A cat can jump up to five times its own height in a single bound.
The little tufts of hair in a catâs ear that help keep out dirt direct sounds into the ear, and insulate the ears are called âear furnishings.â
The ability of a cat to find its way home is called âpsi-traveling.â Experts think cats either use the angle of the sunlight to find their way or that cats have magnetized cells in their brains that act as compasses.
One reason that kittens sleep so much is because a growth hormone is released only during sleep.
A cat has 230 bones in its body. A human has 206. A cat has no collarbone, so it can fit through any opening the size of its head.
A catâs nose pad is ridged with a unique pattern, just like the fingerprint of a human.
If they have ample water, cats can tolerate temperatures up to 133 °F.
A catâs heart beats nearly twice as fast as a human heart, at 110 to 140 beats a minute.
 Cats donât have sweat glands over their bodies like humans do. Instead, they sweat only through their paws.
The claws on the catâs back paws arenât as sharp as the claws on the front paws because the claws in the back donât retract and, consequently, become worn.
Cats make about 100 different sounds. Dogs make only about 10.
Researchers are unsure exactly how a cat purrs. Most veterinarians believe that a cat purrs by vibrating vocal folds deep in the throat. To do this, a muscle in the larynx opens and closes the air passage about 25 times per second.
A cat almost never meows at another cat, mostly just humans. Cats typically will spit, purr, and hiss at other cats.
A catâs back is extremely flexible because it has up to 53 loosely fitting vertebrae. Humans only have 34.
Some cats have survived falls of over 65 feet (20 meters), due largely to their ârighting reflex.â The eyes and balance organs in the inner ear tell it where it is in space so the cat can land on its feet. Even cats without a tail have this ability.
A cat can travel at a top speed of approximately 31 mph (49Â km) over a short distance.
A catâs hearing is better than a dogâs. And a cat can hear high-frequency sounds up to two octaves higher than a human.
A catâs brain is biologically more similar to a human brain than it is to a dogâs. Both humans and cats have identical regions in their brains that are responsible for emotions.
And thatâs how cats work.
I learned more about cats in this post than I did in my freshamn biology class in college
Lesson 24a – Vikings in Ireland, Part 1:Â âTribal, Rural, Hierarchal, and Familiar.â
IRELAND WAS A RATHER UNIQUE PART of the medieval world. Interestingly enough, however, the Irish world was much more like the âVikingâ world than many others were at this time, particularly in their political situation and the power of kinship in medieval Irish society. Thus, this lesson will delve into the background of Irish society prior to the arrival of the Vikings. Such an endeavor will make upcoming discussions about their interactions much more clear and profitable.
CONTENTS: I. Medieval Irish Geography and Society II. The Irish Church: A Golden Age
I. MEDIEVAL IRISH GEOGRAPHY AND SOCIETY:
LIKE MEDIEVAL SCANDINAVIA, Ireland was a politically fractured region. It was split into four provinces (Ulster, Leinster, Connacht, and Munster), each ruled by various clans connected through a complex kinship-based network. The complexity of the map below should give a glimpse into the political landscape that existed in Ireland at this time.(1)
Even though there were four âofficialâ provinces, there was, in reality, far more division that that. Interestingly enough, these provinces as a whole were referred to as CĂłiceda, or âpentarchyâ.(2) In other words, these four provinces were each called CĂłiced, or a âfifthâ.(3) This is because, in Irish mythology, there was a fifth province, or kingdom, called Mide, or âmiddleâ.(4) Interestingly enough, however, there was no actual Mide, despite the concept being so prevalent.
