NB!
Alexandr Radayev
Books · Observations · Society · People
Libraries in public spaces offer surprising finds, such as this rarity: a book by Oleg Sokolov, the infamous killer professor
The attitude to the creative work and writings of people with such a dark biography is, in truth, a thorny ethical question. When it came to Roman Polanski, his films, at least for me, were not something one wished to unsee, but Sokolov's book I would not pick
Architecture · Monarchies · Heritage
Château of Philip the Bold in Burgundy and its roof of multicoloured tiles
Built in Burgundy at the end of the fourteenth century for Philip the Bold, the Château Philippe le Hardi is known for its remarkable tiled roof with a distinctive colourful pattern. Over the centuries it has been rebuilt several times, but it remains a significant historical and architectural landmark of
Archive · Cinema · Monarchies · Society · People
Nadine Bulycheva freed enslaved women on stage at a Rio de Janeiro theatre in 1886
The name of the Italian opera singer of Russian origin Nadezhda Vasilyevna Bulycheva (1858-1921) is inscribed for ever in letters of gold in the history of the worldwide struggle to abolish slavery. On 10 August 1886 the Russian prima donna Nadine Bulycheva sang the part of the Ethiopian slave
Books · Observations · Paris · Humour
The Louvre bookshop places cacti between its book tables
Cacti! The Louvre's bookshop has found an original and long-awaited solution to the problem of visitors squeezing between tables laden with stacks of books and knocking them over, catching them with a sleeve, a bag or a hip. Cacti placed between the tables will unfailingly halt the
NB! · Books · Observations · Humour
Is It Appropriate to Speak of Hydrophobia in the Case of Odysseus?
Cinema · Books · Humour
“You shall not pass,” he said in an even voice
“You shall not pass,” he said in an even voice. A dead silence fell at once. “I serve the Secret Fire and wield the Flame of Anor. You shall not pass. The dark fire of Udûn will not avail you. Go back to the Shadow!” In short, the Anor of
Archive · Art · Monarchies · Moscow · Museums
"The Handshake of Abraham Lincoln and Alexander II": a sculpture installed in the park before the Burganov House Museum on Sivtsev Vrazhek
Although this meeting never took place in reality, many note the similarity between these two rulers, and the former US Congressman James Symington called them "friends who were never destined to meet, but who were kindred spirits." The monument was created in 2011 and first shown at the
Archaeology
Tomb of a high-ranking Thracian warrior buried with his horse and jewellery
Archaeologists of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences have discovered a 2nd-century BC tomb near the Bulgarian village of Kapitan Petko Voyvoda in the Topolovgrad area; the find is already being called the richest Hellenistic-era burial known in the country. The tomb belonged to a high-ranking Thracian warrior,
Heritage · Science · New York · Society · Pop Culture
Niger opens inquiry into export of Martian meteorite sold at Sotheby’s for $4.3 million
In July, a Martian meteorite found in Niger in 2023 was sold at Sotheby's in New York for $4.3 million. The stone, known as NWA 16788, became the largest Martian meteorite ever sold at auction. Only the other day, Niger opened an investigation into the circumstances of
Faith · Mores · Nature · Humour
Order of the Pug, founded by Elector Clemens August of Cologne and outlawed in 1748
In the eighteenth century pugs were so popular in Europe that one Masonic lodge came to be called the Order of the Pug. Members of the order wore collars, barked and bowed down before images of pugs. The secret society known as the "Order of the Pug" appeared
Art · Monarchies · People
Charlemagne's Throne in Aachen and Charlemagne Symbols at Napoleon's Coronation
Napoleon before the Throne of Charlemagne. Henri-Paul Motte, 1898. The throne of Charlemagne was set up in the 790s in the Palatine Chapel at Aachen. Until 1531 it served as the coronation throne of the King of the Romans and was used at thirty-one coronations. But Charlemagne was