tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50249701371182465852024-03-12T17:36:37.023-07:00Mom in GreeceA Greek mom musing about life in Greece, the crisis and everything.Μαμά στο Δρόμοhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12376919627274142124noreply@blogger.comBlogger21125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5024970137118246585.post-83327527403674391652015-07-01T03:26:00.004-07:002015-07-05T03:46:18.365-07:00Into the frying pan or into the fire?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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After five years of austerity and measures imposed by the Troika (a trio made up of the International Monetary Fund, the European Central Bank and the European Comission), the Greeks are finally asked to speak their minds.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FWIbFqbpRmU/VZO_MfBkF-I/AAAAAAAADNY/SzcbVSJHlaM/s1600/Greek_referendum.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="176" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FWIbFqbpRmU/VZO_MfBkF-I/AAAAAAAADNY/SzcbVSJHlaM/s320/Greek_referendum.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The question is not whether they want to rescue the banks or whether they'd rather follow the example of Iceland. It is not whether they want to default or burden the taxpayers with an enormous debt that no sane person sees repaid within the century. It is not even whether the rich should bear the brunt or the common folk. All the above have already been decided upon and signed meekly by governments that acted submissively towards the Troika, in blatant disregard of Greek public opinion.<br />
Then the tide turned and the resentment of ordinary Greeks brought a moderate left party to power in January.<br />
The new government vowed to not rock the boat too much - they promised abide by what had been signed, provided the basic human rights and dignity for Greek citizens were not violated.<br />
The Troika, mostly egged on by Germany, frothed in the mouth and, in order to lend us even more cash that would go directly to the banks, presented terms that would be impossible to agree upon. To most Greeks, it is evident that they want to force the issue and make the government choose between submission (which would discredit it to its electorate) or resignation (which would bring the more malleable previous parties to power again).<br />
So the government did the only thing they could do: declared a referendum.<br />
So, now, five years too late, the people are asked to decide their fate.<br />
Unfortunately, their choices are limited:<br />
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<b>YES </b>would mean argeement to even harsher austerity measures, cuts of pensions and salaries, abolition of the most basic working rights, collapse of the Health Care System, rise of taxes and many others that will effectively drive more people into poverty and strangle the economy, making the current depression even worse. After voting YES, the Greeks will be unable to protest, since they will have given their consent to their own pauperisation. However, given that austerity has brought depression, revenue to pay the debts will never be generated, and the Greeks will be forced to take even more loans just to keep from defaulting, pushing the country into debt even more. This debt will haunt Greeks for generations to come.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-e1Pz3D7o3L0/VZkJwMEhspI/AAAAAAAADOw/cR9Cy1klSgs/s1600/nai-495x330.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-e1Pz3D7o3L0/VZkJwMEhspI/AAAAAAAADOw/cR9Cy1klSgs/s320/nai-495x330.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The flag reads "yes."</td></tr>
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<b>NO</b> would mean that Greeks would rather not receive another "dose" of cash to repay loans if that would mean more of the same austerity that has seen poverty rise to levels not seen since the 50's and 40's. Denied of their dues, the banks will of course push (and have proven that they can) for harsh punishments for Greece, in order to deter others from doing the same. Cash will dry up and Greece will not be able to import fuel, medications and many other necessities. It is possible that hard years will follow for all but the richest.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VNsMxwozvOM/VZkFNs7uUFI/AAAAAAAADOU/8qOAkAuV0oY/s1600/greek%2Bno%2Bcartoon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="283" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VNsMxwozvOM/VZkFNs7uUFI/AAAAAAAADOU/8qOAkAuV0oY/s320/greek%2Bno%2Bcartoon.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The helmet reads "IMF", the forklift reads "NO."</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<b>So what will the Greeks vote?</b><br />
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Innundated by fear-mongering propagated by the majority of the media (affiliated with the older parties and a few rich Greek families) many people will vote YES, for fear of losing what little they have. Recipients of pensions, those who still have some savings in the bank or are still making a living wage are more prone to this fear. Others, belonging to the right and centrist parties will vote YES in the hope to receive some financial security in the form of jobs in the public sector, if they come again into power. To put it simply, <b>yes will be voted by people who will be content to gnaw the bones thrown under the table by their masters,</b> fearing what might happen if they ever crawl from under that table.<br />
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Those who have felt the bite of poverty, who have lost their jobs, who have moved in with their parents because they cannot afford their own flat, who have queued for soup kitchens, who have lost their homes or businesses because they were unable to pay their debts, those who are homeless, will vote NO. They will be joined by others, who fear that a YES will forfeit the future of their children and perhaps their grandchildren too. <b>To put it simply, NO will be voted by people who see the current situation as nothing short of slavery and want out.</b><br />
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<b>What will be the result?</b><br />
This is a lose-lose situation. <b>The Greeks are squeezed between a rock and a hard place. Whichever way they jump, they'll suffer.</b><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qCuuS76GQuk/VZkFhWJWxBI/AAAAAAAADOk/iWwiSM5HAo0/s1600/Greek-referendum-as-Roman-galley-cartoon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qCuuS76GQuk/VZkFhWJWxBI/AAAAAAAADOk/iWwiSM5HAo0/s320/Greek-referendum-as-Roman-galley-cartoon.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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If they vote <b>NO</b>, the government will be in a better position to re-negotiate new terms with teh Troika. They might listen, or not. In the latter case, Greece will default, and Greeks risk immediate collapse of the economy, dire poverty and who knows what else. It's possible that there will be black marketing and deaths due to lack of medical supplies.<br />
If they vote <b>YES</b>, the poverty and dying will be less acute, but will steadily worsen and go on for a longer (possibly much longer) period of time.<br />
