Egyptian unrest; looters steal mummies and treasures

Looters attempted to run off with the skulls 2,000 year old mummies from Cairo's Egyptian Museum yesterday, but were fortunately caught by police and civilians. Also confiscated was a heavily damaged statue of Tutankhamun, broken by the criminals during the theft. Zahi Hawass, archaeologist and chairman of the Supreme Council of Antiquities stated that, "They tried to attack and rob the showcases of King Tut, but they failed. These people are criminals, they are not true Egyptians... the army are now guarding the museum and all the museums are now safe." A first-hand description of the looting can be found at Dr. Hawass' website. Dr. Hawass writes that "What is really beautiful is that not all Egyptians were involved in the looting of the museum.  A very small number of people tried to break, steal and rob.  Sadly, one criminal voice is louder than one hundred voices of peace.  The Egyptian people are calling for freedom, not destruction.  When I left the museum on Saturday, I was met outside by many Egyptians, who asked if the museum was safe and what they could do to help.  The people were happy to see an Egyptian official leave his home and come to Tahrir Square without fear; they loved that I came to the museum." Since the Internet is not working in Egypt at this time, Dr. Hawass faxed his update on Egyptian Antiquities to Italy.

It saddens me that people can become so desperate that they would, as Dr. Hawass writes, "rob their own country". Fortunately there are many standing up to the criminals, willing to protect the museums and countless irreplaceable treasures.   

The pyramids at Giza are now closed off by the military, a site that normally swarms with tourists. There are a lot of ongoing dig sites throughout Egpypt and given that the entire country is basically a museum, deep concern remains over many of the treasures and historical artifacts at risk during this time of protest and unrest.

I'll be watching this, as the rest of the world does too. Stay safe Dr. Hawass!

Ghost Hunters open The Spalding Inn

Now I might not watch the original Ghost Hunters all that often anymore (I once was a die hard fan and interviewed several cast members for various publications), due to the fact that I firmly believe that Jay and Grant and the whole crew have fallen victim to fakery (maybe they don't have a choice, maybe I'm wrong, but I really don't think I'm wrong), I still think they're pretty awesome guys (It's important to add here that I think the show started out real). So when I heard they opened The Spalding Inn, I was pretty psyched. Quite honestly, it is absolutely gorgeous and perhaps I'll make my way there sometime soon as my mother is *yells out* MOVING to New Hampshire in the spring. ...Verklempt... talk amongst yaselves...

The Spalding Inn Whitfiled, NH

For now, I only have second hand information.

Located in the North Woods of the White Mountains of New Hampshire, The Spalding Inn has thirty-six rooms and a family restaurant called "The 2 Kings Restaurant" as well as a pub to compliment, called "2 Kings Pub". Don't think too hard about the identities of the two kings.

The rates are reasonable and according to the website, so are the meals. The views look pretty delicious, too.

This upcoming weekend, February 2nd through the 4th, The Spalding Inn will host a TAPS Paranormal Weekend. Ghost hunting with these guys is actually really fun - I had the chance to investigate with Steve Gonzalves and that was a blast. If you're not a Ghost Hunters fan, no worries. The Inn is perfectly suited for weddings, romantic or family vacations and business meetings. There is, of course, a ghost hunting package - because duh! The Spalding Inn is allegedly haunted. You probably already guessed that. In fact, The Spalding Inn was featured on the SyFy show, Ghost Hunters (the crew of Ghost Hunters International served as investigators while Jay and Grant became clients).