Faith · Observations · People
The chief enemy on the path of your spiritual progress is you
Elder Arsenie Papacioc
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· 2045 stories
People
NB! · Cinema · People
The fate of Björn Andrésen, who has recently died at the age of 70, was a sad one
The fate of Björn Andrésen, who has recently died at the age of 70, was a sad one. Do watch The Most Beautiful Boy in the World, the documentary about him made in 2021 by Kristina Lindström and Kristian Petri. A bitter story of a chain of errors made by
Archive · Books · London · People · Humour
First poem by Agatha Christie, published when she was 14, found in the London newspaper Ealing and Hanwell Post of 8 July 1905
The poem, “Steam versus Electricity”, long remained unknown because Christie, in her memoirs, made a slip and stated that she had been 11 when she wrote it, rather than 14. The poem is devoted to the breakdown of electric trains. In jocular form it describes how a steam locomotive comes
NB! · Faith · Art · People
A Reminder from Leonardo da Vinci: God Is with Us
Art · Books · People
Whether by misfortune or by luck, the truth is simple: never go back to the places you once knew
Whether by misfortune or by luck, The truth is simple: Never return To the former places. Even if the burnt-out site Looks quite decent, What we are looking for cannot be found, Neither by you nor by me. A journey backwards I would forbid, I ask you as a
London · Science · People · Humour
There is a legend that in the eighteenth century one of Isaac Newton's teeth was sold in London for several hundred pounds, in those days the price of a decent house
There is a legend that in the eighteenth century one of Isaac Newton's teeth was sold in London for several hundred pounds, in those days the price of a decent house. At some point, it is said, the owner of the relic had the tooth set in a
Observations · Mores · People · Nature
As a boy, Robespierre was mad about birds and kept sparrows and pigeons as pets
As a boy, Robespierre was mad about birds and kept sparrows and pigeons as pets. Once his sisters asked to borrow one of his pigeons and ended up leaving it outside during a storm, and the bird died. On learning of this, Robespierre flew into a rage and wept for
Art · Books · Monarchies · Paris · People
Marie Antoinette in the procession to the scaffold, 16 October 1793
The Revolution's first crime was the death of the king; its most terrible crime was the death of the queen Chateaubriand's famous phrase acquires its meaning once one truly reflects on the fate of this woman. When Marie Antoinette was being taken to the scaffold, the
Monarchies · Science · People
It is now known what Louis XIV really died of in 1715: a scientific study of his heart has revealed an infectious cause of death
It is now known what Louis XIV really died of in 1715: a scientific study of his heart has revealed an infectious cause of death. Physicians now know which microbe brought on his gangrene. A palaeoproteomic study carried out on a sample of the heart of Louis XIV offers new
NB! · Cinema · People · Pop Culture
Judi Dench photographed by Charlie Clift
Art · Paris · People
"I am creating the image of a genius!" "Just don't forget to sign it, or everyone will think it's you"
Rodin modelled his bust of Hugo without the sitter ever posing for him. For, as is well known, Hugo could not sit still even in clay, and at once turned into a symbol of France. In 1883 Auguste Rodin received a commission for a bust of Victor Hugo, at that
People · Pop Culture · Nature
I chose to turn away from the bustle of the world, from its falseness, its wounds and its vanity, to take refuge in a sanctuary built with my own hands
I chose to turn away from the bustle of the world, from its falseness, its wounds and its vanity, to take refuge in a sanctuary built with my own hands. Here, in this quiet haven where only nature and tenderness reign, I have found peace. The trees stretch their branches