#because chemical burns passed text limit

[noah-bout-it]

guys I'm so susceptible to dadnoir propaganda it's scary

anyway it's literally canon

also I might've forgotten to mention that I'm playing a modded eos . whoops.

Expect art soon because I've been thinking so much about my guys...

[theexleynatureblog]

Tundra Trouble

A dramatic population increase in “Light Geese” is threatening sensitive tundra habitat.

What are Light Geese?

"Light Geese” are actually three separate species of goose named after their mostly-white plumage. They include...

Ross’s Goose

The Greater Snow Goose

And the Lesser Snow Goose.

The main different between these birds is size (which can overlap) and slight variations in color. If they are this hard to differentiate in photos, imagine how it much be for duck hunters to identify them. Don’t worry! None of these birds are threatened in any way. In fact, the problem is the exact opposite...

Tundra Geese

All three of these species breed and nest in the tundra habitat of North America.

The little spots of red on this map signify where the geese nest in the spring. All three geese nest in the same kind of habitat: Tundra.

Now, let’s talk about Tundra.

Tundra is a kind of biome found in cold climate or very high elevations. It is dominated by mosses, roots, and tubes, all ‘short’ plants without deep roots. This is because of a permanently frozen layer of the soil, known as permafrost.

Plants that live here also have to deal with low precipitation, and a growing season that can lasts between 50 to 60 days, or about 2 months. This makes the biome incredibly fragile. If something were to come along and remove all the plants or disrupt the soil, it could take many years for the foliage to recover, if it does at all. Compare this biome to a place with a longer growing season, like the Midwest United State. All the grasses can be removed by grazing and burning, and within the same season, new seeds can take root, and within a couple of years, the grassland is completely back to normal. This is why oil and mining projects in the artic are a big deal, because the kind of damage we see them cause in relatively robust ecosystems will be so much worse in a tundra.

Tundra’s have relatively low biodiversity - there’s only a handful of species that live there in the productive months, and even less in the winter. However, it is a major producer of birds, especially migratory species. Breeding habitat is critical for every species. Tapering with it can directly alter a population’s ability to replace itself with the next generation. It is far more effective to reduce a population by tapering with habitat than removing individuals through hunting.

Light Geese and the Tundra

Like I said earlier, all three species of ‘light geese’ are not threatened. In fact, their population has boomed significantly. Since the 1970′s, the population of light geese has grown by more than 300 percent, and continues to increase by 5 percent each year. According to an article on Ducks.org, waterfowl managers estimate the total population is up around 17million.

Now, is this actually unnatural based on science? It’s hard to say. We don’t really know if this population number matches historic numbers, because we didn’t really take bird surveys until the late 1900′s. Some bird populations, like the extinct carrier pigeon, was so big they would supposedly black out the sky. Maybe, ecologically, we are suppose to have millions of light geese. But there is one thing we do know: they are over-grazing the tundra.

That little square of green once covered a much larger area. Researchers protected it with nets to keep geese out, and all the red in the picture is bare overgrazed soil. Geese don’t just eat the green, the dig up the roots, preventing new growth. Once an area is grazed up, the flocks move to another green space and repeat the cycle. There is nothing much left in terms of food or habitat for other animals on the tundra.

But how?

Nature has ways of balancing populations with available resources. When resources are used up, populations go down until resources go up again. So how did the light geese population rise to the point of environmental destruction? If you guessed agriculture, you’re right!

The later half of the 1900′s came with a boom of farmer productivity thanks to new machinery and chemicals. It helped support a booming human population, and apparently, geese as well.

Usually, migratory birds loose weight during the migration. They have to depend on their fat storage for through the summer and winter to make the 1,000m+ trips. It serves as an important environmental pressure: only the best equipped birds will survive the trip, and have the opportunity to pass on their genes. Lack of food fuels competition between individuals to establish dominance or territory, and at the same time reduces competition as it weeds out unfit individuals. Take the pressure away, and you are a step closer to the light geese problem. Light geese actually gain weight during their migration thanks to all the food available. By the time they return to their nesting ground, a lot of individuals are healthy enough to breed and rear offspring.

The parental habits of light geese are another piece in the problem puzzle. They all practice lifelong monogamy, and both parents are constantly around to guard the young. The young themselves are precocial, meaning the are fluffy and walking around almost immediately after hatching. They can even feed themselves. The only thing the parents need to do is fight off predators - and geese do this exceptionally well.

There are nest predators, like owls and foxes, but they are only able to take so many. Predation alone never has much of an effect on a population - it has to be coupled with a signifanct habitat factor. For example, if you released a fox into a small pen of 10 geese, the fox would immediately reduce the population in the pen. But, if you released a fox onto a large plot of land full of 100 geese, the single predator would never be able kill all of the geese. This is of course, a small-scale example. 

Another problem is the flocking. Snow geese flocks can easily exceed a hundred individuals. This makes it easy for hunters to shoot a large amount of birds, but the thing is, they have to get the birds within range first. Duck hunters lure flocks over a body of water by setting out wooden decoys. Since birds feel safer in large numbers, they are drawn to the groups of fake birds. This works if you, for example, put out two decoys, and it attracts a lone duck. However, a flock of over a hundred is not going to find any reason to join a fake flock of 2. To decoy for geese, hunters need a lot of decoys, which is more expensive and time consuming.

Geese are also uncannily smart. They live long lives and can remember places where they were shot at, so avoid them in the next years. That means that most geese that end up shot by hunters are the younger, inexperienced ones who do not contribute much to the population anyway.

Solutions

Managers and researchers are currently searching for ways to fight this problem and protect the tundra, while also not totally wiping out light geese populations. One of the most effective ways to reduce the population would be to disrupt the breeding habitat, but that’s option is not likely. Remember: the tundra is a delicate ecosystem. No disturbance could be significant enough to affect the light geese and not effect other species. Targeting food supplies isn’t realistic either - we can’t poison the tundra grasses, and we can’t throw giant nets over crop fields.

The usual solution to overpopulation of a game animal is lessening hunting restrictions. Hunters can take over a hundred geese in a season - if they can get a flock within range. But that leads to another issue - who wants to carry, clean, and process over a hundred birds? Ammunition availability and prices are another concern. 

Another factor that makes any management work in the tundra difficult is accessibility. There are few towns and fewer roads that give people access to nests, so sending in people or dogs to collect/destroy them isn’t always a practical option. Article on possible solutions.

Fish and Wildlife’s suggested lists of actions:

Expanding hunting seasons/limits

Expanding hunting methods (allowing electronic callers).

Far north harvesting.

Egging.

Increase incentive to harvest by award programs, donations, market hunting.

Improve private land access.

Information and education programs.

Bird trapping and culling by wildlife managers.

Refuge management.

Sources

https://www.fws.gov/birds/management/managed-species/light-geese.php#:~:text=Ross's%20geese%2C%20lesser%20snow%20geese,to%20remain%20at%20high%20levels.

https://ucmp.berkeley.edu/exhibits/biomes/tundra.php

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13280-019-01308-5

https://www.fws.gov/migratorybirds/pdf/management/snow-geese/light-gooseFEIS-QAs.pdf

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-46487-z

https://www.wildfowlmag.com/editorial/whats-the-best-method-to-control-the-snow-goose-population/280168

[moisturecontrolservices]

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[dat-town]

No speed limit | Chapter 9

Summary: Some people live to race while others race to live. When an uptown girl’s and street racer’s worlds collide, their lives are bound to change. For the better or worse, it’s hard to tell. In-between rivalry and unwanted sparks, there’s definitely a bumpy road ahead (with no speed limit).

Words: 2.8k

Chapter index

The air still smelled like smoke long after the fire was put out.

Hanbin let his arm with the phone fall back to by his side when the line went dead. He looked over his friends getting interrogated by police officers who also tried to keep the reporters away as much as they could but it didn’t stop the press from taking photos most likely for a future article. Hanbin hated that they came and looked at the burned down place as if it was a circus for their entertainment, that they used their tragedy as an asset to get some attention, to blow something off as big news even if it was ‘just’ a fire in the suburbs with only a few ‘kids’ involved. They didn’t really care that that car repair shop was their life, the only sort of income some of them had and phew, it was all gone from one moment to another.

It was really just luck because they were all in the front having an early dinner after working hours and they were joking around as usually. So free-spirited they didn’t even find the smoke’s distinguishable smell suspicious. Barbeques weren’t that rare of a thing around there after all. If it wasn’t for Bobby who went into the back to get a few more beer from the fridge who knows when they would have noticed the fire spreading from throughout the entire shop. Even with the guy’s alarming warning they barely escaped before the whole place blew up because of the chemicals on fire inside. Damn, it was such a mess.

“Hey, are you ok?” A hand patted his back and Hanbin sighed as he looked over Jinhwan, who looked dead serious for once.

“Yeah… it’s just a lot,” the younger frustratedly raked a hand over his hair.

He knew he should have only cared about them being alright but that car repair shop meant a lot to all of them and with their insurance they probably won’t see a won in return of the damage. The ground was all black and ruined where the place had been once and only a few burnt metal withstood the destruction of the flames.

“Did the cops said anything?” The driver pointed at the police car that left the spot just now with all the gathered information.

“Nothing much that matters. They will contact us when they have info yadda yadda. But according to the pyrotechnician it seems to be arson. However with no cameras or witnesses around we have nothing on the possible culprit,” Jinhwan grimaced and Hanbin let out a groan because he knew what this exactly meant: that most likely they won’t ever catch whoever did it.

They had quite a few petty enemies from the races and local gangs, so it was hard to tell who it could be and why. They even laid low for a while, so why now? It just didn’t make sense. Maybe it was only a few rascals who wanted nothing more than to cause trouble and vandalise strangers’ property.

“That sucks,” Hanbin buried his face into his hands, feeling totally useless. Lately everything was almost too good to be true. Maybe this one was the payback for all the good times.

“Yeah, I know,” Jinhwan agreed, understanding well how he felt. They were all quite devastated. Yet, he tried to find directions for themselves. One step at a time. “Look, I’m gonna take the girls home. You should head back, too. We will figure out what to do tomorrow.”

The racer nodded with a sigh, knowing that they can't do much more tonight and he watched the last of his friends leave. Despite the lingering smell of burns brought by the wind and the dark patch in lieu of the shop, the street started to resemble itself when all that attention died down. He was just about to get into his car heading home as he promised to both Soyeon and Jinhwan when a lean figure blocked his way.

“Hey,” the guy greeted him.

“Oh, hi Donghyuk,” Hanbin shook hands with the neighbour dance studio’s owner. The dancer was also interrogated as a possible witness but since he had a class while it all happened, he couldn’t tell anything. “Sorry for today’s mess.”

“It’s not your fault,” Donghyuk shook his head, sympathy painted all over his features. “Look, I didn’t want to get involved with the cops but thought you might need it,” he cleared his throat as he hands Hanbin a pendrive with a meaningful look. Neither of them needs to say anything more for them to know what it contains.

“Thank you,” Hanbin closed his fingers around the small storage device, nodding towards their neighbour.

“Let me know if I can help in any way around the shop,” the guy said as a goodbye and walked away.

Hanbin stared at his fist for a while before shoving the pendrive into his pocket and got behind the wheel. I had already gotten late in the meantime and he hated to make Soyeon wait in the dark, especially around a neighbourhood he lived in. He texted her that he was on his way before driving off. There were so many different feelings overlapping inside him that it was hard to tell which got him so worked up by the time he parked a block away from his apartment. Was it anticipation to see his girl again? Fear and anger mixed because of the recent event? Excitement to figure out who did it?

Turning around the corner his heart skipped a beat when he saw Soyeon there and a small smile made its way onto his mouth despite the circumstances. She noticed him right away too, standing up from the few steps of stairs in front of the apartment building’s door. But the smile froze to Hanbin’s lips soon after because a few meters behind the girl, a black car flashed its lights and he immediately knew what it meant. Nothing good, that’s for sure.

He had his guts twisted and turned as he gritted his teeth. Walking over the parking lot, he looked past Soyeon as if he didn’t even know her but slowed down when he reached her side.

“Go inside, I’ll follow you in a minute,” he promised in a whisper, dropping his keys into the girl’s open palm, fingers grazing against her hand just a bit longer than intended before he passed by her. He didn’t look back, didn’t confirmed that she did as he asked or not but he heard a door open and close, so he hoped she listened to him.

Yet, his steps were still jittery as he walked to the black minivan and got inside. As his back collided with the leather seat, he sat next to a man in his late thirties. With his Rolex and silk shirt, blowing cigarette smoke into Hanbin’s face, he looked more like a businessman than the gangster he was. But oh well, there was just a fine line between the too around the Ring.

“Still don’t like my offer?” The Ringmaster was known for going straight to the point, so Hanbin wasn’t surprised by his recurring question coming up again but the timing was quite suspicious.

“Was it you?” he asked with lips white in a firm line but he got laughed in the face.