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If they vote <b>NO</b>, the government will win, but it will shoulder the responsibility for the problems and the social unrest that will follow.<br />
If they vote <b>YES</b>, the government will have to resign, meaning the return of the older parties, who will, as before, meekly say yes to the harsh measures dictated by the Troika.<br />
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If they vote <b>NO</b>, the Greeks will be guilty of countless deaths brought on by lack of medical supplies and fuel for heating. This has already been happening ever since the crisis started, but a default will cause acute shortages for a -hopefully-short period of time. <br />
If they vote <b>YES</b>, the Greeks will be guilty of exactly the same, only over a much longer period of time. The IMF itself has admitted that the Greek debt is unpayable, so Greeks will be condemned to bondage for decades to come.<br />
To all this misery and certain deaths, we should add the possibility of social unrest - whichever way the vote is cast.<br />
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<b>My vote</b><br />
Although I have almost made up my mind that it's better to look at the long-term picture and take the plunge, I will still approach the booth with trepidation. I fear my own ignorance and my own fear. Naturally I don't have all the pieces of the puzzle, and I'm seeing only part of the picture. Am I oversimplifying? Am I condemning my children and my family to a quick and brutal death instead of holding out, in the hope that things may get better? How many people is my vote going to condemn to misery or death, whichever way I cast my vote? How many may be saved if I vote otherwise?<br />
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<b>One last thought</b><br />
The only thing that takes me out of my fear (and preemptive guilt) is this thought:<br />
The people who planned this future and put these choices before us seem not to have spared a single thought for the human beings involved in their decisions.<br />
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And that drives me mad.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">First image from here: <a href="http://greece.greekreporter.com/files/Greece_referendum.jpg">http://greece.greekreporter.com/files/Greece_referendum.jpg. </a>Other images variously, via Facebook. Original sources unknown.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">My data comes from these sources:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-partisan/wp/2015/07/03/the-next-greece-is-not-a-matter-of-if-but-when/?postshare=2281435956127960">http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-partisan/wp/2015/07/03/the-next-greece-is-not-a-matter-of-if-but-when/?postshare=2281435956127960</a></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/former-central-bank-head-karl-otto-poehl-bailout-plan-is-all-about-rescuing-banks-and-rich-greeks-a-695245.html" target="_blank">http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/former-central-bank-head-karl-otto-poehl-bailout-plan-is-all-about-rescuing-banks-and-rich-greeks-a-695245.html </a></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.commondreams.org/views/2015/07/03/how-europe-played-greece">http://www.commondreams.org/views/2015/07/03/how-europe-played-greece</a></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://jubileedebt.org.uk/reports-briefings/briefing/six-key-points-greek-debt-weeks-election">http://jubileedebt.org.uk/reports-briefings/briefing/six-key-points-greek-debt-weeks-election</a></span> <br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/business/live/2015/jul/02/greek-debt-crisis-athens-creditors-referendum-yes-no-live">http://www.theguardian.com/business/live/2015/jul/02/greek-debt-crisis-athens-creditors-referendum-yes-no-live</a></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2015-07-01/europe-wants-to-punish-greece-with-exit">http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2015-07-01/europe-wants-to-punish-greece-with-exit</a></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
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<br />Μαμά στο Δρόμοhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12376919627274142124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5024970137118246585.post-44257191916118407642014-12-10T15:24:00.000-08:002014-12-10T15:25:20.313-08:00The plight of refugees in Greece<br />
<a href="https://samoschronicles.files.wordpress.com/2014/12/278.jpg"><img alt="278" class="alignnone wp-image-146" height="449" src="https://samoschronicles.files.wordpress.com/2014/12/278.jpg?w=599&h=449" width="599" /></a><br />
There are many aspects to the desperation which has driven the Syrian
refugees to this self-organised protest. Many of them are on hunger
strike. One common bond is the fear of being trapped in Greece with no
money and no support. Without money to pay your way out of Greece
clandestinely you face a frightening future.<br />
Many of the Syrians who make it to Greece have some money; some have
much. In many respects those in Syntagma square, are more privileged
than the millions of Syrians living in the camps in Turkey or Jordan. Of
the 11 million Syrians refugees today (including those internally
displaced within the country as well as outside the borders) only 4%
make it to Europe.<br />
We were told many stories in the Square of people selling homes, cars
and businesses to pay for the escape from Syria. But as a consequence
of there being no provision for safe travel to the EU, the Syrians as
with all refugees without papers, are forced to pay for clandestine
routes into Greece. It is very expensive.<br />
We discovered that in many cases the money was focused on one person
in the household group. Usually the father/husband, although we also met
some mothers who were travelling alone with their children. The plan is
for this person to find a safe place in Europe where they would be able
to bring the rest of their family and live together again. This appears
to be one of the most important criteria for choosing particular
destination countries such as Sweden, Norway and Germany. The other was
joining relatives and friends already settled in Europe which is
particularly the case for Sweden which has a relatively large Syrian
population. No one we met wanted to stay in Greece.<br />
<a href="https://samoschronicles.files.wordpress.com/2014/12/155.jpg"><img alt="155" class="alignnone wp-image-148" height="338" src="https://samoschronicles.files.wordpress.com/2014/12/155.jpg?w=451&h=338" width="451" /></a><br />
<i>“They don’t want us in Greece. But they won’t let us leave. We
are in a place worse than a prison. We can’t work, we have no housing,
no medical care, schools for our kids and we are running out of money.”</i><br />
(<b>Bassel</b>, 28 years, finance manager)<br />
<br />
<i>“I am trying to join my brothers who are now in Germany. They are waiting for me. I don’t want to be here.”</i><br />
(<b>Halil</b>, 18 years, high school student)<br />
<i>“I have one brother in London and one brother in Manchester and I
want to be with them. I have tried to see if the British embassy [in
Athens] can help me. But I am always turned away by the security guards.
