CaaC (John)

Egypt unveils 3,500-year-old industrial district on the west bank of the Nile SLIDES - 1/14 Egypt, as part of a larger effort to ramp up tourism, has unveiled a 3,500-year-old industrial area, a first-of-its-kind collection of artefacts, on the west bank of the Nile River in Luxor. The discovery in the Western Valley, also known as the Valley of the Monkeys, dates to the New Kingdom's 18th Dynasty, approximately 1543–1292 B.C., the antiquities ministry said in a statement on Thursday. Egyptologist Zahi Hawass, who spearheaded a two-year excavation in the area, said the site includes 30 workshops where funeral furniture for royal tombs was made. The team also discovered an oven used to produce clay products, a water storage tank, two silver rings and objects used to decorate royal coffins, Hawass said at a press conference in Luxor, according to the statement. Hawass' team also uncovered a royal tomb that contained tools used in tomb construction. A mission launched by Napoleon Bonaparte in the early 19th century discovered a few items at this site, which otherwise remained untapped until a new excavation in 2011. That mission was halted, and Hawass returned to the site in 2017. Work is currently underway in the Western Valley to find the tombs of Queen Nefertiti and the wife of boy-king Tutankhamun, Hawass added. In April, archaeologists unveiled an expansive tomb on Luxor's west bank that also dates to the 18th dynasty, believed to have belonged to a nobleman named Shedsu Djehuty. The west bank of the Nile in Luxor also is home to the Valley of the Kings, a major site where pharaohs and nobles of the New Kingdom were buried. https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/offbeat/egypt-unveils-3500-year-old-industrial-district-on-west-bank-of-the-nile/ar-AAICUa2#image=AAICUa2_1|1

Heart of the Milky Way to Be Revealed by NASA in Unprecedented Detail The Milky Way is a spiral galaxy and our solar system sits in the Orion Arm, about 26,000 light-years from the centre—one light-year is approximately six trillion miles. At the centre of the Milky Way there is a supermassive black hole with a mass about four million times that of our sun. This is surrounded by millions of stars travelling extremely fast. But this whole region is enveloped in interstellar dust, meaning scientists cannot see exactly what is going on. So far, only the brightest stars have been detected. However, this will soon change, NASA has said. The JWST, which is currently scheduled for launch in 2021, will be able to peer through the dust and send back images of the heart of the Milky Way in "unprecedented detail," the space agency said in a statement. Often, the JWST is referred to as NASA's alien-hunting telescope, as its instruments onboard will be able to detect biosignatures coming from planets beyond our solar system. This will allow scientists to focus in on planets that may support life—potentially answering one of the most fundamental questions in the universe: are we alone? However, the JWST will also be used to view the galactic centre in infrared, meaning it will be able to see this kind of light coming from the core. "We're only seeing the tip of the iceberg from the ground, Torsten Böker of the European Space Agency and Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI), said in a statement. "Webb will be able to study fainter stars and tell us more about the overall stellar population." Böker is co-investigator on one of the studies planned on the Milky Way's centre. It is hoped this research will help scientists understand more about the supermassive black hole that lies there— known as Sagittarius A*. "Even one image from Webb will be the highest quality image ever obtained of the galactic centre," Roeland van der Marel, from the STScI and principal investigator on another JWST study. Sagittarius A* is a fairly quiet black hole, but when clumps of dust nearby get too close and fall in, it can produce flares of light. However, the glow from the black hole's disk has never been detected before. "Detecting the disk around Sagittarius A* with Webb would be a home run," Böker said. The researchers are also hoping to find out more fundamental questions about how galaxies and black holes form. "So many interesting, strange things happen at the centres of galaxies. We want to find out what's happening in our own," Marcia Rieke, principal investigator on the JWST's Near Infrared Camera, said in a statement. https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/techandscience/heart-of-the-milky-way-to-be-revealed-by-nasa-in-unprecedented-detail/ar-AAIzGQF

