The town of Paradise, California was ravaged by a fire in November that killed more than 80 people and drove thousands from their homes. Now music is helping survivors with their recovery, as we hear from Mike O’Sullivan.
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The town of Paradise, California was ravaged by a fire in November that killed more than 80 people and drove thousands from their homes. Now music is helping survivors with their recovery, as we hear from Mike O’Sullivan.
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Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie on Monday visited the world’s largest refugee settlement, home to nearly one million Rohingya Muslims, in a bid to put their plight back in the headlines ahead of a United Nations $920 million funding appeal.

More than 730,000 Rohingya fled Buddhist-dominated Myanmar 18 months ago in the wake of an army crackdown described as “ethnic cleansing” by U.N. investigators and they are now living in camps in neighboring Bangladesh with no sign of moving.

A spokesman for the United Nations refugee agency UNHCR said Jolie, a special envoy for the organization, would spend three days visiting the camps to “assess” the needs of the Rohingya and the challenges that Bangladesh faced as a host country.

Jolie, 43, will also meet Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who has garnered global praise for committing not to repatriate any Rohingya unwillingly, and the Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen.

The UNHCR spokesman said Jolie’s talks would center around “the need for safe and sustainable solutions to the plight of one of the world’s most persecuted minorities, the Rohingya.”

The spokesman said the visit came ahead of the launch of a new appeal seeking to raise $920 million to continue meeting the basic needs of the Rohingya. Last year, U.N. agencies launched a $950.8 million appeal for the Rohingya influx.

While this was Jolie’s first visit to Bangladesh, she met Rohingya refugees in Myanmar in 2015 and India in 2006.

The Refugee, Relief and Repatriation Commission (RRRC), a government organization created to deal with the Rohingya crisis, welcomed Jolie’s visit.

“[Jolie] will definitely have a message to take back from here. We hope that the humanitarian community understands the kind of crisis the Rohingya are in through her,” RRRC commissioner Abul Kalam said.
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Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie on Monday visited the world’s largest refugee settlement, home to nearly one million Rohingya Muslims, in a bid to put their plight back in the headlines ahead of a United Nations $920 million funding appeal.

More than 730,000 Rohingya fled Buddhist-dominated Myanmar 18 months ago in the wake of an army crackdown described as “ethnic cleansing” by U.N. investigators and they are now living in camps in neighboring Bangladesh with no sign of moving.

A spokesman for the United Nations refugee agency UNHCR said Jolie, a special envoy for the organization, would spend three days visiting the camps to “assess” the needs of the Rohingya and the challenges that Bangladesh faced as a host country.

Jolie, 43, will also meet Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who has garnered global praise for committing not to repatriate any Rohingya unwillingly, and the Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen.

The UNHCR spokesman said Jolie’s talks would center around “the need for safe and sustainable solutions to the plight of one of the world’s most persecuted minorities, the Rohingya.”

The spokesman said the visit came ahead of the launch of a new appeal seeking to raise $920 million to continue meeting the basic needs of the Rohingya. Last year, U.N. agencies launched a $950.8 million appeal for the Rohingya influx.

While this was Jolie’s first visit to Bangladesh, she met Rohingya refugees in Myanmar in 2015 and India in 2006.

The Refugee, Relief and Repatriation Commission (RRRC), a government organization created to deal with the Rohingya crisis, welcomed Jolie’s visit.

“[Jolie] will definitely have a message to take back from here. We hope that the humanitarian community understands the kind of crisis the Rohingya are in through her,” RRRC commissioner Abul Kalam said.
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Singer Demi Lovato has deleted her Twitter account following criticism that she was laughing at memes about 21 Savage.

 

The Grammy-nominated rapper was taken into federal immigration custody in the Atlanta area early Sunday. An official says the rapper is a British citizen who overstayed his visa and is also has a felony conviction.

 

Lovato had tweeted: “So far 21 savage memes have been my favorite part of the Super Bowl.” She later clarified she wasn’t laughing “at anyone getting deported.”

 

The rapper Wale tweeted he didn’t get the joke and rapper Migos wrote it wasn’t funny.

 

Some users thought it was wrong for others to criticize Lovato, who was hospitalized in July following a drug overdose.

 

 

 
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Singer Demi Lovato has deleted her Twitter account following criticism that she was laughing at memes about 21 Savage.

 

The Grammy-nominated rapper was taken into federal immigration custody in the Atlanta area early Sunday. An official says the rapper is a British citizen who overstayed his visa and is also has a felony conviction.

