Em setembro foram entregues os prêmios da Veja São Paulo — Comer & Beber. Ontem à noite foram distribuídos os do caderno Paladar.

Prêmios, em qualquer área, são referências. São sistematizações.

Por isso, exigem regras prévias que classificam e generalizam: tornam possível a comparação. Afinal, sob olhar rigoroso, tudo pode resultar, numa perspectiva ou noutra, incomparável. O mesmo vale para listas de “melhores livros”, “melhores discos” ou “melhores restaurantes”.

Daí precisarmos abstrair diferenças. Se não o fizermos, viveremos — tal qual Funes, famoso personagem de Borges — num mundo de individualidades absolutas e de pleno relativismo.

Prêmios também implicam inclusões e exclusões. E são sempre passíveis de críticas e rejeições.

Quando se limita tanto — caso do prêmio Paladar, que determina um conjunto fechado de 50 e poucos pratos, 30 e poucos restaurantes — é possível fazer uma longa lista do que não podia ter ficado de fora e perguntar o motivo de certas escolhas.

Quando se abrange tanto — caso do prêmio da Veja SP, que define um universo amplo de restaurantes: quase tudo que há na cidade — é possível questionar a diversidade de critérios em que os jurados se baseiam e duvidar se todos de fato conhecem todos os lugares.

A concepção dos dois prêmios é diversa. O da Veja supõe a presença constante e regular dos julgadores nos restaurantes: trabalha a longo prazo e fotografa com grande angular. O do Paladar valoriza o aqui e agora e fotografa com zoom.

Pessoalmente gosto de ambos. Porque ambos são o que prêmios são: referências.

Não à toa, a Veja SP Comer & Beber virou o verdadeiro guia gastronômico da cidade e o Paladar virou revista para ser melhor guardado. Não à toa, são respeitados dentro e fora da área.

Mas é óbvio: nem todos concordaremos com seus resultados. Sempre há o desconforto com uma ou outra escolha — ou com todas.

Na Veja, que elege “restaurantes”, suponho que o voto deva considerar tudo: da hora da reserva à saída do restaurante. A comida é fundamental, mas não é o único objeto de avaliação. E isso é bom. Porque comer fora envolve um conjunto grande de movimentos — além, claro, da mastigação. Um mau serviço ou um atendimento displicente pode jogar fora a boa qualidade da comida.

No Paladar, que elege “pratos”, creio que deva se restringir ao que foi comido. E, dadas as características do prêmio, naquele dia e naquele horário. O entorno continua importante e merece ser declarado, mas não pode determinar a escolha.

O primeiro “comentário blogueiro” aos resultados do Paladar 2009 destacou a diversidade da opinião dos eleitores. Acho que a variação de voto — e falo aqui especificamente como jurado dessa edição do prêmio, e não como teórico do assunto — resultou, em muitos casos, da irregularidade de nossos restaurantes. Pelo menos quatro pratos que receberam votos — um deles foi o vitorioso em sua categoria — estavam intragáveis em minhas visitas.

E se prêmios são referências, esta é uma questão séria que mereceria melhor discussão. Pagamos 60, 70 reais por um prato e ele pode chegar à mesa cheio de sabor ou totalmente sem gosto. Temperado na medida exata ou carregadíssimo de sal. Claro que todos podem errar e sempre é possível devolver. Mas onde está o controle de qualidade dessas casas? O próprio crítico do Estado, Luiz Américo, falou recentemente disso em seu blog.

Outra questão que o rali do prêmio Paladar levanta — ou, pelo menos para mim, levantou — vem da má qualidade de muitos dos pratos provados. Havia dias em que eu chegava em casa arrasado. Ok, o dinheiro desperdiçado não era meu. Mas quantas vezes já saí de restaurantes com a sensação de injustiça? E quantas pessoas não são lesadas dia-a-dia?

São Paulo tem restaurantes incríveis. Come-se muito bem por aqui, apesar das altas contas. Mas tem também muita coisa ruim, embalada em decorações modernas e bacaninhas.

Também por isso prêmios são referências. Para que as pessoas normais (ou seja, todas aquelas que não vão a 30 e poucos restaurantes diferentes no prazo de 17 dias) tenham alguma base na hora de escolher onde farão aquele jantar da sexta à noite ou onde comemorarão os dez anos de casamento.

Por isso, guardo a edição anual da Veja SP Comer & Beber. Por isso, guardarei a do Paladar.

No final das contas, entre abstrações, generalizações, inclusões e exclusões, calculo que todos ganhamos com a sistematização de avaliações e as comparações que os prêmios oferecem. Desde que, claro, não acreditemos que o gosto e a experiência alheia possam substituir a nossa.

Dois comentários para encerrar.

Primeiro. Um júri popular elegeu o melhor couvert. Claro que também entrei no site do Paladar e dei meu votinho eletrônico. Dividido entre meus dois couverts preferidos (Picchi e AK), acabei por votar no AK.

