Family on flight from St. Louis area killed in Alabama crash

• Crash happened on Saturday (9/7/2011) as family were flying from St Louis to Florida
• But 16-year-old Ashlei was too ill to fly on the plane so was not in the crash
• Rescuers took hours to recover bodies as the plane had to cool down
• Fred Teutenberg had been warned by his father to buy a newer plane

The Teutenbergs: Fred and Teressa are pictured in this family photo with their children Emma, Peyton, Ellie, Brendon and Will. Mrs Teutenberg's oldest child, Ashlei Bruewer, circled right, was not on the plane

Plane: The family were flying in a Cessna C421 similar to the one pictured and tried to land at an airport

 Family photos:

Terresa Teutenberg, a mother-of-five, is pictured with her children, before the fatal crash

Tragic: The children were returning to Florida with their parents after a family reunion in St. Louis, Missouri, on Saturday night when the crash happened

Gone: Searchers located the plane early Sunday morning and a coroner identified the dead family

Response team: Police and authorities attend the crash site in Alabama after the tragic accident on Saturday

A family of seven on board a small plane were killed when it crashed in Alabama after an engine failed - leaving behind a teenage daughter who was too sick to fly, authorities said.

The Teutenberg couple and their five young children were returning to Florida from a family reunion in St. Louis, Missouri, on Saturday night when the crash happened, authorities said.

Fred and Terresa Teutenberg died, but her oldest child, Ashlei Bruewer, 16, was not on the plane because she was too ill to fly at the time.

Ashlei lives in St. Louis and was planning to join her mother and stepfather in Florida, a coroner said.

Mr Teutenberg owned a software design and consulting company and his wife owned an academy.

They tried landing the Cessna C421 at an airport in Demopolis, Alabama, after it lost its right engine, but the plane crashed in a densely wooded area nearby.

The coroner identified the dead as Fred Teutenberg, 42; his wife, Terresa, 36; their daughter Emma, 2; son Peyton, 4; daughter Ellie, 6; son Brendon, 9; and son Will, 10.

They were from area of Destin, Florida.

Ashlei told the Northwest Florida Daily News that the children were 'bright and always laughing'.

'My mum was always smiling and extremely caring,' she said. 'My stepdad was a great dad and was always helping people in any way he could.'

Marengo County Coroner Stuart Eatmon said that relatives told him the Teutenbergs were flying back to Saturday so they could make it to church the next day.

‘I thought I had seen it all, up until this. I've seen small plane crashes with one person, but not a whole family,’ said Mr Eatmon, who was a paramedic for 23 years.

The plane was found upside-down and a wing had broken off - apparently as it crashed into trees. Searchers located it early on Sunday morning. The crash site is only accessible by all-terrain vehicle.

Official records show that the plane was built in 1978 and it is registered to Advanced Integrated Technology Solutions LLC in Niceville, Florida.

Mr Teutenberg ran a company of the same name. It was a software design and consulting firm, reported the New York Times.

A message left seeking comment from the company wasn't immediately returned.

Friends told The Northwest Florida Daily News that Fred Teutenberg did volunteer work and played bass guitar every Sunday with the church band at First United Methodist Church of Niceville.

'He not only played with our band, he played with other church bands elsewhere,' said Bob Webb, a friend and member of the church.

'He told me one time he even toured a while. So he had a lot of interests.'

Mr Eatmon told CNN that Mr Teutenberg was thought to have been flying the plane.

He also revealed that it took rescuers hours to recover the bodies from the wreckage because they had to wait for the plane to cool down.

Officials had to use an infra-red camera to locate the bodies which were burned 'beyond recognition'.

Nick Worrell, from the National Transportation Safety Board which is investigating the crash, revealed it would take a long time to investigate the incident because the wreckage was so deep in the woods.

Mrs Teutenberg owned Discovery Learning Academy in Bluewater Bay. An academy spokesman said she was an ‘excellent leader and role model’ and will be ‘greatly missed’ in the community.

Mr Eatmon spoke to Mr Teutenberg's father after the crash, who said he had been telling his son to buy a newer plane if he was going to fly with his family.

‘He told his dad the plane had two new engines,’ Mr Eatmon said.

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Source: Daily Mail, UK

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Top 5 treasures from around the world

The tomb of Tutankhamen

The discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun caused a sensation and raised the profile of Ancient Egypt with modern tourists and scholars. His tomb had been robbed at least twice before its discovery by Howard Carter but based on the items taken (including perishable oils and perfumes) and the evidence of restoration of the tomb it is likely that these robberies took place fairly soon after the pharaoh's burial. The tomb was probably saved from further incursions because its entrance was buried under debris and chips of stone excavated during the construction of other tombs (in particular KV 9 the burial of Rameses VI) and washed there during the infrequent floods which occasionally swept the area. It also seems that worker's accommodation was built above the location of the entrance during the Rameside period implying that the Egyptians themselves did not know there was a tomb beneath them.

