#ENVIRONMENTAL REPORTS - START WITH THE SCIENCE

[becausegoodheroesdeservekidneys]

I'm a student about to start my second year, and me and all my friends are really nervous. It feels like first year was really rough for everyone all over the place and we're all really hoping for a better second year this year! Have lecturers been noticing that too? Do you think it's because of COVID?

Oh my god yes. Jesus yes. It's absolutely the covid effect, and we're expecting to see the disruption for the next five or so years, tbh - the current 18-21 year old undergrads went through the most important years of high school during a lockdown. That not only interrupted academic development (home schooling during a time of stress, massive disruption to exams and exam-taking skills, etc), it also enormously hit emotional development (mid to late teens have the highest socialising needs of the human lifespan, and no one could meet and interact with each other.) And that latter point is having a much bigger effect than the former.

Current undergrads haven't been able to develop the same resilience, the same approach to andragogic education, the same interpersonal skills for dealing with lecturers/fellow students. University is not like school; in school teachers are giving you the knowledge, and gradually encouraging you to try and use it to formulate your own opinions. In university, we're supposed to give you the framework to then go out and do you own research. The bulk of your education comes from you, not us; we're more like facilitators.

But, we're noticing that there's a far bigger skew now towards needing to get the answer right. Anxiety is higher, and so the fear of being wrong is much more crippling for these students, and that in turn means they're less willing/able to take charge of their own education and are more passive with it, wanting to just be fed the right answers so they can rote learn them and get the Good mark. And the disconnect between that and the reality of what lecturers are expecting is pretty big, it turns out, and is causing even more anxiety and stress. Record numbers of my students have started asking me to give their assignment drafts a quick look over, just to see if they're on the right track. Which, you know, I'm more than happy to do; but I do think it's a notable pattern change from three or four years ago.

If you're worrying on a personal level though, Anon, I have some Handy Tips if they're any use!

Remember: the idea of uni is that you are doing your own research and learning on the topics your lecturers describe. They're giving you the basics, but they're expecting you to look up examples, case studies, other research papers, etc. They want to see analysis. That's what gets you the good marks. If you simply describe the information you got in lectures and don't add anything, you'll struggle to rise out of a basic pass.

What's the fundamental point of your particular course? It's important to know this, because it'll tell you how to focus your assessments and exam answers. Just within the environmental sector, you could have Environmental Science (focus: academic exploration and research), Environmental Conservation (focus: applying the academic research to actual management and solutions), Environmental Impacts (focus: philosophy and ethics), etc. In all three, you might be given a paper about the latest IPCC report, but in the first you would focus on exploring all the research papers that formed the conclusion on climate change, in the second you'd focus on case studies around the world and the applicability/feasibility of the shared economic pathways that are going to fix the problem, and in the third you'd focus on the human impacts of both the problem and the proposed solutions. You may of course include elements of all of those, but your main focus should be chosen appropriately.

Keep your notes with copies of the lecture slides in nice ordered folders. Keep a bulleted list of the topics covered in each. This makes it far easier to go and double check the right info when you're stressed out

On that note, the best note-taking system is to add notes/comments to the lecture slides where you record clarifications and things the lecturer said (INCLUDING CASE STUDIES). Don't bother duplicating effort by writing what's on the slide.

I truly do know this is easier said than done, but don't leave your assignments until the last minute. Are you struggling with motivation? You need a study group. You need to body double.

And finally, the biggest: CONTACT STUDENT SUPPORT IF YOU ARE STRUGGLING. Every time I go to an exam board and we get to a student who has failed stuff, the first question the Academic Office asks is "Has this student been working with Student Support?" Even if they aren't that helpful in your uni, working with them means they know about the things you're struggling with, and that you've clearly been trying to work around the problems. That makes the Academic Office far, far more likely to take a lenient view of a student, rather than going "Well, clearly they just don't care then, withdraw them from the program." Your Student Support should be able to help you with counselling, study buddies, a support worker that can help you organise your time and interpret your assignment briefs correctly and give you interim deadlines, etc.

Oh, and remember to schedule in rest and downtime, just as much as study time.

And... honestly, you learned a lot in your first year. The learning curve is less steep in second year, even accounting for the academic rigour increasing. By now, you're basically used to things like referencing, routines, assignment formatting, etc. There are no more surprises, really. Now's the point you can get the bit between your teeth and run.

Anyway: good luck! And enjoy it as much as you can. University is hard, no doubt about that, but it can and should be fun as well.

[reasonsforhope]

"Global life expectancy is forecasted to increase from 73.6 years of age in 2022 to 78.1 years of age in 2050 (a 4.5-year increase).

Life expectancy increases are projected to be greater in countries with lower life expectancies, reducing global disparities.

There will be a continued shift in disease burden from communicable, maternal, neonatal, and nutritional diseases to non-communicable diseases (NCDs).

The latest findings from the Global Burden of Disease Study (GBD) 2021, published today in The Lancet [May 17, 2024], forecast that global life expectancy will increase by 4.9 years in males and 4.2 years in females between 2022 and 2050. 

Increases are expected to be largest in countries where life expectancy is lower, contributing to a convergence of increased life expectancy across geographies. The trend is largely driven by public health measures that have prevented and improved survival rates from cardiovascular diseases, COVID-19, and a range of communicable, maternal, neonatal, and nutritional diseases (CMNNs)...

Global life expectancy is forecasted to increase from 73.6 years of age in 2022 to 78.1 years of age in 2050 (a 4.5-year increase). Global healthy life expectancy (HALE) – the average number of years a person can expect to live in good health – will increase from 64.8 years in 2022 to 67.4 years in 2050 (a 2.6-year increase). 

[Note: I cut out significant chunks of this article because they're being really shitty about "disability-adjusted life years," where they explicitly say that years lived as a disabled person don't count/don't count as much. Fuck that! Our lives are worth living!!!! Sincerely, your local disabled blogger.]

“In addition to an increase in life expectancy overall, we have found that the disparity in life expectancy across geographies will lessen,” said Dr. Chris Murray, Chair of Health Metrics Sciences at the University of Washington and Director of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME). “This is an indicator that while health inequalities between the highest- and lowest-income regions will remain, the gaps are shrinking, with the biggest increases anticipated in sub-Saharan Africa.” ...

The Global Burden of Disease Study (GBD) is the largest and most comprehensive effort to quantify health loss across places and over time. It draws on the work of nearly 12,000 collaborators across more than 160 countries and territories. GBD 2021 – the newly published most recent round of GBD results – includes more than 607 billion estimates of 371 diseases and injuries and 88 risk factors in 204 countries and territories. The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation coordinates the study."

-via Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, May 17, 2024

--

Note: Obviously we need to make these gaps/disparities close completely!!! And it's also really good to see that we're on the right track.

I genuinely believe that the medical revolution that has just started this decade, along with the huge increase and revolution in communication technology, will make improvements in health and life expectancy come even faster than forecasted. Especially in low-income and low-life-expectancy countries

[carionto]

Predator mode

Big Thrasher was not a happy camper after his first encounter with Humanity. There is a certain exponential curve to simple ballistic weapons, whereas shields, which start off way above, progress on a geometric line. E in = E out (mostly, some charge is lost in conversion) vs E=MC^2. He learned that the hard way when three of his toughest cruisers were reduced to space dust by, as he later learned to his horror, a mid-sized transport ship using Human standard issue rail cannons.

Someone smart would move on and avoid Humanity. Big Thrasher isn't a complete idiot, but he is a prideful and narcissistic pirate captain. Thus his ability to make sensible decisions is handicapped severely. Now he has made a most dubious one indeed:

Infiltrate a Human science station and steal all their secrets and use them to get sweet, juicy, delicious revenge!

Finding one was disturbingly easy, there's so many of them. Like, at least one for each star system within eighty light years from Sol, one for each planet within thirty, and then it just gets ridiculous within Sol itself. Oddly enough, despite their size, typically there are no more than ten people aboard, almost all Human, only a few are joint Coalition.

Thinking long and hard (something Big Thrasher is not a fan of) he decided on his target - a lone station on the very outskirts of publicly known Human activity and furthest away from any major Coalition systems.

When his reconstructed fleet arrived behind the local gas giant, the station was sitting in mid orbit of the inner rock planet and was broadcasting something strange on open channels - a melodic chant of sorts:

"..live on a Yellow Submarine! A Yellow Submarine! A Yellow Submari.."

whatever that meant. No matter, Big Thrasher's fleet was moving in on the target, stealth drives on, weapons ready, numbers on their side, element of surprise - the perfect ambush.

...

Where did the station go?

Before Big Thrasher could register neural activity to try and answer that, it appeared. Behind them. And a small explosion happened moments earlier where it used to be, but the main concern was the station firing its stabilizer thrusters to rotate it at incredible speeds, then a long blade slicing one of his ships in two. Then it disappeared again. And another small explosion.

Once more, it suddenly reappeared behind another one of his ships and did the same thing, but this time used its thrusters to quickly move towards the vessel and impale it on a massive spike. Disappear. Small explosion in its place.

Three. Four. Five. They're losing ships by the second. A literal space station sized target and they can't keep track of it, let alone land a single hit. How is it teleporting? What are those explosions?

WHY IS A SPACE STATION ENGAGING HIS PIRATE SPACE SHIP FLEET IN MELEE COMBAT!

WHY WOULD ANYONE THINK TO DO THAT IN THE FIRST PLACE!?!

WHY IS IT WINNING!?!??!

Big Thrasher once again order an emergency retreat, what remained of his fleet scattered to randomly selected quick hyperjump coordinates, and would regroup in a few weeks time.

_______________________

Aboard the experimental development station Tree of Grating Whispers the crew of seven were hastily putting out fires and trying not to throw up from all the gee forces they just endured, kinetic dampeners be damned.

A few hours later, all in their environmental suits, as the life support system was dead, they convened for an after-action report:

"Right, so, good news and bad news. Good news - short range teleporter works perfectly. Bad news - each unit doesn't teleport with us and just explodes, further data has been unrecoverable so far.

Good news - rapid action thruster and kinetic combat mode works. Bad news - can't have biologicals onboard and even moderately durable systems break after a few swings.

Overall, I'd say this has been a success (unanimous nodding). Let's get to working out the kinks and we'll have a presentable version for the military. We'll also have to thank those pirates for not masking their engine heat trails, this was a great field trial guys, real proud of everyone!"

The chief says, while high on painkillers (and so is the rest of the crew), as another part of the station self-immolates.

[paper-crab]

3 times

summary: 3 times Matt helped you, and 1 time you helped Matt

warnings: exhausted college students, lots of crying, sleep deprivation, mentions of not eating, basically the college experience.

wc: 2291

for a chris girl i sure can’t seem to write anything about him

If you were to go back to the beginning, it’d make this an incredibly long story. In your sophomore year of college, you had decided living in an off-campus apartment would be a good idea; financially speaking. You were determined to get out of your parents basement and live your life for the most minimal price possible.

That’s how you ended up with Matt, in a homey 2 room apartment.

Matt was an environmental science major whose brothers had dropped out of college, leading him to finding a new place with one less room and with a new roommate to cut down on costs: you. It was convenient, and out of the candidates he’d interviewed, him and his brothers liked you the most.

He was a quiet roommate, and that made it easy to study without getting overwhelmed with your surroundings. The only time he made noise was when he invited his brothers over, and he was always sure to ask.

In turn, he expected the same of you. Environmental science isn’t an easy route to take, so calm work conditions were appreciated.

Despite your best efforts at improving each other's study time, things happen. You’re human; sometimes you get overwhelmed.

Three times Matt helped you, and one time that you helped him.

One

It was a random Tuesday evening of your first semester. You were stacked with homework for a music class; a required elective credit that was far too demanding. You were juggling an essay on the history of jazz, a report on a classical concert the college orchestra had done, and a small quiz on musical notation.

To put it simply, you felt fucked.

