UO E-clips, Feb. 12

A small-business stimulus? No thanks (U.S News and World Report article by Tim Berry, UO business instructor): It's not politics, or at least I don't think so, but speaking as a small-business owner, I mistrust all the analysis of "what's in it for us" related to the badly needed economic stimulus, the bailouts, and all of that. I don't think this is a time for looking at major legislation through a myopic, self-centered looking glass. Not by anybody. This is a deep dip in all economic indicators at once, and we should be pulling together to get out of it.

PK Park ready for Ducks’ first home opener in 28 years (Register-Guard): The first phase of construction at PK Park, the University of Oregon’s new baseball field, is “98 percent” complete, and the facility will be ready for the Ducks’ first home game in 28 years, UO senior associate athletic director Joe Giansante said Wednesday. Giansante said a few minor details remain to be completed before the Ducks host defending national champion Fresno State for a three-game series beginning Feb. 27, namely painting and hanging banners on outfield fences and light structures.

Lake Oswego reads with Lauren Kessler (Lake Oswego Review): Lauren Kessler, author of “Stubbon Twig,” spoke to a sold-out crowd Wednesday night at Lake Oswego High School. Kessler’s book, first published in 1994, was selected as this year’s Oregon Reads book, in part to help celebrate Oregon’s 150th birthday. It also was the selection for the Lake Oswego Reads program, headed by the Lake Oswego Library.

Shoe power takes toll on track trials (Eugene Weekly): The Olympic Trials for track and field events need less Nike, days and drugs, according to a blue ribbon task force of athletes, coaches and trainers formed after the U.S. team’s poor track performance at the Beijing Olympics was “roundly attacked.” USA Track and Field “has allowed shoe companies and agents to take over management of the sport. It is long overdue for USATF to take it back,” stated the “Project 30” report released this week.

Clif Bar encourages bicycling to fight climate change (PPOL News): Clif Bar's 2 Mile Challenge will be back on the road to Sea Otter, literally. Upholding the company's commitment to urge people to leave their cars at home and use bikes for trips of 2 miles or less, Clif Bar's staff at Sea Otter will again be commuting daily by bicycle to and from Sea Otter from their hotel in Monterey. ... Every mile traveled by bike instead of car prevents one pound of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere, according to the Climate Leadership Initiative at the University of Oregon.

Governor pushes ‘green’ expertise to lure greenbacks (Register- Guard): Gov. Ted Kulongoski thinks Oregon’s push to build “green” highways and buildings will do more than downsize the state’s carbon footprint -- he’s also hoping it will give it a leg up in competing for $37 billion in federal grants for public works. .. Kulongoski said such projects could occur statewide. As Lane County examples, he cited the upgrade of the University of Oregon physical plant and the prison complex and mental hospital being built on 240 acres south of Junction City, where solar energy and reusable wastewater are being built into the proposed designs.

Oregon exports soar in 2008, until the end (Oregonian): Oregon's sales to the world exploded in 2008, growing 17 percent to a record $19.4 billion despite plunging late in the year as the global economy nose-dived. The fourth-quarter dip portends a downturn this year in export growth, which could hurt Oregon's economy because of the state's relatively high trade dependence. A stronger dollar, which makes U.S. products more expensive abroad, will also undermine foreign sales. ... "There has just been a stunning pace of contraction in global trade," said Tim Duy, a University of Oregon economist. "That retrenchment is something we didn't want to see."