Why Cambodia Became a French Protectorate

Much injustice was done when the European powers divided the world among themselves. Superior weapons weren't the only reason why they could do that. Local conflicts made it easier for exterior powers to interfere, as it was the case regarding the fall of King Norodom I of Cambodia.

A coin featuring the date of 1860 bears witness to the first contacts between France and the Cambodian ruler.

To read the complete article, see:
Why Cambodia Became a French Protectorate.(https://www.kuenker.de/en/information/presseinformationen/aktuelle-mitteilungen/324)

Peak Gold?

Experts talk about the concept of peak gold - when we have mined the most we ever can in any one year. Some believe we may have already reached that point.

Gold mine production totalled 3,531 tonnes in 2019, 1% lower than in 2018, according to the World Gold Council. This is the first annual decline in production since 2008.

"While the growth in mine supply may slow or decline slightly in the coming years, as existing reserves are exhausted, and new major discoveries become increasingly rare, suggesting that production has peaked may still be a little premature," says Hannah Brandstaetter, a spokesman for the World Gold Council.

To read the complete article, see:
How much gold is there left to mine in the world?(https://www.bbc.com/news/business-54230737)

Conservation: Fragmentary Early Menagerie Poster

Not long after my arrival in Worcester, followed by a 14-day quarantine in the charming Montvale Cottage, I saw the poster in the flesh. It sat in a pile of folded and tattered fragments. A note perched on top of the heap read, "Preservation Needed." Babette explained to me that the poster awaited the completion of the new conservation lab; its dimensions were thought to exceed those of the old lab's equipment.

As we removed the fragments from the box, tigers, lion tamers, and large birds emerged. Typefaces of all kinds declared fantastic attractions: "King of the Vultures," an orchestra containing fourteen musicians, and large cats "as docile as any of the domestic animals."

To read the complete article, see:
Conservation of a Fragmentary Early Menagerie Poster(https://pastispresent.org/2020/good-sources/conservation-of-a-fragmentary-early-menagerie-poster/)