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)
Role of NAACP in Today’s Politics
01/21/2018
Jo Ann Hardesty
Jo Ann Hardesty presents a discussion about how the NAACP is organizing community members to stand up to hate speech and racial violence in today’s political and cultural climate. Hardesty grew up in Baltimore and has lived in Portland for nearly 30 years. Following service in the Navy, she worked as Advisor to County Chair Beverly Stein. She served in the Oregon Legislature from 1995 to 2001. She is president of the Portland Branch of the NAACP and has been a radio host at KBOO. She has received awards for her community activism.
Rare Diseases
01/14/2018
Susan Hayflick & Penny Hogarth
Presentation by Susan Hayflick & Penny Hogarth. We know the cause of a devastating childhood disease. While we can’t yet correct the gene mutation that causes this disease, we have found a way to restore normal function. Moving this promising treatment from bench to bedside has involved fighting the evils of drug company greed. Susan Hayflick, M.D. is Chair of the Department of Molecular & Medical Genetics at OHSU. Penny Hogarth, M.D., is an associate professor of Genetics and Neurology at OHSU.
Open Discussion
12/17/2017
Don Baham
The scheduled speaker did not show up, so we decided to have an open discussion. The topic chosen was: “Do religious people have techniques that can help us promote humanism?” To launch the discussion, we viewed a short video presenting a naturalistic theory of religion. This was followed by an discussion among audience members.
Why No Peace in Israel/Palestine?
12/10/2017
Joel Beinin
Presentation by Joel Beinin. The United States has been the principal international mediator of the Palestinian-Israel “peace process” since the 1991 Madrid Conference. Has it been an “honest broker”? What do the Palestinians and Israelis expect from a peace agreement? Is there sufficient common ground between them to support an agreement? Joel Beinin is Professor of Middle East History at Stanford University.