Welcome to Mersoon, where the food is free, the water pure, and the drugs are good. War is constant, and the inhabitants mix with the Descendants of Earth. Mersoon Rising is an adult sociopolitical science fiction novel that chronicles the lives and loves of the Jymirr race during an epic battle for the fate of a planet and an entire solar system. Without a doubt, Shirley G. Coleman’s debut novel will keep you consistently turning through the 700+ pages anxious to find out what happens next in this strange universe with alien characters and drives and emotions that are familiar and human.

Long ago, the Descendants of Earth traveled on generation ships to a dual sun solar system called Rodrigo’s Suns. Now, they dominate the human-occupied planets within the System Alliance and live with alien and mixed races both friendly and hostile. Where Mersoon Rising excels in imagination and intrigue, it lacks in conciseness. There’s entirely too many characters taking center stage, especially considering, there is so many details to absorb in the universe. The reader is expected to understand the difference between a Jymirr, a Hurthan, a Firfwaat, and a handful of other races, understand complex culture and physiological differences and keep track of a dozen or so characters. Please note: Keep pen and paper nearby and create a flow chart. The story is billed as a story about Vintori Jymirr Erroc, the Shepherd (read leader) of the Erroc and Jymirr Nations on the planet Mersoon. During his reign there is a vicious war with the neighboring Firfwaat Nation and also a corrupted election for a new System Alliance Overseer and too many people sleeping with other people. It’s just a bit messy and a glossary and a timeline in the back of the book would help to keep everything clear. As it happens, a visit to the author’s website, ShirleyGColeman.com, will provide you with a nice glossary and a cast of characters to make getting acclimated to the complexities of Mersoon Rising and being immersed in the universe possible and enjoyable.

Mersoon Rising is definitely worth a look if you enjoy science fiction and political narratives and can weather through the beginning. It’s a 700+ page book, there’s plenty of time to make the characters and the universe feel like home.
 

These are not the best of times with regard to awesomely talented, absolutely unique artists, which is why the ongoing presence of Jill Scott is so important.
 Scott, who is from Philadelphia, has been a solid success in every venture. That is, as singer, songwriter, poet and actress.
 Scott’s debut album, “Who Is Jill Scott? Words and Sounds, Vol. 1,” released in 2000, created an immediate buzz.
 In his masterful book, “The Essential Neo Soul,” musicologist Chris Campbell said, “Some albums are odes to poetic love. Some albums are bombastic displays of technical mastery. And still other albums are plaintive appeals to the heart, masterpieces that fuse mood and ambiance. ‘Who Is Jill Scott?’ occupied each of those categories, a sublime 18-track music odyssey that fired on all cylinders in terms of creativity and production. It was a classic soul album that took the industry by storm.”
 Each album since that time, among them “The Real Thing” and “The Light of the Sun,” has won critical acclaim and found favor with the listening public, particularly women.
 Jill Scott amazed audiences with her riveting performances in “Why Did I Get Married?” and several other films.
 “I’m being all of me, and it feels stupendous,” said Scott.
 

More than 90 years ago, in 1922, in Egypt's Valley of the Kings, archaeologist and Egyptologist Howard Carter made the greatest archaeological find in history: the discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb and its golden treasures worth nearly a billion dollars. Carter's find made Tutankhamun the most famous pharaoh in ancient Egyptian history. But the real story of King Tut has become shrouded in myth, with many mysteries around his tomb unsolved to this day.
                In Ultimate Tut, a special two-part Secrets of the Dead, airing Wednesday, July 10, 9-11 pm on PBS (check local listings), Egyptologist Chris Naunton mounts the most comprehensive investigation ever undertaken to build the ultimate picture of Tutankhamun. Naunton takes a 21st century approach to ancient history, bringing together the latest evidence from a team of archaeologists, anatomists, and geologists; and blending 3D graphics, stylized reconstruction and action-adventure forensic investigation, to offer fresh insights into how Tutankhamun was buried, why his tomb was the only one to remain intact, and the enduring enigma around how he died.

               Naunton begins his examination by reviewing Carter's original notes and photography which, until now, have been filed away and forgotten. A number of clues emerge from Carter's material which suggests anomalies about the burial and the mummy itself. A close examination of Tutankhamun's death mask and headdress, one of the most iconic objects found inside the sarcophagus, reveals that perhaps the mask wasn't originally made for Tutankhamun.

