Driving Drunk

In Westampton, N.J., a bus driver; Carole Crockett, was caught driving 25 children while under the influence. She was caught because children who were on the bus at the time started calling their parents. They told them that the driver was swerving all over and falling asleep behind the wheel. The parents contacted the school and police were alerted by school officials. Carole was arrested before 3 pm by officers on Monday. She was found at Holly Hills School trying to pick up more kids. Carole was required to take a breath test and it was confirmed that she was under the influence. Her blood-alcohol level was over the state legal of .08% by being .25%. Carole's bail was set at $85,000 and she was released on that. She has to go back to court on November 17th.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45239486/ns/us_news-crime_and_courts/

To Speak Again

A woman in Alexandria has been without a voice for 30 years. Jan Christian was in an accident when she was a teenager in high school. She had been riding in a car with friends when a car was going to hit them. The driver swerved to miss the car and went into a head on collision with a pole. Jan flew forward and her neck hit the dashboard enough to crush her neck and the dash. They ran to get help and while in the bathroom, Jan tried to speak. It sounded like the girl from the exorcist, according to Jan. She started to panic. Jan was misdiagnosed my doctors and has had to live without a voice for 30 years. It had gotten worse overtime, and family members had to speak for Jan. Then Jan found out about a procedure that might be able to save her voice. Several surgeries later, Jan is relearned to use her vocal chords. She is still trying to figure out if having her voice back is real or not.

This story is amazing! I can't even imagine to be without a voice! Especially if it were for 30 years.

http://www.bing.com/videos/watch/video/alexandria-woman-finds-her-voice-after-30-years/1d0ra2c70?q=Voice&rel=msn&from=en-us_msnhp&form=msnrll&gt1=42010

http://www.wlwt.com/r/29598330/detail.html#.TqommvA-O3Q.blogger

Blind Running

Sami Stoner is a legally blind 16-year-old. Sami began running cross-country in eighth grade but her vision had deteriorated by the end of that school year. She was diagnosed with having untreatable Stargardt which is a similar condition that is sight-robbing macular degeneration that affects older adults. Sami has only some peripheral vision. She loves to run and was able to with her friend Hannah. They ran along side each other and Hannah helped her watch out for things, but when Hannah graduated Sami's sophmore year, she couldn't find another way of doing what she loves. That is, until her mobility teacher decided that she was a good candidate for a guide dog. The family trained over the summer for a month and welcomed Chloe into their home. When running together, Chloe watches out for roots and tries to choose the clearest one for Sami. When she moves, Sami can feel it in her harness, so Chloe has ways to signal to Sami.

I think that this is a great story of overcoming difficulties in life. This girl is blind, but she found a way to do what she loves. 


http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/45034031/ns/today-today_health/#.TqofRbKwN8Ehttp://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/45034031/ns/today-today_health/#.TqofRbKwN8E

Four Killings

In Charleston, South Carolina, Susan Diane Hendricks, 48, wanted her life insurance money. In order to get this money, she killed her two sons, Matthew, 23, and Marshall, 20, her ex-husband Mark Hendricks, 52, and her step mother Linda Burns, mid-60s and told the police that it was her son who killed them and then himself. Authorities found that her version of what happened was false based on observation of the scene, forensic evidence and interviews with the family. Susan killed her family with a handgun that she kept in her night stand. Susan had shot Doyle "Brian" Teague dead in 2006, and told the police that he had come in uninvited and threatened someone. Police had determined that it was self-defense. Evelyn Burns, Susan's sister, is the one who called that police saying that she was worried about her family that lived nearby. Police were told by family members that Susan's motive was life insurance money. Susan was the beneficiary of multiple life insurance policies taken out by the victims.

I can't even comprehend how this woman could raise her two children and have a loving family, and then kill them for life insurance money! I wonder if killing Doyle "Brian" Teague wasn't actually self-defense.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45039821/ns/us_news/

A Shooting

In Winston-Salem, North Carolina two teens were arrested on Wednesday after a handgun was found in their possession on the campus of a North Carolina high school. Deputies became suspicious after seeing the two boys Canaan Maliek Wynder, 19, and Tristen Gibbs, 18, and arrested them. The two were charged with the possession of a firearm on school property. Canaan told the police that they had been dropping off his girlfriend. Both of the boys were graduates of Cape Fear High School in Fayetteville, N.C. Police say that the school remains secure and that no one is in danger. This was only two days after two other teens were arrested for having a rifle on campus and shooting a 15 year-old-girl in the neck. Authorities do not think that they intended to shoot the girl, only that she was in the wrong place at the wrong time. The girl was in stable condition at the hospital as of Monday night, with a bullet lodged in her neck. On Tuesday, her condition changed to critical and she was put on a ventilator. The shooter, a 15 year-old, was charge with attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill. His partner, 18 year-old Ta'Von McLaurin, was arrested on a felony aid and abetting charge. Authorities think that the shooting was possibly gang related. The high school reopened on Tuesday, but fewer than half of the 1,500 students attended.

