Hooray for first baby steps!

From e-Kathimerini: Greener bags now in stores

Volunteers yesterday handed out free reusable shopping bags in central Athens as a municipal pilot scheme, aimed at phasing out the use of plastic bags, was launched in nine supermarkets.

Athens Mayor Nikitas Kaklamanis, who has spearheaded efforts to boost recycling in the capital, said that he believed shoppers would adopt greener ways. “We as Greeks are not lacking in sensitivity or decisiveness but simply are not well informed,” he said. “When we are correctly informed, then I believe our mentality changes,” he said, noting that a recent 15-day awareness campaign attracted 100,000 participants.

The six-week scheme is to lead to the replacement of plastic bags with alternatives made of starch or other biodegradable materials, or of fabric, from June 1. The bags, which are said to last for 18 to 20 months, will be sold for 7 cents each at the stores participating in the scheme, which include all the major chains.

return

The Return of Persephone by Lord Frederic Leighton, 1891

do not call them Elgin

Photo : AFP

Yahoo News Sunday April 13, 07:00 PM
Last Parthenon marbles threatened by pollution: archaeologist

ATHENS (AFP) - A senior Greek archaeologist warned this week that the last original sculptures still adorning the Parthenon, Athens' iconic ancient temple, face a major pollution threat and must be removed to a museum.

"There are still 17 original metopes (sculpted plaques) which must be protected because they can no longer endure atmospheric conditions," Acropolis site supervisor Alexandros Mantis told AFP on Friday.

Mantis has proposed that the endangered sculptures be replaced by replicas and kept safe in a new museum located below the Acropolis that is scheduled to open in September.

He singled out 14 plaques on the Parthenon's western facade which are in a "pitiful" condition, plus two more on the northern side.

One of them is the so-called "Annunciation" plaque featuring two goddesses, which was spared by early Christians when the temple was turned into a church around 600 AD.

Athens' most recogniseable landmark and part of the ancient Acropolis citadel overlooking the city, the Parthenon dates back to the golden age of Athenian democracy which began in the fifth century B.C.

Few sculptures dating from the Acropolis' creation are still on-site, having been gradually removed by Greek archaeologists in the last 30 years during restoration works.

The famous Caryatids, statues of young women that acted as pillars to the Erechtheion temple, were themselves removed in 1979.

The issue was discussed last week by the Greek archaeological council (KAS), the influential 34-member state body that advises the culture ministry on heritage issues.

But the council is frequently split and this case was no exception.

"Mr Mantis has stated his position but the archaeological council has not ruled on the issue," said Maria Ioannidou, the archaeologist heading the Acropolis restoration project (YSMA).

"A relevant study must be carried out and an international conference must be held on the issue to reach a decision," she told AFP.

The culture ministry's head of ancient monument restoration, Dimosthenis Giraud, also advised caution.

"A detailed study of the issue is necessary," he said.

Sceptics say that removing the Parthenon's last original sculptures would strike a jarring note with hundreds of thousands of tourists who visit the monument every year.

There is also debate over how the move will affect Greece's case with the British Museum for the return of the Parthenon Marbles, the priceless friezes removed in the early 19th century by Lord Elgin, British ambassador to the Ottoman Empire which ruled Greece at the time.

The British have long accused Greek authorities of taking poor care of the vulnerable monument that was exposed to decades of air pollution.

Mantis insists that protecting the sculptures will strengthen Greece's case to have the Parthenon Marbles repatriated from London.

"We must protect our heritage at all costs," he said.

A total of 92 metopes once adorned the Parthenon's outer Doric frieze, the oldest sculptures on the temple dedicated to Athens' patron goddess Athena.

Depicting scenes of battle between gods and giants, men facing centaurs and Amazons, and the Trojan War, most of them are now nearly unrecognisable.

In addition to the changes wrought on the temple when it was turned into a church, it was badly damaged during a Venetian siege in 1687 when a cannon ball exploded in the Turkish powder magazine stored inside the Parthenon.

Children of the Revolution - Eleftheria

Liven up your Friday evening!

Eleftheria! Freedom! (starts Greek, later in English- Worth watching!)

It wasn't that long ago that people in Greece, would speak of "taking a trip to Europe" if they were going to visit France, or Germany, or other western countries on the continent. These days, however, Greece's national identity is becoming more closely alligned with the notion of "European". Greece has been in the E.U. since 1981, and they abandoned the drachma for the euro more than six years ago-and anyplace that takes the Euro is European, right? And yet...
I've found that many Americans are not aware that Greece was an occupied country, under Ottoman rule from 1453 until 1821, even later in some areas. Or that the Greeks did not experience the Age of Enlightenment as did Western Europeans.
That the Greek language and culture could survive domination to emerge triumphant is testimony to the strength of the Greek people and their desire to remain free. Greece's unique history, spiced with a dash of Asia Minor, keep the culture of this country distinct, with many roots that still wind their way to the east....
The music holds that link. Listen.

Plastic: Not good at all

Greece: waist-deep in plastic
With the lowest recycling levels in the EU, and no energy-recovery facilities, Greek landfills are clogged with plastic.
 
From: Enerpub Energy Publisher
by Thrasy Petropoulos
 
Consider this fact for a minute. Not a single kilogram of plastic is landfilled in Switzerland. And now look at the other end of the scale. Greece missed its European Union target to recycle a measly 15 percent of its plastic packaging waste by the end of 2006 by some distance.

While the country is doing better than might be imagined in paper and cardboard recycling (above 70 percent), and more than half of industrial steel is reused, Greece props up the table where plastic is concerned.

By combining the quantities of plastic recycled or burned for energy recovery in 2005, the association of plastic manufacturers in Europe, Plastics Europe, has highlighted Greece's position as the most wasteful European country in the management of plastic waste, coming below the likes of Cyprus, Malta, Lithuania and Estonia.



According to figures given to this newspaper by the Ecological Recycling Society in central Athens, the country managed to recycle only 30,000 of the 300,000 tonnes of plastic packaging waste produced in 2006.

