Egypt to New York: Protect Ancient Obelisk or Else

Egypt Threatening To Repossess Cleopatra's Needle
galvarez51's flickr Cleopatra's Needle has been a cornerstone of Central Park since 1880, but now Egypt is threatening to take it back if the city doesn't keep it in better condition. Zahi Hawass, the Secretary General of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities, wrote to the Central Park Conservancy and Mayor Bloomberg imploring them to preserve the obelisk for future generations, or else face Egyptian repo men: I am glad that this monument has become such an integral part of New York City, bu...

Egypt Threatens to De-Gift Giant Central Park Obelisk
Photo: Hulton Archive/Getty Images Over a hundred years after Egypt gave New York a 71-foot-tall ancient obelisk in "an attempt to cultivate trade relations between the two countries," the country has decided it might want it back, even though we're pretty sure it's ours now. The condition of Cleopatra's Needle, which has sat in Central Park since 1881, recently caught the attention of the Secretary General of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities, Zahi Hawass. According to a letter he sent t...

Egypt threatens to take back New York obelisk
NEW YORK (Reuters) - The Egyptian government official charged with protecting his country's ancient monuments is threatening to take back an iconic obelisk in Central Park unless New York City takes steps to restore it. The stone obelisk "has been severely weathered over the past century" with no effort made to conserve it, Zahi Hawass, Secretary General for Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities, wrote in a letter this week to New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg. The obelisk, which commemorates K...

Egypt Says NY Neglecting Monument Gift
(NewsCore) - An Egyptian government official has penned a stinging letter to New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, in which he accuses the city of neglecting "Cleopatra's Needle," the New York Post reported Saturday. Egypt gave the city the ancient obelisk over 100 years ago -- and is now threatening to take it back if it is not properly cared for and preserved. Zahi Hawass, Secretary General for the Supreme Council of Antiquities, claims it is his job to monitor the country's antiquities, whether i...

Egypt Called. They Want Their Obelisk Back.
via MSNBC, LiveScience/Dreamstime ​More than a century ago, Egypt "gave" New York City a giant obelisk, you know, to cultivate trade and good faith and such. We called it Cleopatra's Needle, and we parked it in Central Park, where it's stood since 1881. But all of a sudden, Egypt is not happy with the care we've been taking of their 71-foot-tall monument. Perhaps we don't deserve the obelisk, after all! MSNBC has the note that Zahi Hawas, the Secretary General of Egypt's Supreme Council ...

Egypt Threatens NYC/Bloomberg Removal of Cleopatra's Needle
Since 1881, the obelisk known as Cleopatra's Needle has stood in New York's Central Park, but a letter from the Secretary General of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities indicates that this may change if the monument is not taken better care of. Recently, Zahi Hawass, the aforementioned Secretary General and archaeologist, wrote to the Central Park Conservancy and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg to inform them that if steps are not taken to prot...

Egypt Demands Return of Cleopatras Needle.
Dr. Zahi Hawass is none too happy with New York Mayor Bloomberg. The Secretary General of Egypt’s Supreme Council on Antiquities has sent the Mayor a letter demanding the City preserve a 3500 year old obelisk known as “Cleopatra’s Needle”  or send it back. Since 1881, the red granite monument has stood in Central Park near the Metropolitan Museum of Art and is nearly 68 feet high. According to Hawass, he has made several trips to New York to ...

Egypt Displeased With Treatment Of Obelisk In NYC
NEW YORK (AP) — An Egyptian official has chided New York City over the condition of “Cleopatra’s Needle,” an ancient column in Central Park. Zahi Hawass of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities wrote a letter to New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg complaining that his city is not taking good care of the 3,500-year-old obelisk. Egypt gave the stone monument to the city as a gift more than a century ago. It now sits on a knoll near the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Hawass...

