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Paris, France - The Saga of Mona Lisa's Smile

The Mona Lisa, the world's most famous painting, celebrates its 500th birthday this year. Mona Lisa is considered one of the world's most famous women. It was used by countless corporations in their marketing campaigns. Over the centuries, Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa has been denounced as femme fatale which survived many thefts. That serene smile staring at us behind the triple bullet-proof glass cupboard in Paris's Louvre Museum with a personal bodyguard, still remains mysterious. In the 20th century, one man shot himself in front of her and three others committed suicide. There are many 'medical theories' trying to explain her smile. The first mentioned that her smile is that of a pregnant women following the loss of a baby in the previous year. They pointed out that her swollen fingers were evidence of her pregnancy and her hands being arranged over her belly in such a way to suggest that she is obscuring her pregnancy. One dentist said that since her lips were drawn together, it suggests that her front teeth were missing. Another doctor suggested that she was deaf and her smile was the strain of trying to hear what Leonardo was telling her!

Valley of Kings, Egypt - Did British scientists discover the mummy of Nefertiti?

Dr. Joann Fletcher, the British mummification specialist from the University of York in England, led a team that may have unearthed the mummy of Queen Nefertiti from a secret chamber in Tomb KV35 in the Valley of Kings. This beautiful queen ruled with her husband King Akhenaton from 1353-1336 BC during the 18th Dynasty of Ancient Egyptian rulers. She is the mother-in-law of King Tut, who's mummy was discovered by Lord Carnarvon and Howard Carter 81 years ago. Dr. Fletcher is optimistic and said there is a strong possibility that the newly unearthed mummy is that of Queen Nefertiti, yet without paleo-DNA studies, this cannot be confirmed. Interestingly, this discovery comes during the 250th anniversary of the British Museum, which contains a plethora of precious Ancient Egyptian antiquities. International Egyptologist Prof. Zahi Hawass recently published an article in the Egyptian daily Al-Ahram newspaper his view that this mummy is not that of Queen Nefertiti.  

Manchester, UK - Recovery of Van Gogh, Picasso, Gauguin stolen works

Thieves have stolen drawings worth more than $1.6 million by Vincent Van Gogh (The Fortification of Paris, 1878), Pablo Picasso (Poverty, 1903), and Paul Gauguin (Tahitin Landscope, 1892) from the Whiteworth Art Gallery in Manchester. Interestingly, the three stolen paintings were recovered a day later, rolled in a tube outside a public toilet with a hand-written note, suggesting they had been taken to highlight a lack of security at the gallery. This gallery contains more than 40,000 artistic pieces.

Sweden - Women seeking office, should go to Sweden!

Women seeking public office have a better chance of finding it in Sweden, South Africa, Pakistan and 32 other countries. Canada places 36 among 182 nations, with 20.6% of the seats in the House of Commons filled by women. That figure is well-behind the 45.3% posted by first-place Sweden, and barely below Nicaragua. The study was conducted by the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), which has its headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, and is the international organization of parliaments of sovereign states, and it is charged with fostering exchanges among parliaments from around the world. The study found that Western democracies have generally lagged behind the developing world in terms of women holding public office. For the full table go to the IPU website at http://www.ipu.org/wmn-e/classif.htm. 

Vatican - Pope's new book "Roman Triptych Meditations" a bestseller

The forty-page book written by Pope John Paul II, his first, is a bestseller in Poland. Originally written in Polish, recently it was made available in English, French, German, Italian, and Spanish. Some described the Pope's work as "credo at a time of great spiritual chaos, amid a doubting world, threatened by wars and terrorism." Many have asked how on earth the Supreme Pontiff felt the need to return to writing poetry, as he did when he was young. In the first place we must say that the Pope has dedicated almost four decades to writing poetry--though published for the most part under pseudonyms. Secondly, we must remember that Pope John Paul II, in addition to being a 'theologian', is not only a 'poet' but also a 'philosopher'. During the year a new volume will be edited which will contain all philosophical works published by him and will be titled 'Metaphysics of the Person'. 

South Korea - "Al-Jazeera" in Korea

Al-Jazeera satellite TV became more well known internationally after September 11, war in Afghanistan and more recently the war on Iraq. The book entitled, Al-Jazeera: How the free Arab network scooped the world and changed the Middle East written by Prof. Mohamed El-Nawawy and Adel Iskandar, published by Westview Press in April 2002 was translated to Korean by Yonghyon Kim and published by Hongik Chulpansa. The controversial perspectives discussed on the station have sparked international interest in its coverage. This interest has led to the quick release of the second edition of the book, "Al Jazeera: The Story of the Network that is Rattling Governments and Redefining Modern Journalism" in July 2003 which includes views on its coverage of the Intifada in Palestine and the war in Iraq. The book can be bought from Amazon.com at a reduced price.