Tutankhamun's tomb escaped the systematic clearance of tombs in the area conducted during the Twentieth Dynasty motivated in part by a desire to re-house the mummies of pharaohs in a few locations so that they could be better guarded and in part by a rather less worthy desire to recycle their precious grave goods. Thus because Tutankhamun was not included in the Abydos kings list, and his tomb entrance was lost below rubble and later habitations, it was relatively intact when it was re-discovered.

Theodore M. Davis and his team uncovered a small site (cache of Tutankhamun - KV 54) containing funerary artefacts bearing the cartouche of Tutankhamun in 1907. Shortly after he excavated the tomb of Horemheb (KV 57) which he assumed was also the tomb of Tutankhamun. In his book detailing his findings ("The Tombs of Harmhabi and Touatankhamanou") he famously states "I fear that the Valley of Kings is now exhausted". He was, of course very wrong.

Howard Carter was employed by Lord Carnarvon to search the area for any remaining tombs, but he did not narrow his search to the Tomb of Tutankhamun until he was running out of time. Carnarvon had made it clear that he would only fund one more year of excavations when Carter struck gold with his discovery of the tomb in 1922.

The tomb of Tutankhamun was one of the smaller tombs of the Valley of the Kings as Tutankhamun was a fairly minor king who had a very short reign. The tomb is located in an area not usually associated with royal burials perhaps because it may have originally been intended to be the tomb of his Vizier, Ay. It is suggested that KV 23 or KV 25 (in the West Valley of the Kings) may have originally been intended for his use but as these tombs were unfinished Tutankhamun was buried in KV 62 and Ay later took KV 23 after succeeding Tutankhamun as Pharaoh. Despite its small size, the tomb was crammed with beautiful artefacts, leading many to speculate on the wonders that would have been placed in the tomb of a pharaoh such as Ramesses II or Thuthmosis III. Over three thousand five hundred items were recovered from the burial of Tutankhamun, and many are breathtaking in their beauty and a testament to the skill of Egyptian craftsmen. However, it is now thought that more than half of the jewellery had been stolen from the tomb before it was opened by Howard Carter.

The tomb does not follow the design of the other pharaonic burials of the time. However, Howard Carter suggested that the layout, although apparently different from that of other New Kingdom tombs, replicated the lower sections of more traditional royal tombs. Sixteen steps descend to a sealed and plastered doorway (often erroneously alleged to be the location of the Curse of Tutankhamun). Beyond this doorway a single descending corridor led to a second sealed door and a rectangular antechamber with a small chamber leading off from the west wall. The doorway in the north end of the antechamber leads to a small burial chamber, the floor of which is around a metre lower than that of the preceding chamber. Another annex (the treasury) extends from the east wall of the burial chamber back towards the entrance.

The Dead Sea scrolls

Sections of the Dead Sea Scrolls on display at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem in 2008

The Dead Sea Scrolls are widely considered one of the greatest archaeological discoveries of our time. A priceless collection of 2,000-year-old documents that shed light onto a little-known period in religious history, the scrolls are some of the oldest surviving written documents in human history. Containing original texts from the Bible as well as writings that tell us about the laws and society of Jewish culture, the scrolls were discovered in a cave along the northwestern shore of the Dead Sea in 1947. Since then, they have prompted rigorous scholarly debate as to who their authors may have been, and they've given us a rare glimpse into what life was like around the time of Christ.
Don't miss your chance to experience this moving, engaging exhibition—one you'll always remember. And as a part of your visit, you'll also see the newest handwritten Bible—The Saint John's Bible—on display in the final gallery, and learn about a tradition that continues to the present day.

Bactrian Gold, Afghanistan

 

During Afghanistan's civil war in the 1990s, the National Museum outside Kabul was literally on the front line, repeatedly attacked by rocket fire and looted by warlords. Then, during the reign of the fundamentalist Taliban regime, all non-Islamic statues and tombs were ordered destroyed. This led to the loss of two-thirds of the hundred thousand items in the Kabul museum. The Taliban was forced from Kabul after the U.S. military intervention in Afghanistan in late 2001. Before then, the Taliban's culture minister supervised the destruction of many of the remaining exhibits at the museum.

What the Taliban didn't know was that many of the most magnificent objects had already been spirited away. More than 25 years ago museum staff had hidden the treasures as the bombs started to fall. (See photos of the Afghanistan museum treasures.)

The Afghanistan government found the hidden treasure boxes in 2003 and made the announcement on August 25, 2003. It quickly asked for international assistance in conducting an inventory of the artifacts. The work was done in April, May, and June of that year.

