Previous Leon, C-SPAN:

Peculiar thing showed up on C-SPAN this weekend: cast and producers of the TV series 24 on stage at the Heritage Foundation. Three producer-writers, three actors, two tank-thinkers, moderated (I hope he won't be offended if I use that word) by Rush Limbaugh. The Secretary of Homeland Security, Michael Chertoff, gave an introductory talk and answered audience questions.

I gather that Virginia Lamp Thomas, a Heritage Foundation official, had a hand in lining up the event; her husband, Justice Clarence Thomas, was in the front row of the audience sitting next to her, and several quips were directed to him.

Everybody reveled in love for the action-packed, terrorist-bashing, America-loving, down-counting show.

I found the event a bit creepy. I am trying to decide whether I would find it equally creepy to see, say, the NASA Administrator on stage with the cast of Star Trek, or whether I am simply a hypocrite.

School for Famous Scientists

I had not heard of Famelab before, but I think a nationwide contest to find the best explainers of science is a cool idea. If they had it in my own nation, maybe I'd audition!

Podcasts here.

(For that matter, there are a number of city "science festivals" in the UK-- the finals event was part of the Cheltenham Science Festival-- but none I'm aware of in the US.)