I told you about this event last month but I think it's interesting enough to mention again to remind you just in case you haven't purchased your ticket yet. You've got until Thursday October 9 to buy tickets (as long as they don't sell out before then).

World Affairs Council of Kentucky/Southern Indiana in partnership with The Community Relations Council of the Jewish Federation of Louisville and Iranians for Peace present The International Forum on Iran on Sunday October 12, 2008. It's going to be an evening that features authentic Persian cuisine, a Q&A Session, and what is sure to be a lively debate.

Panelists for this event:
Dr. Trita Parsi

• Acclaimed Author of: Treacherous Alliance - Secret Dealings of Iran, Israel and the U.S.
• President of the National Iranian-American Council

Professor David Menashri

• Director of the Center of Iranian Studies and Dean of Special Programs at Tel Aviv University
• Author of many acclaimed texts on Iranian history, politics & culture.

Forum Moderator:
Jim Wehrle

• Mediated Israeli-Palestinian peace talks in New York, Tel Aviv & Ramallah
• Bi-Lateral training of Middle East diplomats in conflict resolution skills
• US Secretary of State Commendation for contributions to Middle East Peace.

Tickets are $35 per person and include the Persian buffet. Tickets Must Be Purchased by October 9 at 5:00 p.m.
NO TICKETS WILL BE SOLD AT THE DOOR

Buy Tickets Now

Sunday, October 12, 2008
Book Signing 5:15 - 5:30PM
Dinner and Program 5:30 - 8:00PM

Bellarmine University, Frazier Hall
2001 Newburg Rd
Louisville, Kentucky

OK. I've gone over the IdeaFestival lineup in great detail and have chosen the stuff I'm most excited about and most hopeful I get to see. Here goes:

Thursday September 25
Another Day in the Frontal Lobe: Katrina Firlik is part of a small select group of females in the high-pressure field of neurosurgery and was the first woman to be admitted to the neurosurgery residency program at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Firlik, also an accomplished author, will share her insights on the human brain...and first-hand experiences; including the highs, lows and often complex ethical issues surrounding her work.

Puzzled: Will Shortz...is the puzzle editor for the New York Times, puzzle master for NPR's Weekend Edition Sunday, best-selling author and the only person to hold a degree in Enigmatology...the study of puzzles (OK...we didn't know what this meant at first either). Join Shortz for a rollicking journey into the world of puzzles and the minds that design and solve them.

The Rise and Fall of Hyperpowers: Amy Chua, gifted author and professor at Yale Law School, explores the dynamics and rise and fall of that select group of global superpowers that, according to her book, have included "...those few societies that amassed such extraordinary military and economic might that they essentially dominated the world." From the Persians, Romans and Chinese to the Mongol Empire, the British and modern times, Chua reveals the history, tracks the success and decline of these powers and the implications for all of us in the 21st Century.

Friday September 26
Studio Arne Quinze: Belgian artist and designer Arne Quinze had been described as "a nomad in body and soul". Quinze in his work....from furniture to urban design.... succeeds in blending opposites such as past and future, and constantly generates crossovers between the most diverse disciplines, as if in a maelstrom.

Recent public installations include "Uchronia" (2006), a gigantic sculpture exclusively built with wooden slats and nails in the Black Rock Desert, Nevada, as part of the 2006 Burning Man Festival and "Cityscape" (2007), an equally impressive sculpture, conceived as a frozen movement meant to revive a problematic neighborhood in the Belgian capital.

At the 2008 Idea Festival, Quinze will present a fascinating overview of his work in art, design, and interventions in the contemporary urban landscape. For Quinze, the future is today, and the seemingly impossible is what he pursues as the inevitable. His presentation will offer a truly innovative vision of how and where we live, and will include a proposal for a transformative project on Louisville's waterfront.

The Science and Wonder of Magic:
There is no shortage of mystery and amazement in the world.  So why do we need magic tricks?  Why does every kid go through a magic phase?  And why do we cheerfully go into a theater to have someone abuse our cognitive skills?  Magic:  what good is it?

Teller is an internationally renowned illusionist, writer and comedian.... perhaps best known as the silent half (yes...he will speak at IF) of the comedy magic duo Penn & Teller. He is a noted author, authority on the history of magic and has appeared in a wide range of films and television shows. Teller takes the stage at the 2008 IF for a fascinating glimpse into the science behind magic, the great illusions and sleights of hand.