Irish society has been popularly, and accurately, described as âtribal, rural, hierarchical, and familiar.â(5) In other words, Ireland was divided into kin-based groups (tribal and rural), there were many different levels of âkingâ (hierarchical), and, because kinship was so prevalent, the system was not like that of England, for example (familiar in the sense of native).Â
Therefore, as stated previously, these provinces were not unified under centralized leadership. The political landscape was dominated by various clans, called tĂșatha.(6) These tĂșatha were formed by fine, or kin,(7) and were then ruled over by a certain king. Yet, kinship itself varied greatly. There were four different types of âkingsâ, all varying in their degree of overlordship:
rĂ tĂșaithe (a petty king, ruling over only one tĂșath)
ruirĂÂ (a king over his own tĂșath, but also over others)
rĂ ruirech (a provincial king, ruling over all tĂșatha in a given cĂłiced)
ardrĂ (âHigh kingâ, king of all kings)(8)
Since this is not a lesson on Irish history, it is important to note why such information is pertinent to a discussion about the Vikings coming to Ireland. The Norse world was also heavily based on kinship. It was also a very fractured political landscape, in which families fought for control over regions and resources. Thus, when the Vikings came to the Irish, the Irish were met with a familiar situation. Unlike the other victims of Viking raids, the Irish were better suited to handle their incursions, being aquatinted with the fractured politics that the Vikings themselves had come from. This will clear up more as we move forward, since looking back from a later point will provide us a clearer lens to look through.
II. THE IRISH CHURCH: A GOLDEN AGE:
MANY SCHOLARS ONCE CLAIMED that the Viking raids on Ireland devastated a golden era for Ireland.(9)Â This is perhaps true, but definitely not inclusive of the overall impact the Norsemen actually had on Ireland as a whole. Yet, saving debates for later, the Irish Church was indeed an impressive entity prior to the coming of the Vikings. Below is an example of the beautiful products of this age, the Book of Kells:
The Irish Church was insular, but international recognized. It was wealthy, involved with the political energy in the air, and tied up within powerful families and their dynasties – just like medieval Iceland, mind you (except Iceland was definitely not wealthy). Yet, there is a key point here. The Church was actively, no passively, tied up in political affairs. That being said, the lines between the Church and secular affairs were very faint.
âMonks and laymen were not cut off from each other. Monastic education was not reserved exclusively for those who were to enter religion but was also given to the sons of church tenants and to some laymen who in adult life would farm and raise families.â(10)
With a Church so mixed with secular affairs, it is to little surprise, then, that the Church would be involved in the tumultuous battles for dominance between tĂșatha. In fact, many of the people who originally formed churches in Ireland were men of the nobility – those who fought for control over resources.(11)Â Again, this is important for a discussion about the Vikings because this Church of Ireland was already accustomed to violence.Â
Feidlimid mac Crimthainn, for example, was an Irish king who caused terror similar to that of the Vikings. The Annals of Ulster record his actions in the year of 833 CE, saying this in the seventh entry for that year:
âFeidlimid, king of Caisel, put to death members of the community of Cluain Moccu NĂłis (Clonmacnoise) and burned their church-lands to the very door of their church. The community of Dairmag were treated likewiseâto the very door of their churchâ(12)
âIn Feidlimid mac Crimthainn we meet one of the most enigmatic figures in Irish history. King and ecclesiastic, overlord of Leth Moga
and aspirant to the high-kingship of Ireland, a pious ruler who solemnly proclaimed the Law of Patrick in Munster and who is
gratefully remembered in the Vita Tripartita, a friend of the Celi De
ascetics, even a member of their order and regarded later as a saint,
a renowned warrior. At a most critical era in Irish history, when devastating Viking raids were succeeded by permanent base-camps and settlements, Feidlimid never once devoted his arms to attacking
these heathen foreigners but distinguished his martial career by
burning and plundering some of the greatest of Irish monasteries.â(14)
CONCLUSION:
IT IS ACTUALLY VERY IMPORTANT to understand the native settings before being able to study the impact of the Vikings and their raids on a particular ânationâ. Ireland was a unique place, yet in many of the same ways that made medieval Scandinavia a unique place. Even though Ireland was a Christianized land with a brilliant Church, it was deeply intertwined with secular affairs. Irish kings could often be both secular and ecclesiastic. The Church that was attacked by the Vikings was the same Church that was at the center of secular conflict; it was not estranged to violence. Ireland was certainly an interesting place for the Vikings to land.