Earlier this year a safecracking at a presidential palace vault in downtown Kabul revealed that the entire trove was intact. Now an inventory project funded by the National Geographic Society has catalogued the more than 22,000 objects. The collection includes exquisite ivory statues and 2,500 years' worth of gold and silver coins.

The discovery is a ray of hope in the quest to restore Afghanistan's cultural heritage, most of which has been destroyed forever by decades of war and looting.

"By the end of the Taliban's reign, most of us thought there was nothing left—just destruction and despair," National Geographic Fellow Fredrik Hiebert said. Hiebert led the inventory project with support from National Geographic and the U.S. National Endowment for the Humanities.

Bactrian Gold

Although virtually unknown to the world public, Afghanistan's cultural heritage is one of the world's richest. Afghanistan was for a long time a cultural crossroads. The lost treasure represents a Silk Road melting pot of precious objects from China, India, Egypt, Greece, Rome, and ancient Afghanistan.

Perhaps the most important of the lost treasures were the famed Bactrian gold pieces, great icons of Afghanistan's cultural heritage. The hoard—discovered in the fall of 1978 by Soviet archaeologists—included more than 20,000 gold objects from the 2,000-year-old Silk Road culture of Bactria, an ancient nation that covered parts of what is now Afghanistan.

The inventory that was done this year was led by Hiebert and a team of 18 Afghans, including museum director Omara Khan Masoodi, and U.S. scholar Carla Grissman. They made a full accounting of the entire collection, first describing each artifact in both English and the local Dari language, then photographing them, and finally repackaging the objects.

Nimrud Treasure, Iraq

Iraq regains gold earrings from the treasure of Nimrod .. After it was on the verge of selling in New YorkQuestions about how and access to the United States after having been saved in the Central Bank vaults24/08/2010 Treasures of Nimrud have displayed for a short time in the Iraq Museum in 2003 after the overthrow of the former Iraqi regime Baghdad : Huda Jassim, Washington: Mina Al-Oraibi London: «Middle East »- The Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities of Iraq Iraq's restoration of gold earrings dating to the time of the Assyrian ( 934-608 BC) after it was on the verge of selling at auction at Christie's in New York.

Said Abdul-Zahra Tlghani , media advisor to the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities , told «Middle East» It has been restored « gold earrings recently , part of the Archives of Iraq, has been auctioned off after the discovery of its presence in the United States » .

However, the Iraqi official denied knowing about how to access these earrings, which is one of the treasures of Nimrud , which keeps Iraq in the coffers of the Central Bank of Iraq, but he stressed that Iraq still retains a lot of archives , including the treasure of Nimrod « somewhere very safe » . The newspaper « Daily Telegraph » British pointed out that the artifact, dating to more than 3000 years , is one of the many antiquities that were stolen after the overthrow of former Iraqi regime.

Remember the paper that the earrings are part of the treasures of Nimrud , amounting to about 613 pieces of gold and jewelry found in 1988 in two graves and return one for the Queen of Assyrian and one for the princess in the city of Nimrud archaeological capital of the Assyrians , in northern Iraq , where the city of Mosul and around today. And keep the former regime, this treasure the archaeological treasures of Central Bank of Iraq in 1991 during the Iraq war , which erupted after the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, and since then has not presented this treasure anywhere, while the reports spoke Iraq that Sajida Khairallah , wife of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein had been seen once , wearing a golden coins from the treasure .

The newspaper quoted British Donny George, an archaeologist of Iraq and Chairman of the Iraqi antiquities before, before settling in the United States in 2005 , he distinguished those earrings , upon seeing me, and said that he took his own photographs of the objects, archaeological have found more than two decades of Time.

Christie did not reveal the identity of the seller as he did not comment on the matter.

It is known that « Department of Immigration and Customs » U.S. responsible for monitoring and recovery of stolen antiquities .

According to the department responsible for the «Middle East » gold earrings that were returned to Iraq in the group of 6 Effects of the U.S. authorities have retrieved during the final months of last year and handed over to the Iraqi Embassy in Washington in February (February ) last year. The Assistant Director of « Department of Immigration and Customs » John Morton at the ceremony on time : « It is a great honor to restore to the Iraqi people on behalf of the American people, this group of cultural treasures that reflect the history of (Iraq), rich in history and civilization » .

Recognized earrings, dating back to the eight decades before the date to the Iraqi authorities with a range of effects that were stolen from Iraq and were seized in the United States , including a Roman coin dating back to 250 years BC. And stresses the « Department of Immigration and Customs » continue its work to recover pieces stolen Iraqi , but there are problems in identifying the stolen objects , since a large number of them are already monitored . It is noteworthy that the Service is part of a wider process of the Ministry of « Homeland Security » U.S. to monitor the stolen items , which usually try to Sarkoha sold through auction to be held in New York , one of the most important centers of auctions in the world.

