Oregon Humanities

I am bad at something. It is called the violin. If you know me, or if you’ve read my bio on this website, then you probably know this. I talk about it a lot (and I put that self-deprecating line in my bio) for a reason: the accountability pushes me to keep practicing.

Before I took up the violin, I imagined what practicing might look like: an elegant cup of tea steaming on the table, the muted afternoon light streaming in through the windows of the study, the cat... More

14 October 2009 | Posted in Inside O. Hm. New Ideas | Permalink | Comments? (7 so far)

Do you remember the first time you discovered something outside of the mainstream, outside of what your parents or teachers or the television told you about? I’m not talking about the first time you listened to Bob Dylan or when your cool older friend told you about Led Zeppelin. I mean the first time you truly understood the existence of a counter culture, and your eyes opened up to those roads not often taken where that culture has always existed.

I was a junior in... More

06 October 2009 | Posted in New Ideas | Permalink | Comments? (0 so far)

Sohrab Vossoughi is founder and president of Portland-based ZIBA Design—an award-winning firm that designs everything from workaday stuff (KitchenAid, Black and Decker) to “user experiences” (Umpqua Bank and Gerding Edlen Development). Born in Tehran, Vossoughi immigrated to San Jose in 1970 at age 14. He founded Ziba (a word that means “beautiful” in Farsi) in 1984 and is the recipient of more than thirty patents and two hundred design awards. Vossoughi recently... More

02 October 2009 | Posted in New Ideas | Permalink | Comments? (0 so far)

My wife and I have been involved in a construction project for what seems like forever, but in reality, is only about eight months. As it nears completion, but is never quite ready for move in, I am reminded of the statement attributed to French Premier Clemenceau about Brazil: “the country of the future and always to remain so.”

I have appreciated the fine craftsmanship of some workers, and endured the less than stellar performance of others—only out of square... More

29 September 2009 | Posted in New Ideas | Permalink | Comments? (0 so far)

I am no musician. I don’t play an instrument beyond a one-fingered version of “Yankee Doodle Dandy” on the piano and the first few bars of “When the Saints Come Marching In” on my harmonica. I sing enthusiastically but rarely on key.

But I do listen.

I remember quite vividly hearing Wynton Marsalis compare democracy and jazz. I have never listened to music or thought about politics quite the same.

Marsalis says that democracy, like jazz, “works best... More

24 September 2009 | Posted in Inside O. Hm. New Ideas | Permalink | Comments? (2 so far)

Welcome to Oregon Humanities’ new website! Oregon Humanities has gone through a lot of changes this last year—our programs are more interactive, accessible, and provide deeper context—and we have new name, materials, and website to reflect these changes. But I hope this website does more than this. Adam McIsaac, one of our fabulous web designers from the equally fabulous Pinch, tells me that the website should be more than a virtual pamphlet. He says it’s meant... More

17 September 2009 | Posted in Inside O. Hm. New Ideas | Permalink | Comments? (7 so far)