Next Week: Lesson 24b – Vikings in Ireland, Part 2:Â Arrival and Initial Impact.
my favorite Millennial Thingâą is when a group of us are standing around and talking and someone asks a question that no one knows the answer to and suddenly itâs a race to get out your phone and google it and be the first to know, and then someone starts reading the Wikipedia article about the thing aloud to everyone else, and what started as a casual conversation is now A Learning Opportunity and we all walk away a little more knowledgeable about a random topic
Like, Boomers hate when we do that, but I think itâs one of the best things about us.
So long as we have internet or a cell signal, all of the worldâs collective knowledge is at our fingertips, and damned if we arenât going to use it.
My dad always get mad when I do this. Heâs always like âWe didnât need to know.â That makes no sense to me. Why would that make me ignore my ability to learn something? I donât always *need* to know but that doesnât mean Iâm going to pass up an opportunity to learn something new.
Why carry a supercomputer around in your pocket if youâre not gonna use it?
I actually think the ability to do this has made us all a little more humble in our opinions. You canât just confidently make an argument based on incorrect facts. Wikipedia is always there to undermine you and I love that.
^
That explains so much about our parents generation.
20 year old beginner: one year of learning flute and butterfly knife skillz đ
Fun fact: Adults actually learn those âYou need to practice!â skills better than children do.Â
Kids tend to want to do literally anything aside from learning this skill my parent is forcing me to learn.Â
Adults actually can sit down and practice things for hours on end. Adults WANT to practice to get their skills better. Adults deliberately set aside time every day to practice. Even if itâs just 20 minutes, itâs productive growth and not wiggling in your chair mournfully watching birds out the window.Â
Anything from Drawing to Weaving to Violin to fuckin flipping bufferfly knives like a pro – choose a skill and LEARN, dammit! None of that âChildrenâs brains are more malleableâ bullshit. Brain squish is not the end-all of learning!Â
I always have a moment of internal cringe when I see someone using the word âspasticâ in a non medical sense. Like I know tumblr is US based and all, but âspasticâ or âspazâ is considered to be a huge slur against disabled people in the UK, like itâs on par with r*tard, and yet I see it everywhere on here, enough to the point where Iâve just blacklisted it to avoid it.
And this isnât a âyouâre a monster for using this wordâ kinda post btw, Iâm just realizing maybe people arenât aware itâs an ableist term.
As are most of our derogatory words tbh. A lot of insults are based on making comparisons to disabilities. Which makes it very hard to weed them out your lexicon. I still slip up and use words like âidiotâ or âdumbâ from time to time, but Iâm making a real effort not to since I became aware of it. Itâs hard, but rewarding in that it has made my insults feel like Iâm on The Good Place, so thereâs that.
Hm. So, Iâm often an ignorant bench â I did some googling, and I know that âdumbâ is slang for mute, but why is âidiotâ bad?
I know all derogatory words are based on comparing one person to a group that is supposedly âlesserâ â a la, all the âwomenâ ones, and then âfat, lame, dumbâ, etc. But why âidiotâ? Is labeling someone as having zero intelligence âoh.
Just got it.
Huh.
Well, goddamnit, @thebibliospherehow are we supposed to make people feel bad, then?
Wait.
âŠ
âŠ
âŠ
I might be having a revelation.
#might have to just change my whole outlook on life now
That pretty much sums up how I felt when I realized it too haha. It was overwhelming at first to realize just how needlessly cruel my language was, but Iâve felt better about life in general since Iâve elected to use kinder words. âWalnutâ is my favorite. I use it a lot for myself. I have a bad habit of putting myself down and tend to refer to myself as âstupidâ a lot (which like âidiotâ was also once a medical term for people with disabilities) so instead when I do something I call myself a walnut now instead. Itâs funnier and sounds silly but without the inherent nastiness of stupid.
domestication syndrome is one of the coolest findings from recent genetics
Yes!
