Erectus Shrinking

[Minimalist]

Get back out there and fight.




Meanwhile....


http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/328/5979/710

[Digit]

A challenge in detecting signals of gene flow between Neandertals and modern human ancestors is that the two groups share common ancestors within the last 500,000 years, which is no deeper than the nuclear DNA sequence variation within present-day humans.

Which I have argued here for some time. If HSN was on the way out then logically there would have been a shortage of HSN mates, which may well have encouraged HSS mating. This would then bring the actual dates of most matings very close to modern times and could also have been a localised phenomenum.

Roy.

[Minimalist]

That's what I mean when I say get back out there and "FIGHT."


Rest assured, the OOA club will counterattack with everything they have!

[Digit]

Oh all right, just so long as scratching, hair pulling, eye gouging and biting are permitted! By me that is!

Roy.

[Minimalist]

Let them bring it on!

[Minimalist]

We're more concerned with your oil companies than your politicians at the moment.

[Rokcet Scientist]

We're more concerned with your oil companies than your politicians at the moment.

Well. this is the end of BP as we know it, of course.
And the taxpayer can foot the other 95% of the bill.

As for the UK elections: change ought to be inevitable. But I wouldn't be surprised if some arcane 19th century bylaw would throw a spanner in the works and delay it for another decade or two. It is the UK after all.

[Digit]

Depends on the sort of change.

Roy.

[Minimalist]

Does a "hung" parliament mean they all get hung?

[Rokcet Scientist]

Depends on the sort of change.

Apparently they are going to try a coalition government! And not a second too soon!
There's 'change' for ya!
That would be a fundamental change from the egotistic "winner takes all" mentality that pervades the "special Atlantic relationship"! A fundamental departure of entrenched attitudes. It will require constructive cooperation with the other party, instead of cutting them off at the knees. I wonder whether they'll be capable of that.

And now Brown – in a very sudden about face... – states that the backward UK (district) election system should be changed to a representative election system too...

Probably just PR.

But it's of course also a cue for the US. That will go unheeded. So that the US isolates itself still more from the rest of the western world.

[Digit]

Unfortunately not Min!
So RS you want the UK to join your country in your annual round of general elections as progress.
Perhaps you would care to tell our American friends just how many General Elections and Government 'restructures' you have had since WW2.
What is it now, a couple of dozen, or more?
And no, they are not talking coalition, they are talking about a degree of cooperation between parties.

Roy.

[Minimalist]

Didn't think so.

[Digit]

Mind you Min, there has been a considerable clear out of the tired old hacks that have been polishing the same seat in the House for years. Based on past experience, and the experience of PR in Europe we can expect another General election within 18 months at a guess.

Roy.

[Minimalist]

At least your elections only last 6 weeks or so.


Ours drag on for 2 years.

[Digit]

True enough. But few systems, if any, are perfect.
New Zealand changed from our system to a PR system in the early 90s, they are now about to hold a referendum on changing back, due to the time it takes to form a government and their subsequent survival time.

Roy.