Nov. 30, 2004

SUIT WRINKLE Wall Street Journal, Nov. 30 -- Neil Vidmar, a Duke law professor who has worked as a consultant for both plaintiffs and defendants in medical-malpractice suits, finds that large awards "get knocked down and they get knocked down incredibly." (Link for subscribers; article e-mailed upon request to eduke@duke.edu.) Full story

STRESS OF RACISM MAY LEAD TO LOW BIRTHWEIGHT BABIES Chicago Sun-Times, Nov. 30 -- Duke researcher Sarah Mustillo and colleagues find that the psychological stress of experiencing racial discrimination is at least partly responsible for premature and low birthweight babies. Full story

OP-ED: GENETICS IN THE WOODS (Raleigh) News & Observer, Nov. 30 -- Claire G. Williams, a geneticist and visiting professor at Duke's Nicholas School of the Environment and Earth Sciences, discusses the recent forum at Duke on the pros and cons of genetically modified (GM) pine forests. Full story

ENLISTING LAW SCHOOLS IN CAMPAIGN FOR ANIMALS New York Times, Nov. 27 -- Bob Barker, the longtime host of "The Price Is Right," has established endowments of $1 million each at several law schools -- including those at Duke, Stanford, Columbia and the University of California, Los Angeles -- for the study of animal-rights law. Full story

SHOULD THIS MAN COME TO THE U.S.? U.S. News & World Report, Dec. 6 -- Ebrahim Moosa, a professor of Islamic studies at Duke, discusses the case of one of Europe's most influential and provocative Muslim thinkers, who lives in limbo while waiting for a visa. (See last Web page.) Full story

KING OF MUSIC PLAYERS Los Angeles Times, Nov. 25 -- Duke nudged along the iPod's hip factor by issuing iPods to its 1,600 incoming freshmen in September. About a dozen classes use iPods regularly in their classwork, including a course by computer science professor Robert Lucic. Full story

CHARITIES DEPEND ON GIVING (Raleigh) News & Observer, Nov. 30 -- "The charitable marketplace is a competitive marketplace," Duke law professor Joel Fleishman said, noting that more than twice as many charitable organizations are registered with the Internal Revenue Service as 25 years ago. Full story

THE CHANGING FACE OF SKIN CARE BusinessWeek, Nov. 30 -- "[We're researching] everything from conditions that are life-threatening to ways of protecting skin that improve the cosmetic nature of skin," says Duke professor emeritus Sheldon Pinnell. Full story

TAR HEEL OF THE WEEK: AFFORDABLE HOUSING IS HIS PASSION (Raleigh) News & Observer, Nov. 28 -- Jack Preiss, a low-income housing developer and Duke sociology professor emeritus, will receive a lifetime achievement award this week. Full story

FITNESS FORWARD AMA News, Nov. 24 -- For Jason Langheier, a medical student and Ph.D. candidate in the neuroscience of hunger and satiety at Duke University Medical School, fighting obesity is a slam dunk. Full story

NICOTINE AND MEMORY CBS Radio's The Osgood File, Nov. 25 -- The neurotransmitter acetylcholine has a similar makeup to nicotine, and Duke psychologist and pharmacologist Ed Levin wondered if nicotine may keep brain cells going as acetylcholine declines with age. (See fourth item.) Full story

ON THE AIR Michael Munger, chair of the political science department at Duke, reviews the new Playmakers production of "Not About Heroes" on WUNC Radio's call-in program "The State of Things" Tuesday. The program, which aired at noon and will be rebroadcast at 9 p.m., also features the author of a new book from Duke University Press on the controversial School of the Americas. (Link to live or archived audio.) Full story