Segundo. Não vou reproduzir aqui os comentários sobre 50 e poucos pratos que provei. Todos os textos de todos os jurados estão (ou estarão) na página do Paladar — os elogiosos e os críticos, os que levaram o voto e os que não o levaram. Mas me dou o direito de deixar aqui quatro listas:

— a dos melhores pratos que provei durante a maratona;

— e, triste, a dos piores;

— a dos restaurantes que visitei nessas semanas e, hoje, tenho a impressão de que não consigo viver sem eles;

— a dos restaurantes a que não tenho, hoje, qualquer vontade de voltar.

Alguns discordarão. Claro. E ainda bem. Eu mesmo posso, amanhã, discordar. Ainda bem.

Os doze melhores pratos (e até arrisco dizer que estão em ordem de classificação — se é que isso é possível):

1. Raviolini de pato, do Fasano (o melhor de todos; de vez em quando ainda fecho os olhos para pescar, semanas depois, um pouco de seu gosto);

2. Paleta de cabrito, do Gero

3. Moules & frites, do Ici

4. Ravioli de quiabo e frango, do Pomodori

5. Pain perdu, do Ici

6. Porco à moda caipira, do Pomodori

7. Paleta de cordeiro, do Maní

8. Robalo com caruru, do Tordesilhas

9. Ovo mollet empanado com purê de pupunha e molho de cogumelo, do Così

10. Tutano, do Ici

11. Arroz Maria Isabel, do D.O.M.

12. Spaghetti ao vôngole, do Marina de Vietri

Os dez piores pratos (em ordem alfabética; em alguns deles, erros graves de execução):

— Barriga de porco, do Vito

— Cassoulet, do Freddy

— Costeleta de cordeiro com batata gratinada, do Due Cuochi

— Explosão de chocolate, do Carlota

— Feijoada com carpaccio de pé de porco, do Maní

— Filé au poivre, do La Casserole

— Lasagna alla bolognesa, do Aguzzo

— Moti recheado com chocolate, do Kinoshita

— Rosbife em crosta de lapsang souchong, do Maní

— Tartare de vieira com cítricos, do Eñe.

Os quatro restaurantes a que quero voltar logo — até porque o serviço está à altura da maravilhosa comida:

— Fasano

— Ici

— Gero

­— Pomodori

Os quatro restaurantes a que talvez demore a voltar — até porque, nos três primeiros casos, a comida, mesmo quando boa, foi azedada pelos erros graves de serviço:

— Due Cuochi

— Le Marais

— Emiliano

— Carlota

Comentários de outros blogueiros-eleitores:

Que bicho

Neide Rigo

Post by Breanne Heitkamp

I just wrapped up another successful assembly and the students were exiting the gym.  At this time, there are always a few students that break away from their classes and come over to ask questions or make comments about the program.  On this particular day, a determined kindergartner came up to me with a stern look in her eyes, and she stated “I’m going to the beach this weekend.”

I was a little perplexed at this moment, for we just completed an assembly about the human body and nutrition that ends with me blowing up a giant engine.  But from my experience, I know that students will share the most random facts of their lives, so I didn’t take offense. Instead I simply respond with a little enthusiastic, “Well, that’s nice.”

She then proceed with an order, “You and that (she points to the giant engine) are coming with me.”

At this point, I was simply confused. For I have had students tell me some of the craziest thing, but I have never had a student command me to the beach before. As a result, I said the first thing that popped in my head in an attempt for clarification, “Excuse me.”

From these 2 words and probably the stun expression on my face the kindergartner realized, she has made an error in judgment, and in an instant I saw her change her plan of attack.  All of the sudden, her stern determined look was replace with a smile and giggle. And in the softest sweetest tone and with as much politeness that she could mustard, she said “I apologize … will you and that (pointing to the giant engine) please accompany me to the beach this weekend?”

With a laugh in my heart, I politely decline.  Later I regretted this decision for who doesn’t deserve a weekend at the beach.

I’m spending the week in the Washington, DC area—partly for meetings with national and international organizations that COSI is affiliated with and importantly to also play grandpa to our little Leah

When in DC, you hear about multiple governmental announcements and stories each day—it’s part of life “inside the beltway.” I was glad to be here though and getting detailed news about the President’s announcement of his Educate to Innovate initiative in partnership with multiple companies and organizations. The announcement was of import to us at COSI and other science centers as the initiative recognizes the power of support for science investigation and learning not only in the classroom but in community resources as well.

And the objectives expressed in this new initiative mirror exactly how we see our role at COSI, as highlighted in the following statement contained in President Obama’s comments at the White House:

Everyone in this room understands how important science and math can be. And it goes beyond the facts in a biology textbook or the questions on an algebra quiz. It’s about the ability to understand our world: to harness and train that human capacity to solve problems and think critically, a set of skills that informs the decisions we make throughout our lives. So, yes, improving education in math and science is about producing engineers and researchers and scientists and innovators who are going to help transform our economy and our lives for the better. But it’s also about something more. It’s about expanding opportunity for all Americans in a world where an education is the key to success. It’s about an informed citizenry in an era where many of the problems we face as a nation are, at root, scientific problems. And it’s about the power of science to not only unlock new discoveries, but to unlock in the minds of our young people a sense of promise, a sense that with some hard work—with effort—they have the potential to achieve extraordinary things.

