Woman singer's tomb found in Valley of Kings

CAIRO?? In a rare find, Egyptian and Swiss archaeologists have unearthed a roughly 2,900-year-old tomb of a female singer in the Valley of the Kings, an antiquities official said Sunday.

It is the only tomb of a woman not related to the ancient Egyptian royal families ever found in the Valley of the Kings, said Mansour Boraiq, the top government official for the Antiquities' Ministry in the city of Luxor.

The Valley of the Kings in Luxor is a major tourist attraction. In 1922, archaeologists there unearthed the gold funerary mask of Tutankhamun and other stunning items in the tomb of the king who ruled more than 3,000 years ago.

Boraiq told The Associated Press that the coffin of the female singer is remarkably intact.

He said that when the coffin is opened this week, archaeologists will likely find a mummy and a cartonnage mask molded to her face and made from layers of linen and plaster.

The singer's name, Nehmes Bastet, means she was believed to be protected by the feline deity Bastet.

The tomb was found by accident, according to Elena Pauline-Grothe, field director for excavation at the Valley of the Kings with Switzerland's University of Basel.

"We were not looking for new tombs. It was close to another tomb that was discovered 100 years ago," Pauline-Grothe said.

Pauline-Grothe said the tomb was not originally built for the female singer, but was reused for her 400 years after the original one, based on artifacts found inside. Archaeologists do not know whom the tomb was originally intended for.

The coffin of the singer belonged to the daughter of a high priest during the 22nd Dynasty (945-712 B.C.).

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Archaeologists concluded from artifacts that she sang in Karnak Temple, one of the most famous and largest open-air sites from the Pharaonic era.

At the time of her death, Egypt was ruled by Libyan kings, but the high priests who ruled Thebes, which is now within the city of Luxor, were independent. Their authority enabled them to use the royal cemetery for family members, according to Boraiq.

The unearthing marks the 64th tomb to be discovered in the Valley of the Kings.

This report was supplemented by msnbc.com.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/46006736/ns/technology_and_science-science/

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Wisconsin governor recall petitions to be filed (Reuters)

MADISON, Wis (Reuters) ? Organizers of a drive to recall Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker said they have far more signatures than they need to file on Tuesday to force the controversial Republican to defend his seat in a special election barely a year into his first term.

Recall officials expect to turn in far more than the 540,208 signatures required on Tuesday to force a special election, a milestone in their effort to recall Walker and slow an agenda that has diminished the power of public unions.

If the state Government Accountability Board, the agency charged with validating the petitions, determines enough valid signatures have been gathered, it will set a recall election for Walker and Lieutenant Governor Rebecca Kleefisch.

Only two governors in U.S. history have been successfully recalled -- California's Gray Davis in 2003 and Lynn Frazier of North Dakota in 1921.

No Democrat has emerged to run against Walker, although Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, who ran for governor against Walker in 2010, and Secretary of State Doug La Follette have been mentioned as possible candidates.

Others include former congressman Dave Obey, state Senator Jon Erpenbach and former Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk.

By law, organizers had only 60 days to conduct the formal petition drive, which they launched in November with thousands of volunteers fanning out across Wisconsin.

The roots of the drive stretch back nearly a year to efforts by Walker and the Republican-controlled state legislature to pass a raft of controversial measures that included strict limits on the union rights of public employees.

The anti-union measures triggered weeks of mass protests in Madison and a fierce political backlash from Democrats and union supporters.

Walker defended the measures as necessary to address a budget gap and to make Wisconsin attractive to employers.

Backing his agenda, which also included passage of voter identification and looser gun laws, six Republican senators and Walker allies faced recall last summer. Three Democratic senators who opposed the measures also faced recall.

Of those, two lost their seats to Republican challengers.

Along with the governor and lieutenant governor, as many as 17 state senators -- 11 Republicans and six Democrats -- could face recall elections this year in Wisconsin.

The contests could tip the balance of power in the state senate, where Republicans hold a slim 17-16 majority.

On Friday, organizers of a separate effort to recall Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald said they had enough signatures to force the Republican to defend his seat in a special election.

Fitzgerald has filed a complaint with the GAB, claiming recall organizers took too long to collect signatures.

According to a GAB report, processing the Walker recall petitions will cost the state more than $650,000, including the purchase of software and staff time. The total cost of recall elections for the state and municipalities may be more than $9 million, according to estimates from GAB officials.