You were itching to take a break, feeling the tears flood your eyes, but you just opened the next tab- opting to finish your jazz essay rather than prioritize your well being. It’s funny how college does that to you.

You start typing, the clacking of the keys feeling entirely too loud. They were sticking in odd places, and the words just wouldn’t flow smoothly.

When you reread what you’d typed, it just felt wrong; like when you trip over a tiny pebble instead of smoothly kicking it to the side.

You switch tabs, to the concert report. A minimum of 3 pages accepted, and you have half of a page. Seriously, what are you even supposed to say? You only have so many ways to describe the resonance of the string section before it becomes entirely too repetitive and meaningless to your report. Now it’s not just the keys that are wrong, the brightness of the screen is beginning to bother you, but if you turn it down you can’t seem to see well enough.

It felt wrong; like when you see a perfect pile of leaves and go to step on them, but rather than hearing the satisfying crunch of leaves, you’re left with some wet mush stuck to the bottom of your boots.

You switch tabs, the tears threatening to spill out. Your vision blurs slightly as you open the quiz and begin reading the questions.

What the hell does this even mean?

Still, you trudge through, clicking random answers and praying to some god that you get about 80%.

When you finish with only 10 of the 15 questions being right, you’re a push away from breaking down.

“Can I come in?” Matt knocks. You want to nod, not trusting your voice to carry your words, but he can’t see you. “Yeah.” You say, voice slightly cracking. He opens the door, not expecting what he sees; you, sitting at your desk, an abundance of tears about to tip over.

Surprised, he hesitates, then asks, “What’s wrong?” in the softest voice you’ve ever heard. That’s all it takes for the sobs to begin, while you choke out some form of an explanation.

“Everything’s just… not right. I’m overwhelmed, I don’t understand my assignments; I’m lost.”

He listens attentively, stepping closer to you as you pour out your feelings, offering a comforting presence. “I’m sorry,” You say, too upset to be embarrassed to be seen in this state.

“It’s okay,” He says soothingly, placing a hand on your shoulder. “We can figure this out together. What class is it for?”

When you tell him, his eyes light up. “I think Chris took that one before he dropped out! Let me ask him to send over some of the work.”

“You don’t have to do that,” You start to say, but when he sees the tears get a little lighter, he decides it’s worth it. “I want to help.” His expression softens more, as if that’s possible. “Now relax a bit, we can do this.”

Two

The second time he helps you, you’re cramming a week before midterms. Realistically, you know you have time before it becomes a critical do or die situation, but that doesn’t do much to quell the panic rising in your chest.

You’ve done the required work, you know, so you should pass your midterms without a hitch. You reflect on the work you’ve done, hoping it’d help you gain some confidence, but it manages to do the opposite.

‘Maybe I should have done more?’ You think, self doubt and anxiety begin to creep into your head. Your hands start to feel clammy, and the pages of the textbook stick together a bit; it makes it that much more difficult to read.

You just feel stuck, like a jammed zipper in your favorite hoodie.

“Hey,” Matt walks in, not looking up. “We’re ordering Wingstop, you want something?”

“No.” You sniffle, expecting him to turn around and leave.

“What’s wrong? Talk to me.” He says, sweetly, pocketing his phone. You wipe away a little tear, trying your best to chuckle and lighten the mood. “Stressed over midterms. You know how it is.”

“Yeah, I get it. You’ve got time for a break though, right? Choose your favorite flavor, my treat, and come watch a movie with us, okay?”

You stand up from your squeaky desk chair and shoot him a smile. “That sounds nice. I could use a break, thanks Matt.”

“Of course.” He tells you, outstretching his arms. “Any time.”

The gesture makes your heart melt, and you feel overwhelming gratitude. “I appreciate it. Let’s make it a movie night then.”

Three

The third time Matt helps you is the one you hold closest to your heart.

You’re struggling with a group project for a business class you took; regrettably. You’ve messaged the group chat you made at least three times to no avail.

“There’s a frat party tonight, can’t make it” or “I’m not feeling well today, won’t be there.”

All you’re trying to do is get the group together so you don’t have to assign work to them like a kindergarten teacher. So, on top of your regular coursework, you’re stuck dealing with 3 other adults acting like 5 year olds.

You’re ready to rip out your hair.

Making one last ditch effort to save your sanity, you send out another, more pushy, text to the group this time. When you’re left on read by all 3 members, you groan loudly. You check over the assignment and do the work of putting it into parts, allocating each member of your group a task.

You give yourself the hardest part, because obviously, these people are incompetent. You shake your head, drafting a second message to the group chat that informs them of their role.

Suddenly, the two week deadline doesn’t feel like it’s closing in as quickly. You allow yourself to relax, receiving some thumbs up from your group members.

A week and a half later, you feel ready to assemble each part into a final project. It could be postponed, but if everyone was done, why not turn it in early? You send a message asking for everyone’s part of the assignment, and only one person responds, sending her part of the assignment.

You try not to stress about it, reasoning that there are 3 more days until it’s due. Maybe they’re just a little behind; so, you ask the next day, and the next, with no replies.

The night before it’s due, you realize you’re going to have to do the 2 slackers parts yourself. You text the other girl who did her part, asking if she can do an extra one. When she tells you she doesn’t have time, you want to explode.

“I don’t have time either jackass!” You say out loud, resisting the urge to type out a strongly worded text.

Your professor is known for being ruthless, especially when it comes to group projects, and you can’t afford anything lower than a C+ on it without your overall grade being tanked.

You break out in a cold sweat, opening several tabs on your computer as you begin to work on the missing pieces of your homework. There’s a reason you were given 3 weeks and not just one day to finish the work, and that was as a group.

You can’t help but begin bawling, still trying to see through the screen. The words were all fuzzy through the hazy mist of tears veiled over your eyes.

Your sobs aren’t even choked at this point, the familiar feeling of being overburdened taking over again.

Matt can hear, and feel, your frustration from his spot on the living room couch. He immediately stands up, concernedly making his way to your room.

He offers three quick knocks. “It’s me,”

“Come in.” You tell him, your voice quiet and strained.

Matt enters with a tender look. “How can I help?” He asks, not even questioning your distressed state.

“Don’t worry about it, I don’t need to make your life harder too.” You try to sound confident in your decision, but your voice falters.

“Just tell me what’s going on, I’m positive that I can help you. That’s what friends are for,” He offers a gentle smile, stepping closer to you. When you explain the situation, he feels angry for you. “That’s dicked,”

“Tell me about it. Now I’m stuck doing it all, and it’s so much work.”

“Let me do half of it.”

“Matt, I really can’t ask you to do that. I’m sure you’ve got something better to do.”

“Nothing better to do than help you.” He says, grabbing one of your hands. “Let’s get comfy and finish this shit.”

Matt stayed up with you until 3 in the morning to finish that god forsaken assignment. When you were done with the work, you turned it in and cuddled into Matt, falling asleep quickly.

“Thank you,” You whispered

“Of course.”

One

To put it lightly, Matt was stressed. He was juggling his regular coursework, along with the added pressure of finding applicable internships. His dark circles were getting worse, making his lack of sleep apparent. His hair was messier than usual, and he was sure his clothes were beginning to stink. He had been glued to his bed, several textbooks scattered on the surface.

His laptop was open, overflowing with tabs containing internship applications, and the smell of coffee and abundance of energy drink cans was not helping to clear his mind.

You didn’t know what to do to help him.

“Hey, I’m going out. Can I bring you anything back?” You ask, eyes roaming his face and body.

“No, I’m good.” He says, not even stopping to look up at you. You frown.

“Okay…” You say skeptically, dragging out the ‘y’. You leave the house, still struggling to get Matt’s pitiful appearance out of your mind. Your friends can tell you’re far off, in another world. You’re distracted, thinking of what you can do to help alleviate some of the weight on Matt’s shoulders; like he always does for you.

“I’m gonna head out,” You tell your friend, offering her a sympathetic look. Normally, she’d stop to argue with you, but you’ve been off. On your way home, you stop by Matt’s favorite restaurant, taking extra care to order his meal exactly the way he likes it.

When you get back, he’s in the exact same position as he was earlier, give or take a few new energy drink cans. He looks miserable, and you’re willing to bet he feels even worse.

“I got you some food,” You say in a sing-song tone, trying to get him to acknowledge you.

“Great.” He says, nose still buried in one of his many text books. He still doesn’t look up.

You place the food on his nightstand, leaving the room to grab a trash bag so you can pick up his litter. He doesn’t even notice that you entered the room.

“Matt, you need to eat. It’s going to get cold.”

“Can’t.” He mumbles, voice weak with exhaustion.

You throw the trash bag out of the room, turning back to face Matt.

“Matt, please? When was the last time you ate, or slept, or moved from this spot.” You ask, concern shining through. When he finally looks up, you notice how bloodshot his eyes are, as they begin to fill with tears. “I don’t know,”

“Hey, hey, it’s okay.” You say, crawling over to him, careful not to mess up his organized chaos. He buries his head in your neck, wrapping his arms around your waist as he audibly begins to cry.

“It’s okay, Matt. Take a break, you need to eat and drink some water, and take a nap.” You tell him, “You’re not a failure for needing to pause and take care of yourself.”

“I don’t have time,” He tells you, lifting his heavy head from your neck. “I can’t.”

“You do have time, Matt. Let me help you like you help me.”

[fauxdette]

In celebration of The Wedding chapter 2 being done, here is chapter 1 for my non-AO3-users:

The Wedding

Chapter 1: Hot Weather Girl

•••

“Elain!”

There was a split second between the shout and when Feyre’s arms landed around her older sister’s neck. Elain laughed as they embraced.

“It’s been too long.”

“I know.”

“An entire year!”

Elain laughed again. “I know. I’m sorry.”

She meant it.

Feyre shook her head as she pulled back. “I just missed you, that’s all. And watching the news every evening doesn’t count!”

“You watch my weather report every evening?”

Her sister grinned. “It’s become a bit of a tradition, actually. And you have no idea how many people are impressed to learn the ‘hot weather girl’ is my sister.”

Elain scowled. “I hate that nickname.”

“I know. But you are hot. And a weather girl.”

“I have an environmental science degree.”

They linked arms as they started walking toward the house.

“Yes. And many evening news watchers are finally discovering what I have known my whole life.”

“Which is?”

“That you, Elain Archeron, are smart and beautiful.”

“Thank you.”

“The hottest of weather girls.”

That made them both laugh.

“Well, you are glowing,” Elain said, running her hand over Feyre’s rounded belly.

“That is partially because of this little one, and partially because, well…” Feyre gestured to the villa before them, which had appeared as they rounded the corner—a maze of terracotta stone and white-fenced balconies.

“…because your husband has a villa in the Greek Islands?”

Feyre shrugged. “Speaking of Rhys, he has been so overbearing lately. He won’t even let me in the studio anymore! He thinks my paints could be toxic to the baby! I’m hoping your presence might calm him down a little.”

“How so?”

“Well, Nesta has been acting kind of intense , and when she heard about the paint issue…”

“…oh god…”

“…I know. But she’s really stressed with the planning, and obviously Rhys is really stressed about the baby, so they aren’t acting like the best of friends at the moment.”

Elain tried to hide her smile. “That doesn’t sound too different from how they usually act.”

“Usually, they have a few more buffers between them. That’s where you come in. Cassian tries his best to keep the peace, but unfortunately, our bone-headed partners are as bad as each other.”

“And it’s just been the four of you for an entire week?”

“Not quite… Emerie and Gwyn arrived a few days ago, and Mor, of course, but they’re all staying at Mor’s house down the road.” She chewed her lip thoughtfully. “It’s okay though; like I said, now that you and Az are here, we can return to our functional, well-buffered dynamic.”

Elain’s mouth went dry.

“What?”

“What, what?”

“You said Az…”

“…oh right, I forgot to tell you! Rhys arranged it as a surprise for Cassian. He flew all the way to Italy to track Azriel down and make sure he made it for the big day. To be honest, I think he was annoyed at first. I mean… I’m sure you already know how busy he’s been with this big case…”

“Not really.”

