New words for family

There is something that is often disconnected between the terms we use to describe family relationships and the reality of what our relationships actually are. In theory, your family includes…

Trigger this

Comedian Louis CK once said, “Offending people is a necessary and healthy act. Every time you say something that’s offensive to another person, you just caused a discussion. You just…

Time is not on our side

Last month, Der Spiegel featured a story on 89-year-old Werner Christukat, a Wehrmacht soldier and World War II veteran who is being investigated for allegedly participating in the massacre of…

Brunei: Hype and hypocrisy

When Russia first passed a law banning the spread of homosexual propaganda, people all across the western world were up in arms. All major news outlets were extremely critical if…

Portland’s Pistol Army

Gone are the days of Barney Fife with his one bullet that Andy gave him in case of emergency. Nowadays, cops have more bells and whistles hanging from their uniforms…

Getting good vibes

Picture this (hopefully it isn’t hard): You and your partner are having some good emotional vibes, and you wonder if some physical vibes may complement them. Perhaps you wonder if…

More local food options needed on campus

A Google search on “Portland State food sustainability” will generate over two million search responses, including projects, institutes, solution generators and more. Yet our campus food system is far from…

Living in the Whole Foods era

I have only ever shopped at Whole Foods on Thanksgiving, and that’s because it’s one of the only places that stays open. The fact that I don’t shop there regularly…