(Editing by David Bailey and Greg McCune)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/us/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120117/us_nm/us_wisconsin_recall

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Miss America confronted family pain with pageant

Miss Wisconsin Laura Kaeppeler reacts after being crowned Miss America Saturday Jan. 14, 2012 at The Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Eric Jamison)

Miss Wisconsin Laura Kaeppeler reacts after being crowned Miss America Saturday Jan. 14, 2012 at The Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Eric Jamison)

Miss Wisconsin Laura Kaeppeler reacts after being crowned Miss America Saturday Jan. 14, 2012 ,at The Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas. Laura Kaeppeler won the pageant Saturday night after strutting in a white bikini and black beaded evening gown, singing opera and answering a question about whether beauty queens should declare their politics by saying Miss America represents everyone. (AP Photo/Eric Jamison)

Miss Wisconsin Laura Kaeppeler reacts after being crowned Miss America Saturday Jan. 14, 2012 at The Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Eric Jamison)

Miss Wisconsin Laura Kaeppeler, left and Miss Oklahoma Betty Thompson react after Kaeppeler is named Miss America Saturday Jan. 14, 2012 at The Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Eric Jamison)

Miss Wisconsin Laura Kaeppeler, left, standing next to Miss America 2011 Teresa Scanlan reacts after being crowned Miss America Saturday Jan. 14, 2012 at The Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Eric Jamison)

LAS VEGAS (AP) ? The nation's newest Miss America is a 23-year-old Wisconsin brunette who had long conversations with her family mulling whether or not to make her father's jail time for mail fraud the heart of her campaign in the beauty pageant.

While her competitors pushed platforms including promoting the health benefits of milk and protecting the environment, Laura Kaeppeler (KEP'-ler) said she wants children of incarcerated adults to feel less alone, to have mentoring and as much of a relationship with their parents as possible.

"There are many of you out there ? and I was one of them ? but it doesn't have to define you," Kaeppeler told The Associated Press after winning the crown and $50,000 scholarship on Saturday night.

To win, she said beauty queens and politicians should remember they represent all Americans, sang an opera song and strutted in a white bikini and black evening gown.

Her looks, smarts and personal vocation impressed a panel of seven celebrity judges enough to give her the next year with the title.

"What happened with my father is not what my year is going to be focused on," she said. "It's going to be focused on looking forward and moving to the future because that's what my family has done and that's what I'll encourage others to do, as well."

Kaeppeler estimated that there are more than 2 million children with a parent in jail.

Kaeppeler's father, Jeff Kaeppeler, told the AP he served 18 months in federal prison for mail fraud, a sentence his daughter said started as she was graduating high school and entering college.

Jeff Kaeppeler said when his daughter approached the family about making the personal topic her chosen platform, they supported it even though they knew it would be discussed publicly.

"It taught us that God can turn anything into good if you let him," he said. "Laura is totally on board with that idea. She let that drive her and inspire her this past year to get ready for this.

"We've seen a miracle," he said while waiting backstage for a news conference in which his daughter called him her "best friend" and briefly took pictures with him onstage.

"I love you," he whispered to her as dozens of cameras snapped photos.

Miss Oklahoma Betty Thompson came in second, while Miss New York Kaitlyn Monte placed third.

Kaeppler introduced herself to pageant viewers by referencing her home state's Green Bay Packers, the NFL's defending Super Bowl champions.

"If you're watching, Aaron Rodgers, call me," she said, referring to the football team's superstar quarterback.

She was good enough during preliminary competitions to be chosen as one of 15 semifinalists who moved on to compete in the pageant's finale. Her bid lasted through swimsuit, evening wear, talent and interview competitions that saw cuts after each round.

She was asked minutes before being crowned whether Miss America should declare her politics.

"Miss America represents everyone, so I think the message to political candidates is that they represent everyone as well," she said. "And so in these economic times, we need to be looking forward to what America needs, and I think Miss America needs to represent all."

The pageant aired live to east coast viewers on ABC and tape delayed to the rest of the country. The event was the culmination of a week of preliminary competitions and months of preparations for the titleholders from all 50 states plus the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Kaeppeler, of Kenosha, Wis., some 40 miles south of Milwaukee, said her crowning moment was a blur.

"I was crying even before my name was called," Kaeppeler said. "It was just surreal to have this honor."