“…but no one has seen him since our wedding.”

Elain turned to face her sister fully. “No one has seen him in a year?!”

Feyre’s brows furrowed. “I thought you knew that.”

“How would I know that?”

“I just thought he would’ve told you.”

She forced herself to breathe slowly, even as the heat of anger simmered under her skin.

“No, I— I haven’t heard from him.”

“That’s strange.”

“Is it?” She couldn’t hide the bite in her words, which instantly made her feel guilty. It wasn’t Feyre’s fault.

“Are you feeling alright? Of course, it’s strange; you two are so close. I thought if he was in touch with anyone, it had to be you. Remember how he had all that spyware added to your phone so you could contact him while he was working? Anyway, the case sounded very hush-hush—rich client, big secrets vibes—so I guess he’s just been off the radar. I’m not even sure how Rhys found him, to be honest.”

But Elain had stopped listening. Instead, a low buzzing sounded in her ears, which seemed to grow louder as four figures descended the front stairs toward them.

Rhys was out front, looking handsome and refined in a loose linen shirt and striped shorts.

“Elain,” he said, planting quick kisses on each side of her face. “Was your flight okay?”

He draped an arm around his wife as he waited for her answer. Feyre beamed up at him, stroking her belly.

“It was fine, thank you.”

The truth was, in that moment, she couldn’t remember how she’d even gotten to the island, let alone how the alleged flight had been. Thankfully, she didn’t have to elaborate as Cassian reached her. His own linen shirt, darker in color, was only buttoned at his navel, revealing the muscled skin of his chest; which she was promptly crushed against as he lifted her off the ground in a tight hug.

“Hi, Cass,” she managed to mumble as he swung her from side to side.

“Hi, Lainey.”

“Would you put my sister down, you ginormous oaf?”

Immediately, she was placed in front of Nesta, who clasped her face in both hands. Even with the ringing in her ears, Elain couldn’t help but smile.

“Hi, bride-to-be.”

“Hi, hot weather girl.”

“I have a degree in environmental science!”

Nesta laughed but didn’t let go of her.

“I’ve missed you.”

“I’ve missed you. I heard you’ve been bullying Rhys.”

“Hardly. I’ve been toning it down because I like his fancy Grecian home so much.”

“It is very fancy, isn’t it?”

“The perfect place to get married, I’ve been told.”

“Well, you would know.”

She smiled again, holding the gaze of those Archeron blue eyes—eyes that had skipped her entirely but felt as familiar as her own all the same.

Then Nesta looked behind her, to the fourth figure who had intentionally held back. Even from afar, Elain had recognized him; but at least at that distance she was outside the magnetic field that seemed to draw them together. From this proximity, however, it was a different story. She was close enough to see every streak of green in his hazel eyes. Close enough that the smell of ice and pine enveloped her as he stepped forward.

“Elain.”

Close enough that every thought in her mind eddied out and was replaced by a single memory—a memory of scarred hands stroking her neck and warm lips pressed against her skin. Of her legs wrapped around his waist and her hands unbuttoning his crisp white shirt. And Elain knew she was completely and irrevocably fucked.

“Hi, Azriel.”

[stuffforthestash]

Modern Academic AU I Guess?

Got the idea of professor Raphael stuck in my damned brain all morning, so here's hoping writing thoughts down will banish him back to the hells yeah? Edit: There is now a Part 2 and Part 3 __________________________ Raphael - School of Law, obvs. Teaches courses on contract law and legal ethics. He has a reputation for being the kind of asshole professor that can make or break your academic career, and the fact he's tenured is likely the only reason he hasn't been fired over the countless reports of student blackmail and harassment. Gale - Dep't of Literature. His classes are all niche topics like "Magic, Myth, & The Power Of Metaphor", "From Merlin To Dumbledore: A Historical Look At The Wizard's Role In Storytelling", and "The Ancient Art of Flyting", and they're extremely popular. He loves his job, the students love him, but he's rubbed a lot of his colleagues the wrong way. Astarion - School of Theater & Music. Teaches the 101 level acting course and has a rep for being absolutely brutal, but his methods are undeniably effective. Also teaches stage combat workshops, and is constantly on thin ice with the admin for the way he encourages the gaggle of students that started a fan club for him. Wyll - Health Sciences. He's a practicing physical therapist who was invited to also teach part time, due to having gained a reputation as a leading specialist in working with underserved minorities and victims of trauma. His classes are niche and can be hard to get into due to limited availability. Knows Astarion because they're both in HEMA, and sometimes helps with the combat workshops Karlach - Women's rugby coach and former pro-athlete who had to retire after a chest injury. Is also in HEMA, and was inspired by her buddy Wyll to also pursue Phys. Therapy as a career shift. Shadowheart - Grad student doing her thesis on some obscure theological topic, teaches a generic 101 level religious studies class and is obviously only there because the school requires her to put in the hours. Lae'zel - Also a grad student, transferred from overseas. Studying Sports Management and was assigned as an assistant coach to Karlach, except she's in ASC and is constantly making digs about how their practices are vastly superior to HEMA's foolishness. Halsin - Environmental Science. He's the department chair, and teaches courses on conservationism and land management. All his courses are out in the field though, which means he's never on campus and is nearly impossible to get hold of. He hates being the dep't chair, and he only reason he even accepted the position is because nobody else would. Jaheira - Facilities director, not a teacher. Always somehow knows everything that's happening on campus, has contacts everywhere for anything you could want done, and is the person you least want to piss off. Minsc is her shadow, nobody's even entirely sure if he actually works here but is too afraid of Jaheira to ask. And if you actually made it this far, well.. thanks for reading? I'm so sorry? But also share your thoughts! And lemme know if there's any other characters worth doing a 2nd post for.

[covid-safer-hotties]

Also preserved in our archive

By Sam Olley

There are "major gaps" in surveillance of new pathogens from animals and countries should prepare for a pandemic worse than Covid-19 in our lifetimes, the World Health Organization (WHO) says.

Covid-19 technical lead Dr Maria Van Kerkhove also said that New Zealand, being an island nation, was not protected from this risk.

It has been five years this month since scientists believe Covid-19 began to spread from animals to humans, triggering a global pandemic that the WHO estimates to have caused at least 20 million deaths and $16 trillion in lost revenue.

Van Kerkhove told 1News she did not think this pandemic needed to be as bad as it was.

"And in fact, this was not really the big one, we have to prepare for an even worse one."

WHO was not trying to scare people, she said, but instead called on them to be prepared.

"Hopefully we won't have one in our lifetime, but I am sure that we will have another outbreak and another pandemic during our lifetime."

Surveillance of new human infections has improved but the WHO is highly concerned about "patchy" surveillance of pathogens spreading between animals that could be transmitted to humans.

"Right now, we have some major gaps," Van Kerkhove said.

When asked if the loss of some specimens was a problem for pandemic preparedness, Van Kerkhove said: "I don't have direct evidence, because this is not something that's shared quite widely, that some samples that have been collected over time that are stored in freezers, some of those samples are starting to be destroyed."

"If we look at coronaviruses, we want to go back in time."

She said she was also grappling with the impact of geopolitical conflicts taking money from health.

"I do find it striking that there always seems to be money for an aircraft carrier. There always seems to be money for war, but we are yet to provide consistent funding for global health threats."

There was no place for complacency, she said, and island nations were not exempt from the risk.

"These pathogens do not respect borders."

Van Kerkhove addressed New Zealand public health experts this week at the Te Niwha conference to relay the latest updates and research from the work of the WHO.

Those attending included Sir Ashley Bloomfield who is currently the interim chief executive for the Institute of Environmental Science and Research (ESR). Earlier this year, he co-chaired a working group for 196 countries to agree to amendments to the International Health Regulations to better protect health and safety in response to future outbreaks and pandemics.

These included the introduction of a universal definition for a pandemic emergency, a commitment to solidarity and equity on access to medical products and financing, as well of the establishment of a States Parties Committee and the creation of National IHR Authorities.

Sir Ashley said a theme of these negotiations was that developing countries felt there was "an overreaction" from other countries around travel and trade if there was a new variant reported.

"The other issue that developing countries had is that they would often provide samples that were then used to develop vaccines that they could not access. So these are issues that collectively countries need to address."

The WHO is working alongside New Zealand health leaders to upskill new frontline workers and leaders to reduce burnout.

Sir Ashley said some people in key roles are "quite burnt out".

"They probably don't feel they would be able to make the same effort if they were called upon in the near future."

Te Niwha director Te Pora Thompson (Ngati Hauā) said: "We cannot go through subsequent pandemics — which we will, we absolutely will — with very tired, very broken people, at all."

She also reinforced the importance of a diverse workforce to reduce inequities in pandemics.

"There are a few more seats that we need to be pulling up to this table."

Asked about her own experience with burnout, Van Kerkhove said she was not necessarily the best example of this.

"I'm working through it with my family. I was not present for my kids — I have two little boys — for years."

Around the world in health systems, "we need a deep bench to be able to work with," she said.

Noting the praise New Zealand's Covid response received, she was optimistic Aotearoa could continue at a high standard in future pandemics.

"I think New Zealand can absolutely be a leader."

[spacetimewithstuartgary]

Link between light pollution and interest in astronomy

Picture walking outside on a dark, cloudless evening. You look up to admire the stars — maybe even a planet, if you’re lucky — and a sense of wonder washes of you. New research from the University of Washington shows this might be more than a memorable experience: It could ultimately spark scientific curiosity and influence life choices.

Rodolfo Cortes Barragan, research scientist the UW Institute for Learning and Brain Sciences (I-LABS), and Andrew Meltzoff, co-director of I-LABS and professor of psychology, recently co-authored a study in Nature Scientific Reports showing a link between the ability to see the stars unblocked by light pollution and an interest in astronomy.

UW News spoke with the authors about their study and its surprising implications for broadening access to science and education.

Where did the idea for this study come from?

Rodolfo Cortes Barragan: As psychologists, we know that changes to the environment can impact people’s behavior. Yet, the changes brought upon by light pollution — a hot topic in astronomy, biology and environmental science — have received little attention from the social sciences. We considered it important to examine how light pollution might affect the human mind, focusing on the consequences of light pollution for human emotions and scientific behavior.

Andrew Meltzoff: Astronomy often functions as a “gateway” to science as a whole. People, including young children, look up and are enchanted by seeing the starry night sky. They feel a sense of wonder which triggers curiosity about themselves and the universe. Many famous astronomers have remarked that they got their start in science based on childhood experiences of wondering about the night sky. We decided to study these reports scientifically.

How do you define the feeling of wonder about the universe?

RCB: The feeling of “wonder” is a particular conjunction of emotions. It involves awe and amazement. It involves curiosity — the desire to know more. It is joyful. It involves elation.

To examine wonder, we made use of a nationally representative survey conducted by the Pew Research Center of more than 35,000 U.S. residents. This survey included a question about peoples’ “wonder about the universe.” We combined these results with previously reported detailed physical measurements of light pollution. We found that U.S. populations that live under low light pollution report feeling more “wonder about the universe.” This was a specific relationship. Light pollution was not linked to other emotions that were assessed in the same Pew survey, but it was strongly connected to wonder.

Just as importantly, we found that “wonder about the universe” was directly related to peoples’ behavioral interest in astronomy. We used a wide array of measures of interest in astronomy, including behaviors like using Google to search for “astronomy,” signing up to have one’s name sent to Mars aboard the Perseverance rover, and even applying to become a NASA astronaut. In other words, the data showed us that, in locations in the U.S. where light pollution is low, feelings of wonder about the universe and interest in astronomy are high. Features of the physical environment are linked to people’s psychological experience as well as their actual behavior.

Can you elaborate on the idea raised in the paper that light pollution is an equity issue?

RCB: We all want all children, and adults, to have the equal opportunity for inspiration and for science. But what our results are suggesting is that people within the U.S., depending on where they live, do not have equitable access to the dark night sky, which often promotes an interest in science. If you can’t experience something, it is not as easy to become motivated by it.

