From the BBC: Prison Break Shocks Greece

(I am reading this and am astounded,not just once, but TWICE!)

Two of Greece's most wanted men have staged a daring helicopter escape from Athens' highest-security prison - for the second time in three years.

Serial armed robber and kidnapper Vassilis Paleokostas and his Albanian sidekick Alket Rizai were days away from trial for their 2006 escape.

They fled Korydallos prison after a helicopter landed on the jail's roof and threw them a rope ladder.

The aircraft was reportedly later found abandoned by a main highway.

The road leads towards Greece's central mountain range, an area where Paleokostas, 42, was able to hide with impunity during previous years, says the BBC's Malcolm Brabant, in Athens.

Our correspondent says the breakout is a damning indictment of Greece's prison system.

Three years ago both men managed to escape when a hijacked helicopter landed in Korydallos' central yard at exercise time.

On that occasion, the guards failed to react, because they thought it was a visit by prison inspectors.

The architect of that escape, Paleokostas' brother Nikos, has since been captured and jailed, and is now likely to face increased security.

BBC News 2/22/09

Song for a Friday evening

The Shins: Saint Simon

After all these implements and text designed by intellects
So vexed to find evidently there's just so much that hides
And though the saints of us divine in ancient feeding lines
Their sentiment is just as hard to pluck from the vine

I'm trying hard not to pretend
Allow myself no mock defense
Step into the night

Since I dont have the time nor mind to figure out
The nursery rhymes that helped us out and make a sense of our lives
The cruel uneventful state of apathy releases me
I value them but I won't cry if the time was wiped out

I'm trying hard not to give in
Battened down to fair the wind
Read my head, at least pretend
Allow myself no mock defense
Step into the night...

Mercy's eyes are blue
When she places them in front of you
Nothing holds a roman candle to
The solemn warmth you feel inside

There's no measuring of it
As nothing else is love

I'll try hard not to give in
Battened down to fair the wind
Read my head, at least pretend
Allow myslef no mock defense
Step into the night...

Mercy's eyes are blue
When she places them in front of you
Nothing really holds a candle to
The solemn warmth you feel inside of you

the small joy of cherries and pistachios

This dreary, gray February day was made a little bit brighter with the arrival of a package that I had ordered just yesterday. Dried cherries and pistachios from NutsOnline. Cherries may help improve joint health, and I have been feeling the cold in my joints this year, so I figured it wouldn't hurt to try the natural remedy. I ordered three varieties, so good.
And the pistachios are the good kind, imported antep. I am not getting paid to advertise this company, but their products are so good, and their customer service so superior, that I am adding them to my favorite places. Click on the title to link to the NutsOnline site.

a riddle

This verse was on the card attached to my Valentine's Day gift:

I swear by all the saints that be
you are the Valentine for me
This is the truth that must remain
All else is false or not germane.

Th puzzle: What was the gift?
Click on title for answer.

a poem for today

To His Coy Mistress
- Andrew Marvell

Had we but world enough, and time,
This coyness, Lady, were no crime.
We would sit down and think which way
To walk and pass our long love's day.
Thou by the Indian Ganges' side
Shouldst rubies find: I by the tide
Of Humber would complain. I would
Love you ten years before the Flood,
And you should, if you please, refuse
Till the conversion of the Jews.
My vegetable love should grow
Vaster than empires, and more slow;
An hundred years should go to praise
Thine eyes and on thy forehead gaze;
Two hundred to adore each breast;
But thirty thousand to the rest;
An age at least to every part,
And the last age should show your heart;
For, Lady, you deserve this state,
Nor would I love at lower rate.
But at my back I always hear
Time's wingèd chariot hurrying near;
And yonder all before us lie
Deserts of vast eternity.
Thy beauty shall no more be found,
Nor, in thy marble vault, shall sound
My echoing song: then worms shall try
That long preserved virginity,
And your quaint honour turn to dust,
And into ashes all my lust:
The grave's a fine and private place,
But none, I think, do there embrace.
Now therefore, while the youthful hue
Sits on thy skin like morning dew,
And while thy willing soul transpires
At every pore with instant fires,
Now let us sport us while we may,
And now, like amorous birds of prey,
Rather at once our time devour
Than languish in his slow-chapt power.
Let us roll all our strength and all
Our sweetness up into one ball,
And tear our pleasures with rough strife
Thorough the iron gates of life:
Thus, though we cannot make our sun
Stand still, yet we will make him run.

Interpreting Leda: 3 paintings, one sculpture, an engraving, a poem and a synthesized video in French

Leonardo de Vinci's Leda



Leda sculpture by unknown artist, J. Paul Getty Museum


Leda painting by Theodore Gericault


Engraving by Giulio Campagnola


Salvadore Dali's "Leda Atomica"

Leda and the Swan
- William Butler Yeats


A sudden blow: the great wings beating still
Above the staggering girl, her thighs caressed
By the dark webs, her nape caught in his bill,
He holds her helpless breast upon his breast.

How can those terrified vague fingers push
The feathered glory from her loosening thighs?
And how can body, laid in that white rush,
But feel the strange heart beating where it lies?

A shudder in the loins engenders there
The broken wall, the burning roof and tower
And Agamemnon dead.

Being so caught up,
So mastered by the brute blood of the air,
Did she put on his knowledge with his power
Before the indifferent beak could let her drop?

one more Yeats

Sailing to Byzantium
- W. B. Yeats

That is no country for old men. The young
In one another's arms, birds in the trees
—Those dying generations—at their song,
The salmon-falls, the mackerel-crowded seas,
Fish, flesh, or fowl, commend all summer long
Whatever is begotten, born, and dies.
Caught in that sensual music all neglect
Monuments of unageing intellect.

An aged man is but a paltry thing,
A tattered coat upon a stick, unless
Soul clap its hands and sing, and louder sing
For every tatter in its mortal dress,
Nor is there singing school but studying
Monuments of its own magnificence;
And therefore I have sailed the seas and come
To the holy city of Byzantium.

O sages standing in God's holy fire
As in the gold mosaic of a wall,
Come from the holy fire, perne in a gyre,
And be the singing-masters of my soul.
Consume my heart away; sick with desire
And fastened to a dying animal
It knows not what it is; and gather me
Into the artifice of eternity.

Once out of nature I shall never take
My bodily form from any natural thing,
But such a form as Grecian goldsmiths make
Of hammered gold and gold enamelling
To keep a drowsy Emperor awake;
Or set upon a golden bough to sing
To lords and ladies of Byzantium
Of what is past, or passing, or to come.

W.B.Yeats and Donovan

The Song of Wandering Aengus
-W. B. Yeats

I went out to the hazel wood,
Because a fire was in my head,
And cut and peeled a hazel wand,
And hooked a berry to a thread;
And when white moths were on the wing,
And moth-like stars were flickering out,
I dropped the berry in a stream
And caught a little silver trout.