“What? Behind that amateur arson? Don’t kid me, it doesn’t benefit me in any way. But I have eyes everywhere,” the man shrugged and Hanbin had to admit he was right. If he wanted to get his money, taking away a part of his income was no solution. But lately, the man was trying to persuade him to take an empty position in his gang and the racer wasn’t sure how desperate he was, so he didn’t say anything.

“Look, kid, I know you love racing, you love your friends and you loved that shitty shop. I’m offering you a way out of your debts and a job with easy money,” the man said and Hanbin hated when he acted like some kind of fairy godmother. As if it wasn’t him who tossed a once 16 year old kid into such situation.

“I won’t be your runaway driver,” he shook his head, determined to not let himself get swayed. He didn’t want to be more involved in criminal acts than he already was.

“Then deliver me the money, the whole sum by the end of the month. There won’t be any more extensions. If I don’t have it in my hands, I will take everything you own starting from that beloved car of yours, understood?” the Ringmaster growled as hostile as he really was. Hanbin nodded.

“Will you leave me alone once you have the money?”

“You act like it wasn’t an honour making business with me,” the man tsked and rolled his eyes running out of patience. “Just give me my damned money back and we are done. Now get out.”

“Make sure to bet on me next week ’cause I’m gonna win,” Hanbin promised with a confident smile, hands already on the handle.

“Girlfriend?” the gangster called after him suddenly, before he could open the door and there was a lump in the boy’s throat once again. Of course, the bastard had to notice. But he couldn’t see her face, so he couldn’t know who she was, Hanbin tried to reason but he knew it was in vain. If the Ringmaster wanted to find someone, he did.

“Leave her out of this,” Hanbin said through gritted teeth, willing himself not to do anything reckless and stupid. He knew the other was doing it on purpose, he found pleasure in kicking into people already on the ground.

“I will if you fulfill your part of the deal,” the man promised but it sounded like a threat and Hanbin was glad to leave the car behind. After he made sure the minivan disappeared from the sight, he jogged upstairs in the apartment building, knocking on his own door.

Soyeon looked utterly worried when she opened the door. Her face was pale and eyes narrowed in question. But she enveloped him in her arms as soon as he stepped inside with no questions asked. He must have smelled like fire and burns but she hugged him close as if it didn’t matter at all.

“What happened?” she murmured into his chest, sounding small. Hanbin stroked a hand down her back trying to soothe her and himself, too. Feeling her close grounded him.

“I need to tell you something. Let's sit down,” he suggested quietly and even though he didn’t want to lengthen the distance between them, he pulled away and taking her hand in his he led her to the couch in the small living room.

Silence only disturbed by their uneven heartbeats followed and Hanbin didn’t know how to start. It was like ripping off a bandage, he had to do it fast to make it hurt less he knew but he was still afraid of what Soyeon might think. She had never looked down on him because of anything but his past was something that never came up and she deserved to know.

“I’m in a debt. I owe a big pile of money to someone really powerful around here. That’s why I needed the driver job so bad and that’s why I participated in more races lately,” he blurted out quickly, worrying a lip between his teeth without taking his eyes off of their intertwined fingers.

“If it’s money...”

“No, I don’t want you or anyone to pay for it. It’s on me,” Hanbin cut her off early on, not wanting to hear any of it. He appreciated that she cared but it was something he needed to deal with. He got himself into this mess and he was this close to get out finally. “I was sixteen when my parents died. In a car accident, ironically. I had nothing and didn’t know what to do with myself and got into the wrong crowds. They introduced me the Ringmaster who paid me for simple deliveries. It was only later when shit went down that I realized I helped him dealing with drugs. I lost a package, a big one full of cocaine, so he basically owes me ever since. As soon as I learned how to drive he was the one who sent me to races, so he can bet on me and take his share while it gives me time. But lately he has grown inpatient, so it was him reminding me to pay.”

As his voice died down, there was a light, encouraging squeeze on his hand. As Soyeon tugged on it, he had no choice but to look up and to his relief there was no disappointment in her caramel eyes.

“Is this why the next race is so important to you?” she asked curiously, thumb stroking the back of his hand gently. She knew well how much money that meant.

“Yeah.”

“You can do it. I believe you will win and overcome it,” she told him while pressing a kiss on his knuckles lovingly. It warmed Hanbin’s heart and calmed his nerves.

“Thanks. It means a lot,” he said and he couldn’t even express himself with words. He had the fam behind his back and they accepted him as he was, true, but not even all of them knew about his detailed background story with the local gang. And Soyeon who just barely joined these circles could have been freaked out or even ashamed of him for having such life. But instead she seemed proud that he had come such a long way and supported in everything he did.

There was tranquility in the silence that stretched between them after such confession but they couldn’t forget about the circumstances. In the end it was Soyeon who tentatively brought up the topic.

“This Ringmaster… is it possible that ha started the fire?”

“I don’t think so. But...” Hanbin stopped in the middle of his answer to take out the pendrive from his pocket. “We will see.”

He quickly get his laptop from the coffee table and once the operating system loaded, he inserted the device. It had nothing but a video file on it and they exchanged a knowing look before clicking on play. The recording showed the back area of the dance studio but also a piece of the car repair shop too. For a while nothing happened but then a car pulled up at the sideway and two masked guys got out with bottles in their hands pouring their content on and around the wall.

They watch the video in silence but when Hanbin’s muscles tensed, Soyeon nuzzled closer and tried to pry open his heavy fists gently.

It was when the two guys got back into the car that the unmasked driver leaned out of the window and threw a burning lighter onto the liquid that got on fire immediately.

“Oh no... he didn’t,” Soyeon gasped when she recognized the figure on the frozen screen. “He’s a psychopath, he has gone crazy for sure.”

Hanbin didn’t say anything, just detached the pendrive from the computer and handed it over to Soyeon.

“It’s yours,” he said firmly which confused the hell out of the angered girl.

“What?” She blinked gaze shifting between the boy and the device that held all the evidence against Seungyeon. It wasn’t just a petty little crime anymore that their father could have saved him, they both knew it but Hanbin also knew that how much damage something like this could leave on her family. A scandal, all that press, the trials...

“Despite what he did, he’s your brother. I don’t want you to suffer because of this. So it’s your choice whether we use it or not,” he explained patiently with both his hands around hers. Out of the two of them now she was the more shaken up and he wanted to be there for her just like she was there for him.

“Of course you shou-” ld use it, Soyeon wanted to blurt out immediately but she was interrupted with a request.

“Think about it, don’t decide in a hustle.”

“Okay,” she huffed out knowing that Hanbin is right even if in that moment she wanted nothing else but to see his brother finally suffer the consequences of his actions.

This time the quiet was suffocating and heavy. It felt like rain pouring from above.

“Hey Soyeon,” Hanbin whispered as they cuddled on the couch and she hummed acknowledging him. “No matter how you decide, I love you too.”

His voice was soft and fond, honest and he smiled when he finally felt her relax by his side. Everything was so hectic and messy that he didn’t have a chance to tell her earlier but he needed to let it out now. Because even if their worlds were crumbling down around them, at least their love was constant.

[chubark]

(Original Work) The Exchange

           ‘I, Audicus Lens, Imperial Scribe of the Empire of Arvenis, shall write of one of the races that inhabit our fair land of Lania. These words shall be held as official account on matters pertaining to the race that is transcribed into the pages of this text, and shall be consulted when dealing with matters concerning the race in question. The powers vested to me in this sacred charge are given by his grace, chosen by the Goddess, the Emperor, Tanus Deris I, in the year of the Arvenis Empire 1547.

 The Irsazi

             The Irsazi is a species that lives in the Southern Deserts, a dry land dotted by gigantic pillars of stone located far beyond the Skyman Mountains that serve as a barrier between us and the rest of the world. They live in great Hives beneath the ground, in the soft and damp soils that lies beneath the sands. Most of the day-to-day living is conducted in their hives, as the Irsazi are generally uncomfortable with venturing above-ground, especially during the day.

The sun and winds of their desert homes are harsh, which the razorwinds that can kick up due to the loose sands of their homes can score the flesh from a Human in the time it takes to register the pain. The sun can also burn any creature caught in it in a mere hour, making the surface of the desert inhospitable during the daytime. Any activity that occurs with the Irsazi should be either inside a hive or at night, as to avoid the hazards of the desert.

The Irsazi have an ant-like society, which the queen is the mother or sister to all of her subjects and is the head of state. The caste system that the Irsazi employ is based on biology, unlike that of our own Empire The caste of an individual is determined in the larval stage, which the harchling is given a specific mixture of chemicals to induce maturation into the desired caste.

  The Castes of the Irsazi are as follows:

           Merchant-Caste: The Merchant-Case is the ‘main’ caste of an Irsazi hive, and is the primary caste that the other species interact with. It is the most versatile caste, only called such because it is an outside label. The occupations of the Merchant-Caste include, but not limited to: Overseers of the Drudge-Caste, merchants, priests, diplomats, tacticians, scientists, civilians. There are no warriors in the Merchant-Caste; all combat situations are handled by a specific Warrior-Caste. The Merchant-Caste has the second highest amount of intellectual ability of all castes, and are only surpassed by the Queen. In times of extreme emergency, the Merchant-Caste acts as the last defense for the hive, along with the Drudge-Caste.

             Warrior-Caste: The best way to describe the Warrior-Caste is the idea that they are an ‘Enlarged Merchant Caste’, which they sport thicker carapaces as protection. Their fingers are fused together, with the thumb migrating to the individual’s ‘wrist’. This creates a sort of claw mechanism, which has been shown to bend Imperial-forged steel with the greatest of ease. Individuals in the Warrior-Caste are able to form basic strategy when, but their intellectual ability is considerably less than either the Drudge or Merchant-Caste. They are the second most seen caste, usually acting as guards for the Merchant-Caste or hired mercenaries. A secondary function of the Warrior-Caste is for heavy labor, which they are used to clear tunnels when the Drudge-Caste cannot, but the act is still subordinate to the defense of the Hive.

             Drudge-Caste: The Drudge-Caste, which can also be referred to as the Menial Labor caste, are the lowest caste in the Hierarchy, below the Warrior and Merchant. They act as the main food-gathering caste, and act as the farming workforce for the Hive. They can also become effective hunters when groups of Drudge-Caste are paired with an Overseer. When not used for farming, they are the miners, digging in earth with their claws for the metals and stone needed for everyday Hive life. A secondary function of them is the ability to become diggers, which they dig into the earth to expand the Hive and connect the different Hives together. The Drudge-Caste is the largest caste, as many are needed for any project that the Merchants undergo to finish quickly. Their intellectual capacity is lower than both the Merchants and Queen, but is still higher than the Warrior-Caste. They are the second-least seen of the Castes, as they usually spend their time deep in the bowels of the earth, performing the tasks that keep the Hive running. The Caste can be versatile, though this versatility is markedly less so than the Merchant-Caste. Due to this lack of malleability, they join the Merchant Caste as the last line of defense for the Hive.

             Queen-Caste: The Queen is the ‘Highest’ caste of hive, which there is only one per brood. The queen is either the biological mother or sister to each member of the brood, which all castes are subservient to their queen. The queen is the ruler of the brood, akin to that of our fair Emperor. She can promote others as political ruler under certain circumstances, but this circumstance is rare in normal activity. In the event of an emergency, the queen can be ‘disposed’ by other castes, but the act must be a unanimous decision by rulers of each section of society. Ex: The Queen behaving erratically, which drives the Hive into ruin. In an optimal situation, a chosen larva is specially prepared to become the Queen, with a drone being brought in from another brood. In a critical emergency, a female of the Merchant Caste can become the Queen, but the process is considered ‘Sloppy’ and is usually temporary until new Queen is old enough to ‘Ascend’. The temporary Queen is then disposed, as a ‘pure’ Queen is viewed as superior.

             Hives usually contain four unrelated Queens and respective broods. The Broods will usually mate with one another, but will contact other hives if their Queens become related. Queens can leave their Hive and build another, but this is a very rare occurrence, as Queens are created only when they are in demand. Queens are independent with their brood, but must convene with the others if matters concern the entire hive. Each broods defend and gives loyalty to Hive, but loyalty to their Queen outranks that of the Hive.

             Individualism among members is present, but is highly discouraged when dealing with the greater hive. Individuals from any particular Hive will use ‘We’ when referring to the Hive in any public matter, but will switch to ‘I’ when referring to personal matters. Criminals are rare in the hives, but are still a factor of life. The harshest punishment an Irsazi can receive is exile, as death is seen as a ‘release from duty’. Individuals can leave hive to seek his or her own destiny, but the culture makes such occurrences few and far between.

             Larva, while pre-determined to be a caste, do not have the ability to choose profession. There is no general education in the Hive; the larvae are instead taken to a part of society in need of workers. The education for the profession is handled by the eldest members of the occupation. This promotes interdependence on the other professions in society. The Drudge is the most independent caste, but requires both direction and tools from Merchant Caste and protection from Warrior Caste. The Warriors require both food from Drudge and medicine/direction from Merchant.

