#catslife

[baoaday]

Is she…winking at me with her butt on the pillow?

Wow the disrespect

[catswarmth]

Relaxing day of a cute kitten 😍🐱

[halltastic]

[straycatsofpagisland]

[lostintimenl]

Ik ben weer bij de coiffeur geweest en ziet er weer helemaal tiptop uit 😻

[riitafyam]

Desky Jazzy 😍😍😍

Photo by Sylvain.F

[juicygossip23]

[kaija-rayne-author]

Fireworks are bad.

Really, really.

Coming up on the holidays here in North America, I wanted to talk about why fireworks are bad.

They're bad for a whole host of reasons.

The sound and odour kills small animals, birds, and often fish.

The chemicals released cause a lot of problems.

They can trigger (in the mental health sense, triggered doesn't mean upset) veterans and others with trauma.

They're hell on pet animals and wild animals too.

Some quotes from the linked article.

"release a host of contaminants that affect air quality and can contribute to climate change, including carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrogen, sulphur dioxide, and particulate matter."

For animals: they can "become lost, abandon their habitats, & suffer from health consequences, whether it be stress severe enough to lead to death or getting hit by a vehicle."

"thousands of birds flew up to altitudes of 500 metres in the air after the explosions." (That's 1640.42 feet). Birds usually stay under 500 feet. (Source, Birdnote)

"leave their young and disrupt their breeding and feeding behaviours"

"hundreds of birds, primarily starlings, were found dead on the streets of Rome, Italy, after a fireworks event. Cause of death was found to be related to a particularly loud display of firecrackers and fireworks."

"the aftermath of a firework display consists of debris, such as shells and heavy metals, littered across the ground, providing opportunities for animals to accidentally ingest these hazardous materials"

"embers and sparks produced from ignited fireworks have a higher chance of creating a flame that can cause forest fires"

They increase acid rain, harming ecosystems.

Microplastic and perchlorate pollution is another problem with fireworks.

Perchlorate causes a lot of problems, one of which is reduced thyroid function in humans.

There are better alternatives available. Silent fireworks and drone shows are two cool alternatives.

I'm not saying you should boycott fireworks. It wouldn't help. (Stop setting them off privately though, please, for the love of everything. You do NOT need to be causing that level of harm for some sparkly lights.) Besides, odds are you're breaking the law.

What I AM saying is that they're bad & there are better options.

Get involved in your communities and ask for change.

That's what needs to happen.

Thanks for coming to my TED talk.

If you learned anything, I'm a disabled creative mom of two disabled kids and my work of words is my only income. Please consider a tip or becoming a patron.

KoFi:

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Kids' wishlist:

Drone show for an example. Personally, I find that much cooler than fireworks.

[prettypinkprincess712]

She’s all excited for Christmas

[blueiskewl]

What Happened!?

[baoaday]

I think she wants attention

[catswarmth]

Cute cat watches outside 🐱🥰

[halltastic]

[straycatsofpagisland]

[lostintimenl]

Ik ga straks lekker even een boek lezen 📖

[riitafyam]

Mon petit Jazzy 😍😍😍

Photos by Sylvain.F