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Ancient tomb with jewelry and copper mirrors unearthed by U.S.-Egypt team near famed city of Luxor
Archeologists from Egypt and the United States unearthed an ancient tomb with 11 sealed burials near the famed city of Luxor, Egyptian authorities said. The discovery included a trove of exquisitely crafted jewelry as well as a figurine that was described as an “important find.”
Egypt’s Tourism and Antiquities Ministry said in a statement Friday the tomb, which dates back to the Middle Kingdom (1938 B.C.-1630 B.C.), was found in the South Asasif necropolis, next to the Temple of Hatshepsut on the Nile’s West Bank in Luxor.
The joint Egyptian-American mission excavating the necropolis found coffins for five women, two men and three children, suggesting that it was a family tomb used for generations during the 12th Dynasty and the beginning of the 13th Dynasty, said Mohamed Ismail Khaled, Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities in Egypt.
Egypt’s Tourism and Antiquities Ministry
He said ancient floods destroyed most of the burials’ wooden coffins and linen wrappings.
However, some items such as jewelry in women’s burials were found intact, including a finely crafted necklace with 30 amethyst beads and two cylindrical agate beads framing a hippo-head amulet, according to the statement.
Catherine Blakeney, chief American archeologist with the mission, said they found two copper mirrors, one with a lotus-shaped handle, and the second with a unique design of Hathor, goddess of the sky, women, fertility and love in ancient Egypt.
The South Asasif Conservation Project, which led the dig, said in a news release that a green-blue glazed faience fertility figurine was also an “important find.”
South Asasif Conservation Project
“It is well-modeled and decorated with a variety of jewelry and lozenge markings on the legs and torso,” the group’s director, Dr. Elena Pischikova, said in a statement. “Her cropped hair is painted black. The head is pierced with holes arranged in three sections. The holes were intended for the attachment of ‘hair.’ Almost 4,000 mud beads found next to the figurine constituted her original hair.”
The discovery came as Egypt has doubled efforts to attract more tourists, a significant source of foreign currency for the cash-strapped North African country. Tourism, which depends heavily on Egypt’s rich Pharaonic artifacts, suffered a long downturn after the political turmoil and violence that followed a 2011 uprising.
Last month, the Grand Egyptian Museum, a mega project near the famed Giza Pyramids, opened 12 halls exhibiting Pharaonic artifacts for visitors as a trial ahead of the yet-unannounced official opening.
Last year, Egyptian archaeologists announced the discovery of the first burial site in Luxor, dating back to the ancient Egyptian 13th Dynasty.
The U.S. president hasn’t been given a raise in more than 20 years.
That means Kamala Harris or Donald Trump will earn the same salary as their predecessor: $400,000 a year, as specified in Title 3 of the U.S. Code, paid monthly. The president also gets an additional $50,000 for expenses (non-taxable), a $100,000 travel account and a $19,000 entertainment budget.
Of course, the nation’s commander in chief is also entitled to other benefits, not least of which is a paid-for mansion known as the White House, as a residence.
Between 1969 and 2001, the last time Congress boosted the chief executive’s pay, the president earned $200,000 annually. In a 1999 hearing on the proposed pay raise, it was noted that compensation for “one of the most difficult, demanding and important jobs on the face of the earth” had not risen in three decades, while the salaries of private-sector chief executive officers were soaring.
Government reform expert Paul C. Light testified that he supported a presidential salary increase “if only to signal that the American political system values its chief executive enough to occasionally boost the base salary.”
How much did U.S. presidents earn in the past?
Historically, the president’s annual salary was worth a lot more when taking inflation into account.
Here’s what presidents made per year during previous historical periods, according to the University of Michigan, citing Congressional Quarterly’s “Guide to the Presidency.” How much that pay is worth in today’s dollars, after adjusting for inflation and based on calculations from Officialdata.org, is noted in parentheses:
1789: $25,000 ($895,741)
1873: $50,000 ($1.3 million)
1909: $75,000 ($2.6 million)
1949: $100,000 (plus $50,000 taxable expense account) ($1.3 million)
1969: $200,000 (plus $50,000 taxable expense account) ($1.7 million)
More money in memoirs
It’s worth noting that presidents remain on the federal government’s payroll after leaving The White House too. Since 1958, former presidents have earned an annual pension, which now amounts to more than $200,000. They also get office space in a place of their choosing and travel expenses, according to the Former Presidents Act of 1958.
