More on Shushan Being Turned Into Garbage Dump

Reported at Israeli National News: Published: 03/08/09, 9:07 AM / Last Update: 03/09/09, 5:07 PM Shushan, Iranian Biblical City of Purim Drama, a Garbage Dump by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu (IsraelNN.com) Iranians have turned a huge excavation site in the city of Shush, site of "Susa," the ancient city of Shushan -- center of the events in the Purim story -- into a garbage dump. Culture heritage backers put a stop to construction of a hotel on the site, according to the Tehran News, which added that residents of the Shush municipality are now filling the huge, gaping 300-foot by 300-foot hole with rubbish. Iranian archaeologists have estimated that Susa is one of the oldest known settlements in the world. The Book of Esther (known as the Megillah of Esther -ed.), which is recited on Purim names the city - then known as Shushan - as the capital of the huge empire ruled at the time by King Achashveros. The site has been a frequent target of vandals, who last year smashed the column bases of an ancient palace located at Susa. A planned four-story high school adjacent to the palace was scrapped because of protests to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad that it would spoil the view of the ancient building. Vandals have stolen several artifacts and one archaeologist blamed the thefts on anti-Iranians, possible Arab settlers. Iran is Persian, and although it is a Muslim country, it is culturally and politically not Arabic, and is not a member of the Arab League.

Byzantine Era Church Discovered in Jerusalem Hills

(Photo: Daniel Ein Mor / Antiquities Authority)

Story from Haaretz.com Last update - 17:56 11/03/2009 Archaeologists discover Byzantine-era church in Jerusalem hills By Haaretz Service A church that dates back to the Byzantine period was recently unearthed during construction work at Nes Harim in the Jerusalem hills. The church is [was - see below] paved with mosaics and decorated with an inscription. It was exposed in an archaeological excavation by the Israel Antiquities Authority, after local residents reported unearthing a site that was covered in pine trees and agricultural terraces. In November, during the first excavation in the site, archaeologists exposed the church's narthex - the broad entrance at the front of the church's nave. It was filled with a carpet of polychrome mosaics that was adorned with geometric patterns of intertwined rhomboids separated by flower bud motifs. Unfortunately, at the conclusion of that excavation, the mosaic was defaced and almost completely destroyed by unknown vandals. During that same excavation a complex wine press was partly exposed that consists of at least two upper treading floors and elongated, well-plastered arched cells below them that were probably meant to facilitate the preliminary fermentation of the must. According to archaeologist Daniel Ein Mor, "We know of other Byzantine churches and sites that are believed to be Byzantine monasteries, which are located in the surrounding region. The excavation at Nes Harim supplements our knowledge about the nature of the Christian-Byzantine settlement in the rural areas between the main cities in this part of the country during the Byzantine period, among them Bet Guvrin, Emmaus and Jerusalem."

"Urbanization" to 2500 BCE in Iran

Report from Press TV: Iran urbanized 4,500 years ago Sun, 08 Mar 2009 11:23:48 GMT Archeological studies have indicated that traces of ancient population in Iran's northern province of Mazandaran goes back 5,600 years. “Archeological excavations and precise date recognition at the historical site of Gohar Tappeh revealed urbanism had entered the region about 4,500 years ago,” says Ali Mahforouzi, head of the excavation team of Gohar Tappeh of Mazandaran. The discovery has also led archeologists to believe that powerful political and economic systems in the region were established around 5,600 years ago. “If we believe in the theory that urban dwelling occurred after agrarian, we could claim settlement in Mazandaran province dates back to at least 5,600 years ago,” Mahforouzi added. “We believe the powerful economic system was based on agriculture, animal husbandry, and trade - all among the basics of industry at the time,” he said. “The history of pre-agrarian dwelling goes back to cave-dwelling era,” Mahforouzi said. “There was a 3,800-year-old gap between cave and agrarian dwelling in the region though.” NAT/JG

Multiply this Worldwide...Who Got Suckered?