When I had laid it on the floor
I went to blow the fire a-flame,
But something rustled on the floor,
And someone called me by my name:
It had become a glimmering girl
With apple blossom in her hair
Who called me by my name and ran
And faded through the brightening air.

Though I am old with wandering
Through hollow lands and hilly lands,
I will find out where she has gone,
And kiss her lips and take her hands;
And walk among long dappled grass,
And pluck till time and times are done,
The silver apples of the moon,
The golden apples of the sun.

Litsa Giagousi - Para Poli: Friday Afternoon-Time to Get up and Dance! M'agapas?

Nothing like shaking it to a good old fashioned club tune to stretch out the kinks of the work week.
Everybody...stand up...let LOOSE!!!

a poem by Robinson Jeffers

The Stars Go Over The Lonely Ocean
-Robinson Jeffers

Unhappy about some far off things
That are not my affair, wandering
Along the coast and up the lean ridges,
I saw in the evening
The stars go over the lonely ocean,
And a black-maned wild boar
Plowing with his snout on Mal Paso Mountain.

The old monster snuffled, "Here are sweet roots,
Fat grubs, slick beetles and sprouted acorns.
The best nation in Europe has fallen,
And that is Finland,
But the stars go over the lonely ocean,"
The old black-bristled boar,
Tearing the sod on Mal Paso Mountain.

"The world's in a bad way, my man,
And bound to be worse before it mends;
Better lie up in the mountain here
Four or five centuries,
While the stars go over the lonely ocean,"
Said the old father of wild pigs,
Plowing the fallow on Mal Paso Mountain.

"Keep clear of the dupes that talk democracy
And the dogs that talk revolution,
Drunk with talk, liars and believers.
I believe in my tusks.
Long live freedom and damn the ideologies,"
Said the gamey black-maned boar
Tusking the turf on Mal Paso Mountain.

Savina Yannatou - Dedication (live)

Variations on a theme.

Manos Hadjidakis - Dedication

Variations on a theme.

yum

My father's birthday was January 30, I made this cake and we celebrated last night. It is incredibly rich and calorie laden but for a special occasion I think it well worth the indulgence, I would have to say it is one of my all-time chocolate favorites. Here is the recipe,originally published in "Gourmet Magazine" in June 1992, I have made only slight changes.
Bittersweet Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Cake

For the cake

- 6 ounces fine-quality bittersweet chocolate, chopped
- 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
- 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
- scant 3/4 cup sugar
- large eggs, separated
- 1/4 cup (or so) Maker's Mark bourbon
- 1 rounded tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1/2 to 3/4 cup pecans, toasted lightly, cooled, and chopped fine

For the glaze

- 6 ounces fine-quality bittersweet chocolate, chopped
- 1/2 cup heavy cream

pecan halves for decorating
lightly sweetened bourbon-laced whipped cream as an accompaniment (OPTIONAL)

Directions
To make the cake:
Line the bottom of a buttered 8 1/2-inch springform pan with parchment , butter the paper, and dust the pan with flour, shaking out the excess. In a metal bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water melt the chocolates, stirring until the mixture is smooth, remove the bowl from the pan, and let the chocolate cool until it is room temperature. In the bowl of an electric mixer cream together the butter and the sugar until the mixture is pale and fluffy, add the chocolate, and beat the mixture until it is combined well. Beat in the egg yolks, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition, and beat in the bourbon and the flour. In a large bowl beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until they just hold stiff peaks, stir one third of them into the chocolate mixture to lighten it, and fold in the remaining whites and the chopped pecans gently but thoroughly. Turn the batter into the prepared pan and bake the cake in the middle of a preheated 350°F. oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a tester inserted 2 inches from the rim comes out clean. (The center of the cake will remain moist.) Transfer the cake to a rack and let it cool completely. Remove the cake from the pan, invert it onto the rack, and remove the wax paper carefully. The cake may be made 1 day in advance and kept wrapped in plastic wrap at room temperature.

Make the glaze:
Put the chocolate in a small bowl, in saucepan bring the cream to a boil, and pour it over the chocolate. Stir the mixture until the chocolate is melted and the glaze is smooth.

Invert the cake onto rack set on wax paper, pour the glaze over it, smoothing the glaze over the top and side with a spatula, and arrange the pecan halves in the center of the cake. Let the cake stand 2 hours, or until the glaze is set. If you wish, serve with the whipped cream. YUM!!!!!

February Greek Name Days

Feb 1- Tryfonos
Feb 2- Ypapanti tos Sotiros
Feb 5- Agathis (Agatha)
Feb 6- Voskolos, Fotios
Feb 7- Parthenios
Feb 8- Zaxarios, Theod. Stratilatos
Feb 9- Nikiforos
Feb 10- Charalampous, Zinonos, Haralambos, Hara, Hariklia
Feb 11- Vasios
Feb 12- Meletios
Feb 13- Akula and Priskillis (Priscilla)
Feb 14- Ayxentios, Valentini, St. Valentine
Feb 15- Eusevios
Feb 17- Theodoros Tironos, Poulcherias
Feb 18- Leontos Romis
Feb 20- Agathonos, Vissarionos
Feb 22- Anthi (Anthea)
Feb 23 Polykarpos
Feb 23- Nestoros
Feb 25- Tarasios
Feb 26- Porfurios

sunset

Florida

where I was

Two pictures from my winter vacation: Mexico. I was also in Florida, on the sea and on Grand Cayman Island where I watched the inauguration at a beach bar, mojito in hand.Huzzah!

gyro

It's always nice to come home through TF Green airport. Nothing quite says home like this sculpture of a giant gyro!!!

oldham

I couldn't sleep, so I picked up a New Yorker magazine that had arrived shortly after the holidays and had somehow escaped my attention, and what a great surprise to find Kelefa Sanneh had written a nice long article about Will Oldham, aka Bonnie "Prince" Billy. I've linked it in, so if you click on the title of this post you can read it-enjoy!

Bonnie 'Prince' Billy - No Bad News

Trouble, more trouble can you get anymore
Slow bubble boiling on the bedroom floor
Lonely ain't lonely, someone calling at the door
Someone lovely and she's bringing bad news

She clenches and she cries and she lays on the stairs
Pounding on the earth and yanking at her hairs
And showing such fear at being found unawares
To be here and be bringing bad news

Well, something bad happens and a lot of people go
Bad themselves, that's how awful it is
Turning half the heart into something hard and dark
And she had to bring here this

Well, she's told, "Hold your buttons and look at the sky
Someone will fix things if you let your face dry
Keep your face near the earth and your heart beat high
And you may transcend the bad news"

Well, something bad happens and a lot of people go
Bad themselves, that's how awful it is
Turning half the heart into something hard and dark
And she had to bring here this

For all hammers and nails
For all leaves and winds
For all love ambitions
And enemies and friends

She shakes her face so fiercely that all her features go
She lays like a monkey unclothed in the snow
And her voice it decays and before it does she goes,
"I will never again deliver bad news"

Something bad happens and a lot of people go
Bad themselves, that's how awful it is
Turning half the heart into something hard and dark
And she had to bring here this

Mm, hey little bird – hey little bird
Thank you for not letting go of me when I let go of you
Hey little bird – hey little bird
Thank you for not letting go of me when I let go of you
(Hey little bird – hey little bird)
Thank you for not (letting go of me when I let go of you)

Out of Ft. Lauderdale

Yes, there is a story to come.