Adamantios Skordilis, who heads the alternative waste management department of the environment ministry, acknowledged in a recent interview with this newspaper that Greece is unlikely to meet the stiffer EU target of 22.5 percent plastics recycling by 2011.

Contacted again for the purpose of this article, he insisted that the current figures were expected to rise as household recycling becomes established, but he conceded that the only facility for incinerating refuse-derived fuel (RDF) planned for this country has still not been approved.

RDF, which is collected at landfills, is a compressed mixture of non-recyclable paper (60-70 percent), thin plastics (20-30 percent), cloth and small amounts of wood and other materials. Viewed as a refined form of alternative fuel, it is increasingly used by the likes of cement and power plants and paper mills across Europe.

As seen in the accompanying table, it is the burning of RDF and other solid municipal waste for energy recovery that is, ultimately, the key to the successful management of plastic waste.

A spokesperson for cement producer Heracles, owned by Lafarge, said that the company was intending to invest 6 million euros in constructing the necessary RDF-processing installation in its Mylaki plant, in Evia, and that the use of RDF has been included in the modification of the plant's environmental permit, which is presently in the approval stage.

She confirmed, however, that the plans had met with local opposition and could give no timescale for its completion.



With no outlet for RDF, some 90,000 tonnes of such waste collected at the Ano Liosia landfill in 2004 and 2005 were used to build a supporting wall at the site. This combined amount was included in the environment ministry's reported plastic recycling and reuse figures to the EU for those years, along with the argument that the wall had "filtration" properties. Effectively, however, it did no more than rejoin other landfilled waste.

Timeless problem

Jan-Erik Johansson, a spokesperson for Plastics Europe, makes the recycling culture of other countries sound enviably simplistic.

"It really isn't difficult to get the rate of recycling of plastics up to 20 percent," he said. "You can make considerable improvement by just concentrating on two areas - plastic water and other drinks bottles, which you use a lot of in Greece, and by collecting the plastic film around industrial pallets. Recyclers love this because it amounts to between two and three kilograms of clean plastic per pallet."

He added: "Just by having facilities at supermarkets where people can deposit plastic bottles, Sweden has reached a recycling rate for these bottles of nearly 90 percent."

This appears to give credence to Skordilis' assertion that household recycling will significantly improve Greece's figures.

Contradictory to that argument, however, is the fact that recycling for 2006, when the country's blue-bin programme was supposedly fully operational, apparently shows almost no improvement from the previous year (10 percent against 9.9 percent).

There are, according to Skordilis, two principal problems to overcome.

"There are something like 50 different types of plastic, of which around five are sorted at Greece's recycling plants," he said. "For now, this is done by hand, although efforts are being made to bring in automated sorting methods. The second problem concerns burning RDF. Unfortunately, the initiative in Mylaki is being opposed by locals. The fear is that burning RDF will cause environmental pollution, although this is based on no specific knowledge whatsoever. It is something that will be resolved, but we cannot say when."

Johansson agrees with Skordilis on both counts - namely that the many types of plastic (high- and low-density polyethylene, polypropylene, PVC and so on, often used in combinations within the same packaging) are a problem for recyclers and that the burning of RDF poses no danger to the environment if done correctly. Indeed, he argues, recent measurements from a solid municipal waste-burning plant in Cologne, Germany, showed that the fumes from the furnace were cleaner than the surrounding air.

Filippos Kyrkitsos, the president of the Ecological Recycling Society, told this newspaper that he is not against burning RDF but that a better solution would be to reduce the amount of plastic that arrives at landfills in the first place.

"Before we even consider the environmental impact of RDF, we should concentrate on increasing the number of blue bins across Greece and improving their collection," he said.

Holistic approach

For all the facts and figures, a simple truth is exposed by the comparison of Greece with other European countries. Namely, that elsewhere plastic packaging is, increasingly, not even making its way to landfills.

"In Switzerland, not a single kilo of plastic is landfilled," he says. "And other countries are pretty close to that. They do that by having a holistic perspective to waste management.

When you bear in mind that plastic is nothing more than solidified oil, then recycling or burning for energy recovery is a wonderful way of finishing off the work that has gone into making it."

Not that this ethos should be followed blindly, he argues. Thin plastic supermarket bags, which can be recycled but encourage a wasteful approach by consumers, have been done away within in some countries.

"The alternative in Sweden is the paper bag," Johansson says. "However, from a cradle-to-cradle perspective, the paper bag generates 2½ times more CO2 in its creation and recycling than the thin plastic bag. It is another example of the importance of being informed of the facts."

uh-oh

From Kathimerini:

High-profile artifacts arrest

The head of one of Greece’s leading environmental and cultural organizations was arrested yesterday on suspicion of possessing undeclared antiquities at his home in Plaka, central Athens.

Costas Karras, the president of the Hellenic Society for the Protection of the Environment and Cultural Heritage, was taken into custody after police raided the property and found 24 marble artifacts, nine silver and bronze coins, four icons and four religious books from the 17th and 18th centuries. Archaeologists are examining the seized items.

Police said that the items had not been registered with the Culture Ministry, as Greek law dictates.

The 70-year-old suspect told police that some of the antiquities were family heirlooms, while others had been discovered on his land in Plaka. Karras is due to appear before a magistrate today.

methysmena

Tipsy Cookies with Retsina and Loukoumi

Ingredients:
9 cups flour (approximate)
5 tsp. baking powder
1 2/3 sunflower or other light oil
1 cup retsina
20 pieces of loukoumi
30 walnuts, halved
Confectioner's sugar

Procedure:
Preheat the oven to 400 F.
Sift the flour and baking powder into a bowl, add the oil and retsina and work into a smooth, soft pastry. Turn pastry out onto a floured work surface and roll out to a thickness of about 1/4 inch. Using a small glass or cookie cutter, cut out circles. Place a small piece of Turkish delight and half a walnut on each round and fold the pastry circle in half to make a pocket, pressing the edges down firmly. Place the pastry pockets on a baking sheet lined with baking parchment and bake in a preheated oven until they begin to brown. Remove from the oven and cool, then sprinkle with confectioner's sugar. Store in an airtight container. Makes 50- 60 cookies

