Recycling habits garbage: Downtown businesses not recycling like they should

Recycling efforts on Franklin Street must be improved.Since 1992, the Orange County Solid Waste Department has recruited bars and restaurants to recycle better. But many businesses are not meeting county expectations.

Inappropriate in?uence? Questions remain about BCBS health care mailer

It takes guts for politicians to stand up to large corporations. But N.C. Sen. Ellie Kinnaird, D-Orange, seems to have the fortitude for it.Kinnaird recently joined the ranks of people calling for BlueCross BlueShield of North Carolina to be examined for its campaign against a government insurance option.

Discrimination? Don’t ask. UNC needs to take moral stand against Army policy

The University’s increased collaboration with the U.S. Army flies in the face of UNC’s commitment to non-discriminatory employment practices.The UNC system and the U.S. Army Special Operations Command recently signed a partnership to work together and share resources.

Traveler learns the value of balance

It’s been more than two months now since I arrived in Europe for my semester abroad, and boy, is it different from what I expected.

Put honor back in program: In order to make the Honors Program a more attractive option for students, big changes are needed

Students are leaving the Honors Program because the benefits of membership do not outweigh the cost of its requirements. The program is largely failing to deliver on the unique accessibility to research, faculty collaboration and intellectual development that it purports to offer.

Board of mistakes: Two procedural mistakes by the Board of Elections do not bode well for spring elections

Board of Elections Chairman Pete Gillooly said he didn’t know who was at fault for errors made during the Nov. 5 Student Congress special election.These blunders have led to a Student Supreme Court lawsuit and potentially another special election.

Cartoon for Nov. 16

Follow the leader: UNC Hospitals’ online medical records lead ?eld

UNC Hospitals has done an exemplary job leading the health industry in electronic records and should continue its hard work.In 1991, UNC Hospitals launched a pilot program that is now the Web-based Clinical Information System — WebCIS.It’s an Internet-based program that allows UNC doctors to transfer their paper patient records to electronic records.

A taxing problem: N.C. General Assembly should look to update state’s tax code to re?ect service-based economy

The N.C. General Assembly should continue to look into broadening the state’s tax base to include more service-oriented businesses.The state has not had a major change to its tax code since the Great Depression.However, the commercial landscape of the state has changed considerably, moving from a more manufacturing-based economy to a service-oriented one.

Go low and legal on tuition:Chancellor Thorp should favor proposal that treats students equally regardless of residency status

Of the two proposals the tuition and fee advisory task force recommended to Chancellor Holden Thorp, there is only one clear (and legal) choice: an across-the-board 5.2 percent increase for undergraduate students and 3.7 percent increase for graduate students — regardless of residency.

Abortion funding should be covered

Saturday, the House passed a health care reform bill with a stipulation that no federal money can be used to pay for abortions.

Cartoon for Nov. 13

Better technology

The University has done a solid job updating the campus’s technological infrastructure.ConnectCarolina has been successful thus far in bringing much-needed change to student digital services.The new admissions Web site is up and running and greatly improved. The new campus directory also received a face lift to its user interface that makes searching it easier.

Congress’ good compromise

Students for a Democratic Society deserves to have the financial means to host speakers on campus. But that does not mean it is free to waste student money by making unreasonable funding requests.And Congress, recognizing this, did the right thing by cutting the requested appropriation to a more reasonable amount.

QuickHits for Nov. 12

TreesThumbs downAnother tree fell on campus,  breaking a window. Two trees in as many weeks? Mother Nature  means business. Time for drastic action. Let’s cut them all down. Then she’ll learn who’s boss. David PriceThumbs up

Toward a Jetsons’ world of nutrition

The creators of “The Jetsons” were geniuses. Foreseeing the trend of a health-obsessed population on the run, they created a technologically advanced utopia where people ate three course meals in pill form.

Cartoon for Nov. 12

Cartoon for Nov. 11

Vision is farsighted

The University is preparing to draft a new academic plan. The last one was completed in 2003, and the new one will set the University’s goals for the next several years.The last plan focused on internationalizing the University, and the new one probably will as well.

Don’t forget service aspect

If Homecoming royalty don’t follow through on their projects, the contest risks becoming a pointless popularity contest. This is a shame, considering the service potential.This year’s royalty, Desmond Rowe and Carly Brantmeyer, should be obligated to complete successfully their projects within the year. This would help put the focus of the tradition squarely back on service.