Star City Blog

Enjoy First Friday at Screen Ink with an Exhibition by Kimberly Brown

Come and help Screen Ink (416 S. 11th Street) welcome the large scale, colorful and amazing paintings of Lincoln's Kimberly Brown on First Friday, June 4th from 7-10 p.m. By day, she's a hard working paper maker at Lincoln’s beloved Porridge Papers, but by night she lets her love of colors show in a big way.
 
Kimberly Brown is a painter and printmaker completing her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln...slowly.  She is also an avid cyclist and enjoys camping and spending time in nature. Most of her work from the last few years centers around these kinds of experiences.   

Science Odyssey: Inside the World's First Synthetic Cell

Reactions to Craig Venter's debut of bacterium with an artificial genome have been all over the map. In this edition we hear briefly from Venter then talk with one of his chief scientists, Dan Gibson, about just what went into the creation of a synthetic cell, why they did it, and what they plan to do next. In the second portion, we turn to biochemist Ted Reid of Texas Tech University for some perspective on the significance of this achievement.

Synthetic Cells, Part 1 14:28

Synthetic Cells, Part 2 11:19

Clay Farris Naff is (claynaff.com) is a science author and blogger whose weekly radio program, Science Odyssey, airs Saturday mornings from 8:30 - 9:00 Central Time on KZUM, Lincoln's community radio station. You can hear it over the air at 89.3 FM or on the web live at kzum.org. Clay's science-and-religion blog on the Huffington Post can be seen here.

Morrill Hall to Offer Free Thursday Night Admission in June, July, August

The University of Nebraska State Museum will offer free admission to Morrill Hall, south of 14th and Vine Streets on the University of Nebraska-Lincoln City Campus, on Thursday nights throughout the summer.

June 3 through Aug. 26, the public may visit the museum free of charge from 4:30 to 8 p.m. Thursdays only. Regular admission to Mueller Planetarium fulldome shows will apply.
        
Mueller Planetarium, located inside the museum, will feature two fulldome shows on Thursday evenings in June. The family show, "Secret of the Cardboard Rocket," will be shown at 6 p.m. The new fulldome show, "Natural Selection," will be shown at 7 p.m. See the complete fulldome schedule for June below.

CSG Deadline Reminder and School Spirit Award Standings

One week prior to the Cornhusker State Games early entry deadline, entries are streaming in and the new School Spirit Award competition is heating up.  The new program, sponsored by the Nebraska State College System, provides funding support for schools across Nebraska according to voting by Cornhusker State Games participants.
 
Red Cloud, Clarkson and Dodge are the early leaders in the Class D division, and Syracuse, Doniphan-Trumbull and Broken Bow lead Class C.  Lincoln High, Lincoln Southwest and Lincoln Southeast lead a large pack of Class A-B schools vying for the awards.  The top vote-getting high school in each division receives $750, second place receives $500.

Hit the Streets for the June 2010 North Lincoln Art Crawl

On Friday, June 4, 9 Muses Studio, Heart of Gold Jewelers, International Quilt Study Center & Museum, LUX Center for the Arts, Mo Java Café, and Salt Creek Potter’s Workshop will participate in the North Lincoln Art Crawl.  LUX Center Membership and Marketing Coordinator, Carlos Guerrero says, “We are very excited to have 9 Muses Studio as the newest addition to this group of galleries. ”

Gallery maps will be provided at each of the galleries.

9 Muses Studio, located at 2713 N 48th Street, will be open from 5 p.m to 9 p.m.  9 Muses Studio presents linoleum block prints, sculptures, and hand-made ceramic beads by Carol DeVall.  The reception for the artist is from 6 p.m. – 8 p.m.  Improvisational tribal belly dancing will be performed by Troupe Sicorae throughout the evening.