Poetry 1948

by Nikos Engonopoulos (1907-1985)
Poetry 1948
translated by David Connolly

this age
of civil strife
is no age
for poetry
and such like:
when something starts
to
be written
it's
as if
it were being written
on the back
of death
announcements
which is why
my poems
are so bitter
(and when-in any case-were they not?)
and are
-above all-
also
so
few

eat this one

Recipe from "Athens News":
Savoro (marinated fish)

Ingredients:

1 kilo red mullet

1 cup olive oil

flour for frying

vinegar

6 cloves garlic sliced

1 tsp rosemary

2 tbsp currants

Procedure:

Clean the fish, removing the gills, innards and scales. Salt and allow to stand for about two hours. Heat half of the oil, flour the fish and place in the hot oil to fry. Turn the fish over to brown evenly on the other side. When the fish is browned, remove from pan, place in a deep dish and allow to cool. Pour enough vinegar to cover the fish and allow to stand for about half and hour. Drain the vinegar. Heat the rest of the oil in a pan and add the garlic, the rosemary and the currants; saute for a few minutes. Pour the garlic mixture over the fish.

do not eat this one

From the "Cretan Gazette":


Poisonous Red Sea Pufferfish Reach Crete
Cretan fishermen occasionally catch strange pufferfish in their nets in the south of Crete (area of Ierapetra). These have no scales, hard skin, with a grey lower body and black spots on the upper body. Their scientific name of Lagocephalus sceleratus is due to the fact that they have two teeth in each jaw, making them look like hares. The fish are 10-35 cm long.

These fish are Lessepsian migrants, invading the Mediterranean from the Red Sea through the Suez Canal. They must not be eaten because their skin and internal organs contain a neurotoxin that paralyses the nervous and respiratory systems. This toxin is not affected by heat or cooking. Pufferfish is only eaten in Japan, where it is known as fugu: the poisonous organs are removed by specialist cooks on the day the fish is caught.

minoan connection

from Kathimerini:
DNA sheds light on Minoans

Crete’s fabled Minoan civilization was built by people from Anatolia, according to a new study by Greek and foreign scientists that disputes an earlier theory that said the Minoans’ forefathers had come from Africa.

The new study – a collaboration by experts in Greece, the USA, Canada, Russia and Turkey – drew its conclusions from the DNA analysis of 193 men from Crete and another 171 from former neolithic colonies in central and northern Greece.

The results show that the country’s neolithic population came to Greece by sea from Anatolia – modern-day Iran, Iraq and Syria – and not from Africa as maintained by US scholar Martin Bernal.

The DNA analysis indicates that the arrival of neolithic man in Greece from Anatolia coincided with the social and cultural upsurge that led to the birth of the Minoan civilization, Constantinos Triantafyllidis of Thessaloniki’s Aristotle University told Kathimerini.

“Until now we only had the archaeological evidence – now we have genetic data too and we can date the DNA,” he said.

Save John From Cincinnati- Get Back in the Game!

Tonight HBO aired the final episode of John From Cincinnati. I have mixed feelings about this episode. It has a very powerful beginning and then becomes a hodge podge, attempting to wrap up a storyline that originally was to develop over two more episodes. HBO made many mistakes with this series, the worst of these was the show's premature cancellation. I am posting this video made by friends I met online through our common interest in"John From Cincinnati". Talisyn wrote the song and performs it here. Farley created the accompanying video. I hope that if you enjoy the "John from Cincinnati" videos on this blog you will purchase or rent the DVD and watch all 10 episodes. Then let me know what you think!

40 years after

It has been 40 years since Martin Luther King,JR was assainated in Memphis.

Benaki textile

Embroidery from the hem of 17th C Cretan chemise, Benaki Museum, Athens.

Calendar of an Invisible April

- by Odysseas Elytis
translated by Marios Dikaiakos

“The wind was whistling continuously, it was
getting darker, and that distant voice was
incessantly reaching my ears : “an entire life”…
“an entire life”…
On the opposite wall, the shadows of the
trees were playing cinema”

“It seems that somewhere people are celebrating;
although there are no houses or human beings
I can listen to guitars and other laughters which
are not nearby

Maybe far away, within the ashes of heavens
Andromeda, the Bear, or the Virgin…

I wonder; is loneliness the same, all over the
worlds ?“

“Almond-shaped, elongated eyes, lips; perfumes stemming
from a premature sky of great feminine delicacy
and fatal drunkeness.

I leant on my side -almost fell- onto the
hymns to the Virgin and the cold of spacious
gardens.

Prepared for the worst.”


“FRIDAY, 10c

LATE MIDNIGHT my room is moving in the
neighborhood shining like an emerald.
Someone searches it, but truth eludes him
constantly. How to imagine that it is
placed lower

Much lower

That death too, has its own Red sea.”

FYROM veto

Greece vetoes invitation to FYROM for NATO entry
from e-Kathimerini:

Greek Prime Minsiter Costas Karamanlis on Wednesday night vetoed a NATO invitation to the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) to join, during an alliance crucial summit in Bucharest.

Addressing the leaders' dinner, which signaled the opening of the summit, Karamanlis outlined Greece's positions on the isuue, underlining that it cannot consent to a FYROM NATO entry invitation if the "name issue" of the former Yugoslav republic is not resolved first.

France, Italy, Spain, Iceland and Luxembourg expressed their support to Greece's positions, while Hungary, Slovakia, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany viewed with understanding the Greek arguments.

Opposing the Greek position and supporting an invitation without conditions to FYROM, were Turkey, Slovenia, the Czech Republic, Estonia, and Lithuania.

Denmark, Bulgaria, and Norway, although moving in the same direction, were less enthousiastic. Canada, Great Britain and Portugal refrained from taking a stand.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy was the wormest supporter of the Greek positions, who said in his address that "We stand in solidarity with Greeks, we believe that a solution must be found. I have Hungarian roots, but I also have Greek roots and I fully assume them."

During a reception preceding the official dinner, Premier Karamanlis held a brief conversation with U.S. President George W. Bush.

