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What are the values driving American society?

Where do our values come from anymore? As Americans, we share similar experiences from culture, society, and geography in some measure. Many of us have been here for generations and have a historical connection as well. Even going back to where we came from before we came to America. Most of us can talk about similar movies, television shows, music, sports, and historical events that shaped our lives. The Holy Bible used to create the majority of the values in America, yet now I would say the majority of the values come from social media. Social media has replaced the Holy Bible when it comes to creating the values of American society. Even the mainstream values before the smartphone and social media on the internet were much better than what we have now. When we watched a sitcom, a movie, or listened to a song, we learned values such as: being honest caring for family and friends being a productive member of a community helping someone in need staying true to our marriage partner

Journey of an Obscure Writer

Using a writing philosophy that can’t fail. Writing always held a special place in my heart, likely because I was raised by a songwriter mother who encouraged my artistic efforts. I wasn't an avid reader at a young age, yet I like to create things. I remember creating a few role-playing games that no one would really play with me. I created a 9-hole hoola hoop golf course outside our home in the country while living in Tennessee, using Wiffle balls — had the course map to boot. Then, I remember writing my first story or book about three characters going to the big city — I won’t say the name of it because some uncreative hack will steal it before I finally get around to publishing it. Lastly, before I was in high school, I also wrote a few chapters for another book that was going to be a great novel. After all this initial creativity, I started reading fantasy books and other books required from school and found around the home. For instance, I read a Louis L’Amour book and Stephen

What is the oldest city in Oregon?

When learning about the history and culture of Oregon, there’s one area that continues to come up in the conversation. Located in northwestern Clatsop County, the oldest city in Oregon has likely been featured in more famous movies than any other city in the state. This small city is also not far from the oldest golf course in Oregon and west of the Mississippi; interestingly, this city is also the oldest settlement west of the Rocky Mountains too. Have you guessed it yet? The oldest city in Oregon is none other than Astoria , located near the mouth of the Columbia River with close ties to the historical Lewis & Clark Trail, it was first settled by fur trappers in 1811. Although incorporated later in 1856, it was first settled by John Jacob Astor and his American Fur Company which built Fort Astoria. This important fort and the deepwater Port of Astoria were integral to making this area a hub for settlers for many decades to come. Astoria is also only 15 miles from Gearhart Golf Li

Airbnb is causing the rental crisis in Bend, OR and the US

The high cost and low availability of rental homes in Bend, Oregon are worse than in America on average, yet the problem is universal. A Bend Bulletin article written by Suzanne Roig on March 3, explains that the U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development predicted Deschutes County would have a 4 percent apartment vacancy rate while the current U.S. vacancy rate is around 6 percent according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Essentially, as bad as the rental market is for tenants in Bend, it is only slightly worse than in the U.S. on average. The main factor this Bend Bulletin article and almost every other article is leaving out is how the global sharing economy companies Airbnb and Verbo are creating this outcome. Anyone can access these sharing economy services through their websites or mobile apps and see for themselves how many short-term rentals are available for rent in Bend and across the country in every single town and city in America. Ultimately, these are potential long-term ren

NewsBreak vs. Medium/30-day Comparison

February was the first month for me being monetized at NewsBreak and the second month for Medium. The results are in and they are drastically different. In this article, I’ll share the details and some thoughts about them. To make this easier with how both of these writing sites show stats, let’s compare the stats from Feb. 4 to March 4, or the last 30 days. NewsBreak Articles: 20 Views: 60k Likes: 1,104 Money made: $440 Medium Articles: 14 Views: 1,734 Claps: 124 Money made: $10.75 ----------------- Although my Medium account goes back to August 2018, I’ve only started seriously writing there since early Dec. 2022 (three months ago). I started writing at NewsBreak in late Dec. 2022. Here are some stats on my overall efforts at these platforms: NewsBreak Followers: 803 Articles: 44 Medium Followers: 417 Articles: 69 -------------- While I’m grateful for any money made on both platforms, the difference is fairly drastic. NewsBreak is a place where you can actually make decent money for

How many Oregonians served and died in the Vietnam War?

