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)
Elections: What Are They Good For?
03/03/2024
Jeff Seward
Presentation by Jeff Seward. Are free and fair elections really essential to democracy? Are some forms of election subversive of real democracy? How do authoritarian systems use elections? What reforms of our elections would make them more democratic? Jeff has a Ph.D from Stanford. He has had a career in public television as a political reporter, news anchor, and film producer. A retired professor in the Department of Politics and Government at Pacific University, he has presented to us many times in the past.
Hallucinogenic Mushrooms
02/18/2024
Michael Beug
Presentation by Michael Beug, author of “Mushrooms of Cascadia: An Illustrated Key”.In a 1957 Life Magazine article “The Discovery of Mushrooms that Cause Strange Visions.” North Americans were introduced to psilocybin mushrooms. Late in the 1990s, research on psilocybin continued. Since 2010, we have discovered many roles for these compounds in psychotherapy. They also produce mystical experiences, generally increasing empathy. Psilocybe mushroom therapy has the potential to make the world a more caring place. Michael Beug completed his Ph.D. in chemistry at the University of Washington in 1971. He taught for 32 years at The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington. Michael started mushrooming in 1968. His photographs have appeared in over 80 books and articles on mushrooms.
Free Markets
02/04/2024
Jeff Seward
Presentation at Friendly House by Jeff Seward.. Free market fanatics often exaggerate their virtues and all but ignore their potential problems. Progressives often underestimate the virtues of markets but strangely may also underestimate their vices. This lecture explores the virtues of markets as proclaimed by economists like Adam Smith, Milton Friedman, and Friedrich von Hayek but also the vices of markets with radical views of Robin Hahnel. Is there a way to harness the virtues of markets while minimizing their negative effects? Jeff Seward has been a Political Science professor and TV politics reporter, and has presented often to HGP.
The Artist and His Work
01/14/2024
Jerry Dickason
Presentation by Jerry Dickason. Why do I paint? What is it about painting that keeps me painting? All art is problem-solving. I have a curious itch to create that begs to be expressed. Mark-making touches that volatile, internal spot that spurs me on to wonder how to solve a notion of fulfillment. Jerry started studying art after retiring in 2002. In 2007 he began painting in academic and private artists studios.