It is really sad and terrible, what happened. If I had children, it would make me not want to send them to school.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45047392/ns/us_news-crime_and_courts/

Animals Killed

In Zanesville, Ohio Terry Thompson was the owner of the private Muskingum County Animal Farm housing more than 50 animals. Terry left the cage doors open on Tuesday and then committed suicide. Sheriff's deputies shot and killed 48 of those animals, including 18 rare Bengal tigers and 17 lions. Also killed were six black bears, two grizzlies, a baboon, a wolf and three mountain lions. Autopsy shows that Terry had a bite on his head the seems to have come from a large cat, such as a Bengal tiger. It appears that the bite was inflicted quickly after Thompson shot himself. Only six animals (three leopards, a grizzly bear, and two monkeys) were captured alive. A monkey that had been unaccounted for (infected with herpes B virus) was believed to have been eaten by one of the large cats. The survivors were taken to the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium. Officers had been ordered to kill the animals instead of bringing them down with tranquilizers for fear that they would disappear into the night and wake up later.

This is another example of human stupidity and what it does to others. Those poor animals had to die because of that selfish man. Whoever ordered those officers to kill all of the innocent animals annoys me. Maybe they were right, but they could have taken search dogs to look for the animals if they did disappear!

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44970708/ns/us_news-life/

Giving Children Alcohol and Cocaine

In Bridgeport, Connecticut police officers were waved down by a neighbor in June complaining that a woman was feeding her children beer at a playground. Police spotted Juliette Dunn and Lisa Jefferson sitting in folding chairs as the children (10 months and 4 years) played. Police saw an empty beer bottle near the 4-year-old. They also had seen a baby bottle near the child that was filled with what appeared to be alcohol. Authorities took the children into custody and tested both children for drugs and alcohol. The 4-year-old son tested positive for alcohol and the 10-month-old daughter tested positive for alcohol and cocaine. Dunn admitted to giving her son a bottle of beer everyday. Lisa Jefferson pleaded guilty to the same charges. When the boy was questioned by a social worker, he was able to list of brands that he like and ones that he didn't. The children were turned over to the Department of Children and Families after Dunn's arrest. When the judge sentences the women in December, they could both face up to two years each in prison.

This is an awful thing to do. This woman should have never had children! They should be facing way longer that JUST two years in prison!!!

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44973079/ns/us_news-crime_and_courts/

A Mother Chooses Baby's Life Over Hers

Stacie Crimm,41,  was diagnosed with head and neck cancer just a few months after she found out that she had conceived a little girl. The doctors didn't treat her with chemotherapy by her request because she didn't want to harm her growing fetus. Crimm was told by doctors that she wouldn't be able to conceive, so she never thought she would be able to have a child. It was a shock to her when she found out, and she immediately called her brother after hearing the news. The happiness and excitement from learning about her pregnancy was short lived. She began experiencing crippling headaches, tunnel vision and tremors that shook her entire body. She went to the doctor and the diagnosed her with head and neck cancer. She hung on as long as she could but the cancer was aggressive. In August, she collapsed in her home. After she was rushed to the hospital the doctors performed a C-section to deliver her little girl. Dottie Mae was 10 weeks premature and weighed 2 pounds. Dottie was sent to the hospital's neonatal intensive care unit. Stacie eventually got to hold her little girl for the first, and last, time. Stacie died three days later. Dottie Mae was placed in Ray Phillips (Stacie's brother) and his wife Jennifer's care at the request of Stacie. Dottie will be taken care of and raised with the Phillips and their 6 children.

This story is amazing and touching. What this woman did so that her little girl could have a chance at life was unbelievable!

