Geopolitics: Lessons from a Map of China

When studying an area of the world, a map is a valuable resource. With a map of a region, you can get a visual picture of how geography affects where people live, military security, politics, economics, culture, and so on.

An example in East Asia is China, a country with a long tradition of geographical awareness. China is known for defining and securing boundaries. (Take the Great Wall as an example.) Strategic Forecasting (stratfor.com) has published a couple recent articles on the relevance of Chinese geography for for the Chinese government. I especially recommend Chinese Geopolitics and the Significance of Tibet (4/15/08) because of its rather comprehensive summary analysis of geography. Another articles is China and Russia's Geographic Divide (7/22/08).

A satellite image of Asia is available here.

Historical Manuscripts

For a look at interesting historical manuscripts, visit the "Turning the Pages" section of the British Library website. Each page of the manuscript displayed online includes audio commentary with text (if you click the appropriate buttons). Manuscripts include an atlas of Europe (1570), Mozart's music, a 16th-century anatomy book, sketches by Da Vinci, literary manuscripts, and more.

The manuscript of the Lindisfarne Gospels (listed as "Pinnacle of Anglo-Saxon Art") is particularly relevant to Orthodox Christians since it was produced when Britain was still an Orthodox land. For a related article, read my previous post on Ancient Manuscripts from the British Isles.

To see an even more ancient book, visit the website of the Codex Sinaiticus and learn about the significance of this biblical manuscript.

To view more manuscripts, explore the Schoyen Collection.

You may also enjoy reading an article on the history of the book (codex), entitled "The Coming of the Codex" from the University of Edinburgh's Centre for the History of the Book.

Christ and the Tao

Articles have been recently published on the rise of Christianity in China. Notably, Frontline has covered the story.

I recommend reading The Logos and the Tao from the Bonovox blog concerning the connection between Taoism and Orthodox Christianity.

You may also like to read my previous post on Orthodox Christianity in China and my post on Christ the Eternal Tao.

Journalism: Covering the Orthodox Church

Articles about the Orthodox Christian Church published in the secular press sometimes include inaccuracies or information that lacks sufficient explanation to offer readers a clear picture of the Orthodox Church and her way of life. I would like to compile a list of previously published inaccuracies that could help members of the press in their reporting. I am asking you to submit any examples that you have encountered. Please include the following:

1. The inaccuracy or point that may be misleading without proper explanation.

2. A more accurate way of stating the point.

3. If possible, the paragraph containing the problem passage with a citation indicating the publication's name, date of publication, title of the article, author, web address to article, etc.

Please include the information clearly and as dispassionately as possible.

Many thanks to you who contribute and to those among you who pass along the information.

(By the way, if you're interested in coverage of religion in the media, check out GetReligion.org.)

Symeon