 

Lovato had tweeted: “So far 21 savage memes have been my favorite part of the Super Bowl.” She later clarified she wasn’t laughing “at anyone getting deported.”

 

The rapper Wale tweeted he didn’t get the joke and rapper Migos wrote it wasn’t funny.

 

Some users thought it was wrong for others to criticize Lovato, who was hospitalized in July following a drug overdose.

 

 

 
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UPDATE 2-Grammy-nominated rapper 21 Savage arrested, faces deportation

Grammy-nominated Atlanta-based rapper 21 Savage was arrested on Sunday by U.S. immigration officials, who said he was illegally in the country and a convicted felon.

The rapper, whose real name is Sha Yaa Bin Abraham-Joseph, came to the United States from the UK in 2005, overstaying his visa to settle in Atlanta, said Bryan Cox, a spokesman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Cox said Abraham-Joseph, whose 21 Savage Facebook page shows several upcoming concerts, was in custody in Georgia and faced deportation proceedings in federal immigration courts.

He said Abraham-Joseph was convicted on felony drug charges in Georgia in 2014, and was arrested on Sunday as part of a targeted operation with the cooperation of local law enforcement.

“Our staff are in contact with the lawyer of a British man following his detention in the USA,” Britain’s Foreign Office said in statement. British officials only get involved in such cases if the person involved is a British passport holder.

The rapper’s lawyer, Dina LaPolt, did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Reuters on Sunday, but told the entertainment publication Variety that Abraham-Joseph was a “role model” who was working on financial literacy programs aimed at helping underprivileged youth.

“We are working diligently to get Mr. Abraham-Joseph out of detention while we work with authorities to clear up any misunderstanding,” she said, according to Variety.

Cox said he did not know whether Abraham-Joseph, who media reports said is 26, would have been eligible for protection under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA program, which protects “Dreamers”, young immigrants brought illegally to the United States as children. DACA does not cover people convicted of felonies.

Variety said the rapper performed as recently as Thursday in Atlanta as part of the run-up to Sunday’s Super Bowl game in the city. His most recent album, “I Am > I Was”, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 album chart, the publication said.

An ICE official told the Atlanta Journal Constitution that when Abraham-Joseph was arrested in 2014, ICE was not aware of his immigration status. It only learned later that he is allegedly from the UK, the official said.

 
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UPDATE 2-Grammy-nominated rapper 21 Savage arrested, faces deportation

Grammy-nominated Atlanta-based rapper 21 Savage was arrested on Sunday by U.S. immigration officials, who said he was illegally in the country and a convicted felon.

The rapper, whose real name is Sha Yaa Bin Abraham-Joseph, came to the United States from the UK in 2005, overstaying his visa to settle in Atlanta, said Bryan Cox, a spokesman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Cox said Abraham-Joseph, whose 21 Savage Facebook page shows several upcoming concerts, was in custody in Georgia and faced deportation proceedings in federal immigration courts.

He said Abraham-Joseph was convicted on felony drug charges in Georgia in 2014, and was arrested on Sunday as part of a targeted operation with the cooperation of local law enforcement.

“Our staff are in contact with the lawyer of a British man following his detention in the USA,” Britain’s Foreign Office said in statement. British officials only get involved in such cases if the person involved is a British passport holder.

The rapper’s lawyer, Dina LaPolt, did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Reuters on Sunday, but told the entertainment publication Variety that Abraham-Joseph was a “role model” who was working on financial literacy programs aimed at helping underprivileged youth.

“We are working diligently to get Mr. Abraham-Joseph out of detention while we work with authorities to clear up any misunderstanding,” she said, according to Variety.

Cox said he did not know whether Abraham-Joseph, who media reports said is 26, would have been eligible for protection under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA program, which protects “Dreamers”, young immigrants brought illegally to the United States as children. DACA does not cover people convicted of felonies.

Variety said the rapper performed as recently as Thursday in Atlanta as part of the run-up to Sunday’s Super Bowl game in the city. His most recent album, “I Am > I Was”, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 album chart, the publication said.

An ICE official told the Atlanta Journal Constitution that when Abraham-Joseph was arrested in 2014, ICE was not aware of his immigration status. It only learned later that he is allegedly from the UK, the official said.

 
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The New England Patriots defeated the Los Angeles Rams 13-3 in Sunday’s Super Bowl in Atlanta, capturing their third National Football League championship in the span of five years.

For Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, the victory was his sixth in a Super Bowl, extending a record he already owned.