Doha, Qatar - Major medical upgrades in Gulf emirate 

The first American college campus outside the USA will be admitting students in the gulf state for the fall of 2003. Cornell University's new satellite campus in Doha, Qatar will offer state-of-the-art medical training to Qataris. Also the Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) is establishing a new pediatric hospital which will house the latest diagnostic and curative facilities. The new center which will service children up to the age of 18 which will be headed by the distinguished Qatari pediatrician Dr. Galia Al-Thani. Among the staff is the renowned pediatric neurologist Dr. Mohammed Bessisso who has 28 publication including studies of seizures in children. It is noteworthy that Dr. Bessisso will be contributing to the Ambassadors Magazine in the upcoming issue. His article entitled "From Gaza to Toronto: Memoirs of a Palestinian pediatric neurologist."  

London, UK - The Iron Lady in the Blue Gallery

In the collection “Thatcher: An Exhibition of New Contemporary Art,” at the Blue Gallery in London, there are 15 unusual paintings, drawings, and sculptures including Sean Lander's painting of the Iron Lady. Satire and anger are both on display in the Blue Gallery show. Margaret Thatcher is depicted as a Ronald McDonald-style clown and a grotesque Madonna; her face is crafted from sand and plastered on sheets of toilet paper. Curator Tara Howard said the show was intended as neither homage nor attack, but as a meditation on “a weird, superhuman character.” Former French President Francois Mitterrand reportedly described her as having “the lips of Marilyn Monroe, the eyes of Caligula.” The 78-year old Thatcher was a graduate of Oxford University, elected MP in 1959 and became prime minister of Britain in 1979. She won three elections smashing trade unions and fought a triumphant war in the Falkland Islands before finally being toppled by male rivals in 1990. A free market philosophy or "Thatcherism" still shapes British politics in the 21st century.

Tibet - Profiling Tenzing's life in the Himalayas

The new book, Tenzing: Hero of Everest, is the story of Sherpas Tenzing, the Tibetan born symbol of a resurgent Asian. His book's author, Ed Douglas, is a UK-based writer and Himalayan mountain climber himself. The book is edited by Johnna Rizzo and published by National Geographic and was released in March 2003. It is the first full biography of Tenzing Norgay," the Sherpa leader who accompanied Sir Edmund Hillary in 1953 on their pioneering 29,028-foot climb to the top of Mt. Everest. Douglas follows in the snow-covered path of last year's books by Tenzing's son, Jamling Tenzing Norgay (Touching My Father's Soul) and grandson Tashi Tenzing (Tenzing Norgay and the Sherpas of Everest). An illiterate yak herder, Tibetan-born Tenzing grew up in the shadow of Chomolungma (the Sherpa name for Everest), and in 1935 was chosen for his first expedition, although "he couldn't yet speak a word of English and had to gesture that he had no certificate from the Himalayan Club." When he reached the summit in 1953 he became "a role model for ordinary people, someone of humble birth who had made headlines around the world." Douglas weaves numerous Everest adventurers into this tapestry of Tenzing's life.

London - Will the British Museum lose the "Elgin Marbles"?

The British Museum refused to lose the famous Greek sculpture known as the "Parthenon Elgin Marbles." The director of the museum, Neil MacGregor said that the British Museum was the best place to show the marbles in the contest of the wider world. Greek cultural minister, Evangelos Venizelos, said that Greece appealed to British PM Tony Blair for the return of this ancient piece to its home country. The sculptures were removed from Parthenon by British Ambassador to Constantinople, Lord Elgin between 1801-1810, while Greece was still a part of the Ottoman Empire. Interestingly, in an online survey conducted by the British Committee for the Restitution of the Parthenon Marbles, 98% voted that this work of art be returned to Athens. Greece has been fighting for the return of these artifacts since 1829 and hopes to have it back before the 2004 Athens Olympics. For more information on this issue, visit http://www.parthenonuk.com/index.php.

Los Angeles, USA - Oscars 75th ceremony show turns political!

The Academy has not seen such loud political protest since Marlon Brando sent a model dressed as Apache woman to reject his best actor award for The Godfather in a protest on behalf of Native Americans in 1972, and pro-Palestinian Vanessa Redgrave won best actress for Julia in 1978 and referred to "Zionist hoodlums" from the stage of the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. In the 2003 Academy awards held in February, Michael Moore took the stage to accept his award Best Documentary Feature, for Bowling for Columbine and presented an intense anti-war speech. The crowd erupted in both cheers and boos and the pit band began to play. Michael Moore is also author of the famous best-selling book, Stupid White Men released in 2002 by Regan Books.

Cairo, Egypt - Al-Azhar University Conference for medical ethics

The Honorable Mohamed Sayed Tantawy Sheik of Al-Azhar chaired an important conference last February discussing the ethics of medical advertisements. It was organized by Prof. Gamal Abu al-Soroor, Director of the International Islamic Center for Population Studies and Research (IICPSR) - Al-Azhar University and the coordinator was Prof. Bernard Dickens, University of Toronto, Canada. Several international organizations took part in the event including the WHO, UNESCO, UNFPA, FIGO, IDRC, and the ISESCO in addition to law schools in Toronto and Amsterdam. The first speaker was Prof. Hamdy El-Sayed, president of the Egyptian Medical Association, who explained the importance of medical ethics in advertisements. Also among the speakers were H.E. Prof. Mofeed Shihab El-Din, Minister of Higher Education, Prof. Ibrahim Badran, former Minister of Health, Prof. Ahmed Omar Hashem, Rector of Al-Azhar University, and Dr. Ahmed Khalid Al-Kleib, Kuwaiti Ambassador to Egypt. In the upcoming issue of the Ambassadors Magazine, Prof. Mokhtar Gomaa, the former dean of Al-Azhar Medical College will cover this topic.

