Sacred Treasure
- Gray Sutanto is an Indonesian theologian now working in USA: has fascinating insights into Christianity & Western culture (HT Chris Howles)
- On saying goodbye to a beloved church: sometimes churches actually do function well!
- Chris Yokel on the mythologies at work in Christopher Nolan’s new film Oppenheimer
- Frederick Douglas on 5th July 1852: What to the slave is your 4th July?
Topical Treasure
- Ed West on where Jewish people feel safest in Europe today (and it’s not exactly where you might think: sadly UK is no longer one)
- The artist who taught children in the Nazi death camps to draw their dreams
- I hugely admire Prof Timothy Snyder’s books. Here he is trenchant (in Lunch with the FT) about the west’s misreading of Russia (HT Ralph Hewins)
- Having just returned from another visit to Turkey and the ruins of Ephesus, it’s been thrilling to discover Ádám Németh’s 3d reconstructions of ancient buildings (like these in Ephesus). Def. worth a browse.
Quirky Treasure
- A list of the most popular AI websites (HT Chris Howles)
- UFOs are back in the news. Information is Beautiful offers a nice infographic cribsheet with the key theories in one place.
- Classical Masterpieces painted onto street walls. Magnificent. The artist is Julien de Casabianca, so I guess he’s trying to defy his surname.
- Always love a bit of astronomical photography. Here are 2023 competition finalists
- Late to the party on this one: 2016 drone footage of a guy on a TV Tower in the prairies. My toes are curling just writing it…