I can’t speak to anyone there.”</i><br />
(<b>Nizar</b>, 17 years, high school student)<br />
<i>“I am a barber from Aleppo. I am 28 years old. My wife and my 2
daughters are still in Syria. My youngest daughter, Maria, was born last
week and I have only seen her in this photo [which he shows]. I left
Syria five weeks ago to find a safe country for my family. This is my
purpose. This is why I want to go Norway or Sweden because there I can
get my family. In Greece, never</i>.<br />
(<b>Fathi</b>, 28 years )<br />
<i>“I don’t think you will find any of us on this protest who wants
to stay in Greece. But this is the only way for us to get to Europe. We
don’t want asylum here. There is nothing for us here. Nothing. They just
want our money.”</i><br />
(<b>Nour</b>, 23, journalism student)<br />
<i>“It took me three tries to get from Izmir to Chios in October
this year. The first 2 times we were caught by the Greek coastguard who
took us back and gave us to the Turkish coastguard. It cost 3,000
euros.”</i><br />
(<b>Suzy</b>, 22 , English Literature student)<br />
<i>“Every attempt I make to leave Greece costs money. Mainly to the
smugglers who try to get us across borders [without papers]. But how
long will my money last? I am paying 100 euros a month to live in a 2
room studio with 9 others. It is expensive because we can’t rent houses
and the government here only provides for a few families with children.”</i><br />
(<b>Ammar</b>, 19 , first year electronics student)<br />
<br />
<i>“I knew from my friends who came before that Greece would be a
hard place. But it was only when I was put in the Samos camp [after
arriving from Turkey in a small plastic boat] that I saw how much we are
hated here. It is not human.”</i><br />
(<b>Natalia </b>, 36, teacher)<br />
<br />
<a href="https://samoschronicles.files.wordpress.com/2014/12/169.jpg"><img alt="169" class=" size-medium wp-image-150 alignright" height="225" src="https://samoschronicles.files.wordpress.com/2014/12/169.jpg?w=300&h=225" width="300" /></a><br />
<i>“Once we start on this journey, we have to pay for every step of
the way. I paid $ (US) 2,000 to come in a rubber boat to Mytilene. There
were 35 of us. I was terrified. We travelled at night. The waves were
coming in all the time. There were young children with us. I was put in
the camp and after 7 days left for Athens. I have been here 4 weeks
now.“</i><br />
(<b>Mohammed</b>, 26, marketing student)<br />
<i>“For me it was a jet ski from Bodrum with 2 friends. It was night
time and we were taken to Kos. But as it got light and we walked around
we found that we had been left on a small island, completely empty. No
houses, no people. After about 5 hours a Greek coastguard boat came and
took us to Kos. “</i><br />
(<b>Nour,</b>23)<br />
<i>“I have been unlucky. I paid 3,000 euros to go on a yacht from
Fethiye in Turkey to Italy. The boat was good and there were just 8 of
us. But about 20km from the Italian coast we ran out of fuel. We were
able to contact the coastguard in Italy but they told us we were too far
from the coast and had to come nearer before they would come out to
rescue us. But we couldn’t move. Then a ship came but said they wouldn’t
take us but they had radioed another ship that would come and pick us
up. It was a Russian ship going to Palestine. They took us and were
sorry that they couldn’t take us to Italy so we were dropped off in
Rhodes. I wanted to keep out of Greece and now here I am. Trapped. In
the six weeks I have been here I have tried to get out, 2 times I got
into Macedonia but then caught and returned, one time to Albania and the
same, and also Igoumenitsa . My money is going.”</i><br />
(<b>Bassel</b>, 28)<br />
<br />
<i>“I paid 1,500 euros to come in a small boat to a Greek island
(Samos). We were promised that it would be safe. But they filled the
boats with people. I had to leave all my luggage on the beach in Turkey
as the smugglers wanted all the space for people. I was very
frightened.”</i><br />
(<b>Zeinah,</b> 25, postgraduate law student)<br />
<br />
<i>“I am wearing all the clothes I own now. The Greek coastguards
made us throw our bags into the sea. I was warned this could happen so I
left all my papers (about his qualifications and education) with my
brother in Turkey and he will send them when I am safe. Most are not so
lucky and have lost very important documents.”</i><br />
(<b>Ammar</b>, 26, medical student)<br />
<a href="https://samoschronicles.files.wordpress.com/2014/12/265.jpg"><img alt="265" class=" size-medium wp-image-149 alignright" height="300" src="https://samoschronicles.files.wordpress.com/2014/12/265.jpg?w=225&h=300" width="225" /></a><br />
<br />
Because there is no safe passage to Europe, the Mediterranean area,
including the Aegean, has become the most dangerous border area in the
world “between countries that are not at war with each other. The risks
of dying while crossing this border are close to 2%. Crossing the
Mediterranean is more lethal than crossing the Rio Grande from Mexico to
the USA, the Indian Ocean from Indonesia to Australia, or the Gulf of
Aden from the Horn of Africa to the Arabian Peninsula”(Philippe Fargues
and Sara Bonfanti, Migration Policy Centre, EUI October 2014). Even when
you succeed in crossing the sea the dangers to life continue.
