Since 1929, the Egyptian Theatre, 135 N. Second St., has been a colourful fixture in DeKalb. Since the non-profit organization Preservation of the Egyptian Theatre (PET) took over the building in 1978, more than $2.3 million has been put into renovation projects to return the theatre to its original state. Even so, many people know little about this historic DeKalb landmark.

"The biggest thing people don't know about is how much actually goes on here," said operations director Alex Nerad. "We aren't open during the summer because we don't have air conditioning, but during our 42-week season, we have over 75 events. More than 35 professional groups use our facility every year, as do student organizations and university departments. We also play movies - all independent, art, foreign and classic films. No new releases."

Every year the Egyptian Theatre sees events range from rap shows to comedians, bodybuilding competitions, circuses and more...

Survive like an Egyptian, Northern Star, Illinois, USA, October 13, 2006.

Egyptian police have broken up a trafficking ring that was trying to sell stolen and highly valued ancient busts of Pharaohs and mythical figures at an undercut rate of $2 million, a security source said Sunday.

The five-person ring included a former employee of the Superior Council for Egyptian Antiquities and acquired the busts, valued at $10 million, through illegal excavations, the source said.

The ring was cracked after a policeman posing as an intermediary for an Arab buyer made contact with its members, who were subsequently arrested in a Cairo suburb.

The busts include the ancient Egyptian Pharaoh Ramses II, the falcon-headed god Horus, and the goddess Sekhmet, among others.

Egypt police bust antiquities traffickers, AFP via Middle East Times, Cyprus, October 16, 2006.