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A NEIGHBORHOOD MURDER

How Close Is Too Close? Social media beat regular news to the punch. Again. No, it wasn’t Arab Spring and twitter. Not a former USSR satellite and a new Russian claim. How about a nice Portland, Oregon suburb and facebook? A facebook friend posted the story the moment they saw it…from Texas. The official story […]

HUNTING THE ELUSIVE PHILLY CHEESE STEAK IN PORTLAND OREGON

Ask And You Don’t Always Receive When It Comes To Cheese Steaks. After living in South Philadelphia in the mid-70’s I became a fan of the locally named delicacy. The Philadelphia cheese steak isn’t limited to Philadelphia. They’re nation wide. But the question remains: Can you get a good sandwich this side of the Mississippi […]

BABY BOOMERS FIND THEIR SPARK IN 2015

Who Is Your Spark Plug? Nothing, a huge nothing, enhances the miracle of personal transportation like a van carrying three generations of the same family on the freeway at night. With a check engine light flashing. And a loss of power in a sputtering engine. And you’re driving. Think of it as a way to […]

SIXTY @ SIXTY IN THREE PARTS

1. Know your roots. Remember where you came from. Turning 60 means you’ve met lots of people. You’ve had time to meet people; if you haven’t, get started. More than once you’ve had someone give this answer when asked, “Where are you from?” “Lot’s of places.” If you’ve given that answer it’s time to stop. […]

DON’T MEAN NOTHING? OR EVERYTHING?

The Torture Report. All war anniversaries, from WWI, to Pearl Harbor, to closing the operational command in Afghanistan, feel the same. It’s all Vietnam. That war played out on the nightly news through junior high and high school for my classmates. It was the war older brothers were drafted for, the war that robbed another […]

ABE’S MESSAGE ON PEARL HARBOR DAY

On the Portland Park Blocks. “That we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain – that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom – and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.” (via brainyquote.com) From the […]

TRENDING ON BOOMERPDX

The Show Goes On. The overnight numbers show Macular Degeneration In Portland with the most reads, which is quite a coincidence since I just spent a morning with my mother in law getting a treatment for her macular degeneration. The treatment is an exam, then a needle in the eye. And it’s helpful…after a day […]

A SMALL PANEL FOR THE FULL COURT PRESS

Willamette Writers Heard The Word. What’s it take to get writers out of their rooms, to get them to interact with people beyond their circle of usual suspects? A Willamette Writers meeting does it every time. Cookies, coffee, and the Old Church make an enticing lure in downtown Portland. Who wouldn’t go? WW pulls membership […]

THE BIG CHRISTMAS DANCE

Dance It Off No Matter Who’s Watching. From the first junior high dance to your wedding day dance, music and movement play a bright spot. Embarrassingly bright? Probably, but only if you do it right. Take all the dance shows, from Dick Clark’s American Bandstand, Soul Train, and the current Dancing With The Stars, and […]

BABY BOOMERS: OLDER SIBLINGS OF THE WORLD

When Big Brother Is A Good Thing. In a large sense baby boomers have become the big brother of the world. Boomers young (50) and old (68) have caught plenty of heat over the years, but their influence is everywhere. Save the earth? Peace? Equality? Women’s rights? Gay rights? In such a huge demographic, baby […]