The Jefferson Exchange

Jefferson Exchange — March 22, 2013, HOUR 1 Latino Civil Rights Latinos are in the news in a big way of late; their support for President Obama and other Democrats made a big difference in the last election.  And the focus on issues of importance to Latinos raises hopes of passing immigration reform.  The largest Latino civil rights group, the League Of United Latin American Citizens, is establishing its first base in Oregon.  You'll hear about the group's goals and tactics.  Deputies and Militia The law enforcement issues of our counties are well documented; county funding dropped like a rock when federal timber payments stopped.  That forced major cuts in sheriff's departments.  In Siskiyou County, private citizens are taking an interest in supplementing the work of deputies... you'll hear about one effort by the Northern California State Militia.

Jefferson Exchange — March 22, 2013, HOUR 2 Carbon Tax in Oregon? A recent report suggests Oregon could reduce carbon emissions and reduce income taxes by creating a carbon tax.  One of the authors of the report will join us to discuss the findings, and guests from the American Enterprise Institute and Friends of the Earth will debate the merits of carbon taxes.

Jefferson Exchange — March 21, 2013, HOUR 1 Oregon State Audit One of the jobs of the Secretary of State in Oregon is to audit departments of state government… and every few years, the ENTIRE state government.  Secretary Kate Brown recently released the State of Oregon Financial Condition Report, and while it shows signs of recovery from recession, it also presents some sober challenges facing state government, its funding, and the overall financial state of the people.  Kate Brown joins us to delve into the particulars.  Life and Libraries A pair of body blows hit libraries in our region in recent years: the advent of the Internet and all of its uses in obtaining information and reading material, and a drop in funding available for libraries at the local level.  Oregon State Librarian MaryKay Dahlgreen takes note of the trends, but is bullish on the future of libraries.  She will join us to talk about that future.

Jefferson Exchange — March 21, 2013, HOUR 2 Feeding the Hungry Ghost It's one thing to be a dedicated vegan, it's another to not only dedicate yourself to eating without animals, but to work to "spread the gospel" of the lifestyle.  Ellen Kanner prepares vegan meals that feed the body and soul, and offers insights in how to translate that into your own life in "Feeding the Hungry Ghost: Life, Faith, and What to Eat for Dinner."  

Jefferson Exchange – March 3, 2013, HOUR 1 Conestoga Huts for Homeless The Conestoga wagons moved white settlers west across the continent; now Conestoga huts are being proposed as an answer to the persistent issue of homelessness in the Eugene area. Eric and Fay de Buhr came up with the idea of the huts as a way to provide shelter for the homeless, while using discarded materials.  Eric de Buhr will join us with the details.  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: --"Ag-gag" or anti-whistleblower bills that aim to keep animal rights activists from family farms; --Teens and tanning: legislatures right to throw teens out of tanning parlors?

Jefferson Exchange – March 3, 2013, HOUR 2 Creative Nonviolence We observe the 10th anniversary of the beginning of the U.S. war in Iraq this week, kindling the usual commemorations in the media and elsewhere.  The group Voices for Creative Nonviolence was born of the Iraq war, a collection of Americans who offered nonviolent protest against this and other American wars.  One of the voices belongs to Cathy Breen, a frequent contributor to the VCNV web page.  She'll be our guest.

The Jefferson Exchange: March 19, 2013, Hour 1: FOR Gun Regulation The legislation may move slowly, but the feelings are still robust on both sides of the gun debate.  Ken Gudger was involved with the Central Chapter of the California Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence for 5-6 years.  He'll speak in Ashland on March 19th on the subject "Enough is Enough - A Push for Effective Gun Regulation."+ Yurok Language Classes Storytelling and an oral tradition were central to Native American culture.  But the oral traditions fell on hard times, as extermination and relocation and forced use of English forced many native languages into extinction.  The Yurok language did not quite get there, and now a Yurok language program at Eureka High School is reviving the nearly extinct language.

The Jefferson Exchange: March 19, 2013, Hour 2:How We Love Now Suzanne Bruan Levine made her mark as the first editor of Ms. Magazine, and she's still writing about issues of interest to women, only now she writes for and about women in "second adulthood".  Levine's latest work focuses on the different approaches women take to love and intimacy after age 50: "How We Love Now."  

