The Many Lives of Hagia Sophia

 From ArtNet News:

Constructed on orders of the Byzantine emperor Justinian I in 537 C.E., the Hagia Sophia replaced a cathedral that had originally been built by Constantine I several centuries earlier and subsequently renovated by his successors Constantius II and Theodosius II.

Justinian’s iteration, the foundation of the one we know today, was nothing short of an engineering marvel. Designed by the mathematicians Isodore of Miletus and Anthemius of Tralles, its most striking feature was (and remains) its circular dome. Connected to its base by triangular supports, it appeared, in the words of one 6th-century scholar and writer, “not to be founded on solid masonry, but to be suspended from Heaven.” Unlike other domes of its kind, it also allowed abundant sunlight to penetrate the building, appropriately illuminating its cavernous, mosaic-covered interior. (Read more.)

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Marie-Antoinette in the Conciergerie

An engraving of the imprisoned Queen being consoled during prayer. Via Vive la Reine. It looks like she is having a vision of the Sacred Heart. Share

Moore Taxes Coming Your Way

 In Maryland. From Direct Line News:

The 2025 Maryland “Pain Parade” — Line by Line

1. The 3% Tech Tax That’ll Make You Miss the Dial-Up Days

Have a business in web hosting, software publishing, or data processing? The state’s got a brand-new 3% sales tax just for you! And don’t worry, you’ll feel it whether you run a major firm or a side hustle from your basement.

This so-called “service tax” is supposed to raise $500 million. In reality, it’s going to drive jobs out of Maryland faster than a data packet on a fiber line. Our tech sector just became less competitive—and that’s not something to celebrate in a 21st-century economy.

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2. New High-Income Brackets: “Thanks for Succeeding, Now Fork It Over”

If you make more than $500K a year (or $1 million for couples), congratulations—you’ve now entered Maryland’s tax penalty zone.

Two new brackets were added:

• 6.25% on incomes over $500K

• 6.5% on incomes over $1 million

With county add-ons, some residents could be looking at 11.8% marginal tax rates. If you’re successful, mobile, and even thinking about leaving? Annapolis just gave you 11.8 more reasons to pack your bags.

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3. Capital Gains Surtax: Targeting the American Dream

Did you work hard, save up, and finally make a few smart investments?

Maryland says, “Great, now hand over 2% more on those capital gains.”

This new surcharge affects anyone making over $350K and investing in stocks, real estate, or retirement portfolios. Because apparently, building wealth is something Democrats in Annapolis think should be punished.

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4. Cannabis & Sports Betting: Legal, But Now Extra Taxable

Sure, weed and sports betting are legal. But now they’re even more profitable—for the state.

July 1st brings new tax hikes on both industries. Every puff and parlay now delivers more cash to Annapolis. Spoiler: not a cent is going to fix potholes or reduce classroom crowding. (Read more.)

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Oldest Human DNA Ever Found

 From Earth:

About 45,000 years ago, something unusual happened in Ice Age Europe. A new wave of modern humans wandered in from the southeast and found a continent already home to a very different kind of human: the Neanderthals.

These early modern people looked a lot like us, but they weren’t alone. For around 5,000 years, the two species shared this chilly landscape – and occasionally, shared genes.

That ancestry is still written into our DNA. If your family roots lie outside Africa, about 2–3% of your genes probably came from Neanderthals. The legacy of that ancient interaction lives on in almost everyone alive today.

But until recently, scientists didn’t know much about those early human groups who first set foot in Europe. A new study is now shedding light on their lives, their tools, and their surprising family connections. (Read more.)

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The Harp Lesson

Young Marie-Antoinette, in her state bedchamber at Versailles, is instructed in music while being painted by D'Agoty. The Queen is in déshabillée, as was her custom in the mornings, even while receiving merchants, artists, tutors and petitioners. Share

The Case Against Wind Power

 From Amuse on X:

President Trump’s declaration on January 15, 2025, that no new wind turbines will be built under his administration and that existing ones should be dismantled, was not rhetorical bluster. It was a long-overdue recognition of wind energy’s central contradiction: its green image masks an environmentally destructive, economically unsound, and technologically brittle reality. His administration’s immediate actions, including the revocation of offshore wind leases and the freeze on onshore wind permits, have reoriented federal energy policy around a single principle: energy must be reliable, economical, and genuinely sustainable. Wind energy fails on all counts.

