By Will Coldwell
In the frescoed ballroom of the International Butler Academy (TIBA) in the Netherlands, a gaggle of students shuffled into line. “You may have walked in a certain way for 25 years, but this is not how you do it as a butler,” said their etiquette instructor, addressed by everyone as Mr Munro. He ordered them to slot their arms behind wooden crosses, which they held against their spines – “torture devices” to correct posture. “Now relax!”
Explore more
Discover more
1843 magazine | Can creative writing help America win wars?
The military strategists who believe the parable is mightier than the PowerPoint
1843 magazine | The storm chasers trying to save the world from drought
Everyone agrees the planet needs more water. So why is cloud-seeding so controversial?
1843 magazine | American Satanists are leading the fight to keep abortion legal
What began as a troll has become a religion
1843 magazine | The destructive quest for the buried treasure of the Armenians
Thousands of Turks are destroying their country’s heritage in the hunt for gold
1843 magazine | Inside Somaliland, the state eager to become the world’s next country
As it chases recognition, an uprising in the east has challenged its authority
1843 magazine | “I use anti-tank mines for weightlifting”: meet Ukraine’s Paralympians
The war-wounded join forces with soldiers on leave in the pursuit of sporting success