Wednesday

Ep. 2 The Beast Below

Amy's first trip in the TARDIS and they land smack in the middle of London -- make that London, Starship UK. It's in the future and the Earth's begun to burn as it starts to orbit into the sun, so the humans have left.  This is UK's ship.  But something is not quite right.  The water doesn't vibrate, which leads the Doctor to wonder if there's an engine at all--and if there's not, how is the ship moving through space?

In this whale of a tale (sorry, had to), Amy and the Doctor are chased by the creepy Smileys, befriended by the bloody queen Liz 10, vomited by a whale, and end up at the heart of the ship--which is consequently the bottom of the story.  Once they realize that the ship is powered by a star whale, which happens to be the last of its kind known to exist, the Doctor is appalled. The crew is torturing the creature in order to make it keep going.  Anyone who protests is fed to the whale.

Star Whale's pain center being
tortured to make it go faster.
After this revelation the Doctor is forced to put the whale out of its misery by putting it into a coma, but just before he does that Amy realizes that the whale is there out of choice, not out of force, and she's able to save the whale and the Doctor's soul.

Amy and the Doctor couldn't stand by and let the star whale suffer, nor did they want it to go extinct.  Thousands of animal species today are on the endangered or threatened species lists. Millions of animals are neglected and abused every day.  But there are simple ways to help.

The World Wildlife Fund (WWF), with its cute little panda logo, has been at it for nearly half a century. While most of their needs are financial, there are easy ways to contribute that might already be a part of your daily life. WWF offers products you use (greeting cards, water bottles) that are recycled, recyclable, and 20% of the purchase goes to conservation funds. Their website offers many benefits/gifts to your donations, including super adorable "adopt a species" stuffed animals--perfect for any kid (or adult).

Want to make a difference for free? Write politicians and companies urging them to make better policies and procedures on environmental and animal protection--or thanking them for doing so. See Helpful Links for more info.

The Beast Below ends with a child saying the revised rhyme:
"In bed above we're deep asleep,
While greater love lies further deep.
This dream must end, this world must know,
We all depend on the beast below."
Now that's a bee I'm not a afraid of!
In our world, this is quite true.  While the cute animals like polar bears and pandas are often the more talked about endangered animals, the real laborers in the animal kingdom are right under our feet.  Insects are the largest section of the animal kingdom and generally the least liked.  But these little guys do a whole lot of work.  In Season 4 of Doctor Who, companion Donna Noble continuously comments about the bees disappearing.  The Doctor later realizes that some of the bees are aliens who fled Earth when they sensed the pending danger of the Dalek invasion. Perhaps that's where they've really gone, but the point is, they've gone.  It's a serious issue.  Bee population is in a major decline and very little action or awareness has happened.

Now, don't get me wrong, I'm just as afraid of bees as anyone else who has been stung in the past, but I know what these little guys do for us. They pollinate.  You can't have new plants without pollination, which means no crops and no carbon dioxide conversion to oxygen. Sort of a problem if you need to eat and breathe to live.

The recently produced documentary, Vanishing of the Bees, dives into this problem. On its website, they offer ideas of what to do to help out.  The main bee killer is conventional pesticides, so they highly suggest buying organic food, growing some of your own food, or buying local at farmer's markets (if they don't use pesticides, of course). A holistic approach to gardening and planting bee-friendly plants can go a long way in helping the bee population bolster itself back up.

The Doctor loves cuddling cats!
As far as animal cruelty goes, volunteering at your local shelter can make a huge difference for both the animals and the community. Even if you don't particularly want to walk a dog or cuddle a cat, there are a lot of other opportunities with shelters including office work, creating a website or facebook page for them, stuffing envelopes, and other simple things. Give your local shelter(s) a call to see what they need help with. There are links to shelter directories at the bottom of the page.

A simple way you can help prevent animal cruelty is to buy organic meats, dairy, and free range chicken, cage-free eggs, and sustainable seafood1. These items cost hardly any more money, taste better, have more nutrients, no added hormones or antibiotics, and are better for the environment. A good rule of thumb for buying organic is that if it's not stamped USDA Organic, then it's not organic.

You can also make the decision to buy goods and clothes from companies who do not support animal testing or use animal products. Check out the links for lists of these companies.

Helpful Links:

Find a Shelter to volunteer at:
Help out WWF, Humane Society, and the Bees:

Help stop animal cruelty:


DISCLAIMER: I am not affiliated with any of these organizations nor can I attest for their accreditation. The photos I have used are not mine and I assume are licensed to the BBC. I am not profiting in any way from this blog, and all photos are used to solely to make the pages more visually exciting while reading. If you are a photo owner or part of these organizations and wish for me to take down photos or links, just let me know and I will do so promptly.
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