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/44973215/ns/today-today_health/

Pregnant Woman Runs a Marathon

A 27 year old pregnant woman (Amber Miller) ran a marathon in Chicago on Sunday. She gave birth to a healthy 7 pound 9 ounce girl just hours after finishing the eight marathon that she has ran. She was almost 39 weeks pregnant. Her labor and delivery made national news. "The race was definitely easier than labor," she said in a news conference the next day. Although she made this huge accomplishment, many people asked: Is that safe? Vigorous exercise during a pregnancy was seen as dangerous to the baby just a decade ago. As a pregnant woman, you were advised to keep your heart rates below 140 beats per minute. Those guidelines have been dropped because there has been no evidence to support them. Doctor's are now increasingly pushing pregnant women to become more active. It is advised to perform at least 30 minutes of exercise on most or all days of the week by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Exercise benefits pregnant women by reducing backaches and constipation, improve mood, energy and sleep, and it also helps women endure and recover from labor.

I think that it is a good idea to remain active during pregnancy. It would help all of the pregnancy symptoms that women have to endure.

http://news.discovery.com/adventure/amber-miller-pregnant-marathon-111011.html#mkcpgn=rssnws1

Kidnapped Child

Last week a 10-month old child named Lisa Irwin disappeared from her crib in Kansas City, Missouri. Detectives went door to door asking about a local handyman who has not been seen since the disappearance of Lisa. They also scoured the family's yard with metal detectors and also searched a local landfill looking for clues to the child's disappearance. On Sunday, investigators tried to recreate how the abductor took baby Lisa from her crib. They spent hours pushing in the window screen and entering the house through the window. Kansas City police say that they have no solid leads despite an extensive search of the family's quiet neighborhood, the family's house as well as the neighbor's and nearby sewers and woods. The Irwin's family members and friends handed out fliers and sold t-shirts trying to raise awareness of Lisa's disappearance. The money that they raise will go to the reward fund for finding Lisa.

This is a terrible thing for this family to go through. I know that I will be keeping my windows and doors locked at all times.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44843610/ns/us_news-crime_and_courts/

Fugitives Caught

In early September, Chicago officials sent invites to 10,000 offenders welcoming them to make an appointment with C.W. Marketing to try out the appliances. They would receive $75 cash and get to keep the devices that they tested in exchange for their feedback. Even though thousands of letters came back as undeliverable, more than 50 wanted fugitives (ranging in age from 19 to 66) made appointments. When the offenders pulled up to the warehouse, undercover officers in bright t-shirts headed for their cars carrying empty boxes for plasma TVs and video game systems. When they went inside, officer's confirmed the offender's identities as they continued the fake celebrations. They took pictures of the offender's and went in for the arrest when they posed for the photograph.

First of all, these criminals are not the smartest people. Who in the world would just give away game systems and plasma TVs? The world is greedy! Those things would never be given away.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44786491/ns/us_news-crime_and_courts/

Cliff Plunge

A 67-year-old man, David Lavau, went missing. After several days of radio silence from him, his kids reported him missing to the police. The Lavau set out to find their dad on their own, while rescue workers conducted an official search party. His daughter Lisa had began the search after authorities told her that her father had used his debit card at a nearby grocery store. Using his recent cell phone activity to triangulate his possible location, Lisa decided to search the area with her daughter and brother. They started in Oxnard, California, and ended in Castaic, a sparsely populated area nearly 50 miles away. They stopped at every ravine and didn't stop screaming for him. Finally, Sean shouted into a roadside ravine and heard a voice respond. He looked down and saw his father's mangled blue car. They located him at the bottom of the ravine in the Angeles National Forest in California on Thursday. Sean got to his father and asked how he made it. He told him that he drank water in the river, and ate bugs a leaves. David suffered multiple rib fractures, a dislocated shoulder, a broken arm and multiple fractures in his back. Surprisingly, none of his injuries were life threatening. Another wrecked vehicle had been found near David's from an unrelated accident, smashed at the bottom of the ravine. There was a decomposing body of a man inside the car who has not yet been identified.

This is an amazing story about someone who survived a horrible crash, that another man had not. Obviously, something needs to be done about that road and ravine.

http://thedaleygator.wordpress.com/2011/09/30/six-days-after-cliff-plunge-kids-find-dad/

A Deaf Woman Can Now Hear

Sarah Churman has been severely hearing impaired since birth. She was born missing the hair in her inner ear that transmits sound to the brain, a rare genetic deformity. At age 2, she acquired her first hearing aid, but she could only hear some vibrations and loud noises. She compensated not hearing by learning to reading people's lips. Her husband Sloan Churman, had heard a radio ad for the Esteem Inner Ear Stimulator, billed as the only full implantable hearing aid for his wife suffered from-sensorineural hearing loss. The implant cost them $30,000, a high price for a working class family. Although it was expensive, they saved and borrowed-Sloan's mother helped out greatly-and in July, Sarah had the procedure. No she can hear her own voice (not knowing she had an accent), the sounds of birds singing, her two daughters chattering and her husband snoring.