             While the Irsazi have gods, they believe them to be absent or otherwise uncaring or the species. Instead, they rely on spirits for guidance. Similar to their caste system, the spirits have ranks. At the top are the primordial spirits of the Elements, such as Fire or Water. Below are the spirits of wealth, luck, healing, and etcetera. After them are the spirits of tasks, including cooking, hunting, or blacksmithing. Each profession has a ‘patron spirit’ of this caste, often invoked while performing said tasks. At the bottom of the castes are the spirits of those who have passed on, which all of the living castes belong to. Irsazi are extremely protective of their religion, and insulting it in one’s presence can lead to entire hives shunning the speaker. Their corpses have no funerary rites, as they believe the body is only the (now emptied) shell of the spirit. Often, they will cannibalize the corpse as to not allow it to ‘go to waste’.

             Their language is, perhaps, the most astounding thing about them. Instead of relying purely on the spoken word, like we do, the Irsazi have a complex system that mixes noises and the tapping of their own exoskeletons to give meaning, context, time displacement, and more, giving it a complexity that rivals our own. The tapping of different body parts, the frequency, the fingers involved, and the volume of the taps can divulge so much about what the Irsazi wish to say. To understand this complex communication technique, there are both Human and Irsazi translators willing to teach any of those-‘

             Aera stifled a yawn as she read through this part of her people’s history. The dusty tome tickled her nose and caused her to grimace, the girl half-tempted to put it back onto the shelf. These things were over thirty cycles older than her, written in a time long since passed. Tanus Deris was long since dead, his grandson now seated on the throne. The Irsazi have gone from an unknown species halfway across the world to a common sight in the capital, even Cyferi being an uncommon, but not rare, sight in the streets.

             She closed the book with a snap and put it back up on the shelf. The library was full of these dusty tomes, many written by the author of the Irsazi and more by the scribes he had trained to replace him and help the lords write decrees and keep records. Her own company this day, however, was a candle that sputtered and flickered in its dying throes. She took up the candle and gave one last look to find anything of interest before moving on.

             Her eyes, missing the insignificant piece of parchment the first time she perused the bookshelves, now landed on the yellowed and crinkled piece of paper. With her free hand, she swiped the paper from its resting place on the shelf and opened it, beginning to read the contents inside. One eyebrow shot up immediately upon recognition of the recipient of the mail, and the unmistakable handwriting of the author.

             ‘Your Imperial Majesty, Emperor of Arvenis and Lord of Humanity, I send greetings,

             The Irsazi are nothing like we ever experienced before. Even contact with the Cyferi could not have prepared us for meeting them. They’re insects, my liege, -insects-. Ones taller than even the tallest guard I have with me, and those are only the ones sent to greet our party. Their people live underground is vast structures carved from the very earth, lined with vents to the outside and glowing plants for light. Even the deepest places I visited still felt like a breath of fresh air.

             From what I can understand, they say that it is fortunate we have arrived in the night, since the days in this infernal desert bake them in the sun and the wind tears the shells off their backs. This must be immediately noted by any other teams your majesty wishes to send, so they do not die before they reach the Irsazi.

             From what I see, they can possibly be fast allies of ours, and much more stable than the shifting moods of the Cyferi tribes. Their skill in alchemy is unsurpassed even by our greatest minds, and their metalwork is beautiful and intricate. Their iron supplies seem to be always low, and they are fascinated by the clothes we wear. Clothes, sire! With the amount of sheep and ore we have, we can trade them for food for centuries, if not millennia, to come.

             Speaking of their alchemical skill, sire, they did save Darius from an infection that would have surely killed him. He was wounded in the Cyferi attack mentioned in my last letter, but took a turn for the worse as we travelled farther south. If it weren’t for them, it would have to have fallen on Your Grace’s shoulders to tell your brother that his son was slain by the Cyferi. As it stands now, we can continue negotiations for safe passage through their territory.

             It looks like their people are separated into caste based on physical appearance, with similar appearances going into the same caste. Their soldiers are larger than the average Irsazi, with the strength to move boulders aside. Their workers are much smaller, with a pair of arms on each end of their body. It’s highly fascinating, which I will be sending sketches with my next letter.

             The Irsazi are the key to our survival. Food is abundant in their homeland, despite the top of the land itself being a desert. They serve us all different kinds of foods and drinks, with entire banquet halls stuffed to the brim with food for the Irsazi to eat. The hunger we face, now that the Sky Men’s food supplies are entirely gone, will be a thing of the past.

             Tanus, as your high advisor and your friend, I implore you, command your lords to accept the idea of the Irsazi to help us. I realize it was bad enough for you to send us out to find the Irsazi, but I beg of you to force them to understand what this means for their children and grandchildren. It would be between life for their family or death for them and their peasants.

 May the Light of the Sky Men Grant You Wisdom, Your Imperial Majesty,

-          Audicus Lens’

             Aera stared at the piece of paper, dumbstruck by the casualness of how Audicus

addressed the former emperor. She had known he was childhood friends of Tanus Deris, but to speak to him so plainly in an official letter was unheard of. Taking a moment to clear her head of this revelation, she quickly folded the paper back up and dropped it into the satchel on her hip. With her now-dead candle in tow, she raced out of the library and into the street proper.

             The capital of Arvenis grew out of the first city the Sky Men built on Lania, but the toll of them leaving the Arveni had turned their orderly city into a twisted maze of streets and alleys. Only the Emperor’s sanctum and the area around it retained the original vision of the Sky Men, which grew smaller in comparison to the city by the year.

             One of the houses in this section was her destination this night, the windows dark from the outside. She proceeded into the house straight away, not bothering to knock before she entered. An old man lay on a cot on the other side of the room, his wrinkled features smoothed by a pleasant dream. Aera, instead of immediately waking the man, went over to the candle on a weathered desk and lit it, filling the room with a soft glow.

             Slowly but surely, the candle’s light slowly caused the old man to waken, rubbing the sleep from his eyes with wrinkled hands as his vision, blurred by sleep and night, adjusted in the face of the candle. When he finally cleared his vision, he turned to look at Aera, whom occupied a chair against the adjacent wall.

             “Aera, my dear… What is the matter? It’s late at night.” The old man, dressed in nothing more than a sleeping gown, slowly crawled out of bed, aided by a staff carved from the pine that the Sky Men brought with them. Aera simply stared at him for a minute, unable to speak, until she dug into her pack and pulled out the note. She offered it to the man, who took it with a surprisingly even hand and started to read.

             After a minute, the man sighed and put down the note, sitting in the chair by the desk and staring into the candlelight. Aera stared at him still, silent in her judgement of him. Finally, after a few minutes of quiet, the man turned towards Aera. “He was my friend, you know,” the old man said, staring at the young woman. At her silence, he signed and looked towards the note again. “I know what you’re thinking, but, truth be told, I believe my urging got him to accept the Irsazi’s help. We were dying, Aera. A few sacrilegious comments to an Emperor was worth saving our people.”

             Finally, Aera spoke, “It wasn’t that… I just did not know that you knew him so personally, grandfather. I know grandmother died in the famine before that, but… I guess I didn’t really appreciate what kind of work you and the Emperor did for the people.”

             Audicus formed a quiet, tired smile at her words, a hand placed on the back of the chair as he stared at her. “And few still will ever know, Aera. Of how Tanus and I saved us. But… Perhaps it’s better that way. Less people to want to lynch me for speaking frugally to an Emperor.” He shrugged quietly, then stood once more and shuffled back to his bed. As Aera stood and went to the doorway, Audicus licked his fingers and pinched the candle out, and, with one final look at each other, Audicus laid down for bed and Aera, once more, disappeared into the night.

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Shankhapushpi

Shankhpushpi, clad by the vernacular names Shankhini, Kambumalini, Samkhapushpi, Sadaphuli, and Sankhaphuli is an intense memory sponsor and mind tonic that effectively attempts to further develop knowledge and working of the cerebrum. The name shankhpushpi was given to the plant attributable to its shankh or conch formed blossoms. It likewise helps in upgrading fixation, learning capacities, mental exhaustion, sleep deprivation, stress, tension, gloom, and so on Additionally Read: Sage: 5 Stunning Health Benefits Of The Memory Boosting Herb

shankhpushpi blossom

What is Shankhpushpi?

Shankhpushpi, which passes by the herbal name Convolvulus pluricaulis is a lasting plant local to India. Notable as morning-wonder, speed wheel or Aloe weed in English, this restorative spice has explicit pointed stone molded leaves and bulb-formed blue or white blossoms. The spice is very helpful and is utilized from root to tips for its wide scope of restorative advantages.

The comprehensive study of ayurveda advocates shankhpushpi in different rasayanas or details and sacred texts by the Sanskrit names Shyamakranta, Visnukranta, Vaishnava, Sankhaholi, Vishnugandhi, Vishnukranti, Shankavall, Vishnukrantha, Krishnaenkranti, Nilashankhapushpi, Ksheerpushpi, Laghuvishnukranta, Erravishnukaraantha.

The host of properties including Medhya (memory sponsor), Vamana (Vomiting), Deepana (upgrades stomach discharge), Pachana (helps in absorption), Rochana (animates hunger), Kusthahara (treats skin illness), Shothahara (lessens aggravation), Hridaya (treats heart issues), Jantujit (alleviates from worm pervasion) makes this otherworldly spice a strong arrangement of umpteen medical issues.

Impact On Doshas

Shankhpushpi portrays Tikta Rasa (unpleasant taste). It shows Snigdha (slick, tacky) and Pichhil (vile) gunas, Sheeto Virya (cold intensity) and Madhura Vipaka (sharp metabolic property). It appeases Tridoshas, for example the Pitta (fire and air), Vata (air) and Kapha (earth and water) doshas and works more on Vata and Pitta doshas. Additionally Read: Introduction To Ayurveda: Learn About Vata, Pitta And Kapha Doshas

Known as Mangalyakushuma in Sanskrit which implies carrier of favorable luck and wellbeing, every single piece of this smooth white bloomed plant is incredibly advantageous for treating a large group of sicknesses and working on the life span of life.

Phytochemical Constituents

The mysterious natural cure overall contains a bunch of dynamic constituents including alkaloids like shankhapushpine, convolvuline, convolidine, convolvine, convolamine, convoline, confoline, convozine. Other than these, it additionally contains unstable oils, unsaturated fats, greasy alcohols, hydrocarbons, palmitic acids, linoleic acids, myristic acids, flavonoids, steroids-phytosterols, D-glucose, maltose, sucrose, starch, rhamnose, and different sugars, proteins, and amino acids.

shankhpushpi medical advantages

Medical advantages Of Shankhapushpi

Works on Cognitive Functioning:

Shankhpushpi is a customary solution for expanding the working of the cerebrum. The incredible cell reinforcements and flavonoids present in it further develop the memory limit, center, fixation, serenity, readiness of a person. Being a mind tonic and trigger, individuals taking shankhpushpi have further developed memory, thinking, critical thinking, and other psychological capacities. The neuroprotective components in the plant forestall loss of memory and diminish pressure from the mind.

Diminishes Mental Fatigue:

Mental exhaustion is a state of inordinate and delayed psychological action. It generally happens because of inordinate work utilizing a PC, sitting in front of the TV for quite a long time, learning or remembering exercises, and so on and makes an individual lose focus and feel torpid. Shankhpushpi is an amazing memory promoter that aides in upgrading the cerebrum's functioning limit and decrease the deficiency of fixation.

Admission of a decoction of a spoonful of shankhpushpi powder with a glass of water consistently can do ponders in boosting your memory.

Shankhpushpi for Depression

Shankhapushpi holds high importance because of its intense enemy of stress, hostile to burdensome and against nervousness properties are amazingly valuable for treating various kinds of insane issues like despondency, dementia, fretfulness, and so forth It adjusts the cerebrum synthetics for example synapses and ups the discharge of dopamine which thus monitors the serotonin level and assists with diminishing different indications of tension which incorporates anxiety, disquiet, cold hands, and feet, and helps in loosening up the psyche and body.

Upgrades Cardiac Functioning:

Shankhpushpi is incredibly compelling in treating different heart sicknesses because of its solid antioxidative nature. It reinforces the heart muscles and forestalls lipid develop in the veins. The bioactive constituents like the ethanolic extricate lessen the degrees of non-esterified unsaturated fats for example NEFA, and henceforth lessens the danger of respiratory failures, heart blocks, blood clumps, and so on It additionally assumes a vital part in bringing down the degrees of cholesterol in the blood.

