It’s autumn! And the moment when everyone starts quoting Keats. But we won’t do that to you – mostly because we only know the first line, anyway.
Instead, we’re going to share with you once again the things that have been getting us thinking, lol’ing and singing along like nobody’s business. Enjoy!
The Greatest – Sia, featuring Kendrick Lamar
When you add the incredible pop melodies of Sia to Kendrick Lamar’s general awesomeness, you know you’re onto a good thing. Throw in one Maddie Ziegler and some crazy dance moves, and this is the music video you really need to watch this month (sorry, Gaga).
On Being
We profiled her here as well, but Krista Teppett’s On Being deserves a mention. This content-rich website offers stories and features on a wide range of issues relating to faith. There’s also a podcast – the most recent one is on rebellion and Quakers, featuring the brilliant author and academic Parker Palmer and entrepreneur Courtney Martin.
The New American Dream
Speaking of Courtney, once we started researching her, we discovered this brilliant TED Talk she did recently. This is a provocative, fascinating talk on what being ‘better off’ really means. A quick soundbite? “I’ve noticed that the art of living well is practised more masterfully by the most vulnerable, and that recession can be the father of consciousness, presenting us with questions we might be too lazy to ask during times of comfort.”
Frank Skinner interviews Sally Phillips
On a serious note, this is a must-see chat with actor Sally Phillips talking about ethics, philosophy and Down’s syndrome screening: “If you could say to somebody, you’re going to have a child who will magically bring about social cohesion, will bring joy and encourage all the people around him or her not to take life too seriously, who will enjoy simple things in life, who will literally do a dance if there is ice cream in the freezer, who is able to enjoy life, that’s a whole new value system, isn’t it? That’s a whole new way of assessing what is and isn’t valuable.”
Dead Leader Running – Wayne Cordeiro
An ominous title, for sure. But September is official-back-to-school time, so we figured that this is as good a time as any to talk about how we manage time and achieve a healthy balance in our lives – you know, before we go all Kramer on the cafe lattes.
Good Faith by David Kinnaman
Renowned researcher and author David Kinnaman’s book You Lost Me was the inspiration for threads, so we have a real soft spot for all of his work. If you missed him at our event last week, you need to get David’s latest book Good Faith. It’s a brilliantly researched, well-thought-through argument for the continuing relevance and vital importance of faith in our rather jaded and cynical 21st century world.
A mesmerising dance
We caught wind of this video only yesterday and it hypnotised us. She moves like a rag doll. We don’t know anything more than what’s mentioned in the description but it’s gripping, sometimes uncomfortably so.
Obligatory Buzzfeed List
On a lighter note, here’s some rather unique perspectives on this week’s presidential debate.