 The mythology of wind as a clean, renewable panacea has been driven more by ideology than evidence. Manufacturing a single wind turbine requires hundreds of tons of concrete and steel, mined, transported, and forged through carbon-intensive processes. The Danish Environmental Protection Agency notes that emissions from producing one offshore wind turbine often exceed 241 tons of CO2, with most of that emitted before the turbine ever spins. These turbines also contain rare earth metals like neodymium, whose extraction in Chinese mines is linked to radioactive wastewater, deforestation, and toxic tailings that leach into rivers. This is green energy in name only. (Read more.)

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How Jesus Transformed the Jewish Liturgical Calendar

 From Vultus Christi:

The Israelite feast of Weeks (called Pentecost in Greek) was observed seven weeks after the feast of Firstfruits, on the fiftieth day. The feast of Firstfruits was the day after the Sabbath that fell in Passover week, that is, the first Sunday after Passover. The number fifty in Israel’s tradition represents an ultimate completion, for it is a Sabbath of Sabbaths, as seven weeks and a day adds up to fifty.

Whereas the feast of Firstfruits consecrates to God the very first fruits of the harvest, the feast of Pentecost (or “Weeks”) offers to God a portion of the whole harvest as a sort of thanksgiving tithe.

In time, this feast would come to commemorate the giving of the law at Mount Sinai as that event took place at the same time of year, a few months after the Passover. This is not just a coincidence: the reception of the law can be seen as the firstfruits harvest of Israel’s Exodus from Egypt. Passover, commemorating the original passover of the Exodus, culminated in the giving of the Law at Sinai.

This can be understood typologically in light of the New Covenant. The day of the Firstfruit becomes the Sunday of the Resurrection, the first fruit of Christ’s redemption, for the Sunday on which our Lord rose from the dead was, that year, the feast of First Fruits. Saint Paul seems to be speaking of this when he writes in 1 Corinthians 15:20: “Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.” (Read more.)

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Honoring Our Troops

 From Overton:

The U.S. Army just turned 250. But the way it celebrated says more about the future than the past. President Trump headlined the anniversary with a show of force—a full-scale military parade in Washington, D.C., complete with a brand-new Army ad that marked a decisive turn in tone. This wasn’t just a milestone event. It was a reset.

A reintroduction of the military’s mission, stripped of distractions and reframed through the lens of strength, sacrifice, and national pride. The video opened not with slogans or dramatized voiceovers, but with real soldiers, speaking plainly about what it means to serve.

“If we get the call, we have to go somewhere—we’ll do what needs to be done. Just the way we operate here.”

Another soldier put it bluntly: “This is one of the few jobs in the nation where we all take an oath, say I’m willing to put my life on the line for you, and they’re willing to put their life on the line for me.” The voices were calm. The visuals were raw. The underlying point was crystal clear: the military is not some sort of social experiment—it’s a calling. Soldiers spoke about their training, their preparation, their mindset.

“It’s just what we train for. It is what we want to do. My team leaders, squad leaders know exactly what to do—check equipment, check weapons, check ammo.”

And they weren’t talking in hypotheticals.

“We’re always ready to deploy within 18 hours,” one said.

“And handle the mission at task.”

These weren’t actors—these were warfighters describing their reality. (Read more.)

 

 From The Vigilant Fox:

Trump’s celebration then put a spotlight on next-gen firepower, starting with the Army’s newest weapons. Soldiers marched with the XM7 rifle and XM250 automatic rifle, both equipped with the XM157 optic. These advanced systems give troops greater accuracy, speed, and adaptability on the battlefield, designed to perform in high-pressure, fast-changing combat environments. Next came the Infantry Squad Vehicle, a lightweight transport built for speed and agility across harsh terrain. Rolling behind was the S-MET trailer, a robotic hauler built to carry heavy loads through difficult terrain without slowing soldiers down. And overhead, a trio of small unmanned aerial systems—Ghost X, C-100, and X-10D—flew above the formation. These drones provide real-time intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, giving soldiers eyes in the sky and the upper hand in complex environments. (Read more.)

 

 

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Gold Coin Collection Discovered

 From New York Post:

A collection of rare gold coins nearly lost to history after its owner passed away has fetched nearly $4 million at auction. The gilded stash had been amassed over a lifetime by numismatist Paul Narce, who lived in Castillonnès, France, until his death last year at 89, the Times of London reported.

“I have never seen such a major collection go on sale from the point of view of quantity and quality,” coin expert Thierry Parsy said in a statement ahead of the sale, which went down at the Beaussant Lefèvre auction house in Paris, CNN reported. “Narce, who lived a modest life and didn’t see a lot of the world, spent all of his money on his collection,” said Parsy. (Read more.)

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