Stockholm, Sweden - Khairy Shalaby's bid for the Nobel Prize

The Egyptian novelist, Khairy Shalaby (65 years old), is one of the nominees for the Nobel Prize in Literature. He is the author of 70 books, novels, films, and theatre productions, etc. Many of his books have become bestsellers and were translated from Arabic to English, French, Italian, Russian, Urdu, Chinese and Hebrew. There have been several Master's and PhDs written about his writings in Egyptian, Saudi Arabian, German and British universities. His writing style is characterized by his critical analysis of the personalities of the characters and portrait. Those who have read Khairy Shalaby's books and listened to his programs on radio or saw his films on TV, are aware that he is a gifted novelist who was influenced by Chekov, Charles Dickens, and the 1988 Nobel laureate Naguib Mahfouz. The Ambassadors Research Foundation supports his nomination for this prestigious prize. Any other support letters sent to mail@ambassadors.net for his nomination will be posted in the next issue of The Ambassadors Magazine.

Scotland, UK - Remembering the 'Father of Nautical Medicine'

The Edinburgh Royal College of Physicians will organize a symposium to mark the 250th anniversary of the publication of, "A Treatise of the Scurvy", a book published in 1753 by Dr. James Lind, a Scottish naval surgeon and former treasurer of the college. He conducted a "critical and chronological view of existing evidence about the variety of approaches used in attempt to treat scurvy, and compared six of these in a controlled trial done at sea, on board a naval vessel called The Salisbury. He discovered that the sailors that were assigned to receive two oranges and a lemon daily recovered dramatically, more rapidly than those receiving other treatments, which led to the abolition of a disease which had been killing many more sailors than military action. Prof. Niall Finlayson OBE, President of Edinburgh's Royal College will chair "James Lind Symposium: From scurvy to systematic reviews and clinical guidelines--how can clinical research lead to better patient care?" on December 31, 2003.

Finland - Sociobiology: Worker nepotism among polygynous ants

 Insect societies are a prime example of extreme cooperation, but their social life also entails the pursuit of selfish interests by society members. Finnish researchers Sundstrom and Hannonen from the University of Helsinki recently published an interesting study in the journal Nature (February 27, 2003) about selfish genetic interests. They showed that workers of the ant Formica fusca favor their own close kin when rearing eggs and larvae in colonies that are derived from several queens. This nepotistic behavior indicates that ant workers are able not only to detect kin relationships, but also to pursue their selfish genetic interests if the costs to their colony are not prohibitive. They suggested that some ant colonies are nests of nepotism and hidden selfish agendas. Ant hills have long been admitted by naturalists as paragons of selfless cooperation for common good. Interestingly, the only other species where nepotistic selfish behavior has been discussed is among honey bees.

USA -  Most lovers kiss the right way!

The German neuroscientist, Dr. Onur Gunturkun, who hanged around airports, railway stations, parks and beaches in Germany, Turkey and USA watching people kiss, published recently an interesting study in Nature last February entitled "Most People Kiss the Right Way". He mentioned that "After two years, I could feel when people were approaching to kiss." Dr. Gunturkun who works at Ruhr University had scientific motives for his research in order to note which way kissers turned their heads. He observed 124 pairs of kissers aged 13-70 and found that 80 turned their heads to the right, 44 to the left. This 2:1 ratio is the same that has been observed in preferential use of right foot, ear or eye. The numbers are different for right-handedness about 8:1 but that is likely because of cultural pressures. Does romance depend on kissing direction?

Scotland, UK - Bye bye Dolly

Dolly, the first cloned animal, born July 5, 1996, died last February after experiencing severe lung infection. Her premature death ignites fears that cloning may propose aged cells--departure at half the usual age. Dr. Ian Wilmut, the Scottish scientist who led the team that made Dolly in Edinburgh said, "Dolly has been a friendly face for science, and was part of a big breakthrough." She developed arthritis at age five and a half as well as premature aging. Other animals cloned in labs showed high rates of still births and birth defects. Dolly was named after the singer Dolly Parton because she had been cloned from the breast cells of a six-year old adult ewe.

Italy - Maladies of celebrities: Luigi Boccherini

The study of the natural mummy of the famous 18th century Italian musician, Luigi Boccherini (1743-1805), by Drs. R. Ciranni, L.Giusti, and G. Fornaciari offered new data on his health. Boccherini had very few friends, and ill-health necessitated his complete retirement from his violoncello playing. The last years of his life were spent in appalling poverty, which he tried to alleviate by doing hack-work, such as arrangements of his own works for the guitar at the request of some rich patrons. His misery was further increased by the death of his two sons. External examination, microscopic analysis, and total body radiographic study showed a number of suggestive changes due to repetitive strain injuries such as severe arthritis of the right thumb, heavy epicondylitis of the left elbow, loss of physiological cervical and lumber spine lordosis, high thoracic left scoliosis, and tibiae valgae. Soft tissue studies revealed a severe aortic atherosclerosis and several pleural and nodal calcifications. Histological examination confirmed the biographical account of Boccherini's death from tuberculosis.