(thanks, Kerry for the photo)

a trip

I'm in the airport in Newark, filling up on cheese and crackers, free drinks. A three hour layover. Met up with my mother and sister here, we travel on together, heading south, first Florida, then beyond. I'm looking forward to the sun, the colors, especially the shades of blue.

beginnings: work in progress

- by Skorda

He was born on the bar of the Messogia Taverna.

George himself had no recollection of the event, of course, but as a child he had heard the story of his birth so many times, and with such vivid detail, that the stories became his own. They mingled in his mind with other childhood memories, and eventually he became thoroughly convinced that he could remember the exact moment of his own birth.

George carried the memories of his early life in Greece as a secret treasure, tucked tightly into a small corner of his mind. The memories of his birth were the most precious, for these belonged to him alone. In his darkest moments, when he felt isolated from the world around him, and very far from home, when he could feel his will for living buckling under the painful weight of regret loneliness and fear, he would ease these memories out from the dark corners of his mind and find comfort. Searching for meaning in his existence, as if to somehow affirm his own human value, he would relive each step of his journey from nothingness to being.

His earliest memory was that of surprise, as he felt his infant form move from the womb, sliding from wet to dry, from warm to cold, and from calm to chaos at that first shocking moment when he was slapped into awareness. He savored the memory of that moment when he opened his eyes for the first time and found himself looking directly into his mother's weary but beautiful face, with boundless love flowing from her to him. His attention would then be drawn to the loving smiles of the five other women surrounding his newborn self, his childhood "aunties", who were wrapping him up in a warm towel and blanketing him with effusive welcomes into the world. George's first earthly breaths drew in the stink of wine and grease and blood and piss. These odors, intertwined as they were with that initial moment of bliss and unconditional love, would forever bring him comfort rather than revulsion. In the course of his life this would turn out to be a mixed blessing.

His mother had been a broad boned seventeen year old farm girl, poor and illiterate, like nearly all of the other women on the island.
But unlike the other young women, Maria Andoniou had been blessed with two great gifts, she possessed both a divine face and an extraordinary voice.

Maria's face had regular features and a serene expression. On any other island, or perhaps in all of Greece, her pleasantly normal looks would draw little notice. Here things were a bit different. On this island, her lovely countenance caused the local people to turn their heads, or to gasp in shock. Few islanders could look into her face. If one inadvertently caught sight of her, the immediate response was to begin making the sign of the cross, and then, just to be safe, to spit three times or to surreptitiously move towards a piece of wood and give three gentle knocks. It was a ghastly reality, a complete disgrace and yet it was the visible truth, this poor peasant girl's face was the embodiment of the island's sacred icon, the Panaghia Kounistria,

Maria never considered her looks as a blessing. As a child she was teased, taunted or simply ignored. She would run crying to her mother. "They hate me", she'd sob, "they will not play with me. I have no friends, mama." It was true, none of the youngsters wanted to share secrets with the face they had seen in church being kissed by the priest.

As she came into womanhood Maria's looks grew ever more lovely, but her troubles did not lessen. Like every other young girl on the island, she spent many hours waiting anxiously for the day when her parents would announce that they had made for her the perfect romantic match. The high point of every young girl's life was her wedding, but as time passed and no suitors arrived, Maria's father was growing desperate. Despite his daughter's beauty and talents, he found it difficult to negotiate a suitable marriage. Few young men want to be reminded of religion every time they climbed into their marital bed.

With the war, Maria's marital options grew even slimmer. Eventually, her father succeeded in making a deal with Yiannis Grammata,. Yianni was forty-seven, too old to be called to the war. He had some goats he tended, and a small boat he used for fishing. He was not very industrious, but he got by. He’d considered marriage a few times, but the thought of giving up his freedom made him tremble. Yianni was willing to make a deal for Maria. "She's strong, she's sturdy, and I've seen that she is a hard worker. I will take her, but we must also have the farm." The farm consisted of a several acres of olive trees and pastures for goats and sheep. It had been in Maria's family for several generations. Now it was to be given as prika, and Maria would live there as a married woman. Maria and Yianni had been married less than a year when George was born.

Maria's second gift was a near operatic voice. When she opened her mouth and began to sing, villagers would stop what they were doing, the hairs on the back of their necks would lift and they would find themselves transfixed, drawn by pure sound into a world where human experience and emotion were limitless. Nick, the ancient, nearly blind man who spent his days doing nothing more than sipping coffee and running worry beads through his arthritic fingers, was so moved by the sweet clear tones of Maria's singing voice that he once jumped to his feet and began yelling over and over in a loud and passionate voice, "Please, yes, let me, please!".

That evening at the Messogia, Maria had been halfway through a heart wrenching rendition through "Sinefiasmeni Kiriaki" when her water broke.

There were not many men in attendance at the taverna that evening. The war had broken down many of the traditions and taboos that separated the sexes, but most men still found themselves uncomfortable in the presence of a heavily pregnant young woman, especially one with the face of the Virgin Mary. The few men that had witnessed the imminent birth soon fled, leaving the women to tend to the mother and her ordeal.

The door closed behind the exiting men, and Maria began to sob.
The village five women murmured soothing phrases as they helped the frightened girl onto the broad wooden planks of the table, the very place where the group had been gathered just minutes before. Maria's sobbing continued, escalating into moans and screams. The table threatened to buckle under her heaving form, and the women, realizing that only the bar would be strong enough to support her, slipped their fingers under her back and moved her up onto the wide wooden planks of the bar. Maria gazed into the flickering reflections of candlelight as it bounced off of the glasses on the shelf above the bar. She gathered her strength and pushed. "Please God, let my baby be a boy", she prayed as the the strong contractive pain tore into her , "this world holds little joy for us women." And then she was looking into the red and wrinkled face of her child, her prayers answered.

©Skorda 2009

fish

A Thousand Pieces

This evening I was reminded of the time I spent in Denmark, how much that wonderful country means to me, and the special place it holds in my heart. I send my warmest thoughts out to the Danish people!
I love this song! Thank you, Henning.

