Duke in the News: Dec. 21, 2006

A NEW PHRASE ENTERS WASHINGTON'S WAR OF WORDS OVER IRAQ The New York Times, Dec. 21 -- In essentially endorsing a not-winning-not-losing assessment of the war, President Bush understands this is "his last chance to make a major policy correction in Iraq," says Duke political scientist Christopher F. Gelpi. ... Full story --Also, TPM Cafe: Commentary -- Read Before You Leap (Sanford Institute's Bruce Jentleson) ... Full story

BABY BOOMERS SEEK HELP FOR ELDER CARE NBC Nightly News, Dec. 20 -- A cottage industry is emerging to offer help to baby boomers with aging family members, but do your homework, advises Lisa Gwyther, a gerontologist at Duke. ... Full story

JAIL IS DETERRENT Vital Theology, December 2006 -- "While the urge to seek justice through the death penalty might be strong, Iraqis should showcase a different model of justice" as they contemplate Saddam Hussein's fate, says Ebrahim Moosa, a professor of Islamic studies at Duke. ... Full story

OP-ED: WHY THE D.A. SHOULD BE OFF THE CASE (Raleigh) News & Observer, Dec. 21 -- "Whether the defendants in the Duke lacrosse case are guilty or innocent, Durham District Attorney Mike Nifong should disqualify himself, or be disqualified, from the case," says UNC law professor Joseph Kennedy. ... Full story --Also, Duke News: Duke and Men's Lacrosse (special website with background information) ... Full story

EDITORIAL: HARD WORK PAYS OFF IN DURHAM THEATER (Durham) Herald-Sun, Dec. 20 -- The process of planning a new performing arts center for downtown Durham had a "happy ending," says the newspaper, thanks in part to a major contribution from Duke University. ... Full story

HOPE ARISES FOR GAINS LONG AFTER STROKE Boston Globe, Dec. 21 -- Ultimately, says Pamela Duncan, a professor of physical therapy about to start work at Duke University, late recovery from stroke is likely to entail "a cocktail of therapies," one that will inevitably still entail a great deal of work by the patient. ... Full story

DUKE'S STUDENTS AIN'T THE ONLY SMARTIES ON CAMPUS Gadgetell, Dec. 20 -- If those psych experiments you did in college made you feel like a lab rat, imagine living in the Home Depot Smart House at Duke's Pratt School of Engineering. ... Full story

I DON'T SEE THE LIGHT Scientific American, January 2007 -- Developed by Duke's David Shurig and David Smith, the fiberglass and wire invisibility cloak gets a closer look. (Article not available online; abstract e-mailed upon request to dukenews@duke.edu.) --Also, PC Magazine: Technology Breakthroughs! ... Full story

STUDY: N.C. CAN THRIVE ON RENEWABLE ENERGY (Durham) Independent Weekly, Dec. 20 -- John Blackburn, Duke professor emeritus of economics, disputes a recent study's energy usage projections and cites figures that would preclude the need for more power plants in the state. ... Full story