Lost ancient underwater city revealed

Underwater archaeologist looking at a large statue of the god Hapi, god of the flooding, discovered in front of the major dynastic temple dedicated to Khonsu-Herakles, part of the sunken city of Heracleion. Source: Supplied

A LOST city found underwater in the Mediterranean Sea is set to be revealed next week in a special television documentary.

Known as Heracleion to the ancient Greeks and Thonis to the ancient Egyptians, the city was a port for both civilisations.  It was found 6.4 kilometres off the coast of Egypt and 9 metres below the Aboukir Bay in 2000.

French underwater archaeologist Dr Frank Goddio's 13-year excavation will be explored in Egypt's Sunken City - A Legend is Revealed, which will air on French and German TV network Channel Arte on May 11.

During the underwater excavation Dr Goddio found a giant red statue of the god Hapi, ancient ships and a monolithic chapel.

Experts at an Oxford University conference earlier this year said the ancient city may have sunk due to the heavy structures being built on clay. Others believe an extreme flood may have sent this city into the water.

View the original article here

Lost ancient underwater city revealed

Underwater archaeologist looking at a large statue of the god Hapi, god of the flooding, discovered in front of the major dynastic temple dedicated to Khonsu-Herakles, part of the sunken city of Heracleion. Source: Supplied

A LOST city found underwater in the Mediterranean Sea is set to be revealed next week in a special television documentary.

Known as Heracleion to the ancient Greeks and Thonis to the ancient Egyptians, the city was a port for both civilisations.  It was found 6.4 kilometres off the coast of Egypt and 9 metres below the Aboukir Bay in 2000.

French underwater archaeologist Dr Frank Goddio's 13-year excavation will be explored in Egypt's Sunken City - A Legend is Revealed, which will air on French and German TV network Channel Arte on May 11.

During the underwater excavation Dr Goddio found a giant red statue of the god Hapi, ancient ships and a monolithic chapel.

Experts at an Oxford University conference earlier this year said the ancient city may have sunk due to the heavy structures being built on clay. Others believe an extreme flood may have sent this city into the water.

View the original article here

First school on hit list is revealed

How the State Government draws up its school hit list. Source: The Courier-Mail

THE first school on the Newman Government's ``hit list'' has been revealed, with a proposal to turn Coorparoo Secondary College into a campus of Brisbane State High School.

The controversial school closure and amalgamation list is expected to be finalised within a fortnight.

Education Minister John-Paul Langbroek told State Parliament on Tuesday night the school closure list would have ``a lot less'' than the 55 schools his department proposed last year.

The Courier-Mail understands the number of closures will be less than a dozen.

The Education Minister yesterday said there would be at least six months' consultation before any school was closed and that all principals and teachers would remain with Education Queensland.

Are you a parent of children at these schools? Tell us what you think in the comments box below

But he is hoping to reach a conclusion on the Coorparoo Secondary College (CSC) proposal by the end of next month, with any takeover planned for next year.

Mr Langbroek said the CSC proposal, to be announced today, was about future-proofing the flagship Brisbane State High School (BSHS) while guaranteeing quality education in the area.

BSHS has almost 2400 students - despite only having capacity for about 2150 - and that's before Year 7 joins in 2015. CSC has about 337 Year 8 to 12 students and is about 4km from BSHS.

A ministerial brief published by The Courier-Mail last year warned BSHS might have to stop accepting students on merit entry because of its growing enrolments from within the catchment.

Under the new plan, Mr Langbroek said all CSC students would be offered the opportunity to enrol in BSHS. ``There is no doubt that Brisbane State High is bursting at the seams and risks losing its capacity to accept selected entry students,'' he said.

``For some time, there have been discussions about how to accommodate future growth. ``I've had three options presented to me as possible sites for a second campus - Yeronga State High School, Balmoral State High School and Coorparoo Secondary College.''

A similar proposal was made to former education minister Cameron Dick but he did not sign off on a decision before the election was called.

Mr Langbroek said after considering the location, catchment areas and excess capacity of the proposed alternative sites, CSC was the preferred option and it was a win-win for the community.

``If the community agrees with the proposal, there are a range of possible scenarios for the new Brisbane State High and all of these options will be considered,'' he said.

``We now have to go and listen to both school communities and evaluate any concerns.'' Mr Langbroek said

Queensland needed 100 new schools over the next 10 years and he was committed to finding ways of providing students with state-of-the-art facilities.

