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

National Coverage

Of Muskets and Health Care (Column)
Slate Magazine

A federal judge in Virginia has declared unconstitutional the health care provision requiring many Americans to purchase insurance. On Monday, Judge Henry E. Hudson ruled that while Congress may regulate interstate commerce, it cannot force citizens to buy goods (like health insurance) on the private market. (Explainer thanks Barry Friedman of New York University, Richard H. Kohn of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and Kevin Sweeney of Amherst College.)

Regional Coverage

PolitiFact's Lie of the Year: No topping 'government takeover'
The St. Petersburg Times (Florida)

…By selecting "government takeover" as Lie of the Year, PolitiFact is not making a judgment on whether the health care law is good policy. The phrase is simply not true. Said Jonathan Oberlander, a professor of health policy at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill: "The label 'government takeover' has no basis in reality, but instead reflects a political dynamic where conservatives label any increase in government authority in health care as a 'takeover.' "

State and Local Coverage

UNC Chapel Hill will hold its annual December Commencement Sunday at 2 p
The Herald-Sun (Durham)

UNC Chapel Hill will hold its annual December Commencement Sunday at 2 p.m. at the Dean Smith Center. The event is likely to cause traffic issues throughout the afternoon. Chancellor Holden Thorp will preside at the ceremony for students who completed degree requirements in August as well as those graduating Sunday.
UNC Media Advisory:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/4163/75/

Scientists discover potential strategy to aid cancer vaccines
The Chapel Hill Herald

The promise of vaccines targeted against various types of cancer has raised the hopes of patients and their families. The reality, however, is that these promising treatments are difficult to develop. One of the challenges is identifying a discrete cellular target to stop cancer growth without inactivating the immune system. Scientists at UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center report a laboratory finding that has the potential to increase the effectiveness of therapeutic cancer vaccines.
UNC Release:
http://news.unchealthcare.org/news/2010/December/cancer-vaccines/

Charleston: The Civil War’s latest battlefront (Opinion-Editorial Column)
The Herald-Sun (Durham)

Monday evening is shaping up to be quite a night in Charleston. Confederate enthusiasts are throwing a grand ball there to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the state’s secession from the Union. Hundreds of people, many decked out in hoop skirts and militia uniforms, will drink mint juleps and dance the night away. (Ethan J. Kytle and Blain Roberts received their doctorates at UNC Chapel Hill and teach at California State University, Fresno.)

Spreading it on (Editorial)
The News & Observer (Raleigh)

Although it's a painful thing to contemplate, well-founded rumor has it that the journalism school at UNC-Chapel Hill runs a thriving curriculum devoted to the sly arts of public relations.

Issues and Trends

Perdue looking for more money
The News & Observer (Raleigh)

Gov. Bev Perdue said Thursday that she was open to various options to help the state deal with its huge budget shortfall, including selling its liquor system and perhaps even permitting regulated video poker, but not to an increase in the tax rate. Meeting with reporters for a year-end interview, Perdue said she was prepared to look at various sources of money to protect public education as she struggles to put together a budget that would cover a projected $3.7 billion shortfall next year.

N.C. State receives $40 million gift
The News & Observer (Raleigh)

…The holiday season aside, their largesse could not have been more timely. Not only has the stagnant economy hurt donations to universities everywhere, but officials across the 16-campus UNC system are trying to figure out what's left to slash when the next round of cuts in state funding hits. …He wants to help put it on equal footing with the larger, older colleges at NCSU that can draw on a bigger donor base, and make it more competitive with the other business schools in the area, including those at UNC-Chapel Hill and Duke University.

Debt burden on ECU graduates (Editorial)
The Daily Reflector (Greenville)

…University students in North Carolina can sympathize with their peers across the pond (even though they should reject their actions) because they, too, have seen the cost of higher education increase sharply in recent years. East Carolina is one of several schools in the University of North Carolina system set to increase tuition again in the coming years, though not at the pace seen in Britain.

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