She replaces Teresa Scanlan of Nebraska, who won last year at age 17 and plans to use her scholarship to pay for law school.

As the new Miss America, Kaeppeler will spend the next year touring the country to speak to different groups and raising money for the Children's Miracle Network, the Miss America Organization's official charity.

She majored in music and vocal performance at a private Lutheran liberal arts college in Kenosha, and told pageant officials initially that she planned to obtain a master's degree in speech and language pathology and become a speech therapist.

But that changed once she became Miss Wisconsin.

She now says she intends to use the scholarship money to pursue a law degree and become a family attorney who specializes in helping children of incarcerated adults.

"I really feel like I've been called to work in this," she said. "Whether I became Miss America or not, this is something that I would pursue in my career no matter what."

___

Oskar Garcia can be reached at http://twitter.com/oskargarcia

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-01-15-Miss%20America/id-1cf2d0b364c540baa3f6eaeda89d1eaf

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Pets With Newt? - First Draft

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Santorum backed by social conservative leaders (AP)

MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. ? Rick Santorum's quest to emerge as the chief alternative to Mitt Romney received a boost Saturday from a group of evangelical leaders and social conservatives who voted to back his candidacy in a last-ditch effort to stop the GOP front-runner's march to the nomination.

About three-quarters of some 150 pastors and Christian conservative political organizers meeting in Texas sided with Santorum over a home-state favorite, Texas Gov. Rick Perry, and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich ? an outcome that illustrated continuing divisions within the ranks of conservatives who make up the base of the GOP.

The gathering also reflected the lingering dissatisfaction with Romney over abortion rights and other issues, and the belief of conservatives that they need to unite behind one contender before the Jan. 21 South Carolina primary if they are to derail the former Massachusetts governor. Romney leads narrowly in polls here after victories in Iowa and New Hampshire.

"There is a hope and an expectation that this will have an impact on South Carolina," said Family Research Council president Tony Perkins, who attended the Texas meeting.

It's unclear, however, whether conservative voters will heed the advice of these leaders and back Santorum. The candidate reveling in the development nevertheless.

"It's a validator," the former Pennsylvania senator told reporters late Saturday while campaigning along South Carolina's coast. "People who have been out there in the fields laboring for the conservative causes see us as someone who can not only fight for the causes but effectively fight and win."

Still, he acknowledged the divisions illustrated in Texas: "I knew there were strong differences of opinion there, people who have strong support for their candidates."

Indeed, the split-decision and frustration by some who attended the meeting punctuates the fissures that have vexed this powerful bloc of the GOP base throughout the campaign and continue to with a week left before the South Carolina vote. Social conservatives here are an influential force, but divided they would leave an opening for Romney as they did in 2008, when Arizona Sen. John McCain won the state en route to the GOP nomination.

This year, even Santorum's backers concede time may be running out for conservative voters to rally behind their candidate.

"If that consolidation occurs, he will win this primary," South Carolina state Sen. Chip Campsen said as he endorsed Santorum at the campaign office near Charleston. "And there are fewer options as time goes on."

Participants at the Texas meeting said it took several ballots for 75 percent of attendees to agree on Santorum after winnowing down the field from three candidates: Santorum, Gingrich and Perry. They also said that there was some support for Romney.

"Santorum was the preferred candidate by a significant majority," Gary Bauer, the former presidential candidate, said.

"They were all looking for the best Reagan conservative," he said. "It came down to things like, who do you most trust."

But David Lane, a California-based pastor who has set up candidate forums with ministers in Iowa, said he was frustrated with the outcome because he does not believe Santorum has an organization or fundraising capability to allow him to campaign deep into the primary season.

He believes the choice to back Santorum projects political weakness.

"This country is going to hell, and the evangelical voice is meaningless," Lane said.

Santorum downplayed the division, noting that he edged Perry in a group including many Texans, as well as longtime activists who have had long relationships with Gingrich.

"I can't believe it was only 25 percent" who didn't agree, he said, adding that he would not ask any candidates to consider leaving the race in order to consolidate the conservative vote.

The Gingrich campaign tried to downplay the vote, and insisted the former House speaker also had the backing of many in Houston.

"Newt had strong support in the room," Gingrich spokesman R.C. Hammond said. "Our job now is to translate the strong showing we had in Texas into votes in South Carolina and Florida."

