dee 方传嫣
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hellenus.bsky.social
dee 方传嫣
@hellenus.bsky.social
1.7K followers 450 following 2.7K posts
She/her. I like games and things. Mum of khazrak the cat. Malaysian.
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hellenus.bsky.social
Coughed so hard my voice is going 😬 meanwhile #KhazrakOneEye:
A calico cat loafing on a board game (Fateforge)
November 13, 2025 at 9:59 PM
hellenus.bsky.social
Still sick but I made anchovy cream sauce pasta in the microwave. I love microwave.
Cream sauce pasta
November 11, 2025 at 9:29 PM
hellenus.bsky.social
Oh now YOU want to travel #KhazrakOneEye
A calico cat with one yellow right eye lying in a luggage bag
November 10, 2025 at 12:39 PM
hellenus.bsky.social
Colin is trying to tell Khazrak about his amazing board games trip but she only cares about lying in the boxes #KhazrakOneEye #BoardGameBear
A calico cat sniffing a stuffed polar bear nose to nose
November 7, 2025 at 9:51 PM
hellenus.bsky.social
I'm bringing out the big guns
Congee with caramelised onions, pork floss, spring onions, white pepper
November 7, 2025 at 5:44 PM
hellenus.bsky.social
I got a miffy teapot from germany hehe (I think the store is dutch actually but what's important is that it survived check in)
Miffy teapot
November 7, 2025 at 6:36 AM
hellenus.bsky.social
Curry mee and kopi ais 😚
Curry mee and ice coffee Me looking down lovingly at curry mee and ice coffee
November 7, 2025 at 4:41 AM
hellenus.bsky.social
Oh god all the ritter sport we brought back has fucking melted at tropical room temperature 😭😭😂
Table of ritter sport
November 6, 2025 at 2:53 PM
hellenus.bsky.social
I'm just watching her wash herself now cos it's been a month since I've seen it 🥲
Calico cat washing herself mid-lick on her belly
November 6, 2025 at 6:38 AM
hellenus.bsky.social
MY CHILDDDD #KhazrakOneEye
A calico cat with one yellow right eye lying on the floor
November 6, 2025 at 6:21 AM
hellenus.bsky.social
You're telling me a 150 million year old shrimp fried this rice?
Shrimp fossil Shrimp fossil Shrimp fossils
November 5, 2025 at 9:53 AM
hellenus.bsky.social
And the archaeopteryx of course, the mona lisa of dinosaurs
Archaeopteryx nook display Archaeopteryx fossil
November 5, 2025 at 9:13 AM
hellenus.bsky.social
Anyway the brachiosaurus is my favourite and the t rex is cal's favourite so it's nice to see both of them in the same place
Giant dino skeletons Giant dino skeletons Cal pointing at t rex skeleton
November 5, 2025 at 9:11 AM
hellenus.bsky.social
Everything is political!!!
Many Western natural history museums were founded in the 19"h cen- tury and triggered a veritable "collecting frenzy" around the globe. This development benefited from European colonial efforts that have exis- ted since the 15th century. Although the German Empire officially took possession of colonies in the 1880s and numerous objects from Africa and Oceania subsequently came to Berlin museums, explorers had al- ready used colonial frameworks or European trade networks. Research trips were often state-funded, took place on military ships, or collectors received military protection. This enabled the exploitation of colonised cultures and nature. Collected knowledge contributed to the legitimisa- tion of colonial policy and the justification of racist worldviews that have left their mark to this day. Measuring, recording. annexing Politics and science often went hand in hand. Knowledge gathered on expeditions and research trips partly formed the basis for colonial annexation by the European powers. Explorers documented geography, collected animals, plants or measured land masses and gave them European names such as "New Holland" and " New Pomerania". The German Empire financed expeditions on which objects and information would be collected - this is how some of the birds from the historical bird collection ended up in Berlin.