A video of the President’s announcement is available here:

The partners in this initiative include Time Warner Cable, our new sponsor of after school programming and special monthly science days that COSI will implement with their support. In addition to what takes place in the classroom, there are so many learning opportunities with the often non-productive (even destructive) time children and youth have out-of-school. COSI and science center colleagues around the country are developing more partnerships with schools and others to bring our special opportunities, engagement with science and technology, and resources to play an increasing role.

Coincidentally, the same day as the Educate to Innovate announcement, the Wall Street Journal published a special CEO Council report. Several Columbus area CEO’s—Michael Morris of AEP, George Barrett of Cardinal Health, and James Hagedorn of Scotts Miracle-Gro Company were participants—all partners and supporters of COSI’s educational efforts. The group defined and discussed top national priorities. Interestingly, the group of 100 top CEO’s in the U.S. concluded that “Education is an urgent national priority—well ahead of health care, climate change and financial regulatory reform…”

Wow, that says something.

We are linking with more partners locally and nationally to expand and enhance what we can do to support lifelong learning—building on that special skill set we’ve developed of linking and engaging people with the wonders and power of science and technology. You can see the variety of ways in which we’re putting forth our efforts by scanning our web site. My time in DC is partly to expand and link that through national and international partnerships.

During this time of thanks, I’m thankful that at COSI we have the talent and resources to make a difference. The challenge at times is knowing where to focus.

What do you think are the most important areas of learning for COSI to focus on?

What do you see as COSI’s most important, maybe unique, strengths to bring to the national priority of a scientifically literate and comfortable society?

I think about these questions constantly with our team here—any thoughts are always appreciated.

Post by Katherine Fairman

The other day I was at a school getting ready to begin the morning assembly when a volunteer approached me. He was the grandfather of two students. He said he had a story for me.

He told me that a few years ago his daughter went on a field trip with his granddaughter’s class. As a result, she needed someone to watch her youngest son. The gentleman agreed to take him for the day. He asked if she minded what they did on their day together. She said she did not, and his response was “Well I’m taking him to COSI!”

He then told me how he and his grandson “opened and closed the place”. Together they explored our exhibits, had lunch in the Atomic Café, and walked through the traveling Titanic exhibit. (Which will be back here in March 2010!) They both had a terrific day. On the drive home, the gentleman noticed his grandson lying down in the back seat with his eyes closed. He asked, “Are you sleeping back there?” The boy said “No, I’m just remembering all the fun stuff we did together today.” The gentleman told me this response brought a tear to his eye.

It makes me so happy the ways in which COSI brings families and friends closer together. I hope that one day I will have a similar experience with my grandchildren.

Post by Jonathon Barnes

I vividly recall being seven or eight years old when my mother first showed me how to make coffee. My mother had a pretty extreme aversion to housework and subsequently taught my sister and I everything from cooking to laundry by the time we were nine. For the coffee lesson, she got out the kitchen stool for me to stand upon, showed me how to put the filter in the basket, measure out ¼ cup of Folgers, add water, and press the “brew” button. As a child, I always found it amazing that my mother would drink what seemed to be an entire pot of coffee every morning before she went to work.

Fast forward to ten years later and my freshman year at The Ohio State University. 7:30 AM acting classes in the old Drake Union are never a good idea during the winter quarter… especially if you were up until 11:30 the previous night working on homework after rehearsal. This unfortunate confluence of schedules spawned my love for coffee.

Fortunately, the theatre building had a small café that served Starbucks coffee. At the beginning of the quarter, I got cute, tiny, “Tall“ Café Mochas… by the end of the quarter I had graduated to the monster, Venti size coffee. Having discovered the wonders of caffeine, I now firmly believe that if the British had put an unfair tax on coffee instead of tea, Ben Franklin would have sworn off muskets and found some way to craft AR-15 assault rifles for the colonial army.

Ever since that quarter, coffee has been a vital part of my ability to function in the mornings. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I typically have my video game themed travel mug with me in schools. That mug always has that magical blend of Columbian wonderment that powers me through a (sometimes sleep-deprived) morning in a school.

When asked where I get my enthusiasm and energy, I generally like to reply, “COSI On Wheels runs on caffeine, sugar, and the smiling faces of children.”

This week, however, tragedy has befallen me; I forgot my beloved travel mug.

I made the discovery Monday night when I realized that my suitcase was missing my mug that features the shining face of Halo’s Master Chief. I had left it on the kitchen counter back home. I instantly dropped to my knees and shook my fists in anger. If you happen to live in the Cincinnati metro area, you may have heard wailing and gnashing of teeth around 6:00… that was me. I truly apologize for interrupting SportsCenter.

