02
Feb
2004
The 300: First Draft
The Methuselah Foundation will soon be beginning a new initiative to gain philanthropic donors prepared to commit $25,000 over 25 years to the Methuselah Mouse Prize and other innovative projects designed to encourage real anti-aging research. Taking inspiration from the 300 who stood at Thermopylae during the Persian Wars, these donors will be honored and their names remembered. One possibility is for their names to be inscribed into the Long Now Clock, a construction designed to survive for 10,000 years.
For my part in this project, I've been looking at how to present this idea to the world. Here is my first draft:
Reason - This is wonderful. Already, five non-wealthy individuals have given up the equivalent of a daily trip to Starbucks in order to support this initiative. It will only take another 33 individuals to step forward and join the ranks in order to prospectively push the prize fund above - One MILLION Dollars.
For those considering locking arms with us in this, you can commit today, but don't need to actually make the initial donation until the end of 2004. This will give you plenty of time to prepare.
If you've already donated to the Prize, (and many have!) your prior donations count toward the $25,000 commitment.
David Gobel