View the original article here

Travel hackers' secret tips revealed

Chris Guillebeau is the king of travel hacking. Picture: Chris Guillebeau / Facebook

THERE'S a secret group of people travelling the world for free. They're called 'travel hackers'. And they're laughing all the way to Timbuktu and back again.

Chris Guillebeau could be called the king of travel hacking. Author of the $100 Startup, his travel hacking blog has 80,000 regular readers.

So what is travel hacking? Essentially, it involves finding ways to earn Frequent Flyer Points to either fly for free or at a heavily reduced price.

Guillebeau stumbled on the idea when he was working as an aid worker in Benin, West Africa and wanted to travel back to America with his wife for Christmas.

The most awesome travel tricks ever

"Economy tickets were about $1,500, but I discovered I could buy Frequent Flyer Miles on eBay. I was able to purchase enough miles to fly Business Class both ways... for only $1,200.After that, I was hooked."

So he began a quest to visit every country. He's made it to 193. At least 50 of them were for free, the rest at heavily reduced prices. He's 35-years-old.

Mr Guillebeau will do anything for frequent flyer miles.

He once rented a shopping cart from a homeless man to help him push $2000 worth of Sacagewea dollar coins to the bank. The United States Mint sold the coins at their face value as part of a marketing push. So Mr Guillebeau bought them with a credit card, deposited them straight into the bank, paid off the credit card later and kept all the miles. He made 30,000 Frequent Flyer Points at no other cost but his time – and the charge for the homeless man.

That's not the only crazy thing he has done for Points. 

I've received a hair loss consultation in exchange for 20,000 Delta SkyMiles - that was certainly strange, since I was 32 at the time with a full head of hair."

So how do you get started?

Guillebeau says travel hacking takes time, but not too much. And for free flights, it's worth it.

"If you can devote 30 minutes a month to earning Points through regular follow-up, you should be able to earn enough Points for several free trips a year no matter where you live."

If you are truly keen to get started he suggests joining websites like his own blog or MilePoint.com community, which is free and welcomes beginners from all over the world.

View the original article here

Travel hackers' secret tips revealed

Chris Guillebeau is the king of travel hacking. Picture: Chris Guillebeau / Facebook

THERE'S a secret group of people travelling the world for free. They're called 'travel hackers'. And they're laughing all the way to Timbuktu and back again.

Chris Guillebeau could be called the king of travel hacking. Author of the $100 Startup, his travel hacking blog has 80,000 regular readers.

So what is travel hacking? Essentially, it involves finding ways to earn Frequent Flyer Points to either fly for free or at a heavily reduced price.

Guillebeau stumbled on the idea when he was working as an aid worker in Benin, West Africa and wanted to travel back to America with his wife for Christmas.

"Economy tickets were about $1,500, but I discovered I could buy Frequent Flyer Miles on eBay. I was able to purchase enough miles to fly Business Class both ways... for only $1,200.After that, I was hooked."

So he began a quest to visit every country. He's made it to 193. At least 50 of them were for free, the rest at heavily reduced prices. He's 35-years-old.

Mr Guillebeau will do anything for frequent flyer miles.

He once rented a shopping cart from a homeless man to help him push $2000 worth of Sacagewea dollar coins to the bank. The United States Mint sold the coins at their face value as part of a marketing push. So Mr Guillebeau bought them with a credit card, deposited them straight into the bank, paid off the credit card later and kept all the miles. He made 30,000 Frequent Flyer Points at no other cost but his time – and the charge for the homeless man.

That's not the only crazy thing he has done for Points. 

I've received a hair loss consultation in exchange for 20,000 Delta SkyMiles - that was certainly strange, since I was 32 at the time with a full head of hair."

So how do you get started?

Guillebeau says travel hacking takes time, but not too much. And for free flights, it's worth it.

"If you can devote 30 minutes a month to earning Points through regular follow-up, you should be able to earn enough Points for several free trips a year no matter where you live."

If you are truly keen to get started he suggests joining websites like his own blog or MilePoint.com community, which is free and welcomes beginners from all over the world.

View the original article here

Dirtiest currency in Europe revealed

The currency of 15 countries in Europe have been tested. Picture: Supplied

YOU'D better wash your hands - and ensure you give them a good scrub - after shopping in Denmark.

