CONSUMING [nichole] Today

Four years ago cancer was not mentioned during the presidential election campaign. Today, the LIVESTRONG Army has made fighting cancer part of the national dialogue. For the next five days leading media, presidential candidates and citizens across the country will discuss how to stop the number one killer of all Americans under the age of 85.

Next Monday, August 27, and Tuesday, August 28, Lance Armstrong will walk onto the stage at the U.S. Cellular Center in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, to ask the presidential hopefuls to share their ideas and strategies on how to fight cancer in the first-ever LIVESTRONG Presidential Cancer Forum. This historic event will be discussed on NBC’s Meet the Press with Tim Russert, webcast live on MSNBC.com and featured on Hardball with Chris Matthews.

	Watch Meet the Press with Tim Russert. Lance will be a guest on NBC’s Meet the Press on Sunday, August 26, talking about the LIVESTRONG Presidential Cancer Forum. Check local listings for times and channels.
	Watch the LIVESTRONG Presidential Cancer Forum. MSNBC will webcast the LIVESTRONG Presidential Cancer Forum live at 10:00 am CT on August 27 and 28. MSNBC’s Hardball with Chris Matthews will be broadcast live from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, each night.>> Click this link on Monday, August 27, and Tuesday, August 28, to load MSNBC.com’s video player to watch the Forum. >> Check MSNBC’s local listings for times and channels to view Hardball with Chris Matthews on MSNBC on Monday and Tuesday evening.
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	Spread the Word! Download and post the LIVESTRONG Presidential Cancer Forum posters in offices, gyms, coffee shops and other places with high traffic.

The LIVESTRONG Presidential Cancer Forum puts critical questions about fighting cancer on a national platform.

The Sugar Glider (Petaurus breviceps) is a small gliding marsupial native to eastern and northern mainland Australia, New Guinea, Bismarck Archipelago, and later introduced to Tasmania.

You may remember that marsupials are animals that carry their young in a pouch (think kangaroo) until they are ready to fend for themselves. They are born at a very early stage of development at which time the tiny baby must crawl up the belly of its mother, find the pouch, and attach to a nipple inside.

Us humans, like the majority of mammals, are placental animals. Meaning, no cool pouches for us and we must carry our unborn young much longer before birth. (I don’t know about you, but I think I know several women who would easily trade their placenta and hours of labor for a pouch if given the choice!)

You may not have known that female marsupials have 2 vaginas that lead to a compartmentalized uterus. This allows her to be pregnant with embryos at different stages of development. A similar, but rare thing can happen in humans. If a woman has a split or double uterus it can result in a super rare set of twins conceived at different times.

Fittingly, male marsupials have a 2 pronged penis. This way he can attempt to impregnate both sides of the female’s uterus.

Well, anyway, back to our marsupial of topic, sugar gliders! Sometimes they can be confused with flying squirrels since they have similar attributes. Both species have patagium, or fur covered skin that stretches between their limbs, that they use when gliding. Both have long furry tails that they use to help maneuver when gliding. However, sugar glider tails are round and usually have a black tip and flying squirrel tails are flat and shorter. And of course, squirrels are actually rodents, and not marsupials. There are more differences outlined here with pictures.

The genus name, Petaurus, is pronounced pet-or-us and means “tightrope walker” or “rope dancer” and the species name, Breviceps, is pronounced brev-ee-seps and means “short head”.

The common name, Sugar Glider, comes from the fact that they are known to eat sweet things like nectar. Like us, they are omnivores at eat a variety of foods. Nectar, pollen, and sap from trees are favorites. To reach the sap, they bite holes into the tree bark until the sap goos out. They also feed on assorted insects and larvae, small birds, mice, seeds and nuts.

Discovered you can “trace” in ArtRage. Pretty neat.