November 5, 2025 at 9:00 AM
hellenus.bsky.social
Also mentioning the patriarchy AND noting how western women benefit from colonialism, incredible work
The historical bird collection has about 11,500 spe- cimens. The number is impressive - but the number of objects that come from female collectors can be counted on both hands. In a patriarchal world, women have long been denied access to science. Women who were active in scientific circles had to assert them- selves against resistance and role assignments. And this too was usually only possible for a few, predomi- nantly white people. Their contribution to scientific research is still little appreciated today. Only from 1900 onwards were women admitted to German uni- versities. The Oriental Plover (Charadrius veredus), seen here, is one of the few bird specimens collected by a woman. Amalie Dietrich travelled to Australia between 1863 and 1873 on behalf of the Hamburg shipowner Godeffroy. She created one of the largest collections that ever came from there to Europe: plants, insects, birds, fish and mammals-includ- ing many unknown species. However, she herself never published academically, her collection was only processed slowly and is quickly forgotten. Amalie Dietrich also took human remains from the indige- nous population with her to Hamburg. The practice of taking artefacts and human bodies was widespread in their time.
November 5, 2025 at 8:58 AM
hellenus.bsky.social
"The Berlin Natural History Museum is actively engaging with its complex history.
It cooperates with Tanzanian partner institutions in order to examine this common past, to discuss it publicly and to work together for a common future."
The Berlin Natural History Museum is actively engaging with its complex history. It cooperates with Tanzanian partner institutions in order to examine this common past, to discuss it publicly and to work together for a common future.
November 5, 2025 at 8:54 AM
hellenus.bsky.social
The last time we were here my only 'complaint' was that the museum didn't seem to want to mention their colonial roots much but here they are fully grappling with it and acknowledging it 10/10 museum
Many of the objects come from a fossil excavation in what is now Tanzania. A world-famous deposit of dinosaur fossils is located in Tendaguru Hill, which is in the southeast of the country. Here the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin carried out fossil excavations between 1909 and 1913. At that time the area was part of the colony called German East Africa. Over 250 tons of fossilised material were recovered and brought to Berlin. Here the fossils were gradually prepared, preserved, assembled and scientifically described. The fossils from Tendaguru are not only outstanding evidence of life some 150 million years ago, they also raise many questions for the practice of science and encourage a critical debate about the colonial past. Colonial history immortalised in the name of a species. The dinosaur Dysalotosaurus lettowvorbecki was excavated during the Tendaguru expedition in the former colony German East Africa (now Tanzania). It was scientifically described in Berlin in 1919. The genus name Dysalotosaurus means "hard-to-catch lizard" The species was named after Major General Paul von Lettow- Vorbeck, commander of the German colonial army in German East Africa during the First World War. The cruel and inhumane warfare under his command claimed many African victims. After the First World War, Lettow-Vorbeck demanded the return of the German colonies. Conservatives and nationalists revered him as a war hero, which is why this dinosaur, Dysalotosaurus lettowvorbecki, was named after him. Under the strict rules of taxonomy it is unfortunately not possible to change species names once they have been given Tendaguru fossils in historical context. Building on the fossils from Tendagurui, the Natural History Museum hoped to strengthen its scientific position and increase its importance in the international competition for spectacular palaeontological discoveries. Scientific interest was intertwined with colonial political ambition. From 1910 onwards the display of the first spectacular fossilised hones of Brachiosaurus brancaf fulfilled the expectations for the museum. The fossils were presented as "national" objects. They were presented as found "for the first time on German soil", Sturies such as these, which promoted a nationalistic understanding of science, were not limited to the Tendaguru expedition. They were a characteristic feature of 'scientific' rhetoric at that time. On the eve of the First World War such rhetoric emphasised the role of science in the competition between nations and legitimised colonial rule. o The Tendaguru fossils are outstanding testimonies of the world 150 million years ago. They also pose important questions for research in the natural sciences and the humanities. For example, the discussions about the circumstances of their discovery and excavation are accompanied by a reappraisal of the colonial context. Today, we only know the names of a few of the local workers: Abdallah Kimbamba, Boheti bin Amrani, Hizza, Issa bin Salim, Moh[hammed] Ngaranga, Moham[med] Saidi, Saidi Mwjelo, Salim Tombali, Sefu Abdallah, Seliman Kawinga, Seliman Nyororo, and Salesi.
