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VETERANS DAY, 2026

Behind every veteran on Veterans Day are people who got them on their way.
In this photo the force of nature is on the right.
It’s my Mom.
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HOLOCAUST REMEMBRANCE WITH EVELYN BANKO

Last night my wife and I, along with our friends Barry and Phyllis, attended a Holocaust remembrance in the Tigard library.

 

Please join us on the 88th anniversary of Kristallnacht for a witnessing by the local Holocaust survivor Evelyn Banko.
She will be talking about her experiences under Nazi persecution in Austria, and her family’s eventual journey to safety in the US by way of Latvia and the Soviet Union. 
Caution: strong language involving violence and death.
Program presented in partnership with the Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education.

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TAKING PART IN FAMILY LIFE

Family life takes time. Ask the Baldwins with their seven kids.
Keep that in mind, you youngsters, when you decide it’s time to join in.
Join the club, the family club, sooner than later.
Why?
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THE TRUTH, GETTING A HANDLE

Getting a handle on the truth shouldn’t be a big hurdle to clear.
All it takes is a little self-awareness.
The truth is your friend if you’re not too sketchy.
Will it set you free? Well . . .
It depends on the sort of shackles your used to.
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‘DOING RESEARCH’ AND OTHER EXCUSES

What counts as doing research?
For writers it’s an easy answer: Everything is research.
And because everything is research, the trick is finding what matters more.
Is it writing about where you are, how you feel, the people you’re with?
The correct answer? All of the above.
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toughen up

THERAPEUTIC SWEARING, MEDICAL MARIJUANA, CANCER

      Swearing, done in the right spirit, communicates so much more than long, drawn out, explanations. Besides, how often do you need the long version? I’ve investigated both swearing and medical marijuana and come to a few helpful conclusions for cancer patients. Instead of getting all macho and shocker, I’ve amended my profanity […]

HEALTHCARE COSTS, INSURANCE MISTAKES

    Did anyone notice a senate vote on healthcare costs from insurance mistakes? It happens everyday across America. Has it happened to you? On a regular basis throughout my healthcare adventure with HPV16 throat cancer I’ve been billed by mistake. Take yesterday for example.

F CANCER WALK DOWN PORTLAND SOUTH PARK BLOCKS

  If holding paper from an institute of higher learning means anything, it means exposure to civil discourse.   I hold paper from Portland State University, so F Cancer.   Can I get a, “Hell Yeah!”

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boomer years

FATHERS DAY MILLENNIALS LEARN THE ROPES FROM OLD DADS

Fathers Day millennials start with a walk in the forest. The Oregon Forest. Dark, green, and deep. The ‘find a park’ map is dotted nearly solid around here. This forest stuff is all over the place. But it is Oregon, you expect trees. What you also expect is no snakes, bugs, bats, or wild animals […]

MEMOIR BLOGGER TALKS TO WRITER, GETS LOST

What’s the difference between successful books and the others? Books that get read and those that just get bought?   Empathy. Do you feel it? Does the writer make you feel it? Empathy and suspense, enough suspense to turn the page.   I met a writer, which is who I’d expect meet in a writers […]

MESSAGE TO AGING MILLENNIALS: STAND TOGETHER

Eventually you figure out where you stand. How does that work? Look around. You’re not standing alone. Even when if feels like no one notices, they do. What they notice is context, where you are, and the nearest identifier. The biggest thing is if they decide to join you. You might call it selfish to […]

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buckle up

AN AMERICAN MEMOIR FOR THE POPE

When The Pope Visited Philadelphia In The Shadow Of Rocky. Picture yourself in the land of our forefathers, walking on ground won by American blood. It’s the same American blood flowing through every American. That’s Philadelphia during the Revolutionary War and every war since. Two hundred years later Philadelphia was the site of President Ford’s […]

Air Oregon My Oregon Paradise West Of Cascades

      For a moment let’s skip the romanticized view of the state. The brown patches across these images are clear cut lumber sections, replanted with more trees. Why are they brown? It’s not because of brown trees. Air Oregon shows too much.   Oregon, My Oregon via Oregon Blue Book, music by Henry […]

NW Boomer Travel, pt.2

From Empire To Enterprise Do you need proof that Oregon qualifies as a European nation? It’s more than the beer, but that’s a good start, ja? Oregon is one of the few states, maybe only state, that holds such a huge variety of road trips. For example, find a map and run your finger from […]

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