 
The Domus Aurea, Rome

This enormous complex construction (50 hectares) compound of palaces, gardens and lake was erected by two architects of emperor Nero, Severus and Celerus, after the fire of Rome in 64 A.D. and expanded from the slopes of the Celian and Palatine till the Oppian and Esquiline Hills. The main part of the palace was on the site of the Palace of Tiberius and Caligula (Palazzo di Tiberio e di Caligola) on the Palatine Hill; the gardens with the lake were in the valley now occupied by the Colosseum. Immediately after the death of tyrant, to who the fire of Rome was assigned, the huge area that was occupied by his patrimony was restored to the city.

Domus Aurea (Nero’s Golden House) was the largest and most sumptuous of the imperial residences extending from the Palatine Hill as far as the Colle Oppio and part of the Caelius Mountain covering about one square mile. It included an artificial lake, gardens, and a wood. The architects were Severus and Celeris,while the paintings were by a certain Fabullus or Famulus. The rooms were finely decorated and enriched by many statues that came from Greece and Asia Minor.

In 72 Vespasian obliterated the lake to build the Colosseum; Domitian built on the site of the buried palace on the Palatine his own palaces; Trajan destroyed the houses on the Oppian to build his baths; Hadrian built his Temple of Venus and Rome on the place of the vestibule, where formerly the statue of Nero stood, and moved it in front of the Colosseum.

The remains of the Domus Aurea villa include a nymphaeum, with the vault mosaics, and a long cryptoporticus decorated with grotesques. Successively the Thermae Traiani were built on the Domus Aurea after filling in its rooms and plugging its accesses. The building of the Thermae allowed the conservation of some rooms of the Domus Aurea up to our times. Ever since its discovery during the Renaissance, many artists, who put their signatures high up on the walls where they can still be seen today, let themselves down into the caves of the underground rooms of the Domus Aurea to copy the paintings on the vaults by candlelight. The main core of the Domus Aurea consists of two pentagonal courtyards that act as a connection between the western and the eastern sectors. There is a large octagonal room between the courtyards with a pavilion vault that according to Svetonius revolved unceasingly day and night.

Because of its underground position, the halls of the palace were explored as the caves or grottoes by the Renaissance artists (Pinturicchio, Ghirlandaio, G.da Udine), who imitated the strange paintings and forms of vegetables and animals found here in their own works, and gave the name to this kind of artistic style "grotesques" (it. "grottesche"). The walls were decorated up to a certain level with marble slabs now lost, while the upper part and the ceilings were decorated with paintings and stuccoes of mythical figures (Achilles and Scirus, Ulysses and Polyphemus, Hector and Andromache). The rooms are now dark and gloomy (all the openings having been plugged for the construction of the thermae rising above), but originally light was the predominant feature when all the rooms were open on the portico that offered a fine view of the valley with its artificial lake and the gardens that surrounded it.

The famous group Laocoon was found here in the 16th century (now in Vatican Museums). Most of the rooms of the Domus Aurea had fresco, stucco and mosaic decorations. "Nero gave the best parties, ever," archaeologist Wallace-Hadrill told an interviewer when the Golden House was reopened to visitors in 1999 after being closed for years for restorations. "Three hundred years after his death, tokens bearing his head were still being given out at public spectacles - a memento of the greatest showman of them all." Nero, who was obsessed with his status as an artist, certainly regarded parties as works of art. His official party planner was Petronius.

Latest Treasure:

Kerala temple treasure is worth Rs 5 lakh crore?

The valuables found in the secret cellars of Kerala's famous Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple could be worth Rs 5 lakh crore, believes former chief secretary of Kerala CP Nair.

As per a report, Thursday, the former bureaucrat claims that the estimated market value of the treasures unearthed from the temple makes it the richest temple in the world. Separately, R Ramachandran Nair, another former chief secretary, told reporters that articles, ornaments and other precious stones recovered from the temple are its exclusive property and no one has any right over them.

“The Maharaja is the Trustee of the temple and hence the official custodian of the wealth. The royal family has not touched a single paisa from these offerings. Neither the government nor the politicians can interfere with these offerings in any manner,” Nair added. Breaking its silence on the issue, the Kerala government has also declared that that the valuables belong to the temple and should be preserved there.

However, a final decision in this regard would be made by the Supreme Court, which had constituted a seven-member panel to prepare a detailed inventory of the articles, valuables and ornaments found from the temple's treasure trove. The SC-appointed panel includes two former high court judges. Yesterday, the apex court had ordered the videography of the inventory and asked those involved in the exercise to desist from speaking to the media. So far, five out of the six secret cellars had been opened by the panel and the articles found from there have been duly enlisted.

