Dr. Hawass: Then myself and the Minister of Culture went to the Parliament and we talked to them that this time really we need to send King Tut and we can make money for the restoration of the monuments. Then we gave the exhibit to Basel (Switzerland), and after that to Bonn (Germany) and after that we made a deal with the AEG and the Art and Exhibitions to take the exhibit and support it by the National Geographic and I have to tell you I think this exhibit, it is the best that has ever happened in history because if you think that everyone in Los Angeles is paying $30, and there is only a few thousand less that 1 million visitors, and when it was $1, 26 years ago, it was million, two hundred thousand visitors who saw the exhibit, and so actually this is the most fantastic exhibit to ever happen in history. Its going after the Los Angeles opening now, this is the first time for King Tut to come to Ft. Lauderdale, its going after that to Chicago, at the Field Museum, and after that it will go to Philadelphia. And I really picked towns like Philadelphia which are very special to me, I lived several years, obtained my doctorate from there, and after that it will go to England. And I'm thinking, since it became very popular in this country, I'm thinking after England to return it back, maybe for three cities, I did not decide yet. But actually if we are making now $9 million a city, and that really I can use to do lots of good work now for the first time in Egypt.
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He doesn't stop talking long enough to take a breath, does he?
He is a busy man, and gives a running commentary all along. Is somebody recording all this? He is probably running 10,000 threads simultanously.
I've changed my mind about going to see the King Tut thing in Chicago, I've read that, though impressive, it's a definite letdown. Now, if Zahi "Zowie" Hawass were to turn up...