Rare Ancient Tomb of Rich Minoan Woman Discovered at Monumental Archaeological Complex in Crete The rare ancient tomb of a wealthy Minoan woman has been discovered at a monumental archaeological complex on the Greek island of Crete. The cist grave—a small, coffin-like grave built using stone—contained an almost complete and intact skeleton of a woman, as well as several valuable objects, according to the Greek Ministry of Culture and Sports. These objects include a bronze mirror with an ivory handle, bone and bronze garment pins, and a necklace consisting of several gold beads shaped like olives or olive pits. Archaeologists say that these types of burials are rare on Crete. In fact, they are only found at the city of Chania and Knossos—the most important ancient Minoan settlement on the island. The fact that the woman was buried with valuable objects, suggests she was a wealthy person in life. The find came during excavations conducted in the municipality of Sissi by the Belgian School at Athens (EBSA) in collaboration with the Ephorate of Antiquities of Lasithi. This work involved more than 100 archaeologists from around the world. These excavations—led by Jan Driessen from the EBSA and the University of Louvain in Belgium—uncovered a large monumental complex on a hill in Sissi, which is located on the island's northern coast. Furthermore, the archaeologists identified remains in the western part of the complex which indicated the presence of an Early Minoan settlement dating back to around 2,600 B.C. The archaeologists say that a monumental building was constructed to the east of the settlement after the village was abandoned by its inhabitants. This building was later destroyed by a fire in 2,500 B.C., however, its remains were subsequently incorporated almost entirely into the monumental complex, which was constructed in 1,700 B.C. The team's excavations at the complex uncovered a floor coated with fine quality mortar and covered with dotted decorations, as well as a ceramic pipeline built to carry water from the 108-foot long courtyard towards the east slope of the complex. The researchers also made several other notable finds, including a house which may have been destroyed between 1,700 and 1,650 B.C. by an earthquake and the previously-mentioned cist grave from the Neopalatial Period (1,750 to 1,500 B.C.) The Minoan Civilization flourished on Crete and other islands in the Aegean Sea from around 3,000 B.C. to 1,100 B.C. It is considered by many to be the birthplace of "high culture" in Europe, bringing numerous cultural and artistic achievements. Peaking around 1,600 B.C., the Minoan civilization was known for its great cities and architectural complexes, sophisticated artwork, its written script, and extensive trade routes which spread out across the Mediterranean. The Minoan woman's tomb is not the only grave to be uncovered recently in Greece. In August, the Ministry of Culture and Sports announced the discovery of two ancient chamber tombs in southern Greece which date back to the Late Mycenaean Period (1,400-1,200 B.C.) The Mycenaean culture was the first advanced civilization to develop on the Greek mainland, centred around the capital of Mycenae. The Mycenaean period spanned the years between around 1,600 and 1,100 B.C. and during this time, they developed a syllabic script which represents the earliest form of Greek. Also in August, Russian archaeologists said they had uncovered the 1,500-year-old crypt of a warrior who was buried with his wife and children in an ancient city. The remains were found in the eastern necropolis at Phanagoria—a coastal settlement founded by the Ancient Greeks located in what is now the Krasnodar Krai administrative region of Russia on the shores of the Black Sea. Phangoria was founded in the mid-sixth century B.C. by Greek settlers who were largely fleeing conflict in Asia Minor—where modern-day Turkey is located. The settlement eventually developed into the most influential city in the Black Sea area and one of the largest Greek metropolises before being abandoned in the 9th and 10th centuries due to unknown reasons. https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/offbeat/rare-ancient-tomb-of-rich-minoan-woman-discovered-at-monumental-archaeological-complex-in-crete/ar-AAIvuFq