The decision on opening the remaining cellar would be taken on Friday after further discussions, sources from the temple said. However, members of the Travancore Royal Family have kept a low profile on the findings. More than the value of the treasures unearthed, what is interesting is the strange ties the Royal family shares with Lord Padmanabha and the temple.

All Maharajas who have ruled Travancore were known as Padmanabha Daasa (servants of Lord Padmanabha). Princess Gouri Lakshmi Bai, the niece of Uthradam Thirunal Marthanda Varma, the present title holder of the erstwhile Travancore State, said it was not proper to describe the findings in the chambers as treasure. “It is offerings made by the Lord’s devotees and hence it is his wealth. They are not treasures,” she said.

Though the exact date on which the temple was consecrated is not known, there are official records dating back to 910 AD. “There are records indicating offerings made by Raja Raja Cholan and Krishna Devaraya of the Vijayanagaram Empire,” said Ramachandran Nair.

Interestingly, the Padmanabha Swamy temple, which has a distinct Dravidian architecture, stands near an Arya Samaj office, where non-Hindus can get converted to Hinduism by paying a nominal amount of Rs 50, so that they too can worship in the temple.

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The feisty Indian kings and their temple treasure

What do we know about the Indian kings who presided over the Kerala temple where an extraordinary treasure trove has reportedly been found?

Sri Padmanabha Swamy temple in South India

The royal family of India's erstwhile southern kingdom of Travancore has a long history of resistance. A year before independence in 1947, the kingdom - one of more than 500 princely states - raised the banner of revolt and demanded freedom for itself.

"Travancore will become an independent country," a feisty representative said in 1946. "There was no particular reason why we should be in a worse position than Denmark, Switzerland and Siam." It was no empty talk from a proud dynasty. They downed a Dutch fleet in 1741, a rare example of an Asian state inflicting a naval defeat on a European power.

But finally, under immense pressure, the kingdom relented and joined India. One of the things the family was allowed to retain was its magnificent 16th Century Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple . Wild speculation

So, many are not surprised that existing members of the former royal family contested a petition of a devotee in the Supreme Court seeking a state takeover of the showpiece temple on the grounds that its controllers were incapable of protecting its riches. India's highest court ordered a count of the temple's wealth - and this has triggered off a tsunami of wild speculation.

The media is awash with wildly speculative reports about the treasures buried in the temple's six underground vaults. They talk about "very old gold chains, diamonds and precious stones which cannot be valued in terms of money".

One report talks of 450 golden pots, 2,000 rubies and jewel-studded crowns, 400 gold chairs and the statue of a deity studded with 1,000 diamonds. Apparently, all this amounted to 65 "treasure sacks" which could be worth some $20bn - more than India's annual education budget. The truth is that all of this is speculation, and the people who were sent to value the riches have been told to submit the inventory and its value to the court.

Still, it is reasonably clear that like many thriving temples in India, the Sree Padmanabhaswamy in Kerala's capital Trivandrum contains considerable wealth. These are proceeds from what one historian calls "taxes, gifts from devotees, bribes and looted wealth of conquered states". One indicator is a report from 1931 when at least one vault of the temple was opened for an inventory. (Again, contrary to many reports this is not the first time the vaults of the temple have been opened.)

A bit of drama accompanied the opening of the vault then. The rusting locks were broken after a two-and-a-half hour effort and an ambulance waited outside to attend to any "emergency". Floodlights and torches lit up the place, and fans pumped air into the vaults. Officials found "four chests made of brass which contained old coins"; a "granary-like thing" full of gold and silver coins; gold pots; and a six-chamber wooden chest full of diamonds, rubies, emeralds and other precious stones. They also found more than 300 gold pots. The 1931 report talks about four such cellars.

In 1933, Emily Gilchrist Hatch wrote a travel guide for Travancore. She recorded that the "temple had a vast amount of wealth lain in vaults". She wrote that 25 years earlier, temple authorities would open the vaults and use the wealth "when the state required additional money". Ms Hatch walked the thin line between fact and fiction when she wrote that a group of people tried to enter the vaults once, found it "infested with cobras" and fled. When I related this to historian friends, they laughed heartily. Benefactor royals

Historians, like MG Sasibhooshan who has written a history of the temple, say it is no surprise that the Sree Padmanabhaswamy is a rich temple.

The Travancore ruling family follows a matrilineal tradition. So there was no dowry going out for grooms' families when the dynasty's girls got married, and money remained in the family. The dynasty was also hailed as a progressive one among India's princely states. It introduced English education in the state in the early 19th Century (the first kingdom in southern India to do so), opened the gates of all temples - including Sree Padmanabhaswamy - to the lower castes and untouchables in 1936, and abolished capital punishment in 1946. (Of course, this was reinstated after India became independent the following year.)

