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THE NBA EXPERIENCE WITH PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS

    Top shelf athletics, like the NBA and Portland Trail Blazers, are a study in marketing. More than wins and losses, the NBA Experience draws the crowd. Except the crowd doesn’t know this at first. True fans show up and buy tickets to watch a game played better than anywhere in the world they’ve […]

OREGON CHOICE: RAJNEESHEES OR BUNDY OCCUPATION

  Do guns play the biggest part in this Oregon Choice? There’s a big difference between an event that draws horny dreamers and an event that attracts an armed militia. Which one attracts you? Would you rather hang out in loose fitting orange and red clothes waving to a holy man passing by in a […]

ALL DOGS MATTER, NORTH BEND BULLDOGS MATTER MORE

  Of all mascots, North Bend Bulldogs rise to the top.   You probably heard this before? “You may forget names and faces, but you’ll never forget how you felt being there.” North Bend is where the ‘there’ is. It started early. Those lucky enough to finish their primary and secondary education in one place […]

OREGON’S BIRTHDAY: WHAT YOU MISSED AT 158

  If you skip Oregon’s Birthday party, you’ll never know Oregon.   You read the same stories from around the country. People matching their vibe to a location show up in Portland. Families planning a big move, choosing between ten cities, come to Oregon because Portland checked all the right boxes. Students enroll in colleges […]

MONICA DRAKE: PORTLAND AUTHOR, DETECTIVE, DELIGHT

    Tell me a better Oregon name than Monica Drake, then show me a better story collection.   Oregon Ducks and Monica Drake? Perfect combination. Oregon State Beavers and Monica Nutria? Not so much. In her short story collection, The Folly Of Loving Life, Monica Drake gives TRUTH to this writers’ advice: Only write […]

PORTLAND SUCKS? TELL US MORE ABOUT THOSE FEELINGS

Say Portland sucks and you might be right, but why ruin it for the rest of us.   If Portland sucks for you, that may be just the tip of your iceberg. Blame the city for what? Your attitude, your entitlement, your butt-hurt life? Why not? You don’t know what you want and it bugs […]

PERSONAL PRIDE vs MIND YOUR OWN DAMN BUSINESS

Go ahead and be selfish just this once, keep your personal pride personal.   Who among us admits personal pride? Raise a hand. All up? Good. Pride for you and yours is a cornerstone of civilization, something to build on. You can tell personal pride people when you see them in full blossom. They wear […]

ASTORIA BOOKS, ASTORIA DOCUMENTARY, ASTORIA PLAY

Call it Little Big Astoria?   No one doubts the importance of Astoria in Oregon history. Little Big Astoria looms in the imagination from early sea captains challenging the Columbia Bar, to Lewis and Clark showing up overland, to today. The fish packing, lumber mills, and ebb and flow of new people keep Astoria current. […]

CLAM DIGGERS, CLAM DIGGING, CARRYING A CLAM BUCKET

Life according to clam diggers.   Thoughts of childhood should come with warnings. If it’s one happy, golden moment, after another, it’s not a memory. It’s a Hallmark Card of childhood. Real memories include trying time, leaning time, and what to never do again time. Did you have friends or relatives who owned land and […]

LETTER TO ENGLAND, IN ENGLISH. ENGLAND WRITES BACK

  Who writes a letter to England?   Before you scroll off to other click-bait, consider this: Write one letter to the person or place of your choice. One letter. Start with the usual, “Dear.” Then send it. If your letter sends death threats or rings fire alarms, this isn’t for you. Instead, call it […]