NB! · London · Observations · Society · Humour
After all, the decoration of the premier's residence at 10 Downing Street may well be both festive and, if one may put it so, funereal, should the English lose. So Boris Johnson has chosen a no-lose option
London · Observations · Society · Humour
The English are incredibly proud of their team reaching the final of Euro 2020. The Tower of London has even announced that, to mark such a remarkable achievement as the first appearance by an English team in the final of a tournament of this level since 1966, the drawbridge of
Art · Society · Paris · People
Ugliness, a shapeless mass, a monster: this is how the patrons described Auguste Rodin's monument to Balzac. The statue at the intersection of the boulevards Raspail and Montparnasse still provokes controversy today. After a scandal that all France followed, Rodin kept the sculpture for himself and returned the
Coming Up · Observations · Society
Remember the presidential grant competition for cultural projects? The first figures are in: within two weeks, 4,000 people had already expressed a wish to take part in the first grant competition in the sphere of culture, art and the creative industries. The submission of applications opened on 15 June
Museums · Observations · Society
Well, today on his annual phone-in Putin announced a "Pushkin Card" for young people aged 14 to 22, due to come into operation as early as the autumn. The card is promised a balance of 3,000 roubles. For some period, until next year or thereabouts, it
Monarchies · Society · People
Alexander I Kisses Napoleon on a Raft in the Middle of the Niemen during the Conclusion of the Peace of Tilsit in June 1807. Napoleon would later describe Alexander I as "a true Byzantine, cunning, feigning, subtle". Indeed, only shortly before the meeting on the Niemen and the
Coming Up · Art · Society
On 26 June the Lazy Mike gallery opens "You Are Not Alone", a charity exhibition: proceeds from the sale of works by 12 contemporary Russian women artists will go to the women's mutual aid fund of the same name. Among the works are some we have
Moscow · Society · Pop Culture
The artistic director of the Oleg Tabakov Moscow Theatre, the actor Vladimir Mashkov, has spoken out on the introduction of QR codes for admission to cultural institutions:. "I was vaccinated as soon as the opportunity arose, I was one of the first to have the jab, and I consider
Faith · Society · Pop Culture · Rome · Humour
Pope Francis I Strikes a Deal with Spider-Man on Reform of the Vatican. But seriously, the man in the Spider-Man costume is a genuine superhero: Mattia Villardita, who devotes all his free time away from work to visiting sick children, whom he delights by dressing up as popular
Moscow · Observations · Society
For me, the day the war began means watching the traditional selection of films on television at home and recalling stories that matter to our family, yet it is still interesting to watch new traditions of the Day of Remembrance and Sorrow emerge at the level of an entire country.
Cinema · Observations · Society
Tonight's viewing is Kirill Serebrennikov's "Stalin's Funeral". This documentary production is not only, nor even chiefly, about Stalin and his burial. It is about people living in terror, about the inner answers to the most painful questions, about the eternal matter of
Coming Up · Observations · Society
One may "apply" for the competitive selection until the end of July. It is run by the Presidential Foundation for Cultural Initiatives. The winners are expected to be determined by September. "The expert review takes place during August, and already at the beginning of September, we assume,