Anita Rao

News

Ongoing UNC study links MSG to obesity

By Anita Rao | August 27

The effects of using the flavor enhancer monosodium glutamate, commonly known as MSG, are unclear and controversial. And a recent study from UNC's School of Public Health that has linked MSG to obesity is the first product of an ongoing research project that will investigate long-term effects. The consumer confusion can be attributed to the different names and forms of MSG, said Dr. Ka He, co-researcher and assistant professor of nutrition and epidemiology at the school.

News

Olympics bring out activism in students

By Anita Rao | April 14

UNC students gathered in the Pit on Friday to collect signatures supporting the 2008 Beijing Olympics and opposing recent protests of the games. Members of the Friendship Association of Chinese Students and Scholars plan to send the cream-colored cloth with the signatures to the organizing committee to show support for the August games. Recent protests of the Olympic torch relay, a symbolic journey around the world, have targeted China's perceived human rights violations in Sudan and Tibet.

News

'Grow Down' emphasizes environmental initiatives

By Anita Rao | March 31

At the co-op’s Garden Grow Down on Friday, Francis and others made prayer flags about their wishes for the environment and the world. With a cakewalk and bake sale – featuring items like oatmeal chocolate chip cookies and vegan and pumpkin pies – the event raised about $100 for the group, which meets weekly to tend its vegetable and herb garden.

News

Carolina Garden group invites students to eat green

By Anita Rao | March 28

Every springtime week, the Carolina Garden Co-op meets to eat dishes incorporating the vegetables and herbs they grow themselves on campus, such as carrots, lettuce, beets, potatoes, cilantro and arugula.

News

Church stresses sustainability for Lenten season

By Anita Rao | February 29

Chocolate, nail biting and soda are commonly given up for Lent, a 40-day Christian religious observance preceding Easter. But the United Church of Chapel Hill is urging its parishioners to do something different - to follow an environmentally friendly calendar, called "At Least 10% for God's Creation," with daily suggestions that encourage sustainability. "As Lent is 40 days, we look at it as a tithe, a tenth of the year," said Richard Edens, co-pastor of the church.

News

News security measures are debated at NCSSM

By Anita Rao | February 25

A recent mugging on the perimeter of the N.C. School of Science and Mathematics campus in Durham has prompted a security increase that some students call excessive. After the Feb. 17 mugging on the corner of Maryland Avenue and Sprunt Street, students are no longer permitted on the perimeter of the campus after sunset, including areas such as the athletic fields. "We are trying to eliminate our students from being in that area because they won't be targets if they are not in that area," said Harry Tucker, NCSSM director of campus resources and security.

News

New hotel awarded

By Anita Rao | February 13

Elegant decor in cyan and chocolate, walls accented with oval mirrors and a baby-grand piano adorn the lobby, bar and entrance to the Franklin Hotel. And last month this 18-month-old addition to Franklin Street won the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Chamber of Commerce's 2007 Business Newcomer of the Year Award. The award is given to a chamber-member business that is less than three years old and shows innovation, creativity and contribution to the community.