The role of prescribed fire, the killing of elephants for ivory, and Medford's new music/art festival all get an airing on the Jefferson Exchange the week of September 15th.
We'll also talk about mixing drinks, language immersion programs, and flying saucers.
Something for everyone? We hope so. Below is the list for the week, minus the pictures and links.
Monday, September 15, 2014/8:00 Celebrating Books And Authors (And Readers)
Maybe books on paper are becoming passe', but people still love to read. Witness the voter creation of a special district to keep libraries open in Jackson County earlier this year. Another library, the Hannon Library at Southern Oregon University, celebrates books and their makers with its third Ashland Book and Author Festival. The event is being held in the fall this year for the first time, rather than the spring. SOU librarian Jeffrey Gayton drops in with the details.
http://hanlib.sou.edu/bookfest/
Monday, September 15, 2014/8:30 Pushing For More Deliberate Fires
The question is often asked during fire season, when thousands of acres are going up in smoke: weren't we talking about restoring regular fires to the ecosystem? The answer is yes. Or yes, BUT... the scientific answer is one thing, the political is another. The Bureau of Land Management and other agencies do perform prescribed burns. But the recently-formed Southern Oregon Prescribed Fire Network is alarmed by a downward trend in funding for such burns. Network chair Jim Wells visits to explain.
http://www.blm.gov/or/resources/fire/prescribedburns/
Monday, September 15, 2014/9:00 Sending The Poachers Packing
The rate of poaching of African elephants is simply shocking. By one estimate, the entire continent could be devoid of elephants within a decade, killed by poachers taking the elephant tusks for ivory. Pratik Patel founded the African Wildlife Trust to work for the protection of the elephants, primarily with the government of Tanzania. Part of Patel's jobs is traveling the world publicizing the work. He joins us in the studio to lay out the story.
http://africanwildlifetrust.org/
Tuesday, September 16, 2014/8:00 Language Immersion Comes To Central Point
"Immersion" programs in schools do not involve throwing students in actual water. But they do end up in a pool of students who speak either English or another language, and the class is taught in both languages. Language immersion programs are fairly common, but brand new in the Central Point school district. Jewett Elementary is home to a first-grade class taught primarily in Spanish, with a mix of English- and Spanish-speaking children. Jewett Principal Tom Rambo explains the benefits.
http://www.district6.org/do/
Tuesday, September 16, 2014/8:30 Fresh Food With Food Stamps
A frequent complaint about "food stamp" programs (Oregon Trail in Oregon, CalFresh in California) is that users can buy processed or otherwise less-than-wholesome foods. Which is why the Fresh Rewards program exists. It encourages Oregon Trail card holders to buy fresh produce, by matching part of the value of the purchase, stretching the value of the card. We hear how the program works in the Medford area, with boost to the incentives for Hunger Action Month in September.
http://www.accesshelps.org/index.asp
Tuesday, September 16, 2014/9:00 Getting To Know "The Man From Mars"
Before "Star Wars," we had "Star Trek." Before "Star Trek," we had flying saucers to think about… and worry about appearing in real life. Chalk that worry up as a success for one Ray Palmer. As a writer and editor on some of the country's premier fantasy and science fiction publications, he cranked out a lot of influential material in the mid-20th century. Author Fred Nadis tells Palmer's story in "The Man from Mars: Ray Palmer’s Amazing Pulp Journey."
http://www.penguin.com/book/the-man-from-mars-by-fred-nadis/9780399160547
Wednesday, September 17, 2014/8:00 12 Bottles=A Full Bar
Anybody who drinks alcoholic beverages can describe what a bar looks like… especially the profusion of bottles in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colors. Now imagine making a home bar out of just 12 bottles. Not only can it be done, the makers of the web page 12 Bottle Bar have been demonstrating the practice for several years, and have written a book on the same subject. Before they appear at an event in the Rogue Valley, we'll grab them for a quick interview on making hundreds of cocktails from just a dozen bottles.
http://12bottlebar.com/
Wednesday, September 17, 2014/8:30 VENTSday
VENTSday is our weekly "opinion swarm"… we throw a pair of topics on the table, and let listeners vent--politely--on those topics. They can range from the global to the hyper-local, and all responsible opinions are welcome. 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.
Wednesday, September 17, 2014/9:00 Feminism, Activism, and "Take Me To Mercy"
We learned about the life, feminism and activism of the late Tillie Olsen last year from her daughter, Kathie Olsen. Kathie is an author in her own right, with a new book based on some of the social justice themes her mother embraced. "Take Me To Mercy: How The Carrie Nation Changed My Life" is set amidst the women's movement of the 70s. Kathie Olsen visits once again to discuss her work.
http://www.kathieolsen.com/take-me-to-mercy.html
Thursday, September 18, 2014/8:00 Medford's New Downtown Art And Sound Event
Medford comes alive this weekend (September 19-20) with a brand-new event. The downtownART+SOUND (that's how the organizers spell it) will present music and visual arts at a number of venues around Medford. Those include an art display at the Holly Theatre, the first real event at the Holly in nearly three decades. We visit with the Holly boss and other festival organizers.
http://downtownartandsound.com/
Thursday, September 18, 2014/8:30 Blazing Trails With ATA
Some of us are leaders, some are followers. Some walk trails, and some blaze them. Put the Applegate Trails Association into the "blaze" category. ATA members put in a lot of time and effort, leading hikes and working to make new trails. The association's recent efforts include the Applegate Ridge Trail (ART). An association member stops by to talk about the group and its work.
http://www.applegatetrails.org/
Thursday, September 18, 2014/9:00 On The Battle Lines With "Soldier Girls"
The 21st century American wars in Iraq and Afghanistan represented a departure from the American military adventures of the past. Put aside the political for a moment and consider the gender issue: both wars featured large numbers of American women in uniform for the first time. Writer Helen Thorpe got to know three of them, both near the battle front and at home, for her book "Soldier Girls: The Battles of Three Women at Home and at War."
http://books.simonandschuster.com/Soldier-Girls/Helen-Thorpe/9781451668100
Friday, September 19, 2014 Revisiting Past Favorites
The Exchange takes a single day's rest from live broadcasting for staffing reasons today. But we pull up some notable interviews from the past for your enjoyment.
At 8: Notre Dame professor Candida Moss rebuts the tales of Christian persecution through the ages in her book "The Myth of Persecution."
At 9: Kishore Mahbubani raises a possibility only hinted at by the United Nations: a single world government. His book is "The Great Convergence."
http://www.harpercollins.com/9780062104526/the-myth-of-persecution
http://www.mahbubani.net/book4.html