Invigorates Digestion:

The stomach related properties found in this conventional spice is observed to be very helpful in further developing assimilation. It invigorates the emission of stomach related squeezes consequently expanding the ingestion of fundamental supplements and improving assimilation. It likewise forestalls liquid maintenance and treats manifestations of stomach torment, stomach distension, ulcerative colitis, and peevish gut condition.

shankhpushpi for skin

Expands Skin Health:

Shankhpushpi assumes a critical part in treating different skin diseases. The plenitude of cancer prevention agents in the powerful spice is extremely successful in eliminating unsafe free revolutionaries from the body and its antipruritic nature reduces tingling sensation caused because of hypersensitive conditions like psoriasis, skin inflammation, skin inflammation, burn from the sun and so on It additionally goes about as a skin tonic, infiltrates profound into the skin, sustains it from the inside and bestows a brilliant and solid sparkle. Aside from this, antioxidative nature additionally treats the different indications of maturing like wrinkles, scarce differences, dull spots, and so on

Apply a combination of a tablespoon of shankhpushpi powder with nectar and rose water all over consistently, to decrease spots and scarcely discernible differences and accomplish a more youthful restored brilliant skin.

Forestalls Headache:

Shankhpushpi holds high importance in giving help from persistent migraines, strain, and so forth Regularly, migraine happens because of unreasonable responsibility, stress, tension, and so forth It has an alleviates disturbed nerves, quiets the mind and further develops nerve work. Additionally Read: Five Common Types Of Headaches: Causes, Symptoms And Treatment

Kneading the temple with shankhpushpi oil assists with diminishing migraines and give a mitigating and cooling impact.

What Is Shankhpushpi Good For?

Shankhpushpi for Insomnia

Shankhpushpi decreases the degrees of cortisol which is a pressure chemical and accordingly constricts pressure and works on the quality, length and gives a serene rest.

Drinking a spoonful of shankhpushpi powder blended in a glass of milk and Jeera, prior to resting is profoundly compelling in managing body digestion, prompting rest and treating rest problems like sleep deprivation. Likewise Read: Types of Insomnia: Here's What You Should Do To Sleep

Shankhpushpi for Anorexia Nervosa

Anorexia nervosa is a dietary problem wherein an individual experiences self-starvation. It is likewise appended to psychological well-being as the individual experiences low weight issues, dread of putting on weight, lower confidence and an extreme longing to lessen weight. The individual additionally has a deficiency of craving or want to eat any food. Shankhpushpi is a characteristic starter and helps in the processing of food, further develops craving and assists the individual with eating.

Shankhpushpi for Infections

A few investigations show that Shankhpushpi has strong enemy of bacterial properties that are broadly utilized for eliminating microbes from the body. The bioactive mixtures present in this conventional spice forestalls worm invasion as well as treats wounds and works on mending.

Shankhpushpi for Hypertension

The dynamic parts in shankhpushpi make it a proper solution for individuals experiencing hypertension or hypertension. It forestalls the corridors from solidifying for example atherosclerosis, in this manner diminishing strokes and forestalling heart illnesses. Shankhpushpi functions as an astounding normal solution for hypertension treatment.

Shankhpushpi for Ulcers

The glycoprotein emissions of the spice have been discovered in different examinations to be amazingly powerful in treating various kinds of stomach ulcer including peptic and ulcerative colitis.

Shankhpushpi for Neural Diseases

This memory-boosting spice is a mysterious solution for a large group of insane illnesses like epilepsy, dementia, Alzheimer's as it forestalls the obliteration of neurons and works on psychological working. Likewise Read: World Alzheimer's Day: Try These Nutritious Smoothies To Enhance Brain Function

Shankhpushpi For Pregnancy

This spice is viewed as safe for pregnant ladies as it successfully reinforces the uterus and forestalls premature deliveries. Counsel your primary care physician on utilizing a combination of shankhpushpi and ashwagandha churna for a course of 3 to 4 months if there should arise an occurrence of successive unnatural birth cycles.

shankhpushpi tonic

Shankhpushpi Formulations

Shankhapushpi is generally accessible in the market in different structures like tablets or cases known as gutikas, powder or churna, juice or kashayam, syrup or arishtam, oil or tailam. Be that as it may, for the most part it is utilized as syrup.

Shankhpushpi Syrup

Fixings (per 10 ml)

Shankhpushpi (Convolvulus pluricaulis) 200 mg

Brahmi (Bacopa monnieri) 50 mg

Sugar (Sarkara) 8000 mg

Citrus extract (Nimbu swaras) 6 mg

The signs of shankhpushpi syrup are simply equivalent to that of the actual spice.

Measurements Of The Various Shankhpushpi Formulations

[satire-please]

My Teeth Are Like Swords

Summary: Because I like the irony of Tim Drake being a fire-breathing Drake too much...

Tim waits under the huge clock at City Hall for midnight. He doesn’t know why all city halls like to sport a giant clock like it’s all the rage, but whatever. It seems like the best place for a bit of melodrama. (Besides, he’s taken tips from the best drama queen cough starts with a ‘B’ and rhymes with juice cough). The hand strikes the top and the clock booms, each gong vibrating his body underneath the clock face and finally—finally—Tim turns eighteen.

And Tim Drake Wayne gets what he’s been waiting for.

Sparks crackle under his tongue as his pupils narrow for a moment to take in the stars through the miles of smog. His skin ripples impatiently as his mother’s magic bubbles up and wakes in his bones at last. Finally, he thinks rubbing his chest at the fire that freaking hurts thank you very much right under his sternum. That’s gonna take awhile to get used to. Finally, he smiles when he looks down his shirt to see the muted glow flickering in time with his heartbeat. Ready to burn when necessary.

It's beyond totally rad.

Awaking his inner core is like being Robin for the first time again. Where everything is brand new: the sights, the smells, even the air tastes fresh with chemicals Tim can only begin to decipher coating his roof of his mouth. His heart beats hard at how exciting and dangerous it all is, just enough to make normal people run away screaming.

But then again when has he ever been normal?

Not since Mother set him on her knee to tell him what he is, what she is. Tim absentmindedly pulls off a gauntlet to claw the side of the building, trying to soothe his itching and aching nails as flashes of her pass through his mind.

Like the night when Mother thawed enough to remember her duties to her clutch egg. The eight-year-old boy fitting tight in her lap as she tends to his hands.

“We’re lucky your claws are soft enough for obsidian,” she muses as she efficiently moves from digit to digit, the volcanic glass snipping quickly. “When you’re older you'll have to grind them down with something more...durable, metal for instance, over and over to sharpen them to your liking.”

(Like he’s doing now. Augh. He’ll have to find a parking garage or something. Somewhere loud enough to cover the screeching nails on chalkboard sound, somewhere where the grooves he’s making will go unnoticed.)

The boy bounces once or twice and then bites his lip. “Mother?”

“Yes, my pet?”

“Did you marry Dad because his name was Drake?” Tim asks, looking up. There’s a scale somewhere at the base of her jaw, he just knows it.

“No.” But her tone mildly suggests otherwise. At Tim’s sceptical face she adds, “It might have made me more susceptible to his advances, however.”

“Oh my gosh, you so did.” His mom kept his dad over a pun.

Janet hums, bemused at her clutch child. What a silly thing. When his nails are done, she grooms his hair, double-checking for signs to hide. A charm or two can go a long way. Besides, she and Jack leave in the morning and it will not do for one of hers to be unkempt. Sometimes she wonders if the only reason she convinces Jack to return is for this, to sate the itch, the biting lips, the shaking of her fingers that will only stop if she checks and accounts for the hoard. Not that her human mate knows that everything in the quiet mansion is a part of her treasure.

“Are you ever going to tell Dad?”

“Tell him what?” She goes still. Her child is growing clever too fast. Not as easily placated as before.

Tim carefully moves, tracing the lone black piece that glimmers in the hollow under her ear.

She cocked her head at him, the crack her neck makes is unnatural. Her eyes flare a tiny bit bringing the purple out of them, the same purple that hides in Tim’s eyes. “No. Humans always panic.”

Tim cringes. “Always?”

“Always. And their weapons, their toys, my pet? Have gotten much, much better.” At his crestfallen face, she swoops down to press a kiss to his forehead. It burns. He knows there will be a light mark tomorrow, but he’ll still treasure it and outline where it used to be when it’s long gone. “Besides I’ve already decided to spend the rest of my days in this form with your father. Why tell him about something he’ll never see?”

The notion is irritating and Janet refuses to waste time considering it. Humans are so hard to convince. Hard to convince that the idea of your being is real and then hard to convince that you mean them no harm. Janet huffs. A dragon’s patience is not limitless.

“Well, don’t you need to tell him about me?” He peers at her through his bangs.

Janet purses her lips. “Perhaps. We do not know how your father’s blood will mix with mine. We’ll see if it’s necessary when you come of age...but I doubt when your lessons are done that you’d be so foolish to slip and reveal yourself.” A hint to fang escapes her at the thought.

Tim gulped loudly.

“Oh, stop that. Your emotions are too clear, Timothy. Remember: cold face, cold voice. Let no one know your belly’s hot.”

Tim schools his face and tries his last question. “Do you really have to go?”

“Oh, my son, one day you will understand the call to find, to take, and hoard for yourself. But never collect people, Timothy.” Her sharp nails rake carefully over his scalp. The next words are softer, almost gentle for the ruthless woman. “Humans are too hard to keep, they don’t stay where you leave them...your heart weeps when they never stay.”

(Tim should have listened. There’s an old ache beyond the fire in his veins. Steph, Kon, Bart, Bruce...Dick. Yeah. He was an idiot. Then again...he shouldn’t have thought they were his in the first place.)

She turns him and settles the young child into bed. Pats the covers and turns off the lights. “If nothing else comforts you, remember this...you and your father are the only people in my hoard.” The glow of her eyes lulls him to sleep.

And the phrase did comfort him. No matter how rare it was for her to be warm, no matter how long their ‘trips’ were, no matter how utterly alone he felt among the priceless antiques and artifacts that multiplied over the years. He had a place to belong.

He was hers.

She just wasn't...his.

In the present, he stands and shakes himself loose from the wall. The others will be coming for him soon. Or at least Dick will. Something about birthday wishes and all that. You never know what is really going to hit the vigilante as super important, though it’s funny to see him shake up the bunch of bats. Tim even thinks he saw Damian kicking wrapping paper under the bed. Dick really did a number on him.

“Drake!”

Speak of the devil and he shall appear. Tim smirks, and slips from the roof to meet the boy on another. (Gotta leave the evidence behind somehow, right?). He hears boots clip the side of the building with an angry huff.

Too bad Mother’s adages have their limits. The traditional favorite of ‘Eat him’ is just not going to cut it. No matter how tempting the solution is whenever Damian decides to be annoying, or vicious.

It’s regrettable sometimes.

Luckily, the boy has mellowed out from ‘let me stab you’ to ‘let me stab your insecurities’. It’s progress. Dick is so proud.

“Where have you been?” Damian snarls, getting up into Tim’s space. “Father and others have been wasting precious time looking for you everywhere. Even Grayson has cut back patrol for this ridiculous farce of a celebration.”

“Oh, did he? I didn’t get the memo.”

“Yes, you did,” the preteen hisses. “Grayson has sent text messages all day. If you say your phone has not been vibrating itself into oblivion, then you shall be the filthiest liar in my association.”

Aw, Tim feels so honored. “My phone is dead?”

Damian puffs up and Tim with his new sight can even see his face flush red in the dark. “Must you be absolutely impossible? How could you–” He freezes and sniffs the air primly. Then he turns to the man enraged. “Drake...have you been smoking?”

“Why would I be–yes.” Tim switches tracks so fast his own head spins a little. “Yes. I’ve been smoking.” Fuck, he didn’t think that effect would take place so soon. He swallows down the version of nitroglycerin lingering in his mouth awkwardly and breathes through his nose to drown his sparks. But hey, the excuse would work, huh? Even mother carried a box of cigarettes just in case.

“Alfred shall be most displeased.” Damian narrows his eyes in disapproval.

“Well, Alfred should know that I’ve turned eighteen. I’m now an official adult. Free to destroy my body in any way I choose like the Waynes before me. Be grateful that I’ve picked my vice in coffee and smoke instead of the horrible wiles of flesh...like Dick.”

The line earns him a wrinkled nose and glare. “You are completely despicable, Drake.”

“I am,” Tim continues. “But don’t you fear, you won’t catch me smoking. Ever. No secondhand smoke ruining your lungs for you.”

“How beyond gracious of you,” Damian snorts. Tim smiles. Damian pushes on his back towards the edge of the building. “Now come. Everyone is waiting for you and you will not waste my time a second more.

For that, Tim deliberately takes the long way home, just to hear Damian angrily spew curses behind him. It’s his birthday, let him have this.

He takes into account other changes in the meantime. His steps are a little quicker, his jumps higher, longer until he uses his grappling hook only as a means to not to arouse suspicion to the boy struggling to keep up behind him until Tim actually slows down to keep the distance between them short. He bets he’s stronger too, but any other tests will have to wait. He’s probably not as strong as a meta, like Kon or Clark...not like this of course, but it won’t be something to laugh at.

