Here is a sampling of links and notes about Carolina people and programs cited recently in the media:
National Coverage
Study finds doctor-patient disconnect
The Boston Globe
The heart patients at Springfield’s Baystate Medical Center almost all thought the stents used to prop open their arteries would prevent a heart attack. But their doctors had told most of them before the procedure that it would do nothing more than relieve chest pain. … Patients are not to blame for the misunderstanding about angioplasty and stents, said Dr. Michael Pignone, a medical editor for the Boston-based Foundation for Informed Medical Decision Making and a professor at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine.
Environmental Outlook: Extreme Weather
National Public Radio
Several parts of the world are coping with severe weather related events, including a record heatwave in Russia, severe flooding in Pakistan, mudslides in China, droughts in sub-Saharan Africa, and record high temperatures in parts of the U.S. For this month's Environmental Outlook Series, climate scientists explain what we can learn from weather extremes. Guests … Gavin Smith Executive Director, Center for the Study of
Natural Hazards and Disasters and Associate Research Professor in the Department of City and Regional Planning at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
John Blake resigns from North Carolina
ESPN.com
In the midst of an ongoing NCAA investigation into possible improper contact with agents and academic misconduct, North Carolina defensive line coach John Blake has resigned, effective immediately, the school announced Sunday evening. Blake, who was reportedly a target of the NCAA's investigation into possible improper conduct with agents, was also the associate head coach and recruiting coordinator in his fourth season at North Carolina.
UNC Release: http://tarheelblue.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/090510aab.html
Related Links: http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/09/06/667085/embattled-blake-steps-down.html
http://www.ncnn.com/content/view/6338/26/
State and Local Coverage
Profs to discuss long-term impact of Gulf oil spill
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
A panel of faculty experts at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill will present their findings on the Gulf of Mexico oil spill at a forum Sept. 15 that is sponsored by the General Alumni Association. "Oil on the Water: A Public Discussion and Analysis of the Long-Term Impact of the Gulf Oil Spill" will be presented from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the George Watts Hill Alumni Center on Stadium Drive. The experts also will answer questions from the audience in the free public forum.
Related Link: http://www.wchl1360.com/detailswide.html?id=15787
Troubleshooter: Take these etiquette tips and pay them forward
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
This week, we're talking tips. Specifically, who gets them and how much? We all know – or at least I think we do – that waiters usually get 15 to 20 percent of the bill. But what about the barista, the hair stylist, the cab driver and the hotel maid? According to Dave Roberts, a professor at UNC's Kenan-Flagler Business School, tips have become more of an expected payment rather than a reflection of good service. "The sorts of jobs people tip for have a low base salary," he said. "People are dependent on tips."
Karl Rove coming to UNC
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
Karl Rove, who is credited with successfully crafting both of President George W. Bush's winning campaigns and fashioning the president's public persona, is scheduled to speak at UNC Chapel Hill later this month. Rove served as a political adviser to Bush. He left the administration in 2007, citing a desire to spend more time with his family. When he stepped down, it was with significant name recognition and a reputation as a political mastermind.
‘Happy Days’ are here
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
Nobel Prize-winner Samuel Beckett’s absurdist comedy “Happy Days” kicks off PlayMakers Repertory Company’s PRC² series Tuesday through Sunday at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Not to be confused with the 1950s adventures of TV’s Richie, Potsie and the Fonz, this comic yet poignant masterpiece is a challenging exploration of life and perseverance. The New York Times calls it “a grand, brutal metaphor for life and death, an astounding work.”
Carolina North meeting slated
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
A public information meeting will be held at 5:15 p.m. Sept. 29 to receive comments and feedback on the UNC-Chapel Hill 2010 Carolina North Annual Report to the Town of Chapel Hill. The meeting will be held in the Council Chamber of Town Hall, 405 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
In manufacturing, we're still making it (Opinion-Editorial)
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Even in our rancorous political times, virtually every politician and pundit in America would agree on one thing: The U.S. economy is not doing well these days. To be sure, the prescriptions offered for our ailing economy vary wildly, but the chances for a successful therapeutic response would improve for all if would-be economic doctors got their diagnoses right.
Peter A. Coclanis is Albert R. Newsome distinguished professor of history and director of the Global research Institute at UNC-Chapel Hill.
Bedrails request follows death in UNC dorm
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
The death last month of a Nash County woman staying overnight in Kenan Residence Hall with her daughter has fueled a request for bedrails to attach to lofted beds in UNC dormitories. Larry Hicks, director of housing and residential education, said additional requests for railings began to flow in as the news of the accidental death hit local newspapers. "We've seen a little bit of an increase since that," Hicks said. Hicks said the university usually receives about 20 requests for bed railings each year. He said the number has grown to about 40 as the result of Sykes' accident.
