Morning Roundup: Goodbye, Abe Edition
Vegetate to Close at the End of the Month
D.C. Police Seek Suspect in Series of Bank Robberies
Suspect in 9-Year-Old's Murder Found Dead in D.C. Jail
Wizards Owner Abe Pollin Dies at 85
Rajesh Nair's "The Tiger's Nest," courtesy of the Octagon Museum
DCist's guide to lectures and discussions in the D.C. area
This week, early planners rejoice, because we start including next Monday's events into this week's TTMB. Also, those regularly interested in some of the more expensive events at the S. Dillon Ripley Center (and other Smithsonian Associates events) should note that the prices listed below are for general admission. If you want double digit discounts, become a member.
Monday:
>> Tonight at 7 p.m., author and social scientist Dalton Conley will be at Politics and Prose exploring "the impact of recent technological and economic changes on professional and personal life," as discussed in his book Elsewhere, U.S.A.
>> Or, at 6 p.m., head to the 14th Street Busboys for a discussion with author Douglass Blackmon on his book Slavery by Another Name — The Re-enslavement of Black Americans from the Civil War to World War II.
Tuesday:
>> The Corcoran has a lecture tonight which is sure to be both interesting and stunning. Photographer Rajesh Nair, whose photographs are currently on view at the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Headquarters Gallery, will deliver Timeless Existence: Photographs from Bhutan. His work captures "whitewashed fortified monasteries as they clutch the mountaintops they are built upon ... remote villages spread around the Himalayan landscape, and ... the intricate details of decoratively painted wooden facades and cornices that garnish the structures." $20.
>> Big Easy fans and just plain drinkers will want to head to the Museum of Natural History's Atrium Cafe for History in a Glass: Famous New Orleans Cocktails. Learn about the history and making of New Orleans drinks from cocktail historian Phil Greene and master Big Easy mixologist Chris McMillian. Yes, there will be tastings. $60.
>> Or, head to Sixth and I at 7 p.m. for Barbara Cook: Conversations with Legends. The Tony award-winning singer and actress will be discussing her career with Dwight Blocker Bowers, the National Museum of American History's curator of American entertainment history. $18.
Wednesday:
>> Spend your lunch hour at the National Building Museum learning about Building For The 21st Century: Building Recombinant Ecologies from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m.
>> At 7 p.m., head to Politics and Prose for a discussion with author and investigative journalist Pratap Chatterjee titled Halliburton's Army: How a Well-Connected Texas Oil Company Revolutionized the Way America Makes War.
Thursday:
>> Head to Transformer Gallery tonight from 6 to 8:30 p.m. for a talk with recent Science Club interviewee and conservation geneticist, textbook author, and National Zoo population manager Jonathan Ballou. Registration required; contact Marissa Long at marissa [at] transformergallery.org or (202) 483-1102.
>> Movie buffs may be interested in checking out Giggles and Sniffles: What Makes a Movie Great? at the S. Dillon Ripley Center from 6:45 to 9 p.m. tonight. WaPo film critic Desson Thomson will explore movie-going dynamics "and treat the audience to clips from a host of great movies, both funny and affecting." This is a two-night series, and will continue next Thursday. Tickets are $40 each; attendance at both sessions is not required.
>> If you have the day off, the Natural History Museum is holding a Darwin Anniversary Symposium from 12 to 3 p.m. to celebrate Darwin's 200th birthday and 150 years since his On the Origin of Species was published. The day will be filled with panel discussions focusing on "a variety of topics from historical perspectives of Darwin to evolution and medicine."
>> At 5:30 p.m., head to the National Museum of the American Indian for a book discussion with prolific Native author, playwright and filmmaker Drew Hayden Taylor. Space is limited; advance tickets are required.
>> At 7 p.m., join Road to Wellville author T.C. Boyle at Politics and Prose for a discussion about his new novel The Women, which examines Frank Lloyd Wright's numerous wives and mistresses.