In a related development, NATO spokesman James Appathurai told reporters in Brussels after the end of the Bucharest dinner, that Greece made clear that despite the fact that it wants to see FYROM joining NATO the soonest possible, it is not possible to give its consent as long as the neighbouring republic's "name issue" remains unresolved.

According to an ANA-MPA dispatch from the Belgian capital, Appathurai added that, given Greece's position, efforts for resolving the "name issue" should continue, noting at the same time that all NATO member-states wish for a compromise solution as soon as possible, without this meaning that concrete timeframes have been set.

Asklepios

alone

I am getting a bit lonely withoutcompany here at this taverna. If you read this, click on comments and say hello!!

FYROM update

From e-Kathimerini:
Athens stands firm at NATO gathering
Discussion of FYROM’s alliance bid may be postponed until coming fall

Greek diplomats attending a crucial NATO summit in Bucharest yesterday stood by their threat to veto the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia’s bid to join the alliance, as Washington appeared to tone down its insistence that the Balkan state be invited immediately.

“We are running out of time,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Giorgos Koumoutsakos told reporters when asked if there was any chance of a settlement of the Macedonia name dispute that is obstructing FYROM’s NATO bid.

According to sources, the discussion of FYROM’s membership bid may be postponed until the alliance’s next scheduled summit in the fall.

Sources said that the name issue will be broached by US Assistant Secretary of State Daniel Fried who is to visit both Athens and Skopje later this month.

Earlier yesterday, US President George W. Bush reiterated his support for Albania, Croatia and “Macedonia” joining NATO. “There’s an issue with one country, in particular, but... I’m optimistic that it will get solved,” Bush said in a clear reference to FYROM. Other Western leaders, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel, also expressed their staunch support for FYROM’s membership bid.

The European Union’s enlargement commissioner, Olli Rehn, said: “NATO membership for Croatia, Albania and FYROM will help prepare those countries for EU membership as well.” Earlier Rehn had criticized posters in Skopje streets showing the Nazi swastika superimposed on the Greek flag. This is hardly in keeping with the principles of good neighborly relations, he remarked.

In Skopje last night, hundreds of FYROM residents staged a candle-lit vigil to protest Greek “oppression.” There were no reports of violence.

Several US newspapers featured the comments of Greek diplomats and diaspora organizations yesterday – an apparent bid to counteract pressure from Washington on Athens to drop its veto threat. “Athens has shown its good will... and gone the extra mile,” US Ambassador Alexandros Mallios wrote in a letter published in The Wall Street Journal. “If the name issue is not resolved now, it may fester to poison future generations, undermining stability and cooperation,” he added. Meanwhile, yesterday’s editions of The New York Times and other US newspapers carried a one-page feature – an initiative by a Washington-based diaspora group – entitled “What’s in a name?” explaining Greece’s position on the Macedonia name dispute.

BBC news: more on FYROM

map from theodora.com

Greece to veto Macedonia Nato bid
By Malcolm Brabant
BBC News, Athens

Greece says it is almost certain to veto Macedonia's bid to join Nato, following Macedonian portrayals of the Greek prime minister as a Nazi.

The two countries are also in dispute over the name "Macedonia" for Greece's northern neighbour.

Time is running out for a solution before the Nato summit in Bucharest, which opens on Wednesday evening.

US President George W Bush had hoped to invite Macedonia to join Nato, along with Albania and Croatia.

Athens is deeply offended by posters that have appeared in Skopje, which have the swastika superimposed on the Greek flag, as well as a magazine cover which depicts Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis as an SS officer.

And the Greeks feel insulted by recent images of their neighbour's prime minister laying a wreath by a flag showing a map of Greater Macedonia, which includes parts of Northern Greece.

Territorial claims

Greece's foreign minister, Dora Bakoyannis, says the dispute is not just over a name.

She says the government in Skopje regards the Greek province of Macedonia as occupied territory and has refused to remove such claims from textbooks speeches, maps and national documents.

Athens and Skopje have failed to reach an agreement on a new name for the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, and Greece's stance remains - no deal, no invitation.

Greece is under huge pressure to back down.

The Americans say a dispute over who are the descendants of Macedonia's legendary king Alexander the Great cannot be allowed to derail Nato's expansion.

Other Nato allies are worried that closing the door on Skopje could lead to the break up of the country along ethnic lines between Slav Macedonians and the Albanian minority.

But compromising on what most Greeks regard as an unsatisfactory name would be political suicide for the Conservative government of Mr Karamanlis, and so the use of Greece's veto looks inevitable.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/europe/7326017.stm

Published: 2008/04/02 10:54:59 GMT

© BBC MMVIII

time to clean it up

From e-Kathamerini
EU gives Athens trash warning

A European Commission official warned Greece yesterday that Athens needs to sort out its waste management problem quickly or risk finding itself in the same position as Naples, which has run out of places to dump its trash.

Speaking at a meeting in Athens on the environment and sustainable development, the Commission’s director-general for regional policy, Jacques Poncet, told Greek officials, including Environment and Public Works Minister Giorgos Souflias, that they need to act fast.

“The situation in Athens is at a crucial stage,” he said. “If you do not want to find yourselves in the same position as Naples, you must take action soon.”

The European Union took action against Naples earlier this year when hundreds of thousands of tons of rubbish piled up around the Campania region as authorities ran out of places to dump the trash. Many residents resorted to burning their garbage instead, releasing harmful dioxins into the air.

Poncet’s call was backed by Giorgos Kremlis, a spokesman for the Commission’s Environment Directorate-General.

“It is important that national and regional waste disposal planning is updated to take account of climate change and the new technology that is available,” said Kremlis.

Athens has until now relied on its only landfill, which serves the whole of Attica, in the northwestern suburb of Ano Liosia. However, the landfill is effectively full and alternative solutions are being sought.

A government committee yesterday rubber-stamped plans to create three new landfills at Fyli, Grammatiko and Keratea, where the trash will be processed and composted.

The members of the committee are due to meet today with Poncet and Kremlis to discuss the project.

