This week, Yuliya Smyk discusses with Ivan six things which she thinks should be better known.

1. History of ethnic diversity of Kazakhstan https://astanatimes.com/2016/04/why-kazakhstans-model-of-maintaining-ethnic-diversity-deserves-attention/
2. Iran’s Modern art collection http://www.bloomberg.com/features/2015-tehran-museum-of-contemporary-art/
3. Art exchange at Vienna airport http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052970204770404577082842506737230
4. Religious diversity and tolerance in Panama https://revista.drclas.harvard.edu/book/muslims-and-jews-panamá
5. Freya Stark http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2011/04/18/east-is-west-claudia-roth-pierpont
6. Glow Kids by Nicholas Kardaras http://drkardaras.com/glow-kids/

This week, Frances Turner discusses with Ivan six things which she thinks should be better known.

1. Bonnington Cafe: a vegetarian restaurant in London run by volunteers – http://bonningtoncafe.co.uk/
2. The Band Room: a music venue specialising in Louisiana music in the middle of North Yorkshire – www.thebandroom.co.uk
3. Lukas Moodyson: Swedish film director – www.theguardian.com/film/2014/apr/12/lukas-moodysson-we-are-the-best
4. The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer: a novel about a group of friends – www.nytimes.com/2013/04/21/books/review/the-interestings-by-meg-wolitzer.html
5. World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms: opportunities to volunteer around the world – www.wwoof.org.uk
6. Differences in English law between married and unmarried couples: the tax and benefit differences between marriage and cohabiting – https://inews.co.uk/inews-lifestyle/money/more-couples-could-soon-gain-access-to-the-financial-perks-that-come-with-marriage/

This week, Christopher Fowler discusses with Ivan six things which he thinks should be better known.

1. Spanish films http://www.tasteofcinema.com/2016/the-30-best-spanish-language-movies-of-all-time/
2. Brigid Brophy www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituary-brigid-brophy-1595286.html?cmp=ilc-n
3. The lost Russian base at Pyramiden www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/soviet-ghost-town-arctic-circle-pyramiden-stands-alone-180951429
4. Christian Marclay’s ‘The Clock’ http://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-modern/exhibition/christian-marclay-clock
5. How Freud got American women to smoke www.youtube.com/watch?v=DnPmg0R1M04
6. Screwball Comedies http://cinecollage.net/screwball-comedy.html

This week, Edward Cook discusses with Ivan six things which he thinks should be better known.

1. The microbiome: all the bacteria that live in your gut – http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/19/magazine/say-hello-to-the-100-trillion-bacteria-that-make-up-your-microbiome.html

2. Overinvestment in hops: that craft beer is going to burst eventually – http://www.ft.com/content/468aa664-c5bc-11e6-8f29-9445cac8966f

3. John Clarke aka Fred Dagg: Australian satire – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GgrX7uOZqHI

4. The massacre of the Nepalese royal family: http://www.pri.org/stories/2011-06-01/why-nepals-crown-prince-went-killing-spree

5. Absence of tube stations in south east London: why the Underground does not cover the whole city – http://www.citymetric.com/transport/why-are-there-so-few-tube-lines-south-london-2929

6. The Castle: Australian film comedy – http://www.theguardian.com/film/australia-culture-blog/2014/apr/04/the-castle-rewatching-classic-australian-films

1. Gervase Fen novels: detective stories by an Oxford professor – www.edmundcrispin.com/gervase-fen/
2. Lebanese wine: a new nationality of drink for you to try – www.ft.com/content/c78c5a24-6c19-11e7-bfeb-33fe0c5b7eaa
3. Murder by Death: spoof murder mystery film with all-star cast: www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXn8CsQU1-U
4. Synaethesia: a condition which affected Nabokov causing him to associate individual letters with colours – www.bbc.com/culture/story/20140904-i-see-songs-in-colour
5. Shakespeare forgeries: William Henry Ireland found two new Shakespeare plays: or did he? – www.smithsonianmag.com/history/to-beor-not-the-greatest-shakespeare-forgery-136201/
6. Dr John Elliotson: Victorian doctor who dabbled in phrenology and mesmerism – www.spectator.co.uk/2017/05/a-mesmerising-doctor-and-his-victorian-freak-show/

Tom Newman discusses with Ivan six things which he thinks should be better known:

1. The Beatles: largely forgotten 1960s beat combo – http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2017/04/the-10-best-forgotten-beatles-songs.html

2. United Fighting Championship: Brazilian jujitsu – http://wereabigdeal.com/a-beginners-guide-to-a-grown-mans-fantasy-ufc/