Early On, About One Truck for Every Snowflake
Earl Wilson/The New York Times A sanitation truck out to battle the snow on 34th Street. If you learned your Latin, or if you were a fan of “The Gilmore Girls,” you can think about this until there are two inches of snow on the ground: In omnia paratus. Or, if you prefer, semper paratus. Either phrase could be Friday’s motto for the Department of Sanitation, which already has 365 salt spreaders on city streets even it says there is only a trace of snow and the National Weather Service say

Muslims In Egypt Use Themselves As 'Human Shields' To Protect Christian Community
Over the years while condemning Muslim Extremists this blog has tried to highlight moderate Muslims that stand up against Terrorists that kill innocents in the name of religion. Today a story is reported that undoubtedly qualifies as taking a stand. On New Years Eve 21 people were murdered in an attack against the Saints Church in Alexandria by Islamic Militants in a brutal act of Terrorism. This resulted in an unprecedented show of unity where millions of Egyptians replaced their Facebook pro...

Muslims in Egypt serve as "human shields" to protect Christians
The Coptic calendar is used by the Coptic Orthodox Church, the largest Christian church in Egypt which, according to tradition, is the Church of Alexandria established in the middle of the first century by St. Mark, a disciple of Jesus.  Copts account for 10% of Egypt's 80-million population. The Coptic calendar's years and months coincide with those of the Ethiopian calendar but with different numbers and names.  It has 13 months, 12 with 30 days each, and one month which is...

NYC Overprepares For New Snow After Blizzard Mess
NEW YORK — New York City came out overprepared Friday for a weak storm that delivered just a few inches of snow – not enough to plow in most places and not likely enough for the mayor to redeem himself from a disastrous response to a post-Christmas blizzard. Flakes melted onto wet streets as snowplows – some equipped with global positioning devices since the blizzard foul-up – and salt spreaders sat idle in neighborhoods all over the city. By nightfall, the National Wea...

Contrite Bloomberg Out To Change Public Perception
NEW YORK (CBS 2) — Friday’s storm was nothing like the blizzard that paralyzed the city, but Mayor Michael Bloomberg was determined to show people he can learn from his mistakes and that he can’t be “snowed” twice in two weeks. CBS 2’s Marcia Kramer reports on the tale of two snow storms. It was barely snowing in Bensonhurst on 18th Avenue on Friday when a salt spreader passed by the Moose Lodge senior center just minutes before Bloomberg was due to show up. O...

Rachel Nickell's son takes Met to European Court over her murder
THE son of Rachel Nickell, who saw his mother stabbed to death on Wimbledon Common in 1992, said he has forgiven his mother's killer but has revealed he has lodged a complaint against the Metropolitan Police's handling of the case with the European Court of Human Rights. Alex Hanscombe, now 21, was just three when his mother was sexually assaulted and stabbed to death by paranoid-schizophrenic and serial rapist Robert Napper. "I forgave the person who killed my mother long before I even knew...

Locating the Zeckendorf Buyer: GPS Exec Purchased 15 CPW's Record-Setting Penthouse
We've been obsessing over William Lie Zeckendorf's former penthouse for a while now. After all, how could he leave the trophy building, 15 Central Park West, that he built with his brother and Robert A.M. Stern. Well, when presented with a record-setting price and the tantalizing prospect of Bruce Wasserstein's pad, why not? Part of the mystery surrounding the sail was who the buyer might be, and it's a surprising one. No, not a media mogul or master of the universe or movie sar. The buyer of ...

LiveStream: President On Arizona Shooting
Grab a ringside seat for the blazing battles stirring up City Hall, Albany and Washington. Throw your hat in the ring – get involved and send me your tips! Subscribe to the The Daily Politics's feed. For more NYDailyNews.com feeds, click here. Mayor Bloomberg's NYC Civil Service Overhaul Plan: Hot Or Not? (Not, Says AFL-CIO Boss) Bloomberg Vs. Booker, Round 2? UPDATED x 2! ...

