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THE LAST NUCLEAR BLAST

The last nuclear blast ended WWII?
Japan had a hard time deciding what to do, surrender unconditionally, or what.
The ‘or what’ began with Hiroshima and ended with Nagasaki, skipping Kokura twice.
I visited the two men in charge of the new nuclear bomb. They were quiet.
So was I.
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SAM QUINONES ON IMPORTANT WRITING

What’s better than a writer hyping important writing, the importance of writing, and at the same time telling us about their favorite writing book from a dead writer?
If that’s not writing advice, I don’t know what is. Good writing advice is hard to come by.
Will it make you a better writer, you ask?
Only if you write, only if you use it as intended.
Such as:

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CHEESECAKE FACTORY v ST. PAUL’S CATHEDRAL: A STUDY

Timeless design.
Classic vision.
Tasteful architecture.
What more could anyone want from the Cheesecake Factory?
Or, St. Paul’s Cathedral?

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PORTLAND NARRATION WITH MEL BROWN AT THE JACK LONDON

Yesterday I wrote a post about two ladies walking around Portland like they knew where they were going.
They did know where they were going, but there was a hitch.
They weren’t alone.
The Heart of Portland followed along.
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A PORTLAND WALK WITH THE LADIES

What do you miss if you skip the Portland walk?
Trees planted in brick walk ways? Always fun.
The street lamps like the one in the top left?
Wooden models are part of the Oregon Historical Society collection, and they are beautiful.
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toughen up

Wellness Luxury: Feeling Good For Doing Good Again

To do good you don’t have to feel good. If you do it’s a wellness luxury, an expression I just made up. Google wellness luxury. This isn’t that sort of post.   Take mental health for example. Nothing makes any difference to you? No one cares about you? Feeling earful about the future? Feeling sad […]

Self Glossing Portland Writer Gives Cancer Warning

  “Warning? We don’t need no cancer warning,” said everyone who’s never followed directions even once.   With cancer warnings around every corner, every speck of asbestos in the ceiling, breath of air, drink of water, it gets wearing to the point of being normal.   More people with cancer? More young people? More millennials, […]

HPV16 EXPLAINED BY WASHINGTON POST, HPVANDME.ORG

    There’s no fake news about HPV16 explained in the Washington Post, even if you wish it weren’t true. A story headlined, “What men should know about cancer that spreads through oral sex,” ran April 2 this year. Impressive stuff to jump start Head, Neck, and Throat Cancer Week. What should they know? What […]

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boomer years

AVOID ANNIVERSARY MOVIES

A Divorce Downer Of Old Movies. The plan: A nice wedding anniversary with the family followed by a weekend at the same beach you went to on your honeymoon. If anniversaries are a tradition, so is the beach trip. You book your favorite cabin, the one with unobstructed view of the ocean…from the bathroom. Pack […]

WHY THE BIG DISCONNECT? CHINA AND AMERICA

If You Never Fix What’s Not Broken, You’re Not Looking Hard Enough. There’s A Big Break. China is the world’s factory. Everyone agrees. If you disagree, look at labels in the nearest big box store. It’s also leading, or mentioned, in other categories too. Human rights, pollution, the usuals. Sometimes it’s a thin line between […]

WHY WHY IS THE WRONG WORD

Ask Why Then Brace Yourself For A Hit You Didn’t Want. It’s The Wrong Word. No one asks the guy who accidentally whacks a finger with his hammer why he did it. No one asks the cook why they cut themselves. And no one asks the athlete why they lost. Ask why and you won’t […]

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buckle up

King Arthur, The Baby Boomer’s Friend In Need

If reading tales of kings and queens encourage a child’s imagination, dragging them up the treacherous goat trails of Tintagel Castle makes it real. Who does that? Baby Boomers seeking greater cultural meaning. King Arthur is a good one to focus on. You know the story well enough to sound like an authority. Sword in the […]

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 […]

SOUTHERN HISTORY THE RIGHT WAY

A New Southern History Flag For The South? History is like a cat. Once it’s out of the bag, it won’t back. Andrew Jackson won’t fit under anyone’s hat and if he did you’d probably have a lot less hair. The uproar over the Confederate battle flag throws the South for a loop, but not […]

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