Friday 3
Scientists are still trying to figure out exactly which islands in the Lesser Antilles were visited by Christopher Columbus, whose logs are rich with details about Caribbean geography and climate–which could help determine weather patterns over the last few centuries. Fire and Ice: An Illustrated Journey Through the Climates of Time, a lecture by Wesleyan University’s David Hickcox and Jon Sanger, will examine what the climates of the past tell us about today’s weather, as well as what we may expect tomorrow. The presentation begins at 10 AM and runs to 2 PM at the Public Library Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington. Admission is $17.50, $12.50 for those who graduated from Wesleyan after 1983, and includes coffee and rolls, a box lunch, and beverages. Call 246-6994 in the afternoon, or 1-614-368-3325.
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Last year the Paris Dance nightclub raised $3,500 in one night for Sarah’s Circle, becoming the single largest contributor to the Uptown homeless-women’s center. At this year’s fourth benefit for Sarah’s Circle, club owner Linda Rodgers and her crew hope to do even better. WXRT’s Terri Hemmert, who has made this one of her annual causes, will spin records from 4 to 8 PM at 1122 W. Montrose. Everyone is welcome. Admission is $5. Call 262-2322 or 769-0602.
“I had hoped to capture with black marks on white paper, this music created by these people, and set down what they looked like, felt and did before they were gone,” said Stephen Longstreet in a recent interview about his new book, Jazz From A to Z: A Graphic Dictionary. A novelist, travel writer, cookbook author, screenwriter, playwright, painter, illustrator, historian, and critic, Longstreet is first and foremost a jazz fan. His view of the local scene in the 1920s and 1930s is captured in the more than 60 watercolors, drawings, and collages in Jazz–The Chicago Scene: The Art of Stephen Longstreet, on exhibit through November 29 at the University of Chicago’s Joseph Regenstein Library, 1100 E. 57th St. Open 9 to 5 Monday through Friday and 9 to 1 Saturday. Call 702-8740.
The government uses census data for local and congressional redistricting, determining matching federal funds, and allocating program funds to local and state governments–so a low or inaccurate head count can really foul things up. Greg Howard, a data specialist with the U.S. Census Bureau, will talk about The Importance of Being Counted in the 1990 Census. He will also discuss the bureau’s methods and the safeguards used to ensure privacy. The free program runs from 12:15 to 1:30 PM at the Public Library Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington. 321-3460.
