Observations · Society · People

Novaya Gazeta investigation into Ponasenkov published on 9 October 2019

To say that I was taken aback on reading the investigation into Ponasenkov would be an understatement. Hold on to your monocles, gentlemen: a gripping descent into the chthonic murk awaits you. https://www.novayagazeta.ru/articles/2019/10/09/82288-ponasenkov

Faith · Observations · Society

Is Pope Francis Preparing to Abolish the Vow of Celibacy for Priests?

Is Pope Francis preparing to abolish the vow of celibacy for priests? Can a norm that took hold in the Church after the twelfth century really be done away with? On Sunday Francis I declared that he was prepared to permit the ordination of married men. He explains his decision

Archaeology · Museums · Observations · Heritage · Society

Debate over the sale of Caligula's ring and private ownership of artefacts

Meanwhile, I observe a debate flaring up over the sale of Caligula's ring, to the effect that such objects ought to belong to museums rather than to private persons. I simply cannot see what the quarrel is about, given that the piece at present belongs to a private

Books · London · Science · Mores · Society

From the middle of the eighteenth century, men were increasingly called upon to assist at childbirth in England: physicians with surgical training and specialised instruments were far more effective than midwives versed in folk medicine

From the middle of the eighteenth century, men were increasingly called upon to assist at childbirth in England: physicians with surgical training and specialised instruments were far more effective than midwives versed in folk medicine. But the fashion provoked a public controversy, fuelled all the more by the fact that

Moscow · Observations · Mores · Society

On the way to the dacha I was told an interesting theory as to why the Rublevo-Uspenskoye Highway has not been resurfaced for the last 15 years and is still in perfect condition

On the way to the dacha I was told an interesting theory as to why the Rublevo-Uspenskoye Highway has not been resurfaced for the last 15 years and is still in perfect condition. Suslov, it seems, had a bad back and could travel only at 50 km/h, and

Archaeology · The East · Heritage · Society

Turkish authorities confirm that in October they will flood one of humanity's oldest permanent settlements, the city of Hasankeyf on the banks of the Tigris

Turkish authorities have confirmed that in October they will flood one of humanity's oldest permanent settlements, the city of Hasankeyf on the banks of the Tigris. The city, where Mesopotamian civilisation, the Romans, the Byzantines, the Turks and the Ottomans have all left their mark, still preserves Neolithic

Art · Society · People · Rome

If you should ever find yourself in an unequal struggle with the hidebound notion that the history of world culture knows no great women creators, then remember, for instance, Lavinia Fontana, a Renaissance or, as she is sometimes called, early Baroque pa

If you should ever find yourself in an unequal struggle with the hidebound notion that the history of world culture knows no great women creators, then remember, for instance, Lavinia Fontana, a Renaissance or, as she is sometimes called, early Baroque painter from Bologna. Fontana achieved the same successes as

Archive · Books · Society · Saint Petersburg · Humour

From the Diary of Alexandra Viktorovna Bogdanovich, a Lady of Society

One peasant shook his fist at the criminals; he was seized, on the supposition that he was against the police. One woman was seized: she had waved a handkerchief. I inform the author of these lines, from 4 April 1881: there is still a great deal of comedy here, you

Architecture · Museums · Observations · Heritage · Society

You will probably remember that I wrote about Khmelita, and that I know Viktor Kulakov, the architect of its revival

You will probably remember that I wrote about Khmelita and that I know its revival's architect, Viktor Kulakov. Hardly any time has passed since the death of the creator of the Griboyedov museum, and the Ministry of Culture has decided to dispose of the museum's fate

NB! · Observations · Society · Nature

The ocean sunfish, also known as the mola, also known as the headfish, tells us that the plastic bags in the ocean, which she mistakes for food, are killing her

The ocean sunfish, also known as the mola, also known as the headfish, tells us that the plastic bags in the ocean, which she mistakes for food, are killing her. Very sad

Archive · Science · Society

A group of American scholars has created a 3D model of an eighteenth-century slave ship

A group of American scholars has created a 3D model of an eighteenth-century slave ship. Judging by the description, the model is based on the only fully surviving plan of a typical vessel used to transport slaves from Africa. Dr Nicholas Radburn, lecturer at Lancaster University and historian of

Architecture · London · Mores · Society

Britain abolished the window tax, in force since 1696

On 24 July 1851 Britain abolished the window tax, introduced in 1696. In the intervening years the tax was raised more than once, and it led to houses being built with no windows at all. The tax was levied not on each window but on the total number of windows