Category: Society
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Paris, or why we hate
Visiting Paris can be an overwhelming experience. You may be struck with the so-called Stendhal Syndrome: the state where you are so overcome by the beauty and opulence of a place that you simply collapse under the weight of the impressions. More likely, you will experience the more aptly named Paris Syndrome, where you discover…
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Anemospilia, or how much human sacrifice is too much?
On a certain day around the year 1700 BC, on the slopes of Mount Juktas in central Crete, a small group of people had gathered in a temple for a religious ceremony. A young woman assisted a man a few years her senior: the high priest. His status was obvious from his splendid adornments, perhaps…
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Kerry, or the problem with genocide
On 16 November 1846, John Browne was walking from Tralee in County Kerry, Ireland, to his home north of Dingle. In Tralee he had tried to gain admittance into the poor house, but the place was already full, and Browne had no choice but to walk the 30 miles back home. On the way, he…