Latest news with #Petrie
Time of India
28-05-2025
- Science
- Time of India
What? The Great Pyramid doesn't just have four sides, there's more to it
The Great Pyramid of Giza has long been one of the most iconic symbols of ancient Egypt and human potential. It has stood the test of time by standing still on the Egyptian desert sand for the last 4500 years and has attracted generations of scholars, explorers, and tourists worldwide. The timeless grandeur and detailed geometric design of the marvel have made many researchers call it a masterpiece of symmetry and engineering. Traditionally, the pyramid has been understood to have four sides, and each a perfect triangle converging to a point at the summit, reflecting the architectural brilliance of ancient Egyptian builders. But what if that perception was incomplete? Recent discoveries have begun to change the basis of how we view the Great Pyramid, telling that it may hold secrets that went unnoticed for centuries. Far from being a simple four-sided structure, new evidence suggests the pyramid actually has a more complex design, one that subtly strays far from first impressions. This discovery doesn't just challenge how we see it. It also leaves some mind-boggling questions on the viewer about the level of scientific and architectural excellence achieved by the ancient Egyptians. The Great Pyramid of Giza, also known as the Pyramid of Khufu, is the only wonder that still stands today among the 'Seven Wonders of the Ancient World'. The Great Pyramid of Giza has eight sides! For centuries, scholars believed the Great Pyramid of Giza had four perfectly flat faces. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Giao dịch CFD với công nghệ và tốc độ tốt hơn IC Markets Đăng ký Undo This understanding held until 1940, when British Egyptologist Flinders Petrie made a surprising observation. Under specific lighting conditions, Petrie noticed a subtle indentation running vertically down the center of each face. These depressions, though nearly invisible from ground level, indicated that the faces were not flat, but slightly concave. This suggests that the pyramid doesn't have just four sides, but eight. Each face is divided into two shallow planes by these concave curves, which are only visible under particular light conditions or from above. The Great Pyramid is even more complex in design, which is not seen in other pyramids of its kind. What are these concave faces ? The idea of concave faces was explored further in 1975 by Egyptologist IES Edwards in his book The Pyramids of Egypt. He wrote that the blocks were set in such a way that they sloped inward, creating the impression of a central depression. These findings were reinforced by a 2023 study published in Archaeological Discovery. Researcher Akio Kato wrote, 'The Great Pyramid at Giza is known to have an amazing character of concavity that each of its four faces is slightly indented along its central line, from base to peak. ' Kato's analysis highlights how this feature, invisible from typical vantage points, was likely intentional, suggesting an advanced understanding of geometry, optics, and perhaps even symbolic design. The ancient Egyptians' ability to execute such precision reinforces their reputation as master builders and visionaries. The Great Pyramid, it turns out, is not just an ancient wonder, but a puzzle still revealing its secrets.
The Australian
23-05-2025
- Politics
- The Australian
Peter Dutton's allies speak out on election loss and polling disaster
You can now listen to The Australian's articles. Give us your feedback. You can now listen to The Australian's articles. Peter Dutton's Liberal campaign was so shocked by its historic defeat that the party president demanded the federal director explain its fatally flawed polling in the middle of their own election party, while one of Mr Dutton's top allies kept thousands in the bank after the then-opposition leader told him his seat was safe. As Sussan Ley works over the weekend to patch up a splintered Coalition and find a strategy to deal with a Labor win so large it could guarantee Anthony Albanese two more terms in office, the Liberal Party has finally laid bare the mistakes that led Mr Dutton to lose his own seat and more than a dozen of his colleagues' on May 3. Defeated Liberal National Party opposition assistant minister Luke Howarth has revealed Mr Dutton reassured him his outer-Brisbane seat of Petrie was safe, before asking for part of his campaign war chest to be spent trying to win a Labor-held longshot seat and defend Coalition strongholds from the threat of Climate 200-backed Teal candidates. Mr Howarth has also conceded he regrets putting his longtime friend Mr Dutton's face on joint billboards and how-to-vote cards, after he underestimated the then leader's unpopularity in their adjoining electorates. Another senior Liberal source said the internal polling by Freshwater Strategy was 'way out' and had given Mr Dutton's team, strategists and MPs flawed information throughout the campaign. 