerns increasing
The Chapel Hill News
Police and wildlife officials plan to educate the public in 2010 about a growing number of coyote sightings in the Bolin Creek and Carolina North woods. Orange County Animal Services Director Bob Marotto met this fall with representatives from UNC's forest, Duke Forest, local law enforcement and state wildlife officials.
Officials urging flu shots before classes start
The Daily Reflector (Greenville)
Education and health officials are encouraging college students to get vaccinated for the H1N1 flu before they return to classes next month with hopes of cutting down on the spread of the disease. …There have been no reported deaths at ECU due to H1N1, but an 18-year-old University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill freshman died last week due to complications from the virus.
TOP 10 STORIES OF 2009: H1N1 flu frenzy hits
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
A new virus, the so-called H1N1 influenza, reared its ugly head in March and sickened Durham residents the rest of the year. …The disease also took the life of Lillian Chason, an 18-year-old UNC Chapel Hill freshman who had been hospitalized at UNC Hospitals since Nov. 20 and died Dec. 16.