The 41-year-old star has struck down talk that he might retire after having now played in his 19th NFL season, saying during the postgame trophy ceremony, “How could this not motivate you?”

Both teams struggled to score throughout the game, with the Patriots holding a 3-0 lead at halftime and scoring the game’s only touchdown with seven minutes remaining in the final quarter.

Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman was named the game’s most valuable player after catching 10 passes for 141 yards.

​”He deserves it,” Brady said. “That was one of the best games he ever played.”

The Super Bowl is one of the most-watched television events each year, as many Americans host or attend parties to watch the game.

For many, the commercials shown during breaks in the action are a bigger draw than the game itself. Many companies roll out new television ads created especially for the big game, and they pay big money to get those ads in front of viewers. This year a 30-second advertising spot cost more than $5 million, according to AdWeek.

The halftime show is also another big draw for many people. This year the NFL had some difficulty finding big-name performers for the show. Several performers, including Jay-Z, Cardi B and Rihanna, spurned the league’s offer to appear at the event as a show of solidarity with Colin Kaepernick. Kaepernick is a black player who accused the NFL of conspiring to keep teams from signing him over his protests of racism and police brutality during the national anthem played before games.

Rappers Travis Scott and Big Boi, as well as the pop group Maroon 5, eventually signed on to perform, but Scott and Maroon 5 agreed to appear only after the league agreed to make contributions to various charities.
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The New England Patriots defeated the Los Angeles Rams 13-3 in Sunday’s Super Bowl in Atlanta, capturing their third National Football League championship in the span of five years.

For Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, the victory was his sixth in a Super Bowl, extending a record he already owned.

The 41-year-old star has struck down talk that he might retire after having now played in his 19th NFL season, saying during the postgame trophy ceremony, “How could this not motivate you?”

Both teams struggled to score throughout the game, with the Patriots holding a 3-0 lead at halftime and scoring the game’s only touchdown with seven minutes remaining in the final quarter.

Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman was named the game’s most valuable player after catching 10 passes for 141 yards.

​”He deserves it,” Brady said. “That was one of the best games he ever played.”

The Super Bowl is one of the most-watched television events each year, as many Americans host or attend parties to watch the game.

For many, the commercials shown during breaks in the action are a bigger draw than the game itself. Many companies roll out new television ads created especially for the big game, and they pay big money to get those ads in front of viewers. This year a 30-second advertising spot cost more than $5 million, according to AdWeek.

The halftime show is also another big draw for many people. This year the NFL had some difficulty finding big-name performers for the show. Several performers, including Jay-Z, Cardi B and Rihanna, spurned the league’s offer to appear at the event as a show of solidarity with Colin Kaepernick. Kaepernick is a black player who accused the NFL of conspiring to keep teams from signing him over his protests of racism and police brutality during the national anthem played before games.

Rappers Travis Scott and Big Boi, as well as the pop group Maroon 5, eventually signed on to perform, but Scott and Maroon 5 agreed to appear only after the league agreed to make contributions to various charities.
…

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Grammy-nominated Atlanta-based rapper 21 Savage was arrested by U.S. immigration officials on Sunday, who said he was illegally in the country and a convicted felon.

The rapper, whose real name is Sha Yaa Bin Abraham-Joseph, came to the United States from the UK as a teenager in 2005, overstaying his visa to settle in Atlanta, said Bryan Cox, a spokesman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Cox said Abraham-Joseph, whose 21 Savage Facebook page shows several upcoming concerts, was in custody in Georgia and faced deportation proceedings in federal immigration courts.

He said Abraham-Joseph was convicted on felony drug charges in Georgia in 2014, and was arrested on Sunday as part of a targeted operation with the cooperation of local law enforcement.

The rapper’s lawyer, Dina LaPolt, did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Reuters on Sunday, but told the entertainment publication Variety that Abraham-Joseph was a “role model” who was working on financial literacy programs aimed at helping underprivileged youth.

“We are working diligently to get Mr. Abraham-Joseph out of detention while we work with authorities to clear up any misunderstanding,” she said, according to Variety.

Cox said he did not know whether Abraham-Joseph, who media reports said is 26, would have been eligible for protection under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA program, which protects “Dreamers,” young immigrants brought illegally to the United States as children. DACA does not cover people convicted of felonies.

Variety said the rapper performed as recently as Thursday in Atlanta as part of the run-up to Sunday’s Super Bowl game in the city. His most recent album, “I Am > I Was,” debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 album chart, the publication said.