AM: If a child grows up in an environment where they don’t see the stars, they’re not as likely to ask childlike questions about them: “Why do the stars twinkle?” or “How many are there up there?” It's a powerful experience for a child to be able to see the Milky Way and the Big Dipper, but many children don’t have that opportunity anymore. Seeing the starry night sky may change kids’ behavior in a good way. For example, if a child can see the stars, they might go read up on astronomy or space exploration and begin to dream. Astronomy may indeed be a “gateway” science that draws children, both boys and girls, into curiosity-driven programs and social clubs.

What’s the big picture you want to convey about this study?

RCB: We hope that our study inspires more research along these lines, and that this work combining psychology and astronomy will trigger the “I wonder” reflex in other scientists, prompting interdisciplinary work across the arts and sciences.

AM: This study brings together two wonders that have inspired scientists and poets over the ages — the heavens above and our human actions on earth. One is studied by astronomers and the other by psychologists. Can we connect the two? A childlike question to be sure, but one that motivates us to try to dig deeper and find out more.

[tomorrowusa]

The latest far right fad is raw milk. Perhaps they regard Louis Pasteur as a woke socialist. Seriously, government health advisories about raw milk only make it more attractive to the conspiracy theory fringe.

Commentators on sites like Infowars, Gab and Rumble have grown increasingly vocal about raw milk in recent weeks. They see the government’s heightened concerns about the dangers as overreach. “They say: ‘Bird flu in milk! Bird flu in milk! Oh, it’s the scariest thing!’” Owen Shroyer said on the April 29 episode of his “War Room” podcast from Infowars. He added: “They’ll just make raw milk illegal. That’s what this is all about.” Public health officials have long warned Americans of the severe health risks that can come with drinking raw milk instead of pasteurized milk, which is heated to kill bacteria, viruses and other germs. Researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found more than 200 disease outbreaks linked to unpasteurized milk from 1998 to 2018, leading to 2,645 illnesses, 228 hospitalizations and three deaths.

The far right, including anti-vaxxers, seems to have an affinity for pathogens. Either that or they feel that pathogens don't really exist and perhaps were made up by Hillary Clinton and George Soros. Whatever they think, don't expect them to make sense.

Contrary to claims, there’s little or no evidence that drinking raw milk provides health benefits, including protection from certain infectious diseases, said Dr. Megin Nichols, the deputy director of the Division of Foodborne, Waterborne and Environmental Diseases at the C.D.C. The Food and Drug Administration says pasteurizing milk kills the virus. The F.D.A. said in a statement that there are no scientifically proven benefits to drinking raw milk and that “the health risks are clear.”

Epidemics get rightwingers agitated. The latest bird flu outbreak has them acting like mad cows.

Matt Gertz, a senior fellow at Media Matters, a left-leaning watchdog that looked at the trend this month, said raw milk promotion had been intensifying on the right since the start of the bird flu outbreak. “What you have is a bunch of right-wing influencers who know that they can build substantial audiences and retain their audiences and excite their audiences by telling them that what medical authorities are saying about raw milk, about bird flu, is not credible,” Mr. Gertz said.

Basically the wingnuts are telling people: Don't trust science, trust Infowars instead! Paranoia is good for clicks.

As for bird flu, there is clear evidence of it being easily transmissible between mammals.

After mice drink raw H5N1 milk, bird flu virus riddles their organs

Despite the delusions of the raw milk crowd, drinking unpasteurized milk brimming with infectious avian H5N1 influenza virus is a very bad idea, according to freshly squeezed data published Friday in the New England Journal of Medicine. Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison squirted raw H5N1-containing milk from infected cows into the throats of anesthetized laboratory mice, finding that the virus caused systemic infections after the mice were observed swallowing the dose. The illnesses began quickly, with symptoms of lethargy and ruffled fur starting on day 1. [ ... ] Before the mouse data, numerous reports have noted carnivores falling ill with H5N1 after eating infected wild birds. And a study from March in the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases reported that over half of the 24 or so cats on an H5N1-infected dairy farm in Texas died after drinking raw milk from the sick cows. Before their deaths, the cats displayed distressing neurological symptoms, and studies found the virus had invaded their lungs, brains, hearts, and eyes.

So we have bovines, rodents, and felines all being infected by H5N1. Several primates (i.e. humans) have also been infected. But generally, humans whose health practices are influenced by the germ theory of infection stand a darn good chance of avoiding it.

Fortunately, for the bulk of Americans who heed germ theory, pasteurization appears completely effective at deactivating the virus in milk, according to thorough testing by the FDA. Pasteurized milk is considered safe during the outbreak.

As with 17th century patriarchy and religious practices, the fringe right seems eager to return to the medical dark ages before germ theory and vaccination. In the century between 1870 and 1970 life expectancy almost doubled because of related discoveries. The far right seems to have some sort of death wish.

Vote for pro-science candidates. Support groups like 314 Action which are dedicated to electing candidates with a science background.

About Us - 3.14 Action

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

By: Dyani Lewis

Published: May 31, 2023

In India, children under 16 returning to school this month at the start of the school year will no longer be taught about evolution, the periodic table of elements or sources of energy.

The news that evolution would be cut from the curriculum for students aged 15–16 was widely reported last month, when thousands of people signed a petition in protest. But official guidance has revealed that a chapter on the periodic table will be cut, too, along with other foundational topics such as sources of energy and environmental sustainability. Younger learners will no longer be taught certain pollution- and climate-related topics, and there are cuts to biology, chemistry, geography, mathematics and physics subjects for older school students.

Overall, the changes affect some 134 million 11–18-year-olds in India’s schools. The extent of what has changed became clearer last month when the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) — the public body that develops the Indian school curriculum and textbooks — released textbooks for the new academic year that started in May.

Researchers, including those who study science education, are shocked. “Anybody who’s trying to teach biology without dealing with evolution is not teaching biology as we currently understand it,” says Jonathan Osborne, a science-education researcher at Stanford University in California. “It’s that fundamental to biology.” The periodic table explains how life’s building blocks combine to generate substances with vastly different properties, he adds, and “is one of the great intellectual achievements of chemists”.

Mythili Ramchand, a science-teacher trainer at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences in Mumbai, India, says that “everything related to water, air pollution, resource management has been removed. “I don’t see how conservation of water, and air [pollution], is not relevant for us. It’s all the more so currently,” she adds. A chapter on different sources of energy — from fossil fuels to renewables — has also been removed. “That’s a bit strange, quite honestly, given the relevance in today’s world,” says Osborne.

More than 4,500 scientists, teachers and science communicators have signed an appeal organized by Breakthrough Science Society, a campaign group based in Kolkata, India, to reinstate the axed content on evolution.

NCERT has not responded to the appeal. And although it relied on expert committees to oversee the changes, it has not yet engaged with parents and teachers to explain its rationale for making them. NCERT also did not reply to Nature’s request for comment.

Chapters closed

A chapter on the periodic table of elements has been removed from the syllabus for class-10 students, who are typically 15–16 years old. Whole chapters on sources of energy and the sustainable management of natural resources have also been removed.

A small section on Michael Faraday’s contributions to the understanding of electricity and magnetism in the nineteenth century has also been stripped from the class-10 syllabus. In non-science content, chapters on democracy and diversity; political parties; and challenges to democracy have been scrapped. And a chapter on the industrial revolution has been removed for older students.

In explaining its changes, NCERT states on its website that it considered whether content overlapped with similar content covered elsewhere, the difficulty of the content, and whether the content was irrelevant. It also aims to provide opportunities for experiential learning and creativity.

NCERT announced the cuts last year, saying that they would ease pressures on students studying online during the COVID-19 pandemic. Amitabh Joshi, an evolutionary biologist at Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research in Bengaluru, India, says that science teachers and researchers expected that the content would be reinstated once students returned to classrooms. Instead, the NCERT shocked everyone by printing textbooks for the new academic year with a statement that the changes will remain for the next two academic years, in line with India’s revised education policy approved by government in July 2020.

“The idea [behind the new policy] is that you make students ask questions,” says Anindita Bhadra, an evolutionary biologist at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research in Kolkata. But she says that removing fundamental concepts is likely to stifle curiosity, rather than encourage it. “The way this is being done, by saying ‘drop content and teach less’”, she says, “that’s not the way you do it”.

Evolution axed

Science educators are particularly concerned about the removal of evolution. A chapter on diversity in living organisms and one called ‘Why do we fall ill’ has been removed from the syllabus for class-9 students, who are typically 14–15 years old. Darwin’s contributions to evolution, how fossils form and human evolution have all been removed from the chapter on heredity and evolution for class-10 pupils. That chapter is now called just ‘Heredity’. Evolution, says Joshi, is essential to understanding human diversity and “our place in the world”.

In India, class 10 is the last year in which science is taught to every student. Only students who elect to study biology in the final two years of education (before university) will learn about the topic.

Joshi says that the curriculum revision process has lacked transparency. But in the case of evolution, “more religious groups in India are beginning to take anti-evolution stances”, he says. Some members of the public also think that evolution lacks relevance outside academic institutions.

Aditya Mukherjee, a historian at Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Dehli, says that changes to the curriculum are being driven by Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a mass-membership volunteer organization that has close ties to India’s governing Bharatiya Janata Party. The RSS feels that Hinduism is under threat from India’s other religions and cultures.

“There is a movement away from rational thinking, against the enlightenment and Western ideas” in India, adds Sucheta Mahajan, a historian at Jawaharlal Nehru University who collaborates with Mukherjee on studies of RSS influence on school texts. Evolution conflicts with creation stories, adds Mukherjee. History is the main target, but “science is one of the victims”, she adds.

==

Well, at least it'll put them on par with the anti-science and biology-denial of US classrooms. China no longer has anything to worry about.

[becausegoodheroesdeservekidneys]

Prynhawn da Elanor,

I'm a student in the US currently applying to universities for next year, and I have a couple of questions about Welsh universities if you have the time. I'm looking at both schools in the US and one in Wales (I managed to visit over the summer and it seemed great, loved the town and the university, and the degree that I'm interested in is very solid there), and the teaching style/expectations of students are an unknown factor. I've been taking college classes while still in highschool so I'm familiar with college-level instruction in the states, and it's not ideal for what I'm interested in studying. For example, at one of the schools I visited that is supposed to be a decent research university, the faculty were surprised that I had questions about research as an undergrad, and according to current students, the hardest part of their studies were quizzes on botanical taxonomy. So, I'm curious, what are the general academic expectations for students (especially in ecology or wildlife biology-related courses)? It seems like assessments are more practical or long-form and less quiz/multiple choice.

This got long-winded, so my apologies, and thank you for your time!

Shwmae! Happy to answer.

SO, I shall caveat this with saying that I don't really understand how higher education works in the US; it's a very different system to the UK in many ways. I'm therefore not entirely sure how to explain the exact differences. So, I'll just tell you about how it works over here rather than trying to do a comparison, if that makes sense? It means some of this will definitely feel like Water Is Wet stuff, but hopefully there'll be an exact answer in there that you can extract. Also, if you're comfortable doing so (and want to), I'm happy to talk over DM if you want slightly more specific advice involving you revealing details that otherwise might doxx you.

(Also second point, because I have danced this dance before and I know what Some Of You Lot are like when my posts start gaining traction beyond my circle of followers: in places where I do explain something that's different between the two systems, I am not saying one is better or worse than the other. Don't be a cunt about this. Work on your defensiveness and ego in your own time. I'm too busy and important for your feelings.)

Third point: I'm snipping this for length. On with the answer!

So, degrees over here are fairly fixed in terms of content and duration. Some offer a specific, set array of modules that make up the degree; others have essential core modules, and then you can choose from a small number of options until you get the required credits. But part of choosing the course for you over here is looking at the modules that make up the degree to make sure you're getting the exact focus you want; the one I teach on, for example, has a focus on practically applying environmental science, with the result that it has a very high post-graduation employment rate across a variety of environmental disciplines. Others might focus more on human geography, or environmental engineering, or climate science, or whatever else.

