#and it just saddens me to think that people have limited themselves to ''Fast Car'' off her FIRST ALBUM and ''Give Me One Reason''

[musicrunsthroughmysoul]

I want to tell everyone in the Good Omens fandom who ships AziraCrow to try listening to "The Promise" by Tracy Chapman and maybe you'll calm down. 😊

[jujutoe-blog]

Part 7: In-Class Blog Questions B

Zoos

Edmonton Storyland Valley Zoo in Edmonton. Picture from https://www.edmonton.ca/attractions_events/edmonton_valley_zoo/plan-your-visit.aspx

a. What role, if any, should zoos play in conservation/education?

I personally do not visit zoos. I am somewhat saddened that wild animals are essentially caged for the entertainment of humans. However, there are many animals that are endangered in which zoos can play an important role in conservation. Unfortunately, there are many issues such as limited space, lack of finances and proper care that make animal conservation in zoos difficult and mostly unfeasible. Wildlife animals, especially big mammals,  simply do not thrive in small artificial environments. 

Today in Environmental Science class we learned about stereotypic behaviour. Stereotypic behaviour is the repetitive actions that confined animals display presumably as symptoms of boredom and the need for stimulation. Stereotypic behaviour is a sign of poor psychological development (Philbin, 2019). Ideally, wild animals should be kept wild and there would not be any need for zoos neither for entertainment nor for conservation. Regrettably, natural habitats for wildlife to roam freely are quickly being destroyed. As for education, I am unsure if zoos actually provide much education. They seem to me to be structured more for people’s amusement. 

In the end, the answer isn’t a simple yes or no on whether zoos should play some sort of role in conservation or education. There seems to be a host of human-created environmental issues that need to be addressed so animals can be healthy, free and wild. Having learned what I learned so far about environmental issues, zoos are no longer just some sort of magical place that I go to as a child. Zoos have come to represent a disturbing microcosm of the greater natural world. And perhaps zoos have also come to represent human being’s ineptitude in taking care of our fellow earthlings.

b. Is it ethical to keep animals in zoos? If so, what size/type of animal or zoo? 

I believe that keeping animals in zoos is unethical. One can argue that confining a living and breathing sentient being is unethical. In a perfect world, I think that there would not be any need for zoos. I think protected national parks do a relatively good job with conservation. Perhaps, in the future zoos no longer would exist and we would simply visit national parks to see wild animals in their natural habitat.

c. Do you enjoy visiting zoos?

I have not visited a zoo since I was a young child. Like I said earlier, I do not enjoy seeing animals in such an unnatural state nor do I agree with the whole concept of zoos.

FOOD

a. Consider your food system: What do you like about it?

I like the convenience of going to a nearby grocery store and being able to choose and purchase a plethora of products. I also enjoy being able to choose produce from various parts of the world. I also like being able to do my grocery shopping anytime throughout the day any day of the week. As for eating out in restaurants, I like how there are many alternatives from fast food to various cuisines from around the world. I think that we are fortunate to live in Canada to have such abundance and options when it comes to food.

b. What do you dislike about it?

Some of the factors that I like about our food system here in Canada is also contributing to what I don’t like about it. The fact that I can choose almost any food product from almost anywhere in the world means that the environmental cost weighs heavy for the planet. This environmental cost includes pollution from transporting the products from vast distances and the degradation of the earth from mass agriculture for such products. Another issue with being able to have inexpensive foods from everywhere in the world is that local produce no longer becomes the primary choice.

Variety is generally something desireable, but in the grocery store, there seems to be also a great variety of sugary junk lacking much in nutrition. Oddly, this junk is less expensive than the fresh fruits and vegetables. I would think that having healthy foods being more expensive is a deterrent for people wanting to consume healthier produce. 

Another aspect of the food system that I don’t like is how the Canadian diet disproportionately consists of meat. From an environmental perspective, animal agriculture has been shown to contribute greatly to greenhouse gas emissions and also the degradation of much of the world’s pristine rainforests.