An ICE official told the Atlanta Journal Constitution that when Abraham-Joseph was arrested in 2014, ICE was not aware of his immigration status. It only learned later that he is allegedly from the UK, the official said.

 
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Grammy-nominated Atlanta-based rapper 21 Savage was arrested by U.S. immigration officials on Sunday, who said he was illegally in the country and a convicted felon.

The rapper, whose real name is Sha Yaa Bin Abraham-Joseph, came to the United States from the UK as a teenager in 2005, overstaying his visa to settle in Atlanta, said Bryan Cox, a spokesman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Cox said Abraham-Joseph, whose 21 Savage Facebook page shows several upcoming concerts, was in custody in Georgia and faced deportation proceedings in federal immigration courts.

He said Abraham-Joseph was convicted on felony drug charges in Georgia in 2014, and was arrested on Sunday as part of a targeted operation with the cooperation of local law enforcement.

The rapper’s lawyer, Dina LaPolt, did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Reuters on Sunday, but told the entertainment publication Variety that Abraham-Joseph was a “role model” who was working on financial literacy programs aimed at helping underprivileged youth.

“We are working diligently to get Mr. Abraham-Joseph out of detention while we work with authorities to clear up any misunderstanding,” she said, according to Variety.

Cox said he did not know whether Abraham-Joseph, who media reports said is 26, would have been eligible for protection under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA program, which protects “Dreamers,” young immigrants brought illegally to the United States as children. DACA does not cover people convicted of felonies.

Variety said the rapper performed as recently as Thursday in Atlanta as part of the run-up to Sunday’s Super Bowl game in the city. His most recent album, “I Am > I Was,” debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 album chart, the publication said.

An ICE official told the Atlanta Journal Constitution that when Abraham-Joseph was arrested in 2014, ICE was not aware of his immigration status. It only learned later that he is allegedly from the UK, the official said.

 
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Today is Super Bowl Sunday, the day of the national championship for American football. This year the New England Patriots will play the Los Angeles Rams in Atlanta for the National Football League’s (NFL) Vince Lombardi Trophy.

This will be the 11th time the Patriots compete in the Super Bowl, and the third straight year they’ve contended for the title. They lost last year’s game to the Philadelphia Eagles.

It’s the fourth appearance for the Rams, who last played in the Super Bowl in 2002 when they were defeated by the Patriots. At that time the Rams were based in St. Louis, Missouri.

The Super Bowl is one of the most-watched television events each year, as many Americans host or attend parties to watch the game. For many, the commercials shown during breaks in the action on the field are a bigger draw than the game itself. Many companies roll out new television ads created especially for the big game, and they pay big money to get those ads in front of viewers. This year a 30-second advertising spot will cost more than $5 million, according to AdWeek.

The halftime show is also another big draw for many people. This year the NFL had some difficulty finding big-name performers for the show. Several performers, including Jay-Z, Cardi B and Rihanna, spurned the league’s offer to appear at the event as a show of solidarity with Colin Kaepernick. Kaepernick is a black player who accused the NFL of conspiring to keep teams from signing him because of his protests of racism and police brutality during the national anthem played before games.

Rappers Travis Scott and Big Boi, as well as the pop group Maroon 5, eventually signed on to perform, but Scott and Maroon 5 agreed to appear only after the league agreed to make contributions to various charities.
…

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Today is Super Bowl Sunday, the day of the national championship for American football. This year the New England Patriots will play the Los Angeles Rams in Atlanta for the National Football League’s (NFL) Vince Lombardi Trophy.

This will be the 11th time the Patriots compete in the Super Bowl, and the third straight year they’ve contended for the title. They lost last year’s game to the Philadelphia Eagles.

It’s the fourth appearance for the Rams, who last played in the Super Bowl in 2002 when they were defeated by the Patriots. At that time the Rams were based in St. Louis, Missouri.

The Super Bowl is one of the most-watched television events each year, as many Americans host or attend parties to watch the game. For many, the commercials shown during breaks in the action on the field are a bigger draw than the game itself. Many companies roll out new television ads created especially for the big game, and they pay big money to get those ads in front of viewers. This year a 30-second advertising spot will cost more than $5 million, according to AdWeek.

The halftime show is also another big draw for many people. This year the NFL had some difficulty finding big-name performers for the show. Several performers, including Jay-Z, Cardi B and Rihanna, spurned the league’s offer to appear at the event as a show of solidarity with Colin Kaepernick. Kaepernick is a black player who accused the NFL of conspiring to keep teams from signing him because of his protests of racism and police brutality during the national anthem played before games.