Jules Dassin and Melina Mercouri:Never on Sunday

in memorium Jules Dassin

From e-Kathimerini

US director and husband of Melina Mercouri dies in Athens at age 96

Jules Dassin, the US filmmaker and husband of Greek actress and politician Melina Mercouri, died at the Hygeia hospital in Athens last night at the age of 96. Dassin was a respected figure in Greece and is best known for directing, among other films, the French heist movie “Rififi” and “Never on Sunday,” in which Mercouri starred. Dassin was born in Connecticut in 1911 but was forced into exile after being named a communist in 1952 before a hearing of Senator Joseph McCarthy’s House Un-American Activities Committee. Dassin was married to Mercouri from 1966 until her death in 1994.

name days in April

April name days
April 6 - Eutyxios
April 15 - Leonidas
April 23 - Georgios (Yorgos) - Georgia. If during Lent, it moves to second day after Easter.
April 24 - Elisabet
April 25 - Marcos

john from cincinnati

- The Perfect Ending - Harriet Street

HBO is re-airing John From Cincinnati" this week, a show that touched me deeply. If you have not had the opportunity to watch this amazingly well written story of surfing, hope and redemption, it is being released on DVD at midnight tonight. You will have to forgive me, I know that I will be writing more about this series here. The truth is, I love this show. I am not much of a TV watcher, but, believe me, this one is very, very special. Enjoy this great video of scenes, created by MacGhil.

FYROM

From e-Kathimerini

Athens holds its ground in name dispute
Greece and FYROM still at odds as US ups pressure before NATO summit

The government yesterday insisted that it would not be pushed into accepting a compromise on the Macedonia name dispute before Wednesday's NATO summit, as Western pressure for an immediate solution intensified.

«No solution means no invitation (for Skopje to join NATO),» Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis told Parliament on Saturday, stressing «only a mutually acceptable solution... can form the basis for constructive relations within the alliance.»

Meanwhile US officials cranked up the pressure on Athens to agree to a settlement so that the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) can join NATO. US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice telephoned Greece's Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis on Friday night to stress Washington's resolve. And, sources told Kathimerini, US President George W. Bush is considering inviting Karamanlis and FYROM's Premier Nikola Gruevski for talks on the matter before the NATO summit gets under way.

Bakoyannis has stuck to her guns, dismissing Rice's description of the name spat as «something that has to do with antiquity» and stressing, in an interview published in yesterday's Ethnos, that «we are not a country that takes orders from anyone.» Bakoyannis added that «the pressure of time will not lead us to accept proposals in the form of an ultimatum.»

The Greek FM said she believed United Nations mediator Matthew Nimetz might make a fresh proposal before Wednesday but said, «It will be difficult to reach a solution before the summit.»

But her FYROM counterpart Antonio Milososki said he thought a deal could be struck by then. «We are running out of time but I think the possibility (of an agreement) still exists,» he told reporters on the sidelines of a European Union summit in Slovenia on Saturday. He said FYROM's parliament will today discuss Nimetz's latest proposal for a solution to the name dispute - Republic of Macedonia (Skopje) - which is said to have appealed to FYROM.

Milososki and Bakoyannis had been due to hold talks in Slovenia at the weekend but the Greek side canceled the meeting after US pressure intensified.

Most European foreign ministers at the Slovenia summit avoided taking a stance on the FYROM accession issue. But Germany's Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier warned of the regional repercussions of blocking Skopje's bid to join NATO. «This summit does not have the right to fail and must not replace more stability for less stability,» he said.

Greek Institute, Cambridge, MA

Sending along the spring schedule for celebrating the arts!
Happy Spring!

With the coming of spring, we invite you to our annual festival of
the arts!

May 1, 7:30 pm - Daphnis and Chloe, Greek silent film, based on the
famous Greek novel of the 2nd Century A.D. by Longus, thought to be
from the island of Lesvos. With the cooperation of the Athens Film
Archive, at the Harvard Film Archive, Carpenter Center, Room B04,
Harvard University. Nikos Panou, PhD, will introduce the film. Open
to the public.

May 10-30 - A Return to the Homeland - 2 Greek American Photographers
- Garyfallia Pagonis and George Panagakos. Photographs of Greece in
the Gallery at The Greek Institute, 1038 Massachusetts Avenue,
Cambridge. Opening reception May 10, 4-7 pm, Viewing times: Tuesday
through Friday 1-5 pm or by appointment.

May 12, 7:30 pm - "MORE EROS - GREEK SONGS" performed by The Greek
Music Ensemble at the Little Kresge Theater, MIT, 48 Massachusetts
Avenue, Cambridge. Cost: $20, General Admission, $10, Students.
Tickets may also be purchased by calling 617.547.4770

May 19, 7:30 pm - "Ships of Mercy: The True Story of the Rescue of
the Greeks, Smyrna, September 1922" presented by author, Chris
Papoutsy. Books will be available. Open to the public.

June, 2008 - HYPSIPYLE, play by Euripides in an English translation
by Athan Anagnostopoulos. This work is based on the reconstruction
and translation of the original Greek fragments into Modern Greek by
Tasos Roussos. Cover design and ink drawings by Catherine Kernan.
Published by The Greek Institute. Cost: $18. May be purchased online
by visiting www.thegreekinstitute.org

Maria Anagnostopoulos
Program Director
The Greek Institute
1038 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02138
ph. 617-547-4770
fax 617-661-9150
www.thegreekinstitute.org

Greece hands over Olympic flame

From Reuters:
Greece hands over Olympic flame amid pro-Tibet protests, tight security

ATHENS, Greece -- Greek officials handed over the Olympic flame to organizers of the Beijing Games on Sunday amid small protests by a pro-Tibetan group.

The ceremony was held at the marble Panathenian Stadium, where the first modern Olympics were staged in 1896.

Outside the stadium, police scuffled with pro-Tibet demonstrators and prevented others from unfurling protest banners. Twenty-one demonstrators were detained - seven Indians, one Nepalese and 13 Greeks - and were all due to be released without charge, police said.

The protesters challenged a police cordon but failed to disrupt the final leg of Greece's torch relay - from the Acropolis to the stadium.

behold the eggplant

happy to be

Received from "The Eagle":

Why I am proud to be Greek

Because nights in Greece finish in the morning.