Tragically, one of the Syrians who had been at the Syntagma protest,
Ayman Ghazal, died last week whilst trying to cross the border between
Albania and Greece.<br />
A large number of those we spoke with were students of whom around
30% were young women. The majority was at university and a small number
were still in high school. Very few of them had finished their studies
and were desperate to complete their courses. Some of our conversations
were in Arabic but many were in English as so many of the students were
fluent speakers. Ranging from marketing, law, medicine, journalism,
English literature, IT, electrical engineering, teaching, these students
spoke passionately about their education and their need to find
somewhere to complete their courses.<br />
Despite their circumstances the students – indeed all those we met –
were confident about their abilities to re-build their lives in Europe.
They just wanted to be given a chance to move freely with rights to work
and study.<br />
But without exception every Syrian we spoke with had suffered pain
and fear. In the midst of stories being exchanged we got to hear how
many had been in Syrian jails and police stations. There was the final
year medical student whose strapped hand and wrist was a legacy to being
suspended by his wrists while in a police cell. Many had lost close
relatives and friends either killed or wounded. Constant fear was their
companion in Syria. So was hurt, as they saw much loved cities and towns
pulverized and cleaned of their people. And on top, the daily
uncertainty, never knowing when or where the violence would strike next.<br />
<br />
<i>“When you come to a country in a crowded rubber boat which has
cost you 2,000 euros to make a four hour journey, you know that you are
heading for trouble. But I also thought that in Europe which we are told
is so advanced and civilized that our wounds and fears we carried with
us would mean that we would be helped. But we have been treated worse
than animals [in the Detention Centres and Greek police cells]. Nobody
asked me why I left Syria, or what I had experienced. Do they think we
want to come to Greece for this? I never wanted to leave my home. I love
Damascus. Now I may never be able to return.”</i><br />
(<b>Ranim</b>, 31, accountant)<br />
<br />
<i>“Look at this [he plays a video on his phone]. This is Raqqa 2
days ago where bombing by Assad’s planes martyred over 200 people and
injured many more. Look at those streets with smashed people. This I
lived with. The planes bomb and then return 15 minutes later to bomb the
people who go out to save people from the first raid. And now the
Americans are bombing the town.</i><br />
<i>My father was born in Raqqa so on my ID it says I am from Raqqa
although we live in a small village 15kms from the town. But because my
ID says Raqqa my life is hell in Syria. Because Raqqa is controlled by
ISIS it means that the government sees all people from there as ISIS
supporters.”</i><br />
(<b>Firas</b> 29, mechanic)<br />
<i>“Until this summer I had a good job as a finance manager for a
big company. As a third generation Palestinian I grew up in a camp near
to the city but that was badly damaged three years ago so we moved
nearer to the centre. I drive to work and have to pass through many
military checkpoints. At one of the checks, just because I was
Palestinian, I was told to get out the car and to walk for fifteen
minutes around a square which was known for its snipers. I walked
reciting the Koran and thinking of my two young sons; waiting to be
shot. This happened to me three times this year. After the last time I
and my wife decided that we should leave, me going first with my family
to follow. I last saw them 6 weeks ago.”</i><br />
(<b>Bassel</b>, 28)<br />
<i>“It became impossible for me to stay in Syria. I applied and got a
very senior appointment in a hospital based in Qatar, but I couldn’t
get permission from the government there to work in the hospital. I am a
specialist neurologist. “</i><br />
(<b>Moussa</b>, 36, doctor)<br />
<br />
<i>“For tn years I was a journalist in Damascus and managed to avoid
the eye of the government. Then I wrote one article that was mildly
critical of Assad and I ended up in police cells for one year. I left
immediately I was released. My brother is a journalist for an Arab paper
and is in London. I want to join him.”</i><br />
(<b>Ahmed 43</b>, journalist)<br />
<br />
<a href="https://samoschronicles.files.wordpress.com/2014/12/176.jpg"><img alt="176" class="alignnone wp-image-151" height="320" src="https://samoschronicles.files.wordpress.com/2014/12/176.jpg?w=427&h=320" width="427" /></a><br />
<br />
Many of the refugees were astonished by their treatment both from the
Greek state and its agencies and from the way they were being ripped
off as they tried to both survive and escape from Greece. Its neglect,
its casual cruelties, the way in which they are left in limbo with no
control over their lives as the Greek state processes them is totally
devoid of humanity.<br />
<br />
It was the hope of many we spoke with that they could succeed in
getting the Greek state to either reach a national solution or even
better force an EU resolution which would give them refugee status with
the right to travel, work and live anywhere within the EU. Given this
strategy it is not surprising that many on the protest wanted to know
about the government, its power within the EU, and why so many of its
refugee policies were focused on repression and exclusion and not on
human welfare.<br />
<br />
But even after a few days of the protest there is a growing sense
amongst the protesters that the Greek government is not up to much and
not prepared to do anything positive for them.<br />
<br />
<i>“My first time in a police cell was in Athens. I never thought this would happen to me.”</i><br />
(<b>Nizar</b>, 17)<br />
<br />
<i> <a href="https://samoschronicles.files.wordpress.com/2014/12/184.jpg"><img alt="184" class=" wp-image-154 aligncenter" height="322" src="https://samoschronicles.files.wordpress.com/2014/12/184.jpg?w=430&h=322" width="430" /></a></i><br />
<br />
<i>“I don’t know who came over from the Parliament yesterday but he