OCEANS

a. What are your primary concerns about the oceans?

One concern is the continual non-stop pollution of oceans. What I recall from Environmental Science 1000 class, there is a massive area in the pacific ocean where human-created garbage simply circulates as if in some giant whirlpool. Garbage in the oceans in general disrupts marine habitats and inadvertently causes the countless deaths of sea creatures.

Another concern is overfishing. With a growing global population and growing appetites I feel that saving all the fish from possibly going extinct may be an impossible cause. But perhaps with wider education about the peril of the oceans, there still might be some hope.

A final concern is the acidification of the oceans. Ocean acidification is caused by the increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide. The oceans act as a carbon dioxide sink. The oceans absorb the excess carbon dioxide which in turn makes the oceans become more acidic. The two most common contributors to excess carbon dioxide are the burning of fossil fuels and the burning of forests (Van Dien & Stone, 2018).

b. What, if anything, do you plan to do about it?

I try my best to reduce my waste especially with the use of plastic. Admittedly, this is at times quite difficult. Plastic is everywhere. For example, I eat something that came in a container. If I can’t reuse or recycle that container, it has to be thrown away.

I already do not eat fish. I try when appropriate to educate what little I know to other people about overfishing and about sustainable fishing. 

Lastly, I do not own a car and drive only once in a while when necessary. Driving has been shown to be a significant contributor to atmospheric carbon dioxide. My main forms of transportation are walking, cycling, and bussing. I also try my best to have conversations with people about environmental issues when they are willing. I think that talking to people is a good way to spread knowledge about environmental issues. Not only will the other person possibly learn something and perhaps give pause to how they themselves can help, but I can also possibly learn about the other person and why they make the choices that they make.

[luci-is-a-devil-]

Seungkwan Fairy!AU

(Notes! I think next I’ll do wonwoo librarian!au. Requests are open~)