3. Gattaca: sci-fi film about eugenics – http://metro.co.uk/2017/10/24/gattaca-at-20-why-its-still-one-of-the-best-sci-fi-movies-around-7023410/

4. The origins of Christianity: how you nearly never heard of Jesus – http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/romans/christianityromanempire_article_01.shtml

5. The idea of free will as an illusion: are you driving your car or are you in the passenger seat? – http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/is-free-will-an-illusion/

6. Multiplicity: Michael Keaton plays four versions of himself – http://www.chicagonow.com/hammervision/2011/04/in-defense-of-multiplicity/

Thomas Williams discusses six things which he thinks should be better known:

1. Health economics: saving lives does not save money in the long run – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_economics

2. The busiest railway stations: almost all of them are in Japan – https://japantoday.com/category/features/travel/the-51-busiest-train-stations-in-the-world-all-but-6-located-in-japan

3. Sequencing DNA: you can do it on your laptop – http://www.economist.com/news/science-and-technology/21732083-small-portable-devices-plug-laptops-taking-dna-sequencing

4. Prevalence of asthmatics in sport: asthma is no barrier to winning Olympic medals – http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2016/apr/29/elite-athletes-asthma-simon-yates-team-sky-swimmers

5. Changing perceptions of euthanasia: the public used to be less hostile towards it – http://www.encyclopedia.com/medicine/divisions-diagnostics-and-procedures/medicine/euthanasia

6. Churchill’s role at Gallipoli: the strategy was correct, after all – http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/gallipoli-was-not-churchills-great-folly-20110413-1ddzb.html

This week, Maria Donovan and Anna Carlisle discuss with Ivan six things which should be better known.

1. Edmund Dene Morel: political activist and reformer of the slave trade in the Belgian Congo – http://www.bouncing-balls.com/timeline/people/nr_leopoldmorel.htm
2. Ben Bulben Mountain: historic mountain range in Sligo – http://www.adventurous-travels.com/posts/ben-bulben-mountain-and-glencar-waterfall-and-lake-county-sligo-ireland
3. “What’s the lowlight of your holiday?”: sometimes the negative holiday stories are the best – http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/lists/worst-holidays-from-hell/
4. Monopoly Deal: card game variation on board game classic – http://www.boardgamereviewsbyjosh.com/2013/01/monopoly-deal-review.html
5. Lady Denman: strong independent woman and originator of pronunciation of Canberra – http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-08-02/lord-and-lady-denman-in-australia-exhibition/7677874
6. Cell Workout: LJ Flanders’ exercise regime for prisoners – http://www.russellwebster.com/lj-flanders-story-beyond-cell-workout/

This week, Ivan Wise discusses six things which he thinks should be better known

1. Nothing Sacred: one of the finest film comedies, starring Carole Lombarde – http://sensesofcinema.com/2011/cteq/nothing-sacred/

2. Charles Lamb: essayist and author of Tales from Shakespeare – http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/44519/the-old-familiar-faces

3. Rosewood Thieves: American folk-rock band – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ARPHwygl8A

4. Takin’ Home the Asylum: BBC drama about mental health, and David Tennant’s first starring role – http://www.theguardian.com/society/2008/jun/04/mentalhealth

5. Parkinson’s Law of Triviality: how committees spend most of their time on trivia – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_of_triviality

6. Cyrus Field: the man behind the transatlantic cable – http://www.nytimes.com/2002/08/11/books/the-cable-guy.html

 

Ezekiel Jacob discusses with Ivan Wise six things which he thinks should be better known:

1. The evolution of powered flight in birds: why birds learnt to fly and why others did not – www2.gwu.edu/~darwin/BiSc151/Birds/Birds.HTML

 

2. The Varangian Guard: an elite unit of the Byzantine army, featuring Harold Hardrada –www.realmofhistory.com/2016/04/20/10-fascinating-facts-varangian-guard/

 

3. Chaser’s War on Everything: an Australian satirical sketch show – www.youtube.com/watch?v=7X3aqifX66E

 

4. Kublai Khan’s failed invasions of South East Asia: Genghis’ grandson takes China but fails to take Japan, Java or Vietnam – www.thoughtco.com/the-mongol-invasions-of-japan-195559

 

5. Molesworth: books written by Geoffrey Willans and illustrated by Ronald Searle – www.lrb.co.uk/v22/n04/thomas-jones/swete-lavender

 

6. Caledonian Orogeny: a geologist’s explanation for the 2014 Scottish referendum – www.geolsoc.org.uk/Plate-Tectonics/Chap4-Plate-Tectonics-of-the-UK/Caledonian-Orogeney