The 2008 World Science Festival was a science festival held in New York
City. The festival (May 28 – June 1, 2008) consisted mainly of panel
discussions and on-stage conversations, accompanied by multimedia
presentations. A youth and family program presented topics such as
sports from a scientific perspective and included an extensive street
fair. A cultural program led by actor and writer Alan Alda focused on
art inspired by science. The festival also included a World Science
Summit, a meeting of high-level participants from the worlds of
science, politics, administration, and business. The festival was the
brainchild of Columbia University physicist Brian Greene and his wife,
Emmy Award-winning television journalist Tracy Day. It was held in
partnership with major New York City cultural and academic institutions
such as Columbia University, New York University and the Metropolitan
Museum of Art.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Science_Festival%2C_2008>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
161:
Following the death of Roman Emperor Antoninus Pius, Marcus Aurelius
and Lucius Verus agreed to become co-Emperors in an unprecedented
arrangement in the Roman Empire.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcus_Aurelius>
1850:
In support of the Compromise of 1850, United States Senator Daniel
Webster gave his "Seventh of March" speech, which was so unpopular
among his constituency he was forced to resign.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Webster>
1871:
José Paranhos, Viscount of Rio Branco, became Prime Minister of the
Empire of Brazil, starting a four-year rule, the longest in the state's
history.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Paranhos%2C_Viscount_of_Rio_Branco>
1914:
Prussian William of Wied began his short reign as sovereign prince of
the newly independent state of Albania.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William%2C_Prince_of_Albania>
2009:
The Kepler space observatory, designed to discover Earth-like planets
orbiting other stars, was launched.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kepler_%28spacecraft%29>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
putative (adj):
Commonly believed or deemed to be the case; accepted by supposition
rather than as a result of proof
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/putative>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
It is absurd to hold that a man ought to be ashamed of being unable to
defend himself with his limbs but not of being unable to defend himself
with speech and reason, when the use of reason is more distinctive of a
human being than the use of his limbs.
--Aristotle
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Aristotle>