Proust Was a Neuroscientist: Jonah Lehrer at age twenty-six is editor at large for Seed Magazine, an author, a graduate of Columbia University and a Rhodes Scholar. At IF Lehrer will expand on his perspective that science is not the sole route to knowledge and understanding. In fact, he notes that art has often paved the way to many breakthroughs. And in particular, as he writes in his recent book on the subject "...when it comes to understanding the brain, art got there first".

IF After Dark - Vova's World: Join international juggling prodigy Vova Galchenko for a unique multimedia event featuring both his amazing juggling abilities as well as a fascinating discussion on a number of topics ranging from the "art" of juggling and the connection between skill and success to what it's like to leave your family to come to America and become what Time Magazine has called "the best juggler there has ever been".

Saturday September 27
Serious Play: Top game designer and future forecaster Jane McGonigal is very serious about play. She is an award winning digital game designer exploring and writing about the immense power of games, virtual worlds and related immersive experiences to solve real-world problems, change reality and shape the future. Known as the "queen bee of alternative reality games" Jane will discuss her ideas, work and cutting-edge "...massively-collaborative computer games that use play to create global collective intelligences".

The World in Your Pocket: The war over the three screens is over. Mobile won in a rout. But how does mobile stack up against television and PC as a marketing medium? Marketing pundits have proclaimed each January as the start of "the year that mobile breaks out". However, January 2008 felt different given Apple's iPhone phenomenon, Google's attempt to buy radio spectrum and the realization by the marketing industry that over a billion new middle class consumers world-wide will be using the mobile phone as their primary interactive screen over the next 6-8 years. This IF event, with international mobile marketing expert John Gauntt, will highlight where the money and the action is with mobile marketing; not only in the US but across the globe...now and in the future.

Who Helps Who...and Why? The Nature of Goodness: Understanding the nature of goodness is at the heart of understanding what it means to be human. And goodness is also not unique to humans...scientists have seen it in everything from slime molds and ground squirrels to chimpanzees. But why? Lee Dugatkin explores the intriguing history behind this question, taking participants on a surprising ride through 100 years of science...including exploring how politics, philosophy, religion, kinship and even mental illness enter the fray; complicating, for close to a century, attempts to find scientific answers to these questions.

What sessions are you going to?

World Affairs Council of Kentucky/Southern Indiana in partnership with The Community Relations Council of the Jewish Federation of Louisville and Iranians for Peace present The International Forum on Iran on Sunday October 12, 2008. It's going to be an evening that features authentic Persian cuisine, a Q&A Session, and what is sure to be a lively debate.

Panelists for this event:
Dr. Trita Parsi

• Acclaimed Author of: Treacherous Alliance - Secret Dealings of Iran, Israel and the U.S.
• President of the National Iranian-American Council

Professor David Menashri

• Director of the Center of Iranian Studies and Dean of Special Programs at Tel Aviv University
• Author of many acclaimed texts on Iranian history, politics & culture.

Forum Moderator:
Jim Wehrle

• Mediated Israeli-Palestinian peace talks in New York, Tel Aviv & Ramallah
• Bi-Lateral training of Middle East diplomats in conflict resolution skills
• US Secretary of State Commendation for contributions to Middle East Peace.

Tickets are $35 per person and include the Persian buffet. Tickets Must Be Purchased by October 9 at 5:00 p.m.
NO TICKETS WILL BE SOLD AT THE DOOR

Buy Tickets Now

Sunday, October 12, 2008
Book Signing 5:15 - 5:30PM
Dinner and Program 5:30 - 8:00PM

Bellarmine University, Frazier Hall
2001 Newburg Rd
Louisville, Kentucky

Interesting series of lectures coming up at UofL this fall called Sex, Gender and Social Change.

• Sept. 10 - "War as a Mode of Production and Reproduction: A Feminist Analysis," Mary Hawkesworth, Rutgers University women's and gender studies professor. The former UofL professor is editor of Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society. Kentucky Foundation for Women is co-sponsoring her talk.
• Sept. 29 - "Dressing to Reveal and Conceal in the Middle East," Julie Peteet, UofL anthropology department chair.
• Oct. 8 - "Racializing Homonormativity: The Metaphorical and Lyrical Blackface Performance of Shirley Q. Liquor," Kaila Story, UofL women's and gender studies and Pan-African studies professor. UofL's Office for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Services is co-sponsoring this event in celebration of Pride Week.
• Oct. 29 - "Gender and the 2008 Election," panel discussion by UofL political science professors Anne Caldwell, Dewey Clayton and Jasmine Farrier.
• Nov. 19 - "Title IX and Gender Equity in Sports," panel discussion including Anita Moorman and Mary Hums, UofL health, physical education and sports studies professors.