U.S. presidents also typically earn much more money when they leave office through book sales, speaking engagements, media deals and other lucrative endeavors.
Ulysses S. Grant was the first U.S. president to write a memoir, which he famously finished only days before his death in 1885. Virtually every modern president, with the exception of Franklin Delano Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy, both of whom died while in office, has written a memoir.
“It’s where a lot of money comes from after they have been president,” Barbara Perry, co-chair of the Presidential Oral History Program at the Miller Center at the University of Virginia, told CBS MoneyWatch. “Written memoirs have earned them millions.”
CBS News
Man dies after being “buried under hot asphalt” while trying to fix dump truck in Mississippi
Police in Mississippi’s capital said a man died Monday when he was trying to repair a dump truck and asphalt poured onto him.
Darrell Sheriff, 41, was underneath the truck working on a hydraulic line when the tailgate opened and asphalt fell on him, Jackson Police Department said in a statement. Jackson Police Chief Joseph Wade told reporters that officers found Sheriff, who was a private contractor, “buried under hot asphalt.”
“It appeared to be some type of malfunction with his dump truck,” Wade said, adding it was a “horrific situation.”
The incident occurred at AJ Materials at around 10:30 a.m. on Monday, CBS affiliate WJTV reported.
#BREAKINGNEWS: A man died after he was buried under hot asphalt in Jackson. https://t.co/26CHfWF3XA pic.twitter.com/W45ifixH9u
— WJTV 12 News (@WJTV) November 4, 2024
Wade said people on scene tried to help Sheriff and “he tried to fight to make it through those injuries but it was just too enormous for him to survive.”
The police chief said the incident left witnessess and family members traumatized.
Wade said that family members said Sheriff was a “good, hardworking family man who just trying to make a living.”
The police department classified the death as an accident.
Election Day 2024 is expected to bring out tens of millions of people to their polling places, and many may also want to know what’s open or closed if they need to run errands, like shopping or getting to the post office.
While the Tuesday after the first Monday in November is designated for federal, state and local general elections, it is not a federal holiday. But some state offices will be closed, while workers in 28 states are guaranteed voting leave to take time off from work to cast their ballots.
That may leave some Americans to question whether they’ll find their local stores, banks, post offices, DMV and other services open on November 5. At the same time, some schools are closed on Election Day, partly as some educational facilities double as polling stations.
Are banks open on Election Day 2024?
Yes, banks and ATMs will be open on Election Day, given that it’s not a federal holiday, nor observed by the Federal Reserve system.
Wells Fargo, Citi and other major banks will be open on Nov. 5, according to their schedules. However, those banks and others will be closed Nov. 11, due to Veterans Day, which is a federal holiday.
Is the Post Office open on Election Day 2024?
Yes, the U.S. Postal Service will be open on Nov. 5 because it isn’t a federal holiday.
The USPS will also be delivering ballots mailed ahead of Election Day, although the postal service recommended that people who are voting by mail post their ballot by Oct. 29, or last Tuesday, to ensure timely delivery.
USPS workers will be delivering regular residential and business mail on Nov. 5, while its stores and other locations will be operating with their normal hours.
Is the DMV open on Election Day 2024?
Some states recognize Election Day as a public holiday, which means some offices there, including Department of Motor Vehicle offices, may be closed on November 5. U.S. states where DMV locations will be closed on Nov. 5 include:
- Delaware
- Illinois
- New Jersey
- Virginia
- West Virginia
Other municipal; offices could also be closed in these and other states or cities that observe Election Day as a holiday. For instance, New York state and city courts will be closed on Nov. 5, as well as New York City offices.
Are any retailers closed on Election Day 2024?
Stores are generally open on Election Day given that it’s not a federal holiday. Among those that will be open are Costco, Walmart and Target.
However, some stores may have modified hours to accommodate workers who are voting. For instance, Bath & Body Works locations will open at noon on Nov. 5, rather than the retailer’s regular 10 a.m. opening time.
Are bars and liquor stores open on Election Day 2024?
Yes, bars and liquor stores are open on Election Day, although that wasn’t always the case in some states.
South Carolina repealed its ban on liquor sales on Election Day in 2014, with the state joining the rest of the nation in permitting spirits and other drinks to be sold on voting day.
That ban, which dated to the 1800s, was designed to reduce bribery and corruption during elections, Reuters reported. Election Day bans on alcohol sales were once common in the U.S. because of fears that politicians would buy votes by providing drinks, according to the New York Times
