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HOLOCAUST REMEMBRANCE WITH EVELYN BANKO

Last night my wife and I, along with our friends Barry and Phyllis, attended a Holocaust remembrance in the Tigard library.

 

Please join us on the 88th anniversary of Kristallnacht for a witnessing by the local Holocaust survivor Evelyn Banko.
She will be talking about her experiences under Nazi persecution in Austria, and her family’s eventual journey to safety in the US by way of Latvia and the Soviet Union. 
Caution: strong language involving violence and death.
Program presented in partnership with the Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education.

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TAKING PART IN FAMILY LIFE

Family life takes time. Ask the Baldwins with their seven kids.
Keep that in mind, you youngsters, when you decide it’s time to join in.
Join the club, the family club, sooner than later.
Why?
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THE TRUTH, GETTING A HANDLE

Getting a handle on the truth shouldn’t be a big hurdle to clear.
All it takes is a little self-awareness.
The truth is your friend if you’re not too sketchy.
Will it set you free? Well . . .
It depends on the sort of shackles your used to.
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‘DOING RESEARCH’ AND OTHER EXCUSES

What counts as doing research?
For writers it’s an easy answer: Everything is research.
And because everything is research, the trick is finding what matters more.
Is it writing about where you are, how you feel, the people you’re with?
The correct answer? All of the above.
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TWO STORIES + ONE MAN = GREAT LITERATURE? OK LEO

Where does great literature come from?
From more than two stories, but first about ‘that man.’
The great literature man.
Where does he come from?
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toughen up

AUTHORITARIAN PARENT? WHAT OTHER KIND IS THERE

    A scene from the movie Vision Quest shows Louden Swain’s buddy Kuch at home with his dad. Instead of a bonding moment of shared struggle, the dad slaps Kuch around, telling him he’ll never be nothing.   Nothing. Wrestling might make him feel like a big shot, but he’ll still be nothing.   […]

HPV16 VACCINE IN CONSUMER REPORTS

The HPV16 vaccine article in Consumer Reports pushes hot buttons across the board. It’s easy to understand why.   I’m a father of two, but it’s more than that. Too many parents are overwhelmed with the joy of their own reproductive skills and the bundle of joy as a result. I know I was.   […]

Average American Man = Fat?

This is what it looks like my boomers. Average American from The Atlantic. The artist compares Average American, named Todd, to other countries. Do you agree with this interpretation, or is there something missing?

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boomer years

A MILLENNIAL EAGLE IN THE SKY

Score For Boomer Music…Again. Wednesday night the Eagles played the Moda Center at the Rose Quarter in Portland, Oregon. Rock Royalty came to town to play the hits from a long career, but they are a different breed than most royals. First off, they’re not English, so they could care less about royalty. The Rolling […]

Way Back When Turning Thirty Was Old Age

    I asked a fifty year old man what turning thirty really meant. I was twenty nine at the time.   He said, “It’s easier wearing a shirt and tie without feeling like a fraud.”   Fraud? That’s it? Shirt and tie?   Way back when turning thirty was old age I asked old […]

BULLIES AND BITCHES: BORN THAT WAY?

Genetics no excuse for bullies and bitches. Some time ago in the Baby Boomer fog of age, like grade school in the mid-60’s at Bangor Elementary, voted the cool school by all former Bearcats, bullies and bitches came in all shapes and sizes. Turns out the time of day also mattered for them. A kid […]

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buckle up

Get Your Medical History In Another Language

In The Hospital And You Don’t Speak The Language. Now What? Do you like new places, the sort where you step off a plane and think, “It looks normal enough,” but you know it’s not? You know because you showed up after language immersion and Rosetta Stone, and you still don’t understand what anyone says. […]

FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT DEFINES SHADOW AND LIGHT IN ARIZONA

Look to Frank Lloyd Wright when the world grows too tight. Mr. Wright didn’t plan for jet contrails to cross over his compound in Arizona, did he? If heaven makes plans, and he gets a say, it couldn’t have worked out better during an inspection tour of Taliesin West.  Why else would the white lines in […]

LADY DAY PLAYS BOOMERPDX BAR AND GRILL

“Most men won’t go to live theater with their wives,” was an observation my wife shared. We were walking out of Portland Center Stage at the Armory on NW 11th by Powell’s Tuesday night when she said it. I was revved up after seeing LADY DAY AT EMERSON’S BAR AND GRILL. “Did I ever thank […]

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