Columns Archives - Page 256 of 328

Spinal Cord Miracle?

Posted by Jeff Danner | Nov 2, 2014 | Common Science

In 2010, 40 year old Bulgarian firefighter Darek Fidyka had his spinal cord severed at mid-chest level during a brutal knife attack. He was completely paralyzed below the wound and, despite intensive physical therapy,...

Remembering The Wise Words Of A Public Intellectual

Posted by D.G. Martin | Oct 29, 2014 | D.G. Martin

Who are North Carolina’s public intellectuals? Over the years, we have been blessed with influential and thoughtful people whose wise commentaries about the state’s concerns often moved public opinion. Think about the late...

Common Science Grab Bag

Posted by Jeff Danner | Oct 26, 2014 | Common Science

Generally speaking, I stick to one topic per week, but at the moment there are a number of items which are laying claim to my attention, none of which seem to call for stand alone treatment. So please enjoy my first-ever Common...

Y Gets A Facelift

Posted by The Commentators | Oct 23, 2014 | The Commentators

This is Raleigh Mann. In the 36 years the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Y has occupied a building on MLK Boulevard south of Estes Drive, it has grown to serve more than 7 thousand active members. That’s a thousand more than the entire...

A 60s Radical Returns, With Conservative Allies

Posted by D.G. Martin | Oct 22, 2014 | D.G. Martin

Howard Fuller was back in North Carolina last week promoting his new book, No Struggle, No Progress: A Warrior’s Life from Black Power to Education Reform. Fuller is a professor of education and director of the Institute for...

Welcome To The Growth Machine

Posted by The Commentators | Oct 20, 2014 | The Commentators

A local realtor writes yet another editorial calling on us to make it easier for new real estate projects to get approved. A Town Council member returns from a trip sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce and encourages us to build more meeting spaces. The Town Manager recommends that the taxpayers subsidize road construction for a large new apartment building on Elliot Road. A local real estate developer asserts that adding 1000 new residents to the Town’s population at Obey Creek will not cause our taxes to increase, when it almost certainly will. What’s going on here?

How Chemical Engineering Is Like Calculus

Posted by Jeff Danner | Oct 20, 2014 | Common Science

If you are not familiar with chemical engineering, you may have the impression that it is a narrowly-focused degree intended to train you to design and operate equipment that you might find in chemical plants such as pumps, reactors, and distillation towers. While chemical engineers are certainly taught these things, the foundation of the degree is a much broader study of the application of chemistry and physics to real world phenomena. Thus it can be and is used by graduates in many non-chemical industry jobs. There is also a strong emphasis on data analysis and problem solving. As a result, chemical engineers tend to have quite varied careers.

Domestic Violence, Child Abuse and Big-Time College Football

Posted by The Commentators | Oct 15, 2014 | The Commentators

Domestic violence and child abuse have stunningly supplanted betting lines, rushing statistics, and Monday morning quarterbacking for the National Football League. The league’s commissioner recently announced that the NFL would revise its personal conduct policies and provide resources for community domestic violence prevention and treatment. America’s sport, which apparently has tolerated such abhorrent behavior for years, seems to be making an effort to shine a light on the problem of domestic violence, a problem where light is an important antidote to the secrecy, shame, and ignorance that allow this violence to flourish.

North Carolina’s Last Liberal

Posted by D.G. Martin | Oct 15, 2014 | D.G. Martin

What was the greatest political upset in North Carolina political history? Old timers will tell you that it was Kerr Scott’s victory in the Democratic primary for governor in 1948. Scott, a dairy farmer from Alamance County,...

The Case of the Disappearing Lakes

Posted by Jeff Danner | Oct 12, 2014 | Common Science

Elementary school was a challenging time for me. I was terribly unorganized and a bit of a mess. Once, in the third grade, my teacher was so frustrated by the slovenly state of my desk that she dumped it out on the floor in the...

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