Cape Cod pirate booty, Danny DeVito to exit "Philadelphia" and boxing judging corruption

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- Arrrrggghh! In them there waters off the coast of Cape Cod, there be gooooold, mateys. At least according to an undersea explorer who decades ago discovered North America's first authenticated pirate shipwreck, he’s learned the location of its legendary treasure off Cape Cod. Barry Clifford claims that his expedition recently located a large metallic mass that he's convinced represents most, if not all, of the 400,000 coins and other riches allegedly contained on the ship named the Whydah Gally. If this is true, then a 71-year-old explorer has the find of a lifetime and he’s just made the name for himself that he’s probably spent his lifetime trying to make. Clifford hopes to start investigating the suspected riches this month, but not everyone is sold on his claim.  Smithsonian curator Paul Johnston says Clifford needs to provide more definitive proof if he’s going to silence the haters. The explorer does have a suspect track record, having  been wrong before after touting finds at other shipwrecks. What isn't disputed is that the Whydah Gally went down in stormy seas in 1717 and nearly all of its roughly 150-person crew perished, including the pirate captain Samuel "Black Sam" Bellamy. The ship sat idle on the ocean floor for more than two and a half centuries before it was discovered in 1984. Now, more than three decades later, it’s possible that the ship’s valuable cargo has finally been re-discovered as well……..

- When it was announced that cult favorite comedy series “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” had been extended for three more seasons, fans of the irreverent comedy rejoiced. However, not everyone saw that news and thought that three more seasons sounded appealing. One of the show’s stars, Danny DeVito, has announced that he plans to leave the show after two more seasons. Season 11 wrapped up in March, but by that time the three-year extension was already in place, making “Sunny” one of the longest-running live-action sitcoms ever.  The show’s core throughout its first 11 seasons has been the group of friends running Paddy’s Pub in South Philadelphia. It stars Charlie Day, Kaitlin Olson, Glenn Howerton, Rob McElhenney and DeVito as Frank Reynolds, the father of characters Dennis and Dee. DeVito joined the show for Season 2 way back in 2006 and when he was asked about his career path in the next few years, he didn’t exactly sound like a guy in it for the long haul. "I have a couple of seasons left on the TV series ‘It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia,’” he said. It’s a vague comment that doesn’t exactly say that he’s out and nothing can bring him back, but a decade on a show is more than enough for most actors and especially one of DeVito’s ilk. The show is now among the longest-running live-action comedy shows ever, alongside “The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet,” a sitcom that started in 1952 and lasted for 14 seasons, and it will hit that mark three years from now whether DeVito exits stage right or not………

- How very vague and cryptic of you, Ethiopian government. The powers that be in the impoverished African nation alleges that 11 factories and dozens of vehicles have been damaged in attacks by what it calls "anti-peace forces." Calling someone “anti-peace forces” is extremely non-specific, but predictable from a regime that has seemed largely clueless as the East African country has seen months of protests demanding wider freedoms. The violence reached new levels this week when an American woman was killed this week in a rock attack by protesters and these same oppositions groups have targeted various businesses with violent attacks due to suspected government links. To get its one-sided message out, the government funneled its latest claims through the state-affiliated Fana Broadcasting Corporate, saying that the attacks on factories in Sebeta town on the outskirts of the capital, Addis Ababa, have affected more than 40,000 workers. If these reports are to be believed, the rioters targeted textile, plastic and bottled-water companies and caused significant damages to their facilities. Residents in the normally restive Oromia region reported hearing gunshots and claimed that local transportation has been virtually shut down, creating a problematic situation because many local shops are closed and locals have no way to get the supplies they need. It’s a combustible situation and one the government quite frankly seems completely and totally ill-equipped to handle……

- Allegations of corrupt boxing judges are Olympic tradition, right alongside the opening ceremony, copious amounts of sex in the athletes’ village and the United States leading the medal race. Boxing is such a subjective sport and disputed decisions are common in amateur and professional boxing alike, so it should surprise no one that three dozen boxing referees and judges who officiated at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics have been barred from working at further boxing events until an investigation is completed. Boxing’s governing body, the AIBA, says the 36 referees and judges should be ineligible to officiate at the youth world championships in Russia next month. The integrity of AIBA, its officials and scoring system were questioned in Rio. During the games, AIBA president C.K. Wu responded to the criticism by reassigning his executive director to other duties. AIBA has not detailed how many Olympic officials were sent home over "less than a handful" of unsatisfactory fight decisions. Disputed bouts included fighters from Ireland, Kazakhstan and the United States losing to opponents from Russia and Uzbekistan. Some judges at those bouts, however, continued to work in Rio. Days after the Olympics, AIBA said it sent cases of some officials and member federations to its disciplinary commission and the matter has loomed overhead without further explanation from the organization. However, this week’s announcement that AIBA is looking to disband its system of certifying referees and judges for top championships and to "instill greater transparency" by picking referees and judges for bouts in an automated draw instead of selection by a three-member draw commission doesn’t exactly say good things about where the situation stands. The current rules stipulate that there are five judges scoring each fight, but a computer randomly throws out two of the scores. One possible change is a transparent five-judge system with the idea of exposing the entire process as a means of eliminating shady judging practices. But if the sport’s past is any indication, the seedier elements of boxing will always find a way to persist and until the whole sport is run by autonomous robots, there will still be rampant corruption and unfair decisions that leave what should be winning boxers staring on incredulously, disbelief etched on their faces as their gold medal or championship belt goes to the boxer whose ass they just kicked……..
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