By the time morning rolled around, I had mentally prepared myself for a day without my usual caffeine fix. I arrived at my school, as bright-eyed and bushy-tailed as possible without chemical assistance. Within minutes of walking into the school, my COSI cell phone rang, it was my volunteer coordinator for the day. She called to inform me that she was running late and stopping for coffee at Starbucks. She also asked if I would like some. I believe my exact response was:

“Sweet Saturn’s Rings, please, God, YES!”

Moments later, my volunteer coordinator (who shall henceforth be known as Saint Marcia of Evendale) brought me a Venti coffee from Starbucks. This heavenly brew from the shrine of Starbucks powered me through my assembly and the rest of my morning.

Such is life on the road: little sleep, lots of caffeine, and tons of science… and now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to hunt down a Red Bull for the afternoon.

There are some fun parts to my job that I never really had covered in my training—one of them being how to make presentations with a mascot at your side. Monday night I was in front of Columbus City Council sharing updates on the array of activities we have lined up for the holidays at COSI with RATio, our mascot bouncing around next to me

I was also able to share the great news that we will have Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition back for an encore starting next March 27. This is a big deal to land a major exhibition like this for COSI and our community. It takes a lot of hard negotiation and decision making when you are dealing with these major properties.

As I had not been here in 2005 for its previous run, I flew to NYC to view this 15,000 square foot exhibition at its location off of Times Square. It is impressive and impactful. And we will be having not only many new artifacts (almost 100 with 23 having their world debut here), but we’re also working with the tour company and within our team to strengthen the incredible science and technology richness the Titanic story offers.

We had over 226,000 guests view Titanic the last time with an audience representing every county in Ohio and every state in the country. Now, with our #1 ranking in place, stronger partnerships, and overall growing membership we should see a very successful run for the community and COSI.

So at least by that portion of the presentation to city council I’d learned better to let RATio do his thing while I focused on what I was sharing with city council and the cameras!

While I was walking my oldest daughter down the aisle at her wedding in Virginia, the team and community here in Columbus were celebrating the 10th anniversary of the opening of COSI at its new home on West Broad. I did do a phone interview in the midst of wedding preparation with a reporter writing a story about our ten years in our current location. All sounded good—I just felt bad that I couldn’t participate in the on-site festivities.

Current COSI location

Old COSI location

There are many great memories in this community about COSI at East Broad Street—my own included from my first visit in 1987 followed by many visits afterwards including with my own children.

The new facility definitely has a different look and feel—and some of our experiments didn’t recapture some of the early COSI qualities. But as we’ve been working so hard over the last few years to enhance and expand the experience here, there are many ways in which some of the early concerns of some are being addressed.

We’ve listened over the years and responded with re-positioning and highighting some of the older, iconic elements such as the pendulum and the spectrum tree. A significant effort has been put into expanding the human presence on the floor and the activities our teens conduct with the guests—all similar elements to the experience at the old location.

In leading change I find that there are challenges to keeping the community up-to-date and engaged in the process. But we must be doing something right— our attendance grew 23 percent this last summer and our membership continues to expand to almost 19,000 member households.

I would just hope that those who formed an opinion years ago would actually come and visit again to update their experience—we even have our free Community Open House December 6 as a no cost way to come check us out! Then maybe those who’ve fixated on an old impression can see COSI of today and share some of the pride many others have expressed in hosting the #1 rated science center in our own community.

Are there ways to do this that I’ve missed?

Some great activities

1) Build and Play at Sprout Soup – Sunday 2pm-4pm
Sprout Soup will have over a thousand Keva Planks out for building and playing with. A fun event for the whole family! We’ll also play some games everyone can enjoy. (FREE)

2) Meet Diego at COSI -  Saturday 10:00AM to 2:00PM
Go spend the day with Diego at COSI and learn a little science while you are there. (Included in Admission to COSI)

3) Winter Puppet Show – Saturday 3:00pm – 4:00pm
Bring the kids out to Three Creeks Metro Park and watch a puppet show about animals getting ready for winter.

4) Familiy Night Out at Westerville Rec Center – Saturday 6:30pm-9:00pm
Come use the gym, game room, climbing wall & pool. Limited snacks included in price. ($5)

5) Columbus Zoo -  All Weekend
Take advantage of the great weekend weather and head out to the Zoo and check out the animals.

Post by Kyle Jepson

I feel like I’m still learning what the “road life” of an Outreach Educator entails. Sometimes, it is so much fun I can’t believe I’m getting paid to have fun with kids while they learn. Every day, I learn lessons that I feel I could only learn on the road both in and out of schools.

Let’s talk about hotels. Can we talk about hotels!? We Educators have different preferences; some of us may want to stay somewhere close to a school so we don’t have to drive as far; maybe somewhere nice, comfortable, and perhaps, super-cheap. I prefer a middle road between those three, sometimes, however, my cheapness comes back to bite me.