Libya - Another addition to the bids for 2010 World Cup

Libyan President Gaddafi and his soccer-playing son, Al-Saadi, the captain of Ittihad Club, are looking forward to hosting the 2010 World Cup in Tripoli. They are using soccer to re-establish better links with the Western world. Libya has been allowed to bid for this event along with the other African nations of Egypt, Morocco, Nigeria, South Africa and Tunisia. The Libyan bid being orchestrated by Al-Saadi boasts that Tripoli and Benghazi have excellent stadiums and did a good job as hosts of the 1980 Africa Nations Cup.

Halifax, Canada - Academics meet to discuss global conflicts

Both Dalhousie and King's College universities hosted the 19th annual CASID conference, entitled "Conflict & Cooperation Dynamics in Development", which was held in the first week of June 2003. The conference was part of the larger Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences Federation of Canada which includes meetings held by 60 associations and attended by 6000 delegates. This year, CASID lead one of the Federation's International Colloquia on Conflict and Cooperation: "Representations of Justice", and it attracted researchers and academics from local, national and international centers. On the last day of the conference, the participants drafted the "White Paper Initiative on the State of International Development Studies in Canada". The conference was divided into seven main categories: representations of justice in international development; human rights elements of international development, language barriers in international development theory or practice, cultural interpretations of rights and justice, indigenous peoples roles and rights in development, transnational development practice, and gender roles and boundaries in economic and social development. For further information about the conference visit www.casid-acedi.ca.

Sanaa, Yemen - Marib National Museum

Dr. Mohammed Al-Arwosi, president of General Organization of Antiquities and Museums (GOAM) in Yemen, said that the idea of establishing the museum comes parallel to what he calls the “International Campaign for the Awwam Temple” which includes American, Dutch, German, French, and Italian donors and the Yemeni government. Awwam is the name given in Sabaean inscriptions on the massive temple complex known in local folklore as the Mahram Bilqis. An identification mission is being set up by the (GOAM), the Royal Netherlands Embassy and the Deutsches Archeologisches Institut (DAI) in Sanaa to outline the possibility of establishing this national museum.

“The project will serve in one hand to maintain and present Yemeni cultural heritage and on the other hand to develop the region both from an economic as well as social point of view,” said Dr. Iris Gerlach of the DAI. The German institute currently excavates the cemetery of the Mahram Bilqis, along with other sites in the Marib region. It is noteworthy that Dr. Al-Arwosi rejected the statement that the Awwam Temple is one of the world’s wonders. “We wish it were so, but there is neither scientific nor material evidence to prove this rumor,” explained Dr. Al-Arwosi. “The rumor is baseless and we can’t tell our people lies,” he added.

The Ancient Greek traveler Herodotus coined the term “The Seven Wonders of the World” based on observations from his travels around the Mediterranean. The seven wonders were the Oracle of Delphi, the Colossus of Rhodes, the Temple of Zeus, the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus, the Pyramids of Giza, the Lighthouse of Alexandria, and the Temple of Athena. Only the Oracle and the Pyramids have survived to the present day. Although Herodotus never visited Yemen, the great architectural marvels of Marib including the Great Dam and the Awwam are often metaphorically referred to as wonders of the world by specialists. (From Mohamed Al-Asadi - Yemen Observer).

Durham, USA - Tale of the unfortunate transplant girl

James Jaggers, a skilled pediatric heart surgeon was unfortunate. The mistake that cost Jesica Santillan, a 17-year old girl, her life by giving her an organ transplant of the wrong blood type. The girl had restrictive cardiomyopathy, a rare condition characterized by an enlarged heart and malformed lungs, which require transplantation of a heart and two lungs. Dr. Jaggers publicly accepted the blame, saying, "I am ultimately responsible for the team and for the error. Duke University did not make a mistake, I did." A second emergency transplant was done ensuring the blood type was triple-checked, to avoid the previous mistake. However, it was only a few days after that second surgery that Jesica pass away. Despite this tragedy, Duke University has performed more than 20 dual heart-lung transplants since 1992, in addition to 375 heart transplants and 400 lung transplants, one of the highest totals in the US.

Hawaii, USA - New moons around Jupiter!

Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system has at least 52 moons according to astronomers who recently discovered another twelve satellites. The scientists from Cambridge and Hawaii Universities discovered seven more moon in early February, and another five a few days later. The findings have been notified by the International Astronomical Union. They used the Canada-France-Hawaii (3.6 meter) telescope with one of the largest digital imaging cameras in the world, the "12K", to obtain sensitive images of a wide area around Jupiter. The digital images were processed using high speed computers and then searched with an efficient computer algorithm. The program looked for objects with movements characteristic of objects that are near Jupiter.

