Here is a sampling of links and notes about Carolina people and programs cited recently in the media:
International Coverage
Genes affect smoking behavior, lung cancer risk
Reuters (Wire Service)
Addicted to smoking and unable to quit? Your genes may be partly to blame, according to a trio of studies published Sunday in Nature Genetics that link several gene variants to a range of smoking habits, as well as increased risk for lung cancer. …"This lends support to the idea that smoking is not just a question of will power alone, but that genetics plays a role in how much a person smokes and their ability to quit smoking," Dr. Helena Furberg from University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, who was involved in the research, noted in an email to Reuters Health.
UNC Release:
http://www.unchealthcare.org/site/newsroom/news/2010/April/smoking-behaviors-genetics
National Coverage
Bad habits can age you by 12 years, study suggests
The Associated Press
Four common bad habits combined — smoking, drinking too much, inactivity and poor diet — can age you by 12 years, sobering new research suggests. …June Stevens, a University of North Carolina public health researcher, said the results are in line with previous studies that examined the combined effects of health-related habits on longevity. The findings don't mean that everyone who maintains a healthy lifestyle will live longer than those who don't, but it will increase the odds, Stevens said.
Genes may influence how much you smoke (Blog)
CNN.com
New research suggests that smoking habits may have genetic influences. Although the effect is subtle, the findings highlight that genes are important in influencing cigarette consumption, said Helena Furberg, assistant professor of genetics at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, one of the authors. Three new studies collectively looked at data from more than 140,000 people who had some measure of smoking behavior. They found genetic regions associated with the quantity of cigarettes that people smoke daily. The research appeared in the online version of the journal Nature Genetics.
UNC Release:
http://www.unchealthcare.org/site/newsroom/news/2010/April/smoking-behaviors-genetics
Protected Reef Offers Model for Conservation
The New York Times
…John Bruno, a marine ecologist at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and Elizabeth Selig, a marine scientist with Conservation International, analyzed a global database of 8,534 live coral cover surveys conducted from 1969 to 2006. …“We found that marine protected areas have an indirect effect that seems to benefit corals,” Dr. Bruno said. But, he said, it takes time for these effects to be realized. “People put these parks out there and then run out to see them in five years, but the benefits show up later, sometimes it takes decades,” he said.
UNC Release:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/3356/107/
Encouraging Business to Turn Off the Lights
The Wall Street Journal
The struggle to dial down energy consumption in the nation's 4.8 million commercial buildings can be framed with this simple question: Who turns off the escalators each night? …In an effort to highlight the challenges, the Environmental Protection Agency through its Energy Star program will launch on Tuesday its first National Building Competition called "Working off the Waste"—a spin on NBC's weight loss show the "The Biggest Loser." The goal: lower energy usage and climate impact of U.S. commercial buildings, where the agency says some 30% of energy is used inefficiently or unnecessarily. Fourteen buildings ranging from the Sears in Glen Burnie, Md., and a J.C. Penney in Los Angeles to the Maplewood Mall in St. Paul, Minn., and the large student Morrison Residence Hall at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill will turn over to EPA their fuel-usage data from Sept. 1, 2009 to Aug. 31. The winner will be the one with the largest percentage drop in energy usage.
Tancredo Returns to Chapel Hill and Gets to Finish His Speech
The Chronicle of Higher Education
When Tom Tancredo, a former U.S. congressman known for opposing illegal immigration, tried to speak at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill last April, he was shouted down by student protesters and eventually escorted from the room after someone smashed a window. A return visit on Monday met with far less friction, according to The News & Observer, a newspaper in Raleigh.
UNC Release:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/3574/68/
Deactivated: College Students Giving up Facebook…By Choice (Blog)
ABC News.com
You hear it all the time. Social media is the fastest growing technology connecting you to the rest of the world. …Yes. In a world where everyone has one . . . they have deactivated. One such student is Eric Feld, a graduate student in the Department of City and Regional Planning at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He deactivated his Facebook page in January. “Believe it or not, life is just fine without Facebook,” Feld said. “I have noticed that I have become more productive, and I feel like I am performing better with my class work.”
Regional Coverage
Walkout on Tancredo's talk
The Denver Post (Colorado)
At least 100 protesters walked out on former Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Colo., as he spoke Monday night on the values of Western culture at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. The group stood in unison, yelling, "No human is illegal," before moving outside the Student Union and into the Pit, a concrete courtyard at the center of campus activity.
UNC Release:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/3574/68/
State and Local Coverage
Some protest, but Tancredo speaks
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
At least 100 protesters walked out on former congressman Tom Tancredo as he spoke Monday night on the values of Western culture at UNC-Chapel Hill. The group stood in unison, yelling, "No human is illegal," before moving outside the Student Union and into the Pit, a concrete courtyard at the center of campus activity.
Related Links:
http://www.wral.com/news/news_briefs/story/7490626/
http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/story?section=news/local&id=7406147
http://orange.mync.com/site/Orange/news/story/50887/tancredo-invited-back-to-speak-at-unc-group-event/
http://wchl1360.com/detailswide.html?id=14288
UNC Release:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/3574/68/3
Charters' uneven racial makeup (Opinion-Editorial Column)
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
In the wake of North Carolina's unsuccessful bid for federal "Race to the Top" funds, commentators have decried the legislative cap on the number of charter schools as both a weakness in our grant application and an unfair restraint on educational innovation. Missing from the debate is the reality that North Carolina charter schools are a national leader in racial isolation and hyper-segregated learning. (Mark Dorosin is the senior managing attorney and Benita N. Jones is the education fellow at the Center for Civil Rights at the UNC-Chapel Hill's School of Law.)
The View: Ancient India at the Forest Theatre
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
UNC-Chapel Hill student Faraaz Khan waits to take the stage at the on-campus Forest Theatre, where the Asia Studies 333 class was presenting 'Yayati,' in which Khan plays the character Pooru. 'Yayati' is a play based on the 'Mahabharata,' a Sanskrit epic of ancient India. , Khan of Charlotte has parents who came to the U.S. from India. He enjoyed doing the show because, he said, 'I'm Muslim, and I wasn't exposed to this growing up. It increases my awareness of the culture of my heritage.'
UNC Students Grab A Laugh At MacGruber
WCHL 1360-AM (Chapel Hill)
A large group of UNC students visited Varsity Theatre last night for the exclusive advanced screening of Saturday Night Live actor Will Forte’s movie MacGruber. After getting autographs during the day from several of the actors students joked around in line while waiting for the movie.
Issues and Trends
Community gardening kicks off in northern Chapel Hill
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
More than 125 people attended a ribbon cutting this weekend for HOPE Gardens, a different kind of community gardening space on Homestead Road in northern Chapel Hill. …The garden grew out of the UNC-Chapel Hill Campus Y's Homeless Outreach Poverty Eradication (HOPE) organization. The Town of Chapel Hill owns the 14-acre site near the railroad tracks and is working with the students through the Parks and Recreation Department and its Active Living by Design advisory committee.