The current Maharajah of Travancore has been the managing trustee of the temple

Challenged by the missionaries, the dynasty opened a number of their own schools. The kingdom paid for the education of a poor Dalit [untouchable] boy called KR Narayanan and funded his scholarship to London School of Economics. Mr Narayanan became the first Dalit president of India in 1997. In 1956, royal family members invested in an English trading company and acquired it in 1971 when the English company divested its holdings. The family's links with Britain endure - historian MG Sasibhooshan says the company still supplies pepper to Buckingham Palace.

So who does the much talked-about treasure of Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple belong to? Many argue such wealth belongs to the people now and indeed all such wealth could be used for public good.

Kerala's chief minister has said the wealth belongs to the temple, something which many historians agree with. The temple, they say, is a private family property. There are still others who believe that the wealth comes under the purview of an antiquated colonial law called the Indian Treasure Trove Act, dating back to 1878, which says that when any treasure "exceeding in amount of value 10 rupees is found", the finder should inform the authorities, who in turn would try to trace its owners. So will the erstwhile rulers of Travancore retain their treasure they believe rightfully belongs to them?

Source: BBC News


Secret Vault B in Kerala temple won't be opened today

Thiruvananthapuram: Huge security had been lined up at Kerala's Padmanabhaswamy temple this morning for the much-anticipated opening of the secret "Vault B." However, at the last minute, the Supreme Court in Delhi postponed the procedure, because of conflicting views on whether the contents of the vault should be photographed. The court will discuss Vault B on July 14.

The temple in Kerala's capital, Thiruvananthapuram, honours Lord Vishnu and has become world-famous in the last few weeks because of the jaw-dropping treasure that has been found in its secret chambers. Gold, silver, diamonds and other jewelry adding upto 1 lakh crores were found in five of the six vaults at the temple. Most of the valuables are believed to have been deposited by the Travancore royal family.

The secret chambers are being opened under close supervision of retired judges and members of the temple trust after a local lawyer challenged the security and management of the temple.

24-hour security and a special police control room have been set up by the Kerala government to guard the temple.

Earlier this week, the Supreme Court ordered that the treasure will be photographed and filmed, though the images are to be used for recording the valuables and not for public consumption. However, descendants of the royal family, some of who are trustees of the temple, are worried that filming the temple, and in particular the idols, violates religious sentiment and protocol.

Read more at: http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/secret-vault-b-in-kerala-temple-wont-be-opened-today-117688&cp

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Source: NDTV News

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Top 6 most famous deserts in the world

1. Namib Desert. Namibia. Oldest deserts in the world

The desert occupies an area of around 80 900 km² (31 200 square miles), stretching about 1000 miles (1,600 km) along the Atlantic Ocean coast of Namibia. Its east-west width varies from 30 to 100 miles (50-160 km). The Namib Desert also reaches into southwest Angola. It is one of the 500 distinct physiographic provinces of the South African Platform physiographic division.

Having endured arid or semi-arid conditions for at least 55 million years, it is considered to be the oldest desert in the world. The Namib's aridity is caused by the descent of dry air of the Hadley Cell, cooled by the cold Benguela current along the coast. It has less than 10 mm (0.4 inches) of rain annually and is almost completely barren.

A number of unusual species of plants and animals are found only in this desert. One of these is Welwitschia mirabilis, one of the most unusual species. Welwitschia is a shrub-like plant, but grows just two long strap-shaped leaves continuously throughout its lifetime. These leaves may be several meters long, gnarled and twisted from the desert winds. The taproot of the plant develops into a flat, concave disc in age. Welwitschia is notable for its survival in the extremely arid conditions in the Namib, sometimes deriving moisture from the coastal sea fogs.

Although the desert is largely unpopulated and inaccessible, there are year-round settlements at Sesriem, close to the famous Sossusvlei and a huge group of sand dunes, which at more than 300 meters high are among the tallest sand dunes in the world. The complexity and regularity of dune patterns in its dune sea have attracted the attention of geologists for decades. They still remain poorly understood.

2. Desert Uyuni. Bolivia. Most salt desert in the world

James, Marie, and I teamed up with Damian and Nevina, a couple from England, and another American, Jordan, to round out our group of 6 needed to fill a Toyota Landcruiser and take our tour of the Salar. And it was ABSOLUTELY AMAZING! The first day lead us to a very poor village that subsists soley by mining salt. And at $1 per 110 lb. bag, it's a lot of work for almost nothing. Next we visited the Salt Hotel, a real hotel in the middle of nowhere constucted entirely of salt blocks. From there, we had lunch on a very unusual desert island and to end the day, we took the most unusual photos our creative minds could muster.

