UO E-clips, Oct. 31-Nov. 2

Did the Stimulus Work?--The New York Times (Many economists attribute the rise in the gross domestic product in the third quarter to the $787 billion federal stimulus package approved in February. But skeptics say the growth may be short-lived because government efforts to encourage consumer spending like the “cash for clunkers” program are expiring. At the same time, unemployment is still rising, though the Obama administration says 650,000 jobs have been created or saved by the stimulus funds.... Mark Thoma is an economics professor at the University of Oregon and blogs at Economist’s View. ... It appears we may finally be seeing the green shoots that mark the start of a recovery. But what is driving the growth in output, what will it take to sustain that growth, and how long will it take to make up for the lost output and employment we experienced during the crisis?)

Financial play with state pensions may force staff and service cuts in years ahead--Statesman Journal (A financial investment that has helped fill gaps in pension funding since 2002 quickly turned sour with the stock market's misfortunes last year, losing $1.9 billion for nearly 140 government agencies in the state, according to a Statesman Journal analysis. The investment strategy called for selling bonds and investing the proceeds. It was backed by the financial companies that stood to profit from the investment move. ... Yet the financial play carries risks that some people think public agencies, with limited resources, have "no business" taking. Mark Thoma, a professor of economics at the University of Oregon, is one of them.)

Energy Spotlight: UCAN helps residents save energy dollars--NRToday: The News Review (Program manager Chris Shoopman recently described how the new United Community Action Network office saves energy and how UCAN also helps low-income families save on their energy bills. Shoopman highlighted a third conservation strategy: helping residents learn to help others reduce energy consumption. ... The Climate Masters program was started by University of Oregon's Institute for a Sustainable Environment. It's been taught in Lane and Benton counties. Locally, Climate Masters is being adapted by a four-way partnership: UCAN (who received federal stimulus money), Douglas County Global Warming Coalition, Umpqua Community Development Corporation (with its experience designing energy efficient housing), and OSU/Douglas County Extension Service (with its skill coordinating Master Gardeners and Master Food Preservers.)

Portland-area builders shift to small, efficient homes--The Oregonian (Renaissance Homes will pull back from Bend to focus on its core markets in Portland's affluent suburbs. Buena Vista Custom Homes will abandon 5,000-square-foot ramblers for homes one-third the size and half the price. Portland-area home builders got intoxicated by the housing boom... "The home of the future will be more modest because the idea of a home as an investment has gone away," said [Tim] Duy, an economist at the University of Oregon.)

Going for the green--The Corvallis Gazette, similar story also found in the Albany Democrat Herald(Who says there's no profit in saving the planet? Not the folks at River Design Group, an environmental engineering consultancy with a six-person office in Corvallis. They've been hired to manage the removal of the Gold Ray Dam on the Rogue River in southern Oregon - a $5.5 million job that will employ dozens of people, from engineers to biologists to construction workers...A preliminary study by the University of Oregon's Ecosystem Workforce Program predicts the proposed $40 million investment would "create or retain nearly 600 jobs and generate over $72 million in total economic activity in Oregon.")

The science of fun: U of O program brings grad students out east -- East Oregonian (A class full of Pilot Rock first graders ran around, climbing on chairs, throwing whirley birds - paper helicopters - into the air and watching them spin to the floor .In Helix, sixth graders mixed water and salt in plastic cups, then compared them on a scale trying to learn which one was more dense. Both classes were learning science -in this case science spawned by kits and University of Oregon graduate students involved in what is known as the GK-12 Program .In its third year, the GK-12 science program brings grad students into the classroom to teach students and teachers a form of hands-on learning referred to as "inquiry-based science.")