The reason for this is the quality assurance system in the UK. Courses have to be validated as being the right quality in terms of content, level of study, assessment practices, etc. Let's say you get a BSc from UWTSD in Environment, Sustainability and Climate Change; that comes with a quality assurance for a future employer that you have learned a specific set of skills, a specific knowledge bank, and are capable of using both in a specific way. There shouldn't be a risk, for example, that they hired someone from the same course the year before who had the same qualification as you, but turned out to not understand the dynamic processes behind sand dunes and couldn't write an official report to save their life, meaning you get passed over for the job the following year because they can't trust that your education actually means anything; if both of you have the same qualification, then the course should be meeting sufficient quality standards to ensure that you both therefore have the same knowledge and skillset.

So that's point one!

Where this works in your favour is point two: assessment. Assessment is also rigidly quality-checked, but it means you can ask a course director and immediately get an outline of what the assessment procedures are (not the precise assessment tasks, obviously; but, report vs exam vs lab practical etc will be known).

But also, yes, assessment in the UK is extremely rarely what I understand to be 'quizzes' in the US, and extremely rarely multiple choice. Rightly or wrongly, there is a definite perception in academic circles over here - even at high school level, much less university - that a multiple choice quiz is too easy to pass by guessing, and they're very looked down on as a method to assess learning.

What you'll have instead varies between modules and courses, but I can give you an idea with a couple of mine:

Level 4: Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services

No exams: two reports based on practical field/lab work, both worth 50% of the final mark

First: dissect owl pellets in the lab from two sites. Evaluate what the findings mean for the biodiversity on each site, and suggest some future site management prescriptions. 2000 words.

Second: fieldtrip to nearby woods to take allometric tree measurements and calculate carbon sequestration. Evaluate the ecosystem service provided by the woodland, and comment on site management and conservation. 2000 words.

Level 5: Coastal, Marine and Wildlife Conservation

One assignment, one exam, each worth 50% of the final mark

Assignment: Ramsey Island has far less biodiversity than neighbours like Skomer, Grassholm, etc. Research why, what was done to fix it, how well it's recovered, and suggest what should be done in the future to aid further recovery. 2500 words.

Exam: First half is a selection of short form questions to test baseline knowledge. Second half is a 50 mark essay question; choice of two topics to answer.

Level 6: Habitat Management and Building Resilience

No exams: two assignments, one before Christmas worth 30% of the mark, one in May worth 70%

First: choose a species reintroduction project of your choice, and find the habitat feasibility study carried out for it. Critique that habitat feasibility study. Put your findings into an academic poster and present it. 15 mins.

Second: using teachings from across the year, produce a habitat management plan for a site of your choosing. You need to actually visit and assess your site. 3500 words.

(L4, 5 and 6: first, second and final year of undergrad)

The idea in each case is not just to test knowledge; it's to test applied knowledge, and to teach real-world skills needed in the industry after you graduate. If you go into land management, for example, the ability to guess the right answers based on the multiple choice pattern is useless; the ability to assess a site and write up a management plan for it, on the other hand, is literally the job you're hired to do.

So, as far as research is concerned... if you mean carrying out your own research on a topic of your own choosing, the main place that happens is your dissertation in third year. But, you can start that earlier if you want. In our department, we also encourage and support any independent research a student may choose to do, even if they don't end up using it for their degree directly.

If you mean general research skills, though, those are vital to every assignment. If you only repeat back whatever papers or knowledge the lecturers have given you, and don't research independently, you will barely scrape a pass. We actively push you to learn those skills.

And then lastly, expectations for students! In higer ed, you are now an adult, and you are choosing to be here: this means that the expectation is that you're meeting the lecturers halfway, as it were. It's a mistake a lot of new students make, if they've come straight from high school - uni is just The Next Thing to do, but to them it's basically like school, so the teachers have to keep trying to teach them even if the student barely shows up or makes any effort.

But that is not so! They are no longer pupils, and I am not a teacher.

If I say to a class "Look up these papers and be familiar with the arguments before next session because we're going to have a seminar", and then someone doesn't bother because "Whoops I went out drinking and forgot to do my homework teehee", then they can get out. They are adults paying for a particular service. I have offered that service. If they think of it as homework and choose not to do it because they wanted to go out clubbing instead, then... okay. That's the choice they can make. But the consequence is, I'm not chasing after them, because I'm not a teacher, and that's not my job. Now they aren't having that session. This will have a knock-on effect for their understanding of the topic; but that's the choice they made.

(Again, before the Pissing On The Poor crowd arises: I am, very obviously, not talking about students who have other struggles that impact their academic performance. I am, very literally and clearly, talking about the 18-year-old school leavers who are still in the school mindset, and think of missing lectures as 'skiving', and on a lizard brain level think there won't be consequences to that because so far in their life, education systems have not been allowed to fail them for that behaviour.)

So, basically... you're expected to want to learn and improve, and to put the work in to do that. Not to just be there to get the degree, but to be there to learn. Adult education is collaborative between lecturer and student. We guide you, but it's your journey to take.

Anyway! I hope that is at all useful. Let me know if you want clarification on anything, or have any other questions!

[mariacallous]

On Nov. 14, 2023, Palestinian journalist Bisan Owda declared the start of winter in Gaza as sheets of rain flooded the streets. A month later, Owda told her followers that “we’re drowning” in an Instagram reel that showed displaced civilians bailing out an inundated tent. In January, she turned the camera on her own tent, describing how the rain seeped through the plastic sheeting as she slept.

The conditions that Owda depicted will be far worse when Gaza’s winter rains return this year, after 14 months of unprecedented destruction that has left 90 percent of Gaza’s 2.1 million people displaced. Approximately 86 percent of Gaza’s landmass is under permanent evacuation order. A Sept. 29 United Nations satellite analysis showed that Israeli military operations had damaged or destroyed 66 percent of all structures in the territory, including 227,591 housing units. By June, 67 percent of Gaza’s water and sanitation infrastructure was out of commission.

Each year, from December to February, some parts of Gaza receive one-third of their annual rainfall, and large swaths of the territory flood. A 2020 review in the Journal of Environmental Health Science and Engineering identified 34 factors that increase people’s risk of death in floods, such as cold temperatures and poor quality housing; Gaza currently qualifies for 33 of them.

In addition to casualties in Gaza caused directly by Israeli military action, tens of thousands of people have likely died from indirect causes due to Israel’s blockade of the territory and widespread destruction of infrastructure. Winter floods will exacerbate these issues, leaving the population more vulnerable to life-threatening health and environmental hazards. Without immediate, large-scale humanitarian intervention backed by the United States, Gaza’s water and sanitation crisis could cascade into an unprecedented catastrophe.

Al-Mawasi is a sandy, 9-mile-long strip of seaside land in southwestern Gaza that Israel has designated as the only “humanitarian safe zone” in the territory. Currently, 1.8 million people are thought to be living in al-Mawasi, almost all in makeshift tents. The Norwegian Refugee Council estimated in September that the area had a population density of some 78,000 people per square mile, approximately twice that of Cairo.

The coming winter rains will transform al-Mawasi and the rest of Gaza into a death trap. The combination of poor shelter, lack of drinking water, and abysmal sanitation will cause unknown numbers of preventable deaths. Waterborne diseases, acute diarrhea, and infection often arise in such conditions. Floodwaters are a transmission vector for bacteria such as cholera-causing Vibrio cholerae, viruses such as Hepatitis A, parasites, and fungal infections. The inability to keep dry will also leave Palestinians in Gaza vulnerable to hypothermia and pneumonia.

Israel’s assaults on Gaza have destroyed every sewage processing plant and 70 percent of sewage pumps in the territory. In June, Oxfam reported that al-Mawasi contained only 121 latrines, then serving half a million people; on Nov. 16, Al Jazeera reported that Khan Younis had no fuel for sewage pumps, wells, or water purification.

Infection control and hygiene have long been severely compromised in Gaza. Before Oct. 7, 2023, waterborne illness was already the top killer of children in Gaza. Oxfam reported in 2017 that “Israel’s illegal blockade of Gaza severely limits, or prevents altogether, the entry of materials that would allow the water and sanitation sector in Gaza to recover from years of conflict and de-development.”

The widespread destruction of housing, sewage, water, and sanitation infrastructure—as well as prolonged malnutrition and repeated displacement—has severely exacerbated this long-standing problem. During the summer dry season, rates of diarrheal disease in Gaza were 25 times higher than prewar levels. People used makeshift latrines and were forced to dump waste wherever they could. The practice further polluted Gaza’s already contaminated shoreline and groundwater supplies.

Furthermore, Israel’s blockade of commercial goods has caused such scarcity that a 2.6-ounce bar of soap costs $10, while shampoo and laundry detergent are unavailable. Israel has blocked organizations such as Doctors Without Borders from importing hygiene kits. U.S. health care workers who volunteered in Gaza recently reported that since October 2023, basic sanitation items have been unavailable even in hospitals.

Hydration is an acute challenge for Palestinians in Gaza, too. Proper rehydration for those suffering from intestinal diseases is impossible. International humanitarian law requires that civilian infrastructure related to water and civilian access to water be protected. However, since October 2023, people in Gaza have had access to only 6 percent of the water they had prior to the war. Israel has cut or undersupplied water lines that run into Gaza. It has also banned fuel from entering the strip, blocked the transfer of bottled water, compromised local desalination capacity, and destroyed water warehouses. That means that 95 percent of people in Gaza currently have no access to clean water.

Oxfam estimated in July that Palestinians in al-Mawasi could access only 2.5 liters of water per person per day when only 1 million people were sheltering there, far below the international standard of 15 liters per person per day in a humanitarian crisis. Repairing water delivery systems is dangerous in Gaza; the Israeli military recently bombed a car carrying Palestinian water engineers attempting to repair infrastructure, killing four people, despite the fact that they had coordinated their movements with Israel.

Malnutrition and starvation weaken a person’s immune system and ability to heal from injuries. They also permanently impair children’s development. Most people who die of starvation succumb to otherwise trivial infections due to weakened immunity. Widespread malnutrition and starvation have left Gaza’s entire population vulnerable to waterborne disease, especially children under 5. Recent reports place 86 percent of Gaza’s population in phases three to five of acute food insecurity, where mortality increases significantly.

Amid flooding, displaced people are also at grave risk for exposure to environmental hazards such as toxic sludge, as rainwater combines with the rubble of bombed-out buildings. Exposure-related hypothermia and pneumonia will become additional problems, particularly for children. Nighttime temperatures of 50 degrees Fahrenheit, which are typical of winters in Gaza, are not harmful to adequately sheltered people—but young, sick, older, and malnourished people whose clothes are continuously wet will slowly die in such conditions.

The Biden administration has recognized that winter rains and flooding portend a humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza—unless Israel significantly eases its stranglehold on the territory. On Oct. 13, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin sent the Israeli government a letter with clear and specific criteria related to the humanitarian situation in Gaza, to be met within 30 days. “Failure to demonstrate a sustained commitment to implementing and maintaining these measures may have implications for U.S. policy,” they wrote.

The letter listed measures on which Israel was obligated to act to avoid potentially triggering legal provisions that would halt U.S. weapons transfers. Blinken and Austin further specified that proposed legislation in the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, to ban activities by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) “would devastate the Gaza humanitarian response.”

Those 30 days elapsed on Nov. 12, but Israel has facilitated less than 15 percent of the specified aid delivery goal. Humanitarian aid deliveries are at their lowest levels in 11 months. “Israel’s actions failed to meet any of the specific criteria set out in the U.S. letter,” a coalition of eight international aid organizations wrote in a detailed “Gaza Scorecard.”