'The polling was a huge problem … it was way out,' the senior Liberal told The Australian. 'If we'd have known (the truth) we would have changed course overnight.' The senior Liberal source also criticised the strength of negative ads produced by Coalition campaign headquarters and director Andrew Hirst, and suggested it was not official opposition policy when Senator Jane Hume announced Canberra-based public servants would be forced to work full-time from the office. Senator Hume's office rejected that claim and said her speech and the policy announcement had been put through the proper channels, including Mr Dutton's office. Peter Dutton, centre, Angus Taylor, left, and Jane Hume at Parliament House before the election. Picture: Martin Ollman / NewsWire But the senior Liberal source said rather than kill Senator Hume's announcement straight away and stoke talk there was a policy split, it was decided it was a 'benign' issue. According to sources who saw the final Freshwater tracking poll conducted on the Wednesday night before the election, the research showed a swing to the Liberals in some NSW and Victorian marginal seats of about 5 per cent. Emboldened by that result, Mr Dutton told close allies and MPs, including Mr Howarth, that he could win 10 seats off Labor and force Anthony Albanese into minority government. Liberal Party president John Olsen. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones Liberal Party federal director Andrew Hirst. Picture: Kym Smith Liberal Party president John Olsen confirmed the flawed polling would be a major target of the 'full and transparent' review of the federal campaign. On election night in the Liberal Party's campaign war room at Brisbane's the W Hotel, when it became obvious the Freshwater polling failed to predict the scale of Labor's victory, Mr Olsen challenged Coalition campaign director Andrew Hirst to explain what had gone wrong. Mr Olsen denied the confrontation was 'heated' but said 'we certainly had a conversation on polling, you wouldn't have to be Einstein to work that out'. Mr Howarth said Mr Dutton was let down by his own office, polling, poor policy development and an inability to counter Labor's devastating personal attacks. Mr Dutton was reassured by Freshwater twice during the campaign that he was ahead in his own seat of Dickson, which he went on to lose after three-time Labor candidate Ali France secured a 7.76 per cent swing to her. Mr Howarth said he did not poll his own seat of Petrie, partly because Labor had not announced a candidate until the eve of the campaign but mostly because he was reassured he was safe. He said Mr Dutton told him to help in neighbouring Lilley, held by Labor Sport Minister Anika Wells, so he raised $1.7m and spent $634,000 in his own seat of Petrie, before tipping $350,000 into Lilley and $400,000 into other seats. Mr Howarth has hundreds of thousands of dollars left in his campaign war chest but said he did not regret helping his colleagues. Defeated Queensland LNP MP Bert van Manen. Picture: Jerad Williams 'But the whole polling was wrong … I don't think the leader or his office had any idea what was coming – clearly – because they didn't think he'd lose his own seat. They didn't think I'd lose my seat.' Freshwater Strategy declined to comment and director Mike Turner is legally prevented from talking because he's still under contract with the party. It is understood the company did not decide which seats to poll, and that the pollster believes its research consistently and increasingly showed that Labor was the favourite to form government. Another defeated Queensland LNP MP, Bert van Manen, said there was no indication he would lose his seat of Forde, which he held on just over 4 per cent, but the working-from-home policy hurt his chances. 'Certainly I got no indication from anywhere that there were any risks (to my seat),' Mr van Manen said. 'It's an unusual situation for me because in every campaign I'm in the top five or 10 (marginal) seats in the country and nobody was discussing my seat or Luke (Howarth's) seat this time.' 'Not you guys (in the media), not pollsters, not Labor. From that perspective, it was strange that we got the result that we did. We need to have a good hard look at what went wrong.' Mr van Manen said the Coalition's policy to cancel working from home arrangements for public servants – which was later reversed – and plans to cut 41,000 Canberra bureaucrats hurt him. 'One hundred per cent I had that feedback directly. Women at the polling booths were concerned … and there's a general view in Queensland … that given what happened during Campbell Newman's tenure, that still resonates when you're talking about public servants.' Mr Newman's LNP government was defeated after just one term in power, following the sacking of about 14,000 state public servants. Read related topics: Peter Dutton Sarah Elks Senior Reporter Sarah Elks is a senior reporter for The Australian in its Brisbane bureau, focusing on investigations into politics, business and industry. Sarah has worked for the paper for 15 years, primarily in Brisbane, but also in Sydney, and in Cairns as north Queensland correspondent. She has covered election campaigns, high-profile murder trials, and natural disasters, and was named Queensland Journalist of the Year in 2016 for a series of exclusive stories exposing the failure of Clive Palmer's Queensland Nickel business. Sarah has been nominated for four Walkley awards. Got a tip? elkss@ GPO Box 2145 Brisbane QLD 4001 @sarahelks Sarah Elks
