Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.
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Why It’s So Hard to Find the Original Owners of Nazi-Looted Art
International experts recently gathered at Smithsonian to discuss the state of international provenance research
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The Protests That Aren’t Going Away
City authorities struggle to contain growing resentment with their demolition program.
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France-Russia: An Improbable Reset That Quickly Turned Sour
In Versailles, Putin listened sternly to Macron’s moral lesson about Ukraine and human rights in Chechnya, said little, and looked impatient to leave.
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Russian Court Orders Navalny to Apologize for Government Corruption Claims
Russian politician Alexei Navalny has been ordered to delete a viral video accusing Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev of corruption.
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Explore Crucian Cuisine on a New U.S. Virgin Islands Food Tour
Get a taste of St. Croix’s culinary traditions
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Gang Attacks Navalny Campaign’s Landlord in Siberia
An armed gang has violently beaten a man in Siberia after his family rented office space to the presidential campaign of opposition leader Alexei Navalny.
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Visiting on public holidays
Dear visitors, Please note the opening times for the State Tretyakov Gallery over the Russia Day (June 12, Monday): Historical Building, The Tretyakov Gallery on Krymsky Val and Engineering Building will be open from 10.00 to 18.00 (ticket office and entrance to 17.00) Apollinary Vasnetsov Memorial Flat, Victor Vasnetsov Museum and Anna Golubkina Memorial Studio…
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Moscow utility crews clean up freak storm’s aftermath
30.05.2017 Over 35,000 people and 4,500 vehicles are engaged in the clean-up Moscow’s public works crews are laboring diligently to clean up the mess that was left in the wake of yesterday’s hurricane that had ripped through the Russian capital, the city’s municipal press service told reporters today. “Municipal crews will be working hard until…
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Forged Safety Documents Aided Russian Teen’s Gun Rampage — Reports
A teenager who launched an armed attack on Russian security agents was able to acquire weapons from a nearby shooting club thanks to local national guardsmen, who forged vital safety documents.
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Russia to Crackdown on ‘Dishonest’ Microlenders
The Russian parliament is preparing new clampdowns on predatory microlenders.
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Putin visits Russian cultural center in Paris
Putin toured the Center’s exhibition of World War I relics and met with students of the Russian Classical Gymnasium Russian President Vladimir Putin, accompanied by Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo, met with students of the Russian Spiritual and Cultural Center in Paris, the head of the Russian Classical Gymnasium, Yulia Rebinder, told TASS. The two high-ranked…
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Putin presents Holy Trinity icon to Russian Orthodox cathedral in Paris
The Holy Trinity Cathedral is a constituent element of the Russian Spiritual and Cultural Center in the French capital Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday presented an icon of the Holy Trinity to the Russian Orthodox Trinity Cathedral in Paris, the Bishop of Chersonese Nestor, who chairs the Russian Orthodox diocese of Western Europe told…
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Moscow mayor says Monday’s hurricane in Moscow ‘unprecedented’
The families of the people killed or injured during violent thunderstorms that hammered Moscow on Monday afternoon will get money compensations The hurricane that struck Moscow City on Monday afternoon was unprecedented, Moscow City mayor Sergei Sobyanin told TASS. “I can’t remember within my recollection any other such calamity with the number of dead and…
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Hollywood director highlights his esteem for Russia’s president
Answering the question about his personal attitude towards the Russian president, Oliver Stone said: “I liked him, I respected him, let’s put it that way” American filmmaker Oliver Stone said that he has always held Russian President Vladimir Putin in high esteem and identified with him. Stone, who is in Australia now, told ABC reporters…
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Putin declares 2018-2027 to be Children’s Decade in Russia
Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree declaring the years 2018-2027 to be the Children’s Decade in Russia. The directive was published on the country’s Official Internet Portal of Legal Information today. The order says “the decision had been taken to improve the state’s children protection policy, considering the results of the National Children’s…
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Student Jailed for Murder of Russian Journalist Tsilikin
A 22-year-old student has been sentenced to eight and a half years in prison for the murder of celebrated Russian journalist Dmitry Tsilikin.
