UO E-clips, Jan. 18

UO arena closer to final OK (The Oregonian): After hitting a few bumps at its brisk pace, the University of Oregon basketball arena project slowed long enough Thursday to pick up a critical endorsement: the Legislature's Joint Ways and Means Committee. The committee's approval of the university's proposal, which seeks to pay the total construction price with $200 million in state-backed bonds, leaves just two major steps before shovels hit the ground. The full Legislature must approve the bonds next month, and the State Board of Education must OK the project in March.

UO arena gets another pass (Register-Guard): The Legislature’s top budget-writing panel gave the University of Oregon’s plan for a new basketball arena a key endorsement Thursday that could set the stage for its ultimate approval. Although some members of the interim Joint Ways and Means Committee sought assurances that the arena won’t be a drain on the athletic department or the university budget, they ultimately were satisfied that the project would pencil out. Only two members on the 19-member panel voted against approval, and none spoke against it. Committee approval is a major milestone. The arena bonds now will be packaged with other construction measures for a vote by the full Legislature in February, and because lawmakers must vote the entire package up or down, items that are likely to draw significant opposition typically are not included to avoid jeopardizing the entire bill.

Economic handouts we don't need (MSM.com): If you believe in the tooth fairy, the Democratic candidates' proposals are the most compelling. Sen. Hillary Clinton has offered a $70 billion stimulus plan that includes low-income fuel assistance, extended unemployment benefits and outright grants to local governments for things such as health care and street repair, as well as a $40 billion tax cut contingent on certain negative events occurring, such as continued job market contraction. … To check out the Brookings Institution paper on fiscal stimuli, download the .pdf To learn more about John Maynard Keynes, read his profile at Time magazine's Web site chronicling the lives of the 100 people it says were the most influential in the 20th century. To learn more about Clinton's economic-stimulus package, visit her blog page on the subject. Here is Obama's fiscal-stimulus proposal. To keep up to date with more views, check out the lively blog Economist's View, which is run by University of Oregon economist Mark Thoma.

Contemplating Stillness (Eugene Weekly): Paradise, howling elephants and hell: That's what you can see starting on Friday, Jan. 18, in the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art's "Buddhist Visions" exhibit. When the UO museum underwent its extensive remodel, it lost some Buddhist art exhibition space with the elimination of mezzanine levels. So Asian art curator and art history professor Charles Lachman made a commitment to displaying items from the museum's collection in a large exhibit. With more than 80 pieces -- including stunning works like the large marble Seated Buddha (Maitreya) and a few contemporary Buddhist pieces -- the show gives Eugeneans plenty to contemplate about the artwork of a religion practiced by more than 500 million people across the planet.

Exceeding the goal (Register-Guard): On a stage draped in yellow caution tape, dotted with bright orange pylons and capped with a hard hat signifying community building, the United Way of Lane County announced Thursday night the results of its 2007 fundraising campaign. … The University of Oregon pitched in with a total of almost $300,000, while nearly 90 percent of Bi-Mart’s work force participated in its campaign, raising a total of $185,000.