Tag Archives: Portland

Pieces of Nick

Posted on January 7, 2020 by Jim Blackwood Jr

The picture. It was late. Nick had been invited to the opening of a new exhibit at Pittock Mansion. As his Parks guy, I went with him. We got an amazing tour of the things the public don’t see, hidden … Continue reading →

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When a Poison Idea is No Longer Lethal

Posted on September 22, 2019 by Jim Blackwood Jr

In downtown Portland, around midnight, at the corner of 3rd and Burnside, the apocalypse is upon us.  OK, not all of us, but maybe for a few hundred souls wearing all manner of inscribed black t-shirts. In my new book, I tell … 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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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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Nostalgia and the Typewriter

Posted on May 22, 2018 by Jim Blackwood Jr

Nostalgia is tricky. You can bath in it or just feel it as a gentle rain. It can hold you and put lead in your shoes or awaken you and set you running out the door. As with any memory, … Continue reading →

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Portland City Hall: It’s the System Stupid

Posted on February 8, 2018 by Jim Blackwood Jr

Portland City government is badly broken but not in the way that some people think. The public servants in City Hall work hard in a world of constraints, endless demands and never enough money or time to meet outsized expectations. … Continue reading →

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Sticks and Stones…

Posted on October 19, 2017 by Jim Blackwood Jr

Today, George W. Bush made the case against the rise of Trumpism. I don’t doubt the fact that Bush is a genuine patriot deeply concerned about the state of our republic. While I could go into a “lying sack of … Continue reading →

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The Problem with Portland’s Lawn Sign

Posted on July 7, 2017 by Jim Blackwood Jr

Dog walking around my neighborhood I see dozens of Portland’s favorite lawn sign. It must have a generic, shorthand name known but to a few. I ain’t the few. There was a time when I was a Unitarian. I enjoyed … Continue reading →

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The Joy of the Broken Urinal Blues

Posted on June 26, 2017 by Jim Blackwood Jr

Half the world has no idea what it is like for a guy to piss in a rock and roll club.  Women are better for it. Last week I went out to see my buddies in the band Volcker.  (Yea, … Continue reading →

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