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Moscow: News and Openings
From vintage music museum to a grill restaurant: all the latest openings in the city
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Edith Wharton Recruited the World’s Greatest Artists to Raise Money for WWI Refugees
A century ago, the famous author took it upon herself to help those left behind by the war’s carnage
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Russian-US forum dubbed Fort Ross Dialogue to be held in Russia for first time ever
The first day of the forum will be dedicated to cultural cooperation Russian and US politicians, cultural workers and experts will discuss the ways to boost cooperation and overcome differences between the two countries at a forum dubbed Fort Ross Dialogue which will be for the first time in the Russian cities of Pskov and…
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Russia’s Zvyagintsev wins Jury Prize at 70th Cannes Film Festival with his Loveless
This is the third Cannes award for the Russian film director Russian film director Andrey Zvyaginstev has won the Cannes Film Festival Jury Prize for his bleak family drama Loveless. The Award Ceremony of the 70th annual Cannes Film Festival was held on Sunday. Zvyaginstev’s Loveless is a story of divorcing couple who must team…
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Khvorostovsky’s friend refutes media allegations about his hospitalization
“Here he is sitting next to me, laughing,” lawyer Pavel Astakhov told Media reports alleging that world-acclaimed Russian opera singer Dmitri Khvoroskovsky has been taken to hospital are not true, Khvorostovsky’s friend, lawyer Pavel Astakhov told TASS on Sunday. Earlier, the mass media said that Khvorostovsky had been taken in a hospital in Moscow. Astakhov,…
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Some 40,000 cyclists taking part in Moscow cycle parade
According to the authorities, a column of about 40,000 cyclists aged from ten to 78 took a lap around Moscow’s central Garden Ring About 40,000 people from all around Russia took part in Russia’s largest cycling parade in Moscow on Sunday, the press service of Moscow’s department of transport said. “Over the recent years, Moscow…
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Summer Music in Moscow
Fresh air, warm weather and music – summer and festivals have always gone hand-in-hand. In the first of our two-part guide to festivals this summer in Russia, we round up the top open-air music events in Moscow.
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‘Leviathan’ Director Zvyagintsev Wins Jury Prize for New Film ‘Loveless’ at Cannes
Russian director Andrei Zvyagintsev, whose tale of a provincial man’s struggle against corruption in “Leviathan” brought him global fame, has won the jury prize at the 70th Cannes Film Festival for his new picture “Loveless.”
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At Least 11 Dead as Storm Sweeps Moscow
At least eleven people have died after gale force winds hit Moscow on Monday afternoon.
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In Pictures: Fatal Thunderstorms Sweep Moscow
At least 12 people have died after gale force winds swept Moscow on Monday afternoon.
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Two North Koreans Found Dead in Moscow Hotel
Two North Korean citizens have been found dead at a hotel in west Moscow.
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BarDelhi: How to Spice Up Dinner
BarDelhi is a collaboration between the team behind the cult Indian restaurant Moscow-Delhi, Roman Milostivy, whose cocktail bar Chainaya is on the list of the world’s best bars, and Vladimir Basov, supplier of organic wines.
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Dane Arrested in Russia for ‘Extremist’ Jehovah’s Witnesses Meeting
A Danish national has been arrested in the Russian city of Oryol after attending a meeting of the Jehovah’s Witnesses.
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Moscow TV Round-Up: Propaganda and Patriotism
It’s propaganda, piracy and patriotism week on Moscow TV, with fine documentary and feature films that offer everyone from concerned flag-wavers to potential buccaneers some new and enlightening perspectives.
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Kantemir Balagov’s “Closeness” gets Cannes Festival’s International Critics’ Prize
“Closeness,” a debut of 26-year-old Balagov, is set in 1998 in the director’s home city of Nalchik “Closeness” by Russian film director Kantemir Balagov, along with Robin Campillo’s “BPM (Beats Per Minute)” and Pedro Pinho’s “The Nothing Factory,” won International Critics’ Prizes at the Cannes Festival on Saturday. The FIPRESCI Jury awarded three prizes: two…
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More than two-thirds of Russians say would like to venerate St Nicholas’s relics
The requests people would like to address to St Nicholas the Wonderworker concern personal health, assistance in the rectification of personal problems and maintenance of peace Arrival of the relics of St Nicholas from the Italian city of Bari to Russia has become a considerable event for the Russians and 72% of them would like…
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Patriarch Kirill I sends condolences to Coptic Church over terrorist act in Egypt
“The cowardly attack victimized totally innocent people, icnluding children, who were en route to an antique monastery for gratuitous work and prayer,” Kirill I said in his message The Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia Kirill I on Friday send condolences to Pope Tawadros II, the supreme hierarch of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria…