Story from the Guardian.co.uk Fred Goodwin netted £10k extra a year for one month's work Jill Treanor guardian.co.uk, Monday 9 March 2009 15.28 GMT Sir Fred Goodwin, the former chief executive of Royal Bank of Scotland, received a £10,000-a-year boost to his annual pension for working an extra month at the bank in January. He was entitled to a £693,000 annual payout, according to the annual report published today, but this was lifted to £703,000 for working one month beyond the end of the financial year. Goodwin's additional retirement income is two and a half times the typical £4,000-a-year pension earned by most local authority workers over their entire career. Goodwin was paid £1.4m for his last year at the helm of the state-controlled bank. He stopped being a director on 21 November when he handed over to Stephen Hester, who is earning £1.2m a year and has received £277,423 from the first tranche of an award of 10.4m shares which were granted to him when he was lured to RBS from property company British Land. Sir Tom McKillop, the former chairman, was paid £787,000 while the annual report shows that his successor Sir Philip Hampton is receiving £750,000 a year and has been awarded share options worth £1.5m - double his annual fee. The chairman of the bank's remuneration committee, non-executive director Colin Buchan, apologises for the impact of the bank's near-collapse on employees' welfare. He also makes it clear that the early retirement scheme that applied to Goodwin - and Johnny Cameron another former executive director - will no longer be implemented at the bank. [Yeah, right.] Goodwin and Cameron were allowed to retire early under an RBS pension arrangement which allows them to take an "undiscounted pension" - permitting them to have their pensions topped up. The annual report shows that 50-year-old Goodwin's was increased by £8.2m during the year to provide a pension pot of £16.6m while Cameron has retired on £62,000 a year from a £1.3m pension pot. Neither of their pensions is as large as Larry Fish, the US executive who ran the Citizens operations in the US, and received $2.2m a year as a result of his retirement aged 64 on May 1 2008. [Note - he retired before the "crash", although the Bush government officially declared that the "recession" began in December, 2007]. Buchan notes that the performance of RBS -which slumped to a £24bn loss in 2008 - has had an impact not just on shareholders and customers, but also on staff. "The board deeply regrets that our employees' trust had been eroded and their welfare affected during the last year," Buchan. [Oh yeah, I'm sure they really feel your pain]. The bank has rewritten its pay structure, at the instruction of the Treasury, so that no cash bonuses will be paid in 2008 and that all bonuses for 2008 are paid in subordinated debt and spread over three years starting in 2009. The bank will be able to claw back awards if the results turn out to different to what they appeared. By 2012, the group hopes to be "well on its way to standalone financial strength". The annual report shows that Goodwin was allowed to keep 2.5m share options - all of which are underwater and worthless unless the share price returns to £2.18 by the end of January 2010. While he has waived his entitlement to awards of shares under a medium term performance plan that were made in 2008, Goodwin still holds 454,612 shares awarded to him previously. These were worth £2.1m when he received them but are now valued at £81,000 at today's share price of around 18p. Guy Whittaker, the finance director, received almost £1.5m if shares awarded to him when he was hired from Citigroup three years ago, are included. Hester is on an initial 24-month contract that reduces to the standard 12-month after a year. The annual report shows that Mark Fisher, a former executive director who is leaving in March to take up a senior position at Lloyds Banking Group, received total pay of £1.3m - including £441,000 to relocate to the Netherlands following the takeover of Dutch bank ABN Amro that ultimately led to RBS needing the help of the taxpayer. *************************************************************************** Well, with articles like this, I do understand why some folks believe in conspiracy theories. For my part, I've not been a particular fan of conspiracy theories because they generally defy basic logic. But lately, I've been wondering whether the current American economic crash wasn't engineered by - name your picks - to solve two pressing government funding problems that hae been well publicized over the past several years, problems that the U.S. government has consistently failed to address: (1) the Social Security dilemma for the [formerly] soon-to-be retiring baby boomer generation - with the system supposedly "going bust" in 2017; and (2) the Medicare system going bankrupt about 2042. If you were a career politician in the employ of the U.S. government, making your living off of taxes, how would you solve these problems in such a way as to make yourself bullet-proof so that you would not be voted out of office in the next election by passing into law obviously unpopular remedies to solve funding issues (that is, alleged funding issues)? Imagine - by wiping out billions (trillions?) of dollars in wealth built up by average working Americans in 401(k) and pension plans, how much the government would save by not having to pay out all those benefits that all those baby-boomers had planned on collecting in Social Security and Medicare benefits by taking the retirement they were promised. It's now economic reality: millions of working-class baby-boomers who had thought about retiring or planned to retire sometime between ages 62 and 67 now find themselves with devasted 401(k) plans, depleted by 50 to 60% and, if they had pensions, wiped out values or companies threatening bankruptcy or already bankrupt. How many millions of people who had thought they could retire and adequately fund their retirement with 401(k) money and pensions are now facing WORKING FULL TIME UNTIL THEY DROP DEAD? This economic crisis also solves the much-publicized problem about the projected shortage of qualified and experienced workers and the brain-drain that would occur as all of the baby-boomers started retiring. With the ever-shrinking middle class no longer being able to afford to retire, the qualified worker/brain-drain problems are solved! And with built-in age discrimination that, historically, is extremely difficult to prove in court cases, the employers who survive this "recession" can now command the best and the most experienced workers for slave-wages and pick from thousands of out-of-work candidates, and employees who still retain jobs have that ax constantly hovering over their heads. China - why are you worried about the security of the U.S. debt you hold? All of the U.S. problems have been solved by this economic crisis. Meanwhile, the fat cats continue to just get fatter.