November 5, 2025 at 8:53 AM
hellenus.bsky.social
Being embarrassing with our favourite dinosaurs at the natural history museum
Me making heart above my head in front of massive brachiosaurus skeleton Calvin making half a heart with his fingers in front of the t rex skeleton
November 5, 2025 at 7:26 AM
hellenus.bsky.social
Colin had an excellent time back at spiel for the first time in 6 years and enjoyed berlin, city of bears. He might be an eisbär but he's happy to be returning to the tropics #BoardGameBear
Colin the stuffed polar bear in the airport
November 5, 2025 at 7:15 AM
hellenus.bsky.social
Final games of PeerCon 🥲 (which is when Peer "makes" us play board games with him after spiel) Catch Sketch, drawing & guessing but the twist is one player gets to erase one quadrant of everyone's drawing. Loaf, you are lazy bakers trying to get away with putting in the least effort in making bread
Colin the stuffed polar bear with Catch Sketch Colin the stuffed polar bear with Loaf
November 4, 2025 at 9:14 PM
hellenus.bsky.social
National Economy. The part where you pay workers into the national budget which becomes the bank where you get money from, and having to nationalise i.e. send your own cards to the common pool for money to pay workers is v interesting. Also I'm a sucker for board game references lol
Colin the stuffed polar bear with National Economy Colin the stuffed polar bear with National Economy card called mansion that's worth a lot of money My tableau at the end of National Economy with which I won Card called Board Game Cafe
November 4, 2025 at 9:04 PM
hellenus.bsky.social
Bomb Busters. Actually didn't like it as much as I thought I would. I'd play it if people wanted to tho. #BoardGameBear approved even though Colin is apprehensive about bomb defusal (he doesn't have opposable thumbs)
Colin the stuffed polar bear with Bomb Busters
November 4, 2025 at 8:51 PM
hellenus.bsky.social
Also we got to try the stethoscope safe picking thingy hehe
Me doing the stethoscope safe picking thingy
November 3, 2025 at 8:11 PM
hellenus.bsky.social
This was so funny to me btw. They have the filing cabinet that a stasi officer broke into to steal files to defect to the west, "bearing the marks" of his attack
Filing cabinet The filing cabinet bearing the marks of Werner Stillers attack, Stasi, East-Germany, 1970s Defectors and double agents TURNCOAT TRAITORS Intelligence services always want to know what their enemies are doing and try to use the lure of money and the promise of a new life to persuade agents to betray their own side. The >turning< of agents into double agents is a tricky business and a supreme test of skill. Defectors - agents who actually leave their homeland and start work for a foreign power -are valued highly for the information which they bring, but are often held in contempt by their new colleagues for their act of betrayal. Using insider knowledge to buy a new life, this option was always open to spies during the Cold War. Two of the most famous cases occurred late on in the Cold War. January 1979 saw the Stasi officer Werner Stiller abscond to the West with a bundle of secret files, many of which he stole after breaking into a locked filing cabinet. In August 1985, Hansjoachim Tiedge fled in the other direction, from Cologne to the DDR. His role as a senior counter-intelligence agent made him a prize catch for the East Germans
November 3, 2025 at 8:03 PM
hellenus.bsky.social
Went to the german spy museum and they really did put cameras and microphones in absolutely everything during the cold war huh. My favourite is the glue stick camera. Also enigma machine! And the brands that made them lmao carl zeiss, siemens, shure
Enigma machine Lipstick camera, pen with microphone, lipstick pistol Glue stick camera Glue stick camera
November 3, 2025 at 7:55 PM