Basically scientists have found that if you start selecting for people-friendly animals, you see a bunch of hypothetically unrelated traits start showing up in all sorts of mammal species: floppy ears, piebald/patterned coats, etc.
This is true for everything from cows to dogs to rats! One of the coolest long term studies on this has been the Russian fox experiments.
So essentially the science goes like this:
You have two copies of every genes, one from each parent.
We tend to simplify genetics, and say that for every single gene you have it is random,l coin flip which copy you pass on to you offspring. We also tend think of genes as a 1:1 ratio of genesâ>traits.
But! This is not quite the case.
Genes have a specific physical location and order relative to each other on your chromosomes, and the chance of genes being inherited together goes up the closer together they are located. This means random, unrelated traits can wind up being more commonly inherited together in specific patterns just because those genes are located close together, and you donât get that completely random reshuffling of two parentâs traits. Some of them tend to stay âstuckâ together.
This is called linkage, and itâs why you often see red hair, pale skin, and freckles together, for example.
The second factor that plays into this is that a lot of times 1 gene affects several different traits (or several different genes affect 1 trait). This means that sometimes you really *canât* untangle two traits because they have a similar cause. For example, say genes for increased aggression are responsible both for making a spider a better hunter (pro) and making a spider more likely to eat its offspring (con). Because the same gene is the cause of both things, natural selection canât really untangle them.
Circling back to the redhead/freckles/pale skin example, these traits are affected by a number of different genes, but also one gene in particular: MCR1, a gene that changes how your body responds to hormones promoting melanin production. Again, one gene related to pigment production can affect a BUNCH of different traits. (And also skin cancer risk. Fun!)
Domestication Syndrome in mammals turns out to be due to both linkage and genes affect by multiple traits!
See, when we domestic animals we want them to be friendlier/less aggressive, which normally translates to less FEARFUL.
And it turns out that the same genes involved in adrenal responses and other stress reactions are also involved in melanin, cartilage, and bone production. So when we domesticate animals we get these recurring changes in pigmentation (white patches, piebald costs), floppy ears (cartilage), shorter muzzles and other changes in physical stature (bone growth), etc.
We also wind up selecting for a lot of neotenic genes in generalâ that is, retention of childhood traits into adulthood. Thatâs because baby animals tend to have lots of friendly/trusting/biddable/curious traits we are looking for.
And honestly, who can say no to a face like this?
ps, since it was mentioned:
the same genes involved in domestication probably help animals form social groups in general. if you need to get along with and trust strangers you need a decrease in the panic/aggression genes.
cats, for example, probably domesticated themselves when they started living close to each other and to humans to feed off of pests in grain silos.
and yeah, some some recent theories suggest humans may have âdomesticatedâ themselves:
Most behaviors that you see keepers demonstrate at the zoo or aquarium are natural behaviors that the animals do in the wild. When the animals do them, the keepers give them a treat and pair it with a gesture or a word, so that they associate them, and eventually the word or gesture is enough to elicit the behavior because the animal knows that thereâs a reward. But hereâs the thing: most of those behaviors are encouraged because they help veterinarians and keepers do health checks.
Yeah, its cute when they nose boop the stick, but also keepers need to check their vision and depth perception and mobility. Sea lions are so cute when they wave! But vets and keepers need to check under those flippers to make sure that theyâre healthy and that they donât have any restrictions on their motion or cuts on their skin. Why do they ask animals to jump? Again, to make sure that theyâre healthy, and also because its fun and animals LOVE to move around and jump and have fun, its mentally stimulating.Â
This is the most important thing I will ever reblog and anyone who is still ignorant enough to think zoos are awful can fuck off my blog. Zoos are necessary. If you think otherwise please unfollow me because I donât want you here.
This is super important for people to see. I have worked at a zoo and I can not tell you how many times Iâve had to defend the zoo for the good they do. People need to learn that zoos are actually helping save endangered species.
The famous La Marseillaise scene from Casablanca.