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This week in photos: Trump with Pope, St Nicholas relics in Moscow and Zuckerberg’s degree
The world in pictures in a photo gallery by TASS President Donald Trump’s Vatican visit, St. Nicholas’ relics in Moscow, Mark Zuckerberg’s Harvard degree and other best photographs of the week. The world in pictures in a photo gallery by TASS
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Bolshoi Theater vows to put on at least 10 new shows next season
Among the expected productions are works by renowned directors Katie Mitchell and Rimas Tuminas With the 241st Bolshoi Theater season still underway, plans for next year have already been announced, the theater’s director Vladimir Urin told TASS on Thursday. Among the expected productions are works by renowned directors Katie Mitchell and Rimas Tuminas, while the…
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Space technologies offer glimpse at Tsar Ivan the Terrible’s rare portrait
The portrait was engraved in copper and subsequently imprinted on the leather cover of Russia’s first exact-dated printed book — the “Apostle” Multispectral imaging, a technology used in space research, allowed scientists to take a glimpse at the only portrait of Russia’s 16th century ruler Ivan the Terrible made during his lifetime and worn away…
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Most Americans view Russia as unfriendly country — survey
According to the research, North Korea, Iran and Syria are viewed as America’s most feared enemies The majority of US residents consider Russia an enemy of the US rather than an ally, but are convinced that President Donald Trump thinks otherwise, a Fox News survey shows. The respondents of the national poll were asked to…
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Russia’s legendary barque Kruzenshtern calls at Belgian port
Russia’s legendary windjammer Kruzenshtern, which is on its first training voyage of the year, has called at the Belgian port of Oostende to take part in an international festival of sailing vessels Russia’s legendary windjammer Kruzenshtern, which is on its first training voyage of the year, on Thursday called at the Belgian port of Oostende…
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Hotel Ukraina: a Soviet-era treasure in the heart of Moscow
60 years ago, one of seven iconic Moscow’s skyscrapers designed in the Stalinist style, hotel Ukraina was opened 1957 Soviet hotel Ukraina was opened. The second tallest of the neoclassical Stalin-era “seven sisters”, hotel Ukraina is 198-meter high (34 stories). It was then the tallest hotel in the world. In 2010 the hotel was renovated…
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Zverev’s Game: The Art of Breaking Rules
A new exhibition at the Anatoly Zverev Museum pits four artists across time and genres.
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Soviet ‘worker and peasant girl’ statue for 1937 World’s Fair marks 80th anniversary
Sculptor Vera Mukhina said her work was to express “a robust and overpowering drive” that characterized the Soviet Union Eighty years ago on this precise date, workers at the World’s Fair 1937 in Paris put the finishing touches on the landmark icon of Soviet monument sculpture that was destined to become the trademark symbol of…
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Team from Russia’s ITMO University wins ICPC world programming contest
The ACM ICPC finals were held in Rapid City, South Dakota, USA A team of students of the St. Petersburg ITMO (Information Technologies, Mechanics and Optics) University have won its seventh victory at the ACM International Collegiate Programming Contest (ICPC), the ITMO University’s press service said on Thursday. The ACM ICPC finals were held in…
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Putin venerates St Nicholas’s relics in Cathedral of the Savior
Vladimir Putin came to Moscow’s downtown Cathedral of the Savior to venerate the relics of St Nicholas the Wonderworker that arrived in Moscow from Bari, Italy President Vladimir Putin came to Moscow’s downtown Cathedral of the Savior on Wednesday to venerate the relics of St Nicholas the Wonderworker that arrived in Moscow from Bari, Italy,…
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International Chekhov Theater festival opens its doors for 13th time in Moscow
The festival opens on May 24 and runs until mid-July Moscow is slated to host the International Chekhov Theater festival for the 13th time, while the organizers are celebrating its 25th anniversary, Valery Shadrin, head of the festival, told TASS. The event kicks off on May 24 and runs until mid-July. Among its participants are…
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Poll shows 25% of Russians expect headway in ties with France during Macron’s presidency
Only nine percent of the respondents believe that relations could worsen As many as 25% of Russians believe that after Emmanuel Macron was elected president of France, relations between the two countries will improve, the All-Russia Public Opinion Research Center said in a statement on Wednesday. “As many as 25% of those polled expect bilateral…
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Amsterdam Court may look into appeal against Scythian Gold ruling in fall
In December 2016, the Amsterdam District Court ruled that the Scythian gold treasures whose insured value is about $2 million should be returned to Ukraine The Amsterdam Court of Appeal may begin considering an appeal from the Crimean museums against the ruling on the Scythian Gold case in October, the director of the Central Museum…
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Stalin’s grandson passes away at 75