Tusind Stykker
-Anne Linnet

Man sir' at over skyerne er himlen altid blå
Det kan være svært at forstå når man ikk' kan se den
Og man sir' at efter stormens pisken, kommer solen frem
Men det hjælper sjældent dem der er blevet våde

For når vennerne forsvinder og når livet er betrængt
Ser man alt med ganske andre øjne
Man øver sig og bliver langsomt bedre til at se
og skelne mellem sandheder og løgne

Man siger jo at det der sker er altid godt for noget
Troen har vi fået for at bruge den
Man sir' så meget, men ved så lidt når angsten den har fat
Sjælen mærker illusionen briste

For når vennerne forsvinder og når livet er betrængt
Ser man alt med ganske andre øjne
Man øver sig og bliver langsomt bedre til at se
og skelne mellem sandheder og løgne

Alting kan gå itu
Et hjerte kan gå i tusind stykker
Find More lyrics at www.sweetslyrics.com
Kaldte du mig for ven engang
Så er jeg her nok endnu

Mmmmmm

Ja, alting kan gå itu
Et hjerte kan gå i tusind stykker
Kaldte du mig for ven engang
Så er jeg her nok endnu

For når vennerne forsvinder og når livet er betrængt
Ser man alt med ganske andre øjne
Man øver sig og bliver langsomt bedre til at se
og skelne mellem sandheder og løgne

Alting kan gå itu
Et hjerte kan gå i tusind stykker
Kaldte du mig for ven engang
Så er jeg her nok endnu

Alting kan gå itu
Et hjerte kan gå i tusind stykker
Kaldte du mig for ven engang
Så er jeg her nok endnu
Kaldte du mig for ven engang
Så er jeg her nok endnu
Kaldte du mig for ven engang
Så er jeg her nok endnu

a passage from what I am working on

In the nearly five years since he had returned to the island, George hadn’t yet “made the adjustment”. Most men of the village wrote him off as just one more loser expat who’d come home to collect his pension checks and squander his last years in an alcoholic haze. Women, and those very few men blessed with a generosity of spirit, looked upon him with pity,

Just about everyone in the village knew who he was. He wore the same clothes day after day, a striped polo shirt and gray gym shorts. it was obvious that he rarely bathed or shaved His graying whiskers were curled and matted under his chin, and his body gave off the sharp acrid odor of alcohol passed through urine.

Each evening at twilight he would George stumble through the undergrowth of the eucalyptus grove onto the dirt that led away from the beach through the tourist center and on into town. With uncertain gait he would make his way along the narrow cobblestone alleys through the old quarter, past the old women in black who gathered on the marble front stoops of the houses by the church plaza for a few precious moments of rest and gossip before the gathering darkness forced them off the street and back into their homes. The custom of women was not to speak to this strange solitary man as he passed, but as George approached, the women invariably would pause their conversation, and look up. One or two of the women would give a slight nod of acknowledgement, meeting George’s eyes as a caged creature night seek the gaze of another trapped in similar but unknowable circumstances. Once he had passed they would click their tongues and whisper amongst themselves, passing on rumors of the terrible tragedies this poor, poor man had endured. Having known the depths of sorrow in their own lives, they did not judge him. Perhaps he needed a good woman, or perhaps he was beyond salvation from anyone but the Lord.

On the other side of the plaza, men gathered at the cafeneio “Nea Kosmos”’ to drink strong sweet coffee or the raw spirit known as tsipiro,. As George passed by the men barely lifted their eyes from their backgammon boards. There were no acknowledging nods no smiles, just silence and the steady clicking sound of worry beads, the rhythm escalating as George drew near, as if each set of beads were performing a rite of exorcism against whatever it was that had broken this man.

Skorda Hope

Delphi Kitties

Happy New Year on St. Basil's Day

January Greek Name Days

January 1 - New Year's Day - Agios Basileios, Vassilis (Basil)
January 6 - Theofania, Theofanis, Fotis, Fanis, Fotini
January 7 - Synaksi Ioannos, Ioannis, Yannis, Giannis (John)
January 8 - Dominikis
January 10 - Grigorios Nussis
January 11 - Theodosios, Thodoris (Theodore)
January 17 - Antonios, Antonia, Antonis (Anthony)
January 18 - Athanasios & Kurillos, Thanassis
January 19 - Makarios
January 20 - Eythimios, Thimios
January 21 - Maximos, Massimos/ Neofytos / Agnis (Agnes)
January 22 - Anastasios / Timothetos, Tassos
January 23 - Agathagellos
January 24 - Xenis, Xeni
January 25 - Grigorios Theologos / Margarita, Grigoris, Grigorios (Gregory)
January 26 - Xenofontos
January 29 - Ignatios
January 30 - Trion Ierarxon
January 31 - Kyros & Ioannos Aaron

halcyon days

Herbert James Draper, "Halcyone"

From "Love Myths"


Ceyx, the king of Thessaly, was the son of Lucifer, the light bringer, the star that brings in the day. His wife, Alcyone, was the daughter of Aeolus, the King of the Winds. They were a faithful and devoted couple and never separated. Nevertheless, there came a time when Ceyx decided that he must leave her and make a long journey across the sea to consult an oracle. Alcyone was hysterical with grief and worry. She had grown up in the palace of the King of the Winds and knew very well what often happened to ships at sea. When she was that he was firm in his determination to make this trip, she begged to be allowed to go with him, "I can endure whatever comes to us together." Yet, although Ceyx loved Alcyone as much as she loved him, he would not allow it. So he sailed alone.

That night a great storm broke. The crew was terrified, but Ceyx was happy and at peace, knowing that his beloved Alcyone was safe on shore. The boat sank and all were drowned. As the waters closed over Ceyx, the word "Alcyone" was on his lips. Time passed, and Alcyone waited patiently for Ceyx's return. She prayed nightly to Hera (Juno) to safeguard her beloved husband, and the goddess was touched by her earnest prayers for a man already dead. She sent Morpheus, son of the old god of sleep to visit Alcyone in a dream. Morpheus assumed the shape of the drowned Ceyx. He said to Alcyone, "Poor wife, look, your husband is here. Do you know me, or is my face changed in death? I am dead, Alcyone. Your name was on my lips when the waters overwhelmed me. There is no hope for me any more. But give me your tears; let me not go down into the shadowy world unwept." Alcyone stretched out to touch her husband and cried aloud, "Wait for me; I will go with you," and her own vice woke her up. Alcyone knew her husband was dead. "I will not try to live." When the sun rose, Alcyone went to the shore of the sea; as she stared out over the water she saw something in the distance floating ashore. As it got closer she saw it was a body. She ran down to it. It was the body of her husband Ceyx. She ran through the surf, splashing, and crying, "Husband, dearest!" But, oh wonder, instead of sinking into the waves she was flying or riding the waves. The gods took pity on the couple and turned them into to special sea birds. Every winter there is a week when the sea is perfectly calm. These are the days when Alcyone, the gannet bird, broods over her nest floating on the sea. Ceyx, the kingfisher, a bright colored, crest headed bird, is nearby. And these days of perfect peace are named after her, Alcyone, or more commonly, Halcyon days.

a favorite poem by Humbert Wolfe

A little music
-Humbert Wolfe

Since it is evening, let us invent

Love’s undiscovered continent.

