The Berenstain Bears Now Speak an Endangered Language

If anyone can save a dying language, it's Mama Bear, simply because we're pretty sure she can do anything. 
The Associated Press reports that public television in North Dakota and South Dakota will soon be airing the animated series "Matho Waunsila Thiwahe" — that's Lakota for "Compassionate Bear Family" — which is a dubbed version of the beloved series The Berenstain Bears. Instead of English, the children's cartoon characters Mama and Papa Bear, along with Brother and Sister Bear, will be speaking in the little-known American Indian dialect, which the AP reports fewer than 6,000 people still speak.
(MORE: The Best Cartoons of the Week)
The project was started as an effort to help preserve the Lakota dialect, which is an ancient language of the Sioux, and apparently only spoken fluently by elderly people. By having the children's cartoon characters speak in their ancestral language, Lakota-champions are hoping that a new generation will adopt it.
The Berenstain Bears made their first appearance in 1962, when Jan Berenstain first created the children's book series with her since-deceased husband Stan. At 88, she still writes books for the series and the stories have been translated into more than 20 languages around the world.  Jan, along with everyone else in Berenstain gang, is completely behind the Lakota-dubbing. Jan has called the project "terrific" and Berenstain Enterprises Inc. has waived the usual licensing fees.
Above is a clip of the cartoon, in English, just for nostalgia purposes.

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APNewsBreak: Judge backs deal on endangered species

Published September 09, 2011| Associated Press

WASHINGTON - A federal judge Friday approved a pair of large colonies which require the Government to consider protections for more than 800 animal and plant species threatened.

The order by U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan means that the Government should act on the species at risk, ranging from the Wolverine in the North and the Pacific walrus at dozens of snails, molluscs, butterflies and plants. Certain decisions could come at the end of the year and others in 2018.

The agreement between the administration of the Obama and environmental groups resolves to more than a dozen prosecutions which challenged the handling of the Government of about 250 so-called "species candidate." These are animals and plants that scientists say are in need of protection, but that the Government failed resource to address.

The agreements cover also more than 600 species for which groups had filed legal petitions seeking protections. The Government has agreed to treat these petitions, although there is no guarantee of new measures of protection.

Some species have languished in bureaucratic limbo for decades. Gary Frazer, Deputy Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, said that the regulation covers species that are threatened with possible extinction without the intervention of the Government.

"These are species that are in difficulty," said Frazer. "Once a case has been registered, with a few exceptions, we have kept their endangered." This is an important step for the conservation of all these creatures. »

The settlement comes as the Government endangered species program was under the assault on Capitol Hill, where the Republican House presented a proposed budget of the Ministry of the Interior that would be inadmissible any new registrations under the endangered species Act. This proposal was defeated in a rare bipartisan vote this summer.

Frazer of the program developing current spending levels Arizona disappearance were sufficient to carry out settlement of Friday, adding that Mexico hope the Agency would enough money in the future in the years to honour the commitments made

Some plants and animals covered by agreements of the administration have been proposed for protection after the passage of the law on species endangered in 1973.

Representatives of the Government, said that the backlog was aggravated by prosecution and legal petitions which distracted necessary journals wildlife agencies and the restoration work. These legal actions have used money and staff time that could be devoted to programs as the development of restoration plans for the difficulty of plants and animals, said responsible.

But, Executive Director of guardians WildEarth John Horning said that prosecution was motivated by failures by the Government to respect its obligation to protect the species on the devastation.

"We are rejoicing here today frankly," said Horning. "I suspect, there will be places where largely for political reasons of fish and Wildlife Service caves bins, but I expect many other good news than bad news on these" species.

Facilities require the Group's Horning and the Center for biological diversity to limit their future legal action against the Government.

Safari Club International, a group of hunting, had attempted to intervene in the matter, but Sullivan, issued an order separate Friday refused the request. Solicitors for the hunting group said they wanted to preserve the rights of its members, to hunt the animals covered by virtue of agreements, including the greater Sage-Grouse and the New England Cottontail.

Sullivan wrote in his order that the regulation does not necessarily mean that the affected species obtain the protections and added that the Safari Club could file his own trial against the Government if this occurs.

___

Brown reported Billings, mount.

Online:

Fish and Wildlife Service: www.fws.gov/

Follow Matthew Daly on Twitter at http://twitter.com/MatthewDalyWDC

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Peliculas Online

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