THE GHOST OF THE MUMMY'S CURSE

A life-long wish, now relegated to a bucket list item, has been a trip to Egypt to see the pyramids. With the latest in a long string of political unrest, violence and bloodshed among one of the world's oldest peoples, it now appears to be more unlikely as ever.

My desire, of course, was originally sparked by watching mummy movies as a Monster Kid. Coupled with the historical aspect that I absorbed from school and the National Geographic, I was wrapped up in all things mummy.

Now, new interest has arisen as a result of some optical shenanigans recorded on camera of an ancient Egyptian statue that has been seen spinning around on its own in a Manchester museum in England (see story below).

The August issue of FORTEAN TIMES, that wild and whacky magazine that covers the gamut of strange phenomena includes an article on the history of mummy's curses, beginning with the seemingly ill-fated opening of King Tut's tomb by Howard Carter and Co. While many of the deaths attributed to the curse can be explained away, the collective romanticism of a public who wants to believe in such things perpetuates the legends. Still, the topic is interesting enough to read and ponder the seeming six degrees separating myth from reality