UK - The Duke and Duchess of Windsor

Documents made public last January by Britain's Public Records Office for the first time since the abdication crisis that shocked the Commonwealth six years ago. On December 10, 1936, King Edward VIII shocked Britain and the Empire by abandoning the throne to marry Mrs. Wallice Simpson, a twice divorced American. He was succeeded as King by his brother, the Duke of York who became George VI and was the grandfather of Queen Elizabeth II. The Duke and Duchess were exiled and married in 1937, never to live in Britain again. He went to the Bahamas as a governor to keep him as far as possible from German influence during the Second World War. There were widespread suspicions in the top levels of government that the couple had Nazi sympathies. Dr. Susan Williams, University of London, is the advisor to the Public Records Office. She said that despite the allegations contained in the reports, there is no evidence to substantiate the claim that they were Nazi sympathizers.

Al-Dokki, Egypt - A new Egyptian Paleopathology Association

Last January, a meeting was held in the Egyptian National Research Center (NRC) to discuss the declaration of the new Egyptian Paleopathology Association (EPPA) which was attended by Prof. Fawzia Hussien, Prof. Samia Temtamy and Prof. Mahmoud Akl. A month later, a workshop was held in the NRC bringing together a group of Egyptian and American researchers with interest in anthropological studies in Egypt, to discuss their common goals, plan cooperative joint projects, and thereby facilitate more productive collaborative research. The workshop had two coordinators; Dr. Fawzia Hussien (Egypt), physical anthropologist at the NRC and Dr. Fred Wendorf (USA), emeritus professor of prehistory at Southern Methodist University in Texas. The organization of the workshop was helped by Dr. Azza Sarry El-Din and Dr. Mona El-Tobgui. The workshop discussed current status of contemporary anthropological research in Egypt and identified the areas and topics where the research is most urgently needed, as well as training individuals most qualified to undertake those projects.

Baghdad, Iraq - International and local calls for saving museum art

Dr John Curtis, head of the Ancient Near East Department at the British Museum said that at least 14 major artifacts have been stolen from galleries, and hundreds more from storerooms of Baghdad’s Iraq Museum including 80,000 cuneiform tablets with the world's earliest writing, a bronze figure of Akkadian king (4,500 years old), a silver harp from ancient city of Ur (4,000 years old), three-foot carved Sumerian vase (5,200 years old), a headless statue of Sumerian king Entemena (4,600 years old), and a carved sacred cup (4,600 years old). He called for an immediate ban on the movement of antiquities, precious books, and all art works from Iraq. Anger is mounting across the world at the loss of the ancient statues, manuscripts and other treasures. Speaking to British reporters, Dr. Dony George, head of the Baghdad Museum told Dr. John Curtis of the British Museum that among the artifacts that have been stolen are the sacred vase of Warka, a 5,000-year-old golden vessel found at Ur, an Akkadian statue base, and an Assyrian statue. It was, said Dr. Curtis, “like stealing the Mona Lisa.” Museum officials are using tips from citizens to hunt down stolen items, and trying to prevail on thieves to turn them in voluntarily. Muslim clerics, at the officials’ urging, have announced over mosque loudspeakers that anyone with looted items should return them to museum curators. A massive hunt has been launched for the numerous looted artifacts--some of which date back 10,000 years. Interpol sent an art recovery team to Iraq to try to locate the items, which were taken away in the chaos following the collapse of Saddam Hussein's regime.

Calgary, Canada - 'Hunger hormone' could help fight fat!

A key hormone linked to the urge to eat has been discovered in the hunger control center of the brain. This discovery could prove promising in developing drugs to combat obesity. The production of this hormone, ghrelin, has been tracked to the hypothalamus, the area of the brain known to control appetite. Ghrelin as a brain-gut peptide, in addition to its role in regulating growth hormone secretion, enable to involve in regulation of food intake and body weight. A study on ghrelin was published in Neuron magazine (Vol 36, 199-211, 10 October 2002).

Scotland & Egypt - The debate over the origins of mummification

Recently unearthed bones in an island off the west coast of Scotland suggested that prehistoric European developed the art of mummification independently from Ancient Egyptians. A study led by Dr. Mike Parker Person of Sheffield University showed that the archeologists discovered skeletal remains of two mummified persons (a man who died in 1500 BC and a women who died two centuries later). The bodies were mummified in ultra flexed condition, exactly like the Inca mummies. They were buried under a Bronze Age house that formed part of a mysterious settlement, that was apparently used for ritual activities. Researchers believe islanders on South Uist started mummifying their dead at the same time as the ancient Egyptians. This is the first evidence that some prehistoric Europeans mummified their dead bodies. Recently Egyptian archeologists discovered a 5000 year old wooden coffin in the desert near Cairo and found the oldest evidence yet of human mummification. The international Egyptologist, Dr. Zahi Hawas, said that this coffin belongs to an official who lived between 3200-2890 BC under Egypt's First Dynasty. This new discovery confirms that Ancient Egyptian mummification predates those practiced anywhere else.

Peru - "Atlas" and "Rambo" Peru giants

In the XIV European conference of the Paleopathology Association held in Coimbra, Portugal last August, there was an interesting studies of prehistoric Peruvian giants. Cordy-Collins reported data of five young male Moche 'Giants' from prehistoric Peru who were found in excavations at the archeological site of Dos Cabezas between 1997-2000. The normal heights of monk males of the 508th centuries AD was 148.2-168.2 cm, while the adult giants stood between 175-180 cm. Geyer et al. investigated the food and ethno-botanically herbal medicines of the monk giants. The skeleton of giants, affectionately nicknamed "Rambo" by his excavators, with multiple rib fractures was 177 cm tall (10.5% taller than the average during that era). Dr. R. Tyson mentioned that the youngest of the giants, "Atlas", was 15-18 years old, and was missing of intermediate phalanges in his toes. In the next annual conference, more data will be presented on the precise causes for their gigantism through paleo-DNA studies.


