Faith · Observations · Heritage · Humour

In France, a bell from 1763 was stolen from a municipal depot and melted down

An eighteenth-century bell has been stolen in France. Not from a church, not from a museum, but from a storage depot belonging to the municipal services. That is, a depot of sorts, and not quite a depot either. The kind of place where they take whatever is no longer

Cinema · Observations · Humour

Doctor Zaius and the ban on science in a world destroyed by man three thousand years ago

You're right, I've always known about man. Judging by the evidence, his wisdom goes hand in hand with his madness The Forbidden Zone was once a paradise. Your kind turned it into a desert, many centuries ago You smiled, of course: an orangutan as chief scientist

Observations · Society · Humour

28 October, Berlin, the Außenwirtschaftstag forum

28 October, Berlin, the Außenwirtschaftstag forum. Germany's Minister for Economic Affairs, Katherina Reiche, declares with commendable frankness: “With our structures, we are currently uncompetitive. Companies are suffering from bureaucracy, expensive energy and an overly generous welfare state.” And how beautifully it all used to sound: “sustainable development, green

NB! · Books · Observations · Humour

Hegel as a Doctor: First He Frightens You with a Diagnosis, Then Persuades You That You Imagined It All Yourself

A pale stone facade with two tall windows, the lower sash of the left one open and silhouettes of people visible in the dark opening.

NB! · Observations · Heritage · Paris · Humour

Open windows that the author of the post calls the most famous in the world

At the moment, these are the most famous windows in the world. And they are open. Presumably they have decided to seal them for the winter, or at the very most to give them a wash.

Museums · Observations · Heritage · Society · Paris · Humour

Letter signed by 57 people over a theft and the director’s salary of 15,000 euros a month

The director is not coping, but do not worry: a letter has already been written on her behalf. Signed by colleagues, relatives, friends, and grandmother's dog. Fifty-seven people in all. Who they are hardly matters. What matters is that there are many of them. It is a

Faith · Observations · People

The chief enemy on the path of your spiritual progress is you

Elder Arsenie Papacioc

Architecture · Faith · Madrid · Monarchies · Observations · Humour

Crystal chandelier with an eagle, made in Milan in 1676, in the Escorial basilica

The Monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial is one of the great creations of the Spanish Renaissance, built under Philip II as a royal residence, monastery and mausoleum of monarchs. In its basilica, beneath the vaults of the choir, an eagle crowns a crystal chandelier, spreading its wings over

NB! · Art · Observations · Humour

A Good René Magritte Morning, Come What May

NB! · Books · Observations

As Heidegger says, we are close to losing the last spiritual powers that allow us to see the decline: the darkness, "the flight of the gods" and "the world's night"

Observations · Heritage · Paris · Humour

The Louvre robbery and the jewellery collection of French Culture Minister Rachida Dati

You know, I have always been fascinated by curious coincidences. Take, for instance, the robbery of the Louvre. Grand, bold, sweeping in scale! In places even funny, and tragicomic. They made off with the most precious treasures, bedecked with all manner of diamonds and sapphires. And France's Minister

Observations · Heritage · Society · Paris · Humour

Did one of the Louvre robbers lose a Russian passport?

It won't get any funnier than this. After the Minister of Culture praised the Director of the Louvre, and the Director of the Louvre praised the head of security, who, pray, can possibly be to blame for the robbery, if not the Russians? Certainly not some gang of