The 5pm Post – Nerd Nite Saturday October 9

Photo by PoPville flickr user amarino17

From an email:

October Nerd Nite is here! Get prepared for Halloween and the upcoming party season by learning from our Nerds about all the illicit (and legal) substances you can take to help get you through it!

Date: Saturday October 9
Time: 6PM (doors), 6:30PM (show)
Where: DC9, 1940 9th St NW (between T and U)
Advance tickets: http://www.ticketalternative.com/Events/12509.aspx.

A limited number of tickets, as well as discounted tickets for the downstairs bar, will be available at the door.

A portion of the proceeds from the night’s event will go to Reach for College, a DC charity that helps local youth reach their college goalshttp://www.reachforcollege.org/.

Musical interludes brought to you by The Grand Candy

Details after the jump.

Presentation #1: Starbutts; or the saga of Caffeine vs. the Aging Colon
By: John Verrico
Description: Can’t function without that thrice-daily trip to your favorite coffee shop? Do you plan your commute around the location of a Starbucks or Seattle’s Best? Beware! There is an epic battle raging in your innards over who gets the caffeine and your colon may be looking for a more direct feed!
Bio: John Verrico is a recovering coffeeholic who, for more than 10 years while serving in the Navy, single-handedly emptied 6-10 pots of coffee a day. That was with the left hand. The right hand was busy holding the cup he was pouring the coffee into. John is a motivational speaker and leadership trainer, but earns a paycheck as a media spokesman for a government agency.

Presentation #2: From Demon Rum to Cult Cabernet
By: Garrett Peck
Description: Why was America so crazed that it changed the Constitution not once but twice to deal with alcohol?! Prohibition – the “noble experiment” to sober up America – was a notorious flop that failed after less than fourteen years. Now we live in a country where two-thirds of adults drink, and craft beer, estate-grown wine, and organic cocktails made from local ingredients are all the rage. Local author Garrett Peck explores how we got over our stigma against alcohol in his book The Prohibition Hangover: Alcohol in America from Demon Rum to Cult Cabernet (www.prohibitionhangover.com), published by Rutgers University Press in 2009 after nearly six years of research and writing.
Bio: A former U.S. Army officer, Garrett has worked in telecom marketing for 15 years, but he’s still trying to figure out what he wants to do when he grows up. He also leads the “Temperance Tour” of Prohibition-related sites in Washington, DC. Garrett often raises his glass to temperance. Cheers!

Presentation #3: A Modern History of the High
By: Louise Inman
Description: Drug use has been part of human culture and religion for over 2,000 years. Yet since 1961 180 member countries of the United Nations have signed the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs and the UN has been trying to eradicate the cultivation, supply and use of opium, cocaine and marijuana ever since. Why?
Bio: Louise Inman wanted to make a living in drug policy, but there’s more money in drug trafficking. Knowing her mother wouldn’t approve of that lifestyle, she became a consultant instead. She now works in DC for a social policy research agency.