Science Briefs
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Even without being loaded with drugs, certain nanoparticles appear to arm a normally benign protein found in the human body with cancer-killer powers, researchers at UNC Chapel Hill report. The finding could lead to a new strategy for targeted cancer therapies, although additional research is necessary to make sure the protein only attacks cancer cells.
Free concerts a ‘gift’ to hospital
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
Local music teacher and composer Julie Harris plans two free concerts of original music that was created as a gift to UNC Hospitals and as a focus on ovarian cancer awareness. … The first concert, at UNC Hospitals, will be on Sept. 15, which marks Harris's two-year anniversary of surgery and diagnosis of Stage 3-A ovarian cancer.
High bacteria levels in Lake Wheeler baffle county
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
For the fifth time this summer, Wake County closed Lake Wheeler Park's recreational beach Friday because of bacteria in the water. County officials are baffled about what's causing elevated levels of enterococcus bacteria, a microbe that also plagued the lake May 25 and Aug. 4, 18 and 25. "Lake Wheeler is off the charts this summer," said Tommy Esqueda, Wake's environmental services director. "It is something we definitely want to find a solution to." … Wake has reached out to N.C. State University and UNC-Chapel Hill for scientists to track down the organisms' origin. Esqueda said flocks of geese or human sewage runoff are the two leading candidates. Regardless of the cause, he urged people visiting the lake to exercise caution.
Charity makes Mondays lovable
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Joey McMahon has wanted to do something good, something to help people who needed it, for as long as he can remember…McMahon and [Paul] Burke have been friends since they were five years old. They grew up together and both attended East Chapel Hill HS. Afterward, they went in different directions, McMahon to Duke and Burke to UNC-Chapel Hill. After they both graduated last year, they decided to collaborate on Miracle Mondays. After working with Duke Children’s Hospital, they hope to begin partnerships with the North Carolina Children’s Hospital at UNC and other children’s hospitals in the region.
Sculptures grew to life size as artist's style evolved
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Tinka Jordy's ceramics have grown on her audience. "I have customers who started out buying my small pots 30 years ago, and now they come for my statues," said the Hillsborough artist, whose soulful life-size figurative sculptures have inspired a new round of fans. Last year Jordy, 56, won best in show at the Sculpture in the Garden Exhibition at the N.C. Botanical Garden in Chapel Hill. She'll return this year as one of 29 sculptors in the annual show, which opens Sept. 11.
Issues and Trends
Giving Up State Funds
Inside Higher Ed
How bad are things in California? The budget cuts and fiscal uncertainty are so severe that the University of California at Los Angeles's business school is proposing that it give up all state funding — in return for greater budget flexibility and the right to raise out-of-state tuition to the levels of private institutions. The plan has been approved by UCLA, but is awaiting a review by Mark G. Yudof, president of the university system.
New UNC leader Ross built rep as solution finder
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
In 1999, N.C. Chief Justice Burley Mitchell needed a director for the state's court system, an unwieldy job balancing the needs of judges and other court officers in the state's 100 counties. He turned to Tom Ross. A longtime Superior Court judge, Ross had just spent a decade leading a commission that pushed through sweeping changes to the state's criminal sentencing laws. Mitchell knew Ross would bring a steady hand and an open mind to the job. Mitchell expects more of the same come January when Ross, now president at Davidson College, takes over as president of the UNC system.
Foreign students might pay more at UNC schools
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
A member of the governing board for the 17-campus UNC system wants to explore whether international students should pay more for a public college education in North Carolina than American students from other states do. Charging a higher tuition rate would bolster revenue for a public university system that could use every dime these days. Bill Daughtridge, a former state representative now serving on the UNC system's Board of Governors, thinks international students should pay more because they pay neither state nor federal taxes in the United States. http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/09/05/664806/foreign-
Standard coverage
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Kudos to the University of North Carolina system for upholding abortion insurance coverage and refusing to bow down to a vocal minority trying to dictate the health needs and coverages of thousands. Abortion is standard in nearly every health insurance plan, so why should UNC be the exception? It is not surprising that a small group of anti-choice individuals would rally around this issue and try to take away coverage that people already have. This year, thousands of North Carolina municipal employees lost abortion coverage from long-standing employee health insurance plans due to similar extremist tactics.
UNC and A&T
The News & Record (Greensboro, NC)
The humiliation that the UNC community feels this morning is nothing compared with the shame Aggie Nation must be feeling. Or is it? UNC-Chapel Hill Chancellor Holden Thorp, UNC System President Erskine Bowles and a member of the Board of Governors have all expressed sadness, concern and action as a result of the suspension of members of the Carolina football team. From A&T, where a student trying out for the track team died two weeks ago, a four-paragraph news release and then silence. There's a reason A&T administrators are hunkered down.