Dear Members of Congress:
We, the undersigned space leaders, are strong supporters of human spaceflight. We are writing to urge you to both (1) fully fund the commercial crew to Space Station program proposed in the President's FY2011 budget request for NASA, and (2) accelerate the pace and funding of NASA's human space exploration projects beyond Earth orbit.
These twin pillars of human spaceflight are each crucial to the long-term health of our Nation's space program. They are also interdependent.
And they will together generate thousands of high tech U.S. jobs for people in multiple states, including Florida, Alabama, Texas, California, Nevada, Virginia, Colorado, New Mexico, and Maryland.
Among us are over 50 space leaders--former NASA executives and advisors, former...
Lifestyle
Dear Editor,
As part of its anti-suicide campaign, the Caribbean Voice, through its social activism programme ‘Arise’, has identified billboards as vehicles to get the message out there. Guyana has 65 local government districts and we strongly believe that a minimum of one billboard per district would be a very significant anti-suicide strategy.
Now everyone knows that government probably does not have the money for billboards. But every local government district has a number of small businesses and professionals. Thus, if these individuals can come together and donate a few dollars, the cost of the billboards would be easily covered. Every district also has carpenters and painters and these individuals can be approached to donate their services to construct and paint the billboards....
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To the man who once claimed he understood me, you were wrong.
To the man who once claimed he knew me better than anyone, you were wrong.
To the man who once claimed he loved me, you were wrong.
To the man who once claimed he wanted to marry me, you were wrong.
But... To the man who once claimed that I was your better half, you were right, you horrible son of a bitch.
You made me feel horrible about myself.
You beat me down to the point of facing severe depression.
You were the cause of my awful anxiety attacks.
You would see me cry, try to build me up and then get mad when I couldn't stop crying.
You made me question myself, my self-esteem, my own life on occasion.
You made me feel guilty about hanging out with my best friend.
Worst of all, you made me question my own...
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Dear Pregnancy,
You are now in the early second trimester – 17 weeks, to be exact. It is supposed to be this mythical land of loveliness during which I am supposed to have a cute little bump that isn’t yet big enough to look like I swallowed a watermelon. I’m supposed to glow, and my acne is supposed to have subsided. I’m supposed to feel great and have a lot of energy. I’m supposed to be able to sleep through the night for just about the last time in my life, or at least for the foreseeable future. I’m supposed to enjoy my favorite foods again. In short, this is supposed to be the “honeymoon trimester” before this thing gets really tough (and really real).
I thought you should know because it doesn’t seem like you got the memo. While I no longer feel like I want to puke 24/7 nor do...
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Dear Thinking Mom,
I’m writing to let you know you are the best most qualified teacher for your child.
I know, you must be thinking, “Who is this person to tell me they know who the best teacher is for my child? You don’t even know me or my child!” Yes, I admit it’s a pretty bold and presumptuous statement! My apologies if it offends, but bear with me a moment and let me tell you how I know this bold statement to be true!
Let me answer that first bit and explain who I am. I am a writer, a blogger, a proponent of a self-reliant lifestyle, a teacher, a wife and a homeschooling mom. The mom part and the teacher part are really the only things relevant for this conversation, but I want to be transparent. I have three boys (the oldest will start high school next year) who have never...
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Dear Steve Englehart,
This past week, I took my Graphic Novels class to the cinema to see Captain America: The Winter Soldier. The class has both serious and not-so-serious comic book readers: A few are devoted to their favorite titles; more just enjoy the recent spate of box office eye-candy. I assume that most think of the course as the equivalent of “Basket Weaving 101” and, for the most part, I meet those modest expectations, but a film like The Winter Soldier also offers me a chance to explore some of the best back issues of the Cap mythos and you, sir, are at the center of it.
Yes, we probably both got our geek on when Batroc appeared early on; any fan of the Marvel Silver Age likely recalls Jack Kirby’s amazing choreography. More than 40 years, Cap’s epic fight with Batroc...
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Dear Members of My Generation and Their Children,
It's possible that World War III has already begun, and we just haven't realized it yet. But if we are truly at war once again, our choices about what we are fighting for will determine everything that comes after.
Archduke Ferdinand. Image Credit: Associated Press
I'm not a historian, but I see a pattern here. Both of the last century's world wars had opening phases in which it wasn't really clear who was going to fight against whom. It took several months the after the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand for everyone who was going to get involved in World War I to declare themselves. And it was six years after Hitler came to power in Germany before World War II started.
Right now, tens of thousands of people are dying every...
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To Whom It May Concern,
First off, let me start off by introducing myself as the gentleman whose new Volkswagen you (repeatedly) scratched while attempting to squeeze all 201.2 inches of your Honda Odyssey into a space with room for only 199. Had you have taken an additional moment to look directly ahead of my vehicle, you would have noticed that a quarter of a block of unoccupied curb, anxiously awaited your arrival. As a fan of physics, I certainly applaud you for trying to bend space and time in an effort to decrease the size of your vehicle by over two inches, however your futile attempt left my vehicle (as well as the one parked behind you) wearing your paint and scratches as a shameful "badge" of your failure.
Perhaps it didn't occur to you, but there are a staggering number...
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Dear Tom,
So, you are going to become a father. Congratulations. No matter what happens over the next few months, don't lose sight of the fact that bringing a baby into this world is a blessed event. Since you're as Catholic as a Friday-night fish fry, I'm guessing you already know this.
I don't want to stoop down to the level of celebrity gossip, even if you and your baby momma (this hot woman) split up before knowing you conceived, and you're traipsing around with this hot woman.
Reading over the media reports one thing sticks out to me: Whether Bridget was knowingly trying to get pregnant or not, it seems you were not.
Now, I don't know much about reading a Cover 2 defense, having sex with models, or how to properly care for a cleft chin, but I know a little bit about...
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Dear Colleagues,
As the President of the Board of Directors of The Planetary Society (TPS), a fellow member of several professional societies engaged in planetary science research (AAS/DPS, AGU, and GSA), and a colleague deeply concerned about current and future funding for planetary science research and missions, I wanted to send a brief note to all of you to highlight some important recent developments. TPS, along with leaders of the relevant sections of the DPS, AGU, and GSA, and many of you, have been working hard over the past few years to jointly advocate for NASA budget levels that will enable our community to meet the objectives of the Planetary Science Decadal Survey. Together, we have all had some influence in the process, as evidenced by Congressional increases in recent...
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