Day two took us through more desert and fantastic scenery and we finsished day three by visiting geysers and thermal springs before everyone in my group got dropped off and took a bus to Chile and I returned alone with the guide to Uyuni. I think the pictures convey this adventure quite clearly so take some time and check them out... there a lot of em! The worst part of this excursion was tolerating the cold at night and in the morning. The desert sits at 12,000 feet (3600m) and some parts of the tour took us to nearly 15,500 feet (4700m). Temperatures at night fell to -5 degrees F (-20 C). To combat the cold on night 2, we filled empty water bottles with hot water and slept with those... that seemed to do the trick. But keeping feet warm in the truck and exploring various sights was a challenge.

Now, I am off to La Paz, the highest capital city in the world... again at about 12,000 feet. Thanks James, Marie, Jordan, Damian & Nevina for the great company. Good luck with the rest of your travels.

3. Youngest desert in the world

Aralkum is the name given to the new desert that has appeared on the seabed once occupied by the Aral Sea. It lies to the south and east of what remains of the Aral Sea in Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. Although the level of the Aral Sea has fluctuated over its existence, the most recent level drop was caused by the former Soviet Union building massive irrigation projects in the region. The consequent severely reduced inflow subsequently caused the water level in the Aral Sea to drop. Although the North Aral Sea is presently rising, the South Aral Sea is still dropping, thus expanding the size of the desert. The sands of the Aralkum are made up of a salt-marsh consisting of finely-dispersed sea depositions and remnants of mineral deposits, washed away from irrigated fields. The dusts which originate from it contain pollutants. The desert's location on a powerful east-west airstream has resulted in pesticides in the dust being found in the blood of penguins in Antarctica. Aral dust has also been found in the glaciers of Greenland, the forests of Norway, and the fields of Russia.

4. Desert Kakros. Canada. Smallest desert in the world

Smallest desert in the world in just 2.6 square kilometers and, strictly speaking, this is not a desert. Despite the fact that the climate is much drier than in the surrounding countryside, the rains here all the same happen. In the late 90-ies of the last century, local authorities made an attempt to make the desert sanctuary, but faced strong opposition of local residents who have long since adapted the place as a site for picnics, off of the roads and riding a board with the dune.

5. Sahara. North Africa. The largest desert in the world

The size of the Sahara, which occupies most of North Africa, comparable to the European continent, or U.S. territory. It covers an area of 9 million square kilometers and covers 11 African countries. Here in 1922 was the highest recorded temperature – 57.8 degrees Celsius. Every year in the Sahara there is more than 160 mirages. For travelers, even composed a special card through which you can find out exactly where most likely you can see the mirages of the well, palm groves of the oases and mountain ranges.

6. Atacama Desert. Chile. Driest desert in the world

Prior to the Atacama desert, sandwiched between the Andes and the Cordillera, does not get hardly any rain cloud. Precipitation is not seen for several years, and some meteorological stations have never recorded a drop of rain for all of its existence. Drought, such that the local mountain peaks, reaching a height of no less than 6500 meters, are deprived of snowpacks.

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Benefits of Eating Bananas Everyday in Routine Life

Bananas contain three natural sugars - sucrose, fructose and glucose combined with fiber. A banana gives an instant, sustained and substantial boost of energy.

Research has proven that just two bananas provide enough energy for a strenuous 90-minute workout. No wonder the banana is the number one fruit with the world's leading athletes. But energy isn't the only way a banana can help us keep fit. It can also help overcome or prevent a substantial number of illnesses and conditions, making it a must to add to our daily diet.

Depression: According to a recent survey undertaken by MIND amongst people suffering from depression, many felt much better after eating a banana. This is because bananas contain tryptophan, a type of protein that the body converts into serotonin, known to make you relax, improve your mood and generally make you feel happier.

PMS: Forget the pills - eat a banana. The vitamin B6 it contains regulates blood glucose levels, which can affect your mood.

Anemia: High in iron, bananas can stimulate the production of hemoglobin in the blood and so helps in cases of anemia.

Blood Pressure: This unique tropical fruit is extremely high in potassium yet low in salt, making it perfect to beat blood pressure. So much so, the US Food and Drug Administration has just allowed the banana industry to make official claims for the fruit's ability to reduce the risk of blood pressure and stroke.

Brain Power: 200 students at a Twickenham (Middlesex) school were helped through their exams this year by eating bananas at breakfast, break, and lunch in a bid to boost their brain power. Research has shown that the potassium-packed fruit can assist learning by making pupils more alert.

Constipation: High in fiber, including bananas in the diet can help restore normal bowel action, helping to overcome the problem without resorting to laxatives.

Hangovers: One of the quickest ways of curing a hangover is to make a banana milkshake, sweetened with honey. The banana calms the stomach and, with the help of the honey, builds up depleted blood sugar levels, while the milk soothes and re-hydrates your system.