Israel not only failed to meet the U.S. criteria but also took action that dramatically worsened the situation on the ground, particularly in northern Gaza. On Oct. 28, the Knesset banned UNRWA from any activity in Israel, East Jerusalem, the West Bank, or Gaza. Still, a U.S. State Department spokesperson said on Nov. 12 that “we at this time have not made an assessment that the Israelis are in violation of U.S. law.”

The Gaza Health Ministry has reported 43,985 Palestinian deaths since Oct. 7, 2023, of which 70 percent are women and children. Though ongoing hostilities and the decimation of Gaza’s medical facilities complicate precise recording, available data indicates that Israeli military action has directly and indirectly killed at least 118,908 people. Drawing on comparisons to other conflicts, one public health scholar estimated that by the end of 2024, a total of 335,500 Palestinians may have died since the beginning of the war.

A growing list of U.N. institutions and experts, governments, rights groups, and scholars have labeled Israel’s actions in Gaza as war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide.

Mitigating the imminent winter catastrophe in Gaza would require at the very least a cease-fire, a surge of aid deliveries, safe access for humanitarian and engineering teams, and the entry of fuel. Israel has staunchly refused to allow such moves in the past, arguing that they would aid Hamas.

Only extreme U.S. pressure on the Israeli government can achieve these ends. Since Israel has not responded to the Biden administration’s calls to protect civilians in Gaza, the United States should take decisive action by halting arms transfers and jet fuel deliveries. In line with recommendations from Human Rights Watch and other international organizations, Washington could also apply targeted sanctions on Israeli officials “credibly implicated in ongoing serious violations.”

For now, the United States is increasingly out of step with international institutions and its own allies in its support for Israel. This week, the U.S. Senate rejected legislation designed to restrict weapons sales to Israel, and Washington vetoed an otherwise unanimous U.N. Security Council cease-fire resolution. On Thursday, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity, including the crime of starvation.

The impending winter rains will place hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza in immediate and entirely avoidable lethal jeopardy. There is a very narrow window for action. A massive humanitarian effort now could save hundreds of thousands of lives. This may be the last opportunity for the Biden administration to make a difference in Gaza.

[go-river-flows]

Forget Me Not (one shot)

Summary: What happens to that girl who tried so hard to be invisible for her whole life? Will she remain invisible on the face of Pandora? Or will she be part of something bigger?

(5379 words)

I'm a nobody. Or at least I think I am. Arriving on Pandora was supposed to be an exciting, thrilling, new chapter of my life. But what would a naive twenty-three year old, fresh out of university student know. Apparently nothing.

All the paperwork was tossed to me. All the reports stacked high on my desk. No acknowledgements from anyone as I sit at my table for hours. Sure I was a hardworking individual who spent half her life studying to be a Pilot. Whilst studying to be an Environmental Conservationist. But now I'm stuck in the barren lands known as Hell’s Gate, fantastic. I say with sarcasm. I want to be outside studying the flora, fauna and Na’vi. That's what I wanted to do. To be part of the science team. I studied hard to be a top student, and even harder to support myself through that. And to be offered a position in the RDA. But apparently, they only wanted me to be a damn administrator. Get someone else dammit! I don't know anyone’s names in the science department, and neither do they know mine. It's just ‘hey, you’ or ‘you girl’ or ‘paperwork girl’. At least I was helicopter trained, and had my own Aerospatiale SA-2 Samson that I can call home. My dad, who was an airline pilot, would be proud.

I stay at my desk for hours on end, the pile not getting any smaller. I need to take a different approach. Standing up, I pick up the pile, my water bottle and extra pens just in case they run out. Running off to a quiet spot where no one goes in the large facility. Slapping the pile on the wide ledge of the window, I plug in my headphones to my Zune (a music player). It had nearly eight-thousand songs on it, so it will last me hours. It is the only way to calm me as I listen to my favourites, tapping my foot as Iisten to them. I start separating the pile labelling them as important, not so important, denied, unfinished reports and WTF? Hahaha, I don't know how that happened. I laugh internally.

Starting with Important, I sit on the cold floor skim reading everything then confirming everything with a signature and stamp of approval, shit! I forgot my stamp! Um, I can do it when I get back to my desk. The Important pile was complete in a matter of twenty minutes to my surprise. 

Moving onto the Unfinished Reports, this takes a little longer. About an hour, but that was no problem. My fingers were a bit sore from clutching the pen but after a while the pain dulled. 

Next was Not So Important. This too was a breeze when there were no distractions. My foot tapping to Your Blood by Nothing But Thieves. Taking a quick water break, I look out the window into the tall green trees in the distance.

Moving on to Unfinished Reports, this one too much longer. Some were almost completed, halfway done, or haven't started. Urgh, I sigh to myself. Getting my head down, I think I finished two hours later. My ass was getting sore so I stood up and started stretching, doing a small work out routine, even started to attempt climbing the corner of the wall to see how high I could get before falling down. All in a day's work.

Finally getting to the WTF pile, I thought it was best to give it to another person who knew what all these papers were. Stacking everything back in different angles and tucking my water bottle under my arm, shoving the pens into my hoodie pocket, I grabbed the pile and made my way back to my desk. Still with my headphones on.

Turning the corner, someone who wasn't looking collided into me sending all my pile onto the floor.

“Shit!” I cursed, kneeling down to grab the documents. Luckily the way they fell was in a line which made it easier to pick up. The soldiers continued walking much to my dismay, not even batting an eye. After picking the stack I promptly returned to the science department, forgetting my water bottle in the process.

Nodding along to the music, I returned to my desk, now various piles stacked from edge to edge with paperwork, I closed my eyes in frustration just standing there brows knitted together. I think there are now permanent lines between my brows. Throwing my head back, I let out an exasperated sigh with all the weight of air in my lungs out sounding like a vuvuzela. People turned to stare, but I didn't care at this point. Turning to the person nearest to me, who happened to be a guy in a wheelchair, I plopped the completed stack in my hands onto his lap (sorry man), leaving without another word. Storming off to my bedroom.

For the next few days, I stayed in my bedroom, which thankfully had it's own bathroom, minifridge and kitchenette. No one knocked on my door thankfully and I had everything I needed within reach. I lay in bed, half covered by my blanket as the pitter pattering of rain beat down onto my window. But what was bothering me was the room next door, 215. The two horny kids (not really kids) had been going at it for hours. I could hear them moan, groan, yell, scream and pant the whole time. At least I know one who the guy is, “Miles”. I pushed my pillow against my ears, which helped a bit but I was getting irritated. I just reached for my Zune and put on Nirvana, increasing the volume to the point it was over my neighbours incessant horny noises, and maybe a little more, drowning them out. Sorry to the neighbour on my other side. But they could probably hear the sex sounds too so I'm just protecting them from that, especially the somewhat loud moan of pleasure when they came, I would applaud if I weren’t so irked by the noise. After five songs, I decreased my volume to check if they were still going, and they had finished. Thank god. Turning my music most of the way down, and turning it off. I could finally doze off into sleepy land exhaustion catching up sooner than I thought.

The next morning I was well rested, but still tired. My arms were numb from sleeping on them and my legs were feeling like static, all pins and needles stabbing from all angles. I did some light stretching and yoga in the small space of my tiny apartment. Brushing my teeth and washing my face, getting dressed in loose fitting trousers and short-long sleeve shirt combo. I opened the door just as 215 opened their’s, turning to look as a much older but attractive man stopped in his tracks, realised he got caught, but I acted faster. Taking a step back into my room and closing the door in my own face. 

That must be Miles. I stood there for a moment, and after hearing 215’s door shut, I assumed he must have walked away, but to my surprise a sudden knock on my door startled me. What the fuck? My face contorted into slight horror as I took four steps back, mortified at what was happening. But in my sudden realisation, I forgot to lock my door. Lunging for the lock, I quickly turned it and tread back to my bed, the furthest point away from the door, the knocking persisted as I sat on the edge of my bed. Oh, I'm dead.

   This ‘Miles’ person knocked on my door for five minutes. Before they decided to give up, but I didn't move from my position for another five, hoping they’d just leave. Calming myself down, taking a deep breath. I treaded lightly to my door, pressing my ear to it. I didn't hear any footsteps or hear a person on the other side. I just wanted to go to work dammit! A short quiet knock scared me, it sounded different to the harsh, firm and powerful knocks form earlier so I assumed it was someone else.

Unlocking the door, I opened it a bit and it indeed was someone else. My neighbour, Paz. I let out a sigh of relief.

“Hey Paz,” I meekly greeted through the tiny gap. 

“Hey (Y/N), I just wanted to apologise for last night, didn't know you were still up,” she spoke softly.

“Oh no, it's fine,” it's not fine, “I wanted to give you this. As an apology,” I looked down in her hand, a cupcake with blue frosting with a ‘Y’ in white. “Oh, wow. Thank you. But you didn't have to do that,” I mirrored her tone as she took my hand, putting the cupcake onto it. She gave a small toothy smile as if she knew.

“Did you meet Miles?” my eyes darted to hers, twitching slightly. She stifled a laugh at that, “I'll take that as a yes then. Well, I've got to take off. See ya around.” She turned to leave, giving a small wave. I did the same.

I trudged my way to the science department, expecting the huge pile to still be there but surprisingly wasn't. Taking the white coat from the back of it, I put the cupcake down on the table before putting on the coat. Checking the pockets, I found a neon green sticky note. Sorry for stressing you out :(. And another one, Take as much time as you need :(. And another, this time a neon pink and in cursive: We’ve taken our workload off you. Sorry for dumping all of our work on you, we appreciate you. :(

I looked around the room, catching some people's gaze, others looking away hoping that I would stop staring. But no one actually came forward to apologise to my face. I scrunched up the post it notes. Shoving them back in my pocket, I took my cupcake and walked away. Finding myself back at the same window I normally go to. Sitting on the windowsill with my legs crossed, I munched down into the cupcake. Red Velvet, yum. It was really good too. I think maybe it was Paz’s birthday, since there was a ‘Y’ or maybe a promotion. Butwho cares, it's a cupcake.

Wiping the corner of my mouth with my white sleeve, I sighed. But I wanted a change in scenery. I trudged through the halls to where all the samsons are kept, I made a maintenance check, sitting in the cockpit, I double checked all controls, switches, lights and emergency exo packs. Then I moved to the weapons and attachments, making sure they weren't rusted or loose in any way shape or form. Even the two missile pods that aren't really my specialty. Finally getting to the propulsion system. Everything was in order as I checked down the list, a lone figure on the catwalk catching my eye. Turning to look at the stranger, I quickly whipped my head back after realising who it was, getting whiplash in the moment and somehow choking on air at the same time. Rubbing my neck and wincing at the sudden movement, whilst covering my mouth as I struggle to breathe properly. Miles. Moving out of his line of sight as I'm hitting my sternum to stop. I got out my samson, and sped away, unaware that the man was still staring at me. 

   I ran to the inspection office giving the guy there, I think his name is Markus, my inspection report and he gave his stamp of approval storing it in the cabinet behind him. He thanked me before I sped off again. Running back to the science department.

Luckily there were only four folders on my table. I sat down and flicked through them. Ignoring people around me, I put my headphones back on and turned my Zune on, playing the Unity album by Spiral Drive. My foot tapped to the beat of the songs as I made notes on the documents. 

When suddenly someone comes into my peripheral vision scaring the shit out of me. I turn to look and make eye contact with the guy in the wheelchair. The guy I dumped all the completed paperwork on. Oh crap.

“Hi,” he extends his hand out, I genially take his hand to shake, “I'm Jake. Nice to meetcha.”

“(Y/N). Sorry about the thing a few days ago. I was having a bad day,” I pulled my hand back. He chuckled.

“Yeah, it looked like it,” I blushed a bit, “What’re you working on?” he raised his head a little. Looking down at the report in front of her.

“Uh, just double checking other people’s reports. All the boring stuff,” I shot an awkward smile.

