This page features brief excerpts of stories published by the mainstream
media and, less frequently, blogs, alternative media, and even obviously
biased sources. The excerpts are taken directly from the websites cited in
each source note. Quotation marks are not used.
Source: Telegraph (UK)
February 19, 2010
A South African flag which flew at Nelson Mandela's presidential inauguration is returning home after it was saved from being auctioned by a ''patriotic'' businessman.
The flag, signed by Mr Mandela and fellow South African presidents Thabo Mbeki and FW de Klerk, was flown at the landmark presidential inauguration in May 1994.
Bonhams, the auction house, had been due to auction it later this month. But the auction said on Thursday that it ha
Source: Telegraph (UK)
February 20, 2010
The Prince of Wales inspected treasures from the country's largest hoard of Anglo-Saxon gold, becoming the first royal to handle the artefacts for more than 1,300 years.
The Prince was given the chance to examine three items from the Staffordshire Hoard, including a crumpled cross and a sword handle, during a visit to the Potteries Museum and Art Gallery in Stoke-on-Trent.
Accompanied by the Duchess of Cornwall, the Prince also chatted with the farmer on whose land th
Source: Discovery News
February 18, 2010
Dr. Zahi Hawass, the head of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities, unveiled new evidence for King Tut's lineage and cause of death at a packed press conference on Wednesday.
Hawass added that new light was shed on the cause of death for Tutankhamun with the discovery of DNA from the parasite that causes malaria; it is likely that the boy king died from complications resulting from a severe form of this disease.
However, some outside mummy experts contacted by Discove
Source: Discovery News
February 17, 2010
When dinosaurs became extinct, some birds got fat and lost their ability to fly, concludes a new study that helps to explain the existence of modern hefty birds, like ostriches, rheas, kiwis, emus, and cassowaries.
The very basic process is that when an animal, or multiple species, die out, others can come in to fill the previously occupied ecological niche. (It makes me wonder what animal(s) would fill the ecosystem void left by humans, should we become extinct.)
Matth
Source: Discovery News
February 17, 2010
Some animals identified as being dinosaurs may have evolved from birds, according to a recent paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Keep in mind that animals can evolve similar traits independently. The accepted transition from dinosaur to bird, or in this proposed case—bird to dinosaur—didn't necessary follow a simple path from large beast to tiny, feathered flier. For example, some dinosaurs are thought to have had feathers and beaks, traits we no
Source: BBC
February 19, 2010
The three most devastating nights in Swansea's history have been retold in a DVD, which tells the story of the World War II blitz in the city - 69 years ago.
Up to 270 residents lost their lives between 19-21 February 1941, with hundreds more being injured or made homeless.
A collaboration between Swansea Museum and Create Solutions, a local project which works to turn around the career prospects of people dealing with mental health issues, has produced a documentary.
Source: BBC
February 19, 2010
Opposition parties have stepped up calls for the medical evidence behind the release of the Lockerbie bomber to be published in full.
The calls come six months after Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill freed terminally ill Abdelbaset al-Megrahi on compassionate grounds.
Labour and the Tories have again hit out at the decision to return Megrahi to Libya, calling it a grave error.
Source: BBC
February 19, 2010
A woman thought to be the last living World War I veteran in the UK is celebrating her 109th birthday.
A senior RAF officer visited retired waitress Florence Green at her home in King's Lynn, Norfolk, to present her with a cake and handwritten card.
Mrs Green joined the Women's RAF (WRAF) in September 1918 - two months before the Great War ended and six months after the RAF and WRAF were formed.
She served as a mess steward at Norfolk RAF bases in Marham
Source: Telegraph (UK)
February 19, 2010
The Queen has met prominent Australians to celebrate 100 years of diplomatic relations with the nation.
One hundred years ago Sir George Reid, a former prime minister, was appointed as Australia's first high commissioner to the UK - the nation's inaugural overseas post to represent their interests.
Today the role is filled by John Dauth, who served the Queen as an assistant press secretary for three years until 1980.
A new exhibition and complementary bo
Source: BBC
February 18, 2010
A series of drawings which Michelangelo made for a younger man he is thought to have fallen in love with, have gone on display at London's Courtauld Gallery.
The exhibition is built around his masterpiece The Dream (Il Sogno), bequeathed to the gallery in 1978.