This Is NOT Good

Oh crap. From The Los Angeles Times Low-level ozone exposure found to be lethal over time An 18-year study shows an increased annual risk of death from respiratory illnesses, depending on the pollution level. It goes beyond studies that linked brief ozone spikes to short-term effects. By Thomas H. Maugh II March 12, 2009 Ozone pollution is a killer, increasing the yearly risk of death from respiratory diseases by 40% to 50% in heavily polluted cities like Los Angeles and Riverside and by about 25% throughout the rest of the country, researchers reported today. Environmental scientists already knew that increases in ozone during periods of heavy pollution caused short-term effects, such as asthma attacks, increased hospitalizations and deaths from heart attacks. But the 18-year study of nearly half a million people, reported today in the New England Journal of Medicine, is the first to show that long-term, low-level exposure to the pollutant can also be lethal. Current standards for ozone pollution cover only eight-hour averages of the colorless gas, but even with that relatively relaxed rule, 345 counties with a total population of more than 100 million people are out of compliance. The Environmental Protection Agency "has already said that it will revisit the current ozone standards in the country," said Dan Greenbaum, president of the Boston-based Health Effects Institute, one of the study's sponsors. "Undoubtedly, when it happens these results are going to be a very important part of that review," said Greenbaum, who was not involved in the study. The EPA may need to implement an annual standard, said University of Ottawa environmental health scientist Daniel Krewski, one of the paper's authors.Coauthor Michael Jerrett of UC Berkeley said the findings could have profound implications because they show that ozone worsens conditions that already kill a large number of people. Deaths from respiratory diseases, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, emphysema and pneumonia, account for about 8.5% of all U.S. deaths, an estimated 240,000 each year. Worldwide, such conditions account for 7.7 million deaths each year. Ozone is what is known as a secondary pollutant. It is not formed directly by the burning of fossil fuels. Rather, nitrogen oxides produced by such combustion react in the presence of sunlight to form ozone. It is thus the biggest problem in areas that are sunny and hot, Jerrett said. As an oxidizing agent, ozone reacts with virtually anything it comes into contact with. In particular, it reacts with cells in the lungs, causing inflammation and a variety of other effects that lead to premature aging. Jerrett and his colleagues studied 448,850 people over age 18 in 96 metropolitan regions who enrolled in the American Cancer Society Cancer Prevention Study II in 1982 and 1983. The subjects were tracked for an average of 18 years. During that follow-up period, there were 48,884 deaths, 9,891 of them from respiratory diseases. The researchers found that every increase of 10 parts per billion (ppb) in average ozone concentrations was associated with about a 4% increase in dying from respiratory causes.Riverside had the highest ozone average (104 ppb), and the risk of dying from respiratory causes was 50% greater than it would have been if there were no ozone. Los Angeles had the second-highest ozone level and a 43% increase in risk. In contrast, San Francisco had the lowest average ozone level (33 ppb) of the 96 regions studied and only a 14% increased risk, probably because of the fog and prevailing winds, which reduce ozone formation. The Pacific Northwest also had low levels of ozone, again because of rain and cool weather.Cities in the East like New York and Washington had an average increased risk of about 25% to 27%. The researchers found no increase in deaths from cardiovascular disease associated with ozone levels -- those deaths are caused primarily by the fine particulates present in air pollution. They also found no increase in overall mortality, suggesting that ozone is causing deaths in people who were probably going to die in another year or two anyway, according to epidemiologist Joel Schwartz of the Harvard School of Public Health, who was not involved in the study. "We do know that ozone is particularly dangerous for people living with existing asthma or lung disease," Jerrett said. And it didn't matter what someone's weight, income or education was. "It seems to affect a lot of people relatively equally."

2009 European Individual Women's Chess Championship

Some surprises in the 2009 European Individual Chess Championship (Open – 306 players) (after 8 rounds): GM Vladimir Akopian (2700) in 51st place with 5.0 GM Sergei Tiviakov (2685) in 53rd place with 5.0 GM Vallejo Pons Francisco (2702) in 70th place with 5,0 GM Nisipeanu Liviu-Dieter (2675) in 117th place with 4,5 GM Caruana Fabiano (2646) in 149th place with 4,0 Current tournament leader: GM Inarkiev Ernesto RUS 2656 6,5 How are the chess femmes doing in the Open? Here are their current standings after Round 8: 66 IM Dembo Yelena GRE 2456 5,0 211 WIM Vojinovic Jovana MNE 2331 3,5 252 WFM Berke Ana CRO 2081 3,0 256 WIM Drljevic Ljilja MNE 2244 3,0 258 Pantic Ivica SRB 2193 3,0 260 WIM Solic Kristina CRO 2203 3,0 266 Kruljac Petra CRO 2052 2,5 268 WIM Franciskovic Borka CRO 2261 2,5 271 Papp Petra HUN 2134 2,5 276 Simic Vladica SRB 2064 2,5 305 Kanceljak Dalia CRO 1917 0,5

2009 Isbanc Ataturk Women's Masters Tournament

Standings after Round 7: 1 GM HOU Yifan 2571 CHN 6½ 2 GM ZHAO Xue 2508 CHN 6 3 GM KONERU Humpy 2621 IND 5 4 IM DANIELIAN Elina 2496 ARM 4½ 5 GM STEFANOVA Antoaneta 2557 BUL 3½ 6 GM CHIBURDANIDZE Maia 2516 GEO 3½ 7 IM FIERRO Baquero Martha L. 2403 ECU 3½ GM SEBAG Marie 2529 FRA 3½ 9 WGM SHEN Yang 2448 CHN 2 10 GM CRAMLING Pia 2548 SWE 2 11 WGM MAMEDJAROVA Zeinab 2362 AZE 1½ 12 WIM YILDIZ Betul Cemre 2214 TUR ½ Hou (W) defeated Koneru (B) today to take sole possession of the lead, with 4 rounds to go. It appears Hou is going for a repeat of her Isbanc title.