Europe eyes improved 'space weather' resilience This artist's concept is of a new weather satellite - but not the type of spacecraft that warns us of coming winds and rain. It's a mission that would monitor the Sun for the type of energetic outbursts that can interfere with everyday activities on Earth. These powerful eruptions of particles and magnetic fields can degrade communications and even knock over power grids. The Lagrange satellite would see this "space weather" as it develops, alerting us to the impending disruption. The pictured concept has been produced by the UK arm of European aerospace company Airbus, which has just finished its initial assessment of how to construct the mission. Airbus is one of four groups that were asked to work through ideas by the European Space Agency (Esa). Member state delegations to Esa's big ministerial meeting in late November will now be asked to fund the next phase of the project. The different Lagrangian Points These are the sweet spots in the Sun-Earth-Moon system They are places where gravitational forces balance out Satellites at these locations use less fuel to maintain station L5 is at a 60-degree offset and follows Earth in its orbit A complementary US mission would very likely go to L1 _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ The name Lagrange reflects the position the satellite would take up in space. The plan is to go to a gravitational "sweet spot" just behind the Earth in its orbit around the Sun known as "Lagrangian Point 5". Spacecraft that are sited there do not have to use so much fuel to maintain station - but there is an even bigger operational rationale to use this location: it is the perfect spot to see that part of the Sun which is about to rotate into view of the Earth. In other words, the Lagrange satellite would get a preview of emerging storm systems. And being off to one side would also allow it to estimate how quickly any big outburst might arrive at Earth. Space weather is an issue of growing concern. There's a recognition that society's heavy reliance on technology has probably made it more vulnerable to the type of interference solar storms can initiate. If a major outburst knocked satellite navigation systems offline, for example - a not-inconceivable scenario - the economic losses would run into the billions. On Thursday, the European Science Foundation’s European Space Science Committee issued a series of recommendations intended to lead to greater resilience. The panel wants to see: more research on the topic; improvements in the models used for forecasting; a greater awareness of the risks; better coordination among everyone's efforts across Europe; and, obviously, a much-enhanced system of observations. This is where missions like Lagrange come in. And it's hoped the European satellite would have an American partner in space. This would take up a position directly between the Earth and the Sun, at Lagrangian Point 1. Last month, the UK government, which has supported the Lagrange feasibility studies through its Esa membership, put a further £20m towards space weather research. This money is going principally to the Met Office, which is Britain's centre of excellence on the subject. The Exeter-based agency works closely with US colleagues in issuing forecasts and warnings to users. These users include satellite operators. The alerts will tell them if they need to turn their spacecraft to shield sensitive electronics from the full force of a storm. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-50007460

Juventus boss Maurizio Sarri wants to sign Italy left-back Emerson Palmieri, 25, from former club Chelsea. (Express)

Sorry, Teso, I know you think a lot of the guy...but...

Bloody hell, how time flies, that's 2 letters arrived for me and the wife from the Docs reminding us of our yearly flu jabs which are due, made an appointment for Sat 26th Oct and get them out of the way with, I can suffer a cold but the flu would knock me for six years ago without a flu jab.

'Molar Berg' does a quick Antarctic pirouette The EU's Sentinel-2 satellite system got a great view of Antarctica's newest giant iceberg on Wednesday. Cloudless skies over the east of the continent meant the 315-billion-tonne block could be seen in all its glory. The 1,636 sq km frozen chunk broke off the Amery Ice Shelf two weeks ago and has already spun around by 90 degrees. The block has been nicknamed "Molar Berg" by scientists because it calved from next to a segment of ice that looks from space like a "Loose Tooth". This moniker is, however, unofficial. The US National Ice Center runs the recognised nomenclature for icebergs and it has given the hulking mass the designation D28. Antarctica's nearshore winds and currents tend to push the big bergs in a westerly direction. Often they will play "bumper cars", bashing the coastline and knocking other lumps out of the ice shelf and themselves. And by the looks of it, Molar Berg is heading straight for a head-on collision with another part of Amery. With Antarctica's long "polar night" coming to an end and the Sun getting ever higher in the sky, the Sentinel-2 system is once again tracking changes across the continent. As an optical sensor, the two-spacecraft system can only see lit portions of the Earth's surface. In the dark days of winter, radar satellites like the Sentinel-1 system are the only way to keep abreast of developments. The Sentinel-2 image at the top of the page was processed by remote sensing specialist Iban Ameztoy. 315 billion-tonne iceberg breaks off Antarctica Nasa space laser tracks water depths from orbit Emperor penguin 'needs greater protection' Stef Lhermitte at the Technical University of Delft, Netherlands, also has a nice "then" and "now" sequence, which shows how far Molar Berg has moved. D28/Molar Berg is the biggest slice of ice in more than 50 years to come off Amery. The ice shelf, the third-largest in Antarctica, is a key drainage channel for the east of the continent. It is essentially the floating extension of a number of glaciers that flow off the land into the sea. Losing bergs to the ocean is how these ice streams maintain equilibrium, balancing the input of snow upstream. So, the calving of Molar Berg is regarded as an entirely natural event. There is no data to show climate change has altered the dynamics in this particular region. The only surprise for scientists is that it wasn't Loose Tooth that "extracted" itself. This section of ice at the edge of Amery has been wobbling for more than a decade. Researchers thought it would have come away by now, but still, it refuses to calve. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-50000744

I voted out and end of story really, my opinions might have changed a wee bit since then but I voted out once and will not vote again if there is another one because a lot of politicians who urged people to vote for staying in started shitting their pants and throwing a tantrum because no one listened to them in the first place, a democratic vote first time around is what it's all about, I chose then end of story and I will not have a debate why I chose out as I cannot be arsed talking about it, you hear it a million times in the media and it's doing my head in.

