UO E-clips, Nov. 1-3

Some products' 'green' claims misleading, false (Palm Beach, Fla., Post): Green products touting environmental features such as "recyclable" "biodegradable" and "eco-friendly" seem to be everywhere from grocery stores to card shops to car dealers. Every other advertisement seems to show a windmill, a field of grass, or other green scene seeking to give a product a green image. ... Kim Sheehan, a University of Oregon associate professor of advertising, said energy and automotive companies are among the worst offenders, with advertising suggesting they are greener than they really are. When an automaker touts the gas mileage its SUV gets by comparing it with other SUVs, "this is a false comparison," she said "There are many cars that would give you better gas mileage that are not SUVs. You are talking about a group of cars that get horrible gas mileage."

Portland State is coming into its own (The Oregonian): A view from PSU's College of Urban and Public Affairs shows the recreation building under construction. The university is expanding its buildings and what it offers. Ducks and Beavers rule in Portland. Even Huskies come out on game day. But the closest connection most city dwellers have with Portland State, their hometown university, is the on-campus Saturday farmers market. But that's changing this fall. Long overshadowed by its higher-profile siblings to the south, PSU is making a run at the kind of recognition and respect that Oregon State and the University of Oregon have enjoyed for decades.

'Nickelodeon City' by Michael Aronson (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette): The next time you plunk down $10 for a movie ticket at the cineplex and maybe another $8 at the concession stand, then sit through a half hour of commercials for the privilege of seeing the movie, imagine a time when movie theaters charged a nickel. It's just as hard to imagine that in 1914 more than 100 movie theaters -- "nickelodeons" -- blanketed Pittsburgh. And these weren't just stuffy little parlors with hard chairs. In his new book, University of Oregon film professor Michael Aaronson tells us that although these early movie houses may have started out by thrilling small standing-room-only crowds with 400 hundred feet of moving images, by 1914, movie venues in Pittsburgh "ranged from 150-seat storefronts to elaborate picture palaces that accommodated thousands."

Mysterious ad prompts Bellotti to declare support for Green (Register-Guard): With just four more days to go, the war of words continued Friday in the fight for the north Eugene commissioner post. The focal point remained an ad that ran Thursday in The Register-Guard questioning who has endorsed incumbent Bobby Green. Green is being challenged for the commissioner seat by Rob Handy. On Friday, University of Oregon football coach Mike Bellotti issued a statement via the Green campaign saying that he does, in fact, endorse Green.

New nanocluster to boost thin films for semiconductors (Nano Techwire, Innovations Report of Germany, Science Daily, NanoTechWeb.org, AZoM.com): Oregon researchers have synthesized an elusive metal-hydroxide compound in sufficient and rapidly produced yields, potentially paving the way for improved precursor inks that could boost semiconductor capabilities for large-area applications. The key to a "bottom-up" production of possibly the first heterometallic gallium-indium hydroxide nanocluster was the substitution of nitroso-butylamine as an additive in place of nitrosobenzene. The substitute was identified during a comprehensive screening of potential alternatives by Zachary L. Mensinger, a doctoral student in the lab of University of Oregon chemist Darren W. Johnson.

Colleges in Oregon get high grades for green (The Oregonian): The school year has just begun for Oregon's colleges and universities, but several already are bragging about their report cards -- and we're not talking about law school admissions or party life. The University of Oregon was listed among the nation's top green universities by The Princeton Review. Oregon State University received the same accolade from the Kaplan College Guide. Meanwhile, Willamette University was recognized as first in the nation by the National Wildlife Federation for engaging in the most sustainable activities.

Centre for intercultural dialogue opens in Oregon -- Science Centric (Bulgaria): University of Oregon President Dave Frohnmayer spoke about the significance of hosting the first UNESCO chair in intercultural dialogue in the U.S. at a reception on Wednesday, 29 October. The reception celebrated the opening of the Centre for Intercultural Dialogue, which is the new home of the UO's UNESCO Chair for Transcultural Studies, Interreligious Dialogue and Peace.