I think that this is an amazing story because this woman has been deaf her entire life, and at 29 years old, she can finally hear.
http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/44756127/ns/today-good_news/

Bullying Leads to Suicide

This is a 14-year-old boy named Jamey Rodemeyer. He was bullied in school and even after he committed suicide, the bullying did not stop with his death. Jamey was found dead at his home on September 18. He had told his parents that he was being bullied while he was in middle school. He stopped talking about it, even though it continued on into high school. His favorite artist was Lady Gaga and she dedicated a song to Jamey at her concert. Jamey's sister went to a school dance and a Lady Gaga song came on and all his friends started chanting for Jamey. Then the bullies started chanting, 'Your better off dead!' and 'We're glad your dead!' and things like that, said Jamey's mother Tracy. Jamey was a contributor to an organization called "It Get's Better" which aims to give support to gay and lesbian youth who may be targets of harassment and discrimination. One of his last online posts discovered after his death, read, "I always say how bullied I am, but no one listens. What do I have to do so that people will listen to me?" Anonymous people posted on a site online where Jamey posted also called Formspring. They posted hateful things about him. "Jamey is stupid, gay, fat and ugly. He must die," read one response. "I wouldn't care if he died. No one would. So just do it. It would make everyone way more happier," read another. Police are currently investigating whether Jamey was the victim of harassment or hate crimes leading up to his suicide, but it's too early to tell if any charges will be filed.
This is terrible, and bullying has to stop. It leads to more suicide in teens everyday that it happens. Something needs to be done about bullying whether its made illegal or something else.
http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/44684938/ns/today-today_people/t/gay-teens-parents-bullying-continued-after-his-suicide?GT1=43001  

Double Therapy Against Breast Cancer

Cancer experts have decided that double treatment, known as synchronous chemoradiation, could significantly cut the risk of tumors returning and also save lives among people with breast cancer. This disease currently kills 425,000 woman a year worldwide. This treatment is basically radiotherapy and chemotherapy together, instead of one or the other. They say that this treatment has limited side effects and does not harm patients' quality of life. It is said that it should be considered for use by all breast cancer doctors. This is the most common cancer among woman. Radiotherapy and chemotherapy are usually given after breast cancer surgery to kill any remaining cancer cells in the breast, chest wall or underarm area, and to try to reduce the risk of local cancer recurrence. Usually they are given chemotherapy first, followed by radiotherapy.

This sounds like a good idea based on the facts.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44660674/ns/health-cancer/#.ToFTvNR_Tng

A Dying Man

This is an amazing story and it really got to me. This husband and wife; Marshall and Tracy McClain; had been in church one day when a woman came in with her daughter named Alyssa and asked for someone to take care of her. Eventually the McClain's took her for a night and fell in love with her. Her mother signed over her parental rights and they kept Alyssa. Two years later Marshall began having health problems. He wanted to rush the adoption so that he could give Alyssa his name and also so she would inherit his benefits. Eventually, they found out that he only had a few days left to live. Their lawyer rushed to find Alyssa's birth father. He was in a prison for drug distribution serving a five year sentence. He decided to sign over his rights because he wanted her to have a good life. Their lawyer called the judge's office and explained Marshall's situation, and asked if the judge had any openings. They had one for that day. Tracy, her lawyer, and Alyssa went to the courthouse (Marshall was too sick to make it) and she was allowed to adopt Alyssa. Tracy was on her way home when she called her daughter that was living with them and told her to tell Marshall that "We've got her, and I'll be there in a few minutes." Danielle repeated the news to the room. Her sister Amy leaned in close to her father and said "She's ours." McClain's breathing eased and his face muscles relaxed. The clerk's stamp on the final decree reads 12:09. Marshall McClain's official time of death was 12:17.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44597789/ns/health-health_care/#.ToFTpNR_Tng

Gunman Kill 36 People

Men from Congo traveled across the river to Bujumbura, Burundi with an intent to kill. According to Bujumbura's province governor Jacques Minami they traveled to a pub west of Burundi's capitol Sunday on a late-night attack. The gunman managed to kill 36 people. A survivor named Jackson Kabura said the men entered wearing fatigues: "One of them all said, 'Kill them all, kill them all. Make sure there's no survivors." They had managed to only would Jackson in the stomach. Burundi's president Pierre Nkurunziza has declared three days of mourning. A 16 year civil war ended in 2009 in Burundi when its remaining rebel groups demobilized. "The persons who were brutally assassinated were our brothers and sisters," Nkurunziza said. "I promise that those criminals will be arrested and brought to justice," he told a crowd in the town of Gatumba, the scene of the attack, outside the capital Bujumbura.

