Talk to Me, Baby
Journalist Nicholas Schmidle will discuss the Taliban in Pakistan on Saturday at the Newseum. Photo courtesy of Rikki Schmidle.
Monday:
>> Hear first-hand from the Shakespeare Theatre Company what it takes to pull off an amazing performance tonight at 7 p.m. at the Lansburgh Theatre (Archives/Navy Memorial metro). In Masters of the Theater and the Power of Performance: Behind the Scenes at the Shakespeare Theatre Company, artistic director Michael Kahn talks with the cast of the company's upcoming King Lear. $80.
Tuesday:
>> The Anacostia Community Museum hosts another East of the River Community Forum tonight, titled Valuing and Promoting Cultural Assets. Panelists will discuss the role of culture and the visual and performing arts in the community, including "ways in which the greater community can harness the power of culture for community enrichment and development." 7 p.m.
>> Also at 7 p.m., political satirist P.J. O’Rourke will make an appearance at Politics and Prose with his new book of essays about America's car culture, Driving Like Crazy.
>> Head to the National Building Museum from 6:30 to 8 p.m. to learn how D.C. will be affected by the economic stimulus package at D.C. Builds: D.C., Stimulated. Virginia Congressman Gerald Connolly will join At-large D.C. Council member Kwame Brown, Steve Sandherr of The Associated General Contractors of America and WAMU's Kojo Nnamdi to discuss. Free; pre-registration required; walk-ins based on availability.
Thursday:
>> At 6:45 p.m., primatologist Richard Wrangham presents his intriguing evolutionary theory which "singles out cooked food as the main ingredient in the making of the human species and society," and claims "that the energy saved by eating cooked food instead of raw caused the digestive tract to shrink and the human brain to grow, and may have led to the development of families." $25 at the S. Dillon Ripley Center.
>> Also at 6:45 p.m. is a panel discussion at the European Union on The United States and the European Union: Facing Economic Challenges. NPR's John Ydstie moderates; speakers include the Financial Times' Jurek Martin, MIT's Simon Johnson, Georgetown's Kathleen McNamara, and Anthony Smallwood of the European Commission Delegation. $45.
>> U Street's Hamiltonian Gallery presents Fellows Speak tonight at 7 p.m. The gallery's first season of fellows will speak with Helen Frederick, Greg Kearley, Nevin Kelly and Paul So. RSVP to Jackie [at] hamiltoniangallery.com.
Friday:
>> From 12:30 to 2 p.m. at the Capitol Visitors Center, the New America Foundation presents a panel discussion on Health CEOs for Health Reform: Making Quality Healthcare Affordable for All. Speakers will "discuss transformative, patient-centered reforms ... [and] explain how bold incentives can make health care affordable and how their own experience proves a sustainable, value-based system is achievable."
>> Today from 1 to 2:30 p.m., and Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to noon and 1 to 2:30 p.m., the National Museum of Health and Medicine hosts author Join David Macaulay for a kid-friendly discussion about his new book The Way We Work, which explores the human body, demonstrating "how the parts of the body work together, from the mechanics of a hand, to the process by which the heart pumps blood, to the chemical exchanges necessary to sustain life."
Saturday:
>> Join performers of The Brothers Cazimero for a talk today at noon at the American Indian Museum.
>> Today's 2:30 p.m. Inside Media event at the Newseum features freelance writer Nicholas Schmidle discussing The Taliban in Pakistan. Schmidle will be signing his book To Love or To Perish Forever: Two Tumultuous Years in Pakistan, and will share "how he managed to return to Pakistan after being deported for his writing," and discuss "the dangers festering in South and Central Asia; and how his approach to covering the news may be a model for the future."
Sunday:
>> The Newseum holds a second 2:30 p.m. Inside Media event today, which will feature journalist Richard Wolffe and his book Renegade: The Making of President Barack Obama. If you'd rather not fork over the Newseum's museum entrance fee, Wolffe will also be Politics and Prose on Monday the 15th at 7 p.m.
>> The Shirlington Busboys hosts Baltimore author and WaPo editor Steven Luxenberg, who will sign and discuss his new book Annie's Ghosts: A Journey into a Family Secret. 3 p.m.
>> At 4 p.m. today, the K Street Busboys hosts a free and open discussion on the future of Iraq.
>> At 7 p.m., head to Sixth and I for another economic discussion titled Bursting Bubbles, Bail-Outs, and Bounce-Backs: Prospects for an Economic Recovery.