It was all boring, all useless. My eyes trail on the paper in front of me, forgetting a little that the paraplegic is still next to me watching my shifting expression and eyes. What am I doing here? I ask myself again. A question I keep asking myself every single day since landing on Pandora. Jake puts a hand on my shoulder blade pulling me from my thoughts, jolting at the sudden physical contact my face flushed a little. I suddenly remembered the night before. Looking at Jake with wide eyes as he retracted his hand. I get a good look at his face, why does he look so familiar? My expression gives it away. That expression of familiarity, when you frown a little as the wheels in your head turn, my eye twitched.

A few years ago back on earth.

I was working at the bar taking orders, the patrons getting a little restless as I’m working as fast as I can. A head pops into view as one of the usuals is tapping his glass on the table for a refill. Sam the manager shoved me aside to take care of the usual customer, as I was grabbing drink after drink for customers. Eventually they disperse when they get their drinks and I get a chance to take a breather. 

“Hey! Can I get a few shots?” A voice from out of view asks, I lean over the counter to see a guy in a wheelchair.

“Sure, I’ll get that for you,” Sam speaks up, tapping my shoulder and gesturing me away. Okay, then.

I walk into the staff room to get my textbook, and come back out as Sam puts the shots on a small tray, gesturing to me to take it for the guy. Putting my textbook on the counter and taking the tray of five shots, moving around the counter.

“Where'd ya want these?” I ask the guy as he points to the ledge of the pool table, I carefully put the tray on the ledge, balancing it on the corner shooting a short but tight lined smile. Returning to grab my textbook I found a quiet corner in the bar and started reading it, flicking through notes, and revising for a repeat test that I previously failed. Rubbing my temples in annoyance as I didn’t understand why it was so difficult to remember. I’m not dumb, but I’m not that smart. I prefer to just get my pilot's licence and pull out of school at this point, but my mother (who is divorced) would not be happy, nor would my step father who pushed me to get a degree in Environmental Conservation in the first place. 

  What a dickhead for being one of those hippie freaks that chain themselves to the last standing tree on Earth. That’s where they were right now, chained to the last standing camphor tree in the Amazon rainforest. Because they’d rather be there than here. I mean, I get it. It’s the last tree, but they can get someone else to chain themselves there, someone who doesn’t have family or children, but I guess the heart wants what the heart wants. So here I am supporting myself through school because they wouldn’t pay for it even though they forced me into getting a damn degree in Environmental Conservation. Yay me! I say with sarcasm. I guess that’s also why I didn’t make any friends in my class or contribute anything. 

Heck, even my dad wants me to drop out after seeing how miserable I was, depressed was how he put it. Yes I was, no, I am depressed. Fuck this shit! And fuck the paper the professor assigned! I wanted to throw this piece of garbage in the garbage. My eyes were pricking with tears, as I tried to hide my reddening eyes. 

The next day I didn’t go to any classes, just stayed the whole day in Sam's bar. And the next, and the next. By the following day my EnviroCon professor stopped me in the hallway as I was leaving another professor’s office. Asking for the paper that was due in the next few days, just to read over any drafts. I sighed and explained that I was having a bad week and if I could just email it to him since I've finished my first draft, mailing it to him there and then. He opened it up in front of me on his holo tablet and skimmed it.

“This is fantastic! This is a draft? Man, you might as well submit it just as it is. Just add a few points here in this section,” he pointed out, he looked at me with slight concern, as I just nodded my head, “Hey, you alright? You look tired, have you been resting?”

“Not really,“ I leant against the wall, “I've been working all week and just trying my best,” letting out a deep exhale, “I don't know if I should just drop out. I'm so tired,” my voice cracked.

“Woah, woah woah. Hey, it's okay,” he put a reassuring hand on my shoulder, “You must be burning out. If you need more time to finish the paper, I can give it to you. If you're struggling, you can always come talk to me,” he calmed me down. For some reason, I felt like I was seen at that moment. Even when I tried so hard to be invisible. For every single day, the same guy in the wheelchair frequenting the bar.

Back to the present day.

That recognition whipped back to me, the guy in the wheelchair. The same one who repeatedly came to Sam’s bar. Getting drunk off his ass and getting thrown out, one too many times. 

“You don't remember me?” I blurt out. He looked at me confused, “Of course you don't.” I stand up now no longer facing him, “Just like everyone else. I guess I have that kind of face,” I look down at him with tears in my eyes, but a sad but somewhat bright smile, I laugh a little trudging off to my window again. Hugging my knees as my feet propped up, I can't stop spilling tears. Remembering my professor's words “If you're struggling, you can always come talk to me,” like a distant memory. He was no longer around. The only person who actually saw me, despite me trying so hard to be invisible. I wish I could just disappear into the Pandoran forest. Pack up all my necessities and disappear. Like I've always wanted. Fading away into obscurity. I think about it for a moment. Oh wait, I can.

For days I prepare, make an emergency bag. I can go whenever I want, but I need to wait for the perfect opportunity. I learnt everything I needed. How to survive, the na’vi language, packing any foods that don't expire (non perishables), all that stuff. Hiding it in the ballistics storage in the rear of my samson.

That opportunity came when the human’s declared war on the Na’vi. The man who I now know as Colonel Miles Quaritch who destroyed Hometree. That was the day I saw what a monster looked like. I was one of the pilots who didn't shoot, my hand hovering over the red button as my co-pilot was yelling at me, but I couldn't do it. I'm not a monster like him. I turned the samson around, it's not my fight. But surprisingly I wasn't the only one. I had morals like the other person who turned around. As she flew back, she radioed me.

“Why are you turning back?” I could hear her through the isolated frequency.

“Because I'm not a monster,” was all I said. My co-pilot and the other trigger happy soldiers in my samson yelling at me to turn back around.

As we returned to Hell’s Gate, landing next to each other on the flightline, I felt a gun held to my temple, the soldier yelling profanities at me, calling me a traitor. A traitor to humanity.

“Shoot me! Go ahead! Shoot me!” I yelled back at him, he was shocked when I looked at him with furious tears streaming down my face, “If you want to commit alien genocide, then start by killing me!”

“PUT DOWN THE GUN! Now!” the same voice from earlier screamed. Trudy Chacon was her name I think. I never really asked before, she’d forget me too. She was pointing a hand held at the soldier taking my hand and pulling me away, back into Hell’s Gate. 

“Are you on our side?” Chacon suddenly asked.

“What?” I questioned, tired, confused and exhausted with all the questions.

“Are you on our side? Because you turned around, and you didn't shoot any of your missiles,” she simply said, I’ll just nod so she goes away, “Okay then. You know how to throw a punch?” I sighed, nodding again. “Great! Then come with me.”

She dragged me with her as a scientist ran up to us. Patel, Dr Max Patel.

“They’ve put Grace, Norm and Jake in a cell,” he said frantically, shooting a glance at me. 

“Great, looks like a rescue mission. Let's go,” we moved into that direction then slowed as Trudy picked up an empty food cart, “I've got an idea, just follow my lead. She gestured to us to stay behind the wall before she called for us. She walked through the door first, then ordered the guard to get down on the ground, hearing a thud after a loud smack she called for Max as I stayed behind the wall, just next to the door. When suddenly the elevator door opened, as someone was stepping out, I moved to kicked them in the gut, punching his throat and punching him in the face knocking him out, I removed his gun and knife that he had on him, turning to Trudy, Max, Grace, Norm and Jake who were watching in wide-eyed awe. I averted my eyes as Trudy gave me a thumbs up and we hustled. Getting to the door to the flightline. Trudy turned to me.

“Could you stay here? I need someone on the inside, can you do that?” I gave a simple nod, Trudy squeezed my shoulder, “Thank you.”

As they got away, Max turned to me.

“So you're on our side?” he asked.

“I guess so,” I made my way back to my room, passing by the medical ward. Glancing in I saw Paz, her belly swollen as she was 9 months pregnant, about to pop at any moment. Getting to my room, I grabbed my Zune and headphones. I trudged down the hallway, making my way to the science department. Passing by the medical ward again, this time fully stopping when I heard the cries of a baby. I turned a few steps back looking through the small window. There was a baby, a little boy. But the sound of machines droned into a flatline. Paz. I don't know why, but I pushed open the door. Walking toward the scene. The baby was wailing. The doctor who held him turned to look at me. He was frantic, not in his right mind when he put the baby in my arms, I held the baby as he cried making sure to hold his neck properly. The Zune still in my hand, I scrolled through my library finding a calming tune. Hitting play, the only calming song played out: Sweet Child by Simply Red. 

Surprisingly the baby began to calm down. The doors behind me slamming open. Quaritch sped past me to Paz’s side, he was yelling for her. And as the song came to an end he turned to me. Baby in my arms. His wet reddened eyes fell on the baby as a small gasp escaped his lips. 

“Congratulations. It's a boy,” I whispered, somehow sounding cold. But he didn't care, taking the baby from my arms I dropped my arms as my legs dropped out from under me. He doesn't get to be this. Whatever this is. Not after what he did. Not after he destroyed a home. But what can I do right? I have no right to tell him what to do. But my furious eyes and tears gave it away. But he only looked at his baby. My RDA shirt was stained in blood and bodily fluid. I slowly got up and walked out, wanting nothing but to wash it all away. 

It was a blur but I made it back to my tiny apartment, stripping everything off, I stepped into the shower scrubbing everything off me. Turning the water temperature higher to melt away everything I was feeling. 

   For some reason I kept on visiting the medical ward again, looking at the baby in the incubator. The nurse was staring at me, trying to figure me out. Someone came to a stand next to me. His intimidating aura gives him away. The baby’s father. I didn't want to look at him, not after what he did.

“You're (Y/N) right? Paz told me. I think I ‘ave something of yours,” he held out my water bottle, my name hand written on it in front of my face. My eyes honed in on it but didn't reach for it, only closing my eyes and sighing heavily, genially taking it from his hand. He doesn’t deserve to have this. Even coming from me who spent her whole life trying to appease her mother, all for the sake of approval and love. Only to get it from my father who I found I loved even more. 

“Fuck,” I mumbled, this is fucked up. Miles’ ears perked up at my curse. I rubbed my face, trying to not cry. I’m done with crying for others. But Miles misunderstood my curse, what it actually meant. He wrapped his warm arm around my shoulder, why did it have to be warm pulling me into his side. This is fucked up. I repeated in my head. Paz didn’t deserve this, nor did Miles, but by Eywa I would do anything for this kid, even though I’m not his mother or parent.

“You must have been close to Paz. She talked about you sometimes, she said sometimes she can hear you cry through the walls, and said they sounded heartbreaking. But she also said that you were kind to others and spoke softly, that you kept everything on the inside and put on a brave face,” his voice was almost kind, and I choked out a sob. Not realising that I stopped breathing for a moment. Stop, just stop. You don’t get to be kind. You don’t get to comfort me. You don’t deserve a child. I was weeping, my knees giving out again, I crouched as I covered my mouth wanting to vomit. He knelt next to me and brought me into his embrace, his rough hand rubbing my back as he tried calming me. Stop, please I’m begging you. Please stop! You don’t deserve to be warm! My tears were furious and shameful.

“Ssshhhh, hey it’s okay,” Miles’ raspy southern accent drooling out, in the massive difference to my stepfather’s tone. So similar to my fathers comforting voice. A tighter pull as I didn’t pull away. I’m a mess. I don’t deserve this. He’s a monster, he doesn’t deserve this. Eyes, why does it have to be this way? 

I silently made a vow to myself that this kid won’t suffer the same fate. Some day the kid will learn the truth and I’ll be the one to tell him.

“What will you name him?” I quietly asked Miles. He looked at me with a bit of curiosity and paused to think..

“How about…Miles?”

I laughed a little, of course he would name the baby after him.

“Miles junior,” I chuckled, how fitting. “It suits him.” I laughed a bit more, not caring if he thought I was a mad woman. “Something bad is coming, Quaritch. I have a feeling that the baby won’t have a father soon.”

He looked at me with concern, the softness remained, “Why'd ya say that?”

