An important development in cultural history during recent years has been the recognition of the long exclusion of Egyptians from their nation’s ancient past. For most of the two centuries or so that Egyptology has been a recognized field, ancient Egypt has been considered the intellectual property of the West. University syllabi presented ancient Egypt as one of the foundations of Western civilization, but one with little pertinence to the subsequent history of Egypt or the Middle East. Western collectors plundered the material riches of the ancient land for decades following Napoleon's epochal Egyptian expedition in 1798-1801, filling the galleries of European museums and adorning the shelves and walls of foreign homes, and doing so without compunction.

More @ http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2007/876/cu2.htm

http://www.wrmea.com/archives/December_2007/0712065.html

THE CAIRO-LOS Angeles Friendship Committee will sponsor Egypt’s first float entry in the world-renowned Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, CA on New Year’s Day 2008.

Prize-winning designer Paul Rodriguez has created the concept for the 55-foot float. It will soar 27 feet high and feature an enthroned pharaoh and his consort looking onto an arrangement of sacred lotuses, and Horus, the falcon deity. The only object not covered with flowers will be Egypt’s premier archaeologist, Dr. Zahi Hawass, who will be waving to the bystanders.

Good for them

Singapore Airlines – the first airline in the world to fly the new Airbus A380 – is preparing for the first commercial flight of the new double-decker jumbo jet, from Singapore to Sydney and return  which will take place in October 2007. And in an unprecedented move, all proceeds from the sale of tickets on the first flight will be donated to charities.
In response to requests from people all over the world to be passengers on the first flight, Singapore Airlines will auction the seats on global online marketplace, eBay. Bids will be invited for seats on this history-making flight, and winning bidders will know that every dollar they pay will go to worthwhile charities. All customers will receive a personalised ceremonial certificate confirming they were part of the first-ever commercial A380 flight.
Singapore Airlines Chief Executive Officer, Chew Choon Seng, said the Airline wants to acknowledge the widespread interest in the entry into commercial service of this all-new airplane, and to use the opportunity to benefit worthwhile charities. “The first commercial A380 flight will be a moment in aviation history. It will be a once-in-a-lifetime experience, on an aircraft that will mark a new chapter in air travel. And while we will celebrate the event, we also wish to remember the people who are less fortunate and can be assisted by the charities to which all the proceeds will go,” Mr Chew said.

Collateral Damage
As a "fine arts officer" in World War II, Yale art professor Deane Keller helped to rescue Italian masterworks from the ravages of war. His efforts are documented in a remarkable collection of photographs in Sterling Memorial Library.

March 2003
by Catherine Roach '02

When the Allies invaded Italy in the summer of 1943, Yale art professor Deane Keller '23 was among the troops scrambling ashore in Naples. In civilian life, Keller taught painting and created portraits of Yale worthies that adorn dining halls to this day. As a young artist fresh from the Yale School of Fine Arts, Keller won the prestigious Prix de Rome, an award that sent him to study in Italy between 1923 and 1926. But 20 years later, he landed in Italy on a different mission. The artworks that Keller had emulated as a student suddenly became his to preserve. As a fine arts officer assigned to the U.S. Fifth Army, Keller was responsible for protecting Italian cultural treasures against the threats of combat and looting.

Interesting article

Save England's Heritage

The stately Wrecks of England

The 16 stately wrecks of England were unveiled yesterday; the most important, most expensive and most intractable buildings at risk in the country.

"These are our basket cases," English Heritage's chief executive, Simon Thurley, admitted yesterday.

These are England's 16 most expensive historic wrecks. The total cost of repairs is probably more than £127m, but more serious is the £65m conservation deficit - the shortfall between the cost of the work and the commercial value of the building once restored.

£25m deficit
Chatterley Whitfield Colliery, Staffs
Redundant 19th and 20th century colliery, including 20 scheduled or listed structures, poor condition.

£5m deficit
No 1 Shed, RAF Cardington, Beds
Sole surviving airship hangar in Europe, Grade II*, very bad condition

Ditherington Flax Mill, Shrewsbury
18th century, first iron-framed building in the world and a complex of later mill buildings, Grade I, poor condition

Soho Foundry, Smethwick, West Mids
1795 foundry, landmark in industrial revolution, Grade II*, poor condition

£4m deficit
Birnbeck Pier, Weston-super-Mare
1862 pier, Grade II*, now disused apart from lifeboat station, very bad condition

£3m deficit
Crossness Pumping Station, Bexley
Joseph Bazalgette-designed sewage works, Grade I, poor condition

£2.5m deficit
Royal Insurance Building, Liverpool
1903 office block, Grade II*, poor condition

£2m deficit
Abbey Mills Pumping Station, E London
Bazalgette-designed, Grade II*, fair condition

Gunnersbury Park House, W London
Former Rothschild country house, Grade II*, fair condition

Tynemouth Station, Tyne & Wear
1882 railway station, Grade II*, bad condition

Old Quarr Abbey, Isle of Wight
Remains of 12th century Cistercian abbey, scheduled ancient monument, poor condition

Astley Castle, Warks
13th century moated manor house, Grade II*, very bad condition

£1.5m deficit
Bank Hall, Chorley, Lancs
17th century country house, Grade II*, very bad condition

£1m deficit
Western Heights Fortifications, Dover
Government-owned 19th century fortifications above harbour, scheduled ancient monument, poor condition

Mausoleum, Castle Howard, N Yorks
18th century, Hawksmoor-designed tomb, Grade I, poor condition

Wicker Arch and Viaduct, S Yorks
1848 railway viaduct, decayed, Grade II*, poor condition

Save one now get involved

  Zahi's on the hunt

Quote

Egypt: Nefertiti and the Lost Dynasty


It is one of Egypts enduring mysteries. What happened to Nefertiti and her husband, the pharaoh Akhenaten, the likely father of King Tut?

Bill Bryson does it again

Isn't he amazing

some quotes from the article:-

Something I have often wondered is why we don’t make the whole of England a National Park. In what way, after all, are the Yorkshire Dales superior to the Durham Dales? Why is the New Forest worthy of exalted status but glorious Dorset unworthy?

It is preposterous really to say that some parts are better or more important than others. It’s all lovely. And there’s not much of it. Of the surface area of the Earth, only a tiny fragment – 0.0174069 per cent, or so I gather – can call itself Great Britain. The fragment that is England is even tinier. So it’s rare and dangerously finite and every bit of it should be cherished.

I agree

At the time of Titanic's ill-fated maiden voyage, Liverpool and London was the insurer of the personal property on board the ship. By virtue of the settlements it reached with the Titanic passengers and their families soon after the tragedy, Liverpool and London acquired via subrogation ownership rights to the personal property, which remained on the vessel. With the acquisition of these rights, the Company now has the lawful claim to ownership.

In 1994, a United States Federal Court declared RMS Titanic, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company, as the Salvor-in-Possession of the Titanic. Thirteen years later, the Company remains Salvor-in-Possession and as such is the only company permitted by law to recover objects from the wreck site. The Company has conducted seven research and recovery expeditions and has recovered approximately 5,500 objects.

This new acquisition provides the Company the Ownership Rights to the important personal property still resting at the wreck site.

If you can stomach it read more @ http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/prnewswire/CLW07918072007-1.htm