The grandson of Soviet leader Joseph Stalin, Alexander Burdonsky, National Artist of the Russian Federation and stage director of the Central Academic Theater of the Russian Army, died on May 23 The grandson of Soviet leader Joseph Stalin, Alexander Burdonsky, National Artist of the Russian Federation and stage director of the Central Academic Theater of…
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How one Murmansk writer was inspired to bring Cyrillic Alphabet Day back to Russia
Maslov worked as a radioman at the world’s first nuclear icebreaker Lenin Prior to 1986, Cyrillic Alphabet Day had virtually disappeared from Russians’ calendars during the Soviet era. Nevertheless, Vitaly Maslov, a writer from the northern Russian city of Murmansk, managed to revive this tradition despite it having faded from national memory following the 1917…
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Investigators release Gogol-Center stage director after questioning
The artistic director was questioned “as an eyewitness in a criminal case into misappropriation of state funds” The Gogol-Center’s theater director, who was taken into the Investigative Committee’s office in Moscow for questioning as a witness in an embezzlement case, was released late on Tuesday, a TASS correspondent reported from the scene. “I’m a witness,”…
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Patriarch Kirill proposes to bring relics of Egyptian fathers of Orthodox Church to Russia
Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia Kirill I has invited Coptic Christians to visit the shrines of the Russian Orthodox Church Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia Kirill I has issued a proposal to the leader of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria, Pope Tawadros II, to organize ‘translation’ (delivery) of the relics of Egyptian…
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Federal agency confirms ‘Far Eastern hectare’ project with famous martial artist
Russian media reported earlier that US actor Steven Seagal, who was granted Russian citizenship in November 2016, may take part in this project A Russian federal agency confirmed on Tuesday that a project on promoting the so-called “Far Eastern hectare” is under development and a famous martial artist may take part in it. “In August…
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Four men and a dog: How Papanin’s team conquered the North Pole
On May 21, 1937, the famous polar ‘drifting’ expedition led by Ivan Papanin kicked off, captivating the Soviet public for the next nine months On May 21, 1937, a large red-orange ANT-6 aircraft landed on an ice floe not far from the North Pole. Thirteen men piled out of the plane, pulled out a bottle…
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Russian Far East mining town rolls out gem idea for diamond tour route
Local authorities also intend to open the Arctic diamond mines to tourists The Mirny District administration in the Sakha Region of Russia’s Far East has come up with a new tourism strategy to attract visitors, a route has been mapped out around sites linked to the history of Russia’s diamond mining. Among them are the…
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Steven Seagal may star in TV show on getting free land in Russia’s Far East
Starting from February 1, 2017 every Russian citizen is entitled to file an application for getting a hectare of land in any region of Russia’s Far East for free US actor Steven Seagal, who was granted Russian citizenship in November 2016, may star in a TV show on how to get a hectare of land…
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Hollywood actor Steven Seagal to get free land in Russia’s Far East
Starting from February 1, 2017 every Russian citizen is entitled to file an application for getting a hectare of land in any region of Russia’s Far East for free US actor Steven Seagal, who was granted Russian citizenship in November 2016, will get a hectare of land in the Far Eastern Primorye region and build…
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Maestro Gergiyev’s orchestra opens international music festival in Sofia
This was Mariinsky orchestra’s first performance in Bulgaria over 45 years Mariinsky Theater symphony orchestra under the baton of maestro Valery Gergiyev on Monday opened the Sofia Music Weeks 48th international festival. The audience that included Bulgarian President Rumen Radev gave a standing ovation to the Russian musicians and the conductor who is also Mariinsky…
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Patriarch: Veneration of St Nicholas unites Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic Christians
St Nicholas’s relics will stay in Moscow through to July 12, after which they will be transported to St Petersburg Veneration of St Nicholas the Wonderworker, a fragment of whose relics was delivered to Russia from Italy on Sunday, unites the Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic Christians, the Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia Kirill…
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The Noble Survivors
Aristocratic families in Russia lost everything 100 years ago as Nicholas II, Russia’s last tsar, abdicated as Lenin’s Bolsheviks seized power.
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Bill Outlawing Pro-Suicide Groups on Social Media Adopted by Russian Parliament
A bill outlining criminal liability for creating pro-suicide groups in social networks has passed its third and final reading on Friday, Russian news outlets reported.
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New Photos Reveal What’s Left Behind When a Rocket Travels to Space
Michael Soluri captures these strangely evocative traces of America’s heroic extraterrestrial journeys
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