Notebooks

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The art of the hedgerow

The hedgerow is never truly permanent. The hedge in art reflects the hedge in reality, a shifting entity, a feature that is sometimes lost and sometimes replaced.

Richard Negus April 28, 2025

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The medieval origins of the Pope lying-in-state

The public display of a pope’s remains is at the heart of the funeral ritual. Its origins lie in the pomp and prestige expected of late medieval Europe's most powerful institutions..

Katherine Harvey April 25, 2025

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Why China is winning the geopolitical battle in Africa

Sino-African relations are fraught with problems and power imbalances. But American disinterest in the continent’s problems has allowed China to emerge as a reliable, if imperfect,..

Mpiti Mosothoane April 25, 2025

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A leisurely guide to a spiritual life

Leisure is an attitude of receptive contemplation, the source, according to the ancient Greeks, of our intellectual and spiritual knowledge. It's time to rediscover its true meanin..

Zachary Hardman April 23, 2025

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Trump the caudillo

Despite his apparent disdain for Latin America, President Trump's political style and strongman tendencies are the recognisable product of a wider, pan-American political culture w..

Andreas Campomar April 22, 2025

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The revolutionary meaning of Maundy Thursday

The ritual of the pedilavium communicates as vividly as anything the fundamental nature of Christ, and what is perpetually revolutionary and challenging about the Christian message..

Bijan Omrani April 17, 2025

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China and America, the great decoupling

The current trade war is a consequence of successive American presidents' failure to stand up to China as it returned to hardline state control of the economy. The global economy i..

Michael Sheridan April 16, 2025

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America’s republic of bookstores

The classic bookstore is a potent if endangered symbol of what America was meant to be – a republic of small traders and independent thinking.

Phil Tinline April 15, 2025

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The political power of knowing your enemy

In war and diplomacy, personal relationships between leaders can shape the course of events in complex and unpredictable ways. Yet those who know their geopolitical adversaries are..

Suzanne Raine April 11, 2025