UO E-clips, Nov. 4

New nanoclusters make printable inorganic electronics possibility (Daily Tech): Organic electronics are being lauded for their flexibility and ability to be printed on a variety of form factors. However, inorganic electronics still hold large leads in most important component parameters for digital circuits, over mass-producible organic electronics. Unfortunately, they couldn't be printed. Well chalk up another victory to nanotechnology -- printable inorganic semiconductor circuits may soon be on their way thanks to a new high-tech ink which uses nanoclusters. Zachary L. Mensinger, a doctoral student in the lab of University of Oregon, and chemist Darren W. Johnson led the research which discovered a way to produce large amounts of nanocluster ink, rapidly, for the first time. (Similar stories appear in ElectronicsWeekly.com, Moldova.com and iStockAnalyst.com)

The 'middle class' muddle (The Oregonian): Denae Stites clawed her way from welfare to the bottom rung of the middle-class ladder when, some months back, the single mother and college student landed a job as an administrative assistant. She moved out of her run-down apartment complex and bought new furniture on credit. Three weeks ago Stites got laid off. Yet she refuses to relinquish her middle-class optimism. ... "What 'middle' means is imprecise, and an economist typically wouldn't use 'middle class,'" says Larry Singell, a University of Oregon economist.

Records show contribution disparity (Oregon Daily Emerald): University employees donated $46,284 to political campaigns this season, and 96 percent of it went to presidential candidate Barack Obama and other Democrats. Only three of the 64 University employees who donated gave to Republican presidential candidate John McCain. None of them were available to interview for this story. … The donation disparity is just as wide nationally. According to the Center of Responsive Politics, university professors across the United States have given $12.5 million to Obama and $1.5 million to McCain. "It's not that surprising that most people have donated to Obama and not McCain," said Lars Skalnes, dean of the UO political science department. It basically confirms what we already knew about the political leanings of professors, he said.

Think you know Doug? There's more to the street evangelist than just his sign (Daily Emerald): Everyone has seen the festooned bike and bold signs on campus advocating that you "Trust Jesus Now." But there's more to the gray-haired man than the signs proclaim. He isn't looking for an argument. He's not trying to convert you, either. He hasn't always been a street preacher, but now he's just trying to "sow seeds" and provide moral support for other Christians. Most people who talk to Doug thank him for his presence on campus. Some even tell him they're glad to see him. But occasionally, passersby don't like Doug's message. While street evangelizing, people have yelled at him, punched him, spit on him and lambasted him on several occasions. As a street preacher, Doug soon learned, "not everyone is a nice guy out there." But mostly, people ignore him, he said.