told us that we could not achieve our demands. He said that there was
little they could do but he hoped that some houses would be given to
families with children. We were disappointed but not surprised. They
will try and divide us I think, giving some things but only to a small
number. But if we don’t keep together we are nothing.”</i><br />
(<b>Ammar</b>, 26, medical student)<br />
<br />
<i> “I can see now many similarities between the Greek and Syrian
systems. It is a common Arab experience. But I think the Greek
government is worse. Nothing works, nothing happens that is good for the
people.”</i><br />
(<b>Zeinah</b>, 25, postgraduate law student)<br />
<br />
<br />
<i>“Is it because most of us are Muslims that we are treated like
this? I never thought about this before but I am beginning to think that
we are being punished because we are Moslem.”</i><br />
(<b>Ammar</b>,26)<br />
<br />
The reaction of his friend, another university student was amazement:<br />
<br />
<i>“This cannot be true. Islam is an open religion and is about
living together in peace and within a framework which is not too tight
and not too loose. There is nothing to fear from Islam.”</i><br />
(<b>Mohammed</b>, 26, marketing student)<br />
<br />
<i>“I am always thinking as we sit here all day. I look at the
people passing on the street. I think that if they are Greek that they
will have papers that allow them to travel and to move. What is
different about them from me? Why can they have this freedom and not me?
I think my life might be better if I was a dog. At least then I can get
a passport to travel in Europe. “</i><br />
(<b>Ammar</b>, 26 years, final year medical student)<br />
<br />
<br />
It is the character of some protests at least, especially those which
give time to the activists to know one another and to talk that there
are opportunities to learn and gain greater understanding. This is
clearly happening for many in Syntagma. A clear example occurred around 6
days into the protest (26 Nov 2014) when a leaflet from the Ministry of
Interior was distributed to the activists. It was in Greek and English
with a few lines of incomprehensible Arabic scrawled along the bottom.
This was the leaflet’s message set out in bold type:<br />
<br />
<b><i>You have nothing to gain if you remain on</i></b><br />
<b><i>Syntagma square.</i></b><br />
<b><i>You should follow the only way to a life</i></b><br />
<b><i>With dignity.</i></b><br />
<b><i><span style="text-decoration: underline;">You should apply for asylum.</span></i></b><br />
<br />
<i>“I can’t understand. In this paper the government tells us “The
Greek State is not able to offer accommodation to all the people coming
from Syria. What is possible is to examine housing for persons granted
asylum especially in cases of families with small children who live in
the streets”. Then it says:”WORK: Those who have not applied for asylum,
do not have the right to work. Even for asylum holders, it is very
difficult to find a job. In Greece there are 1,240,000 people
unemployed.” We are not crazy. We don’t want asylum in Greece.”</i><br />
(<b>Bana</b> 26, journalism student)<br />
<br />
<i>“I had not realized how bad it was in Greece until the women
cleaners stopped during their demonstration. The poverty here is very
bad. Even if you get a job the wages are very low. But it is the poor
people here who help us the most. The women cleaners felt our pain.”</i><br />
(<b>Zeinah</b>, 25, postgraduate law student)<br />
<br />
<i>“It says that if get asylum we “can also visit other European
countries for three months twice a year.” This is no good for me. I want
to be with my brothers in Germany. Not here.”</i><br />
(<b>Halil, </b>18 years, high school student)<br />
<br />
<i>“The more I hear the more I am determined not to apply for asylum
in Greece. I have met refugees from Algeria who have waited for 7 years
to get a blue passport [asylum]. How can we wait like this? “</i><br />
(<b>Ranim</b>, 31, accountant)<br />
<a href="https://samoschronicles.files.wordpress.com/2014/12/002.jpg"><img alt="002" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-153" height="300" src="https://samoschronicles.files.wordpress.com/2014/12/002.jpg?w=225&h=300" width="225" /></a><br />
“<i>If I get asylum it will be impossible for me to ever return to
Syria. I don’t want to do this. I want to get to a country where I can
stay but never give up my right to return.”</i><br />
(<b>Nour</b>,23)<br />
<br />
<br />
<i>“The parliament members are very sleepy and I am really surprised
at the way that they are managing the issues in this country. They are
useless and have no power to speak up towards other European countries;
it’s really sad to have such an attitude from a European country
member.”</i><br />
(<b>Bassel</b>, 28)<br />
<br />
<a href="https://samoschronicles.files.wordpress.com/2014/12/180.jpg"><img alt="180" class="alignnone wp-image-155" height="346" src="https://samoschronicles.files.wordpress.com/2014/12/180.jpg?w=461&h=346" width="461" /></a><br />
<br />
There is enormous dignity in this protest. It is well run, the area
occupied is regularly cleaned; they have a pile of donated clothes which
they manage as well their own valuable skills. So the doctors and
medical students amongst them check regularly on those who are suffering
as the hunger strike deepens and there are toys and games for the young
children. Together the hundreds of Syrians in the square have created a
sense of purpose and solidarity. They remain determined. They have so
little to lose. They are not being led from the outside but are self
organized with a lot jokes and laughter and much talking. It is an easy
place to be and the refugees are thirsty to discuss and share their
lives and struggles with all those who care to spend time with them.<br />
<br />
As we write the protest in Syntagma continues into its 20th day. One
of the friends we made sent us the following message this morning<i>; “</i><i>the</i><i>
weather is getting worse and the children and women still sleeping in
the square. It’s a big shame on them. We are still here and we stay in
the square since we have no choice. We have to fight for our rights”.