What shall we steer by, having no chart

But the deliberate fraud of the heart?

How shall we find it? Beyond what keys

Of boyhood’s Spanish piracies,

False Eldorados dim with the tears

Of beauty, the last of the buccaneers?



Since it is evening, let us design

What shall be utterly yours and mine.

There will be nothing that ever before

Beckoned the sailor from any shore.

Trees shall be greener by mountains more pale,

Thrushes outsinging the nightingale,

Flowers now butterflies, now in the grass,

Suddenly quiet as painted glass,

And fishes of emerald dive for the moon,

Whose silver is stained by the peacock lagoon.



Since it is evening, and sailing weather,

Let us set out for the dream together;

Set for the land fall, where love and verse

Enfranchise for ever the travellers.

Something to Consider

The following email was forwarded to me today, and I thought I would share it here, it makes some good points. I really don't agree with all of this- obviously there is an agenda at work, but at the same time I would really hate to see our car makers fail. It is so sad to lose our domestic manufacturers, I hope the big greedy ones will step aside and let the business rebuild.

Our office, our families and our entire state of Michigan has been glued to the news the past few weeks watching the auto bridge loan saga unfold. Political views aside, it has been a fascinating PR issue.
It’s clear that the domestic industry has done a poor job reaching out to Washington and the rest of the country for too many years. As PR professionals, one of our objectives is always to make sure
that information in the news is accurate, so I cringe with nearly every article or newscast I see that talks about the auto bailouts (point #1…it’s a loan, not a bailout). So, I am on a bit of a crusade to set the record straight wherever possible.

Each of you are leaders in the world of public opinion; if I may, I’d like to share a few myths/facts about the auto industry that perhaps you could share at holiday parties if the topic comes up (though, if the auto industry is coming up at your holiday parties, it might be time to examine y our circle of friends). Much of this information comes from the Detroit Free Press, theengineofdemocracy.com and industry sources.

Myth No. 1: Nobody buys the vehicles of the Big 3
Reality: GM, Ford and Chrysler sold 8.5 million vehicles in the United States last year. GM outsold Toyota by about 1.2 million vehicles in the United States last year and holds a lead over Toyota of nearly 700,000 so far this year. Globally, GM in 2007 remained the world's largest automaker, selling 9,369,524 vehicles worldwide -- about 3,000 more than Toyota. Ford outsold Honda by 850,000 and Nissan by more than 1.3 million vehicles in the United States last year. Chrysler sold more vehicles here than Nissan and Hyundai combined in 2007 and so far this year.
The #1 and #2 top-selling vehicles in this country are from GM and Ford, and 5 of the top 10 are made by the Big 3.
There are over 40 car-producing companies globally…3 companies, Ford, GM and Chrysler, account for more than 50% of market share of the cars sold around the world. Somebody’s buying their vehicles.

Myth No. 2: Their cars are built poorly
Reality: The creaky, leaky vehicles of the 1980s and '90s are long gone. Consumer Reports recently found that "Ford's reliability is now on par with good Japanese automakers." The independent J.D. Power Initial Quality Study scored Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Ford, GMC, Mercury, Pontiac and Lincoln brands' overall quality as high as or higher than that of Acura, Audi, BMW, Honda, Nissan, Scion, Volkswagen and Volvo.
J.D. Power rated the Chevrolet Malibu the highest-quality midsize sedan. Both the Malibu and Ford Fusion scored better than the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry. The 2008 Chevy Silverado earned the highest ranking in the Large Truck category; the Dodge Dakota and Ford Ranger were #1 and 2 for Midsize Pickup initial quality.
The 2008 North American Car of the Year was the Chevy Malibu; in 2007, it was the Saturn Aura, and the Truck of the Year was the Chevy Silverado.

If you look at recalls in 2008, the worst auto companies (those with the most recalls as a percent of sales) in North America are 1. Hyundai, 2. Mitsubishi, 3. Volkswagen and 4. Nissan. The only domestic automaker to break the top 5 in recall rates is GM, which is essentially tied with Mercedes.

Have you driven any of their cars lately? The Cadillac CTS, the Chevy Malibu, the Ford Fusion, the Buick Enclave, the Dodge Grand Caravan, and so many others…incredible, innovative cars. These are not the Citations and Pintos of the early ‘80s.

Myth No. 3: They build gas-guzzlers
Reality: All of the Detroit Three build midsize sedans that the Environmental Protection Agency rates at 29-33 miles per gallon on the highway. The most fuel-efficient Chevrolet Malibu gets 33 m.p.g. on the highway, 2 m.p.g. better than the best Honda Accord. The most fuel-efficient Ford Focus has the same highway fuel economy ratings as the most efficient Toyota Corolla. The most fuel-efficient Chevrolet Cobalt has the same city fuel economy and better highway fuel economy than the most efficient non-hybrid Honda Civic.
And consider this: GM has 2 times as many models that get 30 mpg or better than its nearest competitor. GM also has 8 hybrids on the road today with a total of 20 planned by 2012. Its 2-Mode Chevy Tahoe full-size SUV was named Green Car of the Year in Los Angeles last November. And the new Ford Fusion Hybrid and Mercury Milan Hybrid beat the Toyota Camry Hybrid by 6 miles per gallon.

Myth No. 4: They already got a $25-billion bailout
Reality: None of that money has been lent out and may not be for more than a year. In addition, it can, by law, be used only to invest in future energy-efficient vehicles and technology, so it has no effect on the shortage of operating cash the companies face because of the economic slowdown that's killing them now.
An interesting point here – it’s reported that the Japanese government paid for the R&D for the Toyota Prius, a 10-year project that cost nearly $100 billion.

Myth No. 5: GM, Ford and Chrysler are idiots for investing in pickups and SUVs
Reality: The domestics' lineup has been truck-heavy, but Toyota, Nissan, Mercedes-Benz and BMW have spent billions of dollars on pickups and SUVs because trucks are a large and historically profitable part of the auto industry.
The most fuel-efficient full-size pickups from GM, Ford and Chrysler all have higher EPA fuel-economy ratings than Toyota and Nissan's full-size pickups.