Friday:
>> At 6 p.m., Pulitzer prize winning WaPo journalist and author Anthony Shadid will be at the 14th Street Busboys to "take us beyond the statistics and the politics offering a multi-dimensional understanding of the effect of war on ordinary human beings," and sign his book Night Draws Near.
Saturday:
>> Today's all-day $120 seminar at the S. Dillon Ripley Center is Ancient Pompeii: Modern Views and runs from 9:30 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. The seminar corresponds with the Documenting Discovery: The Excavation of Pompeii and Herculaneum exhibit at the National Gallery.
>> Another anti-Valentines Day option is the Inside Media: Chasing Lincoln’s Killer lecture with James Swanson at the Newseum. The lecture is free with $20 museum admission, but if you'd like priority seating and a year of unlimited admission, consider getting a membership.
>> Or, head to Politics and Prose for a 1 p.m. lecture with NBC News political director Chuck Todd and NBC News elections director Sheldon Gawiser on How Barack Obama Won: A State-By-State Guide to the Historic 2008 Presidential Election.
Sunday:
>> Today's 2 p.m. Weekend Lecture at the National Gallery of Art will feature collector Juliette Bethea and NGA curator Ruth Fine discussing The Collecting of African American Art: Collecting as a Way of Life.
Next Monday:
>> At 7 p.m., Politics and Prose is hosting a talk with Abraham Verghese about his book Cutting For Stone, a "rich story about twin brothers born to an Indian nun at an Addis Ababa mission hospital."
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Before I read the post, I was wondering why there was a pictures of Rivendell there.
What?? I'm surprised you left this one out. From Wonkette:
Wednesday, Feb. 11: Everybody loves NPR's This American Life, so here's your chance to meet the radio personality behind it all, Ira Glass. He'll be at the L St. Borders at 6:30 PM to promote the radio program's infamous Showtime version on DVD. [Borders]
One more interesting - if a little unusual - event for the 14th!
Celebrate Valentine's Day at the National Museum of Health and Medicine with a talk on the history of syphilis in America!
What:
Sex, Sin, and Science: A History of Syphilis in America
Did syphilis travel from the New World to Europe on Columbus’ ships? What remedies did Lewis and Clark use to treat the disease on their expedition? Why were so many women with venereal disease quarantined in America in both world wars? What impact did the introduction of penicillin have on the spread of venereal disease? Join us for this Valentine’s Day talk with noted medical historian John Parascandola as he discusses his book, "Sex, Sin, and Science: A History of Syphilis in America." A book signing will follow the presentation.
When:
Saturday, February 14, 2009, 11:00 a.m.
Where:
Russell Auditorium, National Museum of Health and Medicine (AFIP, Bldg. 54), on the campus of Walter Reed Army Medical Center, 6900 Georgia Ave., Washington, D.C. 20307.
Cost: Free Admission (and free parking!)
NOTE: Adults must present photo ID to access Walter Reed Army Medical Center.
Info: (202) 782-2200 or
http://www.nmhm.washingtondc.museum
For anyone interested in globalization, Latin America, or Bolivia specifically:
Dignity and Defiance, Stories from Bolivia's Challenge to Globalization
Busboys and Poets, 1390 V St NW @ 14th
Washington DC 20009
February 12, 2009 @ 6:30 p.m.
"Globalization on the Ground -- What Bolivia Teaches Us"
As the U.S. enters a new political era, the lessons of one country speak volumes about how the government of the U.S., U.S. corporations, and international institutions dominated by the U.S. (the World Bank, IMF, etc.) impact the lives of people in Latin America. Join us as we visit cities coast to coast and in between to talk about these lessons and what lies ahead as U.S. citizens seek to reshape the U.S.'s role in the world. In addition to co-editors Jim Shultz and Melissa Crane Draper, we'll be joined by two great Bolivian friends, Leny Olivera of the Democracy Center, a terrific young activist, and Roberto Fernández Terán, a professor at the University of San Simón and one of our most thoughtful and insightful mentors.