(Bassel, 28) </i><br />
<br />
We live in a world where innocent victims of atrocities and violence
are caught up in situations well beyond their control and yet when they
seek refuge they are further violated and humiliated. Then in order to
gain some modest but fundamental rights, they have to fight and
struggle. In the name of our common humanity it is intolerable to accept
a world which so mercilessly creates millions of refugees and then sets
out to punish them further. This is not a struggle which can be carried
alone by the refugees.<br />
<br />
Are we going to stand back and watch in silence?<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://samoschronicles.files.wordpress.com/2014/12/275.jpg"><img alt="275" class=" wp-image-157 aligncenter" height="432" src="https://samoschronicles.files.wordpress.com/2014/12/275.jpg?w=324&h=432" width="324" /></a><br />
<br />
Source: <a href="http://samoschronicles.wordpress.com/2014/12/09/in-syntagma-square-syrian-refugees-fight-back/">http://samoschronicles.wordpress.com/2014/12/09/in-syntagma-square-syrian-refugees-fight-back/</a><br />
<br />Μαμά στο Δρόμοhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12376919627274142124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5024970137118246585.post-44102142627393693862014-05-13T02:39:00.001-07:002014-05-13T02:39:56.123-07:00This is not a toy: The Greek Tragedy told with Playmobil figures<header style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: opensans, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; width: 1031px; word-spacing: 0px;"><h1 style="font-family: opensansxbold, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 30px; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: -1px; line-height: 36px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 5px; width: 714px;">
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<div class="mainart" style="float: left; margin-right: 14px; overflow: hidden; width: 596px;">
<article style="margin-right: 10px; overflow: hidden; width: 596px;"><div class="text" style="font-family: opensans, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin-top: 20px;">
<div class="teaser" style="font-family: opensansbold, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 14px;">
Blogger Nikos Papadopoulos repurposes Playmobil's toy figures to create darkly witty tableaux that comment on the reality of modern day Greece. And as with all good satire, not everyone is happy with the outcome, not least the German toy-maker itself that sought to remove his images from the internet.</div>
<div class="mainarttext">
<span id="docs-internal-guid-b28968f6-6fb5-0884-0986-f882e239e984">A ‘happy father, unhappy Greek,’ is how<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><strong>Nikos Papadopoulos<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></strong>describes himself on his blog, now known as ‘</span><a href="http://plasticobilism.blogspot.gr/" style="color: #3b6a80; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Plasticobilism</a>’ (Facebook page<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://plasticobilism.blogspot.gr/" style="color: #3b6a80; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">here</a>). As a good father he first started purchasing Playmobil toys for his young son. As an unhappy Greek he soon realized that the small plastic men, women and children could be repurposed to create images with a political message, to say the things he wanted to say more playfully and more effectively than with any long-winded political diatribe.<br /><br /><img alt="" src="http://www.thepressproject.gr/photos/596x/img_18741397738894.jpg" style="border: none;" /><br /><br /><span id="docs-internal-guid-b28968f6-6fb5-0884-0986-f882e239e984">Thus was born ‘Playmobilism’ the first blog and facebook page Mr Papadopoulos, an astrophysicist and professional screenwriter, created in August 2013 to post images of his new found toy-based activism. With its clever and topical posts, the page soon built a significant and devoted following.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><br /><br /><span id="docs-internal-guid-b28968f6-6fb5-0884-0986-f882e239e984">That was until March 25th - ironically Greece’s independence day - when Mr Papadopoulos’s Facebook page was suddenly taken down without warning following a complaint made by Playmobil Germany to the social media site. The company maintained that the page and blog violated its intellectual property rights by using the name ‘Playmobil’.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><br /><br /><img alt="" src="http://www.thepressproject.gr/photos/596x/img_73461397738898.jpg" style="border: none;" /><br /><br /><span id="docs-internal-guid-b28968f6-6fb5-0884-0986-f882e239e984">That may seem reasonable. But the company did not stop there. When Mr Papadopoulos set up a new blog and Facebook page under the new name ‘Plasticobilism’ (which while less satisfying, carefully avoids trademark issues), the company was still not happy. Writing to Mr Papadopoulos they stated that he was still violating their guidelines which prohibit the ‘modification’ of their figures in order to make ‘political statements’ and ‘aggressive content dealing with war and violence’. They demanded that he either shut down his page or remove all of the photographs with ‘political content’ (a broad term if ever there was one) and not post such images again.</span><br /><br /><span id="docs-internal-guid-b28968f6-6fb5-0884-0986-f882e239e984">Mr Papadopoulos refused, protesting that he couldn’t be violating any modification guidelines given that he was not modifying the store-bought figures in any way, only posing them. Furthermore, he pointed out, he was far from the only person on the planet who had thought of using Playmobil’s figures in such a way. He says he spoke to similar groups abroad who claimed that they had never been troubled by the company over any of their (equally political) content. The company also received angry emails from a number of Mr Papadopoulos’s followers and the story of censorship of a Greek blogger by a German multinational was picked up by several Greek news sites.