Spike ,'Conversations with Dead People'
Off-topic discussion. Wanna talk about corsets, duct tape, butt kicking, or physics? This is the place. Detailed discussion of any current-season TV must be whitefonted.
What's the street value of a Nobel prize vs the gold?
Now I'm picturing an episode of Starsky and Hutch, where someone is trying to fence a Nobel prize. Because Huggy Bear would know the street value of a Nobel Prize.
eta: And the King of Sweden could have a cameo.
We have a 'display' Nobel in the lobby at work (not solid gold.) Our latest laureate brought the real deal in for a day or so.
That reminds me of hte story of the King of Sweden several years ago, being unable to cash a check because he didn't have any ID on him. He tried pointing out his resemblance to the face on the currency, but apparently that didn't qualify as proper ID. He had to have his security guy pay for whatever he was getting.
Every time I hear that there is actual royalty still running around somewhere I am surprised. Not the English royal family because they are always in the news with the cute babies and whatnot, but pretty much everyone else I'm all - monarchy, that's still a thing?
Royalty other than England that I can name off the top of my head: Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Belgium, Netherlands, Spain, Monaco are the ones that make appearances before their countries' governing bodies, plus there are several deposed European houses that still have the wherewithal to maintain sort of royal estate and their countries don't seem moved to stop them--Greece, some of the Balkan states, France, Germany. Plus various Middle Eastern and African states that my Eurocentrism doesn't follow as closely.
I suspect my monarchy awareness (or lack thereof) is influenced by the monarchists in my family being Russian, so no more tsars -> no more royalty anywhere (in my head).
This is why people don't like to be the downstairs neighbor, huh?
I was just about to add that there's also the fact plumbing problems flow down, but the universe beat me to it.
Oh, I forgot Thailand, Bhutan, Japan, lots of Asian states. But they don't often appear in the royalty blogs I follow. Those sites are unapologetic devotees of pretty clothes and jewelry. Royal Order of Sartorial Splendor [link] is my favorite. They did fun coverage of the various royals attending the London Olympics, and today is Tiara Thursday.
Thank you for that rabbit hole, Tom. The list of pretenders is fascinating.