Just finished a Lee Child 'Jack Reacher' book Persuader and now starting a John Grisham book The Litigators.

Argentina forward Paulo Dybala, 25, says he never wanted to leave Juventus this summer despite being linked with moves to Manchester United and Tottenham. (Tuttosport - in Italian)

Borussia Dortmund have joined Arsenal, Juventus and Paris St-Germain in tracking 16-year-old Celtic winger Karamoko Dembele. (Bild - in German)

Crystal Palace will have to pay £22m to sign 26-year-old Chelsea and Belgium striker Michy Batshuayi, who spent the second half of last season on loan at Selhurst Park. (Express)

David Moyes is open to a return to former club Everton, with manager Marco Silva under increasing pressure after dropping into the relegation zone. (Mirror)

Science & Environment Planets and Big Bang win Nobel physics prize Three scientists have been awarded the 2019 Nobel Prize in Physics for "ground-breaking" discoveries about the Universe. James Peebles, Michel Mayor and Didier Queloz were announced as this year's winners at a ceremony in Stockholm. Peebles was honoured for work on the evolution of the Universe, while Mayor and Queloz won for their discovery of a planet around a Sun-like star. The winners will share the prize money of nine million kronor (£738,000). Reacting to the news, Prof Queloz told BBC News: "It's unbelievable," adding: "Since the discovery 25 years ago, everyone kept telling me: 'It's a Nobel Prize discovery'. And I say: 'Oh yeah, yeah, maybe, whatever.'" But in the intervening years, he more-or-less "forgot" about the discovery: "I don't even think about it," he said. "So frankly, yes, it came as a surprise to me. I understand the impact of the discovery, but there's such great physics being done in the world, I thought, it's not for us, we will never have it. "I'm a bit shocked right now, I'm still trying to digest what it means." How our cells sense oxygen wins Nobel prize FULL REPORT

Jesus, he's put on the beef!!

The only person(s) I can recognise in that tweet is Wenger himself and Robin van Persia, I think Keogh might be one of them also?

Wilfried Zaha: Crystal Palace forward says head was 'all over the place' Crystal Palace forward Wilfried Zaha says his head "was all over the place" because of transfer speculation at the beginning of the season. Arsenal and Everton had bids rejected by Palace, who valued the 26-year-old at around £80m, although Eagles boss Roy Hodgson said Zaha wanted to leave. The Ivorian has since played in all of his club's Premier League matches in 2019-20, with Palace in sixth place. "I had to put my head down and play my football," Zaha told BBC Africa. "I would have been hindering my own progress by moaning and not wanting to perform properly. "I have too much respect for my manager, the fans and my team-mates to treat them that way. It was a thing where 'OK, this hasn't happened but I've got to get on with it'. "I've got to prove every time that I'm the top player I claim to be so I had to get over that quickly. Obviously my head was a bit all over the place at the beginning of the season but I had to nail down and just get on with it because the team deserved that." 'Everyone's happy with where we are' FULL REPORT

I miss little sweet pea at United

Ancient 'New York': 5,000-year-old city discovered in Israel The remains of a 5,000-year-old city have been discovered in Israel - the largest and oldest such find in the region. The city was home to 6,000 people and included planned roads, neighbourhoods, a ritual temple and fortifications. An even earlier settlement, believed to be 7,000 years old, was discovered beneath the city. Israeli archaeologists said the discovery was the most significant in the region from that era. FULL REPORT

Venezuela striker Salomon Rondon, 30, has admitted he would have liked to have signed permanently for Newcastle United but said he was not given the opportunity to turn last season's loan move into a permanent deal - and so ended up at Chinese Super League side Dalian Yifang. (Newcastle Chronicle)

Chelsea and United States forward Christian Pulisic, 21, has admitted his frustration at not playing more since his £58m move from Borussia Dortmund. (Guardian)