In Nicaragua, post 1 of how ever many I get up tonight
Posted by No Author in eric kelley photography on March 9, 2010
What’s the message?
Posted by Nicole in One Astronomer's Noise on March 9, 2010
This past weekend, I batted my eyelashes at Tim to go to the Hayden Planetarium with me once I discovered it was a few blocks away from a wedding we were attending. We took all of Saturday afternoon to catch the latest planetarium show and browse the rest of the American Museum of Natural History. He had never been there, and I gravitated towards my favorite parts of the museum. We wandered around the Rose Center (mostly the Space part) and I rambled on and on about subsections of the exhibits, pointing out where our friends’ research projects lie, and that nice blank part of the universe’s timeline where the epoch of reionization and dark ages research will help fill in. Then, we went straight for the dinosaurs on the fourth floor, because, who doesn’t love dinos?! We wandered around the fossils, dodging kiddies and their overzealous picture-taking parents. There’s only so much of the mass of information that one can hope to absorb in any one visit, and I’m just trying to keep my sauropods and theropods and ornithischians straight. However, I did notice a subtle theme in many of the exhibit commentary. Here’s an example (check out the yellow box in particular):
Click for dinosaurian biggness!
Maybe I’m just paranoid (especially since Tim didn’t pick up on this until I pointed it out) but there were a number of displays asserting that the science doesn’t tell us the truth, or we’ll never know the answers, because the fossil evidence in incomplete or because the animals are not here to study directly. Although it’s a fair point to say that science doesn’t prove any theory beyond a shadow of a doubt, and that extracting answers from the tiny bits of fossils we do find is excruciating, tedious, and not exact, it was an odd point to be hammering home in a science display. After all, I personally marvel at what knowledge we can glean from incomplete evidence and at the self-correcting nature of science. That’s the kind of message I would send, especially in this era of mistrust and misunderstanding of science by so many people.
So, after we got our fill of dino fossils and expensive but admittedly delicious museum food, we headed to one of my other favorite areas, the Hall of Human Origins. I love to wonder what life was like for early hominids, including for those of our own species who were physically identical, but living in a totally different world 150,000 years ago. I marvel at the tenacity of Homo erectus who populated the Earth for 1.5 million years, whereas we’ve been here for a fraction of that. Anyway, as I was browsing, I noticed that the displays read differently than in the fossil halls:
Click for large version.
It asks a question, states that we don’t yet know, but that it is an area of active research. It puts forth a guess based on the best of our knowledge and leaves the reader wondering what we’ll find out next. This, I think, is far more exciting and educational and doesn’t do the whole process of science a disservice.
This was the first time that I looked beyond the information in an exhibit to the style of the presentation. It is important to know who your audience is and what message you want to send whenever doing science outreach or teaching. Students and museum patrons are probably not going to retain much specific information. Good teachers are aware of this and try to get across a general message about science and have to be cognizant of what that message is. It’s not easy to do this, but having a goal is a good start. You can tell that the designers of the different exhibits have different goals, or at least different opinions on what it is about science they want to convey. For what it’s worth, I think the latter example is going to be much more helpful in conveying the true nature of science to those who don’t live it everyday. And after all, isn’t that important? Isn’t that kind of transparency and understanding just what science needs?
key of F
Posted by Douglas Turner Day in Piedmont Blues . . . on March 9, 2010
Been working on a bunch of stuff in the key of F: Big Bill Broonzy's "I'm a Southern Man"; the 19th century Irish ballad, "Bold Robert Emmett," which has a local Virginian historical connection; and a medley of other instrumentals---including 18th century Scottish lute piece, "I Wish I Were Where Sweet Helen Lies." There's great story in that ballad, involving jealousy, a botched murder, and revenge, but it goes on WAY too long to sing.
THIS FRIDAY, Mar. 12 at 8-ish at the Darjeeling Cafe in Staunton. Two full sets.
Friday, Mar. 26, 8-ish at the Mudhouse in Crozet. Two full sets.
Friday, April 9th, 7-ish at the Stone Soup in Waynesboro. Two full sets.
Still negotiating for the Batesville Store in April. Outdoor gigs! Yahoo!
Lunch Time
Posted by Jim in Homebase Charlottesville on March 9, 2010
A nice day in Charlottesville, a good day to go out for lunch.
And whoooosh, there it goes…
Posted by mamabear in The Small One on March 9, 2010
Time, that is.
