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With nearly half of North Carolinians blaming the Republican Party for current economic conditions nationwide, levels of support for both the GOP and the Democratic Party in the 2008 presidential election have drawn even among those living in the Tar Heel State, according to the latest ������Ƶ Poll.

A film produced by elondocs, a documentary production program supported by the School of Communications at ������Ƶ, will be screened this month at the New York Museum of Modern Art and at the Guggenheim Bilbao in Spain.

Forty-eight percent of North Carolinians support the federal government’s efforts to assist banks and other financial institutions on the verge of collapse, according to the latest ������Ƶ Poll, and more than half of respondents believe such aid will have a positive impact on the economy.

������Ƶ is among 45 colleges and universities from across the United States chosen to form a national coalition called the Bringing Theory to Practice Project (BTtoP), dedicated to the advancement of a liberal education.

Bestselling author Jonathan Alter, a nationally recognized columnist for Newsweek and a contributing correspondent to NBC News, comes to ������Ƶ on Sept. 29 to talk about politics, the media and the upcoming presidential campaign. In addition to his evening lecture, the public is invited to a question-and-answer opportunity at 4 p.m. in Whitley Auditorium.

More than half of North Carolina residents have a favorable view of Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain, whose marks are much higher than those of Democratic rival Sen. Barack Obama, according to the latest ������Ƶ Poll.

A majority of North Carolinians support offshore oil drilling initiatives, and nearly four out of five respondents in the latest ������Ƶ University Poll believe that supplies should be available exclusively to people living in the United States – not sold to nations overseas.

Critical thinking is not just private pondering, mental gymnastics, or a bland set of teachable skills - it’s an activity that real people do together in community, according to Martin Fowler, an ������Ƶ lecturer whose first book “The Ethical Practice of Critical Thinking” examines the concept.

Award-winning author and public education reform advocate Jonathan Kozol visits ������Ƶ on Sept. 23 for its 2008-09 Common Reading Lecture to share with college students the joys of serving impoverished children.