The National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration declared that the Caribbean Monk Seal (Monachus tropicalis) has gone extinct after not being observed since 1952.
For the last 5 years there has been futile attempts by the U.S. government at finding the seal species so now it is officially declared extinct. The last confirmed observation of the seals was of small colony at Serranilla Bank, in 1952. The reason for their extinction is, of course, us humans due to hunting for their meat and blubber.

Will we ever learn and take care of the environment? Think about how sad it would be if most of the species around us would become extinct. We are heading in that direction..

Today mortgage brokers are often used to get a mortgage loan. The are several reasons for this and the main reason is that the mortgage loan industry is very complex making it hard to get a grasp on what loan to choose. Getting a mortgage loan is a big step for most people and making the right decision is important.

Using mortgage brokers can be very useful as they are professionals and will help getting the mortgage loan most suitable for you.
Mortgage brokers will consider what kind of property you are looking for, like a farm, home or business property. They will also look at what kind of life situation you are in with regards to life status, economic situation and previous loans. With this information the mortgage brokers can make a qualified suggestion on what kind of loan you should get.
This sounds much easier and less stressful than looking for a mortgage loan on your own. I would also think that using a mortgage broker is less time consuming freeing up time to do more enjoyable things.

I never knew the European hamster was threatened. You learn something new every day.
Today I came across an article from telegraph.co.uk about EU stating that they will punish France with a multi-million pound fine if they do not take measures to save hamsters in Alsace, eastern France. According to Wikipedia Alsace is the last place in Western Europe where you can find the European hamster, also known as Black-bellied hamster. The population of hamsters in Alsace is under threat too because the hamsters has traditionally been seen as a vermin and been killed. In later years the local farmers has gone from producing food that hamsters like to eat to growing maize which is not ripe when the hamsters wake up from the winter sleep. This has made food sources scarce for the hamsters and their numbers has dwindled from 1,167 in 2001 to 161 only last year!

I hope EU is successful in pressuring France to protect the European hamster.

If you are receiving annually payments from a structured settlement you might want to consider a lump sum
structured cash settlement instead. Settlement Quotes is a company that offers just that by factoring a structured settlement where you transfer the rights for the payments of structured settlement to Settlement Quotes. In return you will receive a lump sum of money that might better fit you financial situation. A bigger sum of money can be very helpful for paying debts or if you want to start a new business.

You can complete a short form where you give details about your settlement and Settlement Quotes will give you a quote within 5 minutes. You can also call them to get a quote if you prefer that way of communication.

They are running a blog where they write about different issues concerning structured settlements and why you should consider if a lump sum would fit your financial situation better.

Very cool news from Mexico! According this Reuters article Mexico City is planing to improve the environment by turning 9,300 square meters of publicly owned roof space each year with grass and bushes to help prevent global warming by absorbing CO2. The city will also offer tax reductions for companies or individuals who want to do the same with their buildings. Mexico City is known for all the pollution so I hope this will help the problem as nature really is the best at cleaning up our mess.

This is a really great initiative from the Major of Mexico City (he is also building bicycle paths and provide some car-free roads on weekends).
While reducing CO2 levels is important this could be taken to next level by using the same method to create urban gardening/farming. Think about all the food that could be produced on the top of buildings. With the rising prices of food this might happen without the help of the government since people will have to do it out necessity. Locally produced food also helps reducing CO2 since you don’t have to ship the food across the planet. Read more about urban gardening on this site.

For a long time I have been thinking about learning one more language to supplement my knowledge of the English and Norwegian languages. I find languages fascinating and it can be very helpful to learn a new language if I were to seek a job in another country. Learning languages is also a lot of fun and you get a good insight in other cultures and traditions.

One website that helps you to learn foreign languages is Transparent Language (transparent.com) where they offer courses in many different languages including Japanese, Arabic, Italian, Swedish and so on. They have individual web pages for each language, including a Learn Spanish page. On these pages from Transparent Language you can buy language courses, get information about the languages, take quizzes / tests, you can listen to the Word of the Day and other helpful features.

Transparent Language got a wide variety of Learning Software both as downloadable software and software that they can physically ship to you. With these software packages you will get help to learn new languages at a pace that is suitable for you.
They are supporting over 100 languages and even got learning software that are fitting kids.
If you are having problems with the software Transparent Language have technical support that is open Monday to Friday during business hours (9:00AM – 5:00PM Eastern time). There is also an extensive FAQ (frequently asked questions) where you get answers to the most common questions about the different services that Transparent Language has to offer.

French is a language I want to learn because I love the way it sounds and I’m planing to travel to France soon. It would be nice to communicate with local people using their own language.
Transparent Language got an entire section on their site called Learn to Speak French where you can choose between different language courses depending on your skill level.

This could be some really bad news for the environment in Australia. According an article on cairns.com.au Roger Bradbury, a professor at Australian National University, predicts that if the over fishing at the Great Barrier Reef continues it will turn into a dead zone filled with slimy creatures. He says that the large marine species are keeping in check jellyfish and algae. If the large species were to disappear or the populations are heavily reduced “you get an ocean that’s like swarms of jellyfish, blooms of algae,” Roger Bradbury said.
The professor want to immediately phase out the commercial fishing at the Great Barrier Reef to save the remaining stocks, but of course those who decide are a bit skeptical to stop the fishing. Fishing = big money.

When I read this article I kept thinking about if this could happen here in Northern Norway too. Last year no big shoals of coalfish came into our fjord and that is the first year I have ever experienced that. Some fishermen claimed that this was because there was a big bloom of algae. Could it be that the bloom of algae was caused by over fishing? This spring I have also observed massive quantities of jellyfish swimming around which I find a bit worrying.
I hope this is not a sign of over fishing in my area.