Dr. Frequency Brings His Astounding Sounds Lab to the Lincoln Children's Museum

Beginning Thursday, May 27, one of the world’s foremost experts in the field of sound, Dr. Frequency, will be relocating his Astounding Sounds laboratory to the Lincoln Children’s Museum to give families the chance to experience the excitement of sound.
 
Dr. Frequency’s Astounding Sounds enables children to tour the lab of the fictitious Dr. Frequency where they’ll encounter more than 10 different and unique interactive sound experiments, including a Theremin, a musical instrument played with no physical contact, and a giant 16 ft x 6 ft wall piano.

Bicycling Editorial: My Twenty Mile Time Trial

By Dennis Kornbluh

On a recent Friday evening, the weather was perfect for bicycling. Due to work, the rain, and a multitude of other poor excuses, I haven't been getting out to ride much, but neither have I reduced my calorie intake. The few times that I did ride, I was a little slow. The folks in the bike club may fairly refer to me as "that fat old dude."

Whether I'm fit or fat, I always eat like a champion. It's a talent. Sometimes I wonder if I ride for fitness, or to alleviate the guilt that results from my love (and over-consumption) of food. Perhaps it's a bit of both.

In any case, after a long and frustrating day at the office (and a late lunch -- banh mi sandwich at Balee 1), I was really looking forward to a bike ride. The time was 5:30 p.m., and the weather was just perfect: crystal blue skies, very little wind, no humidity to speak of, and a temperature of about 70F. You don't get a lot of days like that here in Lincoln. As I prepared to leave the office, my phone rang. It was my daughter, reminding me about a graduation party I had promised to attend that ran from 6-9 p.m.

'Adopt a Lifelong Friend Day' at the Lincoln Children's Zoo May 29th

Bring the family and enjoy “Adopt a Lifelong Friend Day at the Lincoln Children’s Zoo on Saturday, May 29th, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. “Adopt a Lifelong Friend Day” is an annual event that promotes the Zoo’s animal adoption program and teaches community members how to properly care for their pets. 

An exhibit with information about the animal adoption program will be on display and visitors will have the opportunity to adopt a zoo animal during the day.  Community organizations that care for home pets and wild animals will set up exhibits in the Zoo plaza that provide information on how to properly care for animals.  Visitors will have the opportunity to adopt pets from some exhibitors on the spot.

PODCAST: Blog Talk Live: Interview with Tom Casady, Chief of Police, LPD

By Dennis Kornbluh

Tonight at 6pm on Blog Talk Live I'll interview Tom Casady, Chief of Police for the Lincoln Police Department, a position he has held since 1994. Casady maintains a blog called "The Chief's Corner" in which he posts about local issues, incidents, ordinances, history, and a variety of other subjects. His blog is actively read, and has a rich assortment of reader comments. It is always informative, and often entertaining.

In this program I'll ask Chief Casady to describe the characteristics of the Lincoln Police Department, how the city of Lincoln ranks in terms of crime compared to other cities in the nation, and how policing has changed over the years since he has been The Chief.  We'll also discuss law enforcement technology, the "digital trail" left by citizens in daily life, and we'll take questions from callers.

Audio from the program:

Tom Casady, Chief of Police, Part 1 26:54

Tom Casady, Chief of Police, Part 2 26:58

Blog Talk Live airs every Tuesday from 6-7 p.m. Central on KZUM 89.3 FM, on KZUM-HD, and on the web at kzum.org.

Mayor’s Arts Awards Winners a Strong Representation of Lincoln’s Vibrant Art Scene

Mayor Chris Beutler and the Lincoln Arts Council will present the Mayor’s Arts Awards the evening of Monday, June 7 at the Lied Center for Performing Arts. The awards formally recognize artistic contributions and achievements in the Lincoln area.

Each year the community nominates candidates for the Mayor’s Arts Awards and a panel of professionals chooses the worthy recipients from those nominated. This year there were an exceptional number of nominees and those chosen as winners truly represent the vibrancy and richness of our city’s Art Scene.