The Courier
08-05-2025
- The Courier
Drink-driver caught at six times the limit after Perthshire crashes
A drunken driver who demolished part of a village bridge and smashed into a parked car in Perthshire was weeks later caught motoring down the M90 at six times the legal limit. Siobhan Petrie accelerated into the side of a stone crossing in Dunning centre, before steering her Volvo into a stationary Land Rover. When police tried to breathalyse the 45-year-old, she bit down, sucked and blew lightly on the tube, preventing officers from getting an accurate reading. Just 12 weeks later, Petrie called for help from a motorway telephone, near Broxden, claiming she had run out of fuel and ranting incoherently. Petrie appeared at Perth Sheriff Court and admitted charges of careless driving, drink-driving and refusing to provide specimens of breath. She was told she was lucky she had not hurt anyone. Village centre collision Fiscal depute Nicola Caira said Petrie drove the the village shop at about 8pm on January 6, parked and left her vehicle. 'But she stopped, paused and decided not to go to the shop. Instead she got back in her car. She appeared to be unsteady on her feet.' Siobhan Petrie crashed into the bridge wall on the B934 through Dunning. Image: Google A witness on her way home from a gym class saw Petrie putting her car into reverse and mounting a pavement. 'She then accelerated and turned sharply, hitting the stone wall of the bridge on the opposite side of the road,' said Ms Caira. 'She became stuck due to the debris. 'The wall collapsed and fell into the burn below.' The fiscal depute said: 'The accused then managed to move the vehicle forward, colliding with a green Land Rover before coming to a stop.' Members of the public from a nearby hotel came out to help. Petrie was taken into the bar and a friend was called to pick her up. Breathalyser Police officers went to the scene and saw the stranded car, before checking CCTV. When they spoke to Petrie at her friend's house, she confirmed she had been driving. When she was taken to Dundee police HQ to be breathalysed, she was uncooperative. Ms Caira said: 'She made attempts to hinder the process by placing the tube into her cheek, blowing lightly and biting down.' On her second attempt, she tried to suck on the tube and put in back inside her cheek. Ms Caira added: 'It was explained by the officer that she had one final chance to comply. She shook her head and sat down.' When charged, she replied: 'That's absolute b***ocks. Just take me home.' Motorway phone call The court heard that at about 2.20pm on March 29, police received a call from a roadside emergency phone on the M90, near Broxden. 'It was from a female, now identified as the accused, sounding extremely confused,' said the fiscal depute. Police went to the scene and saw Petrie 'holding onto' the roadside box, with a Corsa parked nearby. The M90 near the Broxden roundabout. Image: Google 'The accused was upset and emotional,' said Ms Caira. 'As she walked towards officers they noticed she was unsteady and staggering. 'The accused stated she had run out of fuel but she was incoherent and not making any sense.' She was breathalysed and gave an initial reading of 165 mics per 100 ml of blood, but later gave a confirmed reading of 132 mics. The legal limit is 22 mics. Wake-up call Solicitor Jamie Baxter, defending, said: 'Clearly there is an issue here that needs to be addressed. 'The accused does not have a great recollection of either of these occasions. 'She accepts that she had been drinking prior to these incidents. Regarding the second case, she had been drinking the night before.' Mr Baxter said when his client struck the bridge, the car's driveshaft snapped. When she was caught drink-driving on the motorway, she had been on her way to pick up a friend at Broxden. Perth Sheriff Court. Sheriff Derek Reekie told Petrie said: 'I really hope this has been a wake up call for you. 'You have a serious issue with alcohol and when you get behind the wheel on two occasions, that becomes a matter of serious public concern. 'You are very fortunate that there wasn't injury to others. 'You shouldn't have been anywhere near a car.' The sheriff questioned her claims her 'extraordinarily high' reading was caused by drinking the night before. Petrie, of Dunning, was banned from driving for four years, fined £1,050 and ordered to carry out 120 hours unpaid work. For more local court content visit our page or join us on Facebook.
