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)
Race Relations in Portland/Vancouver
06/04/2017
Ena Abel
Ena Abel shares her research on the experiences of African Americans on each side of the Columbia River after the Vanport flood of 1948. Abel received her bachelor’s degree from Washington State University in Vancouver in May. She specializes in African American history and public history.
Is Christianity Coherent?
05/21/2017
Stephen B. Gray
Presentation by Stephen B. Gray. His answer to “Is Christianity Coherent?” is NO. His reasons include various rejections and criticisms of God, Jesus, faith, sin, punishment, guilt, and evil. For example, Mr. Gray says that “the God idea explains nothing,” “faith is defective thinking,” “original sin is an idiotic idea,” and that Jesus’s sacrifice for us makes no sense. Mr. Gray studied STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) and has worked as a computer hardware and software designer. He is now a writer.
Death With Dignity
05/07/2017
Sarah Blanchette
Sarah Blanchette presents an overview of what the Death with Dignity National Center does. She provides a brief outline of the Death with Dignity laws in Oregon, Washington, and other states, and then leaves time for questions and discussion. Ms. Blanchette is a social worker. In Oregon she has connected with a new organization: End of Life Choices Oregon. She believes that having true choice and autonomy at the end of one’s life is a human right.
Crossing Party Lines
04/30/2017
Joyce Lackie
Presentation by Joyce Lackie. One expects disagreement in a democracy. Many feel, however, that the 2016 election has polarized the nation to an alarming degree. We see fledgling movements, some here in Portland, to counteract this polarization. Jonathan Haidt, author of The Righteous Mind, explains how people make political and religious decisions based on widely varying moral values. Searching for common ground, we look at the moral bases for how Republicans, Democrats, and Libertarians form many of their policies. Joyce has been a member of HGP since 2004 and serves on the program and scholarship committees. A Ph.D. from the University of Alabama, she has taught at three universities. She has been retired for twenty years and is now traveling and volunteering.