It depicts a naked young man, thought to represent Tommasso de Cavalieri, being roused from sleep by a spirit.
The Michelangelo Dream exhibition, which also features handwritten sonnets to Cavalier
Source: BBC
February 19, 2010
The true site of one of the most decisive battles in English history has been revealed.
Bosworth, fought in 1485, which saw the death of Richard III, was believed to have taken place on Ambion Hill, near Sutton Cheney in Leicestershire.
But a study of original documents and archaeological survey of the area has now pinpointed a site in fields more than a mile to the south west.
A new trail will lead from the current visitor centre to the new location.
Source: BBC
February 19, 2010
A film about 19th Century French author Alexandre Dumas has sparked a row after a white actor was chosen to portray the novelist, who was of African origin.
The celebrated but fair-skinned screen star, Gerard Depardieu, had to darken his skin and wear a curly wig to play the part in L'Autre Dumas.
Critics argue the French movie industry has deliberately undermined the 19th Century novelist's ethnicity.
They say a mixed race actor should have been chosen t
Source: Telegraph (UK)
February 19, 2010
Pope Benedict XVI has approved Mary MacKillop as Australia's first saint.
The rebellious nun who was revered for her work with children is to become Australia's first Roman Catholic saint on October 17, the Pope said on Friday.
In December, Benedict recognised a miracle in which MacKillop apparently cured a woman of cancer, paving the way for the canonisation of a nun who is already a national icon in Australia.
MacKillop, who died in 1909, passed the firs
Source: Telegraph (UK)
February 19, 2010
Soviet-style plans to decorate Moscow with outdoor portraits of brutal dictator Josef Stalin have sparked fury among critics who say it is wrong to glorify a man responsible for the death of millions.
Up to ten prominent "information stands" featuring Stalin's portrait and information about his wartime role will spring up across the Russian capital ahead of May 9, he added. That is the date when Russia celebrates the Soviet Union's defeat of Nazi Germany and this year, th
Source: Telegraph (UK)
February 19, 2010
A remarkable archive of letters has thrown new light on the despair of British commanders during the American War of Independence.
Their downbeat perspective contrasts dramatically with the exhortations of George III and his ministers in London who come across as hopelessly out-of-touch and absurdly optimistic.
The documents, part of a collection that have been in private possession for more than two centuries, reveal a much gloomier analysis by British generals than
Source: CNN
February 19, 2010
The FBI announced that it has concluded its investigation into the 2001 anthrax mailings, saying Friday that a biodefense researcher carried out the attacks alone.
The anthrax letters killed five people and sickened 17 shortly after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The letters, filled with bacterial spores, were sent to Senate Democratic leaders and news organizations.
The investigation into the anthrax mailings, code-named "Amerithrax," was one of t
Source: CNN
February 19, 2010
Bush administration lawyers who wrote "torture" memos have been cleared of allegations of professional misconduct after a Justice Department internal investigation, which recommends no legal consequences for their actions.
The report by the Justice Department concludes the high-ranking lawyers who developed controversial legal guidance on waterboarding and other enhanced interrogation techniques may have exercised poor judgment, but not professional misconduct.
Source: WaPo
February 19, 2010
The memorial to Gen. Grant and his dashing soldiers would preside, burnished and restored, over a transformed Union Square at the West Front of the U.S. Capitol.
The dilapidated Sylvan Theater, the 1970s-vintage outdoor venue south of the Washington Monument, would be replaced with a multipurpose performance space that would serve food and souvenirs.
The under-used Constitution Gardens would be upgraded -- its lake reconstructed, its landscape rehabilitated.
Source: AP
February 18, 2010
The Washington Monument and other memorials in the nation's capital probably won't get labels for confused visitors after all.
The National Park Service is backing away from a plan to add small stone labels to the major memorials on the National Mall after a federal arts panel rejected the idea....
Source: AP
February 17, 2010
The Shroud sells.
That seems to be the early take on how major celebrations are shaping up in the Olympic city of Turin when the archdiocese this spring displays the Shroud of Turin, revered by many Christians as Jesus Christ's burial cloth but described by some as a medieval forgery.
At least 1 million reservations from around the world have already poured in to secure three to five minutes to admire the cloth that has fascinated pilgrims and scientists alike, organize