Like how well his skin can take a hit..or a bullet now.

Poor B. The Bats really pride themselves on being completely powerless. Using tools and toys to compete with the whole superhero community (and generally come out kicking all their asses). Tim was gonna have to work twice as hard to cover up his tracks to avoid any...realizations. It’ll take a detective to fool a detective or take a few more ‘Titan’ missions out of Gotham to keep things under wraps. Missions that are more working on the tight pinch growing between his shoulder blades that’s starting to get real annoying. After a few hours he’ll definitely have to find a place to shift soon. Shed skin and fly until light cracks over the dirty city.

Will he have the same coloring as Mother? Dark ebony scales that merge into the night? Is he the size of a horse? A house?

Tim can’t wait to find out.

“H-Hurry up, Drake!” Damian wheezes when he gets the lead for a second or two. You know, when Tim pauses enough to let him catch up.

“Coming.”

He can’t wait to see what kind of Drake he is. In his ear, he can almost hear an echo of his Mother’s voice.

‘Happy Birthday...my pet.’

Happy Birthday indeed.

[lcohen35]

Assignment 10 Final Draft: Are We Willing to be Inconvenienced For Sustainability?

According to physicist Albert Einstein, ‘A clever person solves a problem; a wise person avoids it’” (Miller and Spoolman 2016, 596).  This is a perfect analysis of a zero waste lifestyle; zero wasters avoid making trash as a whole rather than looking for solutions of where to put it.

In my opinion, chapter 17 was a weird chapter because it focused highly on the effects of hazards on humans, and not the environment. It didn’t feel like it belonged in this text. Both chapters cited very controversial examples of responsible waste management/recycling, in my opinion. But, I digress. Here’s what I got out of it. 

#WhatMajorHealthHazardsDoWeFace?

We face major health hazards from biological, chemical, natural and cultural factors along with our lifestyle choices. Biological hazards include bacteria, viruses, parasites, protozoa and fungi. Chemical hazards include harmful chemicals in air, water, soil and human-made products. Natural hazards include fire, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, floods, tornadoes and hurricanes. Cultural hazards include unsafe working conditions, criminal assault and poverty. Lifestyle choice hazards include smoking, poor food choices and unsafe sex. The hazard of Coronavirus which we are facing right now is a biological hazard.

#HowDoBiologicalHazardsThreatenHumanHealth?

Biological hazards can be highly contagious, passing from one person to another, but they don’t have to be. The book talks about how the risks of these hazards, like infectious diseases are declining, but still remain relevant in less developed countries. That’s a bit ironic right now because of Coronavirus. The book also mentions how climate change amplifies the effects of these hazards due to their tendency to breed rapidly in warmer climates. This is a bit terrifying with summer approaching. Another major issue threatening humans is that some of the bacteria which causes infectious diseases have become immune to antibiotics, which makes them more difficult to treat and easier to spread. The spread is also made easier by population growth, which forces higher person-to-person interaction as cities become more dense.

Some believe the Coronavirus originated from bats in a Chinese province. If that is true, it wouldn’t be the first time a disease spread from one animal to another (us). There is a whole field of medicine called Ecological Medicine which studies this connection. Their findings have shown that it is increasingly important to regulate the consumption and trade of exotic animals to prevent the spread of infectious disease. However, in reality, I can see how this can be quite difficult and can come off as colonialistic, in imposing western culture on different cultural norms than our own.

Figure 1. Solutions to Infectious Diseases (Miller and Spoolman 2016, 452.)

#HowDoChemicalHazardsThreatenHumanHealth?

Some chemicals in the environment can cause cancers and birth defects, and disrupt the human immune, nervous and endocrine systems. Toxic chemicals can cause temporary or permanent damage or even death to humans. The EPA has found that almost ½ of the fish tested in 500 US lakes and reservoirs had above safe levels of mercury (Miller and Spoolman 2016, 453). Mercury is a toxic metal naturally released into the air. However, ⅔ of the mercury existing in our atmosphere comes unnaturally from human activity: coal, industrial plants, cement kilns, smelters and solid-waste incinerators. Since Mercury is an element, it cannot be broken down, and it builds up in whatever area it comes to pollute. Humans are exposed to mercury through the food we eat or the air we breathe. This exposure to mercury can cause reduced IQs and nervous system damage. 

Figure 2. Movement of Different Forms of Mercury Through the Environment (Miller and Spoolman 2016, 454).

Figure 3. How to Prevent/Control Mercury Inputs (Miller and Spoolman 2016, 454).

Certain chemicals can affect the endocrine system because they have structures which mimic natural hormones. This can allow them to disrupt sexual development and reproduction. Some of these chemicals, or hormone disruptors, include the ones which are used to make plastics more flexible. Specifically, BPA has been a controversial material used in plastics, because research has shown that low levels of BPA can cause brain damage, early puberty, decreased sperm count, cancer, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, liver damage, impaired immune function, impotence and obesity. Consumers have the power to choose BPA free products, but some manufacturers have just replaced the chemical with a similar synthetic, which defeats the purpose. 

The book suggests that a simple way to help ourselves is to just switch to cleaner products. However, the book fails to recognize this is not accessible for many people in the US, because “clean” products tend to be more expensive. 

Figure 4. Ways to Limit Exposure to Hormone Disruptors (Miller and Spoolman 2016, 455).

#HowCanWeEvaluateRisksFromChemicalHazards?

Scientists use animal testings, case reports, and epidemiological studies to estimate the toxicity of chemicals. They evaluate dosage, solubility, persistence, and biological magnification, to name a few factors. There are many ethical factors which go into animal testing, and since more humane options exist, consumers have the option to buy products that do not test on animals.

“‘Toxicologists know a great deal about a few chemicals, a little about many, and next to nothing about most’” (Miller and Spoolman 2016, 459). Though toxicologists are working hard to evaluate these risks, they overall recommend pollution prevention to reduce our exposure to harmful chemicals. Living in a developed country, we have all likely been exposed to potentially harmful chemicals, but we should avoid it whenever possible.

The book specifically cites 3M and Dupont as business leaders in chemical recycling, which is laughable. Both Dupont and 3M have been involved in environmental scandals of their own, ruined communities, and then tried to deny it when the time came to own up. I can’t fathom why the book would cite these two as examples of responsible businesses following the precautionary principle.

In order to follow the precautionary principle we (businesses, government, individuals) must:

assume new chemicals and technologies could be harmful unless proven otherwise

remove the existing chemicals and technologies that have been assumed safe thus far from the market until proven so

The European Union has already begun to apply the precautionary principle through pollution prevention by phasing out the dirty dozen.

Figure 5. Potentially Harmful Chemicals Found in the Home (Miller and Spoolman 2016, 460).

#HowDoWePercieveAndAvoidRisks?

We can avoid risks by becoming informed, thinking critically and making conscious choices. The best ways to avoid individual health risks are to avoid smoking, lose excess weight, reduce consumption of sugary foods, eat a variety of fruits and vegetables, exercise regularly, drink little to no alcohol, avoid excessive sunlight and practice safe sex. Technological risks can be difficult to estimate due to their complexity. But we can do so by calculating their probability of success (Reliability=Tech Reliability x Human Reliability).

Designer William Mcdonough came up with the cradle-to-cradle approach to the life-cycle of products; “we should think of products as part of a continuing cycle instead of becoming solid wastes that end up as litter or being burned or deposited in landfills” (Miller and Spoolman 2016, 574). This is a form of biomimicry, a cycle which replicates the cycle of nature. This way of thinking has also been called closed-loop, and needs to be implemented at the design stage of a product, planning out every step of consumption.

It is important to note that some people are unable to avoid risks. The poor and unimmunized are particularly susceptible to disease. There's a privilege to being able to avoid contact, as in many areas people live with many members of their family in tight quarters and are unable to avoid contact with germs. This fact outlines how for some communities, even if you know the risks, you might still just have to live with them. The cycle of poverty is also worsened during a pandemic due to lower level client facing jobs increasing the susceptibility to disease. The poor are also less likely to receive medical assistance and less likely to have health insurance. The intersection of vulnerabilities is an important factor to consider when avoiding risk. The basic rule of thumb is, the more vulnerable you are before a disaster, you are exponentially more after the fact. 

#WhatEnvironmentalProblemsAreRelatedToSolidAndHazardousWastes?

Solid waste contributes to pollution and contains valuable resources that could be reused or recycled. Municipal solid waste (MSW) is what we throw out in our lives everyday–huge amounts of trash. We also produce industrial waste through agriculture, mining and industry. Without humans, this problem of this type of waste wouldn’t exist, because the natural wastes of one organism become nutrients or raw materials for another. We will always produce some waste, due to the law of conservation of matter, but cradle-to-cradle design could help reduce our waste and environmental harm by 80%. The United States produces the most waste in the world, “enough MSW to fill a bumper-to-bumper convoy of garbage trucks long enough to circle the earth’s equator almost six times” (Miller and Spoolman 2016, 576).

Figure 6. Composition of MSW in the US and Where It Goes After Collection (Miller and Spoolman 2016, 576).

Many people have the misconception that landfills operate as huge compost piles where biodegradable waste will eventually break down in a short time. But in reality, decomposition takes a long time in a landfill due to lack of sunlight, water, and air.

Hazardous waste contributes to pollution, natural capital degradation, health problems and premature deaths. This type of waste is corrosive, toxic, flammable, can be explosive and cause disease. The two major types of hazardous wastes are organic compounds and toxic heavy metals. E-waste is a large source of this type of waste. Much of e-waste is shipped to foreign countries where the labor is cheap and environmental regulations are lax. “More developed countries produce 80-90% of the world’s hazardous wastes, and the United States is the largest producer” (Miller and Spoolman 2016, 577). This means as human societies progress, we degrade the environment that allowed us to do so.

#HowShouldWeDealWithSolidWaste?

We should deal with solid waste by reducing our production of it, reusing or recycling it and safely disposing of it. Waste management is imperative to dealing with solid waste, but prevention and reduction are more effective. Integrated waste management combines all of these approaches, and is the most realistic.

Figure 7. Priorities Recommended by the US National Academy of Sciences for Dealing with MSW compared with The Reality (Miller and Spoolman 2016, 579).

The 4 R’s by priority are

Refuse: Don’t use it.

Reduce: Use less of it.

Reuse: use it over and over.

Recycle: Upcycle, compost, and follow local recycling rules.  

The question becomes, is it the responsibility of individuals to take these actions, or the responsibility of the system to change and make it really easy for individuals to do so? I think a combination of both. Producers of trash tend to focus on source separation as the most cost effective form of recycling. However, this puts a lot of owness on the consumer to be knowledgable on their local recycling practices. 

6 Strategies that industries and communities can use to reduce resource use, waste and pollution:

Change industrial processes to eliminate or reduce harmful chemical use.

Redesign manufacturing processes and products to use less material and energy.

Develop products that are easy to repair, reuse, remanufacture, compost or recycle.

Establish cradle-to cradle responsibility laws.

Eliminate and/or reduce unnecessary packaging.

Use fee-per-bag solid waste collection systems.

#WhyAreWeRefusingReducingReusingAndRecyclingSoImportant?

We refuse, reduce, reuse and recycle what we use to decrease our consumption of matter and energy resources, reduce pollution and natural capital degradation and save money.

Questions to ask yourself to avoid a throwaway economy:

Do I really need this? (refuse)

How many of these do I actually need? (reduce)

Is this something I can use more than once? (reuse)

Can this be converted into the same or a different product when I am done with it? (recycle)

Figure 8. Some Ways to Reuse (Miller and Spoolman 2016, 582).

Businesses are also forming out of people’s desire to avoid waste, such as rental clothing, furniture and child’s toys. Additionally recycling businesses are arising to give people points for recycling, or to recycle non recyclable products. Terracycle is a company that partners with brands to recycle their packaging in order to divert it from a landfill (Terracycle 2020).

Recycling is a complex and expensive process, so it is not the most sustainable form of waste diversion. Additionally, incorrect sorting for recycling is ineffective. 

Figure 9. Advantages and Disadvantages of Recycling (Miller and Spoolman 2016, 585).

#WhatAreTheAdvantagesAndDisadvantagesOfBurningOrBuryingSolidWaste?

Figure 10. Trade-Offs of Burning Solid Waste (Miller and Spoolman 2016, 587).

Figure 11. Trade-Offs of Landfills (Miller and Spoolman 2016, 588).

#HowShouldWeDealWithHazardousWaste?

We should deal with hazardous waste by producing less of it, reusing or recycling it, converting it to less hazardous materials, and safely storing it. Most countries follow these priorities poorly. The long-term solution is prevention, but short term the other options will suffice. Hazardous waste can be detoxified physically, chemically or biologically. Additionally plasma gasification can be used to treat the waste, but it is quite expensive. Burial of hazardous waste is the most common form of storage in the United States and abroad due to low cost. But the environmental costs of leakage into groundwater are high. The current regulation for this type of storage is inadequate. Actually, 95% of the hazardous and toxic wastes produced in the United States are unregulated, and even less are regulated in less developed countries. The consequences of this is that about $1.7 trillion is spent on the cleanup of toxic waste, not including legal fees. And we pay for it through our taxes!

