Leonardo da Vinci (5/5): Retreat of the Italian genius in France under the patronage of Francis I
Neither the loss of an eye nor the paralysis of his right hand could stop Leonardo da Vinci from continuing to work during his last years. He died at the Château Clos-Lucé in France, where he lived a peaceful retirement, protected by his patron, the French King Francis I. Leonardo da Vinci accompanied Pope Leo […]
The Importance of Living (I)
By Lin Yutang Is not truth that makes man great, but man that makes truth great. — CONFUCIUS Only those who take leisurely what the people of the world are busy about can be busy about what the people of the world take leisurely. — CHANG CH’AO Preface THIS is a personal testimony, a testimony […]
Leonardo da Vinci (4/5): Rivalry with Michelangelo and birth of the Mona Lisa
The painter Leonardo da Vinci and the sculptor Michelangelo, whose rivalry was well known, met to work on the painting of two huge murals in the most emblematic room of the Palazzo Vecchio. It was during this period that Leonardo painted two of his most famous works: “Madonna and Child with St. Anne” and “Mona […]
The Gallery of Great Battles, in the Palace of Versailles
The Gallery of Great Battles is the most important of the historic Galleries created by Louis-Philippe in the Palace of Versailles. It covers almost the entire first floor of the South Wing of the Palace and depicts nearly 15 centuries of French military successes, from Clovis to Napoleon, through 30 or so paintings. The Gallery […]
Cavalleria Rusticana, the Opera that Made Pietro Mascagni
In the history of the Opera tradition, many genres developed over the centuries. The post-Romantic Verismo (Italian for realism) tradition stood apart for its naturalism and for focusing on the lives of the average contemporary people, subjects considered until then too poor and unfit to be protagonists of such pieces. In the Verismo movement, the […]
Astronomers Detect Most Distant Fast Radio Burst to Date
The discovery of the burst, named FRB 20220610A, was made in June last year by the ASKAP radio telescope in Australia and it smashed the team’s previous distance record by 50 percent. “Using ASKAP’s array of dishes, we were able to determine precisely where the burst came from,” says Stuart Ryder, an astronomer from Macquarie […]
66 Great Tenors (Video)
66 great tenors from Enrique Caruso to Joseph Calleja, in this quick review of these opera greats.
Solar Eclipses of History (II)
By Norma Reis Part 2: Solar Eclipses of the Middle Ages Muhammad’s Eclipse (632 CE) The founder of Islam, the prophet Muhammad, was born in Mecca in the Year of the Elephant, CE 569-570. His birth year got its name from an invasion by the Abyssinians, who used elephants in the assault. The army was […]
Swastikas: The Full Picture
By Casey Van Ommering What are your first thoughts looking at this symbol? What does it represent? If you are at all familiar with history in the 20th century, you recognize the Swastika – the symbol of the Third Reich that Hitler ruled prior to and during World War II. In 1933, the Nazis rose […]
As the Israel-Hamas war rages, Israel orders evacuation of 1.1 million people from Gaza
As the war enters its second week, tensions between Israel and Palestine increase. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) dropped leaflets from planes into Gaza, calling on the 1.1 million residents to leave their homes and evacuate, after which Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas warned against a “second Nakba” catastrophe facing Palestinians. In response to an explosion […]