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NORTH BEND HEROES START HERE

 Calling North Bend a small town is a disservice to real small towns everywhere.
Driving south on 101 and crossing the North Bend Bridge takes you under this sign.
If you’re not paying close attention and keep going the same direction, the entire area of the largest metro complex on the Oregon coast feels like it’s all North Bend, especially if you miss the little coos bay sign.
How can the biggest city on the coast be a small town?
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READING HISTORY LIKE IT MEANS SOMETHING?

Reading history is the same as reading a story, but it comes with a bonus:
You can check the validity of the history story, check the sources, visit the places history happened and is still happening.
When old people check sources it’s because they have nothing else to do?
Baby boomers visit historical sites not to learn anything new, but to confirm their already established believes?
If this sounds like a load of crap, you are correct.
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THE LONG VIEW

As most people eighteen and over know, there is a future and they will be in it.
The big question is where?
At least it should be a big question unless you come from ‘down in the valley where mister when you’re young, they bring you up do to like your daddy done.’
Those guys never had to figure things out too much, like where will they be five years from now, and five years after that.
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TAUGHT IN SCHOOL, LEARNED AT HOME

Where I come from what I learned in school, what I was taught in school, was echoed at home.
What I learned at home made me a better student.
Can I blame my parents that I wasn’t the valedictorian? Or salutatorian?
Or top half of my class? Maybe.
I just asked my wife, “What’s the most important thing you learned in school?”
(Since she’s soon to retire she’ll have time to appear here.)
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DIFFERENT SOLDIERS? HOW DIFFERENT

The men in uniform during WWII were different soldiers, different kind of people.
The Axis powers carried an extreme devotion to duty, an extreme devotion to their emperor, and an extreme devotion to cruelty over helpless victims.
By the way, this isn’t new, not breaking news, but a reminder for short-memoried morons who ought to know better.
All of the extreme devotion of the German and Japanese armies ended with their defeat?
What exactly ended?
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toughen up

The Best Medicine Not In The Cabinet

When the New York Times posts on Facebook you know it’s an important subject. Newspapers in the digital age can’t afford to waste print. Is it war in the Middle East? Famine in Africa? Economic doom in America? Is sweating good for you? It’s all of the above, but the last one is tricky.

GUN WORLD SURROUNDS YOU? What’s It Mean When You Don’t Notice

  A gun world is all around us in America. Start a casual conversation and you might learn the mild mannered person you’re talking to owns thirty guns.   Since it’s so long ago, I like reflecting on my days as an Army medic. It comes in handy helping me pretend not be as grossed […]

TRAUMA NATION AMERICA IN 10 POINTS

Is America The Leader In The Race To The Top Of Trauma? 10 Reasons For Yes On Trauma Nation America. Recent research shows DNA passes down trauma markers from parents to kids. That means if a father suffers a traumatic event his DNA adapts and gets installed in his children. It could be a good […]

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boomer years

AUTHOR PHOTOS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS? Pt.1

    Do Not Make Direct Eye Contact?   This man looks like he might be blind, which explains the eye contact part. The other part is what an author looks like from different time periods. There’s little difference in the region under a beard from any period.   If Mt. Rushmore for writers needs […]

Singing Through The Christmas Noise

Once the commercial side dies down, you still have to get home. Did you have a party? We organized singing. It lasted one Christmas carol. Someone misunderstood the rules of Karaoke. You need music with scrolling words, not scrolling words with guitar chords and no guitar. I don’t remember the song, but one Christmas spirited young […]

GENERATION BOOMER AND THE DAMAGE DONE

They came in the as Boomer Generation, leaving as a Generation Boomer. Generation Boomer, at least those with millennial kids, lived up to the name. Our Millennials lead the list of the ‘most populous generation’ category. And most photogenic. You can’t be too smug when you’ve produced the biggest generation since the Baby Boomers, the […]

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buckle up

HISTORIC MICHIE TAVERN IN VIRGINIA FOR LUNCH HISTORY

Did Thomas Jefferson have a favorite tavern? If he did, and he was a good neighbor, it would have been the Michie Tavern. Not far from his home, Monticello, Michie Tavern was right there at the bottom of the hill. Except it was moved from miles away, which doesn’t mean it wasn’t a favorite watering […]

Walking Portland Memory Lane One Alley At A Time

As much as you hear about people moving to Portland, loving Portland once they get here, it’ll never be their home until they’re walking Portland on memory lane.   Like, “This is where I used to play basketball, where I got beat by a five foot six opponent,” didn’t ring up the oooos and ahs […]

AT THE TRIMET BUS STOP

Public Transportation In Portland, The TriMet Bus Stop, And People. A man walks up to a trimet bus stop. A couple are arguing. The man ignores them. The lady seems agitated. The other man pushes in on her. Here’s what you do: Check your position. You want to be able to step away without the […]

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