The Vietnam War was a conflict that had its beginnings for Americans in 1955 and lasted until the fall of Saigon on April 30, 1975. The main timeframe of the war was after the Gulf of Tonkin incident in August 1964 until the Paris Peace Accords in January 1973. Detailed stats from the Vietnam Veterans of America website tells us that 2.6 million American military personnel served in the Vietnam War and around 1 to 1.6 million were in combat in some measure. The average age for these soldiers that served was only 19. Out of this number, 57,000 military personnel from Oregon served in the Vietnam War. An Oregon Live article written on May 27, 2017, highlights the Oregon Vietnam Veterans Living Memorial located at Washington Park near the Oregon Zoo in Portland; the memorial was dedicated in 1987 to those who died or are MIA in the Vietnam War, which now includes 818 veterans. The total number of those who died and were MIA in Vietnam is 58,156 American veterans. The total number of wou

10 Famous Movies Filmed in Oregon Part 2

It shouldn’t be too surprising that Oregon with its amazing scenery and diverse natural landscape has been used to make movies for the big screen. Still, with such a relatively small population it is somewhat amazing how many movies have been filmed here over the years. After naming 10 movies in part one , it became apparent there needed to be a part two, as these are just as famous, so here goes from oldest to newest. 1. Paint Your Wagon (1969): Having Clint Eastwood star in a musical isn’t likely, but he did star in this American Western musical in the late 60s and even did his own singing. The film also stars Lee Marvin and Jean Seberg and was directed by Joshua Logan. Most of the movie production happened near Baker City, Oregon, a small city in Eastern Oregon with around 10k residents and at 3451 ft. elevation. The plot centers around a mining camp in the California Golf Rush era in the mid-1800s. 2. Five Easy Pieces (1970): Starring Jack Nicholson, this early 70s drama was filme

The Busy Medium Bee

Buzzing around and making honey. I love honey. My teeth can’t handle sugar anymore, so honey is my sweet treat, mostly with a peanut butter sandwich. The analogy of the bee buzzing around, working hard to make honey and the Medium writer staying active on the site to produce views and money is appropriate I think. Bees take time off in the winter in cold locations though. Unless a person has a massive audience somewhere else they can successfully transfer over to Medium, building a regular audience on the site takes time and a consistent effort. What I’ve noticed since writing on Medium regularly for the last three months is the time spent reading and interacting with other writers’ work directly correlates with how many views and money you make. In the last few weeks, I’ve been posting as much as ever, yet have decreased my interaction by about 70%. I’ve noticed my views and interactions have decreased by about the same. On the one hand, this can be discouraging because we may

10 Famous Movies Filmed in Oregon

“The Beaver State” has been part of some famous movie creations in the last 100 years. Here are ten famous movies filmed in Oregon from the oldest to the newest. 1. The General (1929): The comedic genius and amazing stuntman Buster Keaton starred in this silent black and white film. Part of the movie production was filmed in Cottage Grove, Oregon. The town of about 10k residents today still has a large mural of the film on the side of a downtown building. 2. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975): Based on the 1962 novel by Ken Kesey and starring Jack Nicholson, Danny DeVito and Christopher Lloyd, this interesting drama/comedy was filmed mostly around Salem, Oregon. It was also filmed around the coastal town of Depoe Bay. The Oregon State Hospital was used in the filming, which was an actual state mental hospital and the one depicted in the novel. 3. National Lampoon’s Animal House (1978): This may be the most famous of all the movies, starring John Belushi, Donald Sutherland and ma

What are the Painted Hills in Wheeler County, Oregon?

