Here is a sampling of links and notes about Carolina people and programs cited recently in the media:
International Coverage
Evidence for acupuncture PMS relief is shaky
Reuters (Wire Service)
…Jongbae Park, from the University of North Carolina School of Medicine's Acupuncture Clinic, said the findings don't cause him to question the effectiveness of treating PMS with acupuncture — instead they highlight that the treatment is safe when done by a licensed professional. "I have no hesitation to recommend (acupuncture) for PMS when the cost is affordable," said Park, who performs acupuncture at the clinic himself.
National Coverage
Obama pushes jobs in trip fraught with politics
The Associated Press
…The visit focuses on Research Triangle, the central section of the state bounded by Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill and which features such top academic institutions as Duke University, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and North Carolina State. Politically, that portion of the state illustrates North Carolina's changing demographics and its politics. Ferrell Guillory, an expert on southern politics at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, sees a divided South, with many Atlantic Seaboard states like Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia and Florida benefiting from an economic transition into service industries, technology and biological manufacturing.
Obama Faces More Voter Anxiety, Less Excitement
The Associated Press
…For the president, struggling against 9.1 percent unemployment and a sluggish economic recovery, that might be as good as it gets these days. …Major corporations such as IBM, Bayer, and DuPont have a home in North Carolina's Research Triangle in the heart of the academic triad of Duke University, North Carolina State and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Regional Coverage
Cincinnati's plan for homeless shelters takes shape
The Cincinnati Enquirer (Ohio)
…William Rohe, a professor and director of the Center for Urban and Regional Studies at the University of North Carolina, is an expert in central city and neighborhood revitalization. "The first question to ask is, `how realistic is the proposal?'" Rohe said. "Are there firm financial commitments? Or are they saying `we're going to write grants'?"
State and Local Coverage
Giving blood is its own reward, but there's more
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
…The 23rd Annual Carolina Blood Drive of the American Red Cross took place on Tuesday at the Smith Center in Chapel Hill. This was an all-day affair with several volunteers and staff members on site all day. Gary Brant, who works for the American Red Cross, arrived at the Smith Center at 6 a.m. and was there well into the late afternoon. Kim Aguilar, who also works for the American Red Cross, shared that the highlight of her day was seeing so many first-time donors. Aguilar also enjoyed having the chance to get a picture with Rameses, the UNC mascot.
UNC Release:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/4581/68/
Meet Heather Williams
"The State of Things" WUNC-FM
…Today, she is an associate professor in the History Department at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She teaches about African Americans during the 18th and 19th centuries, a period that encompasses the Civil War and slavery. As part of the North Carolina Voices series commemorating the 150th Anniversary of the start of the Civil War, Host Frank Stasio talks to Heather Williams about her life and the experience of African Americans during the war.
UNC to offer joint Pharma/M.B.A degree
The Triangle Business Journal
The UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy and Kenan-Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill are teaming up to offer a joint Pharm.D./M.B.A. program beginning next year. …Or it could help graduates move up the ladder more quickly in the corporate offices of drug stores, said Fred Eckel, a professor at Eschelman and president of the N.C. Association of Pharmacists.
UNC Release:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/4575/71/
Smartphone app helps coaches evaluate concussions
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
…"This is a tool that can help coaches make an informed decision about a player's condition," said Dr. Jason Mihalik, an assistant professor at the Matthew Gfeller Traumatic Brain Injury Research Center at the University of North Carolina who co-authored the application. "It does not diagnosis a concussion, but it helps evaluate a player."
Obama council gets earful in Triangle
The Triangle Business Journal
…Several business leaders such as Jim Goodmon, CEO of Capitol Broadcasting Corp., Madhu Beriwal, CEO of IEM Inc., Sepi Asefnia, CEO of Sepi Engineering, and Christy Shaffer, former CEO of Inspire Pharmaceuticals and a board member of the Chancellor’s Innovation Circle at UNC-Chapel Hill, came to the meeting hoping to set the agenda for the Obama’s council to take home some talking points on the region.
Making the case for Rex (Under the Dome)
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Dr. Bill Roper, UNC Health Care CEO, told the UNC Board of Governors this week why he thinks selling Rex is a bad idea. Roper briefed the UNC system's governing board about the mission, operations and future of a health care system founded in 1879 as a medical school and now a growing statewide health care network. Medical school training has expanded to Asheville and Charlotte, and, of course, the system owns Rex Healthcare facilities in Wake County.
