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AMERICAN CITY ON THE LEFT COAST: PORTLAND

July 26, 2020 by

Normandy, not Portland Portland, Oregon is an American city on the west coast. Not too big, not too small, but just right for a big rural state on the edge of the North American continent. (Think top left corner of America. That’s Seattle. Everybody knows Seattle. Portland is down from there.) For an extra reminder, […]

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AMERICAN STORY FROM THE LEFT COAST

July 24, 2020 by

Listen hard enough and the sound of progress is the American story. But coming from the wrong mouth to the wrong ears, the story gets twisted a different direction. Is progress defined as making new discoveries to help more people live better lives? I’m going with that until you, dear reader, come up with something […]

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PORTLAND PROTEST SCORECARD FOR THOSE PLAYING AT HOME

July 23, 2020 by

Portland Mayor Image via boing boing Portland protest review: Last night Portland mayor Ted Wheeler hit the streets. How did it go? He got heckled and gassed for his effort. In short, it didn’t go well. What the hell, Portland, if the mayor joins in, where’s the welcome mat? Would past mayors fare as well […]

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PORTLAND DREAM DIES? NO, THIS ISN’T DETROIT, BUFFALO, OR MINNEAPOLIS

July 21, 2020 by

Big question: Is the Portland Dream dead? From a coin flip on the banks of the Willamette River, to a human shield of protest moms downtown, what was the dream to begin with? It’s a big question, one that gets asked when the biggest town in the state pulls a federal response to Black Lives […]

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HOW STRONG PEOPLE PREVAIL OVER TOUGH TIMES

July 5, 2020 by

Strong people come from every corner of the globe. Based on what I call research, wandering around to flatten my learning curve, I met a bunch of strong folks between Philadelphia and Eugene, New York, and Portland. My interpretation of what strong means comes from where I was raised. It’s probably not much different than […]

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BOOMER ANGLE: BE MORE ENGAGING

June 24, 2020 by

The boomer angle of working through life isn’t working so well. The scummy people you see in the news talking from both sides of their mouth? They all aim for the boomer angle. Mr. Trump himself is Boomer #1 in the line up. What happened?

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SOUTH PORTLAND PEOPLE CHANNEL PROUD MARY

June 17, 2020 by

Old painting of a rower An early morning walk by the Willamette showed the sort of Portland people see before they move here. A calm scene, placid water, with sun breaking through scattered clouds for a blinking reflection. With the Ross Island Bridge on the left, and the actual Ross Island in front, dog walkers […]

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HOW TO KEEP HOPE ALIVE WHEN THINGS FEEL HOPELESS

June 16, 2020 by

Keeping hope alive might sound like some Pollyanna talk. Keep hope alive, like it’s dying or something? Who believes that? Well, until a new level of dread arrives, no one. It’s all good, right up until it’s not. That’s when hope starts to fade.

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BUILT STRONG TAKES TIME TO GET IT DONE

June 3, 2020 by

Eiffel Tower, 1888 Who doubts the Eiffel Tower wasn’t built strong? That it’s still standing is the only testament it needs. Data shows it’s the biggest pay to visit site in the world. How strong is that? Like anything else, it started with a good foundation, and isn’t that the basis for anything built strong, […]

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MICHAEL JORDAN WORKED PORTLAND ONE LAST TIME

May 18, 2020 by

Michael Jordan and the Portland Trail Blazers will always be linked. Every sports fan knows the story of Jordan in the ’84 NBA Draft. But no crying over spilled milk here. No, I’m crying over the time I saw him play in Portland toward the end of his time with the Bulls. Where’s my hankie?

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