|
Legend of the "mummy's curse" fails the
test of modern science
This week's Christmas issue of the British Medical Journal
reports there is no evidence for the existence of the
infamous "mummy's curse" of Tutankhamen's
tomb.
 According
to the writings of archaeologist Howard Carter, 25 Westerners
were present at the breach of sacred seals of a previously
undisturbed area of pharo's tomb between February 1923
and November 1926, and were therefore potentially exposed.
A further 19 were in Egypt at the time but not recorded
by him to have been present at the site at the relevant
time.
The story of the curse started in 1923 when the expedition's
financier Lord Carnavaron died soon after the tomb's
opening, unleashing a sensation in the international
newspapers.
Dying of septicaemia and pneumonia related to a mosquito
bite, Carnavaron's untimely demise was further "cursed"
by the sudden departure of his 3-legged canine who was
said to have bayed and died at the very moment his master
did.
While the press at the time was anxious to present
the event as an Egyptian nightmare brought to life,
Carter had no time for such notions, declaring "all
sane people should dismiss such inventions with contempt."
Treating the "mummy's curse" to be a physical
rather than a metaphysical entity, Mark Nelson of Monash
University in Australia, traced the histories of those
present to see if they too had mysteriously succumbed.
He established dates of death for all of those exposed
and 11 of those that were not. Of the 25 people exposed
to the "curse", the average age at death was
70 years compared with 75 in those not exposed.
Nelson's study shows there to be no significant association
between exposure to the "mummy's curse" and
survival, and thus no evidence to support the existence
of a mummy's curse. "Perhaps finally it [the curse],
like the tragic boy king Tutankhamen, may be put to
rest", Nelson concludes.
Nestle Switzerland to give damages
back to Ethiopia
Last Wednesday, Nestle UK headquarters was taken by
surprise by a group of demonstrators demanding that
the company drop the US$6 million claim against the
Ethiopian Government.
Nestle Germany is currently suing the Ethiopian government
for compensation for the loss of a business seized by
a previous regime in 1975.
One of many claimants in the case, Nestle CEO Peter
Brabeck states "we do think it's important for
the long-term welfare of the people of Africa that their
governments demonstrate a capacity to comply with international
law" adding, "we are not interested in taking
money from the country of Ethiopia when it is in such
a desperate state of human need."
"We will therefore devote any money received from
this settlement to both public and private efforts to
relieve hunger in Ethiopia." said Brabeck.
This came after 5 days of protests by aid agencies
claiming the average person in Ethiopia makes less than
$2 a day while the Swiss giant makes about $6 million
every hour.
As the Ethiopian government has already offered US$1.6
million, Nestle has promised to immediately make this
sum available upon receipt for famine relief in Ethiopia,
along with any additional sums resulting from a final
settlement.
Dublin II regulation makes European
Union a "kind fortress"
With member states having reached a political agreement
on the definition of a refugee and with the Eurodac
- the European fingerprint system - to go into effect
on January 15, the "first phase" of a common
European asylum policy is in place.
The agreement, set to go into effect in July 2003,
provides guidelines for refugee status applications,
but member states are still to agree on "reception
conditions."
Germany is especially concerned with opening its labour
market to asylum seekers and the Netherlands has held
back on agreement until its parliament has had a say.
Danish minister for Europe, Bertel Haarder, declared
the agreement "is really something" adding
"to those of you who say they are building a fortress
Europe, yes, but remember it is a very kind fortress
Europe."
"If you ask for asylum at the border, you will
be treated in the same way in the whole Union"
said Haarder.
|
