Bare midriffs, Lady Scrooge, hug machine inventor and Dr. Strangelove — all on stage this weekend

1. Chances are, you’ll be asleep, in the shower or already in your cubicle by the time Temple Grandin finishes her bound-to-be-empowering speech during the Kansas City Autism/Asperger’s Syndrome Conference at the Kansas City Airport Hilton.

Grandin is a posterwoman for autism, which hasn’t stopped her from becoming a best-selling author and leader in the animal welfare movement. As an autism advocate, she’s also responsible for inventing the hug machine, which you may need to visit for missing her appearance. Her lecture begins at 8:30 a.m. Go!