UO E-clips, March 7

UO numbers indicate a recession for state (Statesman Journal): Oregon's economy likely is headed for a recession, and in fact already may be there. Economists at the University of Oregon said Thursday that their Oregon Index of Economic Indicators fell sharply in January and has now sunk 3.7 percent in the past six months. "I would say there is a high likelihood a recession is on the horizon," said Timothy Duy, director of the Oregon Economic Forum who helped create the index. Of the eight factors used in the index, four of them deteriorated. The four that sank -- help wanted advertising, initial unemployment claims, building permits and weight-miles taxes -- are tied to Oregon-specific information; the other four are national numbers.

UO economic index takes turn for worse (Register-Guard): Oregon is used to rain. But the state's gathering economic storm clouds are turning dark and downright threatening, according to the University of Oregon's latest Index of Economic Indicators. The data -- especially the Oregon statistics took a distressing turn in January, said Tim Duy, economist and author of the index. "We're at a near-recession point, and that feels miserable for consumers, whether or not we move into an actual recession," he said. The monthly index, which tracks eight measures of economic health, plummeted in January. "The depth, duration and dispersion of the decline in index components are consistent with an impending recession; at the least, economic activity has slowed to a near-recessionary state," Duy said.

So far, widespread job losses (The Oregonian): So far, widespread job losses bypass Oregon, expert says Economic activity has slowed to a "near-recessionary state," according to a University of Oregon professor who tracks a collection of state and national indicators. "The depth, duration, and dispersion of the decline in index components are consistent with an impending recession," said Tim Duy, Oregon Economic Forum director. "So far, however, Oregon manages to escape the most significant impact of recessions, widespread job losses."

Our view on fan behavior: When cheers turn to abuse, colleges need to take action (USA Today): College basketball games have always been rowdy events where students pack arenas and cheer at ear-splitting volume. A fired-up student body can give the home team an advantage. But there's cheering and there's, well, something else. What students did at the University of Oregon on Jan. 24 and at the University of Illinois on Feb. 7 went way over the line.

Torrey declares candidacy for mayor (Register-Guard): Former Eugene Mayor Jim Torrey on Wednesday said he will challenge Mayor Kitty Piercy in the May 20 primary election. His candidacy will give voters a choice between two well-known politicians with strong backing and very different political leanings. Torrey said he wants to become mayor because the city must do more to fight crime, create jobs, fix streets and improve transportation. He faulted Piercy, who is seeking re-election for a second term, for not providing leadership in those areas. ... A race with Piercy and Torrey should be a lively and hard-fought contest, said Ed Weeks, a University of Oregon professor and political observer.

Gas prices soar (Register-Guard): Oregon gas prices reached $3.36 per gallon this week, just a nickel shy of the state's record high, set last May. Prices may hit $4 a gallon by summer, analysts say. "It looks pretty scary at this point," Marie Dodds, spokeswoman for AAA Oregon, said Wednesday. "It's going to be a painful driving season." Oregon's gas prices have sky¬rocketed in the past month, going from the middle of the pack nationally to 12th highest in the country two weeks ago, then sixth highest a week ago, to fourth highest this week. ... Tim Duy, a University of Oregon economist, said consumers aren't left with much choice when gas prices go up. If they're spending more on gas, they spend less in other areas, particularly discretionary items, such as entertainment, clothing and vacations.

No longer a foreign concept (Daily Emerald): It seems college students nationwide are preparing themselves for worldwide interaction. The Romance Languages - Spanish, French and Italian - still comprise more than 70 percent of languages studied at American colleges and universities. But the most growth from 2002-06 was in languages that are relevant to current affairs. Arabic enrollment increased the most, by 126.5 percent. It was followed by Chinese, with a 51 percent increase, and Korean, which increased by 37.1 percent. But the overall number of students studying languages is still 16.5 percent lower than the enrollment record set in 1965, and only one in five undergraduate students is studying above the first- or second-year level.

Linking sight to sound (Oregon Daily Emerald): University researchers are hoping to better diagnose hearing problems using a seemingly unrelated sense - sight. In fact, they're borrowing methods used to study a different species altogether, the barn owl. University researchers are measuring the dilation of pupils to detect how people react to sound. They say this method would be useful to detect hearing problems in children, infants or those with a developmental disability. The research could also provide better understanding of how the brain works and how it separates and delivers stimuli. Researchers recently presented their findings at the Association for Research in Otolaryngology meeting in Phoenix.

Training improves brain functions: A study found that parenting training helps cognitive functions for parents and children (Daily Emerald): University research associate Jessica Fanning is now known as the "Supernanny" of Eugene. Fanning helped coach parents in an intervention program, and University researchers found that children whose parents received training improved their cognitive ability and other brain functions. The coached parents also reduced family stress within the home. The preliminary research, which was recently presented at the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Boston, is part of an ongoing study of brain development. Reality television does not always accurately portray parent coaching, Fanning said. "I think parents watch 'Supernanny' and see these routines and think they can do it," Fanning said. … Researchers at the University's Brain Development Lab headed the study and asked parents whose children were enrolled at Head Start to participate. Parents were randomly assigned to either receive coaching, or their children were assigned to a control group. Parents of 14 preschool-aged children from low-income families attended two-hour coaching sessions for eight weeks. Parents took home techniques taught by coaches to try them at home.

Doing dull chores could improve sex life, US experts say (Agence France-Presse wire service, quotes incoming CAS Dean Scott Coltrane -- Similar article appears in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer): American men have doubled the amount of housework they do and may be having better sex because of it, experts have told AFP. "By and large, the more men do around the house, the happier women are," sociologist Scott Coltrane of the University of California, Riverside, a co-author of a report published in synopsis form on the website of the Council of Contemporary Families (CCF) said late Thursday. "When men do more of the housework, women's perceptions of fairness and marital satisfaction rise and the couple experience less marital conflict," the report says.

UO donation to reach children with museum's art (Register-Guard): More children from around Oregon will be able to immerse themselves in art thanks to a $500,000 gift to the University of Oregon from a pair of Roseburg philanthropists. The gift from Cheryl Ramberg Ford, a UO graduate, and her husband, Allyn Ford, president of Roseburg Forest Products, will establish an endowment fund for the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art supporting its education and outreach programs. The programs provide arts enrichment for K-12 students that many schools, especially smaller ones, have struggled to offer due to budget pressure.