Tombs of the pyramid builders found
CAIRO: Egyptian archaeologists discovered a new set of tombs from the workers who built the great pryamids, shedding new light on how the laborers lived and ate more than 4,000 years ago, the antiquities department said Sunday. The tombs date to Egypt’s 4th dynasty (2575 B.C. to 2467 B.C.) when the great pyramids, the last remaining ancient wonder of the world, were built, according to the head of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities, Zahi Hawass. Tombs of the pyramid builders were first discovered in the area in 1990, and they showed that the workers were paid laborers, rather than slaves as had long been assumed. “These tombs were built beside the king’s pyramid, which indicates that these people were not by any means slaves,” said Hawass in the statement.
Inmates transferred for Gibson film
VERACRUZ: About 300 inmates have been transferred out of a prison in the Gulf coast state of Veracruz to make room for a film that Mel Gibson reportedly plans to make there. Ignacio Allende prison director Gerardo Duran says the inmates were being bused to at least four other jails. About 1,200 prisoners remain at the facility in the city of Veracruz. About 60 inmates’ relatives protested Saturday’s transfer, saying they will have to travel farther to pay visits. They scuffled briefly with police. Veracruz Gov. Fidel Herrera has said that part of the prison would be emptied for a Gibson film. Gibson representatives have not responded to inquiries.
Shoot video with camera goggles
LAS VEGAS: Liquid Image, a company which made a splash last year with diving masks featuring a built-in still and video camera, now has its lens trained on the ski slopes. The California-based company plans to release a pair of ski goggles this year which have a digital camera mounted in the middle. “The Summit Series is going to come out in June, just in time for next year’s skiing and snowboarding season,” Daniel Silveira, a Liquid Image spokesman, said at the annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. Silveira said the camera on the ski goggles has about two hours of video recording time and 16 gigabytes of storage on a micro SD card. The goggles will cost $150. Liquid Image also plans to release a pair of camera-equipped swimming goggles in April for $80, he said. “They’re limited on space so there’s only so much technology we could cram in there but it will do video and it will do photos in a lower quality format,” Silveira said. Liquid Image’s first model, a diving mask with a camera that is certified waterproof to 15 feet below the surface, has been “selling really well,” he said. “It’s kind of replacing the market for disposable underwater cameras,” Silveira said.
— Compiled by Arab News
