The East · Art · Moscow · Museums · Observations
Back to exhibition reviews. At the New Tretyakov Gallery, the exhibition "The Road to the East. Russian Artists in Central Asia" runs until the end of September. The display tells of the place of Eastern motifs in the work of Russian modernist artists. The interest of Russian culture
Moscow · Observations · Paris · Pop Culture · Nature
Bonsoir. Thanks to this photograph of Audrey Hepburn we know that in the Paris of the 1960s, too, there was the ruinous practice of crown-topping trees, which is now applied everywhere in Moscow and within a couple of years destroys healthy, sturdy trees. But note that there, at least,
Archive · Monarchies · Observations
Since they write that the Northern War was recalled at today's negotiations, I too shall turn to the events that preceded the conclusion of the Peace of Nystad. So. The embassy to Sweden in September 1720, ostensibly to congratulate Frederick I on his recent coronation, was headed neither
Architecture · Art · Moscow · Observations
I do not understand why everyone is writing about the return of the bas-relief with Stalin at Taganskaya station, when it is a HIGH RELIEF, not a bas-relief: two fundamentally different kinds of sculptural image. Let me explain the difference. A high relief (haut-relief, or alto-rilievo)
Faith · Observations · Society · Rome
In these days many pieces have appeared investigating how exactly the conclave went. Original hypotheses are advanced as to how, in what conjunction of circumstances and under which stars Pope Leo XIV came to be elected. For the most part it resembles the intriguing plot of a popular film. Let
NB! · Faith · Observations · Education · Pop Culture · Rome
Pope Leo XIV has started a Twitter account in Latin, and it is magnificent! A splendid step towards popularising the Latin language
Observations · Science · People
News from the alchemists. Scientists have succeeded in turning lead into gold. The breakthrough was made possible by experiments at the Large Hadron Collider. For the moment, the gold nuclei thus formed exist for only a fraction of a second before decaying at once. Let us call it poetic that
Faith · Observations · Mores · Rome
Thanks to a photograph of the menu from the first supper of Leo XIV with the cardinals at the Casa Santa Marta, we know that the new Pope also has a very good taste in wine. Take note of the wines the Pope himself drinks with his supper of courgette
Interviews · Cinema · Observations · People · Pop Culture
On the eve of the 78th Cannes Film Festival, Brigitte Bardot, who made her debut there in 1953, 72 years ago, gave an interview to French television. Brigitte rarely meets journalists and invariably keeps her own distinctive outlook, which is why she is always worth listening to. On French TV
Faith · Observations · Science · Education
Ahead of the conclave, researchers at Milan's Bocconi University analysed cardinals' social-media data to determine which relational structures improve the chances of winning a papal election. Giuseppe Soda, Professor at Bocconi University: "Our starting point is simple. Even in the Church, as in any human
NB! · Archive · Observations · Humour
Observations · Society
What does the sudden appearance in circulation of five-rouble notes dated 1997, yet perfectly new, tell us? When I first saw one, I thought it a collector's rarity, but at the till they told me that five-rouble notes had become plentiful. upd a obscurantist from among