Towards a postcolonial nineteenth century
via the OUP blog by Charles Forsdick and Jennifer Yee
French and Francophone Studies is a vibrant and diverse field of study, in which research on nineteenth century literature, and research from the perspective of postcolonial theory, are thriving—and indeed represent particular areas of growth. What does it mean, then, to argue for a “postcolonial nineteenth century”? It would certainly be misleading to see the two areas as completely divorced or discordant. Postcolonial theory was, in part, born out of nineteenth-century studies and an interest in colonial discourse, with a comparative literary focus ranging across English- and French-language texts. This was, after all, among the principal specialisms of Edward Said, author of one of the founding texts of postcolonial studies, Orientalism, published forty years ago in 1978.
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Battle of Thebes 335 BC Between Alexander the Great and the City State of Thebes
via About History by Alcibiades
The battle and destruction of Thebes in 335 BC by Alexander the Great, destroyed the strongest city-state in Greece at that time and allowed him to control all of Greece. Thebes was, if not geographically, then strategically in the center of Greece. From the north, the Thermopylae Pass, the so-called gate to Greece, separated the Possessions of Thebes from the plains of Thessaly. The warlike Aetolians lived to the west of Thebes along with other mountainous Greek tribes. The southeast of Thebes bordered on the land of Attica, the possessions of Athens, and on the southwest began the isthmus on the peninsula Peloponnese, inhabited by many famous cities, the most famous of which was Sparta. Whoever controlled Thebes, could control the whole of Greece. Therefore, Alexander’s father, King Philip II, tried to weaken the influential city. After the victory in the battle of the Chaeronea in 338 BC, many Thebans were expelled, and Philip stationed a Macedonian garrison in Cadmeia, a fortress on the southern outskirts of Thebes.
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Squids used to have shells. Here's how they lost them.
via Boing Bong by Andrea James
Squid ancestors were happy creatures with shells until about 400 million years ago, when the emergence of fish with jaws set off an evolutionary arms race between fish and cephalopods.
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A Short Analysis of Emily Dickinson’s ‘I started Early – Took my Dog’
via Interesting Literature
‘I started Early – Took my Dog’ is one of those Emily Dickinson poems that repay careful consideration of not only its literal meaning but the symbolic, other meaning which its images and double meanings appear to gesture towards. The poem requires a bit of close analysis to tease out this other interpretation, however, so here goes…
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This Prohibition-era map is a love letter to alcohol
via the Big Think blog by Frank Jacobs
Throughout the 19th century, cartography was often used to promote sobriety. Here’s a counter-example: a map that celebrates alcohol, in various guises – published two years before the end of Prohibition.
The Temperance movement, which from the early 1800s sought to reduce the consumption of alcohol in the U.S., had a curious affinity for cartography. It produced numerous 'Temperaaxnce maps', so called because they used fictional topographies to warn against the wickedness of drinking and promote the benefits of sobriety.
Continue reading [it is long but very interesting. Cocktail recipes, explanations of weird terms etc etc]
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How do male hummingbird dance moves alter their appearance?
via the OUP blog by Richard Simpson
"Hummingbird landing on pink flower with green stem" by Andrea Reiman. Public domain via Unsplash
Many animals use colorful ornaments and exaggerated dances or displays to attract mates, such as birds of paradise. Some animals go even further and have colors that can change as they dance, such as in peacocks or morpho butterflies. This special type of color is called iridescence, and its appearance changes based on the angles of observation and illumination. Thus, the appearance of iridescent coloration can be easily manipulated by specific movements, postures, and orientations to potentially exhibit a lot of changes in color appearance during a particular dance—in other words iridescent coloration can produce a flashy color display.
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Plants 'talk to' each other through their roots
via the
Guardian by Hannah Devlin Science correspondent
Illustration of above ground interactions between neighbouring plants by light touch and their effect on below-ground communication. Photograph: Elhakeem et al (2018)
Scientists studying corn seedlings believe that they send signals under the soil, advising each other of the proximity of other plants
Plants use their roots to “listen in” on their neighbours, according to research that adds to evidence that plants have their own unique forms of communication.
The study found that plants in a crowded environment secrete chemicals into the soil that prompt their neighbours to grow more aggressively, presumably to avoid being left in the shade.
“If we have a problem with our neighbours, we can move flat,” said Velemir Ninkovic, an ecologist at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences in Uppsala and lead author. “Plants can’t do that. They’ve accepted that and they use signals to avoid competing situations and to prepare for future competition.”
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10 things you'll be surprised to learn about dinosaurs
via Boing Boing by Mark Frauenfelder
Steve Brusatte is a paleontologist at the University of Edinburgh and a specialist on the evolution of dinosaurs. He has a new book out called The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs. Here's a list of surprising facts about dinosaurs he wrote for Boing Boing. Enjoy -- Mark
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Is human civilization Earth's first?
via the Big Think blog by Robby Berman
Earth is old enough to have been home to other industrialized civilizations so far back in the past we have no idea they were there. What we’ll leave behind may offer clues of what we could look for as evidence.
A paper recently published in
International Journal of Astrobiology asks a fascinating question: “Would it be possible to detect an industrial civilization in the geological record?” Put another way, “How do we really know our civilization is the only one that’s ever been on earth?” The truth is, we don’t. Think about it: The earliest evidence we have of humans is from 2.6 million years ago, the Quarternary period. Earth is 4.54 billion years old. That leaves 4,537,400,000 years unaccounted for, plenty of time for evidence of an earlier industrial civilization to disappear into dust.
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10 of the Best Poems about Music
via Interesting Literature
The greatest poems about music and singing
Music and poetry were once natural bedfellows, with many ‘poems’ being sung to music for entertainment at feasts and royal courts, or in local taverns. If, as Walter Pater said, all art constantly aspires towards the condition of music, then it’s little surprise that so many poets have tried to write poetry that is ‘musical’ in some sense. Here are ten of the best poems about music, song, dance, instruments, and the like.
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