Rappers Travis Scott and Big Boi, as well as the pop group Maroon 5, eventually signed on to perform, but Scott and Maroon 5 agreed to appear only after the league agreed to make contributions to various charities.
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Super Bowl 53 is underway in Atlanta, with the New England Patriots once again trying to become American football champions and the Los Angeles Rams looking to stop them.

This is the third straight Super Bowl for the Patriots and the 11th time overall the team has played for the coveted Vince Lombardi Trophy. They lost last year’s game to the Philadelphia Eagles.

Many football fans say the Rams should not be playing. The team made it to the championship game after beating the New Orleans Saints two weeks ago in one of the most controversial playoff games in NFL history. If a referee had made a proper penalty call against the Rams late in that game, the Saints would likely be playing the Patriots today.

It’s the fourth appearance for the Rams, who last played in the Super Bowl in 2002 when they were defeated by the Patriots.  At that time the Rams were based in St. Louis.

The Super Bowl is one of the most-watched television events each year, as many Americans host or attend parties to watch the game.

President Donald Trump is no exception. He said he expects as many as 700 people at his Super Bowl party at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. The president is forecasting a Patriots win, saying the team has “great chemistry.”

For many, the commercials shown during breaks in the action are a bigger draw than the game itself.  Many companies roll out new television ads created especially for the big game, and they pay big money to get those ads in front of viewers. This year a 30-second advertising spot will cost more than $5 million, according to AdWeek.

The halftime show is also another big draw for many people. This year the NFL had some difficulty finding big-name performers for the show. Several performers, including Jay-Z, Cardi B and Rihanna, spurned the league’s offer to appear at the event as a show of solidarity with Colin Kaepernick. Kaepernick is a black player who accused the NFL of conspiring to keep teams from signing him over his protests of racism and police brutality during the national anthem played before games.

Rappers Travis Scott and Big Boi, as well as the pop group Maroon 5, eventually signed on to perform, but Scott and Maroon 5 agreed to appear only after the league agreed to make contributions to various charities.

 
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Super Bowl 53 is underway in Atlanta, with the New England Patriots once again trying to become American football champions and the Los Angeles Rams looking to stop them.

This is the third straight Super Bowl for the Patriots and the 11th time overall the team has played for the coveted Vince Lombardi Trophy. They lost last year’s game to the Philadelphia Eagles.

Many football fans say the Rams should not be playing. The team made it to the championship game after beating the New Orleans Saints two weeks ago in one of the most controversial playoff games in NFL history. If a referee had made a proper penalty call against the Rams late in that game, the Saints would likely be playing the Patriots today.

It’s the fourth appearance for the Rams, who last played in the Super Bowl in 2002 when they were defeated by the Patriots.  At that time the Rams were based in St. Louis.

The Super Bowl is one of the most-watched television events each year, as many Americans host or attend parties to watch the game.

President Donald Trump is no exception. He said he expects as many as 700 people at his Super Bowl party at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. The president is forecasting a Patriots win, saying the team has “great chemistry.”

For many, the commercials shown during breaks in the action are a bigger draw than the game itself.  Many companies roll out new television ads created especially for the big game, and they pay big money to get those ads in front of viewers. This year a 30-second advertising spot will cost more than $5 million, according to AdWeek.

The halftime show is also another big draw for many people. This year the NFL had some difficulty finding big-name performers for the show. Several performers, including Jay-Z, Cardi B and Rihanna, spurned the league’s offer to appear at the event as a show of solidarity with Colin Kaepernick. Kaepernick is a black player who accused the NFL of conspiring to keep teams from signing him over his protests of racism and police brutality during the national anthem played before games.

Rappers Travis Scott and Big Boi, as well as the pop group Maroon 5, eventually signed on to perform, but Scott and Maroon 5 agreed to appear only after the league agreed to make contributions to various charities.

 
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Spending a cold winter day at the beach is not something most people would choose to do … unless it is The Beach Chicago, where visitors can laugh at the weather. The peculiar art installation allows locals and tourists to stay warm during the abnormally cold temperatures. Reporter Yekaterina Yalovetskaya joined the beach-goers, and Anna Rice narrates her story.
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Spending a cold winter day at the beach is not something most people would choose to do … unless it is The Beach Chicago, where visitors can laugh at the weather. The peculiar art installation allows locals and tourists to stay warm during the abnormally cold temperatures. Reporter Yekaterina Yalovetskaya joined the beach-goers, and Anna Rice narrates her story.
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Egyptian archaeologists uncovered a tomb containing 50 mummies dating to the Ptolemaic era, in Minya, south of Cairo, the Ministry of Antiquities said Saturday.

