Columnists

10/16/2026 · Portland

The Three-Second Pause That Protects Your Day

You don’t need a dramatic boundary speech to stop overcommitting. One ordinary sentence, used consistently, can give you back the space to make honest choices.

10/12/2026

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Column

The Tiny Bird That Refuses to Quit

Emily Dickinson turns hope into a small, stubborn creature that sings without asking permission—or payment. Read this poem once, and you may never think of optimism as a grand speech again.

10/12/2026

Column

The Sentence That Can Expose a Foolish Thought

George Orwell had a wonderfully rude theory about bad writing: it does not merely reflect muddled thinking—it helps produce it. Try his test today on the next sentence you write.

10/12/2026

Column

Tariffs, Shutdown Threats, and the Price of Political Theater

Washington keeps turning routine governing into a cliffhanger, while families absorb the costs through higher prices and thinner public services. Four stories explain why the noise matters, plus one quieter fight that could reshape American health care.

10/12/2026

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Immersive Van Gogh Is Not a Museum. Good.

The giant projection room gets mocked for turning masterpieces into wallpaper. I say it should stop apologizing and admit what it really is: a very expensive, occasionally moving screensaver with excellent snacks.

10/12/2026