You know, this scene is so powerful to me that sometimes I forget that not everyone who watches it will understand its significance, or will have seen Casablanca. So, because this scene means so much to me, I hope itâs okay if I take a minute to explain whatâs going on here for anyone whoâs feeling left out.
Casablanca takes place in, well, Casablanca, the largest city in (neutral) Morocco in 1941, at Rickâs American Cafe (Rick is Humphrey Bogartâs character you see there). In 1941, America was also still neutral, and Rickâs establishment is open to everyone: Nazi German officials, officials from Vichy (occupied) France, and refugees from all across Europe desperate to escape the German war engine. A neutral cafe in a netural country is probably the only place youâd have seen a cross-section like this in 1941, only six months after the fall of France.
So, the scene opens with Rick arguing with Laszlo, who is a Czech Resistance fighter fleeing from the Nazis (if youâre wondering what theyâre arguing about: Rick has illegal transit papers which would allow Laszlo and his wife, Ilsa, to escape to America, so he could continue raising support against the Germans. Rick refuses to sell because heâs in love with Laszloâs wife). Theyâre interrupted by that cadre of German officers singing Die Wacht am Rhein: a German patriotic hymn which was adopted with great verve by the Nazi regime, and which is particularly steeped in anti-French history. This depresses the hell out of everybody at the club, and infuriates Laszlo, who storms downstairs and orders the house band to play La Marseillaise: the national anthem of France.
Wait, but when I say âitâs the national anthem of France,â I donât want you to think of your national anthem, okay? Wherever youâre from. Because Franceâs anthem isnât talking about some glorious long-ago battle, or Franceâs beautiful hills and countrysides. La Marseillaise is FUCKING BRUTAL. Hereâs a translation of what theyâre singing:
Arise, children of the Fatherland! The day of glory has arrived! Against us, tyranny raises its bloody banner. Do you hear, in the countryside, the roar of those ferocious soldiers? Theyâre coming to your land to cut the throats of your women and children!
To arms, citizens! Form your battalions! Letâs march, letâs march! Let their impure blood water our fields!
BRUTAL, like I said. DEFIANT, in these circumstances. And the entire cafe stands up and sings it passionately, drowning out the Germans. The Germans who are, in 1941, still terrifyingly ascendant, and seemingly invincible.
âVive la France! Vive la France!â the crowd cries when itâs over. France has already been defeated, the German war machine roars on, and the people still refuse to give up hope.
But hereâs the real kicker, for me: Casablanca came out in 1942. None of this was âhistoryâ to the people who first saw it. Real refugees from the Nazis, afraid for their lives, watched this movie and took heart. These were current events when this aired. Victory over Germany was still far from certain. The hope it gave to people then was as desperately needed as it has been at any time in history.
God I love this scene.
not only did refugees see this movie, real refugees made this movie. most of the european cast members wound up in hollywood after fleeing the nazis and wound up.Â
paul heinreid, who played laszlo the resistance leader, was a famous austrian actor; he was so anti-hitler that he was named anenemy of the reich.ugarte, the petty thief who stole the illegal transit papers laszlo and victor are arguing about? was played by peter lorre, a jewish refugee. carl, the head waiter? played by s.z. sakall, a hungarian-jewwhose three sisters died in the holocaust.Â
even the main nazi character was played by a german refugee:Â conrad veidt, who starred in one of the first sympathetic films about gay men and who fled the nazis with his jewish wife.Â
thereâs one person in this scene that deserves special mention. did you notice the woman at the bar, on the verge of tears as she belts out la marseillaise? sheâs yvonne, rickâs ex-girlfriend in the film. in real life, the actressâs name is madeleine lebeau and she basically lived the plot of this film: she and her jewish husband fled paris ahead of the germans in 1940. her husband, macel dalio, is also in the film, playing the guy working the roulette table. after they occupied paris, the nazis used his face on posters to represent a âtypical jew.â madeleine and  marcel managed to get to lisbon (the goal of all the characters in casablanca), and boarded a ship to the americas⊠but then they were stranded for two months when it turned out their visa papers were forgeries. they eventually entered the US after securing temporary canadian visas. marcel dalioâs entire family died in concentration camps.Â
go back and rewatch the clip. watch madeleine lebeauâs face.