I think that this is a horrible thing. These men came to this place and murdered 36 people for no apparent reason.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44575736/ns/world_news-africa/

Remove Salmon-Eating Sea Lions

On May, 13 2011 NOAA's Fisheries Service said it was authorizing the states of Washington and Oregon to lethally remove specific California Sea Lions that congregate 140 miles from the Pacific Ocean just below the Columbia's River's Bonneville Dam to eat thousands of adult salmon and steelhead swimming upriver to spawn. Some of the salmon and steelhead are listed as threatened or endangered. "This is not an easy decision for our agency to make, but a thorough analysis shows that a small number of California sea lions preying on salmon and steelhead are having a significant effect in the ability of the fish stocks to recover," said William W. Stelle Jr., Northwest regional administrator for NOAA's Fisheries Service. "Today's authorization allows state fisheries and natural resource agencies to carefully remove California sea lions to reduce their affects on vulnerable fish species." Like all marine mammals in U.S. waters, California sea lions are protected by federal law, but their are provisions in the Marine Mammal Protection Act that allow today's authorization. The California sea lion population on the West Coast is considered healthy and stable, and estimated to be 238,000.

I think that is was okay to safely remove these sea lions so that the salmon and steelhead could thrive, as long as they didn't harm the sea lions.
http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2011/20110512_sealion.html

Bluefin Tuna Not Warranted

After an extensive scientific review, NOAA announced on May, 27 that Atlantic Bluefin Tuna currently do not warrant species protection under the Endangered Species Act. NOAA has committed to revisit this decision by early 2013, when more information will be available about the effects of the Deepwater Horizon BP oil spill, as well as a new stock assessment from the scientific arm of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas, the international body charged with the fish's management and conservation. NOAA is formally designating both the western Atlantic and eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean stocks of bluefin tuna as "species of concern" under the Endangered Species Act. This places the species on a watch list for concerns about it's status and threats to the species.

I think that they should have probably kept protecting this species.
http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2011/20110527_bluefintuna.html

From Butterflies, to Penguins, to Walruses

Every year, millions of these Monarch Butterflies migrate from North America to their winter habitat in Mexico. There is a well preserved and protected high-altitude pine and fir forest in Mexico that is essential for the survival of the overwintering of monarchs, which has been recognized as an endangered biological phenomenon. These butterflies reproductive habitats are protected in the United States and Canada because these locations are also crucial to saving this species migration, one of the most remarkable natural phenomena on the planet. WWF and the Mexican Fund for the Conservation of Nature have designated a strategy to protect and restore the Monarch butterflies wintering habitat in Mexico, so that the butterflies are protected from extreme weather and other threats.

These Magellanic Penguins were once threatened by oil spills. Now they face a much larger threat as fish are displaced by warming ocean currents, forcing the penguins to swim farther to find food. In 2009, many of these penguins washed up on beaches around Rio de Janeiro, many emaciated or dead. Their traditional nesting area is at the southern tip of Argentina. Scientists speculate that changes in ocean currents or temperatures, which may be related to climate change, could have been responsible for these penguins moving more than a thousand miles north of their traditional nesting area. 12 out of the 17 penguin species are currently experiencing rapid population decline.

The Pacific Walrus, one of the latest victims of climate change, live in the Arctic Bering and Chukchi Seas. In September of 2009, up to 200 dead walruses were spotted on the shore of the Chukchi Sea on Alaska's northwest coast. These animals use floating ice for resting, birthing and nursing calves, and protection from predators. With Arctic ice melting, the Pacific Walrus is experiencing habitat loss to the extent that in September 2009, the US Fish and Wildlife Service announced that adding the walrus to the Endangered Species list may be warranted.

