Observations · Mores

Pythagoras advised the athlete Eurymenes of Samos to eat meat instead of figs

It is worth noting that the wisdom with which Pythagoras helped the unpromising athlete Eurymenes would have provoked no small controversy, in his day and in ours alike. Eurymenes of Samos was short of stature, yet at the Olympic Games he overcame many a tall and mighty rival. Pythagoras had

NB! · Archive · Books · Observations

since we have come to speak of Solzhenitsyn, here are some lines about him, taken down from the words of Vsevolod Ivanov by his friend Anna Saed-Shakh and set out in a short tale of the history of Peredelkino

Coming Up · Art · Museums · Observations

Among the interesting exhibitions currently on, I would visit "Avant-Garde

Among the interesting exhibitions currently on, I would visit "Avant-Garde. By Cart into the 21st Century" in Yekaterinburg. It is a joint project of the Yeltsin Centre and the "Encyclopaedia of the Russian Avant-Garde", devoted to displays of contemporary art in the provincial towns

Monarchies · Observations · Mores

Margrethe II blows a kiss to her sister Benedikte outside Christiansborg on the day parliament opens

Queen Margrethe II of Denmark blows a kiss to her sister, Princess Benedikte of Denmark, outside Christiansborg Palace on the opening day of parliament. I adore the Danish royal family for their endearing habits, charming manners and such down-to-earth views. Even during the quarantine, Margrethe II sets an

Art · Moscow · Museums · Observations · Reportage

Review of the 2020 Photobiennale at MAMM with works by Mukhin, Chilikov and Epstein

Went to the Photobiennale 2020 at MAMM, sharing my photographic impressions. Photographs of photographs are a genre of their own, and one that, I think, would be far more successful were it not for the glass between the viewer and the object of art. The first thing you see on

Moscow · Observations · Education · Society

On the resignation of the rector of MGIMO I made the following observation: in the 46 years from 1944 to 1990 the institute changed 14 heads, and not one of them held the post to the last day of his life, all continued working after retirement, the longes

On the resignation of the rector of MGIMO I made the following observation: in the 46 years from 1944 to 1990 the institute changed 14 heads, and not one of them held the post to the last day of his life, all continued working after retirement, the longest term as

Observations · Mores · Society Pages · Humour

Spectators without masks in the stalls and Molochnikov’s remark about masks in the hall

As for antibodies, what stuck with me more was the remark of a stranger in the stalls, who explained why everyone (not quite everyone, of course, but the especially brazen) was going maskless. It is one thing when the Cossacks with their rifles go without masks: according to the text

NB! · Moscow · Observations · Society Pages · Humour

At the premiere of “Bulba

At the premiere of Molochnikov’s “Bulba. The Feast”, the ushers at the entrance to the auditorium of the palace on the Yauza thoughtfully inform guests that glasses are not allowed(

On a black painted tray lie eight turquoise glazed tile magnets inscribed with the word Kolomna, and three ceramic butterflies.

NB! · Faith · Observations · Ethnography

Tile-style magnets from the ceramic workshop of the Assumption Cathedral in the Kolomna Kremlin

I do so love such charming details: in the Dormition Cathedral of the Kolomna Kremlin one can buy naive tile magnets from the cathedral's own ceramic workshop. The price is 150 roubles

Architecture · Faith · Geography · Observations · Heritage · Nature

Having visited Kolomna, it would be foolish not to see the place where the Moskva flows into the Oka, all the more so as it lies practically within the town limits

Having visited Kolomna, it would be foolish not to see the place where the Moskva flows into the Oka, all the more so as it lies practically within the town limits. The surroundings are very picturesque. If you go, the road will take you past the Old Golutvin Monastery, founded

NB! · Architecture · Art · Observations

Kolomna's Streets in Faces and Fables: A Most Agreeable Piece of Street Art in the Historic Centre of Kolomna

Kolomna's Streets in Faces and Fables: a most agreeable piece of street art in the historic centre of Kolomna. A note for the negligent devotees of Sobyanin

NB! · Archaeology · Art · Observations · Humour