The mummies, 12 of which were of children, were discovered inside four, 9-meter-deep burial chambers in the Tuna el-Gebel archaeological site.

The identities of the mummies aren’t known, said Mostafa Waziri, secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities.

“We have not found names written in hieroglyphics,” he said, adding it was obvious from the mummification method that the individuals whose remains were found had to some extent held important or prestigious positions. 

Visitors, including ambassadors from several countries, gathered at the discovery site, where 40 of the mummies were exhibited during the announcement ceremony.

Some of the mummies were found wrapped in linen while others had been placed in stone coffins or wooden sarcophagi.

The archaeological finding was the first of 2019 and was unearthed through a joint mission with the Research Center for Archaeological Studies of Minya University. 
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Egyptian archaeologists uncovered a tomb containing 50 mummies dating to the Ptolemaic era, in Minya, south of Cairo, the Ministry of Antiquities said Saturday.

The mummies, 12 of which were of children, were discovered inside four, 9-meter-deep burial chambers in the Tuna el-Gebel archaeological site.

The identities of the mummies aren’t known, said Mostafa Waziri, secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities.

“We have not found names written in hieroglyphics,” he said, adding it was obvious from the mummification method that the individuals whose remains were found had to some extent held important or prestigious positions. 

Visitors, including ambassadors from several countries, gathered at the discovery site, where 40 of the mummies were exhibited during the announcement ceremony.

Some of the mummies were found wrapped in linen while others had been placed in stone coffins or wooden sarcophagi.

The archaeological finding was the first of 2019 and was unearthed through a joint mission with the Research Center for Archaeological Studies of Minya University. 
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Historian Henry Louis Gates Jr. can trace the roots of his upcoming PBS documentary about the Reconstruction to his days in school, when he’d hear about the end of slavery during the Civil War, then virtually nothing about race relations until the civil rights movement in the middle of the 20th century.

“It led me to think: If Lincoln freed the slaves, why did we need a civil rights movement?” the Harvard University historian said at a news conference Saturday. 

The answer arrives April 9 with the Gates-produced, four-hour Reconstruction: America After the Civil War, which he hopes enlightens people about what he believes is one of the least understood periods of the nation’s history.

Freeing blacks in the South had a brief and dramatic impact on society. Within two years, about 80 percent of freed blacks in the former Confederacy were registered to vote — a greater participation level by percentage than blacks have today, Gates said.  

That scared whites in the South, and in the North, too, and led to a rollback in rights that lasted longer than the initial freedoms, he said. In 1898, more than 100,000 blacks voted in Louisiana. But because the state then restricted voting rights, 1,342 blacks voted six years later. 

 

Control of the message

Racist depictions of blacks took hold in the public imagination in large part because whites controlled the messaging, he said. The 1915 film Birth of a Nation, which glorified slavery and demonized freed blacks, has been seen by 240 million people, Gates said.

A fellow historian, Kimberle Crenshaw of the University of California-Los Angeles and Columbia University, said the U.S. Supreme Court was restrictive as well, changing the image of anti-discrimination laws into measures that gave blacks special treatment.

“The North won the Civil War, but the South won the narrative war,” Gates said, “and what we are trying to do is change that narrative.”
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It may be hard to believe as a large swath of the U.S. thaws out from a bitter polar vortex, but spring is coming early, according to handlers for some of the country’s most famous prognosticating groundhogs.

Just before 7:30 a.m. Saturday, Punxsutawney Phil emerged from his burrow in Pennsylvania at sunrise and didn’t see his shadow. Nearly the same series of events unfolded about 300 miles (483 kilometers) to the east, where Staten Island Chuck’s handlers also revealed the same prediction.

The festivities have their origin in a German legend that says if a furry rodent casts a shadow on Feb. 2, winter continues. If not, spring comes early.

In reality, Phil’s prediction is decided ahead of time by the group on Gobbler’s Knob, a tiny hill just outside Punxsutawney. That’s about 65 miles (105 kilometers) northeast of Pittsburgh.

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio stopped attending Staten Island’s Groundhog Day ceremony in 2015, a year after he accidentally dropped the furry critter that died a week later.

And he wasn’t the only New York City mayor who struggled with the holiday. Former Mayor Michael Bloomberg was bitten at a Groundhog Day ceremony in 2009.

 
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