Clever One Word Puns

Normally I don't even read email forwarded to me by others, but what follows here was forwarded from someone I know generally doesn't do that sort of thing, so I took the time to read what she forwarded. It's great stuff. Is there such a thing as the Washington Post Mensa Invitational? I've no idea - but these one word puns are very clever and had me chuckling at my desk this morning. Here are the winners of this year's Washington Post's Mensa Invitational, which once again asked readers to take any word from the dictionary, alter it by adding, subtracting, or changing one letter, and supply a new definition: 1. Cashtration (n.): The act of buying a house, which renders the subject financially impotent for an indefinite period of time. 2. Ignoranus: A person who is both stupid and an asshole. 3. Intaxication: Euphoria at getting a tax refund, which lasts until you realize it was your money to start with 4. Reintarnation: Coming back to life as a hillbilly. 5. Bozone (n.): The substance surrounding stupid people that stops bright ideas from penetrating. The bozone layer, unfortunately, shows little sign of breaking down in the near future. 6. Foreploy: Any misrepresentation about yourself for the purpose of getting laid. 7.Giraffiti: Vandalism spray-painted very, very high. 8.Sarchasm: The gulf between the author of sarcastic wit and the person who doesn't get it. 9. Inoculatte: To take coffee intravenously when you are running late. 10. Osteopornosis: A degenerate disease. (This one got extra credit.) 11. Karmageddon: It's like, when everybody is sending off all these really bad vibes, right? And then, like, the Earth explodes and it's, like, a serious bummer. 12. Decafalon (n.): The grueling event of getting through the day consuming only things that are good for you. 13. Glibido: All talk and no action. 14. Dopeler Effect: The tendency of stupid ideas to seem smarter when they come at you rapidly. 15. Arachnoleptic Fit (n.): The frantic dance performed just after you've accidentally walked through a spider web. 16. Beelzebug (n.): Satan in the form of a mosquito, that gets into your bedroom at three in the morning and cannot be cast out. 17. Caterpallor (n.): The color you turn after finding half a worm in the fruit you're eating.

2009 Isbanc Ataturk Women's Masters Tournament

Standings after Round 6: 1 GM HOU Yifan 2571 CHN 5½ 2 GM KONERU Humpy 2621 IND 5 3 GM ZHAO Xue 2508 CHN 5 4 IM DANIELIAN Elina 2496 ARM 4 5 IM FIERRO Baquero Martha L. 2403 ECU 3½ 6 GM STEFANOVA Antoaneta 2557 BUL 3 7 GM CHIBURDANIDZE Maia 2516 GEO 2½ 8 GM SEBAG Marie 2529 FRA 2½ 9 WGM MAMEDJAROVA Zeinab 2362 AZE 1½ 10 WGM SHEN Yang 2448 CHN 1½ 11 GM CRAMLING Pia 2548 SWE 1½ 12 WIM YILDIZ Betul Cemre 2214 TUR ½ I'm in shock - seeing Cramling, Stefanova and Chiburdanidze down in the standings, wow! Are we witnessing here a passing of the guard among women chessplayers, so to speak, just as we are seeing a passing of the guard to the young guns (Carlsen, So, Caruana, etc.) among the men? Stay tuned. where is Victoria Cymilyte these days???

