The Jefferson Exchange

The Jefferson Exchange: February 21, 2014, Hour 1A:It is no accident that the Asante Health System logo contains a heart. Aside any subliminal messages about caring for patients, Asante consistently ranks high for its cardiac care.  How did a hospital far from a major metropolitan area build such an accomplished program? We will ask, and focus on the proper care and treatment of patients who had heart surgery as children.

The Jefferson Exchange: February 21, 2014, Hour 1B:California got there first, but Oregon is not far behind: declaring drought before winter is even over. Gov. Jerry Brown made the California declaration in mid-January.  Gov. Kitzhaber has only made declarations for four Oregon counties so far: Klamath, Lake, Harney and Malheur. But more counties will likely be added if the dry winter continues. Klamath County Commissioner Tom Mallams joins us to explore the ways in which a drought declaration helps his county.

The Jefferson Exchange: February 21, 2014, Hour 2:We can't put off filing our income tax returns much longer. April 15th is less than two months away, and Uncle Sam takes a dim view of the “better late than never” attitude. Tax preparers abound, but most want a cut of the action for their services. Not so with several programs designed to help senior and low-income taxpayers prepare their returns. We visit with the people from the AARP program that offers tax help. 

The Jefferson Exchange: February 20, 2014, Hour 1A:The killing of tens of thousands of bees in the Portland area last year sparked widespread concern about the use of pesticides.And the concern translated to regulation, but so far, no legislation.  A bill to toughen up some pesticide laws just got watered down in the Oregon legislature. The Xerces Society often leads the way on the effort to protect bees.  Xerces' pesticide program coordinator joins us.

The Jefferson Exchange: February 20, 2014, Hour 1B:Teachers are on strike in Medford, but should they be allowed to strike, anywhere?  And does universal pre-kindergarten confer all the benefits promised? Those are this week's VENTSday topics. We do not schedule guests for Wednesday at 8:30, because that's the time for VENTSday, your chance to vent (politely, please) on a pair of topics in the news.  JUST this week, we move to Thursday for staffing reasonse.  We bring the topics, you bring the opinions.  It's VENTSday on The Jefferson Exchange, and you participate by calling 1-800-838-3760 or 541-552-6782 or emailing JX@jeffnet.org. Topics again for February 20:  Should teachers and other public workers keep the right to strike? Should pre-school--before kindergarten--be available to all kids?

The Jefferson Exchange: February 20, 2014, Hour 2:We often speak admiringly of people who can “work a room”... navigating a business or social gathering, impressing others as the move along. Somebody must have written a book about how to do that well.  In fact, somebody did.  Susan Roane even registered the trademark to the name How to Work A Room. The 25th anniversary edition is now out, and Susan joins us with timeless elements and updates. 

JEFFERSON EXCHANGE, February 19, 2014/Hour 1B:Oregon voted to enshrine marriage in the state constitution as a one man/one woman transaction nearly ten years ago. With the tide of public opinion changing, a campaign is mounting to reverse that earlier vote.  The Oregon United for Marriage Campaign wants to broaden the definition to include either two men or two women.We get an update on tactics and plans from two members of the campaign.

JEFFERSON EXCHANGE, February 19, 2014/Hour 2:Maybe our predecessors could not imagine cell phones or cars, but they certainly spent some time thinking about life. And many of their thoughts about how to approach it are still valid. Roman Krznaric of the School of Life in London compiles thoughts from varied sources throughout history in his book How Should We Live? Great Ideas from the Past for Everyday Life.

Jefferson Exchange, February 18, 2014/Hr 1AThe Meals on Wheels program for seniors is popular in Klamath County. Maybe a little too popular for its own good.  The program that delivers meals to seniors has a waiting list... and not much money to make that list shorter. You'll hear about the workings of the program, and its funding. 

Jefferson Exchange, February 18 2014/Hr 1BCollege-bound high school students can get a leg up on their post-secondary education by taking Advanced Placement (AP) exams and classes. But a recent national report shows many Oregon students do not take advantage of the AP offerings. We chat with the Oregon Department of Education about the report findings... and how to turn them around.

Jefferson Exchange, February 18, 2014/Hr 2There's not a lot of in-between in mass media depictions of Native Americans. We often get either the Hollywood depictions of noble warriors from the movies, or the news stories about alcoholism and poverty on the reservation. Matika Wilbur set out to fill in all the many spaces in between. She is traveling across the country, photographing members of all 562 federally-recognized tribes (four more have been added since she started).

The Jefferson Exchange: February 17, 2014 Hour 1A:Getting Busy AFTER RetirementSome people think of retirement as a set of sunny years playing lots of golf. Some other people might find that concept of retirement to be something straight out of hell. The fact is, we still want to feel useful even after we're done working every day, and seniors have many choices for places to perform volunteer service. The owner of Home Instead Senior Care joins us to talk about the many opportunities.

The Jefferson Exchange: February 17, 2014 Hour 1B:Reviving Crop Donation Tax CreditsDrop a bag of clothing off at Goodwill, and you'll get a receipt and a potential tax credit. But farmers who grow extra acres of food and donate the produce to food banks get no such tax credit in Oregon.  And they used to. Food For Lane County and other groups are working with Oregon legislators to restore the crop donation tax credit.

The Jefferson Exchange: February 17, 2014 Hour 2:The Truth About TrustThey can be two of the most chilling words you'll ever hear in combination: “trust me.” But we can't simply rely on ourselves and our own judgment for everything in life.  At some point we have to trust somebody else. Psychology professor David DeSteno explores the topic in his book The Truth About Trust, showing us what it takes to trust others and ourselves, and the benefits from instilling that trust.

The Jefferson Exchange: February 14, 2014 Hour 1:Rebroadcast: The Last Hunger SeasonPeople who grow food for a living. It’s been an annual event in Western Kenya, as the gap between last year’s stored grain and this year’s harvest produced a period of famine. Journalist and activist Roger Thurow profiled the problem in search for solutions in THE LAST HUNGER SEASON.