Because we drink our coffee slowly and not in "gulps".

Because flirting is our national pastime.

Because we always moan about the public sector and everyone seeks to get a job in it.

Because we go out almost every night, even if we are penniless.

Because we respect our Grandmothers sometimes more than our wives.

Because we know how to "spend" better than we know how to "save".

Because we never visit others empty-handed. We bring a cake or a bottle of Retsina.

Because we do not share the cost of gasoline with those traveling with us.

Because there is no way to explain to foreigners what "kapsoura" (burning desire for someone) or "kefi" (party mood) really mean.

Because the word "filotimo" (helping someone because it is the right thing to do) doesn't exist in any other language.

Because whenever foreigners cannot find a word, they bloody steal one of ours!

Because we always make it, albeit in the last moment.

Because we are everywhere around the planet.

Because we love and hate with passion.

Because we spend our bad and low times with our friends and family; not with therapists and counselors.

Because Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle were Hellenic and we still quote them!!

Because we invented the theatre.

Because we gave birth to Democracy.

Because we discovered logic.?

Because we jump-started science.?

Because we are proud of our culture, not of our wars.

Because when we were building the Parthenon, the others were still sleeping under trees.

Because when others created wars, we created the Olympic Games to stop wars.

Because we have a distinction between Eros (falling in love) and Agapi (innocent love), while we feel both passionately.

Because we don't use ketchup or mayonnaise with our food!

Because we get angry quickly, but forget about it ..even quicker.

Because?Greek men are not ashamed to cry .

Because we dance when we are sad and party when we are happy.

Because we work to live and we do not live to work.

Because 97% of the cosmic stars are named after?Hellenics.

Because although we know danger well, we dare.

Because when you shout "adelphi" (brother) in the streets, everyone turns around.

Because "Greeks do not fight like heroes; heroes fight like Greeks."
(Winston Churchill, 1941)

Because we speak loudly and laugh even louder !!!

WHAT MORE IS THERE TO SAY? No one will love you more deeply than a Greek. Yiasas!

reform

Greek government survives vote
- from the Irish Times

Greece's ruling conservatives yesterday survived a censure motion tabled in parliament by the main socialist opposition over the government's pension reforms that have sparked a wave of strikes and protests.

The motion was rejected by all 151 government deputies and one independent member of parliament.

138 deputies voted in favour while 10 abstained. "It takes political will to push through much-needed reforms and we have the will," Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis told parliament before the vote.

"I ask for a vote of confidence for the future of our nation. This government is determined to forge ahead."Greek government survives vote

Greece's ruling conservatives yesterday survived a censure motion tabled in parliament by the main socialist opposition over the government's pension reforms that have sparked a wave of strikes and protests.

The motion was rejected by all 151 government deputies and one independent member of parliament.

138 deputies voted in favour while 10 abstained. "It takes political will to push through much-needed reforms and we have the will," Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis told parliament before the vote.

"I ask for a vote of confidence for the future of our nation. This government is determined to forge ahead."

The motion has delayed by several days the final procedural steps before the contested pension reform law, passed through parliament last week, takes effect. The law affects mostly women and in particular working mothers. It merges scores of funds into just 13, cuts many special and supplementary pensions and offers incentives to work more years.

The government has defended its reforms, saying they aim to overhaul a social security system experts say would collapse in 15 years if left unchanged.

Reuters
© 2008 ireland.com

The motion has delayed by several days the final procedural steps before the contested pension reform law, passed through parliament last week, takes effect. The law affects mostly women and in particular working mothers. It merges scores of funds into just 13, cuts many special and supplementary pensions and offers incentives to work more years.

The government has defended its reforms, saying they aim to overhaul a social security system experts say would collapse in 15 years if left unchanged.

Reuters
© 2008 ireland.com

Earthquake on Crete

AP foreign, Friday March 28 2008
ATHENS, Greece (AP) - Authorities say an earthquake has struck the southern island of Crete, but no damage or injuries have been reported.
The Athens Geodynamic Institute says the quake had a preliminary magnitude of 5.7 and an epicenter in the sea south of Crete, about 250 miles south-southeast of Athens.
The institute said the quake struck at about 8:15 p.m. EDT on Thursday.
The U.S. Geologocial Survey gave the preliminary magnitude as 5.8. Magnitudes of earthquakes measured by different institutes often differ.

M'agapas?

Litsa Giagousi - Para Poli

Before your pulse slows down, here is one more good for dancing. In Greek this time.

Friday Night- let's dance! start with Sarbel

Sarbel - Yassou Maria (live)

Ricky Martin-ish? Maybe. Would this be better if not in English? Probably.
But he CAN move! and he is kinda cute...

nafplion mermaid

-painting by Konstantine Beselmes
the sister of Alexander the Great

of the south wind

The Lady of the South Wind
-Tassos Leivaditis
My Nymphs, who pass and go southward,
did you, perhaps, see her playing with seagulls on her rock?
At a loom of swallow - fish,
sea - maidens weave for us our white sails
and a young sailor walking on the waves
awakes the sea with salvos and apples!
Pursued by the west wind she ran on the sand
gathering the waves on her white apron;
sun, bring her back, north wind, bring her back to us,
as she wanders on the backs of dolphins in sea - weed gardens,
with a thousand seagulls behind her holding her skirt,
with a thousand breams around her, in her azure smiles!
Lady of our white sails, my Mermaid Holy Virgin,
awake, Lady of Kalymnos, awake with three bitter - lemons,
and give us your braids to weave our sails,
and send us a kiss that we may sail with a fair wind!
but don' t you hear the waves, slender and tall Lady of the sea?
Don' t you see that the winds fight for your sake
and from their masts, far away, with their white caps,
the young sailors of the east wind greet you from the skies?
Songs of the sea are crammed in sea - shells;
in an urchin the world' s secrets are revealed,
and the wind that suddenly undid the peach tree' s bust
as she started running upon the rocks;
children chase her with two sea - shells of love,
and with cannonades of plums the sailors break her door!