Here are even more species that are endangered and their populations are rapidly decreasing. The world should consider helping them, before it's too late.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/wildlife/6927330/Top-10-most-endangered-species-in-the-world.html

From Turtles, to Salamanders, to Seals

The Leatherback Sea Turtle is the world's largest turtle and has the biggest range of any species, swimming all over the globe from the tropics to the sub-polar regions. When it's time for these turtles to dig a nest and lay it's eggs, it crawls out onto sandy sub-tropical beaches. This particular specie of turtle is endangered. In 1982 there were around 115,000 adult female Leatherback Turtles in the world, according to the IUCN. Just 14 years later, there were only 20,000-30,000 and the population has continued to plummet. The reasons for these turtles population to be plummeting is because humans steal their eggs, illegal hunting, nesting-habitat loss due to beach development, and the erosion of beaches due to global climate change. These turtles also often die after ingesting plastic debris they find floating in the ocean, mistaking it for jellyfish or other food.

The Chinese Giant Salamander is the world's largest amphibian, growing to lengths of up to 6 feet. This salamander used to be common throughout central, southwestern, and southern China. In these areas, it lives in streams in the forested hills. They lay up to 500 eggs at a time in underwater burrows which are guarded by the males. These Chinese Giant Salamander's have almost completely disappeared due to their over-exploitation as a food source.

These Hawaiian Monk Seals tend to live on remote beaches throughout the Hawaiian Island chain. Although they live far from human reach, fewer than 1,000 of them remain and their numbers continue to dwindle. Scientists are not sure of the cause, but they suspect that changes in the ocean conditions and competition from commercial fisherman may be reducing the numbers of fish these seals depend on for food. These Hawaiian Monk Seals also face threats from entanglements in fishing nets and discarded fishing gear and they can also catch diseases from dogs and other domestic animals.  

I think it is important to post about endangered animals to try to get people to help them.
http://www.allaboutwildlife.com/ten-most-endangered-animals/

Unknown Endangered Species

Many of these species are not very well known to be endangered. Take this Greater Bamboo Lemur for example. These lemurs live on the island of Madagascar, of the southeastern coast of Africa. It is home to dozens of species of lemurs and almost all of them are disappearing rapidly due to habitat loss and illegal hunting. Although many species of lemurs are disappearing here, the most critically endangered is the Greater Bamboo Lemur. Fewer than one-hundred remain on the island's southeastern and south-central forests, and they continue to be threatened by illegal hunting as well as habitat loss due to logging and the burning of forests due to agricultural purposes.

The Northern Right Whale is the most endangered of all of the world's whale species. They number around 350 individuals that travel the Atlantic coasts of Canada and the U.S. The right whale acquired it's name because in the 19th century, whalers considered it the "right" whale to kill. It was considered the right whale to kill because it carried a lot of whale oil, and it also floated when it was dead, so it was easy to handle and process. As a result, it was driven to near extinction. This whale is now protected, but it's species still continues to suffer losses due to entanglements in commercial fishing gear. Whales drown after becoming wrapped in nets, lines, and other equipment. Global climate change may also result as yet another threat to this species because it can affect the availability of the tiny crustaceans on which the right whales feed.

The Mountain Gorilla is the largest of the four gorilla subspecies. It's natural range in the highlands of East-Central Africa consists of two relatively small areas, a factor that has made it extremely vulnerable to a variety of human-related threats. Ongoing wars a poverty in the region have facilitated illegal hunting of gorillas as well as illegal timber harvesting that has further reduced the mountain gorilla's habitat. Due largely to the attention of international conservationists, the mountain gorilla population has actually increased somewhat over the last two decades. However, the animals still number fewer than 700, and poaching fueled by political instability continues to be a huge problem for the mountain gorilla. 

These poor animals need help from us to survive.
http://www.allaboutwildlife.com/ten-most-endangered-animals/mountain-gorilla

Endangered Species

Here are even more endangered animals of this world. The Ivory-Billed Woodpecker is so critically endangered that it is almost extinct. This bird lives, or lived, in the Southeastern part of the US as well as Cuba. This huge woodpecker was considered extinct until 2004, when a handful of tantalizing reports of sightings in Arkansas and Florida began to trickle in. However, definitive proof for the ivory-bill's continued existence has remained elusive, and if a population does not exist, it is likely to be tiny and extremely vulnerable. These woodpecker's owe their near, or complete extinction to habitat loss as well as over-exploitation by humans, who hunted them for their feathers.

These Amur Leopards are a very rare subspecies that lives only in the remote and snowy northern forest of eastern Russian's Primorye region. It's former range included Korea and China, but the Amur Leopard is now extinct in those countries. In 2007, a census counted only 14-20 adult Amur Leopards and 5-6 cubs. Threats to these species include habitat loss due to logging, road building and encroaching civilization, poaching and global climate change.