A few weeks ago I was staying in what we’ll call a cheaper room. When I got into the room and sat on the bed, it reminded me of the fake beds they use as displays at furniture stores. Plastic covered, soft and hard in all the wrong places. I was surprised a spring didn’t shoot out of the middle. Also, half of the hotel was under construction, something that was not covered on the website.

“I’ll live,” I thought.

After a table-for-one dinner, I headed back to my plastic wonderland and went to sleep.

Fast forward to a sudden rude awakening, in my haze I hear a loud continuous buzzing that I recognize as a fire alarm. I check my phone and notice the time… 4:30… AM… Two hours before I should be waking up. After sitting in my bed for ten minutes of wishful thinking, hoping that the alarm may stop, I get up and prepare to leave my room. I figure if this is, in fact, a real fire I should grab some essentials. Essentials at 4:30AM to me seem to be:

1. My Phone
2. My COSI Truck Keys
3. My Shoes
4. A Sweater

After half an hour of sitting in the lobby, I come to find out it is in fact a false alarm. A leak in the construction wing of the building has set off the alarm. Slightly annoyed, I return to my room and attempt to sleep for the hour and some change I had left to rest. But once I’m up, I am up.

While lying on my plastic wrap bed I consider the steps that led me to this point in my life. Was it one decision or a path that was set for me long ago? Before I know it, it is 6AM and time to head to school, I have not fallen back to sleep. I am in no mood to be happy and playful today. In fact, I feel like a big old grump. I arrive at my school; a first-time school that has never had COSI On Wheels before. Then, as the first kindergartners began to file in and stare around in wonderment, I remember why I decided to go into this profession in the first place.

Pleased to report that today wasn’t too bad.  Oh, it was cold and rainy and raw, but I was only outside for as long as it took to walk two blocks to get some soup for lunch.  I anticipated being pretty low energy from having been up late and skipping dinner yesterday, but it worked out okay.  Going to bed early tonight, though, I can tell you that.

Breakfast:  lemon water; oats, water, almonds, kale, cinnamon, blueberries; traditional medicinals chai.

Lunch:  cinnamon tea; tomato soup; bread; field greens with pistachios, pears, white beans, signature dressing.  Cosi is so nice and, well, cosy on a dismally dreary day. 

Snack:  raw pepitas, pecans, grain-sweetened chocolate chips, unsweetened cranberries; cinnamon tea.

Dinner:  mashed potatoes with butter and granulated garlic; steamed green beans; portobellos sauteed with shallots, olive oil, dates, chives, parsley and toasted almonds; water; honeybush tea.  Please know that this fabulous dinner was pulled together in 15 minutes while I talked on the phone with Kate.  Seriously.  Amazing food doesn’t take a whole lot of time.  Just chop and saute; boil and mash.

Today was the first day Janice was away on her trip and since OSU was closed (Veterans Day) Anna and I made a date to play with some friends. We decided to spend the day at COSI. We had a great time playing, exploring, and, learning together.

Posted by Jonathan Barnes

We Outreach Educators come from a variety of backgrounds as well as a variety of perspectives. In general our ages are relatively within the spectrum of “early twenties” to “mid thirties”. With that in mind, we do our best to connect with children of all ages. If you ask your average Outreach Educator, we can probably tell you at least something about the Jonas Brothers, High School Musical, and an occasional nugget or two about Hannah Montana.

What I find interesting, however, is when a student relates to OUR interests. For example, when I am doing a program in a school, students often times see me nursing my morning coffee from a travel mug… a lovely gift from my lovely fiancée. This travel mug has one of those customizable liners to which one may add pictures. As a child of the “Nintendo Generation”, my mug features pictures of characters from some of my favorite video games. Few things will stop me in my tracks faster than a young student who comes up to me and says, “I LOVE HALO!”

That being said, an interesting thing happened to me this week. As I was supervising a hands-on session of fourth graders, I spotted a young lady wearing a Nirvana hoodie. As a big fan of 90’s Seattle music, my interest was piqued. I walked over and asked, “Do you know that band on your shirt?”

The young lady replied, “No. It’s my mom’s. I just borrowed it.”

I ended up doing a quick bit of mental math and realized that this young lady probably wasn’t even a glimmer in her parents’ eyes when Kurt Cobain passed away…and I instantly felt old.

It seems that most everyone enjoys celebrations (unless maybe it’s a birthday on the downhill side of life that reminds you of the sand emptying out of your personal hourglass—kind of where I’m getting to.)

While COSI has been around since 1964, it was November 6 ten years ago when the institution moved its operations to 333 West Broad.

I wasn’t here but I understand the opening garnered widespread international publicity. From architectural magazines in Japan to Vogue to Time magazine’s two-page spread, the new building was trumpeted far and wide. Throw in Kathy Sullivan, a record setting female astronaut as the COSI leader and a building designed by a world famous architect and you have created many special elements to that opening.

So we can’t possibly let this anniversary go by without a celebration!

