The Greek government claims that US Secretary of State Colin Powell will visit Athens just before a donors conference for Iraq in Madrid. The US government won't confirm Powell's plans.
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Design Cues
The International Herald Tribune has an article on the design goals of various elements of the Games, including the costumes for the opening and closing ceremonies, the medals and the mascots (and the official fragrance of the Athens 2004 Games--yes, I am rolling my eyes).
Indeed, inspired by the history and the landscape, the symbols for the Athens 2004 Games are Greek: the emblem, for instance, comes naturally in the form of an olive wreath, the ultimate Olympic prize in ancient times. Also known as kotinos, the wreath represents the four values of the 2004 Games: heritage, participation, celebration and human scale.
Then there are Phevos and Athena, the Athens 2004 official mascots, created by a local firm, Paragraph Design. Inspired by an ancient terra-cotta doll, the brother and sister are as old as they are current: Phevos, an alternate spelling of Phoebus, the name of the Olympian god of light and music who is also known as Apollo, and Athena, the goddess of wisdom and patron of the city of Athens.
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Another signature object of the 2004 Games is the Olympic torch, which was made from wood and metal and resembles an olive leaf. The torch - weighing 700 grams, or 24 ounces, and measuring 68 centimeters, or 27 inches - was designed by Andreas Varotsos. Plans call for it to light up the Athens Olympic Stadium on Aug. 13.
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"All of these visual elements are inspired by the past," Mantzaris-Kindel said, "but the renderings of the designs are contemporary. Fluid forms, uneven shapes, vivid colors are combined to create a unique identity, easily recognizable as Greek but also modern."
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Laurel, sage, cedar, freesia and a seaside scent were a few of the ingredients used in the development of the Athens 2004 fragrance collection. The only officially licensed products with their own name, the Olympic Spirit series was developed by Sarantis Group, featuring four scents: Heritage and Fair Play for men, and Participation and Celebration for women.
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The fragrances are part of a large collection of officially licensed products available in Olympic stores and sales points in Greece and abroad. These include the ubiquitous T-shirts, casual wear and sportswear; porcelain and glassware; table games, mouse pads and other computer accessories; and posters and greeting cards.
There seem to be a significant number of people who care about siamese-twin separation stories. I'm not one of them, but if you are, here you go.
Twin girls, born in Thesssaloniki, were joined at the temple, though they did not share a brain. The successful separation surgery was performed in Rome by more than 30 doctors in a 13 hour procedure.
The girls arrived in Italy last Wednesday, and doctors decided to operate earlier than planned out of concern that one twin might catch an infection from the other. Doctors also wanted to operate quickly because each twin had restricted use of one eye, endangering their vision.
Di Rocco said it would be some time before doctors could evaluate if their sight has been impaired, but said that shouldn't hamper their pursuit of normal lives.
``From a practical point of view, the ability to live as we understand it, there won't be problems,'' said Di Rocco.
The girls were expected to be stable enough to travel home in about three weeks.
He described the enormous relief in the operating room when the procedure was completed successfully.
``I have been operating for more than 20 years and I have never heard applause in the operating theater ... this time when the girls were separated, there was applause all around, and this was very moving,'' said Di Rocco.
Two mass-transit programs for Athens-- a suburban rail line and urban tram lines--have fallen behind schedule, and may not be completed. An inspection team from the IOC is due in Athens next week, and these transportation problems will likely be the focus of the visit.
Construction of the suburban railway line from the Doukissis Plakentias Station to Neratziotissa Station near the Olympic Stadium is behind schedule. Officials say that if this is not near completion by the end of November then it will be extremely difficult to get it ready for the Olympics, and alternatives must be worked out. These could entail buses being used from the Stavros interchange in Aghia Paraskevi to the Olympic complex. Also, the whole of the 32-kilometer line from the airport to the Acharnon railway hub is behind schedule.
Regarding the tram, officials are scrutinizing the contractors who have ignored commitments to increase the number of workers on the project. A program aimed at speeding up work was shown to the previous IOC inspection team but has not been implemented, even though problems presented by the municipality of Palaio Faliron have been solved. [base "]If by the end of October we have not seen significant progress on the project, then we must look for alternatives in order to save it,[per thou] said one of the participants at last week[base ']s meeting.