Myth No. 6: Their workers are lazy and overpaid
Reality: Chrysler tied Toyota as the most productive automaker in North America this year, according to the Harbour Report on manufacturing, which measures the amount of work done per employee. Eight of the 10 most productive vehicle assembly plants in North America belong to Chrysler, Ford or GM. And GM has more plants today leading their respective segments in productivity tha n any other competitor, foreign or domestic.
Those opposed to the bridge loan often cite the $70-an-hour wage and benefit figure for UAW workers. This figure inaccurately adds benefits that millions of retirees get to the pay of current workers, but divides the total only by current employees. That's like assuming you get your parents' retirement and Social Security benefits in addition to your own income.
Hourly pay for assembly line workers maxes out at $28; benefits add about $14. New hires at the Detroit Three get $14 an hour. There's no pension or health care when they retire, but benefits raise their total hourly compensation to $29 while they're working. UAW wages are now comparable with Toyota workers, according to a Free Press analysis. Overall, labor makes up just 10% of the cost to produce a vehicle…’labor’ is not the real cause of the current state of the industry, the economy is.
Myth No. 7: The Big Three are dinosaurs and have done nothing to improve their bottom lines
Reality: Ford was profitable in the first quarter of 2008 before the economic crisis began. The company has been working for two years on improving its balance sheet through aggressive restructuring while accelerating the development of safe, fuel-efficient and high quality products.
GM has reduced structural costs in North America by $9 billion since 2005; eliminated raises and bonuses for executives and salaried employees; and aggressively addressed its manufacturing footprint, shifting from trucks and SUVs to smaller cars and crossovers.
Daimler-Benz bought Chrysler in the late 90s, stripped it down like an abandoned car, and spit it back out. Its new owner, Cerberus, is acting fast to improve its foundation; the economic downturn could not have come at a worse time for this company.
Myth No. 8: Letting them die won’t affect me
Reality: The auto industry provides $293 billion in annual economic benefit to this country. If the domestic automakers do not receive this loan to help them weather the economic downturn and credit crunch brought on by the financial markets, the manufacturing base of the U.S. is in jeopardy. The reason Toyota, Honda and others assemble some of their cars is because of the Big 3. If the Big 3 disappear, there will be little reason for the others to continue manufacturing here.
The auto industry is a complicated, far-reaching industry that impacts millions of jobs. For example, the automotive supplier industry, which would face a disastrous domino effect should the Big 3 fail, employs 4.5 million people in the U.S. alone. The supplier industry is the largest manufacturing employer in seven states (Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, South Carolina, Tennessee).
In the days following 9/1 1, the president went to the Big 3 and requested they do something to get the economy going. In addition to sending hundreds of vehicles and tens of millions of dollars to aid victims and the city, the companies quickly introduced its “Get America Moving” program with 0% financing and incentives on vehicles. The companies stepped up again to aid the victims of Hurricane Katrina. Go back to World War II when, again at the request of our government, the companies stopped producing cars to instead make tanks, armor, ammunition and supplies to support our troops. These actions were taken without hesitation, complaint or question, to support the country…the same one that now seems to take joy in stepping on them.
It is easily arguable that a domestic manufacturing base is essential to national security. Other governments seem to understand this notion. In Germany, the government agreed last month to $1.25 billion in loan guarantees to its auto industry. The French government has agreed to a $1.9 billion boost for its auto industry, the provision of a $1300 bonus to car buyers who trade in their old cars on a new, more fuel efficient one, and $400 million in state aid for R&D and restructuring costs. The Swedish gov ernment has agreed to provide over $3 billion in the form of credit guarantees, loans, and R&D investment to Volvo and Saab. And Australia recently announced $4.2 billion of taxpayer funds would be made available to make the Australian auto industry economically and environmentally sustainable by 2020. Industry minister Kim Carr noted that between 2001 and 2007 the auto industry received $2.5 billion in assistance under the automotive competitiveness and investment scheme and spent 10 times that amount on plants, equipment, research and development, wages, salaries and taxes.

The automakers are requesting a bridge loan, not a bailout as Wall Street has done. The companies need the loan – which they will pay back with interest as they have done before – because the U.S. credit freeze has essentially closed capital markets and squeezed their cash flow from operations that are being devastated by extremely low consumer demand across the industry. This freeze happened as the automakers are in the midst of huge restructuring costs, heavy pension and health care payments and massive-yet-crucial product and advanced technology investments so that today’s and tomorrow’s vehicles are even safer and more environmentally friendly.


If you’ve made it this far, thanks for listening, and please feel free to share this information. If there’s a side or point I’m not considering, please let me know – I welcome any thoughts and views you have on the issue. Now get out there and test drive some vehicles!

Season of Eating

But often taste your dishes
while you are boiling them. Do they want salt?
Add some: is any other seasoning needed?
Add it and taste again until you've rrived
at harmony of flavour, like a man
who tunes a lyre until it rightly sounds
Athenaeus

It's that time of year when cooking and baking become comforting homely pleasures, the house fills with aromas of much loved once a year treats, dietary restraints are set aside, it's time to EAT!

Friends from I.B.

soon

Greek Riots Continue to Spread

click on title
further protests at Greek embassies of Berlin and London.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7771860.stm

Riots in Greece: From the International Herald Tribune

Police shooting sparks riots in Greece
By Anthee Carassava
Published: December 7, 2008


ATHENS: Militant youth mounted fresh attacks against the police Sunday, marring at least two marches by demonstrators angered over the death of a teenager whose police shooting sent hundreds of extremists on a weekend rampage, destroying scores of shops, cars and businesses across the country.

The violence rattled Athens and Thessaloniki, the second-largest city in Greece, where black-clad youths hurled gasoline bombs, rocks and clubs at the police, sending hundreds of bystanders and peaceful protestors to a scramble.

In Athens, riot police officers retaliated, firing several rounds of tear gas that cloaked the Greek capital's azure blue skies with plumes of acrid grey smoke.

At least one apartment bloc was evacuated after masked youth torched a car dealership and the ensuing flames licked up to the balconies of residents, the private television state Alpha reported.

About 3,000 defiant protestors managed to peel away from the riots, continuing their march to the national police headquarters.
Today in Europe
Thieves get €85 million in jewelry from Paris boutique
Russian Orthodox Patriarch Aleksy II dies at age 79
Ministers dismissed in Georgia

The riots, triggered late Saturday when a small group of youths attacked a police car in central Athens, sparked a spree of violence that ripped through the country, leaving many cities shattered like war zones.

"We've never seen anything like this," said a senior police official who requested anonymity because of his involvement in the investigation. "The tension is so thick you can almost cut it with a knife."

The circumstances surrounding the fatal shooting remained unclear.

Still, a police statement issued in the early hours of Sunday said the shooting took place while two officers were targeted by some 30 youths - many of them hurling stones - while patrolling the central district of Exarchia, an unruly haven of leftist extremists.

Both officers left their car to confront the rioters, "firing three shots that resulted in the death of the minor," according to the statement.

Private Greek media and a Web site popular among leftist youths, www.indymedia.org, said the teenager had been shot in the chest and died while being transferred to a hospital.

Both officers - members of Greece's elite police corps - have been suspended and senior officials vowed "exemplary punishment" for anyone found responsible.

