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LILLARD TIME? CHECK THE CLOCK

Lillard time happens when you join Wilt Chamberlain as the only other NBA player to log three sixty point games in one season. It’s happened enough for Kobe Bryant competitiveness comparisons. And he’s the best thing to happen to the Portland Trail Blazers in every way. Is that saying too much? Not for Blazer fans.

SUBURBAN LIFESTYLE DREAM VS REALITY IN OREGON

I heard a reference to suburban lifestyle dreams from someone who was raised in urban apartments. There’s nothing wrong with city living, except when a city slicker claims to know about life in the suburbs. In my time, I’ve lived small town, urban, and suburban, though I’m not a fan of the suburban lifestyle tag.

HISTORY MATTERS MORE THAN OPINIONS? USUALLY

History matters when someone starts explaining things beyond their grasp. If you don’t understand the basics of a single topic, then everything sounds authoritative. So how is it possible to tell the difference between a crackpot and a legitimate source? If you trust a blogger who gets with it an a daily basis, you’re on […]

PORTLAND SIGN SHOWING RED LIGHTS NEEDS TO CHANGE

This Portland sign has never been more accurate. It’s a red light, but the message is even brighter: “Turn around. Go home, it’s trouble town in Portland,” is one way to read it. From news reports, Portland looks like the place to go get wailed on, shot in the face with non-lethal rounds, and top […]

OREGON EXPERIMENT: WHO WALKS TWO THOUSAND MILES

Every state, every nation, has a creation story, but none have the Oregon Experiment. “Come to Oregon, it will be fun,” said no one on a wagon train. Was Oregon really an experiment?

AMERICAN CITY ON THE LEFT COAST: PORTLAND

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, […]

AMERICAN STORY FROM THE LEFT COAST

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 […]

PORTLAND PROTEST SCORECARD FOR THOSE PLAYING AT HOME

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 […]

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

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 […]

HOW STRONG PEOPLE PREVAIL OVER TOUGH TIMES

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 […]