The Jefferson Exchange

The Jefferson Exchange: July 19, 2013, Hour 2: Water Contamination When the hottest days of summer arrive, we want to jump into water--any water.  But in recent years warnings have gone out about avoiding certain bodies of water, due to a number of potential problems ranging from fecal contamination to toxic bacteria blooms.  You'll hear about some of the waterborne concerns and how health workers address them. 

The Jefferson Exchange: July 18, 2013 Hour 1B:Pressure on Plastic Bags Three Oregon communities already banned single-use plastic bags from stores, and the push is on to lengthen the list.  A campaign led by Environment Oregon is traveling the state, touting the virtues of shopping with reusable or recyclable bags.  You'll hear about the campaign's targets and progress.

The Jefferson Exchange: July 18, 2013 Hour 2:Food Politics Any industry wants you to buy more of its products over time.  And public health nutritionist Marion Nestle argues the food industry is very much the same... it wants to sell you more of its products, even if you already have enough calories in your life.  She explores the efforts to get you to eat more--or at least buy more--in her book "Food Politics: How the Food Industry Influences Nutrition and Health," now in its 10th anniversary edition.

VENTSday--Trayvon Martin Case & GOP Austerity Push Our weekly ritual is renewed, as we throw a pair of topics on the table--in theory, unrelated--and open up the phone lines and the email box to gather your take on either or both of the issues.  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. THIS WEEK: A) Trayvon Martin Case--in the wake of the acquittal of George Zimmerman B) Republican austerity push

The Jefferson Exchange: July 17, 2013 Hour 2:The Skies Belong to Us In these days of long security lines and baggage and food charges on planes, we view earlier decades of air travel wistfully.  And in so doing, we forget about the spate of hijackings in the 60s and 70s.  One of the more spectacular hijackings--involving a woman from Coos Bay and a plan to swap hostages for Angela Davis--is detailed in the book "The Skies Belong to Us: Love and Terror in the Golden Age of Hijacking."  Author Brendan Koerner joins us.

The Jefferson Exchange: July 16, 2013, Hour 1B: OK for the K-Plan Oregon's reputation as a leader in health care innovation got another boost recently when the federal government approved the K-Plan, the nickname for a plan to address the needs of low-income seniors and people with disabilities.  You'll hear what makes the K-Plan innovative, and how it will be implemented.

The Jefferson Exchange: July 16, 2013, Hour 2: Star Wars in Cartoons The "Star Wars" franchise always paired a sense of humor with seat-grabbing adventure.  The humor wins out in a pair of books by graphic novelist and comic artist Jeffrey Brown.  Brown follows his bestselling picture book "Darth Vader and Son" with a book that imagines the Dark Lord raising his daughter... "Vader's Little Princess."  Jeffrey Brown joins us to talk about the creative process and the result.

The Jefferson Exchange: July 15, 2013 Hour 1B: Pay Forward (For Tuition) The very same day that interest rates doubled on federally-backed student loans, the Oregon legislature passed a bill that could change the way state university students pay for their educations.  The Pay Forward, Pay Back bill--in theory--would allow students to forgo tuition while in school, if they agree to pay a percentage of their income for years after graduation.  There are many details still to be worked out.  You'll hear more on the concept and what happens now.  

The Jefferson Exchange: July 15, 2013 Hour 2: Bay Bridge Mastermind The big dedication is postponed once again, but sometime in the next few months, a new section of the famous San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge will open to traffic.  The new eastern span is a radical departure from the structure it will replace, and we get to talk to the architect about his work and the book he wrote about it, "Bay Bridge: History and Design of a New Icon."  

The Jefferson Exchange: July 12, 2013, Hour 1B: Legislative Lookback The halls of the Oregon state capitol are mostly silent these days, a far cry from just a few days ago.  The state legislature ran past its intended adjournment and stayed in session until Monday.  It was a productive session by some measures and a contentious one by some others.  Legislators will join us to give their final assessments.

The Jefferson Exchange: July 12, 2013, Hour 2: Approaching the Natural If you want to lose weight, you go on a diet, right?  Mendocino's Sid Garza-Hillman may beg to differ.  He's observed lots of people taking on approaches to eating and exercising that they can't or don't maintain.  Garza-Hillman is a certified nutrionist and weight management coach, and his ideas are enumerated in the book "Approaching the Natural: A Health Manifesto." 

The Jefferson Exchange: July 11, 2013 Hour 1B:Raising Shasta Dam It's already a big dam, and yet Shasta Dam could rise even higher.  A proposal to raise extend the height of the dam to meet water needs is now in the form of a Draft Environmental Impact Statement, and a public comment period is open, with hearings set for Redding and other communities.  You'll hear the issues propelling the proposed change.

The Jefferson Exchange: July 11, 2013 Hour 2:Drugs and Cartels The word "cartel" may be used a bit casually, but there is little question that elements of Mexican organized crime are present in Oregon and California, with a hand in drug crimes and violence.  We'll talk about the extent of the involvement and what police are doing to get a handle on the problem, with members of MADGE: Medford Area Drug and Gang Enforcement. 

The Jefferson Exchange: July 10, 2013 Hour 1B: VENTSday-Native Mascots + Limiting Inmates Our weekly ritual is renewed, as we throw a pair of topics on the table--in theory, unrelated--and open up the phone lines and the email box to gather your take on either or both of the issues.  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. THIS WEEK: A) Should Native American team names be scrapped? B) Should sentences be adjusted to curb prison populations?

The Jefferson Exchange: July 10, 2013 Hour 2: For the Birds Public lands tend to be the focus of many conservation efforts.  For example, when we think of bird habitat, we often think of public forests (think spotted owls) and public wildlife refuges (bald eagles and waterfowl).  But a recent national report stresses the importance of privately-owned land in maintaining bird populations.  The Klamath Bird Observatory assisted in the report; you'll hear about its findings and the workings of KBO.