Olympic protest continues

International Herald Tribune
Tibet protesters unfurl banners in northern Greek city ahead of Olympic torch relay arrival
The Associated Press
Thursday, March 27, 2008

THESSALONIKI, Greece: Several pro-Tibetan protesters unfurled banners in a central square of Thessaloniki shortly before the Olympic torch relay arrived in the city on Thursday.

About a dozen protesters, most of them Greeks, gathered in the square in this northern Greek city about one kilometer (half a mile) away from the route of the torch for the Beijing Olympics. They were being watched by about 50 police.

The banners read: "China is not worthy of the flame," and "China stop killing Tibet." The protesters were wearing T-shirts with 'Free Tibet' written across the front.

The flame arrived in Thessaloniki later, during the torch relay, without any problems. Hundreds of people turned out in the port city's central Aristotelous square, where the Olympic flame was to spend the night before heading south on Friday.

Police said they briefly detained two Falun Gong members who tried to unfurl a banner in Aristotelous Square shortly before the flame arrived. It was unclear what was on the banner. The two were taken to a nearby police station but released less than half an hour later, after the torch relay arrival.

Thursday's demonstration occurred after two separate protests disrupted the flame lighting ceremony on Monday at Ancient Olympia — by a group of French reporters and pro-Tibetan protesters — despite the deployment of 1,000 police officers at the ancient site.

Police are bracing for possible protests in Athens where the torch relay is due at the weekend, before it is flown to China.

The flame will spend Saturday night at the Acropolis and be handed over to Chinese organizers Sunday at the Panathenian Stadium, where the first modern Olympics were held in 1896.

Protesters are angry at China's handling of deadly riots in Tibet earlier this month and want the torch route to be changed to exclude Tibet.
Notes:
International Herald Tribune Copyright © 2008 The International Herald Tribune | www.iht.com
(photo: REUTERS/Mike Segar)

try some taramasalata!

Something to look forward to at a later date if observe "Tesserakosti", and are following a lenten diet. Yes, it has olive oil, so, while vegetarian, is not technically lenten fare. But SOOO good and good for you! Spread on some good bread with a side of tomatoes, good olives and cucumbers for a delightful late afternoon meze. Don't forget the ouzo!
Ingredients:
about 5 slice French bread
about 5 ounces tarama-carp, gray mullet or other roe
1 cup olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped or grated
1 large clove garlic, minced
3 T chopped flat parsley
juice from 1-2 lemons
pinch of salt, pepper, lemon and parsley for garnish
pita or crusty French bread
Procedure:
It is possible to make this using a mortar and pestle and a wire whisk. I use a food processor.
Moisten the bread then squeeze it dry and place in food processor with roe. You should have approximately equal amounts of each. Blend together then add olive oil in slow steady stream to make an emulsion of a consistency similar to mayonaisse. Add onion, garlic, parsley, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Taste and adjust seasonings for balanced flavor. Garnish and serve with bread. Makes about 6 generous appetizer servings.
This will keep covered in the refrigerator for about a week.

flame

Torchbearer Teloaddios (2nd R) of the city of Kozani kindles the torch from the Olympic flame basin on the third day of the torch relay of the Beijing Olympic Games, in Kozani of Greece March 26, 2008. (Xinhua Photo

March 25, 1826

-victory on Kleisova Island

bouboulina

Bouboulina: Hero of the Revolution
*visit Bouboulina Museum:
http://www.bouboulinamuseum-spetses.gr/English/Museum_Bouboulina.htm

March 25: bush proclaims

Greek Independence Day: A National Day of Celebration of Greek and American Democracy, 2008
A Proclamation by the President of the United States of America
White House News

"On Greek Independence Day, we recognize the important contributions Greek Americans have made to our national character, celebrate the deep friendship between our two countries, and honor the anniversary of the Greek call for independence.

The United States and Greece share a close relationship based on our common belief in the power of freedom. The ancient Athenians gave birth to the principles of democracy, and America's Founding Fathers were inspired by Greek ideals that honored and respected human dignity and rights. When the people of Greece claimed their independence in 1821, they had the strong support of the United States. Greek patriots risked their lives because they knew freedom and democracy were both their proud legacy and their ultimate destiny. Today, our nations remain allies in the cause of freedom and are working to lay the foundations of peace and spread the blessings of liberty around the world.

In celebrating Greek Independence Day, we commemorate the heritage of freedom our countries hold dear, and we remember the Greek Americans whose strong spirit, resolve, and courage helped shape America.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim March 25, 2008, as Greek Independence Day: A National Day of Celebration of Greek and American Democracy. I call upon all Americans to observe this day with appropriate ceremonies and activities.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twentieth day of March, in the year of our Lord two thousand eight, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-second".

GEORGE W. BUSH

March 25: day of celebration

MARCH 25th -- CELEBRATION OF GREEK INDEPENDENCE DAY
By Anthony G. Ziagos, Sr.
Publisher, The Merrimack Journal

The celebration of Greek Independence Day on March 25th draws inspiration from one of the holiest days for Greek Orthodox Christians, the Annunciation of the Theotokos. This is the day that the Archangel Gabriel announced to Mary that she would bear a child. Bishop Germanos of Patras seized the opportunity by raising the banner of revolution, in an act of defiance against the Turks and marked the beginning of the War of Independence. Cries of Zito H Ellas and Eleftheria H Thanatos can still be heard today. These freedom fighters, or klephts as they were called, of Greece sacrificed much for their country. Kolokotronis, Nikitara, Karaiskakis, Bouboulina, and Mpotsaris are some of the heroes of the revolution.
The struggle for independence was supported abroad by intellectuals of the day. In addition to the Secret Society of Friends (Filiki Etaeria) and the Sacred Band (Ieros Lohos) prominent world figures including Lord Byron of England, Daniel Webster and Dr. Samuel Gridly Howe of the United States raised the interest level among Europeans and Americans.