“Because you’ve started a war. Nothing good ever comes from war. You have to take responsibility for it. You’ll die before you get to raise your child, I hope you see that before you make a mistake you’ll regret. And I’ll be here to raise your kid because I’m not fighting in your war,” my monotone voice sounded so cold, colder than I've ever sounded before. He didn't say anything, the silence was killing me more. I turned to look at him dead in the eyes. This was the most serious I've ever been. His adam's-apple bobbed as if he was holding in the air. He finally let go, standing and quickly walking off, I watched him go. 

  When Quaritch gathered the soldiers, effectively immediately ending the RDAs research and avatar programme, shutting the whole operation down. I sat in the chair as everyone started packing things into boxes. I had hidden an expensive bottle of rum that was given as a birthday gift from my father before being shipped out to Pandora. As the crowd quieted down I took it out, I poured some into mugs around the department, as scientists and avatar drivers silently sipped on the aged and smoky rum. As reality hit us that we would either be shipped off back to earth or remain on Pandora. Even Trudy was there as I passed the bottle to her. 

“If anything happens to me, take care of my baby,” Trudy said to me, referring to her samson. Those would be her last words to me. 

“Don't forget me if anything happens,” I returned to her. She simply nodded. Unfortunately Grace would die that night and we would mourn her. 

And when the war started it was chaotic. The avatars decided to revolt against the Selfridge, nothing was holding them back any more, we were no longer a part of the RDA. In fact, I helped through unsympathetic anger and being used as a pawn in their schemes. Max sat next to me in my samson as I fired bullets to the communication tower windows as the avatar drivers wielding guns ordered everyone to drop any weapons and get down on the ground, effectively stopping any communication to their war party. 

The promise I made came to fruition. The war ended in an hour and a half at most. The Na’vi won by a landslide, and I learn that Trudy died and her samson was destroyed into smithereens. Miles Quaritch died at the hands of a Na’vi. And I would be holding his baby in my arms. Miles Jr Socorro. The little boy cooed his hand reaching out, the noises he made melted my cold heart a little. To protect the innocence that I wished I had growing up. I would make a new promise. To take care of the baby, so that he is seen and never forgotten.

Jake asked me to stay on Pandora, and I accepted. Remaining at Hell’s Gate with Max, Norm and the other avatar drivers that remained. And I would raise the baby as if he was my own son. In the end I realised I was never forgotten, just left behind for something greater.

A/N: I know this is supposed to be a one-shot, but if you want a part 2, I'll be more than happy to make one. Also, Im changing the taglist from word doc to excel with multiple sections for different stories, so it'll make it easier to keep track. And also because Tumblr is a being a bit of an a**hole on my side.

Taglist: @drinking-tea-and-be-obsessed

[lvvnystudies]

08.05

Maybe not that surprising, but after much consideration and conversation with my university advisors, I have dropped the Environmental Botany unit. 

Earlier this year I made the mistake of switching my environmental science degree 'strain' from one that focuses more on management and sustainability, to one that focuses on wildlife conservation. I have now reverted back to my original 'strain' which will be in effect starting next in the next trimester. Due to the switch, this unit along with Wildlife Studies will be considered as my electives not as my core, or mandatory, units. With that information and confirming with the advisors that not completing this unit will not negatively impact my future studies, I have quite unceremoniously dropped Environmental Botany a day before a very large report was due.

I'm not particularly proud of dropping a unit and of this being on my record, but I definitely don't regret my decision. Perhaps I can enrol myself into again in the future. But for now, my thoughts are far too preoccupied with other assignment deadlines.

[try-and-try-and-try-again]

This is really random but I feel like I want to get it out and I don’t know where/who to so I’m getting it out here.

I am quite upset by my dad at the moment. In many ways he is wonderful. He supports me so much, more than he should have to. I feel bad that soon after he retired he basically ended up dropping his retirement plans and becoming my almost full-time carer but he has never complained and in fact continues to say he is proud of me and does so much.

However some of his views really bother me.

1. On Palestine - every time anyone mentions the atrocities going on he says everyone’s oversimplifying things. That Israel are not acting unacceptably, they are retaliating and defending themselves from Hamas. That Palestine started it etc. As if it makes what they seem to be doing less atrocious. I never know how to respond to him. He just insists everyone else is wrong.

2. On Covid vaccines - he attributes almost every death that happens at the moment to complications of the Covid vaccines (and says this is being covered up on purpose). He says it must be the case because people have died from blood clots etc. following vaccination but I feel like he is cherry picking data. He says they should never have been rolled out, the pandemic was an exercise in controlling people and making the vaccine/pharmaceutical industry large profits. Yes, governments did act questionably and wealthy people made a disgusting amount of money from the situation but to say that’s what the pandemic was all about when so many people died of Covid, especially at the beginning and everyone was so terrified… I feel like he is missing something. (Also he joined a rather sketchy seeming website called ‘Lockdown Sceptics’ which seemed to be used by lots of questionable figures).

3. Climate change - he says climate scientists are spreading panic, also humans can’t possibly be expected to drastically change their lifestyles, it isn’t fair so we should carry on business as usual. When I looked round environmental science departments at universities he’d try to pick arguments with climate scientists (when he has a college qualification in horticulture). When he was younger he used to be in Friends of the Earth. Now this.

4. Trans issues - he says it’s good that waiting lists for GICs are stupidly stupidly long and it’s really hard to access them because gender affirming care is not to be taken lightly and people are just confused about themselves and should be forced to take time to make decisions (but 7+ years for an initial consultation to just discuss things? Really? And what about all the time before asking to go to a GIC?). He says the Cass report does have validity. He says the new rules about no gender neutral bathrooms in new buildings and segregating trans people in hospitals are not unreasonable. (He also recently changed his mind about accepting my coming out as non-binary which kind of hurts).

5. Science - he says science in general, and particularly the medical field, is not trustworthy. That it is all funded and influenced by the government and Big Pharma and other corrupt corporations even if no conflicting interests are declared so no research is reliable. And he says “science isn’t about facts, it’s about debate” and that no one is letting things be debated. He is not a scientist. Why is he so sure he can claim this? He preached the words of YouTube ‘experts’ who make claims about things in fields they are not qualified in and YouTube doctors who say mainstream medicine is completely wrong and give diet and lifestyle advice etc. that personally I find quite unsettling. He says ‘well x says the data actually shows this’ and I say ‘have you actually looked at this data yourself?’. He says ‘no’ - he just blindly trusts these YouTube ‘experts’ opinions.

He is 76. And spends entire days trawling through Google on his laptop. I don’t know if that is worth mentioning. I don’t know, so many of his views sit uncomfortably with me and I just don’t know what to do or what to say to him. And he upsets my sister too because of some of these things so maybe it’s not just me being overly sensitive and wrong.

[kslenvs3000w24]

The Last and Final Blog

Over my past 4 years here at the University of Guelph, the environment has been at the center of my focus. Immersed in this for 1460 days has truly shaped me into who I am as a person and defined what my ethics and values are. For every job I applied to, the question I always got asked was, Why is this something you want to pursue? My answer is always the same; By being a student who is immersed in this knowledge and knows the complexities of the environment down the molecular level, I feel that it is my moral duty to relay this information and educate others. As an interpreter, my personal ethics encourages me to help educate people on ways they can learn about their impacts and how to help. It is important to look back on the daily decisions you make to see how you are either contributing or helping the environment. Some situations can be exempted. For example, they say you should buy electric cars, however, CTV News reported that the average price for an EV vehicle has reached 73,000$ (Bickis, 2023). When the price of a car is this high, you cannot blame individuals for using their gas cars to get to work so they can put food on the table for their families. Understanding that not everyone is as privileged to live a fully eco life is one step closer to stopping the blame and a step in the right direction for education on how you can become environmentally friendly with your living status. Being taught about the imbalances in the environment as a result of human disturbances and the effects they can have is very scary. Constant exposure to this kind of content every day can seriously impact your thoughts and beliefs about life and the world. In my case, it became very motivating. It drives me to want to help educate others and contribute to organizations that are focusing on the preservation and conservation of our earth. 

This course has been a very pivotal experience for me. Although I love taking courses about the environment which includes biology and chemistry, this course forced me to look beyond just these numbers and the analytical lens. It forced me to think more intuitively regarding interpretation and environmental science. Understanding the needs of our earth and how much we impact it starts with admitting to yourself that there is a problem whether created by you or someone else, and that it needs to be addressed. Today, there has been lots of greenwashing which tends to turn people away from wanting to advocate for the Earth. There is such a divide between the general public knowledge and students/scientists. I can't tell you how many people have said to me “Oh, so you want to save the Turtles” when I told them I was in environmental science. This statement right here goes to show the lack of understanding between preservation and protecting the planet. Environmental science falls under a huge umbrella. It encompasses so much that goes beyond just implementing reusable or compostable straws. 

When I have conversations with people who are out of touch with reality, I feel nothing but sad for them. That they are not as fortunate to know what I know or that their motivations might be driven by something else. But I cannot blame them, knowledge is power but it's also money. I believe it is my right as someone who holds this kind of knowledge, to help people understand and become engaged and involved with the environment. However, I do also believe as people of this earth, it affects us all, and doesn't matter what your social status, race, gender, etc. is, it is something we should all be working towards understanding. Let's just put it this way, a hurricane doesn't care if you're a billionaire with a nice house. Beck et al. (2018) state that there are immense educational benefits associated with acquiring knowledge that can result in “an enjoyable and enriching experience” encouraging a more meaningful relationship with the topic of interest. It doesn’t matter who you are, you will be affected directly or indirectly and therefore I believe we all have an innate calling to preserve and protect the earth not only for us but for the generations to come.

Nature has been a huge component of my life whether it was in the classroom or my own personal outlet. I was taught from a very young age to appreciate nature in all its glory. Over the years I have become increasingly empathetic towards the environment. When I read about things in the news I can’t feel anything but sad. It's so disheartening seeing our earth become hurt and have to constantly rebuild itself. I constantly ask myself when. When will we learn? How long does it take for us to make a change? What brutal disasters need to keep happening for us to stop? Going back to first-year environmental science, we talked about nature having intrinsic value and I couldn’t agree with this statement more. Just like we learned in this course, even if we do not gain any materialistic value from nature and it does not directly or indirectly benefit us, it still has a purpose and is still valuable on its own (Rea & Munns., 2017). Many people are motivated based on economic return and unfortunately, the environment is at the centre of those decisions. The understanding of intrinsic value is based on an ecocentric standpoint which is developed from having a serious concern for the environment, something many people lack (Rea & Munns., 2017). This concern can come from upbringing and experience that shape how one views the world. For people who are struggling to put food on the table, the state of the environment is not typically their biggest problem. Effective interpretation as described by Beck et al., (2018) involves building new knowledge, values, and beliefs. Being open-minded to adopting new concepts can truly work wonders.

Finally, I feel it's my responsibility as an interpreter to educate. Social media is a very powerful tool in today's age and being able to raise awareness about situations regarding climate issues is a great way to expose the general public. I just hope we can create a sense of unity when it comes to caring for our planet and that it gets the attention it deserves because we only have 1, but 1 is enough if we do it right! 

Thanks, everyone for a great semester I enjoyed reading all your blogs! 

Beck, L., Cable, T. T., & Knudson, D. M. (2018). Interpreting cultural and natural heritage: For A Better World. SAGAMORE Publishing, (pp. 42). 

Beck, L., Cable, T. T., & Knudson, D. M. (2018). Interpreting cultural and natural heritage: For A Better World. SAGAMORE Publishing, (pp. 91). 

Bickis, I. (2023, October 22). EVs are getting easier to find -- but with price tags out of reach for many Canadians. CTVNews. https://www.ctvnews.ca/autos/evs-are-getting-easier-to-find-but-with-price-tags-out-of-reach-for-many-canadians-1.6612044 

Rea, A. W., & Munns, W. R. (2017). The value of nature: Economic, intrinsic, or both? Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management, 13(5), 953–955. https://doi.org/10.1002/ieam.1924