Living In Hell: The Life Of A Feral Child.

What's more sad, pitiful, depressing and frightening than a feral child?

Throughout recorded history, cases of genuine feral children do turn up. What is a feral child? It's a condition linked to a child being left alone in the wild by unwanting parents, often because of a mental or physical disability. Once alone, they'll often find themselves raised by another wild animal, eventually becoming a member of some another species' community. Feral children can also erupt from severe abuse as a direct result of isolation from human contact. Kids whom are locked in single rooms, attics or basements with no outside interaction often become feral.

The only known photo of Ramachandra.

One of the strangest and most well-documented cases is that of a boy known only as Ramachandra. He was found in the early 1970's in the Uttar Pradesh region of India. Eyewitnesses stated that he acted like an amphibian and ate raw meat. He could walk, but with a very awkward gait and typically preferred to crawl. More often than not, Ramachandra would be found spending his time in the local river, much like a frog. By 1979, he'd been forced into living a modern life by villagers, with poor results. In 1982, a woman killed him with a pot of boiling water. Claims state that the woman was frightened by his approach and she acted in self defense.

Natasha, a five year old girl from Chita, Siberia, was found in 2009 by local Russian police. She'd been locked in a room with cats and dogs since before the age of two. Her behavior was not human-like at all. She would bark and jump at caretakers upon them leaving her room. Natasha ate food from a dish like a dog and never used her hands. She crawled on all fours. Given that the news is from one of the most remote locations on the planet, any further news about her survival has not been released.

Another troubling case from Russia involves a nameless boy. After the story of his horrible existence broke in 2008, he was referred to in local newspapers as the Russian Bird Boy. The boy's mother had locked him naked in a two-room apartment filled with a variety of birds. She never spoke to him and treated him completely like any other pet. Upon discovery, law enforcement were shocked to find that the boy would chirp to communicate with the birds living around him. He would also flap his arms to communicate, much like the birds.

This photo of Genie was taken a few weeks after her rescue. She was being cared for at the Los Angeles Children's Hospital. Genie had what was known as a "bunny walk".

One of the most famous cases of a feral child is that of Genie, which is a pseudonym as to protect her real name. She was discovered by child protective services in Los Angeles, California on November 4, 1970. Genie's father, for reasons unknown, decided that she was mentally handicapped while still a baby. By the age of twenty months, he'd locked her in a room alone. Genie remained in that room until she was approximately thirteen years old (her birth date is not known). Her father indicated after his arrest that he left Genie strapped to a child's training toilet or tied to a crib for most of her existence. Genie could not speak, nor did she understand any of the typical social constructs that most children gain in their early years. Genie is still alive and resides as a ward of the state of California. In her time, she has learned a few words, but usually communicates through rudimentary sign language.

I find it amazing how children can be such a clean slate from which to grow and change. Given the right tools, care and social interaction, a human child can grow into a responsible adult. Yet, if children are isolated and abused, they can grow to never be human at all. I believe this says a great deal about how important love and compassion are when raising a child.

Enough With The Balloons -- There's A Helium Shortage!

You're probably not aware, but our world is facing a global crisis. It's not one that's been in the newspapers or on the evening news. You won't read about it in the tabloids or see it on TMZ. Most bloggers don't even know the problem exists. This issue has been floating under the radar for a long time now... and it's about to pop.

We're running out of Helium.

Some of you may be asking -- "What exactly is Helium?"

Helium, as it's presented on the Periodic Table of Elements.

As the second most common element found in the known universe, Helium is a colorless gas with the atomic number of two. It is the head of the Noble Gas group on the periodic table. It exists in nearly every corner of our universe. Large deposits of Helium even rest within our own solar system -- specifically on Jupiter. Yet, when it comes to our planet Earth, Helium is fairly rare.

Helium is more than just a gas used to inflate balloons for a birthday party. It has so many more modern applications in science, engineering, technology and medicine. Perhaps Helium's most important role is within MRI machines. The gas helps to cool the magnets which make the MRI function. Without Helium, the MRI machine would cease to be of any use in medicine. Another large use for Helium is in the arc welding process, where it is used as a gas shield. Helium is also employed in nuclear reactor cooling, as well as in the field of cryogenics. Even the Large Hadron Collider, which recently discovered the presence of the long sought after Higgs boson particle, uses Helium. As you can see, Helium is highly important.

MRI Machine

Yet, many futurists and scientists expect our reserves of Helium to all but disappear by the year 2040 if our gross overuse of it does not change.

The United States supplies roughly thirty percent of all Helium on the planet. We extract it from under a pocket in our Great Plains region. Other nations produce a small fraction of the global supply, chiefly Qatar, Algeria and Russia. Yet, production numbers for Helium are steadily shrinking and demand is steadily increasing. The cost for crude Helium has skyrocketed over the last decade. In 2000, the cost of Helium on the open market was $49.50 per Mcf (thousand cubic feet). Today, the cost of Helium is $95.00 per Mcf. Numbers don't lie -- demand is up and supply is down, thereby raising the price of crude Helium. What was once extremely cheap is now highly expensive.

When the price of Helium goes up, so does the cost of using an MRI machine, or building a structure that requires welding (which is nearly everything), or keeping a nuclear reactor safe. You can see where I'm going with this. The price of Helium has far-reaching influence on nearly every aspect of life.

The next time you buy balloons for your child's birthday party...
Or for a sick loved one in the hospital...
Or to simply release into the air for fun...

I want you to consider the ramifications of what you're doing. One balloon's worth of helium might not seem like a lot, but it slowly adds up over time. Helium is a finite resource -- one that current technology can't replace. If we never figure out a way to replace the Helium that we consume, then once it's gone -- it's gone.

And to think -- you have personally filled up how many balloons with Helium? How many have you just let go into the atmosphere, without so much as a second thought?

This doesn't even take into consideration the fallen litter from expended balloons that kills animals, but that's a report for another day.

Ask yourself -- Do I really need this Helium? Will I need Helium to be available in the future to save my life? Or, perhaps to save the life of a loved one?

Do everyone a favor and stop buying balloons filled with Helium. Each of us can do their part. I promise... you won't miss them.

What a waste of good Helium. You're literally throwing money out the window.