#HowCanASocietyShiftToALowWasteEconomy?

“Shifting to a low waste economy will require individuals and businesses to reduce resource use and to reuse and recycle most solid and hazardous wastes at local, national and global levels” (Miller and Spoolman 2016, 594). Bottom-up campaigns are essential in the process including sit-ins, concerts, protests, rallies, and petitions. Manufacturers of waste feel that it needs to be managed, while citizens feel that waste needs to be reduced; it is a constant struggle.

3 Factors hinder reuse and recycling

The market prices of products are not applying full-cost pricing.

The economic playing field is uneven because resource extraction usually receives more subsidies than reuse and recycling industries.

The demand and the price paid for recycled goods fluctuates since it isn’t a high priority for consumers.

We can reverse these factors by attaching deposit fees or fee-per bag charges and governments can pass laws requiring companies to take back, recycle and/or reuse packaging and e-waste. Overall, a change in mindset must be adopted to the way in which we consume in the following ways.

We must understand:

Everything is connected.

There is no “throw away” for our wastes.

Producers and polluters should pay for their produced wastes.

We can mimic nature by reusing, recycling, composting or exchanging MSW.

(Miller and Spoolman 2016, 596).

Additionally, I watched No Impact Man for this post, where Colin Beavin asks, what if we tried not to hurt the environment? And what are we willing to give up to do so? He spent a year living zero waste, only buying food within a 250 mile radius, and only traveling by foot and bike. He shopped at local farmers markets, turned off his electricity, homemade cleaning products and in the end adopted a different mindset towards life. Beavin began to understand the disconnection between humans and nature through consumption. Personally, I have been pursuing zero waste for 3 years, and even I thought the guy was a bit extreme. His critics felt the same way. In the film, Beavin noted how some environmentalists had reached out to him saying he was giving the rest of us a bad rep. But I think it’s important for people to understand the validity of the experiment, and how little thought goes into most peoples’ everyday impact. This strikes a nerve in American culture because we are a society built on American corporate capitalism. Through No Impact Man, Beavin also balanced the question of individual versus collective action. Some other critics said if we could do it without government and business aid, then what’s the problem? I think the problem is that living how Colin lived is seen as extreme and unrealistic for most people due to the inconveniences it causes. Individual action requires people to be engaged, and creates the demand for the world to look differently.

Figure 12. Zero Waste. Personal Photo.

Word Count: 3000 Words

Question: How can zero-waste lifestyles be more attractive and accessible?

Works Cited

Miller, G. Tyler, and Scott E. Spoolman. 2016. Living in the Environment: Nineteenth Edition, 441-596. Canada: Cengage Learning.

Wurmfeld, E. (Producer), & Gabbert, L. (Director). (2009). No Impact Man [Motion Picture]. Toronto, ON : Mongrel Media.

Terracyle. 2020. “About Terracycle.” Accessed April 6, 2020. https://www.terracycle.com/en-US/about-terracycle?utm_campaign=admittance&utm_medium=menu&utm_source=www.terracycle.com

[ceciljourney-blog]

Mind over Body

So I left off last time with how we found out about my diagnosis. Our next step was to directly launch into treatment. The surgeon was extremely pleased with how much of the tumor he had removed, but no surgeon will ever say they got 100% of the tumor out. There were still seeds left behind, and think of the tumor as weeds in your garden. Even after you pull some weeds, it is necessary to go back in and spray some chemicals to kill whatever else may be left behind. For me that was a six week regimen of radiation and chemotherapy. 

I would do radiation treatments once per weekday for six weeks. It was by far the tougher of the two treatments and that was from a mental sense. To perform radiation, I laid on my back on a treatment table and had my head and neck secured to the table using a plastic mask that had been molded to my face. It was a mask that looked like something straight out of a horror movie, like a face extending out from a wall. This was to ensure that the treatment hit the exact same part of my head each time. It also meant I couldn’t move at all and had to be deathly still for the 15-20 minute treatment. 

Radiation can be very tough on your mind. You are alone in the treatment room as the machine moves around and emits a whining noise. Now the radiation techs were nice enough to play music to try and distract you, but most of the time it barely played above the noise of the machine. You were alone with your thoughts while you were being treated. You were alone, you were isolated. I had some of my darkest thoughts while locked onto that table because it is just you and your thoughts. 

A positive of radiation treatment is that you feel nothing. You see and hear the machine, but there is no burning sensation or a laser pointed at you. The roughest part of radiation was driving 20 minutes out to OId Henry for a treatment that took less time than the drive. 

The other part of my treatment schedule was a nightly dose of chemotherapy in the form of pills known as Temodar. I was very lucky that my chemotherapy was not via injection or port, as those styles of chemotherapy have side effects that tend to be a lot more stronger and tougher to handle. My chemotherapy being in pill form also meant I did not need any additional hospital trips like with my radiation, but instead was taken at home before bed. 

Now I did encounter side effects from my treatment regimen. Twice within the first four days of treatment I was puking my guts out, including the first day of radiation before I even took my chemo. I remember my mother looking at me dry heaving that first night and saying “I hope this isn’t a sign of what is to come.” Thankfully it was not. We increased my nausea medication to rotate it as long as I awake, and we eliminated trigger foods from my diet that would cause indigestion and nausea: anything spicy or heavy that would sit in my stomach. 

Once we dialed in my medication, it became a lot easier to cope with. Now that isn’t to say there still weren’t side effects. I was constantly drowsy, like a feeling of never fully waking up in the morning. I began to lose my hair slowly but surely, and my daily shower became something I began regretting as I would wash my hair and the number of strands in my hands would grow with each passing day. I knew at some point I would need to shave my head, but I was terrified and kept ignoring it. I guess me keeping my hair was my last stand at keeping the old me. 

But this leads me to the point of tonight’s blog. My treatment regimen at the end of the day was much more mental than it ever was physical. Because I had a daily radiation appointment at 2:15 I could not return to work since it was in the middle of the day and they also did not want me driving myself to and from just in case any nausea or fatigue appeared. So this meant I would wake up around 11 each day, wait for my appointment, and then be by myself after treatment until my family got back home. 

It meant a lot of down time with just my thoughts. I slept as much as I could, though I had trouble sleeping since I came home and still do. I did whatever I could to try and distract myself, but I was on restrictions. I couldn’t lift more than 10 pounds or do any strenuous activity as my brain recovered from surgery. That is where you all stepped in to save me, again. The outpouring of requests to go to lunch, or just call or text, were amazing. My phone was constantly buzzing. You all kept me preoccupied and worked around my treatment schedule. The simplest thing such as a lunch date, you have no clue the effect it had on me. It gave me something to look forward to while in treatment. I could sit through that radiation set if it meant one more closer to meeting up with Charlie. 

You all gave me something to talk about. Christen would pick me up for the majority of my treatments, and I would be depressed because I had nothing to update her on. I hadn’t done shit with my day or the night before, so nothing new had come up. I previously had been a man of action whose schedule was full of activity and was constantly on the go. Now I had been reduced to one appointment per day. But when you all began to reach out to me I would get to tell her about the amazing people in my life. I would get to say how we knew each other and then recount numerous past tales about our relationship. Even if our lunch meeting was a week away, I would still be able to look forward to that. 

So my first six week treatment regimen did take a toll on me physically. I was tired, I was sore, and I was on a very limited diet, but at the end of the day the fight was much more on the mental side. While I took up slack where I could, it was my support network who gave me the strength to not only cross the days off the calendar vigorously, but to add notes to them. So to those of you who took time out of your busy day to make me your focus, thank you. You have no clue the impact it had on me, that you would take an hour or two to turn your entire concern and intrigue towards me. To feel that value, it instilled value back in me. 

[shardvixen]

A Response to a message: "Maybe you should refrain from texting about your illness. Why can you just talk about fun stuff?" Why I talk about FibromylicaFrom the Den

Greetings all, Shardvixen here;

    I know I don't do enough blogs but I got my new laptop, so I am going to make it a thing that I write at least for one night a week.

    The other day I got a message from a follower on Twitter suggesting to me, that I should maybe not talk about my fibromylica and if you all know anything about me, this response is exactly how I would answer them.  I was going to type this in the message but decided I would rather address it globally.  So here we go.  All the ideas wrtten here unless stated otherwhise; are my own opinions.  

    I am a rather healthy being if we take away my mental health issues and the fibromylica.   The only other thing I have which is a bit scary is Tay–Sachs disease.  Look at the end of this for the side note about that. 

    As far as my talking about Fibromylica, I do so because of a few good reasons.  One being that it is very disabling for me.  It effects every thing I do 24/7 for all of my life and I just learn about it recently in the last five years.  It effects how I do daily chores like brushing my hair, getting dressed, what I can eat, how active I am and how well I sleep.

I also learned I have been dignosed with Somatic Disorder https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/somatic-symptom-disorder/symptoms-causes/syc-20377776  At first I had a hard time with this till I relized, that this was most of my life.  The thing is the Somtic Disorder is a lot like Fibromylica and some of the symptoms are alike, so it seems it would be hard to seperate them at this point.  But understanding how medical professionals look at me is always useful and I am very interested in how to make my life better (has been my goal since I was 18 years old).   Also the Somatic makes it hard to know when I am really sick as does the Fibromylica.  Both can be managed by behavioral cognitive disorder.  But while Somatic Disorder can be cured, Fibromylica can not.  This is why I speak of it.  By making it real and knowing that every day I need to do what I must to help maintaine a good lifestyle is helpful in being able to have some control in my life.

There is some research that has been done between the coorlation of Somatic Disorder and Fibromylica but nothing new.  Here is one articl I found if you are curious about it.  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3925165/

    The why this is important to me is because when does the mental health issues become more of the problem then the actual physical pain issus and then given the fact that no one still knows what causes Fibro, could my fibro just be a symptom of my Somatic which I must ask myself and just looks like Fibro.  This question spurs me to understand both issues along with my other mental health issues of depression, anxiety, PTSD and Borderline Personality Disorder.  All of which will one day be discussed in a special animation vlog, I am currently working on.

    Two:  Mental Health seems to be a compenant of Fibromylica.  Sometimes it can be overlooked and not treated or it gets lumped in with Fibromylica and the meds used to treat the Fibromylica are used to deal with the mental health issues.  With the Somatic Disorder and the Fibromylica, I am very senstice to meds to the point, that one set started me down the road to suicide(if this triggers you, please call someone.  It is ok to be trigger, but it is important to realize it is happening.  Pain can be a big factor in wanting to leave this world)  Because Fibromylica is wrapped up tight in mental health issues(which by the way needs all the advocates it an ge as an disabling handicap as well), being an advocate for it and mental health is very important.  

    Ask yourself how many people do you know with Fibromylica and do they have mental health issues too.  How much do you know about Fibromylica.  Even though there is research out there about it, I have found only a handful of medical people who read the research.  This is because even though studies are being done about Fibromylica, it is all about looking for the "why" of it and "how to cure it". Another question to ask, is what do you think about Fibromylica.  Do you think it is a real disorder or are those who have it just think we are ill because of our mental health issues?  Also how do you feel about mental health issues?  

    Fibromylcia has been around a lot longer then a lot of people think, but it is only recently that doctors will dignose it and only after ruling out every thing else. https://www.healthline.com/health/fibromyalgia-real-or-imagined

 Another of the reason I talk about it all the time; is that there is no cure, which can be very disheartening to many.  But there are a lot of different treatment and a few companies that tell you they have the cure.  But the reality is, you have to find a treatment plan that works for you and never, ever come off of it.  That is how you  "cure " it.  If the attacks don't seem to happen, then it must be gone.  I watched youtube creator who stated they had found the cure and for five years had gotten back their old "normal ' life.  Then it came back and for a while this person struggled to figure it out why.  They eventually realized that while they stayed on the "treatment" they were cured but if they moved off of it they were uncured.  For the most part this is how biologal depression is.  If you find the right treatment, then your life will be grand until a stressor shows up to knock you around.  I say biological because there are many kinds of depression, some can be situational and others can be caused by a chemical inbalance in one's brain.  Sometimes you can have both.  

    I personally figure it the treatment cost you and you can't do it on your own, then it may not be a good treatment.  What is known about treatments are either they are biological in nature and effect the biological part of the illness or they are cognativlly in nature and you need to accept it in your brain and believe in it.  For any treatment to work a little of both may be needed.  The problem here for fibromylica is the cause is unknown, thus making most treatments band aids to help one get through life.

