Girls Don’t Need Science

Posted on February 13, 2013 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

19014_GirlsScience--rgov-214x142Guilty.

The provocative headline is intended to draw you into my blog because, yes, girls do need science.

I’m guilty of a fib. Continue reading →

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Girls Don’t Need Math

Posted on February 12, 2013 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

Annette Funicello

Annette Funicello

What can you say to attract undergraduate college students to a course in science communication?

When I explain to new acquaintances that my work revolves around science communication, their eyes glaze over.

Boredom sets in. Continue reading →

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Nit-picking Scientific American

Posted on February 7, 2013 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

Scientific AmericanExcited to crack open my first issue of Scientific American.

My colleagues in the science writing and science information fields have recommended the magazine to me.

So, after receiving a bonus from the web-based superstore Amazon, I traded points for a subscription. Continue reading →

Posted in framing, health, human origin, journalism, Native Science, neuroscience, news bias, risk, science, science communication, writing | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

When Violence is Persuasive

Posted on January 31, 2013 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

Gabrielle Giffords addresses a senate committee this week

Gabrielle Giffords addresses a senate committee this week

I was glad to turn on the radio and hear Gabrielle Giffords has weighed in on the gun issue currently consuming news reports in North America.

Giffords, a Democratic congresswoman, was shot in the head at close range on January 8, 2011. The bullet, according to reports, “went straight through her brain.”

Nineteen people were shot that day and six died. Continue reading →

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Women Catch up to Men

Posted on January 25, 2013 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

Before Marlboro identified with the cowboy, ads appealed to moms

Before Marlboro identified with the cowboy ads appealed to moms

Finally.

Women have caught up with men.

Women and men share the same likelihood of dying from smoking. We’ve closed the gap.

But the scary thing is the risk and the odds. Smoking will increase your risk of death by 25%.

In what other pursuits will you get such favorable odds? Continue reading →

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Life Imitates Art or … ?

Posted on January 22, 2013 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

The White House, 1846

The White House, 1846

I husbanded a few hours Monday evening to steal some time gazing at television—via my computer—to catch up on politics.

My heart soared when I learned the president decided to chuck moderation and steam-roll through some tough decisions. His staff cheered.

Good old President Jed Bartlett. Continue reading →

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Zen of Science

Posted on January 8, 2013 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

enso5In class we talk about bias.

I’ve spent more time talking about bias in classrooms than I did as a full-time writer and editor.

As a working journalist, we never talked about bias—we just did our job of reporting. Fairly.

But in class, it’s bias, framing, spinning. Continue reading →

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Christmas Mouse

Posted on December 30, 2012 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

mpuseOn the Rue Cler, near our hotel by Napoleon’s tomb, we had supper at a brasserie: soup, salad, a cheese plate and wine.

The waitress left us to our conversation, and we had the table all night. No one rushes you during a meal in Paris.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw a brown furry critter tottle under the chair legs nearby.

What’s the word for mouse? Continue reading →

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Grasping the Exotic

Posted on December 25, 2012 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

Gauguin's Arearea

Gauguin’s Arearea

A friend once accused academics like me, who, aloft from our ivory towers, offer up criticism without solving problems.

Point taken.

Vocabulary used in academic writing is annoying, a nod to a coterie of snobs speaking a private language.

Readings are interrogated. Concepts are deconstructed. Continue reading →

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Indians in Paris

Posted on December 24, 2012 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

American Retro store on Rue Madame

American Retro store on Rue Madame

I didn’t see it at first.

American Retro begged for a second glance when I noticed the storefront decor was laced with geometric Indian designs.

Exterior windows painted with golden arrows were reminiscent of a Pendleton blanket. Could be Southwest. Could be Midwest. Maybe Osage. Hopi. Potawatomi.

In truth, the design just looks pan-Indian, a homogenous mix. Continue reading →

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