Hopkins shuttle buses not affected by brake recall

Yellow Bus, the contractor that provides service for the Homewood-JHMI shuttle, has reported that none of the buses currently in use are part of the recently announced national recall of school buses at risk for slow-speed brake failure.

The buses being used on the shuttle service are models manufactured before the 1999 and 2000 models that are subject to the recall.

Memorial is planned in October for William Fastie

Faculty, staff, and students will gather next month to remember William Fastie, a retired Physics and Astronomy researcher who died July 14.

Although he never formally studied astronomy, Fastie was a space researcher for most of his life, and was a driving force in the expansion of Hopkins' Physics Department into astronomy in the 1960s. That work, together with a key design modification he developed for instruments on space-based probes and satellites, led many to call him "the father of the Hopkins space program."

"He convinced you that anything was possible, and he knew how to make those things which seemed impossible work," Paul Feldman, chairman of the Physics and Astronomy Department, reminisced for The Sun in July.

The memorial will take place at 4:30 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 13, in the Bloomberg Center, Homewood campus. There will be a reception immediately following. Formal announcements will be mailed within the next few weeks.

Madeira is featured beverage of Homewood House event

Madeira, a rich, velvety dessert wine produced on the Madeira islands off the coast of Morocco, has been enjoyed in America for more than 200 years. One local connoisseur was Charles Carroll Jr., original owner of Homewood House, who had a large Madeira collection that made up the highest valued item in his personal inventory, dated 1825.

In observance of this historical connection, Homewood House will host "An Evening of Traditional Beverages" with a special look at Madeira on Friday, Sept. 15, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on the lawn of the historic mansion.

Emanuel Berk, president of the Rare Wine Company of Sonoma, Calif., will introduce guests to several types of Madeiras and share anecdotes about the great early American importers and collectors. Guests are invited to taste and learn identifying characteristics attributed to this fortified wine, to be complemented with traditional hors d'oeuvres.

Tours of the Madeira garret at Homewood will be offered.

Admission for the event, sponsored by The Classic Catering People and The Rare Wine Company, is $12 for museum members and $15 for nonmembers. Rain location is the Garrett Room in the MSE Library. For more information, call 410-516-8639.

Special JHM lecture to address medical errors, patient safety

John Eisenberg, director of the Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality, will give a special JHM lecture on Monday, Sept. 18, at the invitation of Edward Miller, dean of the medical faculty and chief executive officer of JHM. The title of his talk will be "Addressing Medical Errors and Patient Safety: Professionalism, Quality and Learning Opportunities."

The lecture will be held at 4 p.m. in Hurd Hall, JHMI campus. A reception will follow immediately after in the Doctor's Dining Room.

Wednesday Noon Series begins Oct. 4 with Clio winners

A video presentation of the 2000 Gold and Silver Clio Award-winning TV commercials opens the autumn 2000 Wednesday Noon Series on Oct. 4. The Clio Awards were founded in 1959 to recognize creative excellence in advertising.

The Wednesday Noon Series is presented by the university's Office of Special Events, now in its 35th season of cultural programming on the Homewood campus. All programs in the series are held on Wednesdays from noon to 1 p.m. in Shriver Hall on the Homewood campus. They are open to the public, and admission is free. Other October and November events in the series are:

"Jewish Baltimore: A Family Album," a lecture by Gilbert Sandler, author of the book of the same name, published by the Johns Hopkins University Press, and columnist for The Sun and The Jewish Times. Oct 11.

"125 Years Compressed into One," a lecture by Mame Warren, editor of the upcoming book Johns Hopkins: Knowledge for the World. In June 1999, Warren took on the daunting task of assembling a pictorial book that would both chronicle and celebrate the university's 125-year history. Oct. 18.

"China Patterns," a performance by the Chinese Folk Dance Company. Oct. 25.

"The Power of Words and Music: Stravinsky's The Soldier's Tale," a performance by Concert Artists of Baltimore, Edward Polochick, artistic director. Nov. 1.

"How Immigration Is Changing Maryland and the United States," a lecture by Martin Ford, chief of programs, Maryland Office for New Americans. Nov. 8.

"Water's Way: Life Along the Chesapeake," a photo-illustrated discussion with writer Tom Horton and photographer David W. Harp, authors of the Johns Hopkins University Press book by the same name. Nov. 15.

For more information, call the Office of Special Events at 410-516- 7157.