    I quit taking meds 2 years ago and sometimes I get really bad pain, the kind that makes you want to puke and pass out from(though that is much rarer now then last year.) I quit taking them because (most likely because of the Somatic Disorder in which everything didn't work even when I tried to keep an open mind and because of the Fibromylica which also can make things not work) .  I got burning mouth so bad, it was like some one had rubbed "Icey Hot" all over my mouth and inside. The only thing that seem to work for it was to drink or suck on really sweet things(very bad for you).  I went to the doctor and once again was told that it could be because of anything but was most likely because of the Fibromylica, it is just another symptoms that is part of it.

     The talk about Fibromylica is mostly from those who experinces it but may not have the education.  Those doctors I have found who talk about it are also one that share their "treatments" for it.  I try to read as much research I can find about it.  This is a good site for it: https://fedupwithfatigue.com/new-fibromyalgia-research-march-2020/

    For me, I researched the best treatment for me which a three item one.  Food/diet, Exercise and Behavior Cognitive therapy.  I have been working hard on the first two but haven't found a therapist as of yet who does behavior Cognitive Therapy that will take my insurance.  The research shows that this is the best plan for fibro, so I have been working on it.  I have found a change in my attacks, though I still get them just not as terrible as they once were.  I am rarely in bed for three days at a time though I still get days where I am moving slowly and spend some time in bed.  I find I sometimes fall down in a black hole and it makes it hard to stay on my diet, and do exercise and work on better coping skills.

    I talk about my illness because there might be others out there who are just starting their path, for those who feel like no one understands and for those who have already walked this path.  The more we know the better it is for us all.  The more we push for more understanding the better it will be down the road. 

     We live in a world where every thing is compared against another. We compare our kids and how well they are doing, we compare the places we live and who has the better water, weather and land prices.  We compare our jobs, our schools, our cars and pets.  And we compare our health.  We really need to stop all the comparison because well we are all unique and how we experience and interpete information  nd events is an unique experience.  

     I can not compare my health with another.  I refuse to say I am not as bad or as good as someone else. I only have my life and that is all I can share is how it is effecting me. What might work for me, may not work for another.  Just because you can deal with bone crushing pain, doesn't mean I can and it doesn't make me less than because I can't.  Or the fact that I can walk 5 or more miles in pain doesn't mean some one else can too.   I know my limits and what I can or can't do and how far I can push myself.  I know the things I have issues with and how to work around them for the most part.  Some days of course are worst than others.  I share my pain and events because they are mine and sometimes I do stupid things and other times I have achieve great success but it more about who I am and not about how what others could do.

    Another reason I share is because I want to start people to think about things and question me and other things about fibro, mental illness. The only way we can find out more is to question more.  I wonder if others have cognitve fog as bad as I do.  I mean I forgot what I was writing here off and on.  Is it hard for you to contrate, to get up, to want to do anything at all.  Do you struggle with eating(either wanting to eat more of those things that make you feel good or just trying to stay on top of thing so you don't gain anymore weight)  Do you have to write down things to stay on top of them.  I use to keep a pain journal for when I visited my doctor, now I have a food journal(for the last year) where I put what I eat, how much I am allowed to eat, if I have exercised and how I am feeling.  How much of change has Fibromylica or even any other disorder, illness or any healthcare event effected you?  We need to chat with each other so we can help each other.

    This is why I share about my illness and will continue to do so. If you the reader doesn't like this, then just move on because I will keep sharing about this stuff as well as the other things in my life, some of it fun and happy and some it not. I have no problem with you just moving past my posts if they upset, bore, anger or make you feel like you need to school me.  Rather ask yourself why you feel this way.  It is not my issue to make you feel good but rather yours to go our and find the things that make you feel the way you want.  Me, I want to know more about my disorder so I can work towards a day I can wake up not in pain.  To not feel like the air itself isn't a bunch of battering rams bashing my skin, that water doesn't make me itch or hurt when in it.  

    No matter how I look at it, having fibromylica is just how it is.  I will continue to encourage others with the disorder to research and learn all they can.  The same goes for my mental health.  All we can do is live day by day and do the best we can for ourselves.

BTW:  I am a lousy speller and sometimes my grammer even after I go through it doesn't make sense.  I have a processing disorder(which I also talk about every so ofter) and I struggle with this. Even all the time going through my education(I had a lot of it and I tried to do the best I could with my writing)  I only share this because I know some of my writings can drive some people nutty and some people think educated people are naturally great spellers and writers.  Sorry not so.  Peace all.  Catch you all on the flip side and I am out of here!

SIDE NOTE:  "Tay-Sachs disease is a rare inherited disorder that progressively destroys nerve cells (neurons) in the brain and spinal cord."   https://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition/tay-sachs-disease#statistics   This is a good site if you wish to know more.  My story of this is I didn't know during my first pregnancy, only during my second one because of my age at the time.  It is required for woman who are over the age of 35 who are pregnant to get genetic testing done.  It really freaked me out because it is a really nasty piece of work and most people have an abortion because of how horrible it is.  Both of my children are also carriers.  Which is better than having it.

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[kathrynngilbertbcu]

ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY

1.) After Photography

Ritchin, F., 2017. After Photography. W.W. Norton.

(Page 141, Paragraph 2)

 After Photography is an academic text defining the points of the history of photography, how photography as a media has changed the way we look at our surroundings. I find this text really interesting, the way analog and digital is depicted and how the concepts are explained I found very inspiring for my own practice. It is explained how digital images are created in an instant and made up of tiny pixels that make up the detailed photo. Whereas the analog image has to be processed to define the image. In my mind the digital approach gains image quality and is faster, however loses an element of nostalgia and skill. By developing the way, we take photographs we have limited our skills in image processing because the camera/computer does it all for us, this is where glitches can appear. Glitches are classed as errors or mistakes, I want my photographs ‘glitches’ to be a part of my practice, just how an accident with film in a darkroom can cause photographs to become distorted. Although the two photography methods are very different in some ways they are not in others.

‘Recontextualized’ and ‘fabricated’ are words Richin uses to describe the digital photograph, analog images are just as diverse. Digital images are almost always edited after they have been seen, analog on the other hand are edited before the photos are seen, therefore the affects you have on your film is very much trial and error. I find this concept fascinating, the colours and hues can alter dramatically when exposing the film to different elements. There is a certain nostalgia of analog photographs that I don't think digital will ever be able to capture.

‘Chemically processed grain’ Chemicals play a big part in developing photographs, through my development I have discovered that certain chemicals can also eradicate the image completely. Bleach can effect photos in a very direct way, I have used both diluted bleach and neat bleach to distort my photographs, with very interesting results. I used bleach with analog images, just like the way I deleted the code on my digital images. One way takes time and development to get the best outcome and the other is just a case of coping and pasting text to delete pixels. Thus showing how the development in photography has altered the photographer.

‘Temporally the analog photograph is also discrete, representing only a fractional second, responsible for slicing the world into segments that are nearly always rectangular.’    

The idea of the world being made up of ‘rectangular segments’ is intriguing. Each photograph captures a precise place and time. My photographs now have data missing from my analog or digital processes, does the missing data impact on the initial place and time of the image? Does the subject even matter? If the process creates the photographs can it destroy them?

  2.) The Photograph as Contemporary Art & Trish Morrissey

Cotton, C., 2017. The Photograph as Contemporary Art. Thames & Hudson.

(Chapter 7 ‘Revived and Remade’ Page 196)

Trish Morrissey | Lens Culture. 2017. Seven Years - Photographs and text by Trish Morrissey | Lens Culture. [ONLINE]

Available at: https://www.lensculture.com/articles/trish-morrissey-seven-years.

The photograph as contemporary art is an academic text which unveils artists that use photography as a tool to create their practice, this chapter displays how artists can revive and remake work using photography. This was where I found an artist who I felt really relate to my practice. Trish Morrissey’s ‘Seven Years’ presents ideas of both nostalgia and vintage styles.

‘Nostalgia’ is a word that Trish Morrissey uses to describe her work, to me nostalgia is a bittersweet term used to describe a feeling of remembrance, happy memories can be followed by an onset of grief for a passed loved one or a longing to go back to a location.  Trish uses Photography as a language, a tool to display people in the most interesting ways, her and her sister (her elder by ‘seven years’) recreate poignant memories from their childhood with self-portraiture, becoming multiple members of their own family.

The images recreated by Morrissey do not just capture the body language and recognizable rates of her family, but the little camera mistakes also. How the fast shutter speed captures the individuals blinking in the photographs or the facial expressions of an unsuspecting family member being pushed upon by the photographer. These photos are normally the ones that are ignored or disposed of as they are ‘errors’ but Morrissey sees them as small pieces of information used to bring herself into the original snapshots.

Morrissey’s work connects to people, the ten photographs that make up the ‘seven years’ collection display recognizable family locations and props from the original images. Recognizable by decade, I imagine many people of similar age will feel a sense of nostalgia when viewer her exhibition. When looking deeper into the photography language of Morrissey’s photographs displays awkward stances and facial expressions, maybe these are expressing the relationships between Morrissey’s family in the original photographs, or even the more direct relationship between Morrissey and her sister.

 The nostalgia of film photography is fading, there is something sentimental about keeping a printed photograph in your wallet, the creases and folds that appear over time shows endearment. Just like a thumb in front of the lens or a blurred figure walking past I see these creases and folds as natural glitches. Old photographs are puzzles, the wonder of Who? Where? When? Or What? We can’t just ask someone these questions or just google them, they aren't time or location stamped like digital images, there is an element of wonder. This is what I’d like people to be curious about within my work. There will come a point in time where the humble roll of 35 mm film will have no use, and will be marveled at in museums, the object will become an artefact, my practice displays that film does have a place in present day.

                    3.) Digital Provenance and the Artwork as Derivative

 Digital Provenance and the Artwork as Derivative - Journal #77 November 2016 - e-flux. 2017. Digital Provenance and the Artwork as Derivative - Journal #77 November 2016 - e-flux. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.e-flux.com/journal/77/77374/digital-provenance-and-the-artwork-as-derivative/.

 This online journal by Mckenzie Wark suggests that art can be recycled, that the art industry today is based on the foundations of past work and that art is a derivative. ‘Art is about rarity’ every artist wants to be unique, but we take inspiration from other artists so how unique is our practice?  I’ve looked into the processes other practitioners have used and used them myself, as well as using old photographs other individuals have taken as materials in my own work. Does this mean it’s not unique? Or maybe has less value?  My whole project is about giving film photographs value and a purpose in present day, making them more interesting and turning them into art work.

Recycling ideas and materials in the art world displays new qualities that people haven't seen before bringing a new life and meaning to art. While in Amsterdam I found myself very interested in this piece by Banksy ‘I also found crude oil Jerry’ (2004). It is an impressionistic, traditional oil painting by an unknown artist that Banksy bought at a second hand shop and recycled into a humorous piece of art starring the cartoon character Jerry, from the Tom and Jerry Show. The contrast of the two mediums work really well, Jerry looks to be on the verge of starting a fire which would destroy the original painting, maybe the ideas behind painting over the original scene and the threat of setting the oil painting on fire shows Banksy’s views on traditional artwork. The lovable cartoon character displays mischief, I believe the meaning of this piece runs deeper. The piece is displayed in an old-fashioned, extravagant, gold coloured frame, aiding my opinion further that Banksy is making a point to extinguish traditional views as the frame would burn with the painting. Furthermore, the burning of the original painting could symbolize territory, Banksy is working over another artist work so he could be implying that the work now belongs to him and has a completely new meaning, proving Wark’s theory the Art is a derivative.

The unknown oil painting sold from a second hand shop now holds permanent place at The Moco Gallery in Amsterdam, showing how much the value has changed, ‘The copy can precede the original. — The copy not only precedes but authenticates the original.’  Banksy is mentioned in the journal also, Wark suggests that Banksy’s work is valued by popularity. It is shared primarily via the internet in low quality photograph form, proving the authenticity. The digital images shared gives his work a new value, although the images are not worth much on their own the popularity of Banksy’s work created by them gives the original piece a much higher value even in the artist’s absence. This is why his works are now used as prints on a range of items that are mass produced, as if his work has become a brand.

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[hairmymm586-blog]

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[lcohen35]

Assignment 10 First Draft: Are We Willing to be Inconvenienced For Sustainability?

According to physicist Albert Einstein, ‘A clever person solves a problem; a wise person avoids it’” (Miller and Spoolman 2016, 596).  

Chapter 17 was a weird chapter because it focused highly on the effects of hazards on humans, and not the environment. It didn't feel like it belonged in this text. Chapter 21 cited very controversial examples of responsible waste management/recycling, in my opinion. 

#WhatMajorHealthHazardsDoWeFace?

We face major health hazards from biological, chemical, natural and cultural factors along with our lifestyle choices. Biological hazards include bacteria, viruses, parasites, protozoa and fungi. Chemical hazards include harmful chemicals in air, water, soil and human-made products. Natural Hazards include fire, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, floods, tornadoes and hurricanes. Cultural hazards include unsafe working conditions, criminal assault and poverty. Lifestyle choice hazards include smoking, poor food choices and unsafe sex. 