VIDEO: In It Gets Better spot, Mayor Mike Bloomberg welcomes lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered and bullied teens to New York
Read more stories from The Daily Caller YouTube page of alleged Giffords event shooter lists Mein Kampf, Communist Manifesto among favorite books Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords shot during public event in Tuscon NPR misleads on Bonus CEO Vivian Schiller lost over Juan Williams firing For Rep. Fred Upton and congressional Republicans, there's no clear path for attacking EPA regulations Newsweek's Evan Thomas: 'The Health Care bill is a disaster' New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has joined Hous...

Let It Snow, But Clean It Up
One of the signature moments of the Bush Administration came when the federal government failed to immediately react to the carnage caused by Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. As you'll remember, President Bush seemed lethargic about the death and destruction, and the media buried him because of his lackluster posture. But we now know that the president could not have seized control of the situation because he was not asked in by then-Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco. Bush could have appeared mor...

Thousands Of Egyptian Muslims Show Up As Human Shields To Defend Coptic Christians From Terrorism
On New Year’s Day, a devastating Terrorist bombing at a Coptic church in Egypt killed 21 people and injured 79 others. Although the identity of the culprits was not known, it was assumed that they were Muslim Extremists, intent on targeting those they saw as heretics. Religious tensions immediately rose in the country, and angry Copts stormed streets, battled with police, and even vandalized a nearby Mosque. The riots and heightened tensions between the Muslim and Coptic communities was ...

Thousands Of Egyptian Muslims Show Up As 'Human Shields' To Defend Coptic Christians From Terrorism
On New Year's Day, a devastating Terrorist bombing at a Coptic church in Egypt killed 21 people and injured 79 others. Although the identity of the culprits was not known, it was assumed that they were Muslim Extremists, intent on targeting those they saw as heretics. Religious tensions immediately rose in the country, and angry Copts stormed streets, battled with police, and even vandalized a nearby Mosque. The riots and heightened tensions between the Muslim and Coptic communities was likely ...

1000s Of Egyptian Muslims Show Up As Human Shields To Defend Coptic Christians From Terrorism
Source: Think Progress Thousands Of Egyptian Muslims Show Up As ‘Human Shields’ To Defend Coptic Christians From Terrorism On New Year’s Day, a devastating Terrorist bombing at a Coptic church in Egypt killed 21 people and injured 79 others. Although the identity of the culprits was not known, it was assumed that they were Muslim Extremists, intent on targeting those they saw as heretics. Religious tensions immediately rose in the country, and angry Copts stormed streets, battled with police,

'Religion of peace' launching 'ferocious' attacks
Editor's Note: The following report is excerpted from Joseph Farah's G2 Bulletin, the premium online newsletter published by the founder of WND. Subscriptions are $99 a year or, for monthly trials, just $9.95 per month for Credit Card users, and provide instant access for the complete reports. It was only six days after the 9/11 attacks that President Bush described Islam as a religion of peace, specifically saying, "Islam is peace," but the Religion of Peace website reports that for 2010, ther...

An I am Spartacus Christmas: Muslims Stand with Coptic Christians In Egypt
Egypt’s majority Muslim population stuck to its word Thursday night. What had been a promise of solidarity to the weary Coptic community, was honoured, when thousands of Muslims showed up at Coptic Christmas Eve mass services in churches around the country and at candle light Vigils held outside. From the well-known to the unknown, Muslims had offered their bodies as “human shields” for last night’s mass, making a pledge to collectively fight the threat of Islamic militan...

A Christian-Free Egypt is not Beyond Imagination
[ By bataween , crossposted from Point of No Return.] The massacre of 21 Copts at a New Year's Eve mass has been called 'a watershed moment'. The Atlantic columnist Jeffrey Goldberg blogs: "I've been struck over the past couple of days by the lackadaisical coverage of what seems to be the most important story coming out of the Middle East right now -- The Salafist war on Christians in the Middle East is intensifying fairly rapidly, with profound consequences not only for Christians in the land...

Egyptian Muslims Serve As Human Shields During Coptic Christmas Services
After a New Year's Eve attack against Coptic Christian Churches in Egypt, there was some concern that this week's celebration of Christmas by Egypt's oldest...