Free Republic

March 15, 2003 Archaeologists discover Pharaonic temple in Western Desert     Archaeologists discovered the ruins of a Pharaonic temple in Egypt?s Western Desert that will help increase their knowledge of oases in ancient times. ?Now destroyed and buried in sand in the middle of the desert, this temple which was about 20 meters (66 feet) long is located 140 kilometers (85 miles) from Siwa on the banks of an ancient abandoned oasis,? Italian Egyptologist Paolo Gallo told AFP.     "The major deities of the Egypt and Egyptian pantheon are represented in very beautiful painted relief on blocks from the...

The headquarters of the U.S. Fifth Fleet is in Bahrain. Iran does not need to employ its air force against the U.S. naval facility, but only to topple the pro-American regime of the al-Khalifa family and replace it with a new Bahraini regime backed by the Shi’a majority which seeks the immediate withdrawal of the fleet. Even more worrisome for the U.S. is the fact that the Shi’a protest could easily expand to the neighboring eastern Saudi shore of Al-Ahsaa where most of the population is also Shi'a.

LONDON - Michael Jackson has returned to the studio and plans to release a new album next year for a record label owned by the son of Bahrain's king. 2 Seas Records, which is owned by Sheik Abdulla bin Hamad Al Khalifa, said Tuesday it had signed an exclusive recording agreement with Jackson, and the new album was tentatively scheduled for release in late 2007. Jackson, 47, moved to the Gulf state soon after being acquitted of child molestation charges in California last year. The 33-island archipelago is about the size of Rhode Island. "I am incredibly excited about my...