The Javan Rhino is the most endangered if the world's five rhinoceros species with an estimated 40-60 animals remaining on the western tip of the island of Java (Indonesia) in Ujung Kulon National Park. Another small population, containing as few as 6 rhinos, live in and around Cat Tien National Park in Vietnam. The water and swamp loving rhinos formally ranged throughout Southeast Asia and Indonesia, but has been hunted to near extinction for it's horn, which is used to make Asian folk medicine. Although it is now protected, it may not have a large enough breeding population to prevent the species from becoming extinct.

Some of these species are so endangered they are almost extinct! The world needs to help them, fast.
 http://www.allaboutwildlife.com/ten-most-endangered-animals/

And More

Polar bear cubs may be one of the universally-recognized icons of the environmental movement. This mother bear and cub are snuggling up after a long winter of hibernation in Manitboba, Canada. These polar bears will have to deal with loss of habitat as a result of climate change and bloody battles for food.

 

These black rhinoceros calf was born into the world that is not so safe for her species. In just 20 years, the number of black rhinos in the wild dropped from 65,000 to about 2,300 thanks to poaching. As of 2011, only eight black rhino babies have been born in captivity.

The Taronga Zoo in Australia says that as few as 34,000 Asian elephants remain in the wild. This is mostly due to human population growth that sadly led to these Asian elephants loss of habitat. These Asian elephants and their African relatives are also favorite target for poachers who desperately want their tusks.

 

This Panda cub, born in China in 2006, was the lightest member of it's species ever recorded at a tiny 51 grams. This picture, taken a month later, shows the mother panda caring for the baby, whom she first rejected in favor of caring for his twin. Giant pandas are endangered in the wild and are slow to breed in captivity. In 2008, there was a baby boom which saw four of them born within fourteen hours.

We need to save these species!

Even More

These Asian lions are the only member of the lion family that doesn't live in Africa. Instead, they ranged from India to the middle east. Asian lions have seen their numbers dwindle as a result of hunting and habitat destruction. There is an estimated 300 left live only on a sanctuary in India.

When you first think of endangered species, the Camel isn't usually the first animal that comes to mind. In 2002, the IUCN added the Bactrian camel, a relative to the domesticated camels used today, to it's Red List. In 2008, an estimated 950 Bactrian camels existed in the wild, with only another 15 in captivity. Major threats to these camels include locals killing them for food, increased attention from predators due to drought, and habitat loss.

 

These Humpback Whales was put on the endangered species list, although their specie has increased in numbers recently. Mother whales usually nurse for about a year or more. Humpback whales aren't fully mature until the age of ten. The closeness between this mother whale and calf are not unusual because mothers and their young swim close together, often touching one another with their flippers with what appear to be gestures of affection.

Here are even more endangered animals that we will lose if we don't do anything about them.

Endangered Animals

#1 These are some of the most worldwide known endangered species. The first is Orangutans. The biggest threat facing this specie of animal is severe habitat loss. Wild populations are fading fast. A group in Boreno National Park has decreased by 90 percent in just five years. These rapid losses provide more evidence that careful, successful, and healthy captive breeding programs are an important part of worldwide conservation efforts.

#2 In this picture from 2004, this 14-week-old Sumatran tiger cub is rescued from the water in the National Zoo in Washington, D. This mother, Soyono, had a litter of three male cubs. They were moved out of the zoo in 2006. Soyono gave birth to four other cubs in the course of two litters, and only one male, Gunter, still lives at the Zoo. Seven Sumatran tiger births in ten years is good news for a species that is believed to number fewer than 500 in the wild. There were 8 species of tigers in the world. Now there are 5, due to Javan, Bali, and Caspian tigers becoming extinct.

#3 These Western Lowland gorillas are a critically endangered species. Gorillas can grow to be as large as 400 pounds. Although this is incredibly large, they are still very susceptible to many human threats, including poaching, disease, and habitat loss.

