The Missing Link

Here it is in all it's glory! Isn't it cute? There is so much religion and politics around evolutions v.s. creation, and based on past claims(Wasn't there something about a pig-skull a few years ago that scientist claimed was the missing link?), I'm cautiously open.

A team of researchers Tuesday unveiled an almost perfectly intact fossil of [what some scientist believe to be] a 47 million-year-old primate they say represents the long-sought missing link between humans and apes.

Officially known as Darwinius masillae, the fossil of the lemur-like creature dubbed Ida shows it had opposable thumbs like humans and fingernails instead of claws.

Scientists say the cat-sized animal's hind legs offer evidence of evolutionary changes that led to primates standing upright - a breakthrough that could finally confirm Charles Darwin's theory of evolution.

If you are interested in evolution or creation or the debate, I recommend talking to John Holzmann or Patrick Ewing. Ok not Pat, but John knows a ton!

Bread and Circuses! Hurray!

"The America of my time line is a laboratory example of what can happen to democracies, what has eventually happened to all perfect democracies throughout all histories. A perfect democracy, a "warm body" democracy in which every adult may vote and all votes count equally, has no internal feedback for self-correction.... [O]nce a state extends the franchise to every warm body, be he producer or parasite, that day marks the beginning of the end of the state. For when the plebs discover that they can vote themselves bread and circuses without limit and that the productive members of the body politic cannot stop them, they will do so, until the state bleeds to death, or in its weakened condition the state succumbs to an invader – the barbarians enter Rome."

– Robert A Heinlein
A libertarian science fiction author from the '50s

Obama's Web Campaign

A quick word from the guy behind the Obama web campaign. Brilliant! But not rocket science. Any organization CAN do this. The question is WILL they? Will they see the value in it?

Take Action! Write your Congressman!

It sounds so easy we've all heard it if we've ever had an issue:
"Write your Congressman!"

Finally!; there's an easy way to do it!

Visit the links below and type in your 5-digit zip code. If you live in a heavily-populated area, you may need to include the additional 4 digits in order to pinpoint your member of Congress.

To write your Senator(top right corner)
www.senate.gov

To write your State Rep(top left corner)
www.house.gov

To write the President
www.whitehouse.gov/contact
OR
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500
OR call
1-202-456-1111

These sites prompt you right through the process! It's pretty slick. Who'd have guess the gov't would make anything as easy as this?

For a successful letter to your Congressman
While many people rely on emails more and more these days, often writing a letter to your senator or representative is an even more effective way to make your voice heard by Congress. A letter takes time and money to write, stamp, and post, so it sends a strong signal on the importance of an issue to the constituent(You!).
1. Keep the letter brief and to the point.
2. Support your position with facts.
3. Focus on one topic at a time.
4. End your letter by asking for a response from your representative or senator.
5. If the matter is urgent, you should consider faxing your letter to their Washington, DC office for issues needing action within a week. If you do not have access to a fax machine, you can hand-deliver your letter to your member of Congress' local district or Washington, D.C. office.
6. Getting everyone you know to do the same is just as powerful as writing the letter yourself.

Thanks John!