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THE QUOTE
“In science, ‘fact’ can only mean ‘confirmed to such a degree that it would be perverse to withhold provisional assent.’ I suppose that means apples might start to rise tomorrow, but the possibility does not merit equal time in physics classrooms.” — Stephen Jay Gould
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COSTELLO’S WORLD
Soma Coffee may not be the next Starbuck’s but owner Bob Costello has opened up his second location in Bloomington this week.
Soma World Headquarters
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Throwing the doors open Monday, the new Soma at 3rd and Jordan looks to draw students who’ll walk across the street from the IU campus. Just don’t try parking there.
Costello’s empire now includes the original Soma and the Laughing Planet Cafe at Kirkwood and Grant and the Village Deli just around the corner.
Speaking of Soma, some habitués have begun to play euchre there every Saturday morning. Steve Llewellyn has dubbed them the Euchre-ists.
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THEY’LL BLIND US WITH SCIENCE
After a fit and a start or two, Bloomington’s Science Cafe returns to life Wednesday, September 12th.
Alex Straiker and his colleague at IU’s Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Jim Wager-Miller, have at last got the ball rolling for the weekly series of lectures and discussions open to the public on any and all areas of science.
Our town’s original Science Cafe was started by Erika Biga Lee but she found herself too busy to run the show after a while. Straiker worked under her while the Cafe’s first incarnation was still up and running.
Rachael’s Cafe will be the home of the new version, every Wednesday evening at 6:30.
BTW: Straiker points out another big science event on campus this fall. The son of Henrietta Lacks will visit IU November 14th to talk about the part of his mother, who died more than 60 years ago, that’s still alive.
Henrietta Lacks
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Lacks died of cervical cancer in 1951. Cells from the growth were cultured to produce the HeLa Cell Line which has been used by scientists for research since then. In fact, Straiker says his gang over at the IU brain lab have used some of those cells in their own work. Lacks’ story got plenty of pub when the book, “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks” became a New York Times best seller. The book was published two years ago but still ranks No. 2 on the NYT paperback nonfiction list.
Details are still being worked out for David Lacks’ appearance here. Stay tuned to the IUB Themester Facebook page for more info.
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AILUROPHOBIA
My fave part of the Pussy Riot story?
Pussy Riot
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Imagining the mental gymnastics previously staid radio and TV newscasters have to go through to say the words Pussy Riot without falling to pieces.
They redeem their decorum by stating the girl band has been found guilty of hooliganism. I bet they want to repeat the word hooliganism over and over again, just to wash the taste of Pussy Riot out of their mouths.
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IN THE NOT-TOO DISTANT FUTURE…
The theme song from one of my fave TV shows of all time, Mystery Science Theater 3000.
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Here’s how I waste my time. How about you? Share your fave sites with us via the comments section. Just type in the name of the site, not the url; we’ll find them. If we like them, we’ll include them — if not, we’ll ignore them.
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❏ I Love Charts — Life as seen through charts.
❏ XKCD — “A webcomic of romance, sarcasm, math, and language.”
❏ Skepchick — Women scientists look at the world and the universe.
❏ Indexed — All the answers in graph form, on index cards.
❏ I Fucking Love Science — A Facebook community of science geeks.
❏ Present & Correct — Fun, compelling, gorgeous and/or scary graphic designs and visual creations throughout the years and from all over the world.
❏ Flip Flop Fly Ball — Baseball as seen through infographics, haikus, song lyrics, and other odd communications devices.
❏ Mental Floss — Facts.
❏ The Universe — A Facebook community of astrophysics and astronomy geeks.
❏ Sodaplay — Create your own models or play with other people’s models.
❏ Eat Sleep Draw — An endless stream of artwork submitted by an endless stream of people.
❏ Big Think — Tapping the brains of notable intellectuals for their opinions, predictions, and diagnoses.
❏ The Daily Puppy — So shoot me.
Electron Pencil event listings: Music, art, movies, lectures, parties, receptions, games, benefits, plays, meetings, fairs, conspiracies, rituals, etc.
Friday, August 17, 2012
◗ Ivy Tech-Bloomington — Centerstone Breakfast Learning Series: Social worker Marsha Carr leads a workshop on Youth with Sexually Maladaptive Behaviors; 8am
◗ Brown County Art Guild, Nashville — Author James Capshew remembers Herman B. Wells; 6-8pm
◗ The Venue Fine Arts & Gifts — Opening reception: “The Art of the Horse” by Della Wood; 6pm
◗ Tibetan Mongolian Buddhist Cultural Center — Ani Choekye leads a workshop on Goals and How to Avoid Them; 6:30pm
◗ IU Fine Arts Theater — Ryder Film Series, “The Well Digger’s Daughter”; 6:45pm
◗ IU Cinema — Film: “Beasts of the Southern Wild”; 7pm
◗ IU Wells-Metz Theatre — Drama, “Solana”; 7:30pm
◗ IU Bill Armstrong Stadium — Hoosier women’s soccer vs. Arkansas State; 7:30pm
◗ Oliver Winery — Tunes on the Terrace: Tad Robinson; 7pm
◗ Muddy Boots Cafe, Nashville — Whiskey Mystic; 7-9pm
◗ IU Woodburn Hall Theater — Ryder Film Series, “The Pigeoneers”; 8pm
◗ Bear’s Place — Colonel Angus; 8pm
◗ Cafe Django — Nate Johnson & the Keepers CD release party; 8pm
◗ The Comedy Attic — Nick Griffin; 8pm
◗ Bryan Park — Ryder Film Series, Movies in the Park: “The Wizard of Oz”; 8pm
◗ Max’s Place — The Hot Karls; 8-10pm
◗ IU Memorial Union — UB Films: “The Hunger Games”; 8pm
◗ IU Fine Arts Theater — Ryder Film Series, “Polisse”; 8:45pm
◗ The Bluebird — Corey Smith; 9pm
◗ Muddy Boots Cafe, Nashville — Kade Puckett; 9:30-11:30pm
◗ Max’s Place — Moor and the Northmen; 10pm
◗ The Bishop — Guardian Alien, You’re a Liar; 10pm
◗ The Comedy Attic — Nick Griffin; 10:30pm
ONGOING:
◗ Ivy Tech Waldron Center — Exhibits:
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“40 Years of Artists from Pygmalion’s”; through September 1st
◗ IU Art Museum — Exhibits:
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“A Tribute to William Zimmerman,” wildlife artist; through September 9th
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Willi Baumeister, “Baumeister in Print”; through September 9th
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Annibale and Agostino Carracci, “The Bolognese School”; through September 16th
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“Contemporary Explorations: Paintings by Contemporary Native American Artists”; through October 14th
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David Hockney, “New Acquisitions”; through October 21st
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Utagawa Kuniyoshi, “Paragons of Filial Piety”; through fall semester 2012
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Julia Margaret Cameron, Edward Weston, & Harry Callahan, “Intimate Models: Photographs of Husbands, Wives, and Lovers”; through December 31st
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“French Printmaking in the Seventeenth Century”; through December 31st
◗ IU SoFA Grunwald Gallery — Exhibits:
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Coming — Media Life; August 24th through September 15th
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Coming — Axe of Vengeance: Ghanaian Film Posters and Film Viewing Culture; August 24th through September 15th