In,out and unspeakably about: taking social geography beyond an Anglo-American positionality

Consideration of the sporting landscape within which an activity takes place is an aspect that is often taken for granted but close inspection can reveal a wealth of information that is easily found, waiting to be decoded (Cosgrove 1989). Such information is important because it allows the values ascribed to the landscape to become more clearly visible (Lewis 1979). This study examines the sport of Ultimate Frisbee and uses a modified framework devised by Meinig (1979) to analyse different ‘views of the sports landscape’. An ethnographic approach was used and data were gathered through participant observation, the conducting of interviews and the examination of documentary evidence. Findings indicate that since the formation of a new governing body in the UK, greater standardisation of the sporting landscape has become apparent, however, spatial, temporal and constitutional boundaries within Ultimate Frisbee remain ‘soft’ and continue to be indicative of the sport's origins and ‘the alternative sports movement’ of the 1960s (Bale 1994).     

Preservation assessment of Miocene–Pliocene tooth enamel from Tugen Hills (Kenyan Rift Valley) through FTIR,chemical and stable-isotope analyses

We investigated fossil tooth enamel of mammals and crocodiles from two Mio-Pliocene East-African formations (Lukeino and Mabaget Fms) using infrared spectroscopy and chemical and stable-isotope analyses. Infrared spectra indicate that the fossil enamel contains biological apatite (bioapatite), without significant secondary carbonate contaminations. Several empirical infrared indexes were used to analyze the crystal–chemical characteristics of enamel. Fossil enamel has less organic matter, water and structural carbonate of apatite than modern enamel with which it was compared. Fossil apatite has a better crystallinity than bioapatite. The calcium/phosphorus mass ratio and the fluorine content of fossil apatite show intermediate values between bioapatite and geological fluorapatite. The samples also display significant crystal-chemical variations, depending on the vertebrate group (mammals vs. reptiles) and the taphonomic context (Lukeino Fm vs. Mabaget Fm). In spite of these changes, no relationship was observed between the chemical contents (carbonate and fluorine) and the stable-isotope ratios of carbonate (δ¹³C and δ¹⁸O) in fossil enamel. Preservation of the palaeoenvironmental signals is strongly supported by the fact that the stable-isotope composition of the three investigated fossil mammalian taxa (deinotheres, equids and hippos) is consistent with their ecological features. For instance, typical C₃- and C₄-plant isotope compositions are reflected in the deinotheres and equids, respectively, and amphibious hippos display lower δ¹⁸O values than terrestrial herbivores, as expected.     

The Mortella II & III Wrecks: premiminary observations on two 16th‐century archaeological sites discovered in Saint‐Florent Bay,Corsica, France

In 2005 and 2006 the remains of great armed vessels dated from the 16th century were discovered within an archaeological survey framework led by the Société d'Etudes en Archéologie Subaquatique (SEAS) in Saint‐Florent Bay (north Corsica, France). The preliminary study of the two archaeological sites located, named Mortella II and Mortella III, sheds light on these highly interesting shipwrecks and the contribution their excavation—programmed for 2010—will be able to provide to the maritime archaeology of this period, about which relatively little is known. © 2010 The Author     

The French romantics

Berkeley's Theory of Vision, or Visual Language Showing The Immediate Presence and Providence of A Deity, Vindicated And Explained was published in 1733, occasioned by an anonymous letter of the previous year to the London Daily Post Boy. The letter criticized Berkeley's New Theory of Vision, which had been published in 1709, but which had been appended to Berekely's Alciphron, published in 1732. No one has ever identified the author whose criticisms led Berkeley to his Theory of Vision Vindicated. Circumstantial evidence presented here suggests that the author was Catherine Trotter Cockburn. Part of the evidence is the brilliance of her interpretation of Locke, whose position is defended in the letter against Berkeley.