China - The secret files of China's new rulers

Again breaching the secrecy enveloping leadership politics in China, the authors Andrew J. Nathan and Bruce Gilley revealed the jockeying behind the retirement of Jiang Zemin and succession of Hu Jintao. Their book entitled, China's New Rulers: The Secret Files was published by New York Review of Books in October 2002. Nathan and Gilley base their text on that of a Chinese writer whom they trust, Zong Hairen (a pseudonym). Zong's material in turn relies on personnel reports on seven men who will likely compose the most powerful body in the Chinese political system, the Politburo Standing Committee. The promoted members' biographies, patrons, personalities, and policy inclinations become less mysterious in Nathan's and Gilley's construction, which is quite as informative as an intelligence assessment.

Boston, USA - Neonatal hearing screening

The National Society of Genetic Counselors (NSGC) held its education conference in Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts last April. The conference was entitled, "Ethical, Legal and Social Implications of Genetic Testing and Counseling in the 21st Century." Among the important topics discussed at the conference was neonatal hearing screening in Massachusetts and cystic fibrosis carrier testing.. It is well known that the NSGC is the leading authority, voice and advocate for the genetic counseling profession

Michigan, USA - Common cold costs $40 billion annually

A study was published last February in the Archives of Internal Medicine mentioned that common cold has a bigger economic burden than far more serious medical conditions as asthma, emphysema and heart failure in Canada. In the USA, Prof. Mark Fendrick from the University of Michigan, found that the bill for the US comes to $40 billion annually (direct costs, $17 billion per year; and indirect costs, $22.5 billion per year). Approximately 500 million non–influenza-related VRTI episodes occur per year. In Canada, common cold costs $6 billion annually.
 

Khartoum, Sudan - The birth of the Global Doctors Organization

Al-Zubair Charity Foundation supported the establishment of Global Doctors Organization (GDO), using Sudan as a center. This non-governmental organization (NGO) carries out charitable activities all over the globe, propagate health and medical awareness among people, help areas affected with natural disasters and epidemics, participate in the establishment of health and medical institutions, and encourage medical research. The organization's headquarters is located in Sudan under the umbrella of Al-Zubair Charity Foundation (ZCF), and has the right to establish branches all over the world. Prof. M.K. Booz, The Ambassadors Magazine executive editor, is one of the founders of the GDO and asks those interested in receiving an application form to email zct@sudanmail.net. ZCF held a a large opening ceremony for the GDO in which Ahmed Belal Osmane, Sudanese Minister of Health, and Dr. Babakr Abdelsalam, Minister of Health in Khartoum province.

France - Controversy over Chirac-Mugabe handshake!

Chirac gets stiff rebuke for welcoming Zimbabwean president Mugabe in the 22nd Franco-African summit held in France for African Leaders. Mugabe is the subject of sanctions from the United States and EU for his alleged abuse of human rights and his despotic rules. Mugabe's presence in Paris was met by several protests, notably from human rights activists, who asked the French courts to issue a warrant for his arrest on rights abuses. Despite strong opposition from Britain, Chirac defended the invitation as a way to confront Mugabe face-to-face over the political and economic turmoil engulfing his famine-ridden southern African country.

Amman, Jordan - New book tackles controversial issue

Norma Khouri's book, Honor Lost: Love and Death in Modern Day Jordan published by Atria Books in February 2003 raised much controversy and a lot of criticism. The author mentioned that honor killing has its roots in the "Code of Hammurabi" and Assyrian laws of 1200 BC, which declare a women's chastity to be her family's property. This was an ancient way of controlling female reproduction to ensure patriarchal lineage. For more accurate information on the Code of Hammurabi visit http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/medieval/hamframe.htm.  

Moscow, Russia - Joseph Stalin and assassination conspiracy theory

Some historians have argued that the Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin appears to have been poisoned by ingesting warfarin, a flavorless rat poison that thins the blood and causes strokes and hemorrhage. His death certificate in March 1953 mentioned he had suffered a brain hemorrhage. Others believed that he died from natural causes at the age of 73. The majority of educated Russians today do not put a lot of faith in the conspiracy theory. An interesting recent poll of 1,300 Russians shows 53% saw Stalin's role in history as more positive than negative.

Karbala, Iraq - More than a million Shi'te pilgrims march

The end of the Anglo-American war in Iraq is coinciding with a huge pilgrimage of Shi'ite Muslims, who make up around 60% of the Iraqi population. The collapse of Saddam Hussein's regime has encouraged hundreds of thousands of Iraqi Shi'ites to perform one of their key rituals for the first time in nearly 30 years--the pilgrimage to Imam Hussein bin Ali's shrine in Karbala, south of Baghdad. After 30 years of suppression, millions of Shi'ite Muslims are today enjoying the euphoria of religious freedom in Iraq. They clog the main highway leading to Karbala, carrying portraits of Imam Hussein. They walk in bare feet and beat their chests or hit themselves with chains to atone for Imam Hussein's death. Most of the Shi'ite pilgrims are eager to talk, proud to have their rituals recognized by the rest of the world. Many of the pilgrims give thanks for allowing them to escape from former President Hussein's brutality.

