#history

Mali people in PNG

After a long journey, the author meets the Mali people in Papua New Guinea, who live in small villages using traditional building methods and sell crops like coffee and copra for money to buy tools and donate in temple rituals.

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The Return of Realpolitik

Realpolitik is resurging globally, with countries like China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea practising it, and Trump’s approach focusing on deals that benefit the US narrowly, marking a shift from ideological engagement to national interests.

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Richard Butler's nuclear diplomacy

In 2023, the author interviewed historian Richard Rhodes about the unexpected success of nuclear non-proliferation, noting that predictions in the 1960s foresaw many more nuclear-armed states.

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Chairman Mao’s propagation of Traditional Chinese Medicine

Chairman Mao promoted Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) for political reasons, despite not believing in its effectiveness or using it personally.

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Evangelical Brazil

Protestant evangelicals—particularly Pentecostals and neo-Pentecostals—are rapidly growing in Brazil and are expected to outnumber Catholics by 2036.

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Harry Haft

Harry Haft (1925–2007) was a Jewish survivor of Auschwitz concentration camp, where he was forced to box fellow inmates to survive.

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America was supposed to be Art Deco

America embraced Art Deco, a style combining classical elements, Modernism, and diverse cultural influences, leading to architectural masterpieces in the 20th century.

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Understanding construction productivity stagnation

Modern houses differ significantly from historical ones due to increased wealth and investment in housing.

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Agricultural land use per person

Estimates of the total agricultural land area – which is the combination of cropland and grazing land – per person.

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Biological warfare at the 1346 Siege of Caffa

The Black Death in the mid-14th century devastated Europe, the Near East, and North Africa, causing unprecedented mortality; one quarter to one third of Europe’s population perished, with similar losses elsewhere.

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Marxism and post-modernism

Critical Theory is distinct from Communism, Fascism, and National Socialism, despite some superficial similarities.

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Gerald Bull’s giant guns

Gerald Vincent Bull (1928–1990) was a Canadian engineer known for developing long-range artillery.

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René Girard's view on Christianity as a means to end religion

René Girard viewed Christianity as revealing and condemning the mechanisms of scapegoating and mimetic desire, central to human conflict.

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In 1913, Hitler, Trotsky, Tito, Freud and Stalin all lived in Vienna

In 1913, Vienna was home to influential figures such as Adolf Hitler, Leon Trotsky, Joseph Tito, Sigmund Freud, and Joseph Stalin, whose actions shaped the 20th century.

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More people, more prosperity

Debate persists over humanity’s growth likened to cancer and warnings of possible water shortages, despite evidence that humans generate more than they consume and resources are not depleting.

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The floating homes of Lake Titicaca

The Uros Islands were created by the indigenous Uros people in Lake Titicaca as a defensive measure against Inca incursions.

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Christian atheism

Christian atheism is an atheistic belief system that engages with Christian teachings and culture while rejecting the literal existence of God.

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The link between rice cultivation and collectivism

The rice theory suggests that cultures in areas where paddy rice farming is prevalent tend to be more collectivist due to the high labor demands and need for cooperation that rice cultivation requires.

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T. E. Lawrence (of Arabia)

Thomas Edward Lawrence (1888-1935), also known as Lawrence of Arabia, was a British archaeologist, army officer, diplomat, and writer.

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Mao's theory on the atomic bomb

In 1957, he reportedly suggested to a Yugoslav visitor that China’s vast territory and large population could withstand significant losses.

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Mapping (almost) every law, regulation and case in Australia

The map visualises Australian law, where proximity indicates similarity, providing insight into how laws, regulations, and cases interrelate.

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Bowie Bonds

Bowie bonds were asset-backed securities using David Bowie’s royalty streams from albums and live performances as collateral, first issued in 1997.

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Tourism's role in economic development

This study examines the causal relationship between tourism and economic development in a sample of 123 countries from 1995 to 2019, utilising the Dumistrescu and Hurlin Granger causality test, with a focus on heterogeneous panels of countries.

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NYT techno-cynicism was an intentional editorial decision

A few years ago, the New York Times chose to apply an investigative and critical approach to technology reporting, focusing more on scrutiny than on business or consumer interests.

· Link post  #history #startups
Unmoved mover

The unmoved mover, or prime mover, is Aristotle’s concept of a primary cause of all motion in the universe, which itself is not moved by anything else.

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