•you’re the fairy of a small tree that a child had planted years ago •your tree grows flowers on them, and one year when a blossom opened •you were in there!!! •unlike actually being born, you were just small •like tiny, minuscule •but as you aged, you grew to be the size of a normal human •your wings were a nice size, they were a light pink matching the color of the blossom you were born from •you had the power to shrink if you wanted, and to help things bloom •you could talk to nature, so in ways the tree was actually your mom •she taught you as much as she could •but alas she was only a tree •she taught you what to eat, how to hide, how to talk to humans •the only thing she wasn’t able to give was a companion •sure you could speak to flowers and other trees, but there was limited things to talk about •the young trees would talk about they could grow •apples, pears, peaches!! •until someday a human would come with a sharp tool and hack away •leaving the forest with stumps of the young and old •their voices still there but they sound sad, wispy •there until the stumps are taken out or they die •it’s saddening to introduce yourself to the trees without knowing if they’ll make it or not •so you keep to yourself • •but when people often wander in, they can get lost •so you often help them find their way out, but have never actually left the forest •until a group of teens wander in one night •a quick headcount says that there’s thirteen of them •boys with hair colors you’ve never seen before •green like leaves, yellow like grass when it dies, red like blood •they were like a strange rainbow •and it intrigued you to see so many of them at one time •so you followed them, in the smallest size you could make yourself •with as fast as your wings are fluttering, you could only eavesdrop on small parts of the conversation •"hyung" “scared” “elephant?” •being a few of them •which left you confused •they boys eventually stopped and three started to argue over something •and then they started throwing their hands out at each other with symbols???? •and two of them turned around and started walking back the way they came •making a quick choice, you followed the two boys •as you continued to follow them, you realized that they were walking pretty slow •so you could hear the conversation a bit better •"hyung do you know which way we’re going?“ •it sounds like they were lost, so in spur of the moment you flew behind the trees and grew •having your wings go inside your body so you could pretend that you were a human •and walked to the boys, frightening them •"hi, my name is y/n. Do you need any help?” •you asked them, amused to see the faces change when they realized you were in fact human •Or so they thought ;) •they introduced themselves as seungkwan and mingyu •as you walked with them to the parking lot, where you assumed they come from •when they asked what you were doing in there, you laughed and said that your a local •which you’re not lying, but not telling the full truth •when they went to get something from the black car, while you waited by the edge of the forest •not wanting to leave •when they came back both carrying something back to you, they asked if you knew where they friends were •"did your friends have green hair and red hair?“ •even though you knew that they did, you asked not wanting to seem like you had stalked them •"yeah! Jihoon and minghao!” •seungkwan had exclaimed, happy that you had seen them •the boy seemed like he was somehow always excited •while mingyu was a mess, reminding you of a baby deer who just learned to walk •but they were nicer than some of the other humans you had encountered •so you continued on your walk back to the group of teens •offering to help seungkwan carry the ‘cooler’ •he was amused when you had asked him if he needed help carrying that, but not knowing it’s name •mingyu had jokingly asked if you had been living under a rock •and you looked at him oddly, because did he? Was that a normal human thing? •how were you supposed to know? •you lived inside of your mom, who was a tree!!! •so you shrugged and asked if he wanted help or not •(which he did take, because boo seungkwan is not a fool) •eventually you got back to the group of teens, who were surprised to see a new face •and for a minute you were a little overwhelmed, they were just so many of them!!! •when seungkwan realized you were panicking, he took the attention off of you by telling them about mingyu’s falling down •quietly thanking him, you sent him a small smile •that unbeknownst to you, jeonghan saw the small smile you sent to seungkwan •and he most definitely saw the pink that had graced the younger cheeks face •but when you turned to the older teen, to introduce yourself he had a strange look in his eyes •making you turn around and ask mingyu “what the hell was that?” •to which he laughed and said to not worry about it •but like!!! How could you not!! •so you stood away from jeonghan, choosing to stay by seungkwan and Vernon •talking to them about life around here and other stuff •noticing Vernon kept elbowing seungkwan in the rib cage •when Vernon went to get something to drink from the 'cooler’ •you asked seungkwan why Vernon was doing that and his cheeks turned red •which you thought was a fever, and quickly pressed your hands to his forehead •which he brushed off and said he was fine •but it was fine, since your focus was now on the scene that was happening next to the 'cooler’ •the green haired boy was yelling at mingyu, getting closer you went to go see if you could fix it •but someone grabbed you by the shoulders •effectively scaring you •causing you to scream and poof •your wings are out •doing a quick spin, your eyes locked with seungkwans •and you flew away, flew quickly to the other side of the forest •not wanting to be near them anymore •when you felt that you were far enough away, you slid down a tree •your butt next to the roots, as you felt something roll down your face •when you touched it, it felt like rain •but there was no clouds in the skies •so rain was coming from your eyes •which in itself was terrifying, but you were just drained •and allowed the rain to fall from your eyes •your head resting on your legs, until you hear someone yelling •yelling your name? •but you sat still, hoping they’d give up •nope, as someone walked through a clearing he realized it was you and came running •it was seungkwan, the boy who helped you •as he came closer, you got scared •your mom had said to be careful not to show your wings •but you had •when he was only a few steps away from you, you were expecting him to call you a monster •but instead he asked if you were alright •"me? I’m fine, I’m sorry that I scared you guys.“ •which he laughed and said that they were all fine •that none of them had been scared, that chan had told them that he knew fairies were real •which you laughed, and told the boy to stay still for a second •walking to a tree that held flowers like the one you were born from •you plucked it off the tree •and put it in his soft brown hair •"you were pretty before but now you’re beautiful.” •taking his hand in yours, you began to walk back with seungkwan in hand • •maybe just maybe, you’d be leaving the forest soon •with a special brown haired boy who would help you avoid jeonghan •(even though the elder insists that he was going to set you two up)