After centuries of unsuccessful uprisings and failure of the Ottoman Empire to assimilate and convert the Greeks, The War of Independence began in 1821 rising up against 400 years of occupation and oppression by the Ottoman Turks. The origin of the Turkish occupancy began in 1453 with the fall of Constantinople (currently referred to as Istanbul). All true and faithful Hellenes living in their occupied homeland reacted to the Turkish oppression and resisted the attempts to deprive the Greeks of their heritage, their freedom and their religion. During the dark years of the Ottoman occupation, thousands were killed and tortured for attending church or teaching their children culture, history and language. It was the Greek Orthodox Church that helped to retain their very identity by the institution of Crypha Scholia (Hidden Schools).

For eight years the fighting ensued, until 1829, when the Sultan Mahmud II, facing Soviet troops at the gates of Constantinople, accepted Greek independence with the Treaty of Andrianople. Copyright 2002 Middlesex Media Exchange

March 25: day of sadness and loss

holocaust memorial in Volos

From www.greeceindex.com and www.americansephardifederation.org

The indigenous Jewish communities of Greece represent the longest continuous Jewish presence in Europe.

The Romaniote Jews lived there from ancient times and were Greek speaking while the Sephardic Jews arrived there after their expulsion from Spain and spoke Ladino. Both groups adopted certain Greek customs while retaining their own identity, culture and religious beliefs.These communities were almost completely destroyed in the Holocaust.

In the spring of 1941, the Germans defeated the Greek army and occupied Greece until October of 1944. The country was divided into three zones of occupation: Bulgaria annexed Thrace and Yugoslav Macedonia; Germany occupied Greek Macedonia, including Thessaloniki, Piraeus, and western Crete; and Italy occupied the remainder of the mainland and the islands.

Where Jews resided determined not only their subsequent fate, but also their ultimate possibility of escape.

The Germans chose March 25, 1944, Greek Independence Day, to deport the Jews of Volos, 130 were deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau.

There were 900 Jews in Kastoria in 1940. On March 25, 1944, 763 Jews were rounded up for deportation, first to Thessaloniki and then to Auschwitz-Birkenau. Prior to their deportation, they were enclosed in an abandoned school for days, with no food or water, and the young girls were raped by German soldiers.

On March 25, 1944, the entire Jewish community of Ioannina, 1,860 people, was deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau. Today only 35 Jews live in Ioannina; they are the only remnants of a once thriving Romanniote Jewish community.

March 25,1944: day of loss and shame

letter from kurt waldheim
From the Jewish Virtual Library
www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Holocaust/joannina.html

Re: Evacuation of the Jews from Joannina.

On 25.3.1944, under the direction of Order Police Major H a f r a n e k and with the cooperation of the squad, the military police, the Order Police and the GFP 621 (Joannina Branch), the Jews of Joannina were evacuated. The Greek police was also called to assist [in the evacuation].

At 3:00 a.m. on March 25, the squad closed off the ghettos. At 5 a.m. the head of the Jewish community was informed that all Jews, along with their family members, would have to come to two designated assembly points within the next three hours. Each family was allowed to take along 50 kg of luggage.

The Greek Gendarmerie and the Security Police [Sicherheitspolizei], as well as members of the Jewish Council, notified the Hebrews. At the same time, it was announced that any Jew not present at the assembly point by 8:00 would be shot. By 7:45 all quarters had been cleared, and the Jews had appeared at the assembly square. Heavy forces of the German Order Police supervised the clearing of the ghettos. Posters in the Greek language threatening that there would be immediate shooting in any instance of looting were pasted on most of the houses. The Aktion proceeded without incident. At 8:00, the transports could be started. The lorries had already been stationed on the access roads to the assembly points. The loading took place under the supervision of the Field Gendarmerie and the German Order Police; furthermore, every co-driver was made responsible for counting and bringing over the Jews to his vehicle. At 10:00, the loading of all the Hebrews had been concluded, and the convoy of about 80 lorries began to move in the direction of Trikkala.

The Aktion can be regarded as completely successful, since 95% of the registered Jews were deported. The cooperation of the departments involved, including that of the Greek police, was exemplary.

The Greek population, which had in the meantime taken notice of the campaign, assembled in the streets of the city. With subdued joy visible on their faces, they observed the departure of the Hebrews from their city. Only rarely did a Greek condescend to wave good-bye to a member of the Jewish race. It was clear that this race was equally unpopular with the old as with the young. There was no expression of sympathy with their destiny or disapproval of the Aktion.

According to various incoming reports, the deportation of the Jews has greatly satisfied the population. Support for the Germans has risen following this Aktion.

Since the belongings that were left behind, as well as food supplies, were allocated to the Greek authorities for the purpose of registration and administration, the sting has been taken out of the EAM [National Liberation Front] propaganda. From EDES-circles [Greek Democratic Organization], one hears only total approval.

It is generally believed that the committee administrating Jewish property should include a German observer in order to prevent inconsistencies or irregularities in the distribution of the property.

Generally, a drop in prices on the black market is expected, because the bulk of the purchasers in the rural population consisted largely of Jews.

In the last few days, an obvious decline could be felt in the market. This shows that the influence of the few Jews here had been significant.

Altogether, 1,725 members of the Jewish race were deported on 25.3.44.

(Signature illegible)
Non-commissioned officer [Unteroffizier]

Copy for the attention of Ic XXII. Geb. A. K. in G a r r i s o n.

Message conveyed to:
Loewe.

(Signed) Kurt Waldheim

Sergeant and Head of the Branch

mahlepi

Mahelab Cherry (prunus mahelab)

The aromatic kernel found inside the pit of the mahelap cherry fruit is the source for the spice known as mahlepi.

gypsy

The Gypsy Girl
- by George Pavlopoulos
-translated by Peter Levi

I said to a gypsy
I want to be a gypsy
and have you

Can you eat bitter herbs without salt
for an evening meal, she said to me, and then lie down?

I can, I said to her

Can you lie down, she said
without weeping with cold
on the frozen mud?

I can, I said to her

And on that mud, can you set fire to my body and burn it up to ash?

And that too I can, I said to her

Can you throw my ashes into your wine, she said to me,
and get yourself so drunk you forget me?

No, that I cannot do, I said to her.

You will not make a gypsy, she told me.

pistachios from Aegina

Long thin, not always easy to open, but so very, very much better than the California variety.