The Jefferson Exchange

Jefferson Exchange – May 20, 2013, HOUR 2 Land of Promise It's hard to believe that one of the world's most powerful economies was once a weak collection of colonies subservient to a mother country far away.  But waves of technological and intellectual innovation paved the way for the United States to lead the world in many ways.  Michael Lind details the changes in his book "Land of Promise."

The Jefferson Exchange: May 17, 2013, Hour 1: River Cleanup An effort to clean up one of the region's rivers had to be changed to deal with a lack of water in the river.  Normally The River Exchange stages a "raft and removal" on the Sacramento River in the Dunsmuir area, but the river levels are too low for the rafting part.  You'll hear about alternate plans for cleaning up both the Sacramento and Klamath rivers.  + Sequester Ripples The federal budget sequester's many effects have been well-noted.  Here's another: federal recreation sites around the region will either open late or with fewer amenities in the coming outdoor recreation season.  Bureau of Land Management workers in the Medford BLM office will detail some of the changes.

The Jefferson Exchange: May 17, 2013, Hour 2: Radical Abundance The science of nanotechnology may have come to the public's attention through science fiction, but it is science fact.  Laboratories all over the world are working to reduce the size of molecules, for a number of purposes.  And one of those is efficiency... if we're better at manipulating materials, perhaps we can use less of them.  Nanotechnology pioneer K. Eric Drexler explains that idea at length in "Radical Abundance: How A Revolution In Nanotechnology Will Change Civilization." 

Jefferson Exchange – May 16, 2013, HOUR 1 SOU Prioritization Southern Oregon University is releasing the results of its prioritization process… a chance to give priority rankings to both academic and student support programs on campus, to help the university make decisions.  The SOU provost and the co-chair of the prioritization process join us to explain how priorities were identified, and what they are. Oregon Whiz Kids The collective IQ of Phoenix, Arizona rose this week when the Intel International Science and Education Fair opened there.  ISEF brings 1600 young scientists and engineers together to demonstrate their inventions and discoveries, with a chance for a top prize of $75,000.  Oregon attendees Hannah Larson of Eugene and Savannah Tobin from Salem join us to talk up their work.

Jefferson Exchange – May 16, 2013, HOUR 2 Suicide in Middle Age A recent report on suicides across the country showed a sharp increase in adult suicides between 1999 and 2010… a rise of more than 28 percent.  Suicide is now the most common cause of injury death in the country, more common than deaths by car accident.  And the rate of increase in Oregon was even sharper, at 49 percent.  We'll check in with a mental health provider and the Oregon state office focused on injury prevention. 

Jefferson Exchange – May 15, 2013, HOUR 1 Middle Age for Land-Use Planning Even babies get old someday.  Oregon led the country into the realm of centralized land-use planning when the legislature passed Senate Bill 100, creating the Department of Land Conservation and Development and other structures.  But SB100 enters middle age this year, turning 40 years old.  DLCD's director joins us for a status report. VENTSday No guest, two topics, and all the calls and emails we can fit in half an hour.  That's the general structure of our weekly VENTSday segment, a chance for listeners to vent politely on topics in the news.  Take part by calling 1-800-838-3760 or 541-552-6782 or emailing JX@jeffnet.org THIS WEEK:  A) Your thoughts on Oregon land-use planning and any changes needed; B) the IRS/Tea Party groups investigations.

Jefferson Exchange – May 15, 2013, HOUR 2 Arguing for our Lives How do you argue with someone who thinks that simply being louder is winning?  Cable TV news promotes conflict in its "discussions," at a time when plenty of people would like to see more reasoned debate.  Journalism professor Robert Jensen writes of how to make such a debate happen, in his book "Arguing for Our Lives." 