I’ll be at my daughter’s wedding, a higher priority, but it’s still with regret that I won’t be here to see how the community will celebrate with COSI this Saturday. (Okay, Saturday is the 7th, but close enough

The number 10 will be themed in many ways—from the $10 admission for adults to the 10 times 100 cookies from Cheryl & Co. that will be handed out while they last.

I can’t be there—but I hope you’ll stop by for all the special activities, rates and prizes.

Here is some more info and some impressive and interesting facts about our facility.
Let me know how the day goes and send pictures!

I’ve been in education of one form or another for 37 years—having first stepped into a classroom on my own in 1972 as a precocious 20 year old. So I think I’ve built up a body of knowledge and experience by this time. As COSI’s president I’ve drawn upon that experience extensively and feel fairly comfortable with my knowledge base.

But I’ve been reminded at our international conference what great minds we have in this field—drawn from all over the world. I just sat next to Dennis Bartels, the Exploratorium’s director, on an ASTC panel at this annual conference. We were responding to a recent Carnegie Commission report on educational reform. With the other panelists (all colleagues and friends) we had all participated in the working sessions leading to the report.

I’ve known Dennis for years. We’re both Cleveland kids, we both have educational backgrounds and early on we were interested in each other’s doctoral research. And we both started our CEO careers close to the same time.

But when his turn came to comment and remark on the educational research and constructs that he thinks from, I was reminded what a deep and informed thinker Dennis is. I wish I could have given up my time for panel comments to give Dennis more time I benefitted so much to listening to his remarks.

And Dennis is just one of a number of my colleagues who brings a broad and diverse background, impressive intellect, and eloquence to play into our conversations. Whether it’s at a conference session or over a glass of wine (more so the latter I’m always blessed with informative and entertaining conversations at our conference. I think it is what makes the science museum field so satisfying on a personal basis beyond our own local work. It’s worth the flight delays and time away from the office to make the conference each year—now my 23rd in a row!

Dalle mie parti

E’ questo autunno

Che si è rubato gli anni.

Ha ripiegato la bufera

E sta nel suo cantuccio.

Aspetterà il mese di dicembre

LEGGI…

E così si scivola

E così si scivola

Sconfitto, pazzo

Con la schiuma alla bocca

Con tua madre moribonda.

Paura, trapasso

LEGGI…

La corsa all’oro

Accorrete fratelli!

E’ il richiamo del corno d’avorio

dello scettro

di cui non si scorge la fine:

è la via principale, la promessa delle cifre

vigilata da diademi

che sprigionano fitte nebbie come luce

e luce

LEGGI…

I am at the ASTC conference in Fort Worth, Texas right now.

Been having great conversations with colleagues on topics such as bringing more current science into our centers. Paul Tatter and I have talked for years about different approaches to science engagement. And
he’s really provided a great model at Explora in NM. In all these years though I’d never known of his musical background– until he and the Explora band performed at the conference banquet!!

Always amazed at the wide array of talents in the science center field. Except for me;-)

Right now I am at the Association of Science & Technology Centers annual conference in Texas.

Always great to think about the impact and potential science centers have as a resource to our communities. Spending all day with other board members from all over the world–so we get such a broad array of perspectives! Point came up again that worldwide science centers collectively have an annual attendance of roughly 300 million!!

Such a great foundation for us to play a larger role in addressing science based issues our communities. I know I’m already gathering some ideas and opportunities to help our efforts at COSI.

Thank goodness for modern electronics—here I am now 3 hours after plane supposed to depart with what looks like several more to go. We’re waiting for a big storm system between us and Ft. Worth to become passable so I can get to the ASTC (Association of Science-Technology Centers) international conference.

To some degree this is ok—13 hrs of meetings as a board and committee member between today and tomorrow that I’m not fully prepped for. Doesn’t matter what city I’ll be in—I’ll spend the next few days in windowless, stifling hotel meeting rooms. At least I’ll be with good colleagues and friends from all over the world. We will be discussing and planning the future of ASTC and our field and individual centers against important society needs.

COSI is being recognized more and more as a leader in the field again so I need to be “on my game” and ready—so here I sit with computer and electronic page after page of reports and background info—some of which I’ve had to generate and now updating sitting in this uncomfortable airport seat. Hopefully I can move to an uncomfortable plane seat sometime in the near future!

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Três bons doces do Arturito…

O brioche com Cointreau talvez não vencesse uma disputa pelo melhor pain perdu ou similar da cidade, mas não faria feio. Ele traz açúcar queimado (ou “dourado”) por cima e vem acompanhado de um bom mascarpone e de pêssegos (deliciosos, diga-se de passagem) em conserva.

A mousse de chocolate Valrhona é suave e tem sabor intenso. Os biscoitinhos circulares que a acompanham (“shortbreads”) são delicados e levam uma pitada de Maldon. Muito bom, embora eu tenha que confessar que preferiria um chocolate um pouco mais amargo.

A pêra caramelizada de Amaretto é outro caso sério… Ela chega sobre saboroso creme de baunilha e massa circular crocante de sementes.

