Think Out Loud

The way in which Americans have purchased firearms, and how they’re advertised, has changed greatly over the years. But a recent study from Oregon State University sheds light on a new group helping target consumers: gun influencers. Aimee Huff and Michelle Barnhart are both associate professors at OSU’s College of Business. They both join us to discuss how gun culture has changed over the years and the role these influencers are playing. 

Portlanders passed a ballot measure in November 2020 to overhaul police oversight with more than 80% of the vote. And exactly how to do that is what the volunteer members of the Police Accountability Commission have been meeting for the better part of two years to do. That commission presented its findings and roughly 100-page report to the city council this summer. The city council will be voting Wednesday on whether to adopt a modified version of that PAC report and give the city attorney the authority to decide what will be submitted to the DOJ. The federal agency must ultimately approve elements for how a new Community Board for Police Accountability will work. That’s because the city is still subject to a federal settlement to address DOJ findings that officers used excessive force on people experiencing mental illness. That agreement included changes to a variety of police policies including the process for investigating officer misconduct. Dan Handleman is a co-founding member of Peace and Justice Works, and a member of the PAC. He joins us to provide an overview of the process, his perspective and what comes next.

Last week, Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum gathered experts from different fields together to talk about the fentanyl crisis facing the state. The all-day event included discussions of the scope of fentanyl addiction, what works to treat it, what young people know about the drug, and how law enforcement  can effectively address the crisis. AG Rosenblum joins us to talk about what she learned, and what the next steps should be in addressing fentanyl abuse in the state.

In July 2022, oceanographer Dawn Wright made history by becoming the first Black person to dive to the deepest known spot on the planet. Victor Vescovo, a former Naval officer, entrepreneur and explorer, invited Wright to accompany him on the expedition to descend more than six-and-a-half miles to Challenger Deep in the western Pacific Ocean.  Wright is the chief scientist at Esri, a California-based company that develops mapping software. Wright used the occasion of her sixth deep sea dive to successfully test and operate a sonar instrument specially designed to withstand the crushing pressure found at Challenger Deep.      Wright is currently a courtesy professor at Oregon State University’s College of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences. She was on faculty as a tenured professor at OSU for 17 years until 2011. She joins us to talk about her expedition to Challenger Deep, which will be the focus of a lecture that she is scheduled to give on Wednesday, Nov. 15, at the OSU campus in Corvallis. Advance registration is required to attend the free lecture online or in-person. 

Many Portland and Seattle sports fans were angry last month after Xfinity announced they would have to pay more to watch Trail Blazers, Mariners and Kraken games on cable. As the Washington Post reports, regional sports networks are feeling the pressure as streaming services cut into their revenues from broadcast rights. And with immersive reality domes expected to broadcast NBA and NHL games in the near future, the experience of sports viewing could be set to dramatically change.  Joining us to talk about the rapidly changing landscape of sports media is Lauren Anderson, director of the Warsaw Sports Business Center at the University of Oregon.

Undergraduates at the University of Oregon have organized student workers - a first in the country at a public institution. The union represents a number of positions, including resident assistants, dining hall workers and other undergraduate positions. Mae Bracelin is a second-year political science student at the University of Oregon. Noah Thompson is a fifth year political science major. They are both organizers with the UO Student Workers union and join us to discuss working conditions they are facing, changes they want in the workplace and what it means to be the first undergraduate workers union. 

Doctor Carlos Sanchez has an unusual and challenging caseload of patients. For one thing, they have scales, feathers, horns and fur, and can’t really say where it hurts. But it’s his job to oversee the medical care and treatment of more than a thousand animals as the head veterinarian at Portland’s Oregon Zoo. In our latest installment in our series on professions, we accompany Dr. Sanchez as he makes his daily rounds to check up on some of his favorite patients. He shares with us the special bond he has with them, the invaluable role zoo keepers play in their wellbeing and the fateful encounter he had as a young boy in Mexico City that would forever change his life. 

Vasectomy rates have risen in the Pacific Northwest and elsewhere in the country since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the legal right to abortion in 2022. At Oregon Health & Science University, Jason Hedges performs about 500 vasectomies a year. He’s also one of the relatively few surgeons who does reversal procedures as well. He says like others in his field, he’s seen the interest rising and wait times for the procedure increase. Hedges joins us to discuss what’s involved and the changes he’s seen over the last several years.

Last summer, Oregon made national headlines as timbers from the infamous Beeswax Wreck were discovered along the North Coast near Manzanita. The Beeswax Wreck, named for one of the products the ship carried, is said to be one of the inspirations for the beloved film, “The Goonies.” The wreck has also attracted the attention of treasure hunters in the past, searching for signs of its wreckage or anything it may have been carrying onboard.   Now, a new documentary and podcast series shares the story behind one of those treasure hunters in its first episode. “The True Quest for Fabled Treasure on the Oregon Coast,” is episode one of the new series, “Secrets of the Mysteries.” The documentary will be screening Dec. 10 at the Clinton Street Theater. JB Fisher is the executive producer for the series. Tony Altamirano is the director. They both join us to share more on the supposed treasure lost along the Oregon Coast. 

Mercy Corps, a humanitarian aid organization based in Portland, has had a small staff based in Palestine for years. For the last month, they have been checking in with staff members about the conditions on the ground. The organization is calling for a humanitarian ceasefire to provide aid to Gaza. Arnaud Quemin, the Middle East regional director for Mercy Corps, joins us to talk about what he’s hearing from staff, and what is needed for an effective humanitarian response in Gaza.