Three UNC Professors Garner Prestigious Grants
WCHL 1360-AM (Chapel Hill)
Three UNC assistant professors have received prestigious five-year grants from the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Energy in order to further support their research. &
ldquo;The way the economy is, it’s really important any time you can get research funds for your group,” says Erik Alexanian, an assistant professor of chemistry at UNC.
UNC Release:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/4573/71/
Leland named a Robertson Scholar
The Rocky Mount Telegram
Faith Christian School in Rocky Mount would like to announce that one of its seniors, Caroline Leland, has been selected to be a part of the Robertson Scholars program and will receive a full scholarship to attend both University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and Duke University.
UNC Release:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/4529/75/
Wellness clinic to care for Chapel Hill town workers
The Chapel Hill News
A new program has been established to provide worksite wellness programs and minor illness care to Town of Chapel Hill employees. Chapel Hill Wellness@Work was established through a partnership between the Town of Chapel Hill and UNC Health Care's Department of Family Medicine.
Celebrate Bloomsday and Joyce on Thursday at Old Books
The Star News (Wilmington)
For most folks, it's just another Thursday. For many Irish-Americans and literati, though, June 16 is "Bloomsday," the date on which the events of James Joyce's novel "Ulysses" took place. …Joyce did not invent stream of consciousness. "He just did it better than anybody else," said Weldon Thornton, a Joyce scholar and a retired professor of English at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Hang it up (Editorial)
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Highway safety advocates and experts, including a center at UNC-Chapel Hill, say there's no doubt that driving and talking to someone on the phone is hazardous. Krista Slough, then a UNC senior, doesn't need a study to tell her anything. A driver talking on the phone ran into her last September when she was walking to a bus stop.
Speeding up our food safety system (Opinion-Editorial Column)
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
The current E. coli outbreak in Europe is a vivid reminder that food safety is a serious business. Almost 3,000 people have become sickened with E. coli, and more than 700 of them suffered complications. In addition to 29 fatal cases in Germany, a death was reported in Sweden. Both the United States and Europe have made significant advances in their food safety systems in the past several years, and North Carolina is a model for best practices here in the U.S. (Noel Greis is director of the Center for Logistics and Digital Strategy at UNC-Chapel Hill's Kenan-Flagler Business School. Monica Nogueira is director of the Center's Intelligent Systems Laboratory.)
Vaccines can keep our health commitment (Opinion-Editorial Column)
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Over the course of my first 10 years after graduating from UNC-Chapel Hill I've aspired to serve on multiple fronts: as a Marine, a co-founder of a nonprofit in one of Africa's largest slums and, most recently, as a dad, businessman and author. (Rye Barcott is author of "It Happened on the Way to War: A Marine's Path to Peace" and cofounder of Carolina for Kibera.)
Involving parents (Letter to the Editor)
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Dean Bill McDairmid's June 5 Point of View article on schools and lack of parental involvement hit the nail squarely on the head. Now that the root cause of most the problems in our schools that lead to the main problems in our society are on the table, we can turn toward possible solutions. (Geoff Williams, Raleigh)
Related Links:
http://www.newsobserver.com/2011/06/12/1264101/diversity-dimensions.html
http://www.newsobserver.com/2011/06/12/1264100/success-chinese-style.html
Issues and Trends
No added UNC tuition hike advised
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
While grateful state budget cuts to the UNC System are not as large as initially proposed, system officials said Friday that cuts totaling $407 million will pose challenges to campuses and hit middle-class families especially hard. Still, UNC System President Tom Ross has recommended against a supplemental tuition increase like the one the board approved last year. That tuition hike was on top of a regular tuition increase to cover an additional $70 million worth of state budget cuts.
Perdue vetoes the budget; GOP set to override
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Democratic Gov. Bev Perdue on Sunday vetoed the GOP-written $19.7 billion budget, an act Republican leaders said they will quickly override. Speaking in the Capitol's old Senate chamber, Perdue said the legislature has turned its back on schools, young children, the environment, public safety, and services for the needy.
Related Link:
http://www.wral.com/news/state/nccapitol/story/9718541/
Perdue's problems with the NC budget she vetoed
The Associated Press
Gov. Beverly Perdue raised several specific objections Sunday to the state government budget bill she vetoed. The message alluded to budget provisions identified previously by either Perdue or state agency leaders. In the next fiscal year, these provisions would: …Reduce overall spending to the community college and University of North Carolina systems to an amount that's nearly $150 million less than what Perdue's budget proposal offered. Perdue has said 3,200 UNC faculty and staff positions will be eliminated and it could take longer for students to graduate due to fewer course offerings.