Lectures are free and open to the public.

Each lecture begins at 3PM and are located in the Chao Auditorium, Ekstrom Library, Belknap Campus.

A couple months ago I read, again, Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. It's not normally the kind of book I read but it resonated with me (and something like 85% of the other women who like to read in North America). I mention that because the author is so in love with Italian that she moves to Italy for four months just to learn to speak the language. While moving to Italy for four months sounds like an awesome plan to me it's not really practical for most of us is it? If you're interested in learning Italian then might I suggest instead you check out The Italian Cultural Institute of Louisville's beginners Italian classes.

The Italian Cultural Institute of Louisville is offering Italian Language Classes for Beginners. Classes start Tuesday, September 9th at Spalding University. Classes meet every Tuesday from 6:00 to 7:30 pm through December 16, 2009. Classes are free with a membership to the Italian Cultural Institute. Textbook: Prego, 6th Edition must be purchased.

Membership dues:
Individual.....$50
Family.........$75
Student........$25

For more information call Clara Maddox: (502) 491-2297.

So, IdeaFestival. What do you know about it? Do you know anything about it? Are you going to any of the sessions? Have you bought your tickets yet? I ask because I think IdeaFest is such a very cool thing and it makes me incredibly proud to have it in Louisville but when I talk about it around town people often tell me they have no idea what I'm talking about. If you're reading Consuming Louisville clearly you're a smart, interesting and interested individual. This makes you an ideal IdeaFest attendee.

I'm going to pretend you aren't all familiar with IdeaFestival and explain it to you as I see it, and in my terms. Well first, the official IdeaFest description:

IdeaFestival (IF) is a world-class event that attracts leading and highly diverse thinkers from across the nation and around the globe to explore and celebrate innovation, imagination and cutting-edge ideas.  

The IdeaFestival is a unique non-linear program designed to stretch people's horizon's and promote breakthrough thinking... utilizing multiple venues to showcase, discuss and "connect" important ideas in science, the arts, design, business, film, technology, education, etc.

The Festival is designed to appeal to a broad cross-section of people - with presenters selected for their ideas, achievements, and their ability to communicate to a wide-ranging audience.

IdeaFest as I see it:

A collection of very cool, interesting, sometimes esoteric, sometimes mainstream, sometimes super nerdy (in the best possible way) events, lectures and parties. Individually these are interesting events that aren't commonplace. Collectively this is an event the likes of which you'd be hard pressed to find anywhere else in the world much less in our part of the country. So while I'm very glad lots of visitors will be coming to Louisville for IdeaFest I want lots and lots of actual Louisville citizens to take advantage of the great opportunity IdeaFest presents. What opportunity is that exactly? Well I think it's the opportunity to learn stuff, have new ideas and concepts presented, be entertained and engaged by really smart people. Also? The opportunity to show off how smart, cool and innovative Louisville is.

I can't tell you how fantastic all that sounds to a nerd like me. That's why I'm incredibly excited to be attending my first IdeaFest this year. I know, shocking right? I was so busy getting settled into our new place last year I didn't make it to any IdeaFest events and I still kick myself for missing Steve Wozniak. It's shameful for a self-respecting Mac fangirl like myself to admit that Woz was here and I missed out on seeing him. I'd shed a tear but I don't like to get moisture near my MacBook. Moving on.

If my little ramble here is your first real introduction to IdeaFest let me share the good news that passes to individual events are ridiculously affordable. Like $15, 18 or $20 affordable for most events. There are even some really cool free events. All access passes are $350. Not cheap but well worth the money if you can swing it and have the time to attend events over the entire festival.

Between now and IdeaFestival (September 25-27, 2008) I'm going to be writing about events that I personally think are can't miss events. In the meantime I encourage you to check out the schedule and read the descriptions of all the events to make your own can't miss list.
 
I'm working with IdeaFest a little bit trying to make sure that blogging, twittering, flickring and other kinds of -ing things are both happening behind the scenes and encouraged amongst festival attendees. So if you're a blogger, a geek with a smart phone, a Twitter addict, etc I'm definitely encouraging you to attend IdeaFest and get it on all the fun. If you've got questions about IdeaFest that I might possibly be able to answer let me know. 

