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UO E-Clips, Dec. 11
Top stories for December 11, 2007: Economists at University of Oregon predict possible recession, reports the Associated Press, the Oregonian and numerous other media outlets; a new look for Franklin? -- the Register-Guard reports on a plan to transform Eugene’s Franklin Boulevard into a wider, shadier and trendier street just east of the UO campus; and the Rediff News of India reports on a UO study from earlier this year on how paying taxes can make people feel good
Economists at University of Oregon predict possible recession (Associated Press): Economists from the University of Oregon have issued a gloomy forecast for the state's economic health. They say that indications point to a potential recession. The researchers survey eight indicators, from interest rates to payrolls. Oregon initial unemployment claims rose in October to the highest level since November 2006. Residential building permits issued in the state dropped to the lowest level since September 2000. Economists cautioned that there's no guarantee that a recession is coming. But they say similar statistics were present before the state spiraled into recession in 2001.
UO economists: Oregon recession is 'likely imminent' (Oregonian): Timothy Duy, a University of Oregon economist, peered into his crystal ball and issued some ominous words on Monday: "A recession is likely imminent." The warning, based on a set of falling monthly indicators, sent other economists scrambling to spreadsheets and dictionaries. It was the kind of alert that makes consumers tally their own indicators of credit-card balances, mortgage rates and job prospects. Duy's outlook for the state struck some experts as alarmist following last quarter's strong 4.9 percent national economic growth. Others suspected that Duy, a professor who launched his monthly index only three years ago, was the first person to dare voice the truth.
A new look for Franklin (Register-Guard): A plan aimed at transforming Eugene’s busy Franklin Boulevard into a wider, shadier and trendier street would use two concepts never attempted in the city, one of which could send planners and business owners down a rough road. The city planning commission recently approved the concepts for what is being called Walnut Station, a proposed mixed-use, pedestrian-¬friendly district running from the University of Oregon to the eastern city limits. The concepts include gradually transforming Franklin Boulevard into a broad, multiway boulevard and using what is known as “form-based planning” to govern development in the district.
Want to be happy? Pay taxes on time (Rediff News, India): Want to light up the pleasure centre in your brain? Just pay your taxes on time, and then donate a little extra to feed the children of the lesser God who hardly get to eat two square meals a day. A team of international researchers has carried out a study and found that doing those deeds give one the same sort of satisfaction one derives from feeding his or her own hunger pangs, the ScienceDaily reported, referring to work by the UO's Ulrich Mayr and Bill Harbaugh. "What this shows to someone who designs tax policy is that taxes aren't all bad. Paying taxes can make citizens happy. People are, to varying degrees, pure altruists. On top of that they like that warm glow they get from charitable giving. Until now we couldn't trace that in the brain," lead researcher Mayr was quoted as saying.