Pygmy Tarsier of Indonesia

It may look like a gremlin, but this tiny animal is actually a pygmy tarsier, recently rediscovered in the forests of Indonesia.

The 2-ounce (57-gram) carnivorous primate had not been seen alive since the 1920s.

That was until researchers on a summer expedition captured, tagged, and released three members of the species (including this individual, above).

"Everyone's always talking about pygmy tarsiers," said lead researcher Sharon Gursky-Doyen, a professor at Texas A&M University.

"There have been dozens of expeditions looking for them—all unsuccessful. I needed to go and try to see for myself if they were really there or if they were really extinct," added Gursky-Doyen, whose research was funded in part by the National Geographic Society's Conservation Trust.

Once relatively abundant among the mossy, forested mountain slopes of Lore Lindu National Park in central Sulawesi, the pygmy tarsier population may have shrunk when logging in the 1970s destroyed its habitat, Gursky-Doyen said.

The nocturnal creatures rely on darkness to avoid predation. However in fragmented forests, the canopy lets in more moonlight, exposing the small animal to birds and other predators as it leaps from tree to tree.

Gursky-Doyen said she hopes the find will inspire the Indonesian government to protect the species and its habitat.

"[The] government needs to figure out a compromise between people and animals living in Lore Lindu."
—Tasha Eichenseher
Photograph by Sharon Gursky-Doyen

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/11/081117-tarsier-photo-missions.html

Great Pyramid Mystery to Be Solved by Hidden Room?

Check out this stunning video that portrays a possible new theory to the creation of The Great Pyramid in Egypt. It kind of throws all other theories to the curb. You be the decider...

What's Wrong With Milk and Eggs?

This article was taken from the PETA magazine: Vegetarian Starter Kit

What's Wrong With Milk and Eggs?

"No species naturally drinks milk beyond the ages of weaning, and no species would naturally drink the milk of a different species.

For humans, drinking cow's milk has been linked to heart disease, some types of cancer, diabetes, and even osteoporosis, the very disease that the dairy industry claims its products are supposed to prevent! The high animal-protein content of milk actually causes calcium to be leached from the body. According to a Harvard Medical School analysis of the evidence, milk does not protect against osteoporosis. One egg contains a staggering 220 milligrams of cholesterol, which clogs your arteries and leads to heart disease."

It is interesting that this article mentions this. Growing up, I can always recall being told to drink at least 3 glasses of milk a day for a strong and healthy lifestyle. As it turns out, maybe milk is just not so good for us after all. Here are some substitutes that can be beneficial:

A nice milk substitute is a product called "Silk". It is an organic soy milk that is just like milk, but it's not. If you don't like the plain taste of soy milk, they also have vanilla. I tend to enjoy the vanilla, but everyone is different. According to the PETA magazine, Vegetarian Start Kit, "You can get all the calcium that you need from the plant world--broccoli, beans, many leafy green vegetables, almonds, soy milk, tofu, and calcium-fortified orange juice are all good sources."

If you find this interesting, there are more sources you can check out throughout the internet on the negative aspects of drinking milk. What choice are you going to make? Look into it, and you be the decider for yourself. We are in the information age; it's important we know what we put into our bodies and that we make responsible decisions towards that.

My trip to Nassau, Bahamas - May 2008

Cruise to the Bahamas

McCain locked in bus...

John McCain Accidentally Left On Campaign Bus Overnight

Old, Grizzled Third-Party Candidate May Steal Support From McCain

Old, Grizzled Third-Party Candidate May Steal Support From McCain

Top 10 Reasons Offshore Oil Drilling is A Bad Idea

Gas prices have been jumping over and under the $4 mark all summer, your grocery bills are soaring, and campaign ads are blasting you about the benefits of offshore drilling. So what's an average Joe or Jane supposed to believe? Will offshore drilling really make things better for you?

Let's take just a second to review the top 10 reasons offshore drilling is such a bad idea:

10. Offshore oil drilling won't impact gas prices today, and it won't have a significant impact on gas prices in the future.

9. This is nothing more than a money grab by the oil companies - who are already making record-breaking profits.

8. We burn 25% of the world's oil here in the U.S., but we have only 3% of the world's oil reserves. Even if all offshore oil magically came to market today, the vast majority of our oil would continue to be imported, and we wouldn't see price relief at the pump.

7. The current moratorium was put in place decades ago to protect us from the danger of oil spills along our coastlines and beaches.

6. Burning fossil fuels like oil causes global warming, which causes stronger hurricanes, which will threaten the very offshore drilling rigs being proposed, which will contribute to even more global warming.

5. To avoid the worst impacts of global warming, we need to switch from fossil fuels to renewable energy within the next 10 years. The billions of dollars that would be spent on offshore oil drilling just postpones the inevitable transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy.

4. Oil exploration requires massive seismic testing - which threatens whales and dolphins.

3. Oil prices are set on the global oil market, so American oil is no cheaper than Saudi oil. We won't get a discount for oil drilled in the U.S.

2. We can't solve the world's energy problems with the same drilling that created them.

1. Renewable energy is available now, so it's time to walk away from fossil fuels and toward a clean energy future.

Take Action: Tell Congress What YOU Think About Offshore Oil Drilling:

http://members.greenpeace.org/action/start/206/?&ref_source=fbU_offshoretop10

Even if we could tap into all of the energy stored in the Earth's reserves - coal, oil, and natural gas - it would equal the energy in just 20 days of sunshine. It's time to invest in renewable energy and leave oil to the dinosaurs. It's time for an energy revolution.