UO E-clips, Nov. 5

Huck and Jim: UO stages the twangy Broadway musical "Big River"--The Register-Guard (Well, dang me. On Friday night, the University of Oregon theater department will open its production of "Big River," a musical version of Mark Twain's "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn." That means, among other things, putting on a show in lily white, country-music-free Eugene that requires a fair number of black actors, not to mention bluegrass musicians. That's an accomplishment in itself. But most curious: The show's score and lyrics are by the late country music legend Roger Miller.)

Oldest American artefact unearthed:Oregon caves yield evidence of continent's first inhabitants--Nature News (Archaeologists claim to have found the oldest known artefact in the Americas, a scraper-like tool in an Oregon cave that dates back 14,230 years. The tool shows that people were living in North America well before the widespread Clovis culture of 12,900 to 12,400 years ago, says archaeologist Dennis Jenkins of the University of Oregon in Eugene. Studies of sediment and radiocarbon dating showed the bone's age. Jenkins presented the finding late last month in a lecture at the University of Oregon. His team found the tool in a rock shelter overlooking a lake in south-central Oregon, one of a series of caves near the town of Paisley.)

Jobless recovery edges on: The UO Index of Economic Indicators is up slightly for a second month, but employment continues to lag--The Register-Guard (An economic barometer for Oregon has edged up a tiny bit in the past couple of months, indicating that the recession has ended, or will shortly, University of Oregon economist Tim Duy said Wednesday. But, even if the recession is ending, the economy isn't strong enough to create many jobs, said Duy, author of the UO Index of Economic Indicators. The index edged up for the second month in a row -- going from 84 in July to 84.3 in August and 84.4 in September, the lastest month available. The index forecasts the economic outlook for coming months, based on factors such as Oregon unemployment and building permits and national consumer confidence. It uses 1997 as the base year of 100; the higher the number the better the outlook.)

Artist from Mexico visits for an exhibit and teaching--The Register-Guard (A series of new watercolors by Mexican artist Javier Hernández Capelo, better known as Capelo, is on exhibit through Nov. 21 at the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art, 1430 Johnson Lane on the University of Oregon campus. Capelo -- who works as a teacher of design, drawing and lithography at Mexico’s University of Guanajuato -- also has spent time working with students at Springfield’s Hamlin Middle School to create a mural there during his visit to Lane County this fall.)

UO Students Enjoy Fruits of Their Labor--KEZI (In September, about ten freshmen from the University of Oregon participated in Project Tomato.  They went to local farms and picked 900 pounds of tomatoes, then hand-processed each one to make pizza sauce. This week, the Carson Dining Hall is celebrating "Farm to Table" where students and staff get to eat locally grown food.  "I'm a big fan of the healthfood swing that we're moving to in our country and I think it's better when we use natural local products," says freshman AJ Gorton. Video)

New program aims to graduate global professionals--The San Francisco State News (A new program will integrate Chinese language and culture with any academic pursuit, creating a strong foundation for a career focused on China. The Chinese Flagship Partner program is currently accepting applications for the spring semester. A three-year grant of $786,840 from the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) will support the program.... The SF State program will operate in partnership with the Chinese Flagship Center at the University of Oregon. The partnership enables exchanges in faculty, curriculum and expertise.)