Between Us

Sharon Salzberg has been a central figure in Buddhism in the United States for decades.  She's written a new book about applying principles of mindfulness to the workplace.  Called' Real Happiness at Work: Meditations for Accomplishment, Achievement and Peace", she talks wi... Read more

Mark Garcia is a Republican candidate running for the 2nd district in the Oregon legislature.  He talked with Don Merrill about what it means to be a "Compassionate Conservative" and how that does and doesn't line up with his fellow conservatives on everything from taxes an... Read more

Don Gavitte is a Democrat running for the Oregon House in the 42d district.  He talked with Don Merrill about what he plans to bring to the legislature as a teacher and what he wants to bring his students and their parents as a legislator. *These interviews are part of a pr... Read more

Republican John Huffman is running for reelection in Oregon's 59th district.  He talked with Don Merrill about his constituents, his family and his level of frustration over how he feels the legislature is sometimes sidelined.  *These interviews are part of a project to inv... Read more

Jo Rae Perkins is a conservative candidate for the US Senate in Oregon. Don Merrill talked with her about what she feels are some of the most relevant issues to Oregonians and Americans in general. *These interviews are part of a project to invite all Oregon candidates for ... Read more

Karl Erickson is a Republican candidate for the 20th legislative district in Oregon.  He talked with Don Merrill about his desire to contribute to good governance, his thinking on retirement and collective bargaining and why he's willing to risk everything he has for what h... Read more

Daniel Pinkwater is a renowned children's author.  As a former and regular guest host for NPR, and an illustrator, he has been telling stories to entertian kids and adults for decades.  Don Merrill talks with Daniel Pinkwater about how he became a children's author and what... Read more

As leader and founder of the band Spyro Gyra, Jay Beckenstein has been on the cutting edge of music for nearly 40 years.  In this interview with Don Merrill, he talks about the dumbing down of the way music is made, and why he's sort of glad he never had a Grammy winning hit. Read more

The US Military wants smart machines to do more and more of the fighting.  But author Mike Maden sees a danger in taking the human element out of war, which he says is a human activity, not a technological activity.  Don Merrill goes in-depth with Mr. Maden and his new book... Read more

Cursive, longhand or whatever you call it, handwriting is disappearing from the American skillset.  The US Postal Service, as well as postal agencies worldwide have seen a drop in letters and cards as people choose e-cards, email and social networks such as Facebook and Twi... Read more