Paris - Anti-fur protestors storm fashion show

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) demonstrated at nearly every fashion show. The anti-fur movement is growing right along with the fashion. Two activists were violently ejected from the latest Christian Dior show after one jumped on the runway and disrupted the 'invitation only' event, part of Paris' haute couture fashion week and unfurled a banner reading, 'Fur Shame', and chanted, 'Fur is Dead.' The Paris protest comes on the heels of disruption by PETA activists of Julien Macdonald's show during London's fashion week. Things took a very different tack in New York, where PETA sponsored a totally leather and fur-free fashion show by designers Gaelyn and Cianfarani who use recycled rubber bicycle tires and latex interwoven with cotton and other natural fibers. PETA is combating increasingly desperate and aggressive marketing campaigns by the fur industry—including giving young designers free furs, free trips to Denmark and sponsoring their fashion shows—to try to boost the lowest sales figures ever. Cosmopolitan magazine reports that more than 90 per cent of British women polled said that they would never wear fur. For more info on PETA visit www.petauk.org/mc.

Winnipeg, Canada - Virgin Mary in Saskatchewan

Sighting of Virgin Mary images on windows and walls in villages of Northern Saskatchewan since September 2002 has spurring thousands of people to visit this region. Recently images appeared on two homes in Beauval appearing to glow at night, and have been captured on video by the residents. Lillian Aubichon, who owns one of the homes, says the image was actually seen first on Sunday, December 22nd. "It started out as a white image then color formed later," says Aubichon "She appeared with her arms spread open and then she closed them as if in prayer... We could smell roses." Along with the many people who have come to pray at the sites where the images appeared, all media agencies have also followed this story very closely.

Tehran, Iran - New fashion magazine seen in store windows

In a sign of gradual relaxation of Iran's social restrictions, the first woman's fashion magazine to be published in the country since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, has just hit the newsstands with a burst of bright colors and innovative designs, influenced by traditional Persian costumes in the quarterly journal, Lotus. It is something of a revolution in itself. Mahla Zawani, the fashion designer who published the new magazine and a former bank manager said that, "woman generally like dressing elegantly, and Iranian woman are no exception. I have used lots of beautiful colors in my designs to give fresh psychological and spiritual boost to women". For many clerics, wearing an all-enveloping head-to-toe black shroud known as the chador--which literally means tent--was essential to protect a woman's modesty. For Mrs. Zawami, the objective was to provide Iranian women with an alternative that falls between chador and Western attire.

USA - Maladies of Celebrities: JFK

Robert Dallek's new book "An Unfinished Life: John F. Kennedy 1917-1963" published by Little Brown, described health problems of the 35th president of the United States who was assassinated in Dallas, Texas 40 years ago at the age of 46. He showed that JFK had Addison Disease, colitis with habitual bowel problems, urinary tract infections, back miseries, and weight loss. He also notes in the book that JFK used to receive regular codeine and procaine injections for pain, cortisone to control his Addison's, Bentyl and lomotil for colitis, testosterone to stop weight loss and even Ritalin was prescribed for night rest.

Toronto, Canada - Tycoon gives ROM $30 million

Michael Lee-Chin, 52, chief of AIC Ltd. Mutual Funds empire and president of the National Commercial Bank of Jamaica, donated $30 million as a gift to the ROM's ambitious renovation expansion plan being designed by superstar architect Daniel Lipeskind. Mr.Lee-Chin, a Jamaican-Canadian, became one of the wealthiest men, and was ranked by Forbes Magazine as within the top 500 richest people in the world, and 15th Canadian. He had previously donated $5 million as an alumni to McMaster University.

Thailand - Welcoming the Year of the Goat

Prayers at Buddhist temples for the new lunar year being marked by Chinese people worldwide on January 31. The Year of the Goat is part of a 12-year cycle named after animals, that legend says, answered Buddha's calls before he achieved Nirvana.  The chronicles of the celebration go back about 1,200 years. On the new year’s morning, women dress beautifully, carrying flowers in their hands and tie colorful pieces of silk to tree branches to celebrate the Chinese New Year. Celebrations go on for many days until the last day when everybody attends a party and enjoys a great feast. Traditionally, however, the New Year’s eve is a day for the dead. In the morning, dishes of food are laid out for the spirits of dead ancestors. In the afternoon, the time-honored tradition is to prepare food for those poor souls who have no relatives.

Tokyo, Japan - Unsigned van Gogh heats up Japan auction

An unsigned painting initially valued at $83 was auctioned off for $550,000 after it was revealed to be a previously unknown work by Vincent van Gogh. The oil painting, a dark profile of a middle-aged peasant woman in a white bonnet, went to the owner of a small Japanese gallery. van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam said that the piece was painted around 1884 and was authentic. Just 40 hours before the auction, the dark-colored profile of a peasant woman was confirmed to be painted by Vincent van Gogh. At the end of the day on Feb. 8, the painting had found a buyer at 66,000,000 yen. The following morning, the van Gogh was plastered on the front pages of all the major Japanese newspapers. The little lady had brought a new level of drama to Tokyo's art market. 

