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SOUTH PORTLAND PEOPLE CHANNEL PROUD MARY

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 […]

PARIS REUNION OF THE FUTURE

A Paris reunion points to a specific time and place, where other reunions bring people from school or work or family. In any case, there’s always someone absent, which changes the focus from who’s there to who’s missing. Instead of guesses and speculations, try and show up and be with the others who found the […]

TIGARD HOUSE HUNTER REVIEW

Before Tigard house hunting began, one big question came up too often. Why Tigard? The view I had from downtown Portland included every direction out of the city.

SMARTPHONE LOST AND FOUND

A smartphone is a big connection to the world for many people. It’s a lifeline during quarantine. Losing one during this coronavirus shutdown seems like losing more than just a phone. From one loser to another, how can we recover our phone self esteem?

PANHANDLING THE PANHANDLERS IN PHILADELPHIA

Panhandling is an urban characteristic that brings diverse emotions. For some, the response it, “Don’t talk to me.” Followed by, “Don’t make your problem my problem.” The reverse: “I don’t have change, but please take this ten dollar bill.” The response is different with the roles reversed.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK? COME ON NEW YORK

Doing the right thing in New York is the same as doing the right thing in Oregon: Stay home, keep a social distance. My social distance from NYC is 3000 miles away, but it wasn’t always that way. Frank said it best:

JUSTIN HERBERT HOPE: WILL THE NFL TRASH ANOTHER OREGON QB

Justin Herbert image via KCBY, Coos Bay, Oregon Oregon quarterback Justin Herbert joins a long green line of Duck signal callers headed to the NFL. How long a line? Who is in that line? Please proceed.

CORONAVIRUS SAFETY: PSA FOR THE VIGILANT

A boomerpdx fan asked about Coronavirus safety, and how this platform could help. “Have you written a Public Service Announcement on Coronavirus safety,” he asked. I said I had not; he said I should. I agreed. Here are a few Coronavirus safety ideas to pass around. First, for Men:

OREGON HISTORICAL: JOB THREE OF FIVE

Oregon Historical is the third of a five part series inspired by a twitter post asking to list five jobs. From mill work, to army medic, a museum job was a perfect fit. The idea started from three thousand miles away.

GREEN CHAIN DANCER TELLS SISTER STORY

The green chain in the local plywood mill called for me after freshman year in college. I had a college loan and the job was the best for paying it off and putting money away for sophomore year. I was the new guy on the swing shift crew in 1974 with men who enjoyed a […]