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Simplicidade devia ser regra. Até porque ela costuma desembocar em bons resultados.

No cardápio do Zucco, me chamou atenção o cesto de massa doce com figos flambados no balsâmico. Pedi, claro.

A massa era inexpressiva, mas a grande decepção ficou por conta da desnecessária presença de creme e de sorvete no prato. Os sabores do figo e do balsâmico foram abafados e o doce ficou pesado.

Fizessem simplesmente uma cestinha de massa com figos flambados no balsâmico, como prometia o cardápio, e poderia dar numa ótima e suave sobremesa.

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Dois ótimos doces do Così…

O tiramisù de frutas vermelhas já é um clássico do cardápio, mas o queijo agora está mais balanceado, combinando com as muitas e variadas frutas, sem se impor a elas.

E o “pêssego afogado” vem inteiro e com a boa doçura natural da fruta. Chega mergulhado na calda de vinho branco e acompanhado de sorvete de manjericão. Muito, muito bom.

If I wonder how much we’ve failed in science and math education, the current flu season and the challenges of the H1N1 (swine) flu virus has made it clear once again. I’m astounded by the reports (and even what I personally hear) of the number of people who say they won’t get a flu shot for themselves or their children due to concerns about the vaccine.

Hundreds of millions of people get the flu each year and on average 36,000 die in the US each year from flu related causes as reported by the CDC. Yet people fall prey way too often to believing internet legends or talk show ranting about the dangers of the flu vaccine or linkages with other childhood problems.

I did some quick checking at sources I’d encourage others to use such as the Center for Disease Control’s website or www.flu.gov to check some of the facts using the best knowledge scientists and health professionals have gathered from around the world.

What we have in too short a supply is an understanding of the scientific process, basic math of probability, and the difference between correlation and cause and effect. We don’t have a population that is fully equipped to make smart and health choices about their lives—putting them and the rest of us at higher risk.
One report of a death after a vaccination (cause or correlation?) or talk show discussions about autism and vaccine preservatives (proven or conjecture?) seem to be enough for some people to outweigh extreme efforts at safety and the evidence of safety and decide vaccinations are bad. (And it’s not just the flu vaccination at issue).

Life has risks. We can’t stop them but we can play the odds, but only if people understand and act on the odds.

Linking a story of a possible bad reaction with the prediction it will happen to you or your child seems to in too many people’s minds to be a better given than the study of millions of doses of a virus and those remote dangers that can be scientifically associated. Plus people don’t seem to understand the difference between correlation (an observed linkage in change between two activities) and cause and effect (a proven cause of one result by the first one taking place).

I still remember this difference being highlighted in one of my early research classes. Did you know there is a strong correlation between ice cream sales and crime? They both increase significantly in the summer.
Does eating ice cream drive more people to commit crimes? Of course not! There are many factors around summer–longer daylight hours, warmer weather and people outside more just for example which contribute to the increase in both behaviors. That’s correlation—not cause and effect. Just observing that two actions (flu shot and some medical issue) occurred in close timing doesn’t prove that one caused the other. Yet I hear people citing some odd occurrence they’ve heard of to justify their decision to forego vaccination.

People also don’t seem to understand probability. Are you more likely to contract the flu or suffer a perceived (not proven) side effect? Do you have a greater chance of death from the flu (remember that 36,000 normal year death rate) or some unproven side effect of the vaccine?

Our society has more and more information upon which to base intelligent decisions about our personal health, the health of our children, and even the health of our environment and planet. Yet we don’t seem to be equipped as a society to make judgments that fully reflect what we actually know and have the greatest evidence to support. It is extremely frustrating.

We have discussed at COSI and at national and international levels among science centers worldwide about how do we play a greater role to help people to make reasoned personal decisions based on the best knowledge of the time.

What can we do at COSI that we are not doing to help this situation? I’m open to ideas as we look at our role connecting our community to the real issues and the real science related to those issues so we can all lead healthy lives and create a sustainable future for our children and grandchildren.

Every year we, as Outreach Educators, go to over seven hundred schools across the Midwest, meeting over 200,000 students! As you can imagine, funny things happen from September to June across our fair region, and we’re here to share all of the ups, downs, laughs, and sniffles (we do catch a cold from time to time!) with you.

To kick off “Inside Outreach”, we’d like to take this opportunity to introduce our amazing COSI On Wheels team for the 2009-2010 school year. These are the wonderful, engaging people who will be bringing COSI to your schools, communities, and events. They each have great stories to tell, and we hope that you’ll enjoy their stories as much as they enjoy sharing them.

Have a great year!

~ Your COSI On Wheels Team

Cleveland Heighs High

This last weekend was my 40th reunion. I left Cleveland at 17 years of age and essentially didn’t look back or stay in touch with classmates (any of the 1100 in my graduating class!). I had ventured back for our 10th reunion but had a less than satisfying experience so hadn’t bothered with any others.

