- Could
Cyprus really recover from its deep ethnic divisions and dissent based on the restoration of a 14th century seaside garrison that is
the fictional setting of Shakespeare's play "Othello?” Maybe so. The first
small step came this week as Greek and Turkish Cypriot politicians pledged to
preserve Cyprus' rich cultural heritage after hailing the completion of the
project, which comes amid renewed hopes that the east Mediterranean island
nation's ethnic strife can be settled at long last. Peace talks resumed last
month after months of stalemate and in the wake of that progress, politicians
from both sides of the divide inspected the completed restoration work of the
Othello Tower and Citadel during a visit to the sandstone structure in the city
of Famagusta. The site reopens next month and that made now a great time for
some political grandstanding on its grounds. "Restoration of this monument
is proof that when Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots cooperate, we can create
miracles," said Christos Christofides, from the Greek Cypriot left-wing
AKEL party. "We need a solution like the desert needs water." What a
very imaginative yet extremely regionally appropriate metaphor, Chris. Turkish
Cypriot Turfan Erhurman from the left-wing CTP party said both sides should
work to rise above politics to bind the two communities, which until a decade
ago had virtually no contact with each other. "I believe that the cultural
position of Famagusta is very rich and we have to protect it together,"
Erhurman said. Cyprus was has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded
after a coup aiming to unite the island with Greece. Turkish Cypriots declared
independence nearly a decade later, but Greece doesn’t really recognize the
breakaway state in the island's northern third. Turkey keeps 35,000 troops there and yet, all of this
drama could be resolved in the name of a structure Shakespeare vaulted to
international fame by making it the scene of his tragedy's denouement in which
Othello kills his love Desdemona in a fit of jealous rage. Well done, Bill……….
- Its
monetary value appears to be bigger than its name, and so “Penny Dreadful” will return for a
third season next year. Showtime and Sky Atlantic seems particularly excited
about it. "Penny Dreadful
is the perfect fit for Sky Atlantic: truly international in scale and ambition
but with a raft of British talent at its core, and filmed in the Republic of
Ireland," Sky Atlantic director Zai Bennett said in a press statement.
"I'm thrilled to have the series returning to the channel, and to once
again be partnering with John Logan and continuing to work with our good
friends at Showtime." He was joined by his partner in hyperbole, Showtime
president David Nevins , who tried to add a dose over-the-topness to the
proceedings. "Together with our wonderful partners at Sky Atlantic, we’re
excited to see what new haunts John and his team have in store for Season
Three,” Nevins said. Umm…Nevins? That kind of sucked. You added nothing to the
proceedings, but the good news is that the second season of the show debuted on
Showtime and Sky Atlantic in May and will wrap up its 10-episode run in July,
with strong ratings. Its cast includes Josh Hartnett, Rory Kinnear, Billie
Piper, Reeve Carney, Timothy Dalton and Eva Green and to hear Bennett tell it,
it’s freaking television gold. He cited Logan’s brilliant writing and this
amazingly talented ensemble,” confirming that the next season will also be
filmed in Ireland, although its full cast has yet to be confirmed. With guest
stars like Years & Years' Olly Alexander and Tony-winning actress Patti
LuPone having appeared in the first two
seasons, a big name or two should be on the agenda for Season 3……….
- What
is a $100 million fine to a company that eats bowls of cash for breakfast as if
they were oatmeal? We’re about to find out because AT&T is about to be hit
with a nine-figure penalty by the Federal
Communications Commission over allegations that it failed to inform customers
that their “unlimited” data plans would be slowed if they exceeded a certain
amount of data within a billing cycle. "Unlimited means unlimited,"
Travis LeBlanc, chief of the FCC Enforcement Bureau, said in a news release.
"As today’s action demonstrates, the commission is committed to holding
accountable those broadband providers who fail to be fully transparent about
data limits." Slow clap for Trav, every AT&T customer in the world.
Because of this whole mess, AT&T no longer offers unlimited data policies, but
those who signed up for them when they did exist have been grandfathered in and
can renew them for as long as they want. Those plans became a problem back in
2011, when the telecommunications giant implemented a throttling policy that
slowed data speeds on “unlimited” plans after customers exceeded a data cap. The
FCC alleges that its impact – i.e. capped speeds were significantly slower than
normal network speeds – was something AT&T tried to sweep under the rug and
therefore violated the 2010 Open Internet Transparency Rule. “Consumers deserve
to get what they pay for,” said FCC chairman Tom Wheeler. “Broadband providers
must be upfront and transparent about the services they provide.” Wait…just
because AT&T sent an emoji-laden text at like 3:15 a.m. letting customers
know that “Picture of a computer, picture of a turtle, picture of a stack of
cash and picture of a clown” means they didn’t do enough to tip customers off
to the fact that they were getting screwed over? “We have been fully
transparent with our customers, providing notice in multiple ways, and going
well beyond the FCC's disclosure requirements,” AT&T said in its own
statement. The thousands of customers who called the FCC to complain about
their data speeds being slowed would seem to disagree………
- Doping
and track and field are almost as natural a pairing as racism and soccer. If
you’re a track athlete of any real pedigree and you haven’t jammed something
illegal into your body at some point during your career, then you’re a rarity.
Thus, it really shouldn’t surprise anyone that Alberto Salazar has been accused of helping U.S. star and
Olympic silver medalist Galen Rupp take anabolic steroids. Salazar, who now
coaches British distance champion Mo Farah, was the subject of an investigation
that revealed damning information about his work with Rupp and now that taint
has extended to Farah, who vowed to turn over all his records yet also withdrew
from last weekend's Diamond League event in Birmingham, claiming he "physically and emotionally
drained" by the saga. The two-time Olympic champion lamented that his
reputation was being "dragged through the mud" in a heated press
conference, even as Salazar swung back at his haters. "I have said all
along that I believe in a clean sport, hard work and I deny all allegations of
doping," Salazar said. “The BBC and ProPublica have engaged in inaccurate
and unfounded journalism, with a complete lack of regard for both Galen and Mo.
Given the time and effort the BBC and ProPublica committed to making these
false allegations I hope that media and fans will afford me a short time to show
the accusers are knowingly making false statements.” Salazar vowed to move
quickly in presenting documentation proving his innocence and verifying the
legitimacy of his two top clients. No one has suggested that Farah has doped,
but UK Athletics said in light of the accusations against Salazar, the runner’s
medical records would be reviewed. He and Salazar have worked together since
Farah moved to Oregon in 2011 to train with the coach at the prestigious Nike
Oregon Project……….
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