Category Archives: Culture

The Addendum | Vancouver, B.C., urban idol or lost twin?

Is Vancouver a picture of the urban future, and/or Portland’s long lost twin? Perhaps neither. Living in Portland, Oregon, I sometimes get a bit jaded about our region. Thanks to a strong tradition of urban planning, a large transit system, … Continue reading

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The Addendum | We Make The Media: Initial thoughts

Today — assuming I get this post up before midnight — was the We Make The Media event in Portland. For those who were not following this topic, this was a conference at which the future of Portland’s media scene … Continue reading

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The Addendum | Recession + Food Carts = Democratizing Food?

Prior to the recession, much of the buzz in the Portland food scene revolved around the latest and greatest in haute cuisine. Newsmakers were places like Higgins, Blue Hour, ClarkLewis, the ill-fated Lucier, or the all-too-LA-for-Portland Departure at The Nines … Continue reading

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The Addendum | Commuter rail cultural ignorance in Portland

I’ve been watching the progress of WES, TriMet’s first commuter rail line, with great interest since its opening in February. One of the many aspects of it that strikes me as fascinating is the total lack of understanding by some … Continue reading

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The Addendum | Biting the hand that “frills” you

From my cold dead hands, Mr. Bingham. Opening up today’s Oregonian is quite an education sometimes. In today’s paper, staff writer Larry Bingham outlines an in and out list, of “how life in the Northwest is shaking out in lean … Continue reading

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The Addendum | The Seattle Bus Challenge

It began with, as usual, a Monday lunch. Dan, Portland blogger, avowed transit geek, and ideas guy, had a question: were transit systems in the northwest well developed enough that a person could ride from Portland to Seattle, purely by … Continue reading

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The Addendum | The Ephemeral ‘Net

I can still remember, as a child, my mother’s big oaken desk. It was sturdy, if a little worn, with a black blotter top and drawers that were heavy and deep. It was always a cornucopia of sensations: sticky translucent … Continue reading

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The Addendum | Review: Jumptown

Jumptown: The Golden Years of Portland Jazz, 1942-1957 By Robert Dietsche. Oregon State University Press, 500 Kerr Administration, Corvallis OR 97331; http://oregonstate.edu/dept/press/; 9.7 x 6.9 in; trade paperback; 229 pages, 160 b/w photos, 48 illustrations, 1 map; $24.95 A visitor … Continue reading

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The Addendum | American Graffiti

2: Inside and Out Graffiti has been a subject of debate a lot in the Portland area last year, thanks partly to Randy Leonard’s anti-graffiti measures. I want to touch on the topic a bit, but from a different perspective, … Continue reading

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The Addendum | The continuing demise of film: And so it goes….

I am an adherent of film-based photography. The advances of quality and ability in digital photography are by no means small. Add to this that a lot of friends shoot in digital. However, those aspects do not interest me. My … Continue reading

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