Myrmecology Dies in Darkness
We hear that today is something called “World Emoji Day“. It kind of seems like a soft promotional day for Vertebrate Silicon Valley. But if you must celebrate the holiday, do so with myrmecological style: Read our two contributed pieces on ant emojis, one by philosopher Gretchen Ellefson and another by entomologist Joanie King.
Our Film Critic Derek Langston shared with us a jarring though realistic anime clip posted to Facebook two years ago, on the U.S. nuclear bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. It opens with ants and then… progresses from there. The excerpt is not for the faint of heart, although we believe that it is critical for humans to forefront in their minds the true horror of war.
[CONTENT WARNING: Gruesome war imagery]
[UPDATE: Film Critic Langston says he believes the clip is from the 1983 film Barefoot Gen]
An inspiring Hong Kong political party of the 90’s: the United Ants.
Here’s a great bit on the party, aired in 1994:
[UPDATE: Apparently the poster of this video requires that you view the video in YouTube! To do so, click the link after hitting play]
If you must choose car advertising as a career path, please follow the tire tracks of General Motors. The unexpectedly formicid-forward car manufacturer recently produced an excellent advertisement for their 2018 GMC Terrain Denali SUV with voiceover by Will Arnett: “The Strength of an Ant“. Enjoy!
Last November, then-high school senior Akshay Kulkarni reached out to The Daily Ant to share his love of ants with us. During our email exchange, Akshay referenced his ant adoption website, Antsylvania, and let us know about an invited TEDx talk he did with his brother, Akhil, in Springfield, Massachusetts.
Well, now you’re probably wondering, “Where can I appreciate said TEDx talk?” Right here, of course:
Needless to say, Akshay and Akhil Kulkarni are myrmecological inspirations for us all!
The Daily Ant maintains “Formicid Form”, a Sunday ant poetry series. When possible, our Verse Correspondant, Natalia Piland, provides a short commentary at the end of each poem. Enjoy!
Poem in Haiku Poetry (1968)
By J.W. Hackett
The ants on this cloth
are even carrying off
their own casualties.
The time is upon us. Ant-Man and The Wasp debuts early in theaters all around the United States today. This day. Thursday, July 5th, 2018. Prime yourself by watching both trailers for the film, and then do your civic duty. Get out to the box office and put your money where your mandibles are! Let us invert the Hollywood agenda together.
The Netflix show Queer Eye, a reboot of the popular Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, has been met with generally favorable reviews by critics and viewers alike. Thanks to Tube Correspondant Katerina Theodossiou, we now know the reason why, and it’s found in Season 1, Episode 5 (“Camp Rules“). In this episode, the Fab Five give Bobby Camp, a “devoutly Christian father of six”, a makeover. During the all-important scene, Jonathan Van Ness chats with Camp about his morning routine:
The Daily Ant maintains “Formicid Form”, a Sunday ant poetry series. When possible, our Verse Correspondant, Natalia Piland, provides a short commentary at the end of each poem. Enjoy!
El Hormiguero (2010)
Song by Calle 13, English translation here
The ants have arrived here,
We are conquering enemy territories,
Invisible, silent, and simultaneous,
The entire invasion is subterraneous.