Argentina - World court elects first prosecutor

Prof. Moreno Ocampo, an Argentine lawyer, who helped to put his country's former military rulers on trial, has been unanimously elected the first prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC). It is up to Mr. Ocampo now to decide whether or not to launch investigations into any of the more than 200 complaints already received by the body. The ICC--which was set up by the signatories of the 1998 Rome Treaty--is the first permanent international tribunal established to try cases of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. Eighty-nine countries have signed up to the treaty, which was formally inaugurated in March in The Hague when 18 judges were sworn in. Mr. Ocampo helped to prosecute his own country's former military junta in the 1980s. Prior to his election, he was in private practice in Buenos Aires, as well as being a visiting law professor at Harvard University in the United States.


Vienna, Austria - Oldest toothpaste recipe found

An Egyptian toothpaste formula dating to the 4th century A.D. recently was found in a collection of papyrus documents at the National Library in Vienna, making it the world's oldest-known recipe for toothpaste and also adding to the growing body of evidence that the medical system of Ancient Egypt was one of the most advanced of its time. Ingredients for the recipe, revealed at a recent dental congress in Vienna, include one drachma of salt, two drachmas of mint, 20 grains of pepper and perhaps the most active component, one drachma of dried iris flower, which since has been found to be effective against gum disease. Heinz Neuman, a dentist who attended the meeting, told the London Daily Telegraph, "Nobody in the dental profession had any idea that such an advanced toothpaste formula of this antiquity existed. "Lisa Schwappach-Shirriff, curator of the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum in San Jose, Calif., explained that teeth were a major concern in ancient Egypt. Grain was ground in such a way that tiny particles of sand got mixed in with the flour. The grit literally wore down teeth, at times to the nubs, sometimes causing terrible abscesses. She said the Egyptians tried various tooth remedies, including chewing myrrh-like gum to sweeten the breath, and application of honey, a natural antibiotic. Fillings were made from resin and malachite, a mineral with antibiotic properties. (Source: http://dsc.discovery.com/news/briefs/20030120/toothpaste.html).

Vancouver, Canada - The saga of Ambassador Surjan Singh Gill

Surjan Singh Gill the self-appointed ambassador of an imaginary country called the Republic of Khalistan, is believed to be a mysterious Sikh. He was born in Singapore, educated in India and England, and is firmly committed to the cause of Sikh separation. He opened an Embassy in Vancouver for what he called a government in exile, printed official blue Khalistani passports and colorful Khalistani currency. He published a 45-page pamphlet in 1982 called, "Case for the Republic of Khalistan" which demonstrates his hostility and violent aspirations. Ambassador Surjan helped send $13,000 to Khalistan, to a country that does not exis

Cairo, Egypt - International conference tackles child health and environmental mutagens

Last March, the Egyptian Ministry of Health and Population in cooperation with the Pan African Environmental Mutagen Society (PAEMS) organized their fourth international meeting. This society promotes the development of pioneering ideas and initiates regional and international collaborative programs in the field of environmental mutagenesis and carcinogenesis. Egypt, hosted the event for the second time, which was held at Le Méridien Hotel. The main theme of this distinguished meeting was Child Health and Environmental Mutagens: An African Agenda for Prevention Research. The conference was led by the current President of the PAEMS,  Prof. J. A. Hasler (Zimbabwe) and president elect: Prof. Wagida A. Anwar (Egypt).

Qatar - First female minister in the Gulf region

Sheikha Ahmad al- Mahmoud took oath before her brother, Amir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani as minister of education. The Amir issued a decree to amend the formation of the Cabinet and to appoint her. The minister considered her nomination as the first female Qatari and Gulf minister as evidence of the confidence entrusted by the leadership and the society in the capabilities of woman in Qatar. She promised, in press statements to seek attaining a comprehensive educational development through the implementation of the strategies of the higher council for education in her country. She added that she will be the minister for all students, male, and female without discrimination and will work for providing all services and care for teachers and administrators. Al-Mahmoud has held several posts in the Education Ministry, and was the undersecretary before this appointment. Recently, Qataris overwhelmingly approved their first constitution in the Gulf state's first step toward democracy and the government announced the formation of a human rights committee.

Ethiopia - Are the new unearthed African fossils the earliest homo sapiens?

In the journal Nature, Prof. Tim White, the distinguished paleoanthropologist from the University of California and his team published an article entitled, "Pleistocene Homo sapiens from Middle Awash, Ethiopia" (Nature 2003, 423: 742-747). The three fossilized skulls unearthed in Ethiopia are said to be among the most important discoveries ever made in the search for the origin of humans. The crania of two adults and a child, all dated to be around 160,000 years old, were pulled out of sediments near a village called Herto in the Afar region in the east of the country. They are described as the oldest known fossils of modern humans, or Homo sapiens. Prof. White said, "All the genetics have pointed to a geologically recent origin for humans in Africa--and now we have the fossils."  These recent findings offer support to the so-called "Out of Africa" hypothesis.

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