A century ago there were about 100,000 wild tigers worldwide. Today, the estimate has dropped to just 3,200. Poachers kill about 150 tigers per year, and tiger poaching is a $5 million industry. Habitat destruction is also a major factor in the demise of these remarkable animals. Scientists think that, at the current rate, tigers could become extinct in the wild in the next decade or so (Time.com, November 21, 2010; news.yahoo.com, November, 22, 2010).

Our local grocery store always seems to have in stock what appears to be healthy produce. However, how many of us really know where our produce comes from? These days, it is possible that the food you are eating may contain genetic derivatives from eight different genetically modified foods. Experts state that more than 70 percent of items on supermarket shelves contain genetically modified foods.

The surprise publication by the website WikiLeaks of more than 250,000 confidential U.S. State Department documents revealing U.S. intentions and perspectives has shaken global diplomatic relations and could endanger the lives of U.S. diplomats around the world.  A major German news magazine reported, “Never before in history has a superpower lost control of such vast amounts of such sensitive information—data that can help paint a picture of the foundation upon which US foreign policy is built.

EU Council President Herman Van Rompuy recently warned that the “EU is in a survival crisis… the eurozone and the European Union itself are fighting for their life as a result of the ongoing sovereign debt shocks, most recently in Ireland and Portugal… if the eurozone does not survive, neither will the EU.”

We've all had the unfortunate experience of doing something for someone and never hearing a simple "thank you" in return. It makes us feel sad, perhaps a little hurt or even a little angry, when we have really gone out of our way to help someone. We may think, "How dare they not appreciate what I did for them!" Google the words "un-thankfulness" or "ungrateful people" or "ingratitude" and you'll get hundreds of thousands to millions of results.

Apparently, it's all too common.