Messages

31

Tatiana Nicholaievna / Re: Tatiana's Frenchie Ortipo - intentionally bred?

« on: January 31, 2017, 04:21:50 AM »

Many breeds have gotten worse, health-wise, in the last 100 years. 

This link shows images of the changes:
http://emgn.com/entertainment/100-years-ago-these-13-popular-dog-breeds-were-unrecognizable/

Many bulldog breeds are now artificial inseminated and delivered by c-section -- they literally cannot bred accidentally, because their anatomy is so distorted by poorly conducted selective breeding. This was not the case in the early 20th century.

Dog health is, in general, worse than it used to be.  Most dogs in the US are overweight.  Many breeders have breed unhealthy stock, etc.  The original Rin Tin Tin from silent films lived longer than the average large dog today.  Many German Shepherds now are put down at a tragically young age due to horrific orthopedic problems. Many breeds of toy dogs have been bred down even smaller, causing danger during delivery of the pups.  On the flipside, some large breeds have been bred to be oversized, which is not good for the joints.



Ortino's face does not look as dramatic as a modern Frenchie's, thankfully.  Some of them these days require surgery to breathe properly -- and they make an odd noise when they try to breathe.  While I can't see Ortino's back end in the photo, I wouldn't be surprised if her hips were more correct, in terms of orthopedic issues, than is typical today.

32

The Imperial Family / Re: Prayer Rule of the Romanovs

« on: January 31, 2017, 04:08:02 AM »

I'd also love to see this answered. 

33

Books about the Romanovs and Imperial Russia / Dancing in Petersburg

« on: January 28, 2017, 12:55:38 AM »

How reliable was Mathilde Kschessinska?  Should she be taken at face value?

(Also, any other good books about pre-revolutionary Russian ballet?)

34

The Final Chapter / Re: The Jewels

« on: January 22, 2017, 04:49:04 AM »

Read the book "The Greatest Heist" which deals with how the Bolsheviks sold all the loot they took and how it enabled them to stay in power.

Ooo, interesting!  Thanks!

35

The Final Chapter / Re: The Jewels

« on: January 21, 2017, 04:04:47 AM »

Yikes.  Not sure why I'd expect better from that lot, though.

36

The Final Chapter / Re: The Jewels

« on: January 21, 2017, 01:20:41 AM »

True -- though I was thinking perhaps that they would show them because of the historical significance -- but perhaps that is the exact reason they WOULDN'T want to, because it is such a morbid and shameful aspect of their history.  Much more morbid than the Crown Jewels and such that are not directly related to the murder.

37

The Final Chapter / Re: The Jewels

« on: January 20, 2017, 11:08:24 PM »

Gottcha -- are some of the loose stones on display from Yekaterinburg or no?

38

The Final Chapter / Re: The Jewels

« on: January 20, 2017, 08:51:36 PM »

Ahh okay -- so I've seen some of them then, perhaps.  (Been to the Diamond Fund in the Kremlin Armory.) 

39

The Final Chapter / The Jewels

« on: January 20, 2017, 05:03:34 AM »

What happened to the jewels found amid the clothing and belongings of the family?  I know Fate of the Romanovs describes them as being sent to Moscow, but where are they now?

40

Imperial Russian History / Re: The Prokudin-Gorski photo collection

« on: January 18, 2017, 09:27:06 PM »

You must understand that in the very early 1920s is was ILLEGAL to even possess a photo of any member of the IF.  You could go to jail or Siberia or dragged to the street and shot if the Bolsheviks found any photo of the Romanovs in one's possession.

It's both depressing and thrilling that I possess tea packaging (Tsar Nicholas tea) that would have warranted a trip to Siberia.

41

Having Fun! / Re: Re: Things that annoy you because you're a Romanov fan

« on: January 16, 2017, 05:37:01 PM »

I have given up on Eurohistory, so I'm just going to eat my $40.00.  And I completely understand where you're coming from with the apology, as I'm the same way, but it's safe to say I will never order from them again, and I would not recommend them to anyone.

Can you take it up with your credit card company?

42

The Windsors / Re: Prince William and Catherine, Duke and Duchess of Cambridge

« on: January 16, 2017, 05:02:53 PM »

It has been reported that Prince William will be leaving East Anglian Air Ambulance to become a full-time working member of the Royal Family.

Makes sense -- Her Majesty is, understandably, stepping down from some of her duties due to old age.  Someone has to fill in the "gap," and William is very popular.

43

Forum Announcements / Re: New Users say Hello Here and ONLY HERE!

« on: January 14, 2017, 01:53:00 AM »

I'm back -- used to post as Skatepixie but changed my name to reflect the title of the Alternate History novel I am writing about the Romanov family.

44

The Myth and Legends of Survivors / Re: THE ANNA ANDERSON HOUSE IN CHARLOTTESVILLE

« on: January 13, 2017, 04:11:17 AM »

They had an old car.  I always wondered why the city of Charlottesville did not require them to tend their yard.

Because it wasn't the Soviet Union, was my first thought, as a Norwegian. Do US municipalities really intervene that minutely in people's right to manage their private propety as they wish to?

The idea of a "free" nation may be misleading. Fact is, from small municipalities up to the federal government, there are millions of pages of regulations and rules that restrict individual's and group's "rights" to do whatever they want (or not do) with their owned property. From height of trees, to height of grass, to color of siding, to size of mailbox, etc etc etc, nearly every minute detail has a regulation. That's the work of the government bureaucracies whose main mission is to control how people live. Trump has promised to curb that onslaught of regulations and hopefully roll back many.

And of course there are "Homeowners Associations" as well.  They aren't the government, but they CAN fine you (though not every neighborhood has one).

Generally, the government doesn't step in unless your place belongs on that Hoarders show.  But a Homeowners Association can, in theory, fine you for leaving your Christmas lights up too long.

45

The Myth and Legends of Survivors / Re: New book on Franziska Schanzkowsky, the Anastasia pretender

« on: January 13, 2017, 04:08:13 AM »

It's possible that FS got so deep into pretending to be Anastasia that, towards the end of her life, she actually started to believe it herself that she was Anastasia.

I think that this was almost certainly the case once dementia set in.

And, of course, she was older than she claimed to be -- by five years.  Isn't that every woman's dream -- to be mistaken for younger?  But -- it does seem that she was rather ill for her age, especially toward the end, and I hear that she was rather "out of it" in her later years.