One iconic photo may turn the tide

on the world's apathy toward the crisis in Syria and the horrors and desperation there.

That Little Syrian Boy: Here's Who He Was

This is so incredibly sad

Khaled al-Asaad, The Martyr Of Palmyra

A second ancient temple at Palmyra has been razed, with a satellite image appearing to confirm the destruction of the Temple of Bel, previously one of the best-preserved parts of the ancient city.

The revelation follows the release of images by Islamic State last week showing the Baalshamin temple had been blown up.

IS militants seized control of Palmyra in May, sparking fears for the 2,000-year-old World Heritage site. Ancient ruins are not all that has been lost.

Khaled al-Asaad, the 81-year old former director of the world-renowned archaeological site at Palmyra in Syria, was beheaded in August. His body was hung on a street corner by Islamic State for everyone to see.

Prior to his death, al-Asaad and his son Walid, the current director of antiquities, had been detained for a month. They had been tortured as their captors tried to extract information about where treasures were to be found.

Walid’s fate remains unknown.

Disturbing

MSF-backed hospitals treated Syria 'chemical victims'

Medecins Sans Frontieres says hospitals it supports in Syria treated about 3,600 patients with "neurotoxic symptoms", of whom 355 have died.

The medical charity said the patients had arrived in three hospitals in the Damascus area on 21 August - when opposition activists say chemical attacks were launched against rebels.

But MSF says it cannot "scientifically confirm" the use of chemical weapons.

Both sides in the conflict accuse each other of using them.

Exciting archaeology news

Lost city in Syria predates the wheel: Archaeologists find evidence of copper trade and social elite

So far, they have unearthed evidence of the society's trade in obsidian and production and development of copper processing, as well as the existence of a social elite that used stone seals to mark ownership of goods and culturally significant items.

The evidence here supports what archaeologists had long surmised, that the Ubaid people were among the first in the Middle East to experience division of social groups according to power and wealth.

"The project addresses questions not only of how such societies emerged but how they were sustained and flourished," said John Yellen, program director for archaeology at the National Science Foundation, which provided funding for the research.

The site is known at Tell Zeidan (a tell is a mound; many buried cities are found under tells). The University of Chicago's Oriental Institute and Syrian archaeologists are collaborating to study the site.

I always wanted to be an archaeologist. Maybe I should have pursued that instead of history and sociology. Frankly, though, I could never imagine digging out in a desert or traipsing through the Amazon, with my constitution, and that was the main reason it was something to keep up with from the armchair, but not to pursue as a career. Thankfully I have National Geographic, Archaeology, and other sorts of resources to read. :)

News of interest

FACT CHECK: McCain persists in exaggerations

Obama assassination plot thwarted

US crossing more borders in terror war?: The alleged incursions into Syria, and previously into Pakistan, could be risky

International law and boundaries just don't seem to matter to the Bush Administration

US Forces Reportedly Strike Inside Syria:


This 9 days before the election. I hope this goes no further than Syrian protests. I mean, attacking other countries is generally considered an act of war. Nevermind overextending the military, let's fight on as many fronts as possible, right? Who cares about whether we have to go into another country or not? We're Americans; we can do anything we want. What a mentality. Gods, I hope that some cooler heads get put in office before our country goes belly up in terms of international support. It's no wonder the world thinks we're a bunch of cowboys.