Congo Comrades

"Maybe there is hope for this world yet."  That was my thought when I saw this beautiful photo of, to quote The Guardian, "Patrick Karabaranga, a warden at the Virunga national park, and an orphaned mountain gorilla in the gorilla sanctuary in the park headquarters at Rumangabo in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Virunga park is home to 210 mountain gorillas, approximately a quarter of the world's population. The four orphans that live in the sanctuary are the only mountain gorillas in the world not living in the wild. They were brought there after their parents were killed by poachers or as a result of traffickers trying to smuggle them out of the park." And with this last sentence, my cynicism about "things as they are," as William Godwin would say, settled in again.

Sliding Panda Cubs

O.k., I know it's not exactly breaking news, and maybe it's not informational at all, but I couldn't resist posting one of the most adorable videos of pandas I've ever seen. Seriously, it's like they've been to cute-school. They each have a Ph.D. in Cute Studies. How is it possible for any creature to be so amazingly charming? Or have we evolved to find them cute? Hmmmm. . . .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGF6bOi1NfA&feature=player_embedded