Ross Island sits mid-Willamette just south of downtown Portland, and has a history of being built up and exploited by men, but today it is ruled primarily by nature. From Friendly House, Mike Houck, Director of the Urban Greenspaces Institute, will present his vision of how it can serve as one. Mr. Houck has been a leader in urban nature issues since 1980 when he founded the Urban Naturalist Program at the Audubon Society of Portland. He has co-founded Coalition for a Livable Future (CLF); The national Coalition to Restore Urban Waters (CRUW); The Intertwine Alliance; and The Nature of Cities forum.
Video of Programs (search and sort)
Infantile Morality
12/16/2012
Charles Sullivan
This is a presentation by Charles Sullivan. Children who eventually learn how to reason about moral questions for themselves, without relying on parental commands or threats of punishment, will have moved from an infantile morality to an adult morality. Adults who make moral decisions based solely on the Bible's commands or out of fear of God's punishment will have failed to learn to reason about moral questions for themselves, and will be stuck in an infantile morality. Charles Sullivan teaches philosophy at Portland Community College and Portland State University. He has published articles related to science and philosophy in popular venues such as Skeptical Inquirer, The Secular Web, Writer Magazine, and even Playboy.
Celestial Navigation
11/25/2012
Robert McGown
This is a presentation by Robert McGown. Celestial navigation has been called the lost art. It is still taught at the U.S. Naval Academy. In our discussion, we address the quest for longitude starting with Galileo on to the development of the chronometer. Celestial navigation is used by hikers, climbers, sea kayakers and sailors. Robert McGown is an engineer physicist who works as a self employed electrician. His avocation is astrophysics/astronomy. He has co/authored a number of books including Galaxy Groups and Clustersand The Local Group and Galactic Neighborhood. Robert is active in the scientific community and has completed a Masters thesis in physics at PSU. His hobbies include mountaineering.
A Political Junkie Looks at the Election Results
11/11/2012
Jeff Seward
Jeff Seward, associate professor in the Department of Politics and Government at Pacific University, discusses the election results. Seward has taught comparative politics, political philosophy, and political economy since 1992. He had a previous career as a producer, reporter, and anchorman for public television stations in Boise and Seattle.
Relational Frame Theory and Spiritual Development
10/28/2012
Hank Robb
Relational Frame Theory (RFT) provides a theory of language rooted in the Radical Behavioral tradition of B. F. Skinner after recognizing and addressing the problems with the theories Skinner advanced in the book Verbal Behavior. Rather than "represent things," words are viewed as cues for the important behavior of relating. The basic approach of RFT will be outlined and the implications for "spiritual development" will be discussed. Hank Robb received his Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from the University of Nebraska in 1978. He has served as Director of Counseling and Associate Professor of Psychology at Lewis-Clark State College, Lewiston, Idaho. Since 1986, he has maintained a private practice in Lake Oswego. He also serves as adjunct faculty and a clinical supervisor at Pacific University's Psychological Service Center. He serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Rational-Emotive and Cognitive Behavior Therapy. He is licensed as a psychologist in Oregon and he is recognized by the Humanist Society as a Humanist Minister. In this capacity he conducts weddings and funerals as well as addresses contemporary issues from the perspective naturalistic humanism. He and his wife live in Lake Oswego and are the parents of two adult daughters.