You know I'm a Mac fangirl right? I so am and I admit. My MacBook and my iPhone are deep and true loves of mine. I also love the iWork series (Pages, Keynote and Numbers). I very rarely use any Microsoft Office applications because iWork does just about everything I need and is much more nimble and less bloated than office. I don't know a lot about Keynote though and I desperately need to learn more so I'm excited about this crazy affordable "Lunch & Learn" session that is being put on by The Louisville Graphic Design Association.

The Louisville Graphic Design Association (LGDA) will host a Lunch & Learn on Thursday, August 21, from 12:00pm-1:00pm at the Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft, 715 West Main Street in downtown Louisville. Scott Soeder, Apple, Inc. Campus Representative for UofL, will discuss Keynote '08 basics, as well as some advanced abilities. The event is free for LGDA members, $10 for non-members and $5 for students. The first 15 LGDA members to RSVP will receive a free box lunch created by the Wiltshire Pantry, and others with a reservation can purchase a lunch for $7.

Attendees will also have the opportunity to win an Apple Training Series: iWork 08 Book with CD. Reservations are encouraged but not required. To RSVP email lgda.rsvp@gmail.com.

My only question is can I bring my own brown bag lunch in? $7 isn't bad for a Wiltshire Pantry lunch but I'm kind of picky about my sandwiches. Man that last sentence made me sound like a whiner. Sorry.

An aside, how interesting that the LGDA website is hosted on Typepad yet they don't have a blog. Fascinating.

Tonight Blue Mountain Coffee is hosting another science cafe. This time the discussion is centered on science and environmental education.

Dr. Teddie Phillipson Mower, Co-Director for the U of L Center for Environmental Education "The Intersection between Science and Environmental Education: How do we know what we know?" Where the Scientists come to you. Presentation commences at 6:00PM.

Friday May 30, 2008
5:30PM 7:30PM
Free

Blue Mountain Coffee
400 E. Main Street
Louisville, KY

Bicycling for Louisville is offering a Confident Cycling Course for Adults beginning next Wednesday April 16, 2008.

This hands-on course will cover:

basic bicycle selection and fitting

fixing flat tires

inspecting a bicycle for safety

understanding traffic laws

communicating with motorists

riding safely through traffic on various types of streets and intersections and

avoiding crashes using emergency maneuvers

Confident Cycling offers information and skills for experienced as well as casual bicyclists. If you would like to feel safer and more comfortable riding in motor vehicle traffic, you will find this course especially helpful.

The course costs $30, which includes all materials. If you can't afford the $30 fee, please contact us for scholarship assistance. To register, please contact Bicycling for Louisville via e-mail or call 582-1814. Mention that you want to sign up for Confident Cycling, and give your name, daytime telephone number, and e-mail address (if available). Bring a bicycle in good working order and a helmet to each class.

I don't know much about this event or the Anne Braden Institute so I'm just going to paste the email I got in its entirety:

The University of Louisville's recently established Anne Braden Institute for Social Justice Research is hosting its first Regional Symposium. Featuring national speakers, roundtable discussions and sessions on engaged scholarship and its relevance to social justice ideals.

April 3, 4:30
Chao Auditorium of Ekstrom Library
"Social Justice and the Engaged University," Dr. Steven Rosenstone, Vice President for Scholarly and Cultural Affairs and Former Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, University of Minnesota

April 4, 3:15
Brandeis School of Law  "Black Studies as Engaged Scholarship," Dr. Peniel E. Joseph, associate professor of African and Afro-American Studies at Brandeis University, and author of Waiting Til the Midnight Hour:  A Narrative History of Black Power

Sessions all day April 4 from 8:30-5:30 include arts and social change, academic-advocacy partnerships, initiatives for food and environmental justice, and more

This symposium is free and open to the public. First 100 registrants received free box lunches. Register online: http://louisville.edu/annebradeninstitute/symposium

Next Saturday April 5, 2008 from 10AM to Noon there is a free guided, educational tour of a Beargrass Creek area trail in Cherokee Park.

Environmentalists David Word and Ben Wolff will guide you on a trail adjacent to Beargrass Creek in Cherokee Park to learn more about stream ecology, aquatic insects, water quality assessment techniques and what we can do to improve water quality in our community. Easy to moderately-easy walk on trails. Tennis shoes or boots are recommended.