"It is inconceivable for there not to be punishment when a person, let alone a minor, loses their life," said Interior Minister Prokopis Pavlopoulos. "The loss of life," he said at a news conference Sunday, "is something that is inconceivable in a democracy."

The deadly shooting sparked widespread riots, with hundreds of militant youth storming the streets of Athens within hours of the incident, hurling firebombs, rocks and slabs of concrete at police officers who retaliated with tear gas.

Private television networks broke into scheduling programming, broadcasting violent shows of street fights, the worse in recent years.

Black-clad youth were seen smashing storefronts, targeting bank branches, torching dozens of garbage bins and cars lined along the meandering streets of Athens's main shopping district.

Similar protests rattled Thessaloniki and a string of other Greek cities, including Chania on the island of Crete.

No casualties were reported, but the overnight riots left Athens and other major cities strewn with shattered glass, burnt appliances and a stinging stench of tear gas.

At least six people were arrested for looting goods from the debris of destroyed department stores and boutiques.

The authorities in Athens braced for heated protests at scheduled demonstrations.

Pavlopoulos on Sunday called for restraint during those rallies. Earlier, he had tendered his resignation but it was not accepted by the prime minister.

"People have the right to protest and will do so, but while the pain and grief caused by the minor's death is understandable," he said, no outrage "can lead to the violence and destruction of private property that was witnessed."

revival

OK little blog, it is time to come back to life! You have been withering here, and I admit it, I have been avoiding you. But I have not stopped loving you and now I have returned. Together we can ward off the dark spirits of winter.

Name Days in December

December Greek Name Days

December 1 - Theoklitos
December 2 - Muropis
December 4 - Varvara
December 5 - Savvas
December 6 - Nikolaos, Nikos
December 7 - Amvrosios
December 9 - Anna, Agias Annis
December 12 - Spiridon, Spiros
December 13 - Eustratios, Loskias, Stratos, Stratis, Lukia
December 15 - Eleftherios, Lefteris, Eleutherios
December 17 - Daniel, Dionysios, Zakunthos, Diosnysos
December 18 - Sevastionos, Zois
December 19 - Aglais
December 20 - Ignatios
December 21 - Themistokleous, Ioulia
December 22 - Anastasias, Anastasia
December 24 - Eugenias, Evyenia
December 25 - Christmas Day - Kristos, , Manolis, Emmanouela
December 26 - Theotokos, Manolis, Manuella
December 27 - Stefanos, Stephania

If you are a magician...

buy this book!!!


(click on title for order form)

Yes, we can. Yes we did.

I am so happy and hopeful, I am crying tears of joy.

The day has come...

I am so excited...

Greek Name Days in November

November Greek Name Days

November 1 - Anarron, Kosma, Damianos, Anargiros, Argiris, Kosmas, Damianos
November 8 - Michalis, Angelos, Angela, Angeliki, Stamatis, Stamos
November 9 - Nektarios
November 11 - Minas, Viktoros
November 13 - Ioannos, Xrysostomos Greek Name Days in November
November 14 - Filippos, Philippos
November 16 - Mathaios
November 18 - Platonos
November 21 - Eisodia tis Theotokis, Maria
November 22 - Filimonos
November 25 - Merkourios, Aikaterini, Katerina
November 26 - Stulianos, Stelios, Stella, Stylianos
November 27 - Nathanail
November 30 - Andrea, Andreas

A Break From All of This: The Idea of the Writer

I have become so obsessed with this election, I can barely think of anything else. I endlessly surf the internet from blog to blog and the many youtube videos and comments and on and on well into the early hours. It will be a relief when this is finally over and President Obama readies himself to take the helm.But sometimes it becomes overwheming and downright stressful. Although most polls have Obama ahead by a good margin there remain those others like the AP poll and there remain some states, like FL, PA and MO that still need to push ahead before we can breathe a sigh of relief. I am beginning to get stomach cramps just thinking about the next week. So maybe it is time for a break. Something thoughtful and interesting. I am posting here the link to David Milch's"The Idea of the Writer" lecture series. Milch is a screenwriter and producer, he gave us what I believe are the best two series ever! "John From Cincinnati" and "Deadwood".
(Click on title)

Truth

Now seems like a good time to contemplate the notion of truth, so I am posting several quotes to ponder.

The great enemy of the truth is very often not the lie--deliberate, contrived, and dishonest--but the myth--persistent, persuasive, and unrealistic.
-John Fitzgerald Kennedy

During times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act.
-George Orwell

Truth indeed rather alleviates than hurts, and will always bear up against falsehood, as oil does above water.
-Miguel de Cervantes

You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you mad.
-Aldous Huxley

Seek not greatness, but seek truth and you will find both.
-Horace Mann

Respect for the truth comes close to being the basis for all morality.
-Frank Herbert

When I tell the truth, it is not for the sake of convincing those who do not know it, but for the sake of defending those that do.
-William Blake

To be persuasive, we must be believable; to be believable, we must be credible; to be credible, we must be truthful.
-Edward R. Murrow

All great truths begin as blasphemies.
-George Bernard Shaw

If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything.
-Mark Twain

A man can?t be always defending the truth; there must be a time for him to feed on it.
-C.S. Lewis

I tore myself away from the safe comfort of certainties through my love for the truth; and truth rewarded me.
-Simone de Beauvoir

The pure and simple truth is rarely pure and never simple.
-Oscar Wilde

If you shut up truth and bury it under the ground, it will but grow up, and gather to itself such explosive power that the day it bursts through it will blow up everything in its way.
-Emile Zola

We are hidden in ourselves, like a truth hidden in isolated facts. When we know that this One in us is One in all, then our truth is revealed.
-Rabindranath Tagore

I know that most men, including those at ease with problems of the greatest complexity, can seldom accept even the simplest and most obvious truth if it be such as would oblige them to admit the falsity conclusions which they have delighted in explaining to colleagues, which they have proudly taught to others, and which they have woven, thread by thread, into the fabric of their lives.
-Leo Tolstoy

Whenever, therefore, people are deceived and form opinions wide of the truth, it is clear that the error has slid into their minds through the medium of certain resemblances to that truth.
-Socrates

We do not err because truth is difficult to see. It is visible at a glance. We err because this is more comfortable.
-Alexandr Solzhenitsyn

The discovery of truth is prevented more effectively, not by the false appearance things present and which mislead into error, not directly by weakness of the reasoning powers, but by preconceived opinion, by prejudice.
-Arthur Schopenhauer

Finding the occasional straw of truth awash in a great ocean of confusion and bamboozle requires intelligence, vigilance, dedication and courage. But if we don't practice these tough habits of thought, we cannot hope to solve the truly serious problems that face us - and we risk becoming a nation of suckers, up for grabs by the next charlatan who comes along.
-Carl Sagan

Error, indeed, is never set forth in its naked deformity, lest, being thus exposed, it should at once be detected. But it is craftily decked out in an attractive dress, so as, by its outward form, to make it appear to the inexperienced?more true than the truth itself. One far superior to me has well said?, 'A clever imitation in glass casts contempt, as it were, on that precious jewel the emerald...' Lest, therefore, through my neglect, some should be carried off, even as sheep are by wolves, while they perceive not the true character of these men, because they outwardly are covered with sheep's clothing (against whom the Lord has enjoined us to be on our guard), and because their language resembles ours, while their sentiments are very different.
-Irenaeus of Lyons

It is error alone which needs the support of government. Truth can stand by itself.
-Thomas Jefferson

Are you Greek? How Can you Tell for Sure?

