The Jefferson Exchange

The art of accounting is a very old and useful one. 

It helps us know where the money goes, in personal and business and governmental accounts. 

But as accounting grew in stature and usefulness, efforts to get creative with numbers also grew. 

Remember the book and movie "Being There?" 

The main character is mistaken for a genius because he speaks about life as a garden… but that's because gardening is all he knows. 

We'll give Zen Buddhist priest Karen Maezen Miller credit for a broader knowledge of life than that. 

Façade upgrade, check. 

Roof beam repair, check. 

Medford's Holly Theatre is coming back to life, slowly but surely. 

The Holly is not yet open for performances, but is open for tours. 

And those are impressing visitors and helping bring in dollars to finish the restoration. 

The most contentious portion of the debate over forest management concerns old-growth timber. 

Can the timber industry be healthy without cutting down ancient trees? 

Scientists, including Dominick DellaSala at Ashland's Geos Institute, say yes. 

Geos and other organizations just teamed up on a study showing that old-growth logging could be phased out in Alaska's Tongass National Forest in just six years. 

A study focused on ending old growth logging, World Population Day, and reactions to the Hobby Lobby case are among the highlights of the week on the Jefferson Exchange, July 7-11, 2014.

What follows is the list--still a-building--just before the Independence Day weekend.

Guests and segments can change with little notice; we'll add pretty pictures and links the day prior to air.

The Exchange staff declares independence from work on the Fourth of July. 

We'll take the day off, but air a pair of interviews from previous programs. 

Ashland gets another community theater group, and Camelot Theatre takes on Les Miserables.

Those are the highlights of this month's First Friday Arts segment. 

And then there's the BIG highlight that needs to be mentioned: since the First Friday this month is the Fourth of July, First Friday moves to the first THURSDAY of the month. 

If only the Declaration of Independence had been signed in March. 

Then we'd have fireworks in the part of the year when it's not so hot and dry. 

Alas, we celebrate independence on July 4th. 

Even in towns where consumer fireworks are illegal--like Ashland--firefighters keep a sharp eye out for sparks around the holiday. 

Your dinner plan was perfect… good foods, a good mix of flavors, and all healthy to boot. 

But then it just didn't turn out right. 

The food was either over- or under-done. 

It took longer than its supporters envisioned, but Opportunity Village Eugene finally got off the ground, and has a track record now. 

The village is a place for homeless people to stay while they look for permanent housing. 

It's a constant challenge for Eugene's large homeless population.