Gag Order Issued for Iranian Archaeologists

Report from CAIS: CAIS NEWS © Latest Archaeological and Cultural News of Iran and the Iranian World Iranian Archaeologists are Banned from Interviewing 13 March 2009 LONDON, (CAIS) -- In an unprecedented move by the Iran’s Cultural Heritage, Handicraft and Tourism Organisation (ICHHTO), all the active Iranian archaeologists are banned to partake in any interview or reveal any information about the organisation or the status of Iranian archaeology. Since 1979 Iranian archaeologists not only have carried out their duties as the ‘explorer’ to shed light on Iran’s past through their scientific works, but also voluntarily they have taken the task of protecting Iranian heritage from destruction. As the result of their endeavours today, most of Iranian newspapers, have an archaeological or heritage section dealing with the latest archaeological discoveries in Iran – and by doing so, they succeeded to bring the heritage matters to Iranian homes. “The heritage matters have been taken seriously by the Iranian media for past few years, and Iranian archaeologists have become the bridge between the ICHHTO and the media – they as the educators have illuminated the significances of “heritage” and “archaeology” in today’s Iran”, according to a report by the Persian service of CHN. The imposed interview ban has raised the suspicions and swayed the public’s mind that the authorities in charge of the organisation and subsequently the government want to censor and filter the news to cover up their incompetency in doing their jobs. Despite this the ICHHTO’s claim that the news would still be available to the public and media via their public relations office. The banning of the archaeologists who are considered to be the heralds of the Iranian archaeological news is in contradiction with the Islamic Republic’s constitution and the move is considered to be illegal. Nonetheless, this is not the first time that the Islamic Republic’s ignores its’ own constitution. By implementing such a ban the regime tries to close the only avenue of obtaining the accurate news about the status of Iranian archaeology. ICHHTO’ Incompetency & the Censorship ICHHTO have unsuccessfully tried to silence archaeologists in past, by channelling the news through the public relation office. However, since last year they stepped up their offensive behaviour towards archaeologists who choose to put themselves on the line of fire to protect their nation’s heritage and since then any experts who have criticised or exposed the ICHHTO misconduct have either received warnings or faced harsh reprimands and dismissals. “Giving an expert view [of the heritage matters] is an absolute right of the archaeologists. Also issuing statements regarding a particular organisation’s internal affairs is the responsibility of their public relation offices, since the individuals including the experts are not fully aware of the protocols – therefore organisations nominate a speaker to execute the task”, said Mohammad-Mehdi Forqāni, lecturer of Media Science at Tabatabai University. “As the experts cannot fulfil the speakers’ job – the speakers and public relation offices are also incapable of commenting about the culture and heritage matters, as it is the experts’ field”, said Forqāni. He added “the banning law not only is revoking the archaeologists’ rights in expressing their expertise views, but also it is the abuse of the freedom of speech.” He concluded “the media generally prefer to obtain the news directly from their sources, by interviewing the experts rather than via a [filtered] liaison office.” ICHHTO executives in defending the banning decision have issued a number of contradictory statements, starting by: “experts are not aware of the cultural matters, and therefore they are providing wrong information.” This is while the majority of organisation’s executives are non-educated elements, who occupied the posts just because of their legions to the regime, connections or being the relations of the ruling clerics. Following the above organisation has changed the statement and alleged: “since there is no difference between the experts and non-experts working for ICHHTO, the ban makes sure the prevention of any contradictory news.” And the statement changed again to: “some news dealing with the Iranian heritage [in trouble] is being politicised and since the experts are not aware of the situation, they influence the process of resolving the problems, therefore the news should not reach the media directly.” And in the final disdainful statement ICHHTO stated: “this ban is to ensure the job security of the archaeologists!” The implementation of such censorships and news filtering demonstrates that people in charge of the organisation consider archaeologists as whistleblowers who expose ICHHTO’s incompetency in safeguarding the Iranian heritage. ICHHTO which is responsible for protection of the Iranian heritage have failed in its’ responsibilities, and even have caused damages beyond salvation to Iranian heritage, in particular pre-Islamic sites. One of the most devastating examples was issuing a permit to a construction company to build a hotel over a Partho-Sasanian (248 BCE – 651 CE) cemetery, which resulted in destruction 10,000 sq.m of the ancient site. The permit was issued by the head of ICHHTO provincial office, and endorsed by Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei the director of ICHHTO and the vice-president of current government in power. As the result of pressure from public ICHHTO forced to terminate the construction permit and in a public deceiving interview in July 2008, Rahim Mashaei who himself was one of the collaborators in destruction of the heritage site, tried to distant himself from the case by promising an inquiry, and claimed the wrongdoers will be prosecuted. The case was closed and no one brought to justice – including Rahim Mashaei. Hamid-Rezā Hosseini a veteran Iranian journalist regarding the ban said: “this move in essence is pointless, sine we have well over ten thousand archaeological and historical sites throughout the country, which most are in a devastating and critical status. A significant number of these sites for past three years have suffered immensely and are on the verge of complete destructions, however, by a visiting those sites and simple observation we independently can inform the public about their statues and therefore we don’t require archaeologists to tell us anything.” He added “this ban is demonstrates that there is a rift between the organisation’s management and their experts. ICHHTO’ management is well aware that the archaeologists do not follow most of the organisation’s [irrelevant and bureaucratic] protocols – and in a way the management want to cover up this partition.” “ICHHTO management are imagining that their public relation office is capable to dealing with the cultural news bulletins. They want impose and decide for us what news is to be published and who we can talk to”, said Maryam Khorsand, journalist and the chief editor of Persian daily E’temād. According to her, there is possible connection between the upcoming presidential election in Iran and ICHHTO’s banning of interviews. Today Iranians journalists in cooperation with archaeologists have reached a level of independency and sophistication that the ICHHTO is incapable of controlling and filtering the news – such action is further damages to public’s trust in ICHHTO. “Journalists will continue their relationships with the archaeologists – and archaeologists will continue informing us [in clandestine]”, said Monā Qāsemiyān, a cultural journalist with Persian daily E’temād. Original News bulletin published in Persian by CHN , and translated and modified by CAIS [*] Copyright © 1998-2008 The Circle of Ancient Iranian Studies (CAIS)

More on the Discovery of the Gold Jewelry from Egyptian Tomb

A name! We have a name of the owner of the tomb! From Bloomberg.com Ancient Egyptian Gold Found in Luxor by Spanish Archaeologists March 10 (Bloomberg) -- Spanish archaeologists digging on the west bank of Luxor, Egypt, have discovered jewelry in a tomb of a state treasurer who lived some 3,500 years ago under the reign of Queen Hatshepsut. The team found five gold earrings and two gold rings that probably belonged to Djehuty -- the so-called overseer of treasury, who supervised works under Hatshepsut -- or his family in a newly discovered burial chamber in his tomb, the Egyptian Culture Ministry said in an e-mailed statement today. The chamber, the second in the tomb, is the fourth dating to this period that has been found with painted walls, the statement said. Two of its walls are decorated with texts from the Egyptian Book of the Dead and the ceiling bears a mural of the goddess Nut (image, above). Jose Galan of Madrid’s National Research Center and his team have been excavating at the site in Dra Abu El-Naga on the west bank of Luxor since 2002 and discovered a 3-meter shaft inside Djehuty’s tomb at the end of the 2008 archaeological season. The new burial chamber was then discovered earlier this year, the statement said. While the names of Djehuty, his father and mother, were erased from the first upper burial chamber found, their names are intact in the recently discovered lower burial chamber, it said. Hatshepsut, one of the few women to rule Egypt, was pharaoh from 1479 B.C. to 1458 B.C. To contact the reporter on this story: Mahmoud Kassem in Cairo at mkassem1@bloomberg.net Last Updated: March 10, 2009 10:19 EDT

