This week in history: Rosa Parks refuses to surrender her seat to a white passenger. Her actions spark the beginning of the Montgomery Bus Boycott.
Do any of you reblogging this have any fucking idea what zoos actually do? I hate PETA’s fucking sensationalist, uneducated bullshit.
(First, let me say that this doesn’t apply to all “zoos.” Many animal attractions, parks, etc. have inadequate facilities and care, breed animals for no other reason than to have babies at all times, keep animals in dangerous environments, etc. This is in reference to accredited, official, quality zoos.)
1. Zoos’ main purpose is conservation. Zoos breed and care for endangered animals, some of which are literally extinct in the wild. There are more than thirty unique and special animal species that are considered “extinct in the wild.” Meaning that, without zoos, they would have been gone forever, probably a long time ago. Think about the scimitar-horned oryx:
the Pinta Island tortoise (Lonesome George, the last living pure Pinta Island tortoise, just died, but about 17 hybrids were discovered):
the Père David’s deer:
the Socorro dove:
and the Kihansi spray toad:
…all of which would be lost forever without zoos. And those who have already gone extinct because of human destruction is in the hundreds. Some of the most recent are the passenger pigeon (ext. 1914):
the Mexican grizzly bear (ext. 1964):
the Caribbean monk seal (ext. 2008):
and the Javan tiger (ext. 1970s):
…all of which could have been saved. And it’s only getting worse.
2. Zoos strive to educate the public about the beauty and importance of animals they might never have heard of otherwise. Most people would never hear of animals like the tapir, the kudu, the condor, the ocelot, or the marmoset (among others) if they never went to a zoo. Many people still don’t. But how many kids, after going to the zoo, have made a new favorite animal? How many of you did? I did, many times. Zoos (with the help of other things) inspired me to go into the field of Zoology, where I hope to use my career and life to help these animals. If a kid’s never seen a bear in real life, or a tiger, or an elephant, how much do you think they’re going to take notice?
3. Zoos take in animals that were injured, seized from illegal situations, or otherwise compromised. They strive to either rehabilitate them or keep them in a safe, comfortable environment. Most animals that are taken from the illegal pet trade or other such illegal trades are not fit to be released into the wild. Many have become accustomed to relying on humans for food and other necessities. In the wild, they would continue to seek human help, putting both them and the humans in serious danger (especially in the context of big cats, bears, and other predators).
Fucking stop it. Educate yourself and support your local zoo. They need our help.
SIGNAL BOOST. The Oakland Zoo has saved tigers who would have otherwise been broken from performing in a circus. Now the bbs get space, love, toys and all the health care they could ever need.
A lot of Zoos also run wildlife rehab clinics, usually for fauna native to the area.
Fuck off PETA.
(via sempiternus-noctem)
- usa: *steals half of Mexico*
- usa: *cuts Panama in half and then retains the rights to the Canal for about 100 years*
- usa: *sets up Banana Republics in Central American*
- usa: *orchestrates coup d'etats everytime they don't like an elected leader in Central American countries*
- usa: *continues to fuel civil war in Nicaragua by giving money and training to the Contras*
- usa: *is an ally of dictator Manuel Noriega and even has him working with the CIA*
- usa: *is the main consumer of the drugs that cause drug cartels and drug related violence to exist"
- usa: *supports autoritarian regimes in El Salvador (Ríos Montt) and Guatemala (José Napoleón Duarte)*
- usa: *fuels gun violence in Central America in order to have a market to sell more (smuggled) guns to*
- usa: *forces neoliberal policies like CAFTA that harm local Central American industries and brands that are not able to compete with their American counterparts*
- usa: *uses Manifest Destiny and the Monroe Doctrine to justify their fucked up foreign policy*
- usa: IT IS NOT OUR FAULT THAT CENTRAL AMERICAN CHILDREN ARE BEING TORTURED AND KILLED AND THOSE ILLEGALS SHOULD GO BACK TO THEIR COUNTRIES AND STAY OUT OF OURS!!!!! IF THEY ARE SUFFERING THEY SHOULD FIX IT THEMSELVES AND LEAVE US ALONE!!!!1!!