#HowDoBiologicalHazardsThreatenHumanHealth?

Biological hazards can be highly contagious, passing from one person to another, but they don’t have to be. The book talks about how the risks of these hazards, like infectious diseases are declining, but still remain relevant in less developed countries. That’s a bit ironic right now because of the global pandemic, Coronavirus. The book also mentions how climate change amplifies the effects of these hazards due to their tendency to breed rapidly in warmer climates. This is a bit terrifying as summer is approaching. Another major issue threatening humans is that some of the bacteria which causes infectious diseases have become immune to antibiotics, which makes them more difficult to treat and easier to spread. The spread is also made easier by population growth, which forces higher person-to-person interaction as cities become more dense.

Some believe the Coronavirus originated from bats in a Chinese province. If that is true, it wouldn’t be the first time a disease spread from one animal to another (us). There is a whole field of medicine called Ecological Medicine which studies this connection. Their findings have shown that it is increasingly important to regulate the consumption and trade of exotic animals to prevent the spread of infectious disease. However, in reality, this can be quite difficult and can come off as colonialistic, in imposing western culture on different cultural norms than our own. 

Figure 1. Solutions to Infectious Diseases (Miller and Spoolman 2016, 452.)

#HowDoChemicalHazardsThreatenHumanHealth?

Some chemicals in the environment can cause cancers and birth defects, and disrupt the human immune, nervous and endocrine systems. Toxic chemicals can cause temporary or permanent damage or even death to humans. The EPA has found that almost ½ of the fish tested in 500 US lakes and reservoirs had above safe levels of mercury (Miller and Spoolman 2016, 453). Mercury is a toxic metal naturally released into the air. However, ⅔ of the mercury existing in our atmosphere comes unnaturally from human activity: coal, industrial plants, cement kilns, smelters and solid-waste incinerators. Since Mercury is an element, it cannot be broken down, and it builds up in whatever area it comes to pollute. Humans are exposed to mercury through the food we eat or the air we breathe. This exposure to mercury can cause reduced IQs and nervous system damage. 

Figure 2. Movement of Different Forms of Mercury Through the Environment (Miller and Spoolman 2016, 454). 

Figure 3. How to Prevent/Control Mercury Inputs (Miller and Spoolman 2016, 454).

Certain chemicals can affect the endocrine system because they have structures which mimic natural hormones. This can allow them to disrupt sexual development and reproduction. Some of these chemicals, or hormone disruptors, include the ones which are used to make plastics more flexible. Specifically, BPA has been a controversial material used in plastics, because research has shown that low levels of BPA can cause brain damage, early puberty, decreased sperm count, cancer, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, liver damage, impaired immune function, impotence and obesity. Consumers have the power to choose BPA free products, but some manufacturers have just replaced the chemical with a similar synthetic, which defeats the purpose. 

Figure 4. Ways to Limit Exposure to Hormone Disruptors (Miller and Spoolman 2016, 455).

#HowCanWeEvaluateRisksFromChemicalHazards?

Scientists use animal testings, case reports, and epidemiological studies to estimate the toxicity of chemicals. They evaluate dosage, solubility, persistence, and biological magnification, to name a few factors. There are a lot of ethical factors which go into animal testing, and since more humane options exist, consumers have the option to buy products that do not test on animals. 

“‘Toxicologists know a great deal about a few chemicals, a little about many, and next to nothing about most’” (Miller and Spoolman 2016, 459). Though toxicologists are working hard to evaluate these risks, they overall recommend pollution prevention to reduce our exposure to harmful chemicals. Living in a developed country, we have all likely been exposed to potentially harmful chemicals, but we should avoid it whenever possible. 

The book specifically cites 3M and Dupont as business leaders in chemical recycling, which is laughable. Both Dupont and 3M have been involved in environmental scandals of their own, ruined communities, and then tried to deny it when the time came to own up. I can’t fathom why the book would cite these two as examples of responsible businesses following the precautionary principle.

In order to follow the precautionary principle we (businesses, government, individuals) must:

assume new chemicals and technologies could be harmful unless proven otherwise

remove the existing chemicals and technologies that have been assumed safe thus far from the market until proven so

The European Union has already begun to apply the precautionary principle through pollution prevention by phasing out the dirty dozen.

Figure 5. Potentially Harmful Chemicals Found in the Home (Miller and Spoolman 2016, 460). 

#HowDoWePercieveAndAvoidRisks?

We can avoid risks by becoming informed, thinking critically and making conscious choices. The best ways to avoid individual health risks are to avoid smoking, lose excess weight, reduce consumption of sugary foods, eat a variety of fruits and vegetables, exercise regularly, drink little to no alcohol, avoid excessive sunlight and practice safe sex. Technological risks can be difficult to estimate due to their complexity. But we can do so by calculating their probability of success (Reliability=Tech Reliability x Human Reliability).

Designer William Mcdonough came up with the cradle-to-cradle approach to the life-cycle of products; “we should think of products as part of a continuing cycle instead of becoming solid wastes that end up as litter or being burned or deposited in landfills” (Miller and Spoolman 2016, 574). This way of thinking has also been called closed-loop, and needs to be implemented at the design stage of a product, planning out every step of consumption. 

#WhatEnvironmentalProblemsAreRelatedToSolidAndHazardousWastes?

Solid waste contributes to pollution and contains valuable resources that could be reused or recycled. Municipal solid waste (MSW) is what we throw out in our lives everyday–huge amounts of trash. We also produce industrial waste through agriculture, mining and industry. Without humans, this problem wouldn’t exist, because the wastes of one organism become nutrients or raw materials for another. We will always produce some waste, due to the law of conservation of matter, but cradle-to-cradle design could help reduce our waste and environmental harm by 80%. The United States produces the most waste in the world, “enough MSW to fill a bumper-to-bumper convoy of garbage trucks long enough to circle the earth’s equator almost six times” (Miller and Spoolman 2016, 576). 

Figure 6. Composition of MSW in the US and Where It Goes After Collection (Miller and Spoolman 2016, 576).

Many people have the misconception that landfills operate as huge compost piles where biodegradable waste will eventually break down in a short time. But in reality, decomposition takes a long time in a landfill due to lack of sunlight, water, and air.

Hazardous waste contributes to pollution, natural capital degradation, health problems and premature deaths. This type of waste is corrosives, toxic, flammable, can be explosive and cause disease. The two major types of hazardous wastes are organic compounds and toxic heavy metals. E-waste is a large source of this type of waste. Much of e-waste is shipped to foreign countries where the labor is cheap and environmental regulations are lax. “More developed countries produce 80-90% of the world’s hazardous wastes, and the United States is the largest producer” (Miller and Spoolman 2016, 577). This means as human societies progress, we degrade the environment that allowed us to do so.

#HowShouldWeDealWithSolidWaste?

We should deal with solid waste by reducing our production of it, reuse or recycle it and safely dispose of it. Waste management is imperative to dealing with solid waste, but prevention and reduction are more effective. Integrated waste management combines all of these approaches.

Figure 7. Priorities Recommended by the US National Academy of Sciences for Dealing with MSW compared with The Reality (Miller and Spoolman 2016, 579).

The 4 R’s by priority are 

Refuse: Don’t use it.

Reduce: Use less of it.

Reuse: use it over and over.

Recycle: Upcycle, compost, and follow local recycling rules.  

6 Strategies that industries and communities can use to reduce resource use, waste and pollution:

Change industrial processes to eliminate or reduce harmful chemical use.

Redesign manufacturing processes and products to use less material and energy. 

Develop products that are easy to repair, reuse, remanufacture, compost or recycle.

Establish cradle-to cradle responsibility laws.

Eliminate and/or reduce unnecessary packaging.

Use fee-per-bag solid waste collection systems. 

#WhyAreWeRefusingReducingReusingAndRecyclingSoImportant?

We refuse, reduce, reuse and recycle what we use to decrease our consumption of matter and energy resources, reduce pollution and natural capital degradation and save money. 

Questions to ask yourself to avoid a throwaway economy:

Do I really need this? (refuse)

How many of these do I actually need? (reduce)

Is this something I can use more than once? (reuse)

Can this be converted into the same or a different product when I am done with it? (recycle)

Figure 8. Some Ways to Reuse (Miller and Spoolman 2016, 582). 

Businesses are also coming out of people’s desire to avoid waste, such as rental clothing, furniture and child’s toys. Additionally recycling businesses are arising to give people points for recycling, or to recycle non recyclable products. Terracycle is a company that partners with brands to recycle their packaging in order to divert it from a landfill (Terracycle 2020).

Recycling is a complex and expensive process, so it is not the most sustainable form of waste diversion. Additionally, incorrect sorting for recycling is ineffective. It is recommended that households and businesses understand this issue and separate their trash into plastics, metals, glass, paper and compost. This puts a lot of owness on the consumer, which can empower them or make them feel inconvenienced. 

Figure 9. Advantages and Disadvantages of Recycling (Miller and Spoolman 2016, 585). 

#WhatAreTheAdvantagesAndDisadvantagesOfBurningOrBuryingSolidWaste?

Figure 10. Trade-Offs of Burning Solid Waste (Miller and Spoolman 2016, 587). 

Figure 11. Trade-Offs of Landfills (Miller and Spoolman 2016, 588). 

#HowShouldWeDealWithHazardousWaste?

We should deal with hazardous waste by producing less of it, reusing or recycling it, converting it to less hazardous materials, and safely storing it. Most countries follow these priorities poorly. The long-term solution is prevention, but short term the other options will suffice. Hazardous waste can be detoxified physically, chemically or biologically. Additionally plasma gasification can be used to treat the waste, but it is quite expensive. Burial of hazardous waste is the most common form of storage in the United States and abroad due to low cost. But the environmental costs of leakage into groundwater are high. The current regulation for this type of storage is inadequate. Actually, 95% of the hazardous and toxic wastes produced in the United States are unregulated, and even less are regulated in less developed countries. The consequences of this is that about $1.7 trillion is spent on the cleanup of toxic waste, not including legal fees. And we pay for it through our taxes!

#HowCanASocietyShiftToALowWasteEconomy?

“Shifting to a low waste economy will require individuals and businesses to reduce resource use and to reuse and recycle most solid and hazardous wastes at local, national and global levels” (Miller and Spoolman 2016, 594). Bottom-up campaigns are essential in the process including sit-ins, concerts, protests, rallies, and petitions. Manufacturers of waste feel that it needs to be managed, while citizens feel that waste needs to be reduced; it is a constant struggle. 

3 Factors hinder reuse and recycling

The market prices of products are not applying full-cost pricing.

The economic playing field is uneven because resource extraction usually receives more subsidies than reuse and recycling industries.

The demand and the price paid for recycled goods fluctuates since it isn’t a high priority for consumers.

We can reverse these factors by attaching deposit fees or fee-per bag charges and governments can pass laws requiring companies to take back, recycle and/or reuse packaging and e-waste. Overall, a change in mindset must be adopted to the way in which we consume in the following ways.

We must understand:

Everything is connected.

There is no “throw away” for our wastes.

Producers and polluters should pay for their produced wastes.

We can mimic nature by reusing, recycling, composting or exchanging MSW.

(Miller and Spoolman 2016, 596). 

Additionally, I watched No Impact Man for this post, where Colin Beavin asks, what if we tried not to hurt the environment? And what are we willing to give up to do so? He spent a year living zero waste, only buying food within a 250 mile radius, and only traveling by foot and bike. He shopped at local farmers markets, turned off his electricity, homemade cleaning products and in the end adopted a different mindset towards life. Beavin began to understand the disconnection between humans and nature through consumption. Personally, I have been pursuing zero waste for 3 years, and even I thought the guy was a bit extreme. His critics felt the same way. In the film, Beavin noted how some environmentalists had reached out to him saying he was giving the rest of us a bad rep. But I think it’s important for people to understand the validity of the experiment, and how little thought goes into most peoples’ everyday impact. This strikes a nerve in American culture because we are a society built on American corporate capitalism. Through No Impact Man, Beavin also balanced the question of individual versus collective action. Some other critics said if we could do it without government and business aid, then what’s the problem? I think the problem is that living how Colin lived is seen as extreme and unrealistic for most people due to the inconveniences it causes. Individual action requires people to be engaged, and creates the demand for the world to look differently. 

Word Count: 2346 Words

Question: How can zero-waste lifestyles be more attractive and accessible?

Works Cited

Miller, G. Tyler, and Scott E. Spoolman. 2016. Living in the Environment: Nineteenth Edition, 441-596. Canada: Cengage Learning.

Wurmfeld, E. (Producer), & Gabbert, L. (Director). (2009). No Impact Man [Motion Picture]. Toronto, ON : Mongrel Media.

Terracyle. 2020. “About Terracycle.” Accessed April 6, 2020. https://www.terracycle.com/en-US/about-terracycle?utm_campaign=admittance&utm_medium=menu&utm_source=www.terracycle.com