Presented by Rosemary Hardin. This presentation will focus on how to care for your own dead in Oregon (yes, it's legal), and why doing so can be emotionally healing, environmentally friendly and a rich, life-affirming experience.
Presented by Dr. Jeff Seward of Pacific University. He returns to survey the three major strands of the socialist tradition--Marxism, anarchism (or "libertarian socialism"), and social democracy--and offer up an assessment of their future prospects based on their historical achievements and failures. Do any of these strands of the socialist tradition still offer a viable alternative to the contemporary development of globalized capitalism? Does capitalism itself have any viable future if its trajectory cannot be shaped in part by the ongoing relevance of the socialist tradition?
Presented by Jeff Strang and Jeff Smith. Could an annual "citizen's dividend," along the lines of Alaska's Permanent Fund, help equalize opportunity among our citizens? How can we tap into wealth ("solid" capital) to generate cash flow ("liquid" capital) desperately needed by those on the lowest rungs of the economy? How would it look if we paid for it by charging annual land rent to private landowners? HGP member Jeff Strang is joined by long-time "geonomist" Jeff Smith. Smith presented to HGP several years ago on shifting property taxes. This exploration of practical economics was presented at the Coalition for a Livable Future's Regional Livability Summit on April 23.
Presented by Catherine Howells, PhD, Adjunct Professor, Portland State University. Catherine will be speaking about the history of Portland's drinking water --where it comes from and how the water system was built. She believes that everyone should know about their drinking water --the history and current state of affairs. Portland has extraordinarily pure water, but it is not without its challenges. Our watershed, which is controlled by the US Forest Service, was logged for decades. Our unfiltered water delivery system is now challenged by EPA regulations. Catherine will discuss these issues from all sides and looks forward to a vibrant discussion of the issues. Catherine was trained as an historian, left the academic world for a career in business, and now finds herself back teaching history. As an Adjunct Professor, she teaches a class each term at Portland State University on Portland's water.