F
He looked around, but only saw his own soldiers who were now standing wondering why they had stopped.
"And now it seems he's come down to look at us." Said the little voice. "But he's still not even looking where he is going."
Then, at last, King Solomon spotted the source. At his feet in the sand a colony of ants was struggling to cross the road. And amongst them their queen.
"Why do you disparage my men?" Said Solomon.
"Pick me up so we can speak properly." said the ant queen. 3/
"Maybe I am magnificent too." He mused as the desert air ruffled his lovely robes.
But then he heard another voice. A tiny voice but one very self possessed.
"Beware of these men, my daughters! They do not look where their boots may land. Take heed!" Said the tiny but somehow imperious little voice.
It was coming from far far below.
Confused, and a little offended the King brought his magic carpet down to the earth. Settling not far from the voice. 2/
#KingSolomon and the #Ant
(I will tell the story of King Solomon and the ant. I've read a lot of versions of this story and this is my own based on what I know about ants.)
King Solomon continued his journey flying over a vast desert on his flying carpet. Below him his army marched in neat rows. He could see for miles from the great height. "This is magnificent." he thought.
And because he could understand the speech of the animals he heard the birds agree.
#threads #storyTime
1/
I didn't know about this book. But I do know about King Solomon ... Because one of the creatures he speaks to is an ant queen.
It's fascinating to me that in most of the sources they get the sex of the ants correct. They don't use he/him. And not just for the queen.
The ant queen humbles Solomon. Which I enjoy.
"consider her ways and be wise"
I think they want us to think they don't have to justify themselves any longer.
But the funny thing about these conservatives is many of them do care about how some concepts of legitimacy.
Giving up is the wrong response.
My nephew just keeps getting more excited to become a problem in the best way the more he learns. Totally undaunted by all this nonsense somehow. But then he grew up with the world like this. He has no sense of "it used to be not like this" and has moved on to "it's like this and how can I use that to take it all apart in a new way."
I would write for the got dang Atlantic if they'd pay me. I will not judge anyone for that.
I must warn you. If you read this book you will become a bit of an annoying person who, whenever someone says something like "pigeons are stupid" or "snakes don't have feelings" you may launch into a whole discourse about how "intelligence is contextual" and other wild things.
But I was already a bit like this it just made it worse.
My impression of him having spent a whole book reading the way he presents natural history is very positive.
I also avoid The Atlantic... didn't know he had anything to do with that?
That sounds great. I will put it on my list.
What is that one about?
“Immense world” is a remarkable book written with a lot of science but also sensitivity. I try to get everyone to read it. It totally changed the way that I think about how animals think.
The audiobook is great. With non-fiction sometimes audiobooks don't work, but this one is worth listening to. (Or just read the paperback)
Anyway, if you are looking for something that expands your horizons. Something that teaches you new things and that's ... positive.
This is it.
Play An Immense World, by Ed Yong from Penguin Books UK. Play audiobooks and excerpts on SoundCloud desktop and mobile.
SoundCloud (soundcloud.com)
My nephew is studying constitutional law and I feel just a little sorry for all of the people he will encounter in a court room some day.
I got a little excited for a moment when I first saw this. I mean...
Then I realized that I didn't see people dancing in the street and they probably just don't know what "memorial" means.
Can we cut one of those "revolving door" prison ads like they had in the 90s?
Come on.
If the people you pardon keep doing more crime that's supposed to be "Very Bad" by anyone's standard, right? Anyone.
Feel better. That sounds very painful and exhausting.
I kind of wish people wouldn't eat ants, however I have never had two pounds of fat-bottmed queen ants fall on my farm, and been aware that they could each set up a nest that could destroy an orchard OR I could fry them and have what everyone claims is a delicious snack.
Poor girls.
But also respect for dealing with an agricultural pest in this way... and if people want to eat them?
They won't use sprays that could kill other more rare ants.
So in the the end munch away I guess.
OMG.
(Those are queens, some people eat them, I didn't know they were considered an aphrodisiac too. )
Did you see this part off my original post?
*looking at what the AI did to replace my work*
"Is this what you think I do? Really?"
Kind of inspires me to do better in so many little ways.