Alcohol: Now more lethal than AIDS, TB and violence combined

12 Feb 2011, Posted by Ziwen Deng in Backpages, News, 0 Comments

If you know someone who is known as a drinker, it may be time for a little talk.

According to a publication released earlier today, the World Health Organization (WHO) claims that alcohol is responsible for approximately 2.5 million deaths each year, which is a higher total than—you guessed it—AIDS, tuberculosis and violence combined.

The WHO also states that alcohol is the world’s leading fatal risk factor in males 15-59, and has tried for the past year to limit consumption through increasing taxes and restricting marketing.

Though their efforts are well-meaning, you can’t help but feel that the WHO is fighting a lost cause, especially after being exposed to the environment of a place like Duke. The openness of the campus to drinking may even astound some visitors, as freshmen are basically introduced to drinking at the very onset of their college careers.

While such an atmosphere might be conducive to discovering one’s limits, it does carry a lot of the risk that the WHO warns us about. After all, who hasn’t seen a fellow student drink one too many?

The question Duke students—and the world in general, it seems—face is whether or not they can protect themselves from a fatal mistake that strikes 4% of the population each year.

PHOTOS: Duke-UNC victory bonfire

10 Feb 2011, Posted by Christina Pena in Featured, K-ville, Photos, student life, 0 Comments

Check out photos from Duke’s celebratory bonfire after the 79-73 win over UNC by Chronicle photographers Margie Truwit and Melissa Yeo.

09/02/11 UNC Bonfire – Images by Duke Student Publishing Co. Duke Chronicle

Tent #100

01 Feb 2011, Posted by Ariel Smallwood in Backpages, 0 Comments

Ski Gloves: $78
North Face Sleeping Bag: $177
Package of 10 pairs of handwarmers: $10
Getting to see the Blue Devils in action against the Tarholes: priceless?

Duke students are unique creatures. Everything that we do, we do it big. We say, “Go big or go home and you can’t go home so you might as well go big.”

Sitting in Bella Union, I heard two students debating how to create a computer chess program that is unbeatable. I thought to myself, “Only at Duke”, not because only Duke students would try and create such a program—we all know that Harvard students would do the same. I thought, only at Duke would someone like me, a person as far into the Social Science rabbit hole as possible, would be genuinely interested in how that process would work.

We Duke students apply this same spirit to the terrible tradition known as Tenting. Rumor has it that a few students from Mirecourt inventing tenting in the 1980s. If the rumor is true then I say to those students (in my best Ceelo Green voice) “FORGET YOU”.

Tenting really sucks. Most nights the temperature falls below 35 degrees and the days are cold and windy. Being in a tent with so many people at one time is not only uncomfortable but leads to conflict. At this point, I hope that I don’t see my tentmates for the next two years.

Did I mention that I was tenting? Well, I am. It is probably the worst mistake of my life. I am as sick as a dog and the thought of another day in the tent makes my physically sick. Do I regret it? Not one bit.

Tenting represents the precise reason that I came to Duke. Tenting is about supporting your team no matter what and building relationships with those in different social circles. My lack of Greek letters does not keep me out of K-Ville just like those who are members of Greek organizations cannot depend on those organizations to keep them in K-ville.

Like Duke students, tenting has a purpose. It is a means to a greater end that we will (hopefully) remember for the rest of our lives. Tenting is both the best tradition and the worst tradition at Duke. However, its rank is not the important in the greater Duke experience.

It has cemented its place in Duke history and if it is eliminated next year or 100 years from now it will have given students a shared vision.

So, why do we tent? At the end of the day, we approach supporting our basketball team much like we approach our studies: go big or go home. And home is 3,000 miles away.

Ariel Smallwood is a Trinity sophomore. Her online column will run every Tuesday.

Rising anxiety over growing China

01 Feb 2011, Posted by Chris Taylor in News, 0 Comments

With the current wounded state of the American economy and the increase in fear-based dialogue among politicians, many Americans now believe that China may soon replace the United States as the world’s superpower.

For the typical college student, China’s continual forward progress manifests itself in the number of Chinese-born students attending elite American universities. Recently, the British Broadcasting Corporation’s Matt Frei discussed American anxiety over the rise of China with a group of five Duke students—Jack Zhang, Sharon Mei, Helen Cai, Romeen Sheth and Will Brody.

While predictions of Chinese superiority may have existed as soon as consumers began to find the words “Made in China” marked on a wide array of products, this fear has become far more pronounced as China has become the primary owner of American debt.

“We can either live under the facade that America is so powerful that nothing could ever harm the country…or we can realize that there are several distinct changes we need to undergo and work on to keep America atop as the world’s definitive super power,” Senior Romeen Sheth said.

The students, recommended to BBC by professors and peers, were shown a controversial advertisement aired during the 2010 midterm elections. The advertisement plays on the fear of Chinese superiority, showing a Chinese professor lecturing about the fall of America.

For the most part, the student panel agreed that the perceived threat of China is far greater than any real threat.

“I don’t think Chinese people are aware of this kind of power, that they are portrayed in this kind of light in America,” Freshman Helen Cai said.

What, however, does this mean for the future of the American college graduate? What sort of international landscape will Duke graduates enter? The panel splits on this issue. Sheth claims it is important to keep an attitude of confidence versus an attitude of arrogance.

“China’s influence in the world is growing, but it doesn’t mean that everything America has been doing well has been rendered obsolete,” said senior Jack Zhang, who runs an “Understanding China” house course with senior Sharon Mei.

The debate over the role of China reveals a large amount of uncertainty, as well as fear. America’s monopoly on premier undergraduate education may soon be over. Despite what may happen, the top tier of students around the world still travel to the United States to receive higher education.

“In terms of educational institutions…we have people coming from all across the world to the United States to get their education, and I think that that is just one thing that shows how dominant the United States is on a global setting,” Junior Will Brody said in the BBC video.

Calorie labeling may have little impact, study shows

20 Jan 2011, Posted by Sanette Tanaka in Dining, Health & Science, 0 Comments

If you knew that your McDonalds go-to meal of a double cheeseburger and fries could run you nearly 1000 calories, would you opt for a salad?

Probably not, according to a recent study by Duke University and Seattle-King County Public Health. The study reports that nutritional labeling and displayed calorie information in fast food restaurants may not cause people to make healthier choices.

The state of Washington approved a nutritional labeling law in 2009, requiring chains to post their calorie counts alongside menu items. Researchers discovered, though, that sales figures were consistent across various Washington-based Taco Time fast food joints—whether or not they posted nutritional information.

The study cited several possible reasons, such as customers’ claims that they typically eat healthy and the fast food is a one-time treat.

Nadine Chan, assistant chief of assessment, policy development and evaluation with Seattle-King County Public Health, said to KTVB.com that customers who did consider calorie information tended to make healthier choices.

“For the people who said they used the calorie information, that there was a decrease in the average calories they consumed,” Chan said.

Other studies in 2009 reported that menu labeling led to a lower intent to purchase high-calorie items.

Researchers at Seattle-King County Public Health said more research will be conducted with Duke University in the next few months. A joint report will be published in the “American Journal of Preventive Medicine” in February.

Until then, pass the fries, please.