Notebooks

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Handling the heat — lessons from Egypt to a warming world

Humans can survive and adapt but it's tough in extreme heat, as people in places like Egypt have discovered over the ages.

Maria Golia June 30, 2022

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Russia digging in for a long war with the West

In attempting to deliver a knock-out blow to their enemies, Moscow underestimated Ukrainian resistance and resilience. But since then has Russia really 'downsized' the war?

Andrew Monaghan June 29, 2022

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Running Up That Hill: Origin Story

Kate Bush’s 1985 hit has been reborn as the song of summer, and is everywhere from TikTok to the top of the charts as it is discovered by a new generation. The story of how the ext..

Fay Schopen June 24, 2022

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The first Yugoslav

Amidst growing unease with Austrian-Hungarian political dominance in the nineteenth century, Ljudevit Gaj, a visionary 26-year old Croatian linguist and writer, laid the foundation..

Edward Thicknesse June 23, 2022

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The Queen, Stoicism and the defence of the Faith

The recent Jubilee celebrations in Britain have centred around a queen who has shown us the value of a philosophy based on self-discipline, forbearance and moral integrity.

John Raine June 16, 2022

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A little history of the Fierce Goddess

Many Indian philosophies are popular today, but Kali, the vital and existential goddess, stands in splendorous opposition to more placid religious traditions.

Jessica Frazier June 16, 2022

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Curators painting themselves into a corner

Art apologists tell us what to think but not how to look when they label controversial collections.

Daisy Dunn June 10, 2022

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The tragic tradition of Ukraine’s Sviatohirsk Lavra

The burned-out rubble of a centuries-old Ukrainian monastery will likely be a stark reminder of war’s many horrors for years to come.

Elisabeth Braw June 7, 2022

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The shadow of Chiang Kai-shek and the struggle for Taiwanese identity

The Taiwanese are largely united in their avowal of Taiwan as a democratic, more inclusive model that China itself should aspire to. But they are far from united in their interpret..

Michael Reilly June 6, 2022