2009 Mediterranean Flowers WGM Tournament

Thank you to Goran at Chessdom.com for sending me the link! Here you can find the record for this all women and only women tournament since its inception in 2001. This year's tournament is taking place March 7 - 15, 2009 - conflicting with the dates of the 2009 European Individual Chess Championships (Open and Women's), the Isbanc (or Isbank) Ataturk Women Masters Tournament which is the ignaugural event in the newly-launched Women's Grand Prix series, and the 41st International Women Chess Tournament (March 3 - 11, 2009). Here is the line-up: 1 wGM Pokorna Regina 2384 SVK 2 wGM Milliet Sophie 2364 FRA (photo, above, from the 2008 French Championships) 3 wIM Nikolova Adriana 2310 BUL 4 wGM Medic Mirjana 2303 CRO 5 wGM Ionica Iulia-Ionela 2279 ROU 6 wIM Jelica Mara 2222 CRO 7 wFM Videnova Iva 2193 BUL 8 Purgar Ivona 2088 CRO 9 Vujnovic Patricija 1832 CRO 10 Jacimovic Sara 1791 BIH Here are the current standings, after Round 8: 1 WGM Pokorna Regina SVK 2384 6,5 2 WIM Nikolova Adriana BUL 2310 6,0 3 WGM Medic Mirjana CRO 2303 6,0 4 WGM Milliet Sophie FRA 2364 5,5 5 WIM Jelica Mara CRO 2222 5,0 6 WGM Ionica Iulia-Ionela ROU 2279 4,0 7 WFM Videnova Iva BUL 2193 3,0 8 Purgar Ivona CRO 2088 1,5 9 Jacimovic Sara BIH 1791 1,5 10 Vujnovic Patricija CRO 1831 1,0

Malaysian Ruins that Predate Angkor Wat by 1,000 Years?

Story from Australia Network News: Ancient pre-Angkor kingdom unearthed in Malaysia Last Updated: Thu, 5 Mar 2009 23:20:00 +1100 Malaysian archaeologists say they have found the site of an an ancient kingdom in northern Kedah state, which predates Cambodia's Angkor temples and may be one of the oldest civilisations in Asia. Lead researcher Professor Mokhtar Saidin says the discovery could lead to the rewriting of history books on the region. He says buildings found in two palm oil plantations in northern Kedah last month appear to have been part of the ancient Hindu kingdom of Bujang, which existed in the area around 300AD, long before Cambodia's Angkor civilisation which flourished from the 12th to 14th centuries. Rest of story. This satellite imagery, dating from 1994 (!!!) suggests an unexplored and much larger complex to the north of Angkor QR. Just how old - and how large - are we talking about here? No one knows...

A Challenge to the N.Y. States Filipino Chess Community

This is an intriguing idea: Story from asianjournal.com Ayala FD USA challenges Filipino community to Chess Challenge Thursday, 12 March 2009 12:42 PCG-NY The Ayala Foundation USA New York Tri-State Team, the Philippine Consulate General of New York and volunteer Nonoy Rafael have challenged the Filipino community in the area to a Chess Challenge on Saturday, March 28, at the Philippine Center on Fifth Avenue in New York City. 2008 NY State Chess Champion, Nonoy has dared the Filipino community to play against him to promote and benefit the GILAS Project. He will play up to 20 players at the same time. GILAS is private/public partnership led by Ayala Foundation, aimed at wiring all Philippine public high schools to the Internet. The goal is to build PC labs in all 6,300 public high schools in the Philippines. Over 2,100 schools have been connected, serving over 1,000,000 students meet the challenge of the 21st century. In addition to the 2008 title, Nonoy was 2007 NYC Inter-Bank League Team MVP, World Open Champion, NY Open Champion, five-time De La Salle University Champion, NCAA Board 1 Gold Medalist, Philippine Junior Finalist. He is Chief Tournament Director of the NY Fil-Am Chess Club for the past 20 years. He has more than 30 years of competitive chess experience. He is currently a Program manager for an aerospace company. Nonoy is a graduate of De La Salle University in the Philippines and Columbia University in New York. He is also the NY Chapter Vice President of the Filipino American Association of Engineers and was Vice President of the De La Salle Alumni Association – East Coast. “There's almost a two-decade of hiatus in my competitive chess career primarily due to change in priorities in my life, family and career. However, I never really left the game,” Nonoy said, “Indeed, I was actually still playing chess during my spare time on-line which is very convenient nowadays and saves a lot of my busy time. Also, I was a team captain and tournament directors of various Fil-Am chess activities in the area.” Chess players, family, friends, students and colleagues are invited to play Nonoy! He may even give you pointers on your game! There's prizes to those who beat Nonoy. Registration fee to play is $25 per person. FREE Admission to attend the event and cheer on your favorite player (the challenger or Nonoy). Brunch/Merienda will be served. Pass the word along. We also welcome sponsors to back challengers to play Nonoy. For more info to play, visit: http://webdmdrleo.googlepages.com

All India Chess Federation Selectively Enforces Stupid Rule

Can you say SUCKS SUCKS SUCKS three times quickly? Do other national chess federations have this rule in place - that is - its top rated players MUST play in the national championship? I can tell you right now, the USA does not have such a rule! Neither does England, and I'm sure Russia does not! Various reports from around the internet: GM Susan Polgar's blog reported on this on December 17, 2008 Chessdom.com The Hindu DNAIndia: Players' Body Backs Barred Gopal Now the All India Chess Federation decides to change the rule for all players rated below 2650. Is it REALLY going to tell GMKoneru Humpy, the second highest rated female player in the WORLD, that she MUST now play in the National Championship??? But what about GM Vishy Anand, the current WORLD CHESS CHAMPION? Hey - what's sause for the goose is sauce for the gander, why should Anand not be compelled to play in the National Championship too? In a democracy, both sexes are treated equally - or should be. Will the AICF step up to the plate now and lead the way to a new era of equality???

