E-clips, Oct. 3
Top stories for October 3, 2007: Sputnik, 50 years ago, inspired memories of scientists in the Northwest -- among them John Toner and Harlan Lefevre, UO physicists, as reported by Oregonian science writer Richard Hill; the Daily Emerald features the University of Oregon Investment Group, a program that teaches students about investments and lets them pocket earnings that exceed a targeted amount; the Indianapolis Star reports that Indiana University's football program enters a Big 10 game Saturday that could springboard the Hoosiers into a post-season bowl, and the UO's Paul Swangard of Warsaw Sports Marketing agrees with IU's athletic director that reducing ticket prices based on the fans' measure of worth is not a good idea; the law should protect reporters’ sources, says UO professor Kyu Ho Kim in a Register-Guard guest commentary.
Sputnik propels kids’ dreams (The Oregonian): The launch of Sputnik 50 years ago focused Americans' attention on scientific endeavors -- especially space exploration -- and on an overhaul of the nation's education system. After the launch of 184-pound Sputnik 1, the Soviets stunned the world again Nov. 3 when it launched 1,120-pound Sputnik 2, which carried a doomed dog named Laika … The physicist Harlan Lefevre, a professor emeritus of physics at the University of Oregon, was a young physicist at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation in Richland, Wash., when Sputnik was launched … and John Toner, physics, was a little boy inspired by his dad's subsequent work on the first lunar module. (Read the full story)
Students invest and realize big portfolio gains (Daily Emerald): Members of a University finance group can't stop thinking about the numbers and charts of the stock market - even when they should be sleeping. "You wake up in the middle of the night thinking about it," said Charles Larson, a member of the University of Oregon Investment Group. "You check your portfolio on the computer at 2 a.m. like a mad person. "There's a reason for Larson's madness: The UOIG manages roughly $900,000 and will likely manage more than $1 million sometime this school year. UOIG recently beat 17 other schools in a competition funded by D.A. Davidson & Co., a financial consulting firm based in Montana. UOIG, whose members say anyone can invest in the stock market, is welcoming new members.
If you win, will they come? IU hopes so (Indianapolis Star): On Saturday, a revived Indiana University football team will play a home conference game that could help determine whether the Hoosiers qualify for their first bowl since 1993. Such circumstances might elicit a capacity crowd elsewhere. … Some fans say the product is not worth a $38 adult or $20 youth ticket, but IU Athletic Director Rick Greenspan notes the prices are the cheapest in the Big Ten. Drastically reducing them isn't realistic. … Paul Swangard, managing director of the Warsaw Sports Marketing Center at the University of Oregon, agreed with Greenspan that it's dangerous for long-term interests to devalue the product. He said that research has shown that it's not good business in sports to operate in that manner.
Law should protect reporters’ sources (Register-Guard guest commentary by UO professor Kyu Ho Kim): What makes our country exceptional in the world? Some might say: "Freedom of speech and the press. We enjoy more freedom than anybody else. "But that answer is not entirely correct. In its freedom of the press as a journalistic right, our country is not as exceptional as you think. Under our Constitution, there is no such thing as a reporter's right to protect confidential sources. Nor do we have a national shield law for journalists. By contrast, an increasing number of countries safeguard reporters from being compelled to disclose their sources. Nearly a dozen countries, including Sweden and Brazil, guarantee the reporter's privilege as a constitutional right. France, Japan and many other nations shield journalists' sources by law or as a result of court decisions.