casablanca is a classic, full of classic acting performances. but in this moment, madeleine lebeau isnât acting. this isnât yvonne the jilted lover onscreen. this is madeleine lebeau, singing âla marseillaiseâ after she and her husband fled france for their lives. this is a real-life refugee, her real agony and loss and hope and resilience, preserved in the midst of one of the greatest films of all time.Â
I remember when I first saw Casablanca, and being struck by this scene, and that was without knowing the history behind it or all that Madeleine Lebeau – and so many more refugees- had suffered.Â
Do yourself a solid and watch this film. Watch this scene. And most of all, remember refugees, the ones who lived then and especially the ones who live now. Â
I knew this movie, of course, itâs one of the mains from my motherâs list of movies you should see âAt least once in a lifetimeâ, but I had never until now felt any desire to watch it.
Itâs one of those movies where context and the (not so quite) subtle subtext are vitally important to understanding the importance of it, not only as a classic piece of film making (hokey old timey speech and all), but as a political and social commentary of the times, rooted fiercely in protest and a whole lot of âfuck you fascistsâ.
I never really got it until my father (raised by his Jewish grandmother who fled Austria with the clothes on her back and a single suitcase and swathes of dead loved ones left behind) sat me down and told me the full context of when the movie was made, what it was actually about and who it was made for.
It made his casual way of saying âhereâs looking at you kidâ whenever we skipped school to go to protest rallies (start of the Iraq war) all the more poignant for me. I just thought he was being an old man quoting the popular cult media from his youth. But it means so much more than that.
Cause hereâs the thing about that iconic line from the end of the movie: youâll find screeds and screeds of people talking about how heâs using it to flirt with her once last time and just how suave it is, alluding that itâs purely about her youth and beauty and his ever lasting love for her even though sheâs married to someone else.
But that line? Had been in use for a good 50+ years prior to Casablanca gracing the screens. Itâs a toast, a wish for your health. And the people watching would have known the significance of it, particularly the displaced Europeans knowing that theyâll likely never see their loved ones again.
Cause hereâs looking at you kidâ and the unspoken meaning behind itâ one last time.
Rick isnât just letting go of the love of his life in that scene. Heâs using his position of power and privilege as an American with access to outside networks (predominantly crime related, but hey) to help her escape the country with her highly persecuted and sought after husband to a place of safety.
He had the option to just take her himself and runâ and her husband even urges him to do so at one point. But Rick endeavors to get them both to safety, and he shows up armed to do so. He fights for their freedom even though he doesnât have to. He goes from staunchly refusing to help them out of bitterness and cynicism, to realizing that if he doesnât do something people are going to die. And he doesnât just save the woman he loves, which would be oh so easy. He saves the man he hates too. Because he can, so he must.
The final scene ends with Renault (played by Claude Rains, an Englishman), head of the local police (and a character largely played for laughs), making the decision not to arrest Rick or anyone else involved when ordered to, actively defying the orders of a fascist. When he and Rick are walking away, he insinuates that he and Rick should join the French Resistance movement in
Brazzaville, and Rick again delivers the other iconic line from the movie: âLouis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.â
Casablanca is about forging alliances in the face of tyranny. Itâs about doing what is right, even though it goes against the law when the law is corrupt. Itâs about being willing to give up your own liberties and comfort to preserve the things you love, even though it wonât directly benefit you. Hell, it might even kill you. But someoneâs got to do it.
And yea, itâs old, itâs dated and a product of itâs time and it shows. There are times when the modern viewer will cringe and rightly so. But it was also incredibly out there for its time, when the world was going to absolute hell in a hand basket and it seemed like the walls were closing in, it held many important messages, but primarily: Resist.
