uncnews.unc.edu

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

International Coverage

Thai stocks plunge on concerns over king's health
Agence France Presse (Wire Service)
Thai stocks dived in trading Thursday as anxiety over the health of the nation's revered king and fears of political instability pummelled the market for a second day running. ..."From school and in the media, people are told that the monarchy is central to what it means to be Thai," said Kevin Hewison, a Thai politics researcher at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in the US. "The monarchy is a large part of the way many people believe Thailand operates at the moment," he added.

Regional Coverage

Happiness takes the cake (Column)
The Boston Globe
As I absentmindedly reached for another slice of pizza, a friend sitting next to me gave me the side-eye and issued a stern warning: “You’d better be careful there, smiley. You may be wearing black, but it’s not very slimming on you.’’ ...At least I know that I’m not alone in the phenomenon. A study last year at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill found that newlyweds put on more weight than their single counterparts.

Heat stroke ruled cause of death for football player
The Gazette (Gaithersburg, Md.)
An autopsy has tentatively concluded that the Northwest High School football player who collapsed during practice in July died of "complications of heat stroke," according to a preliminary report that has not been made public. ...There have been 39 heat-related football deaths in the U.S. since 1995, 29 at the high school level, according to the Annual Survey of Football Injury Research, released in February by the National Center for Catastrophic Sports Injury Research at the University of North Carolina.

State and Local Coverage

Health leaders back H1N1 vaccine
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
The Triangle's limited supplies of the H1N1 flu vaccine are going fast, even as health leaders are fighting an anti-vaccine campaign broadcast nationally. "Political commentators are getting involved in a public health issue," said Dr. Myron Cohen, director of the Center for Infectious Diseases at the UNC-Chapel School of Medicine. "This is not politics. This is someone's kid. ... There is no reason to engender fear."

Cumberland could see changes in state House seats
The Fayetteville Observer
Cumberland County's relatively low rate of population growth could cause the Fayetteville-Fort Bragg community to lose power in the General Assembly in the next several years, a new study says. ...That is according to a study by The Program on Public Life at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. "Political power follows people," said Ferrel Guillory, the program's director and one of the study's authors. "The more people you've got, the more power you've got."

Spend big: We still have best politicians money can buy
The Fayetteville Observer
Are the 170 members of the N.C. General Assembly worth $164,000 apiece? We're guessing some of you will say no. But that's what we - we, the donors - spent on them last year. ...Campaign donors didn't spread the money that evenly, of course. Some races cost way more than others, as a report by the Program on Public Life at UNC-Chapel Hill points out. But candidates for the House and Senate spent a total of nearly $28 million on their campaigns in 2008.

Boseman, Soles spent most to defeat rivals (Under the Dome)
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Sens. Julia Boseman and R.C. Soles Jr. spent the most of any competitive legislative candidate to win their seats. Boseman, a Wilmington Democrat, spent $871,500 in her race, and Soles, a Columbus County Democrat, spent $839,500, according to an analysis of campaign spending by the Program on Public Life at UNC-Chapel Hill.

HULU CEO Speaks at UNC
WCHL 1360-AM (Chapel Hill)
UNC graduate and CEO of HULU Jason Kilar says customers are the major reason for the shift in the internet being a way for people to access media. Kilar, a 1993 Carolina graduate, spoke on UNC’s campus on Wednesday night in Gerrard Hall for the Roy H. Park Distinguished Lecture Series. He spoke to a packed auditorium of students and faculty about the progress of the very young company called HULU and the progress of the internet into the mainstream media.
UNC Release:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/2955/68/

Public's Input Needed For University Square
WCHL 1360-AM (Chapel Hill)
Cousins Properties Incorporated, which is teaming up with Chapel Hill Foundation Real Estate Holdings, is inviting local residents to share their input at a public meeting as the firms begin the redevelopment phase of University Square located on Franklin Street. Gordon Merklein, executive director for real estate development at UNC, says for the needs of Chapel Hill residents to be met, the input of residents is necessary.
UNC Release:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/2983/68/

Wake Radiology out of UNC-CH Mammography study
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Wake Radiology has suspended its relationship with the UNC Chapel Hill medical school study whose computer server was recently hacked, exposing personal data including social security numbers of more than 100,000 patients. ...In July, UNC-CH med school officials discovered that a hacker had infiltrated a computer server housing the personal data of about 160,000 patients, including 114,000 social security numbers.
Related Links:
http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/6213633/
http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/story?section=news/local&id=7064895
http://blogs.newsobserver.com/campusnotes/why-the-mammography
-study-needs-your-personal-info

Food supply topic of panel
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
Three award-winning journalists will discuss mounting threats to the global food supply and the challenges of reporting them at UNC Chapel Hill today. “Hungry? Frontline on the Threats to the Global Food Supply” will feature new documentary footage reporting on the global food crisis from Africa, Asia and Central America. The event, free and open to the public, will begin at 5:30 p.m. in the FedEx Global Education Center’s Nelson Mandela Auditorium.
UNC Release:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/2958/68/

Tragicomedia to perform tonight
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
The internationally known ensemble Tragicomedia will perform a concert of baroque music at UNC Chapel Hill at 7:30 tonight. Tragicomedia will perform in Memorial Hall as part of “Music on the Hill,” a festival of concerts that is a collaboration between Carolina Performing Arts and the department of music in the College of Arts and Sciences.
UNC Release:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/2959/107/

Reception for artist scheduled
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
A free public reception for visiting Cuban printmaker Choco will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. today in the Hanes Art Center at UNC. The site will be the John and June Allcott Undergraduate Gallery in the center, where Choco’s works will be on display through October.
UNC Release:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/2990/66/

Public service center event set
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
The Carolina Center for Public Service will celebrate its 10th anniversary Saturday by packaging 20,000 meals to benefit Stop Hunger Now followed by a barbecue picnic and music.
UNC Release:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/2977/68/

Issues and Trends

No link to cocaine (Letter to the Editor)
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Your Oct. 11 article "Cocaine case is the buzz of UNC" should not have mentioned the death of Courtland Smith or the sanctions levied on Delta Kappa Epsilon. The subject of cocaine use is entirely unrelated to the situation surrounding Smith's death. ...However, to target the UNC Greek community, and attempt to imply a link between a nationwide problem and a tragedy involving a single fraternity is simply irresponsible. (Patrick Fleming. President, Delta Kappa Epsilon (Beta), Chapel Hill)

Autopsy report released on UNC-CH student
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
The UNC-Chapel Hill fraternity president shot to death by an Archdale police officer had reached for his pocket, leading the officer to believe he was going for a gun, according to an autopsy report released this morning by the state medical examiner's office.
Related Link:
http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/6215684/