Space is limited so register early by calling Sarah Wolff at 502/432-2677 or e-mail Sarah at sarah.wolff@olmstedparks.org.

Just yesterday I told you about the great conversation I had with Scott Harper, wine director for the Bristol Bar & Grille. Well today let me share with you his very cool new video podcast called the Bristol Barrel Podcast. The first episode is on Ordering Wine at a Restaurant. He touches on several of the points we discussed as well as going into detail about what information a wine list is telling you, how much wine comes in a bottle and smacking people upside the head(!) (boy, do I love Scott Harper).



Well done Scott.

My back yard is a weird hilly thing with small part getting too much direct sun while the rest of it gets hardly any direct  sun. In other words my dreams a of a beautiful backyard garden have been shattered by my current yard. But my patio? My patio is perfect for a container garden and I can't wait to start planting. I've already got a book on the subject but a little person to person information is always helpful so I'm hoping to make it to Just Creations this Saturday March 15, 2008 for their free Container Gardening Event with Jeneen Wiche from 1:00-3:00PM. Hopefully she's going to teach me everything I need to know to turn my patio into container garden central.

Just Creations
2722 Frankfort Avenue
Louisville, KY

For those inclined toward drawing this sounds like a interestin workshop at the Mellwood Art Center.

This workshop is a two-day hands-on course in the use of the camera lucida, as described in David Hockney's best-selling book, Secret Knowledge.Registration is limited to five participants.

Each participant will have the use of a camera lucida for the two-day course.

Under the guidance of Michel Samson, learn how to work with this device which can be used for portraiture, landscape, and still life. Each participant will come away with the exhilarating experience of being able to render a life-like image of whatever one wants to depict. Participants will need drawing pads and drawing pencils. Five cameras lucidae will be provided.

Saturday, February 16 and Sunday, February 171-4 p.m
Mellwood Arts and Entertainment Center
1860 Mellwood Ave Louisville, KY
40206

Workshop fee is $50 per student, spaces are limited to five students
to enroll contact Scott Scarboro (502) 895-3650 scarboro@mellwoodartcenter.com

Technical details of the workshop after the jump.

On occasion I've been called a tree hugger so it's no real surprise that I'd be interested in an event called "Greening Your Home." However after making the leap from apartment dweller to householder this past year and seeing last month's LG&E bill I'd interested in anything that can help "create an energy efficient home" even if I hated the environment and cut down trees just for fun.

Also, events that give me free samples of local organic food? Always high on my to do list.

"Want to “go green” but just don’t know where to begin? Then stop by Rainbow Blossom’s Greening Your Home! Whether you want to start small - simple choices to create an energy efficient home, using chemical-free cleaners, making ‘greener’ food choices - or if you want to make bigger changes, we’ ll have experts from around Kentuckiana on hand to assist you. While getting practical tips to ‘green up’ your living space sample organic, local foods and other products. We’ ll also be raffling off an electric, zero emission scooter. From learning how to compost your kitchen waste to building a house made of straw, this event is a one stop resource for “greening” your home and your life!"

January 12, 2008 Noon-4PM

Rainbow Blossom
3738 Lexington Rd.
Louisville, KY 40207
(502) 896-0189

The American Printing House for the Blind is hosting a Family Day Open House Saturday November 24 from 10AM-3PM.

Friends and relatives visiting for Thanksgiving? Looking for something special to show them?

Bring them to APH's Callahan Museum on Saturday November 24.

A video, Denver the Guide Dog, will be shown at 11 AM and 1 PM.

It is about how a puppy becomes a confident, capable dog guide and is matched with a new owner. This video was produced by the Discovery Channel's Animal Planet network and taped, in part, at the American Printing House for the Blind.

Visit on this special day and receive your choice of a free poster or a holiday card featuring a design by a visually impaired artist.

American Printing House
1839 Frankfort Avenue
Louisville, KY 40206

Please join Crane House for a festive, pre-holiday presentation of selected Asian etiquettes and aesthetics related to birthdays, weddings, gift-giving, New Year and special clothing.  Crane House’s gift shop will be open alongside and eclectic boutique from Ethos Asia and original prints and watercolors by Chinese artist, Waverly Liu.

Asian Etiquette and Aesthetics
Sunday, November 18, 2007 2PM-5PM
Free and open to the public

Crane House, the Asia Institute, Inc.

1244 S. Third Street
Louisville, KY 40203