UO E-clips, Jan. 3-5

Mass suffering and why we look the other way (Washington Post): When President-elect Barack Obama, an early opponent of the Iraq war, asked Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton -- who helped to authorize the war -- to be his secretary of state, many liberals scratched their heads. Obama might want to include a scientist named Paul Slovic in his team. Slovic, a professor at the University of Oregon, has conducted experiments that provide an unusual window into why the United States has often failed to intervene in humanitarian crises -- and why it is likely to remain slow to do so in the future.

Definitely a dirty job (Register-Guard): McArthur Court, the University of Oregon’s historic and not-long-for-this-world basketball arena, is known as “the Pit” because of its creakiness, its steam-bath-like environment and its inhospitality to opposing teams. The old arena, which opened in 1927, lives up to its name even after a game, because then, too, it really is a pit. A pit full of hot dog wrappers, soda cups, popcorn buckets, bingo cards, pretzel cheese and … chewing tobacco spit?

Long-sought benzenelike molecule created (Chemical and Engineering News): An elusive organic-inorganic hybrid compound that is related to benzene electronically and structurally has been synthesized for the first time, making possible analysis of its properties. … Now, this synthesis has been achieved by synthetic organic-organometallic chemist Shih-Yuan Liu of the University of Oregon, Eugene; computational chemist David A. Dixon of the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa; and their coworkers.

It’s time to give academics top priority (Register-Guard, guest viewpoint by UO professor Nathan Tublitz): Sometimes one has no choice but to shake one’s head in disbelief like an Oregon Duck bobble-head doll in the back window of a car. The University of Oregon recently triggered this reaction by rescheduling the 2010 June Commencement Ceremonies to accommodate the NCAA national track and field championships. Move graduation for a track meet?

Theta Chi shuts down (Daily Emerald): University sophomore Adam Lee and three other members of the Theta Chi fraternity spent winter break looking for a place to live. It was a difficult search - most housing was already taken by students. In Lee's case it was harder because the four men had to accommodate a fifth roommate - their 1-year-old border collie, Steve. Early last month the University announced the fraternity's disaffiliation, meaning that "Theta Chi is no longer recognized as a University of Oregon fraternity," as stated in a memorandum to the University Greek community. The decision came after fall term in which Theta Chi was found guilty of hazing and also incurred $10,000 worth of damages at a resort while on a retreat.

Rack 'em up -- Racks for tanks for small fish in biomedical aquatics facilities (Animal Lab Magazine): Racks and tanks are important to fish health and facility functioning in today’s biomedical aquatics facilities and the recent development of this field. … Using a simple toxicity bioassay at the University of Oregon, we found that about a third of all the plastic and rubbery materials we tested from our racks and other things in contact with the fish water, were toxic to young zebrafish.

Without a playoff, what’s the point? (Las Vegas Sun): When I logged on to the official Mountain West Conference Web site Saturday morning there were a grand total of five paragraphs dedicated to Utah’s stunning 31-17 victory against mighty Alabama in the Sugar Bowl. … [Dave] Frohnmayer, president of the University of Oregon, also is chairman of the BCS Presidential Oversight Committee. … In an e-mail response to ESPN, Frohnmayer said the BCS deeply respected the president-elect and is glad that he is college football fan but that playoffs would not be in the best interest of college football (or at least the six conferences that control it). “We have the most compelling regular season in all of sports, and I’m sure that contributes to Senator Obama’s enjoyment of our great game,” Frohnmayer wrote.

Nano-diamonds suggest comet collisions wrecked havoc on Earth (iWire, Australia): The discovery of numerous tiny diamonds spread out at six sites in North America suggest to scientists that they came from comets impacting the Earth about 13,000 years ago, possibly dooming the Clovis natives and many now-extinct animals … The team, led by U.S. archeologist Doug Kennett of the Department of Anthropology, University of Oregon, Eugene, states that the discovery of these prolific number of nanodiamonds suggest that they did not originate on Earth.

Diamonds suggest comets caused killer cold spell (RedNet.com): Tiny diamonds sprinkled across North America suggest a "swarm" of comets hit the Earth around 13,000 years ago, kicking up enough disruption to send the planet into a cold spell and drive mammoths and other creatures into extinction, scientists reported on Friday. … Doug Kennett of the University of Oregon and colleagues found the little diamonds at sites from Arizona to South Carolina and into Alberta and Manitoba in Canada.

Tiny Diamonds Support Comet Theory (NPR.com): Scientists have long blamed climate change for the mass extinction of animals that took place in North America almost 13,000 years ago. Now some researchers say a comet broke apart and burned the landscape and many of the creatures living on it. The proof is "nanodiamonds," microscopic diamonds they've found in the soil across the continent. (Full story video)

Oregon conservationists hope for greener 2009 (Associated Press, appearing on KGW.com): Conservation groups that spent the past eight years battling the Bush administration over logging, wildlife and global warming are hoping for major changes from the Obama administration and a more strongly Democratic Congress. … Though not part of a conservation group, Bob Doppelt, director of the Climate Leadership Initiative at the University of Oregon, said making progress on climate change will be difficult, because even the national environmental groups most interested in the issue have yet to come together on what steps to take.

To battle recession, Oregon Democrats reach for credit card (The Oregonian): Though tough times are forcing many Oregonians to put away their credit cards, Gov. Ted Kulongoski and Democratic leaders plan to go on a borrowing binge once the Legislature convenes next week to jump-start projects that they hope will create thousands of jobs. They argue that pouring hundreds of millions of dollars into projects that range from sprucing up public office buildings to laying new pavement for roads is the best way to attack Oregon's deepening recession. … Much of the debt is repaid with specific taxes or fees. For example, the $200 million in bonds issued for the new University of Oregon basketball arena is supposed to be paid back with ticket revenue.

Legislators explore tougher metal theft laws (KGW.com): Tough laws passed by the last Legislature to curb metal thieves didn't solve the problem. By some estimates, thefts totaled four and one half million dollars in the first half of last year alone, often by thieves selling the metal to feed drug habits. Thefts have ranged from cemetery vases to phone lines to a 200-300-pound bronze statue from the University of Oregon. This year's legislature finds a number of lawmakers and interest groups drafting more bills they hope will curb the thefts. Although metal prices have dropped to less than half of its peak price from summer, those involved know that when the market rebounds, the epidemic will be renewed.

UO drops its appeal over arena permit (Register-Guard): The University of Oregon has decided not to appeal the decision that forced it to get a conditional use permit for its new basketball arena. The decision has no effect on the current construction plans for the $227.5 million project, which is expected to get under way soon -- after being delayed significantly by the permit requirement. The UO was granted a conditional use permit for the arena in November. Initially, the city planning office found that the UO did not need a conditional use permit to build the 12,500-seat arena. But a neighborhood association challenged that finding. A hearings officer subsequently ruled that the city erred and that a permit was required.

College assets decline -- The Statesman Journal (Several area colleges' endowment funds are shrinking as the economic recession continues. An endowment is created when school officials invest donated dollars into stocks, bonds, real estate, certificates of deposit and money market accounts. … The University of Oregon Foundation's endowment fund dropped from $440 million in January to $370 million in early December, said Jay Namyet, University of Oregon Foundation chief investment officer.)