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HISTORICAL ADVICE: THIS IS WORTH SOMETHING, ISN’T IT

March 3, 2021 by

Historical advice usually comes from a book, or a class where some gray bearded funky old man in a musty suit jacket rambles on and on in a cloud of dandruff. Doing history is different than studying history. History museums Do History for everyone else. Museum visitors walk from exhibit to exhibit, floor to floor, […]

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NO PHOTO ZONE? 3 PLACES YOU DON’T WANT TO FIND YOURSELF

February 24, 2021 by

The No Photo Zone is bigger than three, but something happened recently to link historical and cultural events. Three days ago an old man paid the piper for: Doing a job in 1940’s Germany. Even now people get arrested for their concentration camp guard pasts.

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WORK RELATIONSHIPS: BEGINNING, MIDDLE, AND END

February 19, 2021 by

Work relationships usually begin when you start a job and meet everyone. And you’re the new guy, the FNG. Then you settle in and do the work. Until one day someone doesn’t show up. They don’t show up the next day either. Then it happens. You’re no longer the new guy once a replacement for […]

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RED BROOM FOR SWEEPING 2020 HISTORY

December 28, 2020 by

When a big red broom makes all the difference: W.C Fields said, “I once spent a year in Philadelphia. I think it was a Sunday.” He’s got the time-bender figured out better than Einstein after 2020. Has your world felt like a Philadelphia Sunday this year, too? If you read blogs for new ideas, here’s […]

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AMERICAN PRACTICE: VOTE LIKE IT MATTERS

October 19, 2020 by

An American practice is like a medical practice: sometimes we get it wrong. Sometimes we get it right and it’s still wrong. If you’re old enough to vote, do it. Vote like it matters and encourage others to do the same. Voting is part of an American practice, like minding our own business and staying […]

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HISTORY LESSONS? WHO SKIPPED THAT CLASS

October 13, 2020 by

History lessons come the hard way. All the dates and names pile up. We give up on history, and stop paying attention when history reads like a phone book. But once the connections hit and we start linking names, dates, and places, we seek out history lessons. I walked between the Portland Art Museum and […]

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TORCH PASSING? WHEN IS THE RIGHT TIME

October 3, 2020 by

When it comes to torch passing, timing is everything. And it’s usually the wrong time. My dad died the day after my last visit.

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AMERICAN MADE? TIME TO PROVE IT BY VOTING

October 1, 2020 by

American Made is a label that gets tossed around more than it should. It means quality, trust, a better future that the rest of world looks to for guidance. That was then. What does it mean now? Is it still the land of the free, home of the brave?

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REAL NAME? CALL PEOPLE AND PLACES BY THEIR REAL NAME BEFORE IT’S FORGOTTEN

September 21, 2020 by

In a time not so long ago, a real name wasn’t important. It was a liability. Hollywood legends like John Wayne, Rock Hudson, and Marilyn Monroe weren’t good enough when they were known as Marion Morrison, Roy Scherer, and Norma Jeane Mortenson. But those days are long passed according to Benedict Cumberbatch. How did he […]

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HOPEFUL HISTORY THE OREGON WAY

September 14, 2020 by

Opening a book to find hopeful history is pure folly. It’s not history if all the good and bad parts get the whitewash treatment. Too often Oregon history is a mashup of wagon trains and farmers, of noble people of the land, salt of the earth, staking out new ground on behalf of their godly […]

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