Almaty · Architecture · Observations · Society

The burnt-out akimat building of Almaty, that is, the city hall or municipal administration, formerly, before the capital was moved to Astana, the Presidential Palace

The burnt-out akimat building of Almaty, that is, the city hall or municipal administration, formerly, before the capital was moved to Astana, the Presidential Palace. Originally it was built in 1975-1980 as the headquarters of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Kazakh SSR. At the

Almaty · Architecture · Society

Four Historical Centres of Alma-Ata and the New Square in the 1978 General Plan

Almaty is a city of extraordinary architectural interest. Take the centre, for a start. Not everyone will grasp this, perhaps, but historically the city has had four different centres in the most traditional sense of the word. This became possible because its plan is not radial-concentric, like Moscow'

Almaty · Architecture · Society

Urban history of Republic Square in Almaty amid the unrest in Kazakhstan

One of the centres of the tragic events in Kazakhstan has been the republic's former capital, the city of Alma-Ata. The footage from the world news agencies illustrating the destructive nature of the disorders shows Republic Square. It is the very place where the December uprising of

Mores · Society

After its defeat in the First Greco-Turkish War of 1897, Greece endured great poverty, accompanied by unprecedented usury and a flowering of brigandage

After its defeat in the First Greco-Turkish War of 1897, Greece endured great poverty, accompanied by unprecedented usury and a flowering of brigandage. According to figures for 1899, there were 12,500 registered bandits in the country. The Greek historian Tasos Vournas writes that the government of Georgios Theotokis,

Almaty · Observations · Society

Today one of the most beautiful cities in the world, the lovely Almaty, is gripped by alarming and terrible events

Today one of the most beautiful cities in the world, the lovely Almaty, is gripped by alarming and terrible events. Kazakhstan, which I had always thought the safest place on earth, is shaken by disorder: public and government buildings are being seized, and there is gunfire, banditry, looting and violence

A red-haired young woman in a black dress reclines on a green sofa, holding a yellow book in her hand.

Art · Observations

Ramon Casas Carbó’s painting “Young Decadent”, created in 1899

Mood for January. A Young Decadent Woman, 1899. Ramon Casas i Carbó (1866 - 1932)

NB! · Monarchies · People · Humour

Charles V of Habsburg, When the Neighbours Ask Who It Is That Keeps Barking Over There

Archive · Books · Education · People

Oxford Doctor of Letters robes and Tolkien's honorary degree of 1972

John Ronald Reuel Tolkien became a professor at Oxford at 30, and this is what the academic dress of a Doctor of Letters (DLitt) of the University of Oxford looks like: a scarlet gown with bell-shaped sleeves of grey silk. Tolkien received this honorary degree in 1972, a year

Satellite image of the Vatican with a blue circle marking a courtyard used as a car park north of St Peter's Basilica.

NB! · Architecture · Faith · Observations · Rome · Humour

Car park in the lower part of the Belvedere Courtyard in a satellite image of the Vatican

The world's most exclusive car park can be seen in a satellite image of the Vatican. The lower part of the Belvedere Courtyard, one of the most celebrated and significant palaces of the Renaissance, is used as a parking lot. Every age has its own hallmarks

Black-and-white portrait of an elderly man in a hat and glasses smoking a cigar, leaning on a wooden table. An open book, markers and stacks of books on the windowsill are nearby.

NB!

Elderly man in a hat smoking a cigar at a table with an open book

NB! · Art · Cinema · People

Jean-Luc Godard through the Lens of Hedi Slimane

Mores · Pop Culture · Humour

You: Hello, colleagues, today our meeting will be held on Zoom

Your dad in the background:

Latest