The nation has been found to have the dirtiest currency in Europe, according to tests by Oxford University that have confirmed our worst fears about just how filthy bank notes can be.

More than 40,255 bacteria was found on Denmark's krone, compared to the European average of 26,000. Eww...

The second dirtiest currency was the Switzerland Franc with 32,400 bacteria, followed by Russia's Ruble with 30,000.

New currency contains 2400 bacteria.

Professor Ian Thompson from Oxford University's engineering science department said it proves handling money is a dirty business. He warned the level of bacteria detected on the notes could pass on disease.

"The euros we tested harboured an average of 11,000 bacteria, which for a number of pathogenic organisms is sufficient for passing on infection," Prof Thompson said.

"Previous studies of bank notes have indicated contamination with potentially harmful bacteria such as Klebsiella and Enterobacter species which can cause disease in humans."

Fifteen countries were tested.  Here are the worst offenders:

Krone (Denmark): 40,266
Franc (Switzerland): 32,400
Ruble (Russia): 30,000
Zloty (Poland): 25,700
Sterling (UK): 18,200
Krone (Norway): 11,733
Euro: 11,066

View the original article here

Revealed: The six best jobs in the world

Video entries are flooding in from all over the world for the six positions advertised by Tourism Australia. Each job comes with a six-month contract and a package worth $100k

AUSTRALIANS aren't afraid to clash with the rest of the world when it comes to deciding which of Tourism Australia's six new "dream jobs" is the best.

The votes are in and so far there have been nearly 400,000 applications from 220,000 people from 196 countries around the world. Those keenest for a crack at a dream Aussie job include the British and Americans (both with 48,000 applications), followed by Italians (43,000) and the French (42,000).

It has also been a hit among Australians, with the fifth highest number of applications at 33,000. And the $100,000 on offer certainly doesn't hurt.

Scroll down for a full list of country rankings and to meet some of the hopeful applicants

The role of Chief Funster in NSW has struck a chord with fun-loving Aussies, by far the most desirable job with 7400 applications.

Our second choice was Queensland's Park Ranger, with 6100 applications, followed by South Australia's Wildlife Caretaker (5700), Western Australia's Taste Master (4800), the Northern Territory's Outback Adventurer (4200) and Melbourne's Lifestyle Photographer (4100).

Globally, the rankings paint a different picture of the desirability of the roles, with Wildlife Caretaker the most sought-after position for international tourists followed by Chief Funster, Park Ranger, Taste Master, Outback Adventurer and, lastly, Lifestyle Photographer.

The findings play to Tourism Australia's research that visitors find nature and wildlife Australia's biggest appeal, which those of us who live here just want to have fun.

"It's great to see so many Australians getting behind this," Tourism Australia Managing Director Andrew McEvoy said. "It's funny that their most preferred job so far is the Chief Funster, which seems to confirm what we all probably know - as a nation, we're gregarious, inquisitive, fun-loving and enjoy life to the full".

"The global picture is equally interesting. We know from our global research that Australia is highly regarded around the world for its nature and wildlife, and I think we're seeing this truth come through with South Australia's Wildlife Caretaker just edging out the other jobs at the moment.

"All the jobs are fantastic. Together they provide a great representation of the best of Australia including magnificent landscapes and scenery, unique nature and wildlife, cosmopolitan cities, great food and wine an enviable lifestyle and a sense of fun."

Applications close on April 10, and after reviewing all of the entries, 150 people will initially be shortlisted.

For more information on the jobs click here and visit Tourism Australia's website.

Top 20 countries by number of applications:
1. UK
2. US
3. Italy
4. France
5. Australia
6. Brazil
7. Germany
8. Portugal
9. S.Korea
10.Spain
11. Hong Kong
12. Canada
13. Russia
14. Belgium
15. Czech
16. Chile
17. China
18. Romania
19. Poland
20. Taiwan

Meet the applicants

Taste Master (Western Australia):
Katie Brown from Melbourne, Australia

Chief Funster (New South Wales):
Tony Tron from Montreal, Canada

Outback Adventurer (Northern Territory):
Alisa Messeroff from New York, USA

Wildlife Caretaker (South Australia):
Cesar Termine from France

Park Ranger (Queensland):
Loic Ney from France

Lifestyle Photographer (Melbourne, Victoria)
Heber Hanby from Ireland

View the original article here