</span><br /><br /><img alt="" src="http://www.thepressproject.gr/photos/596x/img_85691397738900.jpg" style="border: none;" /><br /><em>Angela Merkel arrives in Greece</em><br /><br /><br /><span id="docs-internal-guid-b28968f6-6fb5-0884-0986-f882e239e984">Fortunately, for whatever reason, Playmobil eventually decided to back down and reached a compromise with Plasticobilism, retracting its demand that Mr Papadopoulos remove images and asking only that he publish a disclaimer on his sites clearly stating that he is in no way affiliated with the company, which he did. They even apologised for closing his first site.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><br /><br /><span id="docs-internal-guid-b28968f6-6fb5-0884-0986-f882e239e984">So for now we commend Playmobil for doing the right thing - albeit only after it behaved like an authoritarian behemoth. For given that Playmobil is designed for kids to ‘recreate and experience the world in miniature’, can't adults be trusted to do the same? Especially given that it is efforts like Plasticobilism, with its replacement of impotent rage with potent satire, that make the real world that little bit better.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><br /><div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
<br /><br /><img alt="" src="http://www.thepressproject.gr/photos/596x/img_65291397738896.jpg" style="border: none;" /></div>
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<div class="artauthor" style="display: block; font-family: opensans, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-top: 5px; width: 596px;">
<a href="http://www.thepressproject.net/list.php?author=Pavlos%20Zafiropoulos" style="color: #79a3b3; text-decoration: none;"><img height="16" src="http://www.thepressproject.net/build/smalltext2.png" style="border: none;" width="16" /><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Pavlos Zafiropoulos</a></div>
<div class="artauthor" style="display: block; font-family: opensans, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-top: 5px; width: 596px;">
Republished from here: <a href="http://www.thepressproject.net/article/60300/This-is-not-a-toy-The-Greek-Tragedy-told-with-Playmobil-figures">http://www.thepressproject.net/article/60300/This-is-not-a-toy-The-Greek-Tragedy-told-with-Playmobil-figures</a></div>
<div class="artauthor" style="display: block; font-family: opensans, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-top: 5px; width: 596px;">
<br /></div>
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</article></div>
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Μαμά στο Δρόμοhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12376919627274142124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5024970137118246585.post-82487569218285983502012-09-30T01:33:00.002-07:002012-09-30T01:33:50.387-07:00The demonstrations in Greece<div style="text-align: justify;">
I found a great post about the demonstrations in Greece and I'm posting it, as I found it <a href="http://aristotleguide.wordpress.com/2012/09/29/greece-is-burning-should-i-stay-away/" target="_blank">here</a>:</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<strong><br /></strong></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<strong><br /></strong></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<strong><a href="http://aristotleguide.wordpress.com/2012/09/29/greece-is-burning-should-i-stay-away/" target="_blank">Greece is burning! Should I stay away?</a></strong></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<strong>Let’s think things through for a minute</strong></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
First of all, Greece is not burning.
Granted, lately demonstrations have become more frequent and they tend
to turn nasty, but this happens in just one place: the square in front
of the parliament. Would you cancel your trip to the States or even New
York just because of “Occupy Wall Street”?</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Second, the riots are true, they are
happening and they are a fact of daily life here in Athens. Yet here I
am, an Athenian born and bred, who works downtown every day, showing
people around the historic centre, and yet not once have I had any
demonstration or riot trouble.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<strong>The truth</strong></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I understand that anyone who watches the
news on TV, the Internet or the papers, may get the impression that the
entire country (or perhaps just the entire Athens) is on fire, but it’s
not like that at all.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
After all, one must not forget that news
agencies are in the entertainment business: the more viewers/readers
they get, the more money they get from advertising. So it is only
natural that they seek sensational news (and spectacular images to go
along with them), even if that may mean that in the few seconds (or
little space) available for a piece of news, the rest of the story gets
cropped away.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<strong>What is a Greek riot like?</strong></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Most people hear riots and think of Los
Angeles, when an entire area of the city was into chaos with property
destroyed and lots of casualties. Things in Greece are quite different.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
All riots here evolve pretty much the same way (it’s almost a ritual by now):</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
First a whole lot of people gather in
Syntagma square, right in front of the parliament, to protest
peacefully. They hold pickets and banners and may shout slogans, in the
vain hope that their elected representatives will hear the voice of
their electorate…</div>
<div class="wp-caption alignnone" id="attachment_293" style="width: 535px;">