Even with the backing of many conservative leaders, Santorum faces big challenges.

He surged late in Iowa, lifted by eleventh-hour endorsements by ministers, including some who had once considered asking the once overlooked former senator to quit the race to help conservatives coalesce.

Santorum ended up narrowly losing to Romney in Iowa before faring poorly in New Hampshire. He has aggressively campaigned in South Carolina, visiting almost 30 times and has networks of supporters in almost all of the state's counties. He's had an influx of cash, reportedly raising $3 million this week, but still woefully short of Romney's war chest.

South Carolina's Republican voters are some of the nation's most conservative.

In exit polling from the 2008 Republican presidential contest, 60 percent of the state's primary voters said they were born-again Christians. Romney, whose Mormon faith is not considered a Christian denomination by some in South Carolina, carried just 11 percent of their votes four years ago, fewer than his 15 percent tally nationwide. Mormons consider themselves Christians.

On Saturday, Santorum sought to capitalize on the momentum by making direct appeals to evangelical conservatives, like many of those at the Country Ham House in Greenville. Despite his efforts, concerns persisted about the strength of his candidacy.

"As far as his values and principles, he stands for everything I do," said Brock Stevens, a Greenville Republican who left Santorum's event there ready to support him. "But honestly, I worry about his viability against Obama."

___

Associated Press writers Rachel Zoll, Charles Babington, Julie Pace and Laurie Kellman contributed to this report.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/iran/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120114/ap_on_el_pr/us_santorum

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Police arrest suspect in Arkansas bank bomb scare (AP)

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. ? Betty Davis thought she had a bomb strapped to her ankle as she drove to an Arkansas bank with a gunman following close behind to make sure she withdrew money. Somehow, she said, she remembered the license plate number of a vehicle she passed.

That key detail, authorities said Thursday, helped investigators find Paul Bradley, the man suspected of breaking into the 73-year-old grandmother's home, duct-taping her husband to a chair and demanding money from the couple.

Bradley, 59, was being held at a local jail on charges of aggravated burglary, theft of property, aggravated robbery and kidnapping, Washington County Sheriff Tim Helder said. Helder said Bradley hadn't requested a lawyer as of early Thursday afternoon and county jail records didn't list one.

Investigators said Bradley showed up at the couple's home near Fayetteville in northwest Arkansas on Monday and faked an injury to get inside. He held Davis captive as he duct-taped her husband, Herbert, then strapped what he claimed was a bomb to her ankle, authorities said. The bomb turned out to be fake, but no one knew that at the time.

Bradley told the couple, "All I want is $10,000," Herbert Davis said during a news conference at the sheriff's office in Fayetteville. Bradley also told Betty Davis to write "cows" on the check she was supposed to cash at the bank, she said.

"We were farmers," she explained.

She said Bradley pushed her out the door and told her to drive to the bank. He took a gun from the couple's home, hopped in their pickup truck and followed her, authorities said. She said he pulled her over once to warn her that he'd detonate the bomb if she didn't follow his instructions.

On the way, she saw a vehicle parked along the roadside and made a mental note of the license plate.

"I'd pray and then I'd say that number because ... my memory's not as good as it used to be," she said.

When she got inside the bank, Davis told employees about the device on her ankle. Then she ran outside because she didn't want anyone to get hurt if the bomb blew up.

"I just took a chance," she said.

Authorities evacuated the building and found Herbert Davis taped to a bar stool but unharmed at the couple's home.

Herbert Davis said he tried to free himself from the duct tape and even attempted to dial 911 by holding a pen in his mouth. He said he hit the nine, but "I couldn't get the 1-1."

Betty Davis said she had never met Bradley before he broke into their home, though her husband said he recognized him as a man he saw last week at a local coffee shop.

"He paid for my coffee when he got up and left," he said.

___

Follow Jeannie Nuss at http://twitter.com/jeannienuss

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/us/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120113/ap_on_re_us/us_bank_bomb_scare

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'Extinct' Giant Turtle Might Join Lonesome George As World's Rarest Creature [Animals]

A giant tortoise subspecies presumed extinct for more than 150 years is actually roaming the Gal?pagos islands today according to DNA evidence, scientists report. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/QN381YZ0UB8/extinct-giant-turtle-might-join-lonesome-george-as-worlds-rarest-creature

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