Heartburn: Bananas have a natural antacid effect in the body, so if you suffer from heartburn, try eating a banana for soothing relief.

Morning Sickness: Snacking on bananas between meals helps to keep blood sugar levels up and avoid morning sickness.

Mosquito bites: Before reaching for the insect bite cream, try rubbing the affected area with the inside of a banana skin. Many people find it amazingly successful at reducing swelling and irritation.

Nerves: Bananas are high in B vitamins that help calm the nervous system.

Overweight and at work? Studies at the Institute of Psychology in Austria found pressure at work leads to gorging on comfort food like chocolate and crisps. Looking at 5,000 hospital patients, researchers found the most obese were more likely to be in high-pressure jobs. The report concluded that, to avoid panic-induced food cravings, we need to control our blood sugar levels by snacking on high carbohydrate foods every two hours to keep levels steady.

Ulcers: The banana is used as the dietary food against intestinal disorders because of its soft texture and smoothness. It is the only raw fruit that can be eaten without distress in over-chronicler cases. It also neutralizes over-acidity and reduces irritation by coating the lining of the stomach.

Temperature control: Many other cultures see bananas as a "cooling" fruit that can lower both the physical and emotional temperature of expectant mothers. In Thailand , for example, pregnant women eat bananas to ensure their baby is born with a cool temperature.

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD): Bananas can help SAD sufferers because they contain the natural mood enhancer tryptophan.

Smoking & Tobacco Use: Bananas can also help people trying to give up smoking. The B6, B12 they contain, as well as the potassiu! m and ma gnesium found in them, help the body recover from the effects of nicotine withdrawal.

Stress: Potassium is a vital mineral, which helps normalize the heartbeat, sends oxygen to the brain and regulates your body's water balance. When we are stressed, our metabolic rate rises, thereby reducing our potassium levels. These can be rebalanced with the help of a high-potassium banana snack.

Strokes: According to research in "The New England Journal of Medicine, 'eating bananas as part of a regular diet can cut the risk of death by strokes by as much as 40%!

Warts: Those keen on natural alternatives swear that if you want to kill off a wart, take a piece of banana skin and place it on the wart, with the yellow side out. Carefully hold the skin in place with a plaster or surgical tape!

So, a banana really is a natural remedy for many ills. When you compare it to an apple, it has four times the protein, twice the carbohydrate, three times the phosphorus, five times the vitamin A and iron, and twice the other vitamins and minerals. It is also rich in potassium and is one of the best value foods around So maybe its time to change that well-known phrase so that we say,

"A banana a day keeps the doctor away!"

NOTE: Never, put banana in the refrigerator!!!

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Increase your cable modem or DSL speed in XP

This tweak is for broadband cable connections on stand alone machines with winXP professional version - might work on Home version also. It will probably work with networked machines as well but I haven't tried it in that configuration. This is for windows XP only.

This tweak assumes that you have let winXP create a connection on install for your cable modem/NIC combination and that your connection has tcp/ip - QoS - file and print sharing - and client for microsoft networks , only, installed. It also assumes that winxp will detect your NIC and has in-box drivers for it. If it doesn't do not try this. In the "My Network Places" properties (right click on the desktop icon and choose properties), highlight the connection then at the menu bar choose "Advanced" then "Advanced Settings". Uncheck the two boxes in the lower half for the bindings for File and Printer sharing and Client for MS networks. Click OK

1. From the windows XP cd in the support directory from the support cab, extract the file netcap.exe and place it in a directory on your hard drive or even in the root of your C:\ drive.

2. Next, open up a command prompt window and change directories to where you put netcap.exe. then type "netcap/?". It will list some commands that are available for netcap and a netmon driver will be installed. At the bottom you will see your adapters. You should see two of them if using a 3Com card. One will be for LAN and the other will be for WAN something or other.

3. Next type "netcap/Remove". This will remove the netmon driver.

4. Open up control panel / system / dev man and look at your network adapters. You should now see two of them and one will have a yellow ! on it. Right click on the one without the yellow ! and choose uninstall. YES! you are uninstalling your network adapter, continue with the uninstall. Do not restart yet.

5. Check your connection properties to make sure that no connection exists. If you get a wizard just cancel out of it.

6. Now re-start the machine.

7. After re-start go to your connection properties again and you should have a new connection called "Local area connection 2". highlight the connection then at the menu bar choose "Advanced" then "Advanced Settings". Uncheck the two boxes in the lower half for the bindings for File and Printer sharing and Client for MS networks. Click OK.

8. Choose connection properties and uncheck the "QOS" box

9. Re-start the machine

10. After restart enjoy the increased responsiveness of IE, faster page loading, and a connection speed boost.

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