The Painted Hills is a special geologic site located about 10 miles northwest of Mitchell, 51 miles northeast of Prineville, 40 miles south of Fossil, and 49 miles west of Dayville. The easiest entrance is coming from US Highway 26 (Ochoco Highway) where travelers will see a sign directing them to the attraction. This amazingly beautiful area is one of three units within the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument ; the other two units of the park are the Clarno Unit and the Sheep Rock Unit. Located within the Sheep Rock Unit is the 11k square foot Thomas Condon Visitor Center where visitors can view murals, photo galleries, fossil displays, and a fishbowl paleontology laboratory. Visitors can also get some souvenirs at the Discover Your Northwest Park Store at the center. If you visit the Painted Hills, get your cameras out and take some amazing pictures of the area. The earthy vibrant tones and hues of reds, yellows, blacks, and golds will bring a sense of awe and wonder at the natura

Houses Aren’t For the Average American

Most Americans are priced out of owning a house. The powers to be in their infinite wisdom and social engineering manipulations have deemed the vast majority of Americans as unworthy of owning a house. You can live in a rented apartment or house, yet forget about buying a home, even one that is nearly 100 years old. Here is the pecking order of living standards as an adult: Live with parents Homeless in bushes Homeless in car Homeless in RV Live in RV in an RV park with utilities Live in a house with others sharing a bathroom and kitchen Live in a quint or quad and share kitchen and bathroom Live in a quint or quad and share kitchen, have own bathroom Live in a studio apartment with own bathroom and kitchen Live in a one-bedroom apartment Live in a two or three-bedroom apartment Live in a rented house Live in a house you are buying Live in a house you own (except for property taxes and eminent domain laws) These cover most of the levels of living arrangements, yet not all. There is

Approval Time for NewsBreak Monetization

Explaining how long it took for me and all the details involved. I’m happy to report I’ve been approved for monetization at NewsBreak! I wanted to share the details with anyone waiting or thinking about becoming a contributor. Here are some details:I wrote my first article on NewsBreak on December 24, 2022. 23 total articles 370 followers 734k impressions 46k views 853 likes 565 comments 742 shares As you may know, contributors have to have 100 registered followers and 10 articles before they can apply for monetization. I reached these markers after 15 articles on January 6, 2023. After applying, NewsBreak told me it could take up to one month until they got back to me. I also heard from some Medium writers that it has sometimes taken up to 45 days. I heard back from them yesterday January 1. That means it took roughly 25 days for them to get back to me, thankfully, to tell me I’m approved. I really wasn’t sure if I would be approved, especially considering I slowed down writing there

What is the Hole-in-the-Ground in Lake County, OR?

NASA used it to practice for the moon. The Hole-in-the-Ground is a large crater caused by a volcanic explosion (maar). It is an entire mile across at the furthest point and 490 ft. deep in the middle. There is another maar 8 miles west of this one that is even bigger at 1.1 miles across called the Big Hole. The elevation of this area is 4,650 ft. This massive hole is one of the many geographic attractions found in Lake County, OR. It can be found off OR-31 around the 22-mile marker. There is a sign saying Hole-in-the-Ground and another entry point saying Outback Station. Off OR-31 at the second exit, visitors will take dirt roads and come across the Outback Station, which is an RV park, before getting to the Hole-in-the-Ground Vista Point about 2 miles later. The Hole-in-the-Ground is located within the Deschutes National Forest at the western edge of the Fort Rock basin. It is located about 8 miles northwest of the town of Fort Rock and 24 miles southeast of La Pine. The Oregon Encyc

Marriages Take Work and Faith

Let us be committed to making our marriages work. It seems that nearly everything in American culture and society is trying to destroy our marriages. If I were a conspiracy theorist, I would conclude there is a conspiracy to destroy the Biblical family unit however possible. Whatever the reasons our modern marriages are failing and not even getting started, the fact is they are more than is acceptable. I want to fight this modern trend by encouraging people to value marriage and do what it takes to make them work. I understand how hard it can be, as I’ve been married for around 10 years now and my wife and I both came from dysfunctional and broken families. Even with guidance from our faith in the Holy Bible, we have had many difficulties and challenges along the way threatening to thwart our marriage for good. Praise God, we are still together through the challenges. I will say it takes two people who are committed to staying together. If one person isn’t willing to make it work, even