41st International Women Chess Tournament

Full report at Chessdom.com Thank you, Chessdom, for reporting this event. 41st International Women Chess Tournament 3-11th March in Belgrade, Serbia The 41st International Women Chess Tournament took place on 3-11th March in Belgrade. One of the longest running chess tournaments in the world, established back in 1963, is celebrating 8th March - International Women's Day. Following the last decade's decline in sponsorship, the event is slowly losing on significance, and the calendar is already seized by the Ataturk Tournament, now even raised to Grand Prix level by FIDE. In addition, the ECU has scheduled European Women Chess Championship in the same time frame. [Way to go, FIDE - IRONY INTENDED] Thus, even Serbian Champion WGM Andjelija Stojanovic decided to play in St. Petersburg [at the European Women's Chess Championship], in the tournament which is a qualifier in the world championship cycle. Final standings: 1-2. WGM Benderac Ana 2304 SRB and WGM Chelushkina Irina 2359 SRB - 6.0 3-5. WGM Maksimovic Suzana 2284 SRB, IM Petrenko Svetlana 2251 MDA and Rakic Marija 2284 SRB - 5.5 6. WGM Cosma Elena-Luminita 2343 ROU - 4.5 7. WGM Voiska Margarita 2339 BUL - 4.0 8. WGM Meenakshi Subbaraman 2327 IND - 3.5 9. Djukic Sandra 2196 SRB - 2.5 10. WFM Eric Jovana 2126 SRB - 2.0

Gold Jewelry Discovered in 3,500 Year Old Egyptian Tomb

Ohmygoddess - almost unbelievable, given the extent of ancient looting that we know took place as the fear of the priests' and priestesses' curses receded in the Egyptian population. Of course, there is Tut's spectacular tomb - discovered more than 80 years ago now. This discovery doesn't approach the splendor and awe of Tut's tomb, but it's awesome in its own right! Dating to the reign of Hatshepsut! Archaeologists Find Ancient Jewelry in Egyptian Tomb By VOA News 10 March 2009 Egypt says archaeologists have found ancient golden jewelry in the tomb of a senior official who died about about 3,500 years ago. Culture and antiquities officials say an excavation team found five golden earrings and two rings in the tomb of the state treasurer who served during the reign of Queen Hatshepsut. The walls of his burial chamber are decorated with texts from the Egyptian Book of the Dead. Archaeologists made the discovery while digging in Luxor, along the banks of the Nile River. Luxor is one of Egypt's most popular tourist sites. It is famous for the Valley of the Kings, which contains several pharaohs' tombs. Earlier this month, Egyptian officials announced that Egyptian and European archaeologists in Luxor had discovered two statues of an ancient pharaoh. Egypt's archaeology chief Zahi Hawass said those statues were of King Amenhotep III, who also ruled about 3,500 years ago. Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters. Why was the name of this treasurer not published???

2009 Isbanc Ataturk Women's Masters Tournament

High drama! Can you tell the Indian press is upset with Humpy's current standing at the Ataturk? Koneru Humpy draws second chess tournament March 11, 2009 Top seed women grandmaster Koneru Humpy of India again settled for her second draw against Shen Yang of China and on the trot to slip to the joint third place in the IS Bank Ataturk Women Grand Prix chess tournament. Now Humpy and Zhao Xue of China share the third place with three points apiece. Humpy will now have to work harder in the remaining seven rounds of this 12-players round robin tournament which is a part of the next world championship cycle.