The Jefferson Exchange: May 14, 2013, Hour 1: Tribal Land Buying The Coquille Tribe is garnering a lot of attention in the Rogue Valley of late, with its efforts to bring a casino to Medford.  But another tribe is making news as well… the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Indians not only opposes the casino plan, it is buying up land of its own, although not for a gaming facility.  The tribal CEO will discuss the tribe's plans. + Sustainable City Medford is the first Southern Oregon City to form a partnership with the University of Oregon's Sustainability City Year Program.  U of O students and faculty will spend a year working with the city on the creation and completion of sustainability projects meant to make Medford a more livable place.

The Jefferson Exchange: May 14, 2013, Hour 2: Re-Wilding America The arguments in favor of reintroducing wolves in the continental U.S. often come back to a major point: that major predators play a crucial role in many ecosystems.  And the people who favor the idea of "rewilding" want to see more wilderness and more large predators inhabiting it.  David Foreman, the founder of the Rewilding Institute, joins us to explain the concept.

The Jefferson Exchange: May 13, 2013, Hour 1: New Writing The forms have certainly changed: you're almost as likely to read a new book on some kind of electronic device as you are to read it on paper.  But the content is changing as well, and a program at Southern Oregon University is designed to capitalize on the changes.  The Institute of New Writing\Ashland brings on-campus instructors and visiting writers together to train budding writers on new forms in both prose and poetry.+ Forest Conversations Continue Perhaps the answers are not coming as fast as people would like, but at least there is some talking.  That is the point of the "Conversations on the Forest" series arranged by former Lane County commissioner Rob Handy, forester Roy Keene and architect Kevin Matthews.  The series continues tonight in Cottage Grove on BLM timber harvests.

The Jefferson Exchange: May 13, 2013, Hour 2: Communicating Happiness Science has learned much about human emotions over the years, but for many of us, the mystery remains.  Why DO we feel the way we feel?  And what does it mean to be truly emotionally healthy?  These questions and more were considered by a PBS series called "This Emotional Life."  The series is one of the major works of senior executive producer Richard Hutton.  He speaks at Southern Oregon University this evening about "Communicating Happiness;" we'll talk about this and other works.

The Jefferson Exchange: May 10, 2013, Hour 1: Go By Bike Week Sure, you ride a bike in your off-hours, but how often do you take care of your business on your bicycle?  Using the bike for more missions is the focus of Go by Bike Week (which was once called "bike to work week"), May 13-19.  You'll hear about the features of the week in the Rogue Valley, which include some special meets and treats.+ SOU Soars Exciting things happen in the classrooms, laboratories, and halls of any university.  But how often do people get to see those works?  At least once a year at Ashland's Southern Oregon University.  Its annual SOAR program (Southern Oregon Arts and Research) program returns next week, and you'll hear what it involves. 

The Jefferson Exchange: May 10, 2013, Hour 2: Teen Mother's Day This Sunday's observance of Mother's Day will include some people who have not even finished high school.  Teen birth rates in our country have generally been trending downward in recent years, but that's still nearly a third of a million children born to teen mothers every year.  Medford's Magdalene Home guides teen mothers through pregnancy, parenting, and the completion of high school.  You'll hear how the program works.

Jefferson Exchange – May 9, 2013, HOUR 1 Train Day The American love affair with railroads and trains gets an anniversary of sorts this Saturday on National Train Day, May 11.  We'll talk about that love affair, what keeps it going, and what the Southern Oregon Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society does to encourage it.   Wolverine Protection The federal government recognizes that the elusive wolverine--it looks like a cross between a badger and a bear--needs protection to survive as a species.  But the proposal to list the wolverine as "threatened" rather than "endangered" strikes some environmental groups as half a loaf.  You'll hear from the Western Environmental Law Center about its objections to the less-energetic listing plan.

Jefferson Exchange – May 9, 2013, HOUR 2 Superman at 75 Superman looks pretty good for a guy who's been around 75 years.  That's one of the perks of being a fictional character constantly updated by writers and artists and actors.  Longtime journalist and Superman fan Larry Tye focuses on the many people who have brought the Man of Steel to life over the years, since his comic book debut in 1938.  Tye's book is "Superman: The High-Flying History of America's Most Enduring Hero."