Wednesday, December 17, 2008

NCSWA Holiday Dinner: Neuro-Magician Luigi Anzivino at The New Delhi Restaurant

Did that magician really just read your mind? Did the rabbit vanish, or was it never there in the first place? It’s only natural to wonder what tools sleight-of-hand magicians use to fool our senses. But a bigger question is how and why our brains are actually wired to be tricked. Come and find out. Join us for an evening with Neuro-Magician Luigi Anzivino at the New Delhi Restaurant in downtown San Francisco.

Before joining the Exploratorium museum in San Francisco, Luigi cut his teeth earning a PhD in psychology and behavioral neuroscience at UCLA. Scientists have long used illusions as a pathway for unraveling the neural bases of perception, attention, and consciousness, and Luigi has followed this tradition in his work as a magician.

Luigi will entertain us with a variety of card and other close-up sleight of hand magic during the open-bar happy hour. He’ll then follow up with a presentation on how and why magic "works", with particular attention to what it can reveal about the workings of the human brain. He will also talk about what role magic can play in the context of a science museum, to promote scientific thinking, and as a tool to further investigate the human psyche.

Join us for Anzivino’s performance and to meet your national colleagues. As we do every year, we've timed the party to coincide with the American Geophysical Union (AGU) meeting, just a few blocks away in downtown SF. A couple dozen friendly writers and editors covering AGU from out of town will join us for a cosmopolitan evening of mingling.

By unpopular acclaim, NCSWA once again will bestow fabulous science-themed door prizes upon guests who correctly answer trivia questions. Amaze your peers with your deep grasp of useless minutiae that may or may not have anything to do with AGU.

We will also offer a tribute to David Perlman, whose decorated career as a science writer at the San Francisco Chronicle has spanned 57 years and included many prizes and multiple reporting trips to the Galapagos Islands—not to mention being the namesake for AGU’s prestigious science news journalism awards. Perlman has reported first-hand on some of the biggest science breakthroughs of the last several decades; he was present on board a research vessel in 1974 for the first discovery of deep-sea hydrothermal vent communities.

LOCATION:
160 Ellis Street
San Francisco, CA
Phone: (415) 397-8470
For directions and parking information see:
http://www.newdelhirestaurant.com/directions.html

SCHEDULE:
6:00 pm - 7:30 pm No-host happy hour
7:30 pm - 8:45 pm Dinner
8:45 pm - Speaker

ABOUT NEW DELHI:
Named “one of the finest Indian Restaurants in the United States ” by the New York Times and featured on the Galloping Gourmet TV Show, the New Delhi has been the Indian restaurant of choice for celebrity chefs such as Julia Child and Paul Prodhome, as well as politicians such as Bill Clinton and Willie Brown. Decorated like a Maharajah's ornate banquet room, the restaurant serves food that has earned numerous awards and gold medals for its excellence. Hors d’Oeuvres served during the Happy Hour will include Bari Pakora and Samosas (vegetable fritters and turnovers filled with lightly spiced potatoes) Hariyali Tikka (chicken barbecued in a tangy mint and cilantro marinade)and Seekh Keebab (spiced lamb rolls prepared over a charcoal fire served with Mint and Tamarind Chutney). The family style dinner menu for NCSWA’s holiday bash will include Murg Akbari, an exotic preparation of chicken with cashews and raisins simmered in a blend of mild spices; Karahai Gosht, a flavorful Lamb curry cooked in North Indian spices; Paneer Makhani, housemade paneer cooked in tomato cream sauce and seasons with fenugreek leaves; Alu Palak, spinach cooked with potatoes and seasoned with garlic; Kali Dal New Delhi, slow simmered black Lentils with Ginger and Tomatoes; Peas Pullao, Saffron flavored Basmati rice with green peas, all of which will be accompanied with Nan, Raita, Chutney, Kachumber Salad, and condiments, plus dessert.

PAYMENT:
The cost is $35 for NCSWA members who can bring one guest at the $35 rate; $25 for student members of NCSWA, and $42 for AGU and all other non-members.

Please sign up by Dec 10, 2008 to reserve a spot (a few last-minute signups from AGU will be permitted).

Pay online via Paypal (you can use your credit card; a Paypal account is not required) at:

If you’d prefer to pay by check, contact Lynn Yaris at lcyarris@lbl.gov.