London · Monarchies · Observations · Society · Pop Culture

Wristbands for the farewell to Queen Elizabeth are sold on eBay from 200 pounds

Wristbands for bidding farewell to Queen Elizabeth go on sale at eBay for fabulous sums, from £200 to tens of thousands of pounds. The wristbands come in different colours, as they were issued on different days. The administration of the marketplace promised to remove all these listings, though it is

NB! · Books · Observations · Humour

To Read Until the Very Day of Judgement Is Not the Worst of Fates

Books · Observations

In modern retellings of the Arthurian legends, the wizard Merlin is usually portrayed as a wise mentor and omniscient greybeard, but in the "Life of Merlin", written by Geoffrey of Monmouth around 1150, the most legendary wizard of all times and peoples a

In modern retellings of the Arthurian legends, the wizard Merlin is usually portrayed as a wise mentor and omniscient greybeard, but in the "Life of Merlin", written by Geoffrey of Monmouth around 1150, the most legendary wizard of all times and peoples appears as a madman, an eccentric

Black-and-white photograph of a shirtless man sitting beside a short-haired woman who looks into a bathroom mirror.

NB! · Cinema · Observations · People

In memory of Belmondo, a little over a year after his death

Belmondo died little more than a year ago. One wants to remember him

Art · Museums · Observations · Society Pages

Sergei Popov, founder of the pop/off/art gallery, at a discussion of the Association of Galleries held as part of Cosmoscow, gave a simple example of why museum collections must be topped up with contemporary art

It turns out that an artist as significant as Erik Bulatov is represented in Russia at the Tretyakov Gallery and in a small museum in Vyksa, while in Saint Petersburg, say, the Russian Museum does not show him in its permanent display. "It's simply laughable," Popov

Vintage two-tone green Panhard saloon parked by a stone wall next to an old petrol pump.

NB! · Art · Observations · Pop Culture

Cars by the French company Panhard & Levassor and the evolution of design

The incredible machines of Panhard & Levassor, the French company and one of the pioneers of the motor industry. The development of automotive design is one of the most telling examples of the worldwide decline of taste.

NB! · Cinema · Books · Observations · Pop Culture

Watching "The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power", I greatly regret that Terence Hanbury White's tetralogy "The Once and Future King" never won similar popularity

Art · Observations · Society Pages

Notes on works by Nesterov, Grishina, Starkov and other artists at the stands

My Highlights from the Opening of Blazar. 1. Arina Shabanova caught my eye: she has created her own magical world, in a palette of her own and with highly individual characters. 2. I liked the sweet, simple watercolours of Anna Antonova. Just look at what a charming Warm Granite she

Art · Observations · Society Pages · Humour

Blazar young art fair opens with new galleries and artists and higher average prices

The blazar young art fair opened yesterday. By my impressions, it turns out a little different every year, and this year what struck me as new was the selection of galleries: some of the expected stands were missing from the pavilion, while others came as a surprise. The list of

Art · Books · Observations

An old edition of “Faust” with engravings by Jean-Paul Laurens and the poodle of Mephistopheles

I like to recall how, as a child, I pored over an old edition of "Faust", dated no later than 1890, with engravings by Jean-Paul Laurens, and, knowing no French, invented the stories that lay behind the illustrations. The monster alone is worth the price of admission:

Archaeology · The East · Observations · Science

A 1.8-Million-Year-Old Tooth Found in Excavations at Dmanisi in Georgia

Research team leader Georgy Bidzinashvili displays a human tooth 1.8 million years old, found during excavations at Dmanisi in Georgia. This and a number of other finds make the localities of Orozmani and Dmanisi the oldest sites of human settlement in the world outside Africa. But I think we

NB! · Observations