The Jefferson Exchange: March 18, 2013, Hour 1: Horse Rescue The rescue impulse is a strong one… witness the animals, public and private, scattered across the landscape.  But providing shelter and comfort to a dog or cat is a very different thing from rescuing a horse.  You'll hear about the motivations and the ministrations of people involved in the effort, as we talk with representatives of the Ashland-based Equamore Foundation and Shasta County's Safe Haven Horse Rescue.  + Oregon Unlimited Even a place full of great ideas will occasionally need a few bucks to help an idea become reality.  The Meyer Memorial Trust has the bucks, and it is letting people post the ideas.  The MMT is up and running with a new web site, Oregon Unlimited, to give Oregonians a place to propose community projects, from the moist bustle of Portland to the dry sagebrush of Eastern Oregon.  You'll hear about criteria and funding amounts.

The Jefferson Exchange: March 18, 2013, Hour 2: Anything Worth Doing Not all of us would put a boat into a raging river.  And very few of us would do so when the river is at peak flood in a high water year.  But that's what Clancy Reece and Jon Barker did on Idaho's Salmon River in 1996, a tale retold by river guide Jo Deurbrouck in "Anything Worth Doing: A true story of adventure, friendship and tragedy on the last of the West's great rivers."  

The Jefferson Exchange: March 15, 2013, Hour 1: Rep. Huffman on the Job Two of the four members of the U.S. House in our region are new to the job with the last election.  Jared Huffman won the seat in California's 2nd Congressional District, after Mike Thompson ran in a district reconfigured by the last census.  We'll visit with Rep. Huffman about his introduction to Washington and the ways of doing business there. + Forest Resiliency Update Forest fire season is (hopefully) months away, and it will not be an issue in the Ashland watershed, if all goes as planned.  The watershed is the focus of the ongoing Ashland Forest Resiliency Stewardship Project, which involves logging and other work to reduce the fuels that can burn in fires.  You'll hear what's been done so far in the project, and what remains to be done.

The Jefferson Exchange: March 15, 2013, Hour 2: RebroadcastThings Left Unsaid How many times in your life have you let a moment to say something profound slip away?  It happens to everybody... we thing LATER of the right thing to say in a given situation.  That situation is the basis for the blog "The Things You Would Have Said," and now Jackie Hooper has compiled letters in this vein--heartwarming and funny and sad--in a book by the same name.                 

The Jefferson Exchange: March 14, 2013, Hour 1: Colorectal Cancer It's not an occasion for feasts and parades perhaps, but March is Colorectal  Cancer Awarness Month.  Colorectal or colon cancer is a very common type of cancer, but also one of the most preventable types.  We'll discuss the features and detection of colorectal cancer with Dr. Scott Nelson, a colon and rectal surgeon working in the Rogue Valley.+ Crater Lake and Money Crater Lake is not only a spectacular place to visit, it's a real engine for the economy of the communities around it.  A recent study of dollar impacts from national parks shows Crater Lake bringing in $38.5 million to the region.  You'll hear how the money is spent and what visitors do with their time. 

The Jefferson Exchange: March 14, 2013, Hour 2: Living Color The color of our skin is a biological trait, plain and simple.  Or perhaps not so simple, not by a long shot.  The hue of human can make a huge difference in the kind of life an individual leads, even in a world that is attempting, in fits and starts, to move past racial identification.  Nina Jablonski examines the biological and social meaning of skin color in her book "Living Color." 

Jefferson Exchange — March 13, 2013, HOUR 1 Oregon Legislature Update The work of the Oregon legislature kicked into a higher gear recently, when the deadline for filing bills passed, and both parties announced their budget plans.  Both parties want to spend even more on schools than the governor proposed, with a major fight ahead over how to achieve budget priorities without squeezing existing programs.  Northwest News Network correspondent Chris Lehman covers the legislature while it's in session; he'll join us for a talk about politics and procedures. 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: --The TSA proposes allowing small knives on planes again --An Oregon legislator proposes stiff fines for logging protests