uncnews.unc.edu

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

National Coverage

Phone hacking is latest scandal in journalism
The Associated Press
...At least to this point, the hacking incident has been more about the methods than the product: It hasn't led to any substantive stories where the accuracy of the information is in question, said Barbara Friedman, a journalism historian at the University of North Carolina's School of Journalism and Mass Communication. The British journalists' "conduct was abhorrent, but not the worst," Friedman said.

Don't ditch testing after Atlanta cheating, boost test security
CNN
...Cheating should not lead us to abandon assessments, even as we develop additional performance indicators for our schools and educators. Listen to University of North Carolina testing expert Gregory Cizek, who participated in the state investigation of cheating in Atlanta. As reported by Education Week, "Mr. Cizek said districts and states should not abandon accountability in the wake of testing misdeeds, but they should get serious about test security. Current processes for spotting problems are 'anemic,' he said.

New Thai Government Is Delayed by Legal Challenges
The New York Times
Efforts to form a new government in Thailand are being snarled by a docket of legal challenges and what critics say are the slow workings of the country’s Election Commission. ...“There are potential feet on the street just waiting to be unleashed,” said Kevin Hewison, a longtime observer of Thai politics and a professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. “Thailand’s elite needs to make the historic compromise that is necessary for the country to be set on its path to democracy.”

Antibiotic-resistant gonorrhea discovered; are 'superbug' chlamydia, syphilis strains next?
The Los Angeles Times
...Treponema pallidum--the bacterium that causes syphilis--is another germ that's (thankfully) slow to change. But some strains are already showing resistance to oral, easy-to-take drugs such as erythromycin, says Lola Stamm, an associate professor of epidemiology at the University of North Carolina's Gillings School of Global Public Health. For now, penicillin injected into the muscles is still an effective treatment. "If it ever gets resistant to penicillin, that would be a scary day," Stamm says. "We don't have a lot of other options."

Oil spill didn’t hurt seagrass-dwelling juvenile fish
Science News
...F. Joel Fodrie of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Kenneth Heck Jr. of the University of South Alabama Dauphin Island Sea Lab tallied numbers of juveniles retrieved by research vessels between mid-July and October 31, 2010. The abundance of these youngsters offered one gauge of whether eggs and larval fish had taken a big, deadly hit from early exposure to hydrocarbons spewed during the months-long spill.

Regional Coverage

Eating Out and Frequent Snacking Seen as Main Causes for Obesity (Column)
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer (Washington)
...A different study blames frequent snacking for the dramatic rise of obesity in recent times. Over that last three decades, Americans have gone from consuming about four snacks to five snacks per day on average, an almost 30% increase. “The real reason why we seem to be eating more is [that] we are eating often,” said Dr. Barry Popkin, professor of nutrition at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and lead author of the study. “The frequency of eating is probably […] becoming a huge issue.”

State and Local Coverage

Hagan tells what she heard (Under the Dome)
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Democratic Sen. Kay Hagan, who has been trying to burnish her credential as a fiscal moderate, has just wrapped up a statewide budget listening tour. Now she plans to convene a panel discussion at UNC's Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise on "The Debt Crisis & Saving Our Fiscal Future" at 10 a.m. July 25.
UNC Release:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/4624/67/

F.C. Barnes, renowned in gospel music, dies at 82
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Faircloth "F.C." Barnes, the gospel music icon from Rocky Mount, died Monday at a hospital in Greenville after a period of failing health. He was 82. ..."I once asked how he'd describe his music, and Rev. Barnes answered, 'Like I look,' " UNC-Chapel Hill folklore professor Glenn Hinson said Wednesday. "I asked what he meant, and without a pause he said, 'Old-timey.' He always held onto the old-time traditional style."

Chancellor Thorp Discusses $100 Million UNC Budget Cut
WCHL 1360-AM (Chapel Hill)
In a letter to UNC faculty and staff, Chancellor Holden Thorp discussed the $100 million budget cut, and what that will ultimately mean for the university. The letter reads, “We’ll see more programs eliminated, larger class sizes for our students and additional layoffs.”

Judge denies request to restore McAdoo's eligibility
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
As a lawyer representing the NCAA repeatedly called him a "cheater," Michael McAdoo turned to his family sitting behind him in the first row of the courtroom and rolled his eyes. It only got worse for the former North Carolina defensive lineman on Wednesday. His attempt to return to the Tar Heels football team may be over after Durham Superior Court judge Orlando Hudson denied his request for an injunction against the NCAA and UNC that would have restored his eligibility.