A Story Of Life

Thursday, November 13, 2008

--Ancient 4,300-year-old pyramid discovered in Egypt--

CAIRO, Nov 11, 2008 (AFP) - - A 4,300-year-old pyramid has been discovered at the Saqqara necropolis outside Cairo, Egypt's culture minister said on Tuesday.

Faruq Hosni made the announcement at a press conference in Saqqara, an ancient burial ground which dates back to 2,700 BC and is dominated by the massive bulk of King Zoser's step pyramid, the first ever built.

Husni said the pyramid, five metres (16 foot) tall, is believed to have been 15 metres tall when it was first built for Queen Sesheshet, the mother of King Teti who founded the 6th Dynasty of Egypt's Old Kingdom.

The pyramid's base was discovered "20 metres below the sands and a doorway for the burial place was also discovered," Hosni said, adding that it seems thieves had looted the pyramid.

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~http://sg.news.yahoo.com/afp/20081111/tts-egypt-archaeology-saqqara-c1b2fc3.html

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

--WORLD WAR 1 - Remembrance 90-(1918-2008)--

World War I, military conflict, from August 1914 to November 1918, that involved many of the countries of Europe as well as the United States and other nations throughout the world. World War I was one of the most violent and destructive wars in European history. Of the 65 million men who were mobilized, more than 10 million were killed and more than 20 million wounded. The term World War I did not come into general use until a second worldwide conflict broke out in 1939 (see World War II). Before that year, the war was known as the Great War or the World War.

World War I was the first total war. Once the war began, the countries involved mobilized their entire populations and economic resources to achieve victory on the battlefield. The term home front, which was widely employed for the first time during World War I, perfectly symbolized this new concept of a war in which the civilian population behind the lines was directly and critically involved in the war effort.

The war began as a clash between two coalitions of European countries. The first coalition, known as the Allied Powers, included the United Kingdom, France, Belgium, Serbia, Montenegro, and the Russian Empire (see Russia). The Central Powers, which opposed them, consisted of the empires of Germany and Austria-Hungary. Japan joined the Allied Powers in 1914. The Ottoman Empire joined the Central Powers in 1914, as did Bulgaria in 1915. The same year, Italy entered the war on the Allied side. Although the United States initially remained neutral, it joined the Allies in 1917. The conflict eventually involved 32 countries, 28 of which supported the Allies. Some of these nations, however, did not participate in the actual fighting.

The immediate cause of the war was the assassination of Archduke Francis Ferdinand, the heir to the throne of Austria-Hungary, by a Serbian nationalist. The fundamental causes of the conflict, however, were rooted deeply in the European history of the previous century, particularly in the political and economic policies that prevailed in Europe after 1871, the year that Germany emerged as a major European power.

~http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761569981/World_War_I.html

~http://americanhistory.about.com/od/worldwari/World_War_I.htm

~http://www.bbc.co.uk/cornwall/history/remembrance90/

~http://www.anzacday.org.au/history/ww1/overview/overview.html

~http://www.bbc.co.uk/remembrance/

~http://www.ambafrance-au.org/IMG/pdf/Anzac_day_2008.pdf

~http://www.thegreatwarsociety.com/

Sunday, November 9, 2008

--Independence Day-Phnom Penh-Cambodia--

This day celebrates Cambodia's independence from France which was achieved in 1953. Festivities take place all over the country but particularly in the capital of Phnom Penh at the Independence Monument. Shaped like a lotus flower, the monument is one of the city's most easily-recognised landmarks. The King usually attends the celebrations and delivers a speech to the crowds.

~http://www.worldeventsguide.com/event/2431/Phnom-Penh-Cambodia/Independence-Day-.html

~http://www.asiatour.com/cambodia/e-01land/ec-lan23.htm

~http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-11/03/content_10300582.htm

~http://www.einnews.com/cambodia/