To learn about Tut's childhood and relationship with his father (Akhenaten) and sister (Ankhesenamun), Naunton meets with Melinda Hartwig, an expert on Egyptian history. Tut is nine-years old when his father dies and he becomes the boy king. The Egypt Tut inherits is in a state of economic flux and religious upheaval brought about by his father's reforms including the worship of one god, Aten, god of the sun.

Naunton explains the incredible lengths Tut took, with the aid of his chief advisor, Vizier Ay, to restore stability and return Egypt to worshipping multiple gods. Even statues representing the supreme god of Egypt featured Tut's face. So why didn't Tut's tomb reflect his elevated status? Instead, his tomb was tiny, lacking the magnificence of Ramasses the Sixth's resting place, and hidden away at the bottom of the Valley of the Kings. A study of Tut's mummified remains may provide the answer to these questions.

When a team from Liverpool University in England X-rayed Tut's skeleton in 1968, they found loose bone fragments inside the skull and speculated Tut was a murdered. But in 2005, the results of a full CT scan yielded a different explanation of how Tut died. Could he have died in battle? Why did he have extensive damage to the ribcage on the left-hand side? Why was his heart missing?

Carters' notes described Tut's remains as a charred wreck. Evidence reveals Tut's body was badly burned after mummification. To find out what may have caused his remains to burn and why, Naunton enlists the help of David Crowder, chief analyst at B.R.E., the building research establishment in Watford, England. Was it spontaneous combustion? Why was the mummification rushed? Research conducted by Harvard microbiologist Ralph Mitchell on evidence of the microbial action found in the tomb shows that like the mummification, the tomb was rushed too. Who would be able to rush a burial? Was Tut's tomb intended for someone else? Who was buried in the tomb designed for Tut?
Of all the tombs buried in the Valley of the Kings, Tut's was the only one which remained undisturbed over thousands of years. Did nature and history conspire to keep Tutankhamun a mystery?

Ultimate Tut is a Blink and Handel Productions produced in association with THIRTEEN and WNET, Shaw Media and National Geographic Channels. Executive producers for Blink are Justine Kershaw and Alan Handel. Executive in charge for WNET is Stephen Segaller. Executive producer for WNET is Steve Burns. Coordinating producer for WNET is Stephanie Carter.

This program is among the full-length episodes that will be available for viewing after broadcast on Secrets of the Dead Online (pbs.org/secrets). Along with the extensive online video catalog, the series website provides resources for educators with lesson plans for middle school and high school teachers.

As one of PBS's ongoing limited primetime series, Secrets of the Dead is a perennial favorite among viewers, routinely ranking among the 10 most watched series on public television. Currently, in its 12th season, Secrets of the Dead continues its unique brand of archaeological sleuthing employing advances in investigative techniques, forensic science and historical scholarship to offer new evidence about forgotten mysteries. Secrets of the Dead has received 10 CINE Golden Eagle Awards and six Emmy nominations, among numerous other awards.

Hard-core rapper, songwriter and sometimes actor Snoop Dogg is a man of many names.
When he emerged in 1992, after having been discovered by Dr. Dre, he was calling himself Snoop Doggy Dogg. Later he opted for Snoop Dogg. And currently he is known as Snoop Lion. In fact, he says he wants to “bury Snoop Dogg.”
The new name is a reflection of his conversion to Rastafarianism, a religion that developed in Jamaica in the 1930s although many, if not most, people think of it has having a more recent origin due to hearing about by way of reggae legend Bob Marley in the 1970s.
Those who adhere to the ideology of Rastafarianism — called Rastafari or Rastas — have a form of worship for Haile Selassie I, who was emperor of Ethiopia from 1930 to 1974, though the reasons why are unclear to those on the outside. Finding the answers requires research. Among many other things, they reject materialism, smoke ganja (weed) and believe that references to “Zion” in the Bible and any other religious books is a reference to Ethiopia.
There are numerous branches of Rastafarianism, just as there are many branches of Christianity.
Snoop Lion, who was born Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. in 1971, chose “Lion” because the lion was the symbol of Solomon’s Tribe of Judah.
To make his conversion official, Snoop Lion was rechristened by a Rastafarian priest, one who made sure the new convert was aware of the fact that dogs are not highly thought of in this realm.
People are waiting to see if Snoop Lion will denounce the many songs he has recorded — selling over 25 million albums — filled with profanity and other non-spiritual words.