Strange Maps — July 23, 2010

12 – Europe’s divides

A weekly newsletter featuring the biggest ideas from the smartest people

An interesting look at the religions and language groups that are elements of division (and union) in Europe. The mapmaker wanted to make a point by indicating three ‘core areas’ where a certain language group and religion overlap – resulting in an area that is Germanic+Protestant, another one that’s Slavic+Orthodox and one that is Romance+Catholic. I’m not sure which point…

A weekly newsletter featuring the biggest ideas from the smartest people

Starts With A Bang

100 years ago, Cecilia Payne discovered what the stars are made of

For centuries, even after we knew the Sun was a star like any other, we still didn’t know what it was made of. Cecilia Payne changed that.

A graph titled "The Long Boom 2000-2025" shows intersecting curves from 1975 to 2025, depicting a transition from an old to a new world. Text reads "I was here" at the intersection around 2005.

The Future

A dozen reasons to read Peter Leyden at this critical juncture in history

The latest from Peter Leyden’s “The Great Progression: 2025 to 2050”, an essay series published by Freethink.

A miniature tank made from rolled and stacked U.S. hundred-dollar bills is displayed on a red background.

The Present

How the United States turned the world economy into a battlefield

By weaponizing the global economy, the U.S. initiated a new era of economic warfare and transformed how major powers compete.

Map of Europe overlaid with an image of a contemplative monkey, set against a dark blue grid background.

Thinking

Is philosophy too Western for its own good?

Whether we should tear down philosophy’s Berlin Wall and let East and West finally merge depends entirely on what we think philosophy is—and what it’s for.

A group of satellite dishes under a starry sky, capturing celestial signals from star birth.

Starts With A Bang

New science facilities are needed to keep America great

New telescopes, radio dishes, and gravitational wave detectors are needed for next-generation science. Will the USA lead the way?

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