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Racism, Wildfire, And Your Dark Side: JX November 17-21

Reconsiderations of racism and our approach to wildfire are among the topics coming up on The Jefferson Exchange during the week of November 17.

And just for good measure, we'll throw in a discussion of why it might be important to stay in touch with your darker emotions (on Friday).

Here's the rough list for the week, with additional guests and segments coming...

Monday, November 17, 2014/8:00            Assisting Suicide Survivors
These dark, cold months of the year can really be hard on people's emotions.  Which probably explains why International Suicide Survivors Day is coming up soon (November 22nd).  Winterspring, based in the Rogue Valley, is versed in helping people deal with grief and loss from a variety of circumstances.  Executive Director Julie Lockhart and Shoshana Alexander explain the mechanisms, and the preparations for Suicide Survivors Day.   
winterspring.org

Monday, November 17, 2014/8:30            SOU's Pleasant Enrollment Surprise
The initial projections for the current academic year showed a decline in enrollment at Southern Oregon University.  The projections turned out to be wrong, happily.  SOU is actually bigger this year, with a freshman class several dozen students bigger than expected.  SOU bosses grace the studio with word of enrollment and its effects.  
www.sou.edu

Monday, November 17, 2014/9:00            Field Exercises That Don't Train For Battle
"Field Training Exercises" is a military term.  The FTX, as it's known, does what the name implies… gets soldiers ready for battle in realistic conditions in the field.  Stephanie Westlund turns the terminology on its head in her book "Field Exercises: How Veterans Are Healing Themselves through Farming and Outdoor Activities."  She details the work some veterans are doing in nature to get past their military experiences.  She joins us with an overview.  
http://www.fieldexercises.com/

Tuesday, November18, 2014/8:00            Recognizing Racism--And Correcting
Oregon's history with people of color is a bumpy one.  Laws excluding African-Americans from living in the state stayed on the books until well into the 20th century, and even modern-day liberal towns like Ashland were Ku Klux Klan strongholds.  That was then.  But even now, there are efforts to recognize and respond to racism.  Author and organizer Ahjamu Umi embraces those efforts.  He'll lead a workshop tonight (November 18th) in Grants Pass and another in Ashland tomorrow (November 19th).  He lays out the approach to dealing with institutional racism in today's world.   
http://www.abetterworld.me/me.html

Tuesday, November18, 2014/9:00            Death With Dignity Update
The voice and face of Brittany Maynard put Oregon's assisted suicide law front and center once again.  Maynard was just the latest in long line of people to use the law.  But her age, 29, and the fact that she moved to Oregon to use the law made her case stand out.  Death With Dignity laws are still rare.  We talk with Peg Sandeen, the Executive Director of the Death With Dignity National Center about the progress of the movement.  
http://www.deathwithdignity.org/

Wednesday, November 19, 2014/8:00        Sprucing Up Streetscapes In Medford
The skyline of Medford has certainly changed in just a few years.  Between the Higher Education Center, the Lithia Motors headquarters and the coming Jackson County Health Services building are among the structures giving the city a different look.  Now the skyline could use some complementary streetscapes, at least in the view of the Metro Medford Downtown Association.  MMDA would like to see the formation of an Economic Improvement District to bring in money from property owners to dress up the sidewalks and amenities.  MMDA boss Diane Raymond visits.  
https://www.alignable.com/Medford-OR/Heart-Of-Medford

Wednesday, November 19, 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 emailing JX@jeffnet.org.

Wednesday, November 19, 2014/9:00        Coexistence With Wildfire
The recent report on coexistence with wildfire may bring you up short.  For one thing, it points out the big differences between our approaches to wildfire and other disasters.  We gird against earthquakes and coastal storms, for example, but don't try to stop them.  The attitude toward fire is different, and generally does not involve urging people to build homes farther from fire zones.  Lead author Max Moritz and co-author Dennis Odion from Southern Oregon University join us.   
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v515/n7525/full/nature13946.html

Thursday, November 20, 2014/8:00        Un-Damming The Salmon
Before we fully understood anadromous fish, the kind that swim upstream to spawn, we put a lot of obstacles between them and their spawning grounds.  Dams big and small went up on creeks and rivers, preventing fish passage.  Now many dams are coming down, including one on Cottonwood Creek in Tehama County.  U.S. Fish and Wildlife oversaw the project, which returns five miles of stream to spawning habitat.  We talk to project managers about how it all came together.  
http://www.fws.gov/redbluff/

Thursday, November 20, 2014/9:00        Hair Of The Dog? "Expectation Hangover"
Nothing like getting your hopes up about something in your life, only to have reality dash those hopes onto the rocks.  Christine Hassler calls that an "Expectation Hangover."  Hassler's book by that name tracks the various sources of the problem, and suggests ways to get the expectations to better match the likely outcomes.  She visits with details on the approach.  
http://www.expectationhangover.com

Friday, November 21, 2014/8:00            Sing Out With The Rogue Valley Chorale
It's beginning to look a lot like… and you can finish the phrase.  You probably heard the tune in your head as you read it.  Music and Christmas go together like Santa and sleighs, and many musical groups will sing in the season.  Count the Rogue Valley Chorale among them.  RVC presents its seasonal concerts on the first weekend in December, part of several offerings through the year.  Artistic Director Laurie Anne Hunter joins us.  
http://roguevalleychorale.org/

Friday, November 21, 2014/9:00            Using (Not Giving In To) The Dark Side
We're often counseled to be pleasant and polite, and not let ourselves rage at the people and situations that cause consternation.  Maybe a little rage is a good thing.  So say the authors of "The Upside of Your Dark Side."  They point out that the positive emotions are generally good for us and the world at large.  But the negative emotions that can fire us up have their uses, too.  Co-author Robert Biswas-Diener joins us to explain.    
http://www.penguin.com/book/the-upside-of-your-dark-side-by-todd-kashdan/9781594631733
 

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Geoffrey Riley is a graduate of the University of Missouri School of Journalism and has hosted the Jefferson Exchange on JPR since 2009. He's been a broadcaster in the Rogue Valley for more than 35 years, working in both television and radio.