Author Archives: Jim Blackwood Jr

Meet the New Climate Change Celebrity — Greta Thunberg

Posted on August 28, 2019 by Jim Blackwood Jr

I got into a fun little Twitter beef with a Silicon Valley type who was extolling the virtues of Greta Thunberg the teenager heartthrob of the new climate change generation. He loved that she took a sailboat to New York.  … Continue reading →

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If It Isn’t On MY Phone . . . It Didn’t Happen

Posted on August 23, 2019 by Jim Blackwood Jr

I have become a true aficionado of Portland street violence. No really, I savor every riot, every confrontation and each unpermitted march like a vintage of fine wine.  Each clash is an expression of the Portland terroir.  I won’t critique the street … Continue reading →

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Racist!!! Whatever Dude

Posted on July 22, 2019 by Jim Blackwood Jr

I chose to hover somewhere just left of center in the American political drama. What was I thinking? Some days I live I a vertiginous nightmare spinning from one political extreme to the other. It must be nice to live … Continue reading →

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How Right Wing Talk Radio Works — A Challenge

Posted on June 20, 2019 by Jim Blackwood Jr

It occurs to me that few people I know understand how right-wing radio really works because our information bubbles are close to hermetically sealed. I hear people say, “How can those Trump supporters think that?” Let’s see how it works. The … Continue reading →

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Talk Radio. It’s All the Same Show

Posted on June 19, 2019 by Jim Blackwood Jr

Button number 1 on by car radio is Oregon Public Broadcast (OPB).  Button number 4 is KXL Talk Radio. When I am driving in the Portland area, I compulsively bounce from one station to the other. In the noon hour … Continue reading →

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So Many Words

Posted on April 30, 2019 by Jim Blackwood Jr

When I finished my 40th noclock.org essay, I did the math. Authors work in word counts not pages. I had written a total of almost 50,000 words. Yikes, that’s a lot of words. I wondered what that really meant. Google told … Continue reading →

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The Chief

Posted on January 29, 2019 by Jim Blackwood Jr

The tiny round table was already overloaded with 6 empty beer bottles.  She had waved away the offer of glasses.  We met at the little bar beneath the office tower where I was currently robbing an insurance company as a … Continue reading →

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Voting from the Middle

Posted on October 18, 2018 by Jim Blackwood Jr

The mailman just delivered our property tax bill and mail-in ballots.  With my larger project well underway, this inspires me to take a pause and consider the mid-term elections.   A few years into my time working in Portland City … Continue reading →

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Many Nights at the Ballpark

Posted on August 19, 2018 by Jim Blackwood Jr

I have seen 21 live baseball games this season.  16 Pickles games.  4 Major League games and 1 minor league game.  The season isn’t over but I have most likely seen my last live game for the summer.  The local … Continue reading →

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Where Are You From? Two Houses

Posted on August 7, 2018 by Jim Blackwood Jr

  While the memory of such things can be tricky, I have lived in 14 different places.  West coast to east coast.  Up and down the Pacific coast.  I think this fluidity of movement is a very American thing.  I … Continue reading →

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