Archive · Faith · The East · Heritage

Otto of St Blasien on the removal of treasures and relics from Constantinople in 1204

The Greatest Robbery of All Time. So wrote the German Benedictine chronicler Otto of St Blasien of the sack of Constantinople by the Latins in 1204. He describes how the sack of Constantinople sent enormous Greek riches, above all the sacred treasures of the Cathedral of Saint Sophia and countless

Faith · Observations · Society · Pop Culture · Humour

The universality of God's word and Paul's Epistle to the Galatians in connection with Liverpool

For Ethical and Moral Reasons, the Archdiocese of Liverpool Will No Longer Post on Twitter. TikTok, however, will do nicely. I would not say that the spiritual life of the people of Liverpool is any concern of mine, and the point is not the abstract ethical and moral grounds, or

Faith · Observations · Society

Jeffrey Epstein funded Catholic organisations and discussed the Vatican with Steve Bannon

Better to reign in Hell than to serve in Heaven. Jeffrey Epstein wanted to penetrate the Vatican. To that end he began funding Catholic charities through his foundation, sent his people to events at the Vatican, and conspired with Bannon to "overthrow Francis" and "cleanse the Church&

Geography · Observations · Society · Nature

The Small Aral Sea regains water and fish after construction of the Kok-Aral Dam

I Should Like to Express My Profound Gratitude to the Government of Kazakhstan: the North Aral Sea Is Being Reborn, and Its Volume Has Grown by an Impressive 42%! Not so long ago the Aral was the scene of one of the most destructive ecological catastrophes on the planet, but

Black-and-white photograph of a smiling woman in an embroidered blouse with a flower in her hair, sitting in tall grain with a sickle on her shoulder and a clay jug in her hands.

Archive · Ethnography

Woman with a sickle in a field of the Komintern collective farm in Mogilev Region in the 1950s

A Belarusian Beauty in the Field. Komintern Collective Farm, Mogilev Region, 1950s

Steel helmet with a domed crown decorated with gold rosettes set with turquoise and rubies. A gold Arabic inscription runs around the rim, with cheek plates at the sides.

NB!

Steel helmet with gold inlay, turquoise and Arabic inscription

Coming Up · The East · Monarchies · Moscow · Museums

An exhibition on the fates of Genghis Khan's descendants at the Russian court, 15th–17th centuries, to open at the Moscow Kremlin Museums

The exhibition “Descendants of Genghis Khan. Rus and the World” opens on 20 March. The display will include objects that tell of the legacy of the Mongol Empire and the Golden Horde, of Russo-Tatar ties and mutual cultural influence, of dynastic marriages and court ceremonial

Icon on a wooden panel showing an angel in armour and a red cloak beside a crowned woman with a halo against a turquoise background.

Observations · Mores · Society

The most popular children's names of 2025 and the absence of Arabic names from the list

Sofia and Mikhail were the most popular names for newborns in Russia last year. In 2025 the names most often given to girls were Sofia, Eva, Anna, Maria and Varvara. For boys: Mikhail, Alexander, Artyom, Matvey and Timofey. One would like to believe this bright tale, but the statistics are

NB! · Art · Society · People · Humour

Portrait of Vladimir Putin by George W. Bush

NB! · Art · New York

At Christie's, Michelangelo's study for the foot of a Sibyl sold for $27.2 million

Almaty · Archive · Books · Observations · Mores

I happened to read a fragment of the memoirs of Lyubov and Boris Fedotov, animal trainers quite well known in the USSR

I happened to read a fragment of the memoirs of Lyubov and Boris Fedotov, animal trainers quite well known in the USSR. It is a very sad story, I say at once. So if you fear pain, do not read the text that follows. The Fedotovs write of the hardships

London · Monarchies · Society · Ethnography

King Kamehameha II and Queen Kamamalu died of measles in England in 1824

In 1824 the King and Queen of Hawaii, Kamehameha II and Kamamalu, visited Britain. The second ruler of the islands, Kamehameha, like his father, the founder of the kingdom, relied on the might of British and American arms, particularly in view of the revolts that kept flaring up against him.

Alexandr Radayev