Things to do: Week of Sept. 19

The rings cycle

The exhibition "Spectacular Saturn: Images from the Cassini-Huygens Mission" opens Sept. 20 at the Johnson Museum and runs until Jan. 4, 2009. It includes more than 50 images of the giant planet and its rings and satellites selected by Cornell members of the project from more than 200,000 images transmitted since the Cassini spacecraft arrived at Saturn in 2004. A few images were taken by the Huygens lander, which parachuted to the surface of the moon Titan. A scale model of the spacecraft will also be displayed, and Saturn images will be projected on the façade of the museum from sunset to 11 p.m., Oct. 2-26. For more events in connection with the exhibition see: http://astro.cornell.edu/outreach/teachers/saturn.

Guest ensembles

Antara Winds, performing woodwind quintets by Chen Yi and Bill Douglas, and African Alchemies, an ensemble performing on both Western and African instruments, led by Martin Scherzinger, will appear Sept. 21 at 8 p.m. in Barnes Hall Auditorium. The event is made possible by the Central New York Humanities Corridor with support from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

Poetry and politics

Chilean author, poet and performance artist Cecilia Vicuña presents two events Sept. 23: "Living Khupu: A Poetry Performance" at 7 p.m. in 165 McGraw Hall, and a seminar, "What Are the Challenges Ecological Crises Present to Art and Poetry?" at 12:15 p.m. in G08 Uris Hall. Vicuña is also a political activist and a founder of Artists for Democracy. She is author of 16 books and is at work on an anthology of 500 years of Latin American poetry for Oxford University Press. Her visual work has been exhibited at museums in South America, Europe and the United States.

Screening 'Blood and Oil'

The notion that oil motivates America's military engagements in the Middle East is dismissed by some as nonsense or mere conspiracy theory; a new film challenges this view and corrects the historical record. Cornell Cinema will screen "Blood and Oil: The Dangers and Consequences of America's Growing Dependence on Foreign Petroleum," Sept. 25 at 7 p.m. in Willard Straight Theatre. The documentary by Jeremy Earp is based on the work of Nation magazine defense correspondent Michael T. Klare, who will be present at the screening to introduce the film. "Blood and Oil" unearths documents showing how concerns about oil have been at the core of American foreign policy for more than 60 years. Klare will also speak about his latest book, "Rising Powers, Shrinking Planet: The New Geopolitics of Energy," Sept. 25 at 4:30 p.m. in Malott Hall's Bache Auditorium.

Bollywood star comes to Ithaca

The South Asia Program presents Indian film star and social activist Rahul Bose Sept. 23 at 12:15 p.m. in Barnes Hall auditorium. At 7 p.m. his film "Before the Rains" will be shown at Cornell Cinema's Willard Straight Theatre, followed by a question-and-answer session with Bose. The actor was active in relief efforts to aid people affected by the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami that left 225,000 dead in 11 countries. Through his organization, The Foundation, Bose provides scholarship aid to underprivileged children.

Starry nights

Sept. 19 -- and every clear Friday night from 8 p.m. until midnight -- the Cornell Astronomical Society welcomes the public for viewings at Fuertes Observatory on North Campus. The 1920s-era observatory, overlooking Helen Newman Hall and Appel Commons, has a 12-inch refracting telescope and a 14-inch reflecting telescope. Call 607-255-3557 to learn if the skies are propitious.

Child psychology

Arnold Sameroff, a developmental psychologist at the University of Michigan, will give the Ricciuti Lecture on the mental health of parents and children, Sept. 22 at 3:30 p.m. in 114 Martha Van Rensselaer Hall. The lecture honors Professor Emeritus Henry Ricciuti, a member of the Human Development faculty since 1958 and an internationally renowned scholar recognized for his many contributions to the study of child development.

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