I think that we need to do more to help these poor animals, or we will lose all of them.http://www.treehugger.com/galleries/2011/05/10-adorable-endangered-animal-babies-cuddling-up-to-mom.php?page=1

Tigers Are Endangered

Tiger population has decreased by about 95% since 1900 and it's range has decreased by 93%. World leaders and countries that have wild tigers have endorsed a major plan to double the number of tigers in the wild by 2022 underscoring their commitments at the historic International Tiger Conservation Forum. Hosted by Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, governments capped a year long political process with about $127 million in new funding to support the plan, known as the Global Tiger Recovery Programme. In addition, the World Bank has offered a $100 million loan package to three tiger range countries for conservation work. Also, the Global Environment Facility committed to provide grants up to $50 million for tiger habitat conservation. Director General Jim Leape from WWF (World Wildlife Fund) says "We have never before seen this kind of political support to save a single species. We now have the strategy needed to double tiger numbers and real political momentum. There are as few as 3,200 tigers left in the wild, putting the species on the brink of extinction. I think it is a great thing that these people are trying to help these tigers. They need our help, or we will lose yet another wonder of the world.

An Injection To Help With Heart Attacks and Strokes

Heart attacks and strokes are caused by blood flow being blocked by a clot or a bleed, starving parts of the body further down the stream of oxygen. Although this damages the body, the most permanent damage is caused later. When circulation is eventually restored and a "default of nature" (which means the body's own defenses attack the oxygen starved cells) occurs is when the most permanent damage happens. This effect, which kicks in around nine to twelve hours after an attack or stroke, causes inflammation and more than 80% of the permanent damage. This often leads to death and massive reduction in the quality of life of stroke and heart attack survivors. Due to this damage to the body, British-based scientists have created an antibody that reduces the physical scarring of the brain and heart after an attack by more than 60%.http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/8459488/New-heart-attack-jab-even-more-effective-than-statins.html

Teen Stabs Himselft To Death On Stage

Troubled 19-year-old Kipp Rusty Walker, stabbed himself to death on stage at Open Mic Night. This occurred at the Strictly Organic Coffee Company in front of around 15 people, after playing a song Sorry For All the Mess. The audience clapped and cheered mistaking Kipp's suicide as a piece of performance art, as Kipp repeatedly plunged a six-inch blade into his chest. When he collapsed into a pool of his own blood, the audience finally realized that it wasn't faked. They started screaming in horror and rushed to help him. He was taken to the hospital, but he died shortly after because his wounds were too severe. Kipp's bizarre suicide has left the community of Bend in Oregon stunned and wondering why he would end his life in such a public way. One of Kipp's friends claimed that he had been planning on killing himself in a public place for some time. Some are sympathetic and saddened by Kipp's death, while others feel sympathetic towards the audience instead, for being subjected to watching someone stab themselves to death in public.http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1377847/Kipp-Rusty-Walker-stabs-death-stage-open-mic-event.html

Baby Born To A Mom With Cancer

32 year-old Lisa Peterson Bender was diagnosed with Stage 2 breast cancer, 11 weeks into her very first pregnancy. She decided to carry her child to term. She had four chemotherapy infusions during her second trimester, but stopped the drug treatment during December to allow her child to thrive and grow. Named after her favorite aunt a grandmother, Lisa had her daughter, Alice Virginia, four days before her due date. Alice weighed 7 pounds, 7 ounces and was 19 and 3/4 with dark hair, her grandfather's nose, and a healthy, doctors confirmed. Doctors say that as many as 1 in every 1,000 pregnant women gets cancer, with about 3,500 cases identified in the United States each year. The number of women diagnosed with breast cancer during pregnancy is going up because more and more women delay childbirth until their older. Also, developing cancer doesn't mean great things for your chances to conceive. "Fertility problems are one of the most difficult things young cancer patients face." Lisa's daughter Alice is in great health, and will be monitored just like any other newborn child. http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/42441066

Brother and Sister Reunite

Sara Kemp and George Bentley's parents, Felicity and David, divorced in 1975. Sara went to Edinburgh with their mother, while George stayed with their father. It has been over 30 years since they have seen each other, until they reunite on a blind date in a London bar. George had looked for his sister Sara over the internet, but she had married and kept her ex-husbands surname, Kemp. It made his search for her futile. I think this story is important because family is a very important thing in this life. To some, it's all we have. http://www.aolnews.com/2011/03/28/after-30-years-apart-brother-and-sister-george-bentley-and-sara/

Woman Charged With Killing Chihuahua

A 28 year-old woman, Holly Boyd, living in Fridley, Minnesota was charged with animal cruelty. Her Chihuahua urinated on her and her couch and she became upset. This resulted in her throwing her puppy at the dresser where the poor animal hit the handle area of the dresser and went limp. Her animal cruelty resulted in a conviction  carrying up to two years. I think this story is important because it shows how much we need to protect our animals from cruel and inhumane people. http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/event/article/id/195080/