(National Geographic)
Posted on 10/28/2013 7:28:04 PM PDT by SunkenCiv
Vocativ has learned that the Justice Department has opened a criminal bribery investigation into the prestigious nonprofit. At issue: Nat Geo's tangled relationship with Dr. Zahi Hawass, a world-famous Indiana Jones–type figure who for years served as the official gatekeeper to Egypt's glittering antiquities.
Beginning in 2001 and continuing for a decade, National Geographic paid the archaeologist between $80,000 and $200,000 a year for his expertise. The payments came at a time when the popularity of mummies and pharaohs was helping transform the 125-year-old explorer society into a juggernaut with multiple glossies, a publishing house and a television channel. But they also came as Hawass was still employed by the Egyptian government to oversee the country's priceless relics...
The Arab Spring was hard on Hawass. In 2011, he stepped down from his role as an explorer, after being promoted by the Egyptian government (the position made it illegal, he says, for him to accept lecture fees). But not long after the Mubarak regime collapsed, a court sentenced him to a year in prison on charges related to a museum gift shop contract. The ruling was overturned, but soon enough, Hawass was booted from government.
The Morsi era would spell even more trouble for the esteemed archaeologist -- as well as for National Geographic. Last year, an Egyptian court found that a Cleopatra exhibit sponsored by the society -- and agreed to by Hawass -- had to be returned to Egypt. The deal to ship antiquities out of the country, the court said, was illegal. Egyptian prosecutors also hit Hawass with a travel ban. That was eventually overturned, but the brouhaha is perhaps what brought Hawass' relationship with National Geographic to the attention of the US Justice Department.
(Excerpt) Read more at vocativ.com ...
(National Geographic)
The Rise and Fall and Rise of Zahi Hawass
The long-reigning king of Egyptian antiquities has been forced into exile — but he’s plotting a return
By Joshua Hammer
Smithsonian magazine, June 2013
“Morsi is worse than Mubarak, he doesn’t listen to the people,” Hawass told me, as his assistant brought in two cups of green tea. He is a burly man with a dominating manner and, despite his recent troubles, an air of total self-confidence. “What he did with the constitution is dictatorship. I always say give the opportunity to Muslim Brotherhood to rule. But they are not trained to rule....I think it is going to be civil war.”
couldn’t use this one, link only:
US investigates National Geographic over ‘corrupt payments’ to Egypt’s keeper of antiquities
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-investigates-national-geographic-over-corrupt-payments-to-egypts-keeper-of-antiquities-8909454.html
He’s my favorite honky.
Rand Slams Congress for Funding Egypt’s Generals:
‘How Does Your Conscience Feel Now?’
Foreign Policy | 15 Aug 2013 | John Hudson
Posted on 08/15/2013 5:44:10 PM PDT by Hoodat
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/3055253/posts
Sen. Rand Paul is hammering his fellow senators for keeping billions in financial aid flowing to Egypt’s military — even as Cairo’s security forces massacre anti-government activists.
[by “anti-government activists” is meant church-burning jihadists]
Maybe the Nat Geo hasn’t contributed enough money to the Democrats lately.
;’)
Yes, and Hawass was quickly turned into an opponent of the Islamofascist regime imposed by a minority with the support of the Islamofascist Obama regime.
Just what I was going to say. Hawass took good care of Egypt’s antiquities, and if the Muslim Brotherhood had remained in power they eventually would have destroyed it.
The only reason those antiquities survived was that they were under the sand during the time that the Muslim conquerors ruled Egypt.
The muzzies just want to shoot that stuff up. It needs to be taken away from them until they are exterminated.
I agree, but I’ve been in a summary-execution mood all night.
I agree — whatever Hawass’ numerous failings are, any activities of his suggestive of corruption still leave him looking like Mother Teresa compared with gubmint officials in Egypt or anywhere else in the Arab or Moslem world.
Islam seems to have ~1400 years of incorrigiblity history on its (down) side.
Anyone see that history channel special called something like the 20 greatest secrets of Egypt or something like that?
I can’t seem to find it right now.
But one of the great secrets was that the pyramids were possible only through organized labor?
That seems obvious but Hiwass took it further to say the workers had excellent healthcare benefits and used collective bargaining.
To me it seemed to set a new standard for the expression: “re-writing history”.
Gotta condo made-a stona!
Islamic Nazis... I *hate* these guys.
Let’s see, the US goes after Hawass and NatGeo for fly speck issues, while supporting the MB and Morsi and appointing MB members in the US governmemt. Hawass is happy that Morsi is overthrown and critical of the MB, what could possibly be going on here...
Another characteristic piece of revisionism is the nutty “no slavery in ancient Egypt” horsecrap — for years the regime has demanded that everyone who digs in Egypt regurgitates that line, and I defy you to find any documentary about ancient Egypt that has been shot in the past 20 years (in English anyway) where that doesn’t appear, even those with nothing at all about the pyramids.
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