Think Out Loud

Yabusame is a form of Japanese horseback archery that dates back centuries. The sport has traditionally only been practiced in Japan, but in recent years, students outside the country have been allowed to participate — including in Oregon. As reported in Eugene Weekly, Carey Norland participated in one of the first yabusame clinics outside Japan last summer. He then traveled from Eugene to Japan to compete in the World Yabusame Championships in October.  Norland is now set to become one of the first certified yabusame instructors outside of Japan. He joins us to talk about bringing the sport and its spiritual practice to students in the Pacific Northwest.

The Portland-based Innovation Law Lab was in federal court Wednesday, challenging the ICE policy of arresting immigrants and U.S. citizens without warrants and without due process. If successful, Oregon would join Washington, D.C. and Colorado in preventing this tactic.    From warrantless arrests to unlawful use of force to arresting of journalists and other violations of civil rights, Portland constitutional law scholar Steve Kanter says these federal unconstitutional actions threaten democracy itself. Kanter joins us to put these actions in the context of the fundamental freedoms guaranteed by the First, Fourth and Fifth Amendments. Jordan Cunnings, legal director of the Innovation Law Lab, also joins us to share details about the federal court hearing on warrantless arrests in Oregon.    

 The U.S. Forest Service is responsible for over 370,000 miles of roads and around 160,000 miles of trails, much of which are on federal lands. But, a government report from 2013 found that only about a quarter of these trails met safety or maintenance standards. Even more recent, in November an internal report from the agency showed a 100% loss of trail staff and widespread declining morale. What do we lose when we don’t maintain our trails? What do these trails across the country, and in Oregon, tell us about our history? And what challenges do staff and volunteers maintaining these routes face today? Dillon Osleger is a writer and public lands analyst. His forthcoming book “Trail Works” releases in May and he had a recent story in RE:PUBLIC and High Country News. He joins us to answer these questions and more.

If a 10-billion-ton hunk of glacial ice falls into the arctic ocean and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?   Erin Pettit and researchers at Oregon State University were set to find out.   They’ve been studying melting glaciers by dropping hydrophones — specialized underwater microphones — into the water near these massive ice formations. It turns out, glacial ice has a surprising song: Hissing, popping and sizzling of pressurized bubbles bursting, and low rumbling and crackling of glacial calving events. Some of these distinct noises can tell researchers how the formations have changed over time.   Pettit joins us to discuss her research and show us some of the sounds of glaciers she’s collected.  

A vast amount of our built environment is made of concrete. It’s largely affordable, durable and easy to make. It’s also responsible, by some estimates, for roughly 8% of global CO2 emissions.   But the U.S. is also facing a significant housing demand shortage, and since concrete is one of the primary building materials for houses and apartments, scientists are working to make it more sustainable to produce.   Late last year, a research lab at Oregon State University made a breakthrough when they created a more environmentally friendly concrete derived from soil instead of cement. Besides emitting less CO2 during production, it’s strong, dries fast and it can be 3D printed more rapidly.   Devin Roach is an assistant professor of manufacturing and mechanical engineering at OSU. He joins us to share more about how the concrete was made, why it’s useful and the possibilities for commercial use.  

 Last year, when Kaarin Knudson became the mayor of Oregon’s third-largest city, her plan was to revitalize downtown Eugene, build more housing and shrink the city’s roughly $10 million budget gap for the 2025-2027 biennium.    The goalposts haven’t shifted much, except now there’s a growing problem. Knudson says many of her constituents are concerned about federal law enforcement in their communities, especially after a surge in Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity across Oregon last fall.    Now, Knudson’s mayorship has turned into a balancing act: tackling housing supply, transportation infrastructure and public safety, all with the city’s eyes on Knudson and her office as they navigate ongoing federal uncertainty.    Mayor Knudson joins us to reflect on her first year in office and share how she’s thinking about the road ahead  

 Over the weekend thousands gathered to peacefully protest in S. Portland to speak out against  increased immigration enforcement across the country. But demonstrations did not stay peaceful as federal agents near the ICE facility deployed tear gas that traveled several blocks, affecting many who gathered, including families, children and elderly people. Soon after these events, Portland Mayor Keith Wilson released a statement, asking for those who are working for ICE to resign and said that the city will “swiftly” work to enforce an ordinance that passed earlier this month, which would fine the detention center for using chemical munitions. Alex Zielinski is OPB’s Portland city government reporter and joins us with more details.

A few months ago, Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny guest hosted an episode of “Saturday Night Live” where he appeared in a skit as a Spanish nobleman from the Middle Ages wearing an inky blue robe with gold threading on the collar and sleeves. The costume he wore didn’t come from the show’s wardrobe department. Instead, it was shipped overnight by the Oregon Shakespeare Festival Costume Rentals department in Talent.    As profiled in a recent article in Oregon ArtsWatch, for more than 20 years, OSF Costume Rentals has been making costumes and accessories that were created for its productions available to rent by local theater companies, academic institutions, film and photo shoots and TV shows like “SNL.” The vast digital inventory is searchable online and spans more than 30,000 costumes and accessories, from elaborate Elizabethan gowns and silky Regency dresses to velour smoking jackets and butterfly-collared shirts.    OSF Costume Rentals supervisor Celina Gigliello-Pretto and OSF Director of Productions Malia Argüello share how OSF is preserving its costumes and helping other productions reimagine their possibilities.  

The podcast “Conspirituality” digs into the conspiracy theories arising at the intersection of health, wellness and spirituality. As reported in Willamette Week, the show’s three co-hosts combine their expertise in health journalism, psychology and cult research to "discuss the stories, cognitive dissonances, and cultic dynamics tearing through the yoga, wellness, and new spirituality worlds.”  Portlander Derek Beres is one of the co-hosts of “Conspirituality.” He joins us to talk about analyzing and debunking pseudoscience in a time of unprecedented health misinformation.

If you want to see some really old stuff, Portland isn’t a bad place to be. With dozens of antique shops around the city, it isn’t hard to find objects more than a hundred years old.   But from now until March 6, Lewis & Clark College will do you one better: Its special collections department has unveiled an exhibit featuring manuscripts from the Middle Ages, some dating back to 13th century Europe. While rare now in the 21st century, the items on display were once mundane, everyday objects, including legal documents and prayer books with colorful illustrations.   It’s not often that small liberal arts colleges gain access to such rare documents, as larger research institutions and elite universities frequently take priority. In fact, it’s the first time in nearly three decades that a collection this old has made its way to the Rose City. The exhibit, “Shaping the Soul,” is free and open to the public.   At Lewis & Clark College, Hannah Crummé is the head of special collections, and Karen Gross is a medievalist and professor of English. They join us to share more about the manuscripts and their significance today, hundreds of years later.