I Still Have To Write Secret Bonus Knowledge, Add A Small Gift, Fold Them, Seal Them, And Mail Them.

i still have to write secret bonus knowledge, add a small gift, fold them, seal them, and mail them. all of this should have been done when i got the requests originally but i am an incredible procrastinator; i am so lucky my patreon supporters are patient and kind souls <3 (at The Academy of Bird Sciences)

Once driven to near-extinction by cordwainers, Shoebills have made a considerable comeback and are now listed as Vulnerable. Hunted for the upper portion of their beaks, these birds can credit their remarkable recovery to the adoption of HDPE as the material of choice for lasts. While they are still occasionally hunted by bespoke shoe artisans, this practice is now rare enough to have a negligible impact on population levels.

The Turkey Vulture is, by all measures, the least malevolent bird. Despite saving the world during the K-T extinction event, these peaceful purifiers are content to live quiet lives helping the dead make room for the living. They refuse to brag about their role in preventing the complete destruction of all life, going so far as to remove their own syrinx to prevent any temptation. These are truly the most selfless and kind birds in all of existence, and you should remember this always.

Is it a Snag with faded warning ribbon? I’m not in forestry but from what I understand sometimes dead/dying trees are purposefully left standing so as to provide habitat while they decay.

Every time I pass this tree I think, “This is it. This is the day.”

Any forestry people out there, why do you tie the ribbons around the trees but never cut them down? 

@giroux-s replied to your text post

It's not much comfort, but... "A charge of first-degree murder has been filed against a man accused of running down Tamara Dominguez, who reportedly came to the United States to escape discrimination against transgender people." http://www.kansascity.com/news/local/crime/article84922117.html

This actually is a comfort, because finally her murderer (age 29) is no longer on the loose. I’ve been googling for news every few months but it seems that report got lost in the waves of other trans women being murdered or assaulted. So, thank you, for this bit of closure.

TDOR

November 20 is the Transgender Day of Remembrance, so here are the four murdered trans women I carry with me. I have to keep breathing, to keep fighting, because they no longer can.

Tamara Dominguez, 17 August 2015

Tamara Dominguez was murdered a couple of days before I came out to my mother, though I didn’t find out until the day after. She had left Mexico to try and live as herself without harassment in the United States, but ended up run over multiple times in a church parking lot in Kansas City, Missouri. It has been over a year and her murderer has not been found.

Zella Ziona, 15 October 2015

Twenty-three hours and fifty minutes after my first dose of hormone replacement therapy Zella Ziona was shot in the head, eighteen miles from my doorstep. Her murderer (age 20) was arrested and charged, though from what I can tell a year later there has been no trial.

Keyonna Blakeney, 16 April 2016

Six months after Zella’s murder, Keyonna Blakeney was found beaten and stabbed to death in a hotel room. Two miles away from where Zella was murdered, sixteen miles from my doorstep. Her murderers (ages 21 and 17) were arrested, though as with Zella’s killer they have yet to see trial.

Deeniquia ‘Dee Dee’ Dodds, 14 July 2016

Dee Dee was shot on 4 July, but it took ten days for her to die. A mere six miles from my doorstep this time, it took two full months for police to charge a suspect (age 22) with her murder. Again, he has yet to see trial.

I mention the ages of their murderers because there’s a tendency to try and believe that young people aren’t as bigoted or violent as the older generations. Three quarters of the women I carry were murdered by Millennials. These aren’t cases of old bigots committing violence, they are people who are only barely legally adults murdering us.

In light of recent events,

The Academy of Bird Sciences is shifting priorities away from outreach and edutainment and will instead focus on making sure our Lead Ornithographist (Nikole) keeps breathing. What this means going forward is a loosening of the expected update schedule and an uptick in content ancillary to her continued existence. In non-technical terms, this means there will be fewer birds and more shitposts and personal posts so as to maintain acceptable levels of mental health. If you are a Patreon subscriber your content should continue to be delivered as normal. We apologize for the inconvenience and offer a video of the bird whose research was interrupted by the late unpleasantness.