Sacred Treasure
My boss, Paul, has done a superb job joining various dots between the Empire podcast, the Kohinoor diamond, and an Egyptian Christian seminary.- Ian Paul has an interesting piece about the ideal size of churches
- Fascinating: acclaimed church historian Philip Jenkins on Christianity and the Making of the Quran. (HT Simple Pastor)
- Also picked up from Simple Pastor, some v helpful tips for speaking through an interpreter something I find myself doing quite often.
- Some beautiful cosmographic diagrams (from 1872) depicting Dante’s Divine Comedy
- This is a fascinating snapshot comparing two icons separated by a century or so. (HT Art & Theology)
Topical Treasure
- How things have changed. The UK has a Hindu Prime Minister, Scotland a Muslim First Minister, the Irish Republic a half-Indian Taoiseach. Ed West has some intriguing thoughts.
- Interesting evidence from Sweden post-Covid (HT Simple Pastor)
- Some inspiring but simple examples of good urban planning and design
- And while we’re on design, here are some brilliant packaging ideas
- I’ve added similar lists before but there are some new shots here I think. 30 rarely seen historical images such as this uncrossed image of the Tiananmen Square Tank Man.
Ukraine News
It’s important to hear different voices and no society is homogenous. Next Year in Moscow is a superb podcast from the Economist. Arkady Ostrovsky interviews Russians in exile about what they think is really going on. Each episode can’t come soon enough.- How Bellingcat investigators proved a video of Ukrainian soldiers harassing women was staged
Quirky Treasure
- How WEIRD is this? Evelyn Waugh’s own copy of a Victorian Blood Book. I’d no idea such things existed.
- Stunning light-sensitive murals in a Spanish suburb
- 20 Movie/TV tropes that make people lose interest – couldn’t agree more. Could add several more.
- Amazing images of all kinds of insects made from petals and twigs.
- Some wonderful travel posters from pre-2WW Switzerland and some from Poland
- Images of abandoned places
- The World Nature Photography 2022 prize winners. Stunning.
This Post Has One Comment
A wonderful collection! Thank you! My 15 yr old grandson is at a state school where Islam is by far the most observed religion and so his ginger head is now among those praying five times a day and fasting and learning Arabic and his mood has lifted and he has found G-d. Your piece about the Qu’ran could not have come at a better time for me as I seek to make connection with my own Catholic faith.