One more, sent from the Eagle:

ARE YOU A GREEK? HOW CAN YOU TELL FOR SURE?

1) If you have ever been hit by a 'PANTOFLA' or a 'KOUTALA'

2) If your Holidays include 5 meats and 50 relatives.

3) If others tell you to stop screaming when you are really just
talking.

4) If you light a candle to Panayia on the night before your big test.

5) If you use your chin to point something out.

6) If you have at least 2 relatives within walking distance'

7) If your mother yells at the top of her lungs to call you for dinner,
if it's a one bedroom apartment.

8) If you ever attended, graduated or dropped out of Greek School

9) If during Greek Easter you take off from work for religious reasons,
and attend the Epitafio at NIGHT.

10) If you become sick and anemic because you did not eat meat.

11) If whenever you feel under the weather, you compulsively dab on
> some 'Vick's vapor rub' all over your chest and inside your nostrils.

12) Your mom makes your bed every day even though you've just turned
thirty-two.

13) If you call all non Greeks 'XENI' even if you know their
nationality.

14) If at least 2 other cousins have the same name as you.

15) If you hated fakes, bamias, or fasoulakia as a kid , but started
enjoying them as you grew up.

Send this to all your Greek friends! You can also send this to
your non-Greek friends, but if you have to explain more than three
items, what's the point?

Camp

Camp
- by Skorda

Running from the law, the family, bad debt.
or maybe just running, chasing fortune
with dreams and picks they headed west
to the edge of the hills, Deadwood.
Whatever they had been, this is what they are now,
ragtag men with muck on their boots.
Just men, with strong backs and hopeful hearts
thrown together by chance,
the fateful cry of "gold!"
Perhaps this day will be the one
when luck will change and gods will smile ,
promises will be kept.
Or maybe this day will end
as have a thousand others
for these tired, dirty men,
caught in their breaking dreams.
One more night in the rough saloon
knocking back whiskey, numbing fear.
Camp women lean across the bar
smiling into the dirty darkness,
a promise of their own.
Here in this land of dreams
where everyone can make a buck
the lonely heart will pay.

One Big Union

ELECTION ALERT

Check it out here - apparently it is true.

http://www.snopes.com/politics/ballot/straightticket.asp

Subject: ELECTION ALERT: Pass it along, Avoid this vote counting trap

ELECTION ALERT: Straight Party Voting Trap. You may have read about
this; Here are the details and what to do about it:THE PROBLEM:
"Straight party voting" on voting machines is revealing a bad pattern of
miscounting and omitting your vote, especially if you are a Democrat.
Most recently (Oct. 2008), a firm called Automated Election Services was
found to have mis-coded the system in heavily Democratic Santa Fe
County, New Mexico such that straight party voters would not have the
presidential vote counted.STRAIGHT PARTY VOTING is allowed in 15 states.
Basically, it means that you can take a shortcut to actually looking at
who you are voting for and instead just select a party preference. Then
the voting machine makes your candidate choices, supposedly for the
party you requested.HOW TO PROTECT THE COUNT against Straight Party
Trap:1) NEVER CHOOSE THE STRAIGHT PARTY VOTE OPTION, because it alerts
the computer as to your party preference and allows software code to
trigger whatever function the programmer has designed.
2) SEND THIS INFORMATION OUT TO AS MANY PEOPLE AS YOU CAN, blog it, root n' toot it out there to get the word out.
3) ESPECIALLY GET THE WORD OUT TO PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING STATES, which
have straight party voting options:
Alabama, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, New Mexico, North Carolina,
Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, West
Virginia, Wisconsin
4) DEMAND COMPLETE AND CAREFUL TESTING OF THE STRAIGHT PARTY OPTION IN
LOGIC & ACCURACY TESTS.
5) LOOK FOR UNDERVOTES (high profile races with lower-than-average
number of votes cast) and flag them, post them, bring them to the
attention of others for additional scrutiny.Details, links to documents,
news stories, more specifics
here:http://www.bbvforums.org/forums/messages/1954/78367.htmlVoting
machine miscounts of straight party votes were proven by California
researcher Judy Alter in the 2004 New Mexico presidential election; in
Alabama Democrat straight party votes were caught going to a Republican,
and Wisconsin a whole slew of straight party votes disappeared
altogether.

Both DRE and optical scan machines are vulnerable. Private contractors
are involved; private firms like LHS Associates, Automated Election
Services, Harp Enterprises, Casto & Harris and others will program
almost all systems in the USA this November. ES&S scanners were involved
in examples cited, but Diebold has also issued a cryptic Product
Advisory Notice in 2006 about unexpected results from certain Straight
Party option programming practices. (More:
http://www.bbvforums.org/forums/messages/1954/78367.html )PERSPECTIVEThe
big "Oops" needs a new frame of reference. For example: You are counting
the cash for a fund raiser. Somehow, it's discovered that $500 didn't
make it into the count and someone put it in their pocket. They say
"Oops" and tell you it was a mistake. Really? Will you let them count
the cash again? Probably not. Consequences! Where are they for Automated
Election Services, ES&S, or Diebold?A LEHTOISM - From voting rights
attorney Paul Lehto: "Being at the mercy of whoever's in power is not a
definition of freedom, if I may seize on the power of understatement."*
* * * *

With Thanks to Andrew Sullivan at "The Daily Dish"

Name Days in October

Name Days for October
October 1 - Ananios, Pomanos, Melodos
October 2 - Kuprianos, Iosstiounis
October 3 - Dionisios, Dionisos
October 4 - Ierotheos
October 5 - Xaritinis
October 6 - Thomas
October 7 - Poluxronios
October 8 - Peladias
October 10 - Eulampios
October 15 - Loskianos
October 18 - Loska, Loskas
October 19 - Kleopatras
October 20 - Artemios, Gerasimos, Kefallinias, Yerasimos
October 21 - Sokratous, Sokrates, Sokratis
October 23 - Iakovos
October 24 - Sevatianis
October 26 - Dimitrios, Dimitris, Dimitria
October 27 - Nestoros
October 28 - Agias Skepis
October 30 - Xaritinis, Zinovios