Isn't it annoying, in a world of 24 hours news and ever more intrusive media stories,  how the really important stories get neglected and ignored?

This thought occurred to me recently  when browsing [1] Gregory Benford and Michael R. Rose's website,  which is intended a  forum for debate about science in the modern world. (It also includes a superb rant about fantasy fiction, which I don't necessarily agree with, but [2] rates as an eloquent and brilliant five star tirade by someone who has every right to those views.)

But elsewhere, the site offers access to a scientific presentation  which essentially argues convincingly that [3] IMMORTALITY is possible, and that all of us have at some point in our lives the potential to become immortal.

But how, I marvelled could such an amazing discovery be so little known, and under-reported?  It's like discovering that telepathy and dowsing are on the GCSE syllabus.

The rationale is that the ageing process, essentially, slows down remarkably beyond a certain stage - hence the profusion of people aged 90 and over.  Yes, there are aches and pains, joints get arthritic, wear and tear kicks in, and the chances of being killed by a fatal illness increase simply because the individual has lived longer.  But no one ever dies of old age; there's always some specific medical reason.  And this graphic slideshow display illustrates a taken-for-granted scientific truth; we are immortal.

Um, how come that never rated a newspaper front page?

This is not, I hasten to add, a crank article; Benford and Rose are distinguished figures and would not be held responsible for [4] promoting flim-flammery and scientific spoofery. No, the truth is out there - immortality is possible.

I've now done extensive research into the practical implications of this discovery; and I can confidently assert that  I know how to live forever.

I am prepared to share this knowledge with a select number of like-minded people.  And, as an inducement to the small but loyal readership of this blog, I am willing to make the following offer:

Whoever is determined to be (by a fair adjudication based on mathematical principles) the most loyal reader of this blog, in regard to hits and Comments sent, over the next 12 month period, will be entitled to be informed of the secret of immortal life (OR ((There's always an 'Or')) subject to this blogger's discretion, such person will be entitled to a free copy of every novel I ever write, plus a slap up meal in the most expensive pizza restaurant in London.)

Here's looking forward to the next millennium...