Sunday World
28-04-2025
- Sunday World
Man caught with more than 1,000 indecent images of children spared jail
Robert Petrie, who is from Brackenridge Green in Carrickfergus, was handed an eight-month prison sentence which was suspended for three years by Judge Patricia Smyth A Co Antrim man caught with over 1,000 indecent images of children was spared jail today. Robert Petrie, who is from Brackenridge Green in Carrickfergus, was handed an eight-month prison sentence which was suspended for three years by Judge Patricia Smyth. The 66-year-old was also placed on the Sex Offenders Register for 10 years and will be the subject of a five-year Sexual Offences Prevention Order. Belfast Crown Court heard that Petrie's home was searched by the PSNI in March 2021 and a number of electronic devices were seized from his bedroom. When these items were forensically examined, 1,071 indecent images of children were located on a computer and a USB memory stick. Following his arrest, Petrie was interviewed and he made full admissions and took responsibility for the images. Petrie told police he had downloaded the images from various forums and saved them. Belfast Crown Court He also expressed disgust at his behaviour to police, and at a later date, he told a probation officer he was sexually attracted to children but had never 'crossed the line' by committing any sexual contact offences. Petrie subsequently pleaded guilty to nine separate charges of making an indecent image of a child over a period spanning from September 14, 2018, to March 27, 2021. Judge Smyth noted that whilst all the images were stills and not videos, she said 90 were in the "most serious category". The Belfast Recorder said she had taken into account defence submissions which set out Petrie's clear criminal record, lack of offending since his home was searched in March 2021 and his guilty pleas to all nine charges. Also considered were Petrie's health issues which include MS and Parkinson's disease, and the breakdown of his marriage due to his offending. Judge Smyth said Petrie's comment to probation about 'not crossing the line' demonstrated what she described as a "complete lack of awareness" about the "reality" of his offending. She told him: "The images you have watched on a frequent basis are real. They are not fake. "The young children being abused and being incited to abuse themselves are actual children whose lives and futures are being destroyed before your eyes." Judge Smyth imposed an eight-month prison sentence and said that in light of Petrie's deteriorating health, and for that sole reason, she was suspending the sentence for three years. Before he left court, Petrie was warned by the Judge that regardless of his health issues, he should expect to go "straight to prison" if he committed any further offending of this or any other nature within the three-year period.
CBC
25-04-2025
- Business
- CBC
Ontario contractor dealt yet another blow in legal battle with N.B. government
An Ontario construction company has been dealt another legal blow in its fight against the New Brunswick government over three major bridge projects. New Brunswick Court of Appeal Justice Kathleen Quigg dismissed Julmac Contracting Ltd.'s motion seeking to appeal a lower court's choice not to grant an injunction that would have allowed its employees to return to work on the three projects. Speaking to lawyers for the two parties in court Friday, Quigg said she did not think Julmac had satisfied criteria needed for an appeal to go forward. She said she also found no reason to doubt the correctness of Court of King's Bench Justice Richard Petrie's earlier decision denying the injunction request. "Overall, the moving party has not convinced me that the proposed appeal would have had a reasonable possibility of success," Quigg said. Quigg dismissed Julmac's motion and ordered the company to pay $1,500 in costs to the province. The decision marks the latest chapter in a feud between the New Brunswick government and Julmac, which had been contracted by the province to do work on the Anderson and Centennial bridges in Miramichi, as well as the Mactaquac Dam bridge near Fredericton. However, the relationship between the two parties soured in 2023, with Julmac filing a free trade complaint and civil lawsuit alleging the province applied stricter standards to its work than to New Brunswick companies. The allegations haven't been tested in court, but on Feb. 20, the province abruptly ordered Julmac to remove itself from the three projects. Julmac filed a motion in the Court of King's Bench asking for an interlocutory injunction that would effectively allow its employees to resume work, arguing the injunction would prevent "irreparable harm" from coming to it and its 120 employees while it pursued legal action against the province for removing it from the projects. On March 28, Petrie denied the injunction request, writing that the court did not have jurisdiction to grant one under the Proceedings Against the Crown Act. Lawyers make arguments Earlier Friday, lawyers for Julmac and the province argued for and against allowing an appeal of Petrie's decision. Julmac lawyer Shalom Cumbo-Steinmetz argued there was case law where an injunction had been granted under similar circumstances. "There's good reason to doubt the correctness of the decision [by Petrie]," Cumbo-Steinmetz said. "Appellate intervention is needed." Mark Heighton, lawyer for the province, disagreed, arguing the cases cited were different in circumstances from the facts in this case. Heighton added that an injunction in this case would effectively act as "final relief" in favour of Julmac. He urged Quigg to dismiss the motion. New contracts awarded Part of Julmac's request for an injunction also sought to prevent the province from awarding contracts for the three projects to other companies. On Friday, Frederick McElman, a lawyer for the province, revealed that contracts had been awarded this week to complete the work on the Mactaquac Dam bridge, as well as the Anderson Bridge, though he did not say which companies received them. CBC News has asked the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure for information about the three projects. Under the Proceedings Against the Crown Act, Julmac had to give the province 60 days' notice before filing a lawsuit for being removed from the projects.
