Thursday, September 25, 2014
Alpha and Omega
Alpha:
In the mid-17th century, the leader of Russia’s Orthodox Church, Patriarch Nikon, introduced radical reforms in Russia. Many couldn’t accept the changes and became known as “Old Believers”. To avoid religious persecution first from the Orthodox Church and then from the Soviets, families fled to some of the most remote corners of the world. In 1978, one such family was discovered by a group of geologists in the remote Russian Republic of Khakassia, Siberia. The Lykovs looked as if they belonged to a previous century: they dressed in homespun clothes and used primitive instruments in their everyday life. They were completely self-sufficient and still highly religious. Today, Agafia, 70, is the last surviving member of this family. She is in desperate need of a helper. The filmmakers encourage her to write a letter to Old Believers everywhere in an attempt to find one. This letter, written in Old Slavonic language, is here.Omega:
Standing out from the crowd is clearly important to this flamboyant motorist. This gold Lamborghini Aventador Roadster has been spotted cruising around the French capital during Paris Fashion Week. The supercar was snapped outside the five-star Plaza Athenee palace hotel on the luxury Avenue Montaigne. It is reportedly worth £4 million and plated in gold leaf, although cynics suggest the car has just been wrapped in the eye-catching material.Nuff said. ¶ 12:14 PM
