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‘SECURITY THREAT ASSESSMENT (STA)?’ I’LL HANDLE THIS ONE

When an agency sends an email about a security threat assessment that is ‘underway’, I feel sort of special, but I can save a load of time if it includes scanning the internet for clues.
In this photo I’m a threat to all decent hotel bellhops.
Jed Clampet don’t need no bellhop. Git away from my travel sacks.
Hotel luggage cart threat?

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MODERN RUNNING FOR YOUR LIFE

Running for your life used to be pretty simple.
There’s something that might kill you if it gets close enough.
And it’s a surprise, a big surprise.
No one needs to tell you what to do:
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PDX WOOD A WELCOME SIGHT

Call it PDX wood, Portland wood, Oregon wood.
Or call it what it is, Douglas Fir from the Cow Creek Band of the Umpqua.
And call it a nice wall.
It’s nice in a way, but unfinished looking.
Your call:

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PORTLAND TRAVEL NOTES: THE BOOKENDS

This is the flat spot in the river bank where people used to take a break.
Whether coming up from the Columbia River, or down on the Willamette, this was the original rest stop for paddlers.
Then it grew, grew some more, and for those of us who’ve traded punches on her streets, it’s all grown up.
And it has bookends on the part people think of when they hear the word ‘Portland.’

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MISTAKEN IDENTITY? MAYBE NOT

It could be a case of mistaken identity if you’re in an outfit led by a naked lady and winged horse all clad in gold.
Where’s the plan? What’s the goal? Is it safe?
No one gives a good answer.
Where’s your plan, what’s the goal, is it safe?
If the plan is to paint yourself gold and get a winged horse you might want to take another look.
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toughen up

PRE-EXISTING CONDITIONS, pt2: FAMILY TRAUMA

Illness defines family trauma over time and it’s exhausting. Remember the movie Ordinary People? The family dynamic wasn’t defined by illness, but death of a child. It didn’t go well for the emotional state of all. There’s was a sudden adjustment with a lifetime effect. Living with a pre-existing condition, or around others with pre-existing […]

CIGARETTE SMOKE ‘EM IF YOU GOT ‘EM? DON’T DO IT

    Tobacco and cigarette smoke, the stuff of dreams and nightmares.   The dream part comes first. Light a stick and enjoy. All you’ve got to do is breath in, breath out, and watch the cigarette smoke curl into shapes. Later comes the nightmare part, the regret, the tubes, the hospital smell, the faces […]

HEALTHCARE BULLY PREYS ON THE WEAKEST

  Any coherent healthcare bully debate needs to go beyond the numbers, the insurance companies. Beyond drug company research and development that puts the BIG in Big Pharma. It’s about who the healthcare bully reaches for in the debate. The most vulnerable, of course. The population currently undergoing severe medical treatment. I’ll use cancer treatment […]

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boomer years

MOTORCYCLE HOODLUM GRANDPA, EARLY WWII ANGEL

  One enchanted evening the man on the hog met a woman at a USO dance. He saw her across a crowded room. They married just before he shipped out to the Pacific Theater of Operations, PTO.   Score for a motorcycle hoodlum, but he was the least motorcycle hoodlum on the road.   He […]

How Teamwork Is Supposed To Work In Real Life

    A team is a temporary group with the same goals. Whether it’s sports, school, work, or family, it’s important to know how teamwork is supposed to work.   The biggest element of teamwork is cooperation, which is in shorter supply than most expect.   For example, in the armed forces all entities compete […]

Oregon BrewFest 2018 Featuring Famous Mandy Hat

  In a tradition unlike any other, the Oregon brewfest is more than tossing beers down on a hot day. It’s civic involvement. I’d like to think every big beer event carries similar goals.   If it’s only about drinking beer you can do that in your garage, or living room, or backyard. But it’s […]

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buckle up

OREGON v ARIZONA PT 1: STATE FACE OFF SERIES

Despite news fakery to the contrary, the sun does shine in Oregon. It’s an elusive beam natives flock to like mosquitoes to a zapper. Not the same in Arizona where people hide in shade half the year, and no mosquitoes. The trade off is a raincoat or sunscreen, the smart gear every Snowbird packs in […]

CATCH PORTLAND FEVER

Once you catch Portland Fever you’re doomed. Drug stores don’t advertise shots in case you catch Portland Fever. It’s not shingles, pneumonia, or the flu. On the other hand it’s not polio, malaria, of tuberculosis. While not fatal, if you do catch Portland Fever, your life is ruined. After a few years in Portland, maybe […]

BOOMER FUTURE, WITH BELLS

Paolo Soleri Sets The Stage With A Desert Vision Of Boomer Future. It might be a Star Wars set, a home on a distant planet, but it’s not. Instead you see the cement/earthen buildings of Cosanti in Arizona. Some of you might mistake Arizona for a distant planet, and you wouldn’t be far off. With […]

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