Online Documentary Introduces Dr. George Church and the Personal Genome Project. (And Explains That Tape on his Forehead.)

Dr. George Church, professor of genetics at Harvard Medical School and creator of the Personal Genome Project, will be the fourth speaker in our 2010-2011 season, addressing The Richmond Forum on March 19, 2011. We've had a number of people ask us, "What is personal genomics exactly?"

Below you can view the first of three webisodes where Dr. Church explains what personal genomics is, how the Personal Genome Project got started, and what he hopes to accomplish through his work.

President Obama Donates $100K of Nobel Prize Money to Greg Mortenson's Central Asia Institute

Last fall, Greg Mortenson was among the nominees for the Nobel Peace Prize, which was ultimately awarded to President Barack Obama.

This week President Obama announced that he has decided to donate $100,000 of the $1.4 million Peace Prize money to the Central Asia Institute, the organization founded by Greg Mortenson for the purpose of building schools in remote areas of Pakistan and Afghanistan. To date, the organization has built over 180 schools serving mostly girls.

President Obama split the prize money among ten charities, including $250,000 to Fisher House, an organization that provides housing for families of patients receiving medical care at major military and VA medical centers, and $200,000 to the Clinton-Bush Haiti Fund.

Greg Mortenson addressed The Richmond Forum in January and we applaud President Obama's decision to include his organization among the worthy groups sharing the prize money.

25th Season of The Richmond Forum to Offer Several Firsts.

From our first-ever sitting head of state to our first former first lady of the United States, the 25th anniversary season of The Richmond Forum promises to be one of our most engaging ever. Learn about the full line-up under "Upcoming Season." Subscription renewal packets will mail March 8th.

Forbes at The Forum

Steve Forbes spoke to the sold-out Forum audience on Saturday in his typical understated style. He quietly, patiently, yet passionately made his case for capitalism and the free market system. Forbes argued that capitalism is moral, because "free markets force you to pay attention to the needs and wants of other people." In order for a business idea to be successful, it must recognize and respond effectively to another person's need, which then encourages "ever more complex circles of spontaneous cooperation" among individuals and groups, as various businesses rely on each other to help meet recognized needs. Forbes was optimistic about our economic future, focusing on the "$53 trillion in net assets in America, more than any country in the world."

Middle and high school students from several Richmond area schools, as well as some students from VCU watched the program from the student viewing room, which was sponsored for this program by the Powell Center for Economic Literacy in partnership with The Forum's Ralph Krueger Memorial Fund.

NOVA Episode to Explore Pluto's Demotion

When he addressed The Richmond Forum in November, Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson didn't devote much time to the demotion of Pluto, other than to playfully say to those who were crushed by the news, "Get over it."

The truth is, outraged "Plutophiles" have besieged Tyson ever since he made the decision ten years ago, as director of the Hayden Planetarium in New York, to exclude Pluto from a new model of the solar system.

In the Tuesday, March 2nd episode of NOVA on PBS, Tyson will take to the road to interview Plutophiles, those who would like to see the body restored to planetary status, as well as others who concur with Pluto's new status as "dwarf planet." In addition to other astrophysicists, the program includes appearances by Diane Sawyer, Brian Williams, Jon Stewart, and noted Pluto booster Stephen Colbert.

NOVA: The Pluto Files will air locally on WCVE at 8:00 PM on Tuesday, March 2nd.