Girls&WomenToKnow: The 8 year old Chef Taylor Moxey
What began as a way for Taylor to make extra money for a toy has evolved into a successful company out of her parents’ Miami, Florida home kitchen that is earning her big-name clients and her very own billboard. It all started with a Sunday trip to Target when Taylor asked her parents for a toy “I told her, ‘You know what? Find a way to get the money” Vernon Moxey, Taylor’s dad, told TODAY.com. “She asked, ‘Can I sell cookies?’” Moxey, who works as an etiquette consultant but says he was at one point homeless, decided to use this as a life lesson to teach Taylor about being self-sufficient. They wrote out a business agreement on a napkin and Moxey gave Taylor $40 as a loan. Taylor used that money to whip up cookies and brownies, which she then took to church that Sunday to sell after the service.
“Honestly, I didn’t think she would make $40 back,” Moxey said. Taylor ended up making more than enough to pay her dad back and cover the toy. She walked away with $175. Soon after, people from the congregation began calling Taylor asking her to bring her cookies back again. She also entered the KISS Country Midtown Miami Cornbread Competition, where, after competing against adults, she won first place a $250 prize, a billboard and a reputation as one of the town’s top bakers.
“Everything went bonkers,” Moxey said, adding that his daughter’s clients include former Miami Heat player Joel Anthony and HGTV designer Bobby Berk. “Suddenly I’m taking orders for Taylor’s Cookies and Cupcakes.” For Taylor, it seems that the business is more fun than hard work. “I think baking is mostly my passion,” she said. “You get to take your recipe and different people’s recipes and add different things to them.” She’s hoping to host a party this summer serving cupcakes with palm trees on the frosting. Taylor credits Martha Stewart among her inspirations. She not only makes the baked goods out of her parents’ kitchen, but she also creates a custom box for each customer, made with stickers, markers and other handmade decorations.
“It’s almost nostalgic,” Moxey said. “She takes time to color it, put stickers on it. People say they made them feel like a kid again.” Taylor has made nearly $10,000 so far, she donates 30 percent of her proceeds to raise dyslexia awareness, a learning disorder that her own dad has. “If you have a platform and people can hear your voice, it’s important to use it for some good,” Moxey said. Orders continue to pour in for Taylor’s confectioneries, her parents are making a strong effort to keep the business under control so Taylor can focus on being a kid. “I don’t want to take away her childhood,” Moxey said. “Every decision is cleared by us, but we allow her to make the decision.”
THIS IS AMAZING. I LOVE THIS GIRL.
Princess of Miami
(via sempiternus-noctem)
Jonathan Marks - Anthropology and the Bell Curve (via mgrable)
Who else remembers the story of the tribe in present-day Cameroon that in the 1920s some researchers tried to measure their intelligence?
“Mister Smith has fifteen goats. Five are white and the rest are spotted. How many goats are spotted?”
“I don’t know a Mister Smith. How am I to know if he was telling you the truth?”
Jonathon Chimakonom Okeke wrote a fitting paper on this: http://www.academia.edu/997772/AFRICAN_LOGIC_AN_EXISTENTIALIST_OUTLOOK
(via liimlsan)
(via witchydarling)
eyyyy so this part 1 of a commission for a super cool person whose girlfriend came up with an A+ AU, lemme just copypaste the summary of it mmyes
“1930s Gravity Falls AU where Uncle Stan’s a bootlegger who runs a still, and maybe a moldy little sideshow as well. When the kids move in one summer he soon has them running rum all through the valley (vintage car chases with the deputies optional, but encouraged) and in their spare time, they investigate all the usual bizarre goings-on in Gravity Falls. She also thought maybe Li’l Gideon would be some kind of tent revival preacher boy, whom Mabel kept having to fend off.”I AM SO ON BOARD WITH THIS
this was so much fun and there’s more to come yeayeayea
(via 8743dghhjbfd-blog)
((this is riley im just too lazy to sign into my blog in my phones browser lol))
it is illegal in all 50 states for a city to shut your heat off if you meet these conditions!!
there’s also some resources here if you think you won’t be able to afford the heating bill this winter:
http://www.masslegalhelp.org/income-benefits/utilities/winter-heat
Important information!
Another note: if ur landlord refuses to provide heat for you that is illegal and they could go to jail!!!
“do more gay stuff with yr friends! also: fuck cops!”
this is the only advice you’ll ever need
Transgender women who transition at an early age are beautiful!
Transgender woman who don’t transition until they’re in their 60’s are beautiful!
Transgender woman with broad shoulders, big hands and square jaws are beautiful!
Pre-transition transgender women who are just starting to experiment with makeup and woman’s clothing are beautiful!
You are beautiful! :D
So that my lovely trans girl followers can see!
(via pinnedbackartfringe)
I Appear
i appear once in a second, twice in a month and three times in a year, what am i
dont bother theres no answer.
(via meladoodle)
