UO E-Clips is a daily report prepared by the Office of Communications (http://comm.uoregon.edu) summarizing current news coverage of the University of Oregon.
Media mentions for April 4
1. Sociology professor draws Limbaugh's ire: The conservative radio host and bloggers attack Kari Norgaard for her work on climate change
Register-Guard (University of Oregon professor Kari Norgaard had the honor last week of taking part in a panel discussion in London at a prestigious meeting of scientists on the subject of climate change. But upon her return, she found her name on Rush Limbaugh's lips, her university e-mail stuffed with hundreds of hateful messages and the UO itself under attack in the blogosphere for "Stalinesque" changes to its website. "Maybe they'll soon go from being called The Mighty Ducks to 'The Mighty Schmucks,' " one of the bloggers wrote. The subject of the bloggers' ire appears to have sprung from an inaccurate description of Norgaard's work that appeared in a UO news release.
2. Planet – and scientists – under pressure?
Environmental Research Web: Rowan Douglas of reinsurance broker Willis Re, UK, also thinks economics could be crucial. He said that man has become disconnected from nature. "I think that is about to change ... as environmental change and environmental risk begin to be seen to affect our fiduciary institutions, then environmental systems will be seen to affect capital," he said. "That will have the most profound effect. It will become fundamental to how we respond, adapt and behave." Such a profound effect could be exactly what is needed to kick-start action. Sociologist Kari Norgaard of the University of Oregon, US, has been studying inertia to action on climate change and it is not great news. Norgaard believes that there is "a paradox between the increasing scientific knowledge and virtual invisibility of climate change in the public sphere," and that climate change appears to be "such a threat that it becomes unthinkable". Norgaard's cultural inertia model looks at resistance on three levels – individual, social and institutional – and indicates that changing just one level is not enough. "It paints a grimmer picture of why we have not been able to change," she said. "We know societal change does happen, for example when forced by cataclysmic events or crises, but I do not know the recipe to start this."
3. Oregon economy inched higher in February
Portland Business Journal, story follows in its entirety: Oregon's economy continued to move higher in February. The University of Oregon's Index of Economic Indicators in February was 90.6, up a point from January and the highest level recorded since July. The report, a measure of economic activity, is indexed to 100 based on economic conditions in 1997. Among the data included in the February report: Initial unemployment claims dropped to 8,127 from 8,776 in January. Employment services payrolls rose to 31,332 from 31,062. Residential permits dropped to 759 from 766. U.S. consumer confidence increased to 69 from 65.9. New manufacturing orders for non-defense, non-aircraft capital goods rose to 41,622 from 41,161. The interest rate spread for 10-year treasury bonds and the federal funds rate declined to 1.87 from 1.89, a signal that investors remain confident about the U.S. economy. The Oregon data is generally in line with national trends and indicates that the economy continues to recover at a slow pace. Looking forward, fears of financial disruption from the European debt crisis have subsided, according to the report, but rising oil prices remain a threat to the economic recovery.
4. When new parents bicker, kids suffer later
Futurity Research News: The level of aggression between partners around the time a baby is born affects how the mother will parent three years later, research shows. The study is part of a longitudinal study involving more than 400 mothers in high-risk family environments, based mostly on risk for child-welfare involvement and socioeconomic status. The mothers were initially recruited at a San Diego, Calif., hospital when their children were born in 1996-97. At issue is whether psychological aggression--name-calling, arguing, and slamming doors--and physical abuse between parents leads to harsh parenting in a high-risk sample across the early years of child rearing. Until recently, researchers have focused mostly on low-risk, middle-class samples when trying to understand the role of partner aggression in the family. That focus also has often been on school-aged children, despite a growing understanding of the importance of the early environment in shaping healthy development. "We have long been aware that high levels of family conflict can have a negative effect on children's development, but most people tend to think that this doesn't apply to babies," says Philip A. Fisher, a professor of psychology at the University of Oregon and scientist at the independent, non-profit Oregon Social Learning Center. "In fact, we are now finding that this notion of toxic stress in families applies to babies as well. We are finding that people should mind their relationships with their spouses, not just with their babies."
5. Sharing Spree Donates $17,5000
Daily Deal Media: Sharing Spree is known for daily deals of course; but its reputation for giving back to charitable organizations keeps Sharing Spree in the daily deal headlines. Sharing Spree just made its largest-ever donation this week to the University of the Oregon Alumni Association, a non-profit organization. UOAA accepted the $17,500 check at a special ceremony on Tuesday. The money was raised in only one short month following the inaugural partnership. Founded in January 2011, Sharing Spree aims to bring women deals from places they already spend money, in cities like Portland, Ore., Nashville, Tenn., Birmingham, Ala., and Seattle, Wash.; with an emphasis on the fact that money spent with Sharing Spree will be given back to the communities. "We knew that partnering with Sharing Spree would bring additional financial support for our program, but we never could have imagined how much money the site would donate to us--and in such a short period of time. Sharing Spree's giving never ends, and we're certainly excited to continue our partnership for years to come." Anthony McAdoo, senior associate executive director of University of Oregon Alumni Association.
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Late mentions for April 3
1. Salem looks at more budget cuts: Library, cops, parks, jobs all are on the line
Statesman Journal: Public safety, fire protection, upkeep of parks and hours at the Salem Public Library--all are potential targets for cuts in 2012-13 city budget. Starting tonight, the Salem Budget Committee will hold the first of four meetings to gather public input before passing the city manger's proposed budget to the city council. An analysis of Salem's economy continues to predict a slow recovery. The study by Timothy Duy, director of the Oregon Economic Forum from the University of Oregon's economics department, indicates a possibility of another, smaller recession, and the city wants to make changes now before it's too late.
2. State unemployment benefits will be reduced: Improvement in Washington's jobless rate triggers reductions
The Columbian: Washington's steadily improving economy has a downside for thousands of long-term unemployed workers, who will no longer be eligible for benefits that were extended to up to 99 weeks in the depths of the Great Recession. ... However, Tim Duy, an economics professor at the University of Oregon and director of the Oregon Economic Forum, said the problem isn't structural, where people are unemployed for a long time because they simply don't have the skill set the economy needs. Most economic indicators -- including stagnant wages and the low ratio of job openings to job seekers -- show that an overall lack of demand for goods and services is keeping workers on the sidelines, according to Duy.
3. Men Are Basically Terrible for the Environment
The Atlantic Wire: If environmental stewardship turned into some sort of epic battle of the sexes, men would get clobbered. It's not an idea that is innately intuitive to this male writer (who's doing all the cosmetics-buying, electric hair-drying and clothes shopping?) but it's a finding that shines through in study after study. The latest example is in a new study in Social Science Research that looks at female empowerment in various nations. It's not keeping score which gender has a bigger carbon footprint, it's examining the environmental practices of nations and the level of status women have in the country. The study, by sociologists Christina Ergas and Richard York at the University of Oregon, found that "controlling for other factors, in nations where women's status is higher, CO2 emissions are lower." And it appears the researchers did their homework.