World's Oldest Religion is Dying Out

Again to the Persian Plateau... From Time On Line.com Postcard from Yazd The Last of the Zoroastrians By Deena Guzder Tuesday, Dec. 09, 2008 Far removed from Tehran's bustling tin-roofed teashops and Isfahan's verdant pomegranate gardens, the deserts known as Dasht-e Kavir and Dasht-e Lut meet at the city of Yazd, once the heart of the Persian Empire. Walking across the wind-whipped plains of the forgotten city, a young Iranian woman dressed in colorful floral garbs points out a sand-dusted tower hovering in the distance like a dormant volcano under a relentless sun. "This is where we put tens of thousands of corpses over the years," she explains with a congenial smile. The funerary tower is part of the ancient burial practice of Zoroastrianism, the world's oldest monotheistic religion. Zoroastrians (known in India as Parsis) regard sky burials, in which the bodies are exposed to natural elements including vultures in open-topped "Towers of Silence," as an ecologically friendly alternative to cremation, consistent with their religion's reverence for the earth. A Zoroastrian priest clad in a long, cotton robe explains: "Death is considered to be the work of Angra Mainyu, the embodiment of all that is evil, whereas the earth and all that is beautiful is considered to be the pure work of God. We must not pollute the earth with our remains." The priest believes that open burials are a fulfillment of the central tenet of his religion, which is to practice good deeds. With a forlorn expression, he notes that, 3,000 years after the tradition of open burials began, there are not enough Zoroastrians left alive to keep the tower in Yazd open. Instead, today's Zoroastrians who want to observe traditional burial practices must request in their will that their body is sent to a forested suburb in Mumbai, India, where the last Tower of Silence still operates. In the alabaster prayer room of the Zoroastrian temple in the center of Yazd, a handful of adherents sway to the cadence of ancient Persian prayers recited as a priest feeds sticks of sandalwood and sprinkles of frankincense into a blazing urn. Zoroastrians wear hand-woven wool cords as external symbols of their faith, and almost always pray in front of a fire, which represents purity and sustainability. In Yazd, the holy flame has burned for 1,500 years without ever being extinguished. While Zoroastrianism was once the dominant religion in a swathe of territory spanning from Rome and Greece to India and Russia, the number of adherents has dwindled exponentially over the centuries. Although Yazd is the birthplace of the religion, only 200 of its 433,836 people still practice Zoroastrianism because migration, forced conversions, and centuries of oppression have diminished the population. Worldwide, there are 190,000 Zoroastrians at most, and perhaps as few as 124,000 by some estimates. Although Zoroastrians are few in number, their faith has influenced Judaism, Christianity and Islam with its teachings of a single deity, a dualistic universe of good versus evil, and a final day of reckoning. The religion professes that humankind is designed to evolve toward perfection, but is complicated by evil forces such as greed, lust and hatred, explains Mehraban Firouzgary, the head priest of the Zoroastrian temple in Tehran. According to Zoroastrians, these evil forces must be challenged proactively by developing a "good mind" that embraces a life of good thoughts, good words and good deeds. Despite their shrinking population, Zoroastrians remain fiercely divided over whether to recognize interfaith families, let alone accept non-generational Zoroastrians. Tens of thousands fled Persia during the Islamic incursions in the 10th Century and were granted refuge in India under the condition they did not marry outside their faith or proselytize to the Hindu majority. Ramiyar P. Karanjia, principal of a Zoroastrian religious school in Mumbai, India, insists, "Conversion is not part of our religion." Yet, in India, home to the majority of Zoroastrians, the community is declining by about 10% every decennial census, according to a report released by UNESCO. Today, Zoroastrians remain a tight-knit and self-secluded community that strongly encourages marriage within the faith. According to Parva Namiranian, a Zoroastrian medical student at Tehran University, the community in Iran preserves its identity by learning the Persian poetry of the Shah Nameh and holding religious classes and celebrations. She says Zoroastrians are accepted in Iran because they "represent a proud history" and all Iranians, regardless of religion, enjoy celebrating the Zoroastrian New Year, Nowruz, because it's an excuse to buy clothes and eat sweets. Mehraban Firouzgary, the head priest in the Zoroastrian temple in Tehran, agrees that most Iranians regard the Zoroastrian minority favorably, but he worries about the community's survival. "Zoroastrians have lived in Iran for over 3,000 years," he says, "but there are so few left today."

The Rubaiyat in Medieval Jerusalem!

The pottery and ceramics created by the peoples of the Persian Plateau throughout the ages have always been striking. This beautiful fragment demonstartes yet again their mastery of a craft honed over thousands of years. From Art Daily March 11, 2009 Jug Inscribed with a Persian Love Poem Discovered in Excavations of the Israel Antiquities Authority JERUSALEM.- A fragment of a pottery vessel of Persian provenance that dates to the Middle Ages (12th-13th centuries CE) was discovered in an archaeological excavation directed by Dr. Rina Avner, on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority, in the Old City of Jerusalem, prior to construction by a private contractor. The fragment is treated with a turquoise glaze and is adorned with floral patterns and a black inscription. While studying the artifact prior to publication, Rivka Cohen-Amin of the Israel Antiquities Authority discerned that the inscription on the neck of the vessel is written in Persian. The inscription consists of a line that was taken from a quatrain. The inscription, which was translated by Dr. Julia Rabanovich of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, reads: “Was once the embrace of a lover that entreat”. The inscription will be published by Dr. Nitsan Amitai-Preiss of the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, within the framework of the final excavation report. According to Rivka Cohen-Amin the words are from the Rubaiyat, by the poet Omar Khayyam. Omar Khayyam was an astronomer, mathematician and one of the most famous Persian poets of the Middle Ages (11th-12th centuries CE). The following is the complete translation of the poem: Rubaiyat, by Omar Khayyam این کوزه چو من عاشق زاری بوده است This clay pot like a lover once in heat در بند سر زلف نگاری بوده‌ست A lock of hair his senses did defeat ایندسته که بر گردن او می‌بینی The handle that has made the bottleneck its own seat دستی‌ست که برگردن یاری بوده‌ست Was once the embrace of a lover that entreat The phenomenon of a Persian pottery vessel inscribed with a poem is known elsewhere in the world; however, this is the first occurrence of such a vessel in Israel. The question of how the vessel came to be in Jerusalem is a mystery – was it brought here by merchants or could it possibly have been a gift someone presented to his Jerusalemite lover?