Something drew me to the 40th and I went, but with some trepidation. At the 10th it seemed like the old high school dynamics were still in play—the popular football players and cheerleaders clustered together, the “in group” hanging out together since among them were the class officers who had arranged the reunion, and then the rest of us in one identified subset or another.

I “floated” to some degree during high school—a successful athlete on the one hand (but face it, track and cross-country prowess don’t necessarily excite the general populace) but also a “pocket protector carrying geek”. Never fully integrating into one group and alternately feeling more comfortable as a “science geek” or an athlete.

The 40th was so different. Many of the “jocks” had grown too old, bald, and heavy to sustain their “heart throb” status. And some of the stars of the class that everyone at the 40th were referencing were the “geeks” who had gone on to start biotech companies, pioneer arterial replacement strategies, develop and move forward wind generation and solar photovoltaic approaches, and even win a MacArthur “Genuis” Fellowship award for energy conservation strategies and national standards.

Yes, the “geeks” were actually among the most noted classmates, the “cliques” had faded away, and I didn’t feel like I had to apologize for my old pocket protector anymore.

So why couldn’t we have been that way 40 years ago and more when we were in school?

How do we change that culture which still seems engrained in schools?

“Revolution only solution”. La scritta, in spray blu e mezza scolorita, campeggia sul muro scrostato che accompagna la vecchia fabbrica dismessa. Sta proprio di fronte al civico 20 di via Lombroso, una via fredda e impersonale, all’apparenza senza nessuna particolarità. Una via di cui non si ricorderebbe nessuno se non per un motivo. Qua, in stanze buie e semi spoglie, si è generata l’anima del rock indipendente milanese. Come un fiore sull’asfalto, in questa via sono nati e cresciuti Bluvertigo, Afterhours, le Vibrazioni, i Cosi, i Lombroso, i Ministri, i Grandi Animali Marini. Tutto ciò che di fresco Milano ha saputo dare alla musica italiana è cominciato qua. A Enzo, il barbiere proprietario del chiosco al 22, probabilmente non importa granché di quei capelloni che entrano ed escono dal portone grigio. Ma in quelle sale prova si è costruita – e si sta consolidando – una leggenda destinata a rimanere nella memoria storica dei milanesi di domani e a diventare oggetto di culto per una generazione di rockettari postmoderni. Oggi, eserciti di band emergenti fanno a gara per poter suonare in questi locali. E chi ce la fa a sfondare –anche solo un pochino – non aspetta un attimo a rivendicare le sue origini.

Basta fare un giro su Facebook: “A provare andavamo in via Lombroso, nelle sale prova dove hanno suonato gruppi come…”.

It has become an annual event now for us to host with WOSU and OSU the partnership effort that brings a panel discussion of the intersection of religion and science to our community. (A Templeton Foundation grant has afforded us the ability to make this an evolving dialogue over several years).

I find it interesting that in our society this is often an uncomfortable and/or contentious conversation. So each year I anticipate the evening with excitement and a little bit of trepidation. I usually get at least one earful a year from someone who feels that we were not balanced enough or that we didn’t tilt in the direction of their point of view enough. And we usually show up on blogs or websites that tend to be at an end of the thought spectrum with reviews and some criticism—either of the speakers or the partners pulling this together.

Having or promoting a position is not the point in my mind. I hope that by our efforts people can look at the intersection of religion and science not as a clash of cultures but two different lenses through which to look at our world and make meaning. If participants (on-site or through WOSU’s media channels) can embrace a widening of their points of view and an appreciation for other perspectives then maybe that’s what we’ve been able to contribute.

The speakers are always fascinating and well known in many circles. (Of course there was the year that I didn’t prep well for the event and was stupidly asking Dr. Francis Collins “so what do you do?” This was directed at the National Medal of Honor awardee who had led the well publicized and notable federal government’s efforts on mapping and sequencing the human genome! I rationalize that since I had had Dr. Craig Venter at my previous museum—who had led the private initiative that I was tuned into the effort, but limited to one side of the equation. I had thought of dropping Dr. Collins a congratulations note since he was recently named head of the huge National Institute for Health (NIH) – but thought maybe I’d not left the best personal impression and should let my uninformed actions fade in his memory;-)

Anyway, the panelists today– Moderator Neal Conan, host of NPR’s Talk of the Nation; Dr. Francisco Ayala, Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at UC Irvine and author of Darwin’s Gift to Science and Religion; Dr. Denis Lamoureux, Professor of Science and Religion at St. Joseph’s College in the University of Alberta, Canada, author of Evolutionary Creation and co-author of Darwinism Defeated? The Johnson-Lamoureux Debate on Biological Origins; and Dr. Eugenie Scott, American physical anthropologist and executive director of the National Center for Science Education and author of Evolution vs. Creationism: An Introduction– are all notable thinkers in this arena (and I’ve looked up their backgrounds better this time!).

I think they will stimulate thought and command respect–but then I never know how the public reaction will be. It should be another interesting evening in more ways than one.

What do you think about COSI hosting more events of public interest related to science, even when the topics may have some controversy around them?