The small one is now 16 months old, and he’s not all that small anymore either. He runs, he says an assortment of one syllable words (plus cracker, which comes out more like krah-KAH!), he climbs, he throws tantrums when he doesn’t get what he wants, he giggles when he does… all of which is to say we are in the throes of late infancy-early toddlerhood.
And it may break us.
The work from home dad is finding that he’s severely lacking in the work department these days, what with the small one’s insistence on pounding the computer keyboard and uncanny ability to open drawers we didn’t realize a) he could open or b) contained medicine/knives/sharpies/makeup/you name the implement of destruction. And so we’re trying some new things, not all of which we’re proud of.
1. TV
Yup. We broke down. It started innocently enough, with a gift of Your Baby Can Read videos this Christmas. And while I’m all “I don’t believe in baby training blah blah blah” we popped in a video one particularly difficult morning and the child was memorized. And now, I’m embarrassed to report, most mornings, after he eats breakfast, as I’m leaving for work and my husband is attempting to sneak in some email time, the small one is parked in front of whatever’s on PBS kids. I feel so dirty.
2. Help
We knew it was time to call in for reinforcements when I realized that I was in more trouble for making it home from work a minute after 5:30 than I ever was for breaking curfew as a teenager. At first we talked big – looking for part time care 5 days a week to tide us over until preschool this fall (PRESCHOOL – I feel like I need to pump in some Handle and gaze to the heavens when I say that word we are just so excited… I kept joking with friends that I should have put on our application “we need to get in because our marriage depends on it, and you don’t want to cause this little boy’s mommy and daddy to get divorced, do you?”) But nothing seemed like a good fit, so we cobbled together some help from a friend (Z) on Mondays and Fridays and so far it seems to be making a world of difference. Well, that or the fact that the argument that led to our looking for help left us both being a little bit nicer to each other these days, but I still give the credit to Z.
3. The Discovery Museum
Hitting late infancy during the worst winter in my 10 years in Virginia made this one a particularly life-saving find. Dad and the small one probably head to the Discovery Museum 3+ times a week (a bit less this week as the snow has finally melted from the back yard). They have new toys he can pick up and move to some place they don’t belong, tons of bigger kids he can follow around and the best part is that he’s allowed, heck supposed to touch everything. I didn’t know how amazing it could be to have a full hour where I didn’t need to say “Don’t touch that” even once. Well, minus when the small one kept trying to take the checker pieces from the board where two older kids were engaged in a game. But that’s still a record these days.
I don’t mean to complain. The small one is a hilarious, adorable, sweet and playful little boy. I just didn’t expect this stage to be harder than having a newborn (of course, the small one was a pretty easy newborn). I guess I thought I had more time before he was so, well, toddler-esque.
(and people keep telling me 3 is the worst – I’m starting to get scared!)
bananacasts: “They’re coming” : Plants vs. Zombies :: @BestAt “retweet” : Twitter
Posted by Wordishness. in Wordishness. on March 9, 2010
“They’re coming” : Plants vs. Zombies :: @BestAt “retweet” : Twitter
Wednesday Workout: Fight Gone Bad
Posted by Kyle in CrossFit Charlottesville on March 9, 2010
LET’S GIVE OUR NEW SPACE A PROPER F*CK YES, WE KICK ASS AND PR BY 20+ POINTS TOMORROW.
Fight Gone Bad
In this workout you move from each of five stations after a minute. This is a five-minute round from which a one-minute break is allowed before repeating. This event calls for 3 rounds. The clock does not reset or stop between exercises. On call of ‘rotate,’ the athlete/s must move to next station immediately for good score. One point is given for each rep, except on the rower where each calorie is one point. The stations are:
- Wall-ball, 8 ft target (Reps, 20# / 14#)
- Deadlift high-pull (Reps, 75#/55#)
- Box jump (Reps)
- Push-press (Reps, 75#/55#)
- Row (Calories)
Charlottesville Right Now: 3-9-10 Colette Sheehy
Posted by seantubbs@gmail.com (Sean Tubbs) in Charlottesville Podcasting Network on March 9, 2010
Charlottesville Right Now: 3-9-10 Paul Gaston
Posted by seantubbs@gmail.com (Sean Tubbs) in Charlottesville Podcasting Network on March 9, 2010
The importance of art eduction
Posted by Rob Jones in artPark on March 9, 2010
Although I live in Charlottesville, Virginia, I have absolutely no affinity for the University of Virginia athletic teams. Seeing the swim teams, lacrosse teams, baseball team and rowing team succeed is nice, but I couldn't give a rat's rear about the Cavalier football or basketball teams. So, in general, I don't follow them, and I don't generally bother reading any news articles about either of them. But this one caught my eye... and made me grin:
For those who don't know, the UVa men's basketball team really sucks this year... worse than usual... last in the ACC. There was some renewed hope early in the season with a new coach and a small win streak. But the end of the regular season saw them string together an impressive series of consecutive losses. So, desperate for a win, it was particularly odd to hear that the coach suspended the team's star player, Sylven Landesberg, prior to the final game for "academic reasons". (FYI: UVa lost that game.)
