I have decided to widen this blog to not only nature related posts, but it will now also include a random documentation of events in my life, along with suggestions and reccomendations for others. I came to this conclusion when realising that no one was reading this, so I may as well include things about my own life to look back on in the future if needed.
A bit of an introduction to my life:
I am a 20 (almost 21) year old who is literally about to finish my Zoology degree at Anglia Ruskin University. I live with 6 other guys, with the usual squabbles of living with anyone. I am currently applying for a lot of jobs, hoping to get one that I will enjoy, but knowing that I will have to settle for a rubbish job to pay the rent for a while.
On Friday I will be travelling to Millport on Cumbrae up in Scotland for a week for my last ever university field course. Looking forward to it in some ways, not in others.
To start the reccommendations: I couldn't sleep earlier so I decided to get up and make a cake.... using this recipe (very roughly.... im not a fan of scales at midnight) http://eatliverun.com/no-bake-nutter-butter-nutella-pie/
Have to wait to see what it is like in the morning when it has set, but the filling tasted awesome when it was being made.
Tuesday, 26 April 2011
Saturday, 23 April 2011
Sun Bears
Well it has been 8 months since the last post, and I have now almost finished my degree! Just concluding my dissertation today for hand in possibly Monday, if not Tuesday. I do not know if it is purely because I check the environmental / sciencey news more often now, but it seems like 2 polar bears have died in captivity in close succession. First Knut the polar bear in Berlin zoo (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-12939434) died from a brain swelling leading to drowning; and then Mercedes in Edinburgh zoo (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-13116179) who was put down "due to health problems".
It just seems a bit weird as I saw knut when he was a cub in summer 2007, and I've seen mercedes multiple times at Edinburgh zoo before she was moved to the highland park.
On a happier note, summer weather is finally rearing its beautiful head!
It just seems a bit weird as I saw knut when he was a cub in summer 2007, and I've seen mercedes multiple times at Edinburgh zoo before she was moved to the highland park.
On a happier note, summer weather is finally rearing its beautiful head!
Monday, 2 August 2010
Fall in biodiversity in chernobyl zone
I kinda forgot about this whole blog thing, and havn't actually shared it with anyone aside from my girlfriend so time to share I think?
BBC news reported that biodiversity has fallen in the chernobyl zone, a disaster that happened in ukraine in 1986 (26th April to be precise), although of course you all knew that right? Fauna in the zone has developed various tumours, with avian species sporting tumours around the eyes, on the feet and neck. It makes you wonder if hiroshima had the same side effects (I'v not searched for any papers from back then, but I doubt there would be any?) and if the people who ordered the attack (Harry Truman) and the pilot (Paul Tibbets) thought of all of the wildlife they were destroying and possibly mutating afterwards as well as all of the human loss of life. I find it strange how someone could make those decisions, even during war, which ended up killing over 100,000 people. I know this is a strange blog post but hey, why not!
BBC news reported that biodiversity has fallen in the chernobyl zone, a disaster that happened in ukraine in 1986 (26th April to be precise), although of course you all knew that right? Fauna in the zone has developed various tumours, with avian species sporting tumours around the eyes, on the feet and neck. It makes you wonder if hiroshima had the same side effects (I'v not searched for any papers from back then, but I doubt there would be any?) and if the people who ordered the attack (Harry Truman) and the pilot (Paul Tibbets) thought of all of the wildlife they were destroying and possibly mutating afterwards as well as all of the human loss of life. I find it strange how someone could make those decisions, even during war, which ended up killing over 100,000 people. I know this is a strange blog post but hey, why not!
Wednesday, 30 June 2010
Welcome
Hey all, it seems a bit silly to be typing this when I have no followers and the whole blogging concept still feels alien, although lets give it a go. As you can see from my current information (although most of you probably know me personally at this stage...) I am nineteen years old, going into my third year at Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge. Yesterday I returned from Tenerife where me and my girlfriend Sophie were volunteering for Atlantic Whale Nation (link) for just under a month. It was good fun, collecting data and raising awareness on whale watching boats, and it also opened my eyes to many an atrocity going on in the natural world. Obviously most people are aware of some form of brutal scheme, whether it be whaling (brought up recently at the International Whaling Convention (IWC) at Agadir in Morocco, which I shall touch on more fully later), the pet trade of primates, or the deforestation of key habitats for palm oil. There are always many more shocking things going on that people don't realise about as it isn't featured on the front page of the guardian or CNN top stories. One of the events that I became aware of through AWF is explained in great detail in the documentary The Cove (2009) (link). The basic outline being that hundreds of dolphins are driven into a cove of Taiji, Japan. Dolphin trainers from around the world travel to select these animals for their multi-million selling shows in places such as Sea World, paying several thousand pounds for a dolphin. The dolphins left unpicked are killed, often for its meat which is passed off as other meat products. I definitely recommend this documentary, it makes you think before paying for one of these shows.
An interesting fact about cetaceans in captivity:
Killer whales can live up to 80 years in the wild, however one in captivity is limited to a mere 5 years due to the stress of the crowd and noise mixed with cramped living conditions.
An interesting fact about cetaceans in captivity:
Killer whales can live up to 80 years in the wild, however one in captivity is limited to a mere 5 years due to the stress of the crowd and noise mixed with cramped living conditions.
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