Duke in the News: June 29, 2007

NARROW VICTORIES MOVE ROBERTS COURT TO RIGHT DECISIONS IGNORE PRECEDENT, LIBERAL JUSTICES CONTEND Washington Post, June 29 -- Duke law professor Neil S. Siegel, a former law clerk of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, comments on her dissent in light of the Supreme Court's conservative rulings, including its decision to overturn school desegregation policies. -- Full Story -- Also, Seattle Times: US Supreme Court Rejects Seattle's Racial Criteria ... Full Story Op-Ed, Los Angeles Times: Conservative Justice ... Full Story

AN UNHEALTHY BURDEN Economist, June 29 -- A 2003 study by Duke's director of the Center for Health Policy, Chris Conover, is cited in an analysis of the heavy regulation of the U.S. health care industry, which leaves millions of Americans uninsured. ... Full Story

BUSINESSES HELP WORKERS TO LOSE WEIGHT New York Times, AP, June 29 -- More business executives are encouraging employees to pursue wellness. A Duke study, published in April, showed obese employees cost companies more than their trim co-workers. ... Full Story -- Also, Forbes: Companies Try to Get Workers in Shape ... Full Story

DESERTIONS RISING, BUT HUNT NOT ON FRONT BURNER Honolulu Advertiser, AP, June 29 -- Scott L. Silliman, a retired Air Force colonel who is executive director of the Center on Law, Ethics and National Security at Duke, contrasts the current issue of recruits deserting the military to that of the Vietnam-era when soldiers who were drafted were more likely to abandon their posts. ... Full Story

LETTER QUESTIONS ETHICS OF INSTITUTE HEAD (Raleigh) News & Observer, June 29 -- Accused by U.S. Senator of retaining inappropriately close ties to the Duke and other charges while overseeing the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, David Schwartz, a former Duke professor, says his mistakes were innocent and, once recognized, corrected. ... Full Story

MONITORING THE BRAIN IN 3-D Technology Review, June 28 -- Duke researchers have developed an ultrasound endoscope that will give surgeons a 3-D view of the brain during and after an operation. ... Full Story

LAW SCHOOLS ALSO RANKED BY BLOGS NOW Wall Street Journal, June 26 -- An alternative to the rankings published by U.S. News, Duke law student Michael Sullivan's Law School Job Placement Rankings rely on an online lawyer-search database, listing the top law schools on the basis of alumni at 45 top firms in 20 major cities. (See fifth highlighted blog.) ... Full Story

ON THE AIR Mark Anthony Neal, associate professor of Black Popular Culture at Duke University discusses the emerging significance of a hip-hop canon based on style and region as the genre reaches its 30th year on WNYC's Soundcheck (93.9 FM) on Friday at 2 p.m. Archived audio is available online. ... Listen Here