Stick with me, the art part is coming, I promise.
Turns out, the academic reason for the suspension was that Landesberg was skipping his art class. And by "skip", I mean, he never went! Read the news article here. Apparently, he went to his other classes, but not to art. Bad decision. I'm guessing Landesberg, like many of the shallow thinkers out there, believes art is a skipable class and carries no repercussions for doing so.
I tip my hat to Coach Tony Bennett for taking a stand. I'm sure he would do the same thing if Landesberg skipped his math class. But, in this situation, we all get to see the importance of art in every student's education, even student-athlete's.
I’m using Lose It! again and would love some help.
Posted by Wordishness. in Wordishness. on March 9, 2010
Anybody using it willing to add me, I’d greatly appreciate it. I’m steve.whitaker@gmail.com. Thanks in advance - I’ve kinda let my progress last year (25 pounds!) slide in 2010.
My wife has a public works meeting tonight.
Posted by Wordishness. in Wordishness. on March 9, 2010
So: me, two great kids, pizza, and Phineas and Ferb.
Charlottesville Right Now: 3-9-10 Al Sadler
Posted by seantubbs@gmail.com (Sean Tubbs) in Charlottesville Podcasting Network on March 9, 2010
The Iraqi Elections
Posted by Walker Richmond in Questions on March 9, 2010
This picture is by Thaier al-Sudani and is from today's New York Times.The Iraqi elections were held on Sunday, and they are being portrayed (initially, at least) as a success.
These were the first national elections since 2005. I had not realized it had been that long since national elections. There are 325 seats in Parliament in play, plus the right to become (or remain) Prime Minister.
The coverage focuses on three main parties/coalitions: State of Law (led by Nouri al-Maliki; my prior post is here), Iraqiya (led by Ayad Allawi), and the Iraqi National Alliance (led by Ibrahim al-Jaafari). It sounds as though a major storyline is that al-Maliki is trying to attract Sunni support but that Allawi is having more success actually doing so; meanwhile, al-Jaafari is allied in a Shiite-only group with Chalabi and Muqtada al-Sadr. Jesse Zwick had a good summary in The New Republic last week, here.
There are currently 96,000 US troops in Iraq, and General Odierno has said that his preliminary assessment is that the elections were successful and the troop level will therefore be drawn down to 50,000 by September of this year. I am skeptical that we will really reduce the troops that significantly this year, though I assume that Obama will try to make it happen if at all possible.
The Post reported today that 62% of eligible voters actually voted on Sunday -- if that number is accurate, then that is incredibly promising.
The most interesting question is whether al-Maliki will return as Prime Minister. It sounds like there's some pretty intense opposition; here's Anthony Shadid from today's Times:
Followers of Moktada al-Sadr, have made clear that they oppose Mr. Maliki’s return as prime minister. “It is impossible for Maliki to be the next prime minister,” said Baha al-Aaraji, a Sadrist lawmaker and candidate. “He doesn’t have good relations with any other bloc.” That the jockeying over coalitions was so pitched even before the votes were tallied was a reflection of just how unsettled the political landscape here remains. “The State of Law coalition has drawn no red lines against any alliance,” Ali al-Musawi, a media adviser to Mr. Maliki, said in reference to the prime minister’s list. “We stand in equal distance from all of them.”
My media habit at the moment is that I am increasingly switching my allegiance from Slate to The New Republic, as my third national source (after the Post and the Times). I'm not sure what's causing this; I think the political writers at TNR are better (particularly now that John Dickerson's not writing as much), and I sometimes grow tired of Slate's determined contrarianism.
Leila Fadel at the Post has the latest on the elections here.