<a href="http://aristotleguide.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/demomstrators-syntagma-square.jpg"><img alt="" class="size-full wp-image-293" src="http://aristotleguide.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/demomstrators-syntagma-square.jpg?w=812" title="Greece Financial Crisis" /></a><div class="wp-caption-text">
From <a href="http://www.coalitionofresistance.org.uk/2012/09/greek-protest-turns-violent-during-general-strike/" target="_blank">here</a>.</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Of course, the said representatives want
nothing of the sort. Instead, they give the police the order to surround
the building and prevent the loud plebeians from disturbing their wise
leaders.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The police cordon off the parliament but
the crowd stays and may become a tad too loud or impolite. Angered by
this show of disrespect, the parliamentarians order the police to shoo
the crowd who are preventing them from concentrating on voting their
country-saving austerity measures.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The police eagerly obey, by throwing tear gas canisters at the crowd…</div>
<div class="wp-caption alignnone" id="attachment_295" style="width: 470px;">
<a href="http://aristotleguide.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/demonstrators-police1.jpeg"><img alt="" class="size-full wp-image-295" src="http://aristotleguide.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/demonstrators-police1.jpeg?w=812" title="Protesters clash with riot policemen during a a general strike protest in AthenS" /></a><div class="wp-caption-text">
From <a href="http://www.google.gr/imgres?start=599&num=10&hl=en&sa=X&biw=1163&bih=839&addh=36&tbs=qdr:d&tbm=isch&tbnid=Me9LMXOXVwBfSM:&imgrefurl=http://observers.france24.com/content/20120926-images-after-months-calm-anti-austerity-protests-hit-greece-anew-syntagma-square-bailout-measures-photo&docid=3xWwTP0sOCerUM&imgurl=http://observers.france24.com/files/imagecache/observers_520_220/article_images/A3uEc2fCQAAnrl8ODOTM.jpg&w=520&h=220&ei=x79jUP3eCe314QSj3YDgDw&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=670&vpy=410&dur=3405&hovh=147&hovw=346&tx=157&ty=67&sig=113753894471208565948&page=25&tbnh=80&tbnw=190&ndsp=25&ved=1t:429,r:13,s:599,i:61" target="_blank">here</a>.</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Who quickly run away.</div>
<div class="wp-caption alignnone" id="attachment_298" style="width: 535px;">
<a href="http://aristotleguide.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/greek_protests_run.jpg"><img alt="" class="size-full wp-image-298" src="http://aristotleguide.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/greek_protests_run.jpg?w=812" title="greek_protests_run" /></a><div class="wp-caption-text">
From <a href="http://www.google.gr/imgres?start=174&num=10&hl=en&sa=X&biw=1163&bih=839&addh=36&tbs=qdr:d&tbm=isch&tbnid=0RxVnsRiRnkHmM:&imgrefurl=http://www.globalpost.com/photo-galleries/5720587/greek-strike-turns-violent-protesters-clash-police-photos&docid=vyEv_n9Ucj6ctM&imgurl=http://web3.globalpost.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/gp3_slideshow_large/greek_protests_6.jpg&w=650&h=433&ei=v75jUMThGKf44QSarICgAQ&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=314&vpy=255&dur=1556&hovh=183&hovw=276&tx=109&ty=95&sig=113753894471208565948&page=8&tbnh=141&tbnw=186&ndsp=25&ved=1t:429,r:11,s:174,i:371" target="_blank">here</a>.</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Only the most determined remain, but they
soon will be gone too, because another factor shows up: it’s a group of
angry young men, who seem to be in every demonstration waiting for this
very moment: they quickly put on full-face gas masks and produce empty
beer bottles, petrol and rags from their backpacks. Once the Molotov
cocktails are ready, they are hurled at the police.</div>
<div class="wp-caption alignnone" id="attachment_296" style="width: 535px;">
<a href="http://aristotleguide.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/throwing-petrol-bomb.jpg"><img alt="" class="size-full wp-image-296" src="http://aristotleguide.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/throwing-petrol-bomb.jpg?w=812" title="throwing petrol bomb" /></a><div class="wp-caption-text">
From <a href="http://galleries.metro.co.uk/gallery/Pictures_Protests_in_Athens_over_austerity_measures_in_Greece_26_September_2012/slideshow/Protestors_Clash_With_Police_As_24_Hour_General_Strike_Begins/05kR1O64DA7gS" target="_blank">here</a>.</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The police see this as ample provocation
to charge at the few stubborn demonstrators who have not yet
disappeared, using even more teargas. Once the “civilians” are well
away, the “combatants” (ie the police and rioters) may continue throwing
their ammo at each other undisturbed. Since the police’s supply of
teargas is inexhaustible, while the youths can always find new
projectiles by breaking chunks off the pavement or adjacent buildings,
the battle may well continue until the wee hours of the morning. This is
the time when reporters get their most spectacular shots, of flames
against the night sky.</div>
<div class="wp-caption alignnone" id="attachment_297" style="width: 463px;">
<a href="http://aristotleguide.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/large_fire-dec8-08_greece_riots_meye.jpeg"><img alt="" class="size-full wp-image-297" src="http://aristotleguide.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/large_fire-dec8-08_greece_riots_meye.jpeg?w=812" title="APTOPIX GREECE RIOTS" /></a><div class="wp-caption-text">
From <a href="http://www.google.gr/imgres?um=1&hl=en&sa=N&biw=1163&bih=800&tbm=isch&tbnid=hfdCoYzjHkRU8M:&imgrefurl=http://mindthis.ca/bahrain-democracy/aptopix-greece-riots/&docid=cPVyAi1EKlkE6M&imgurl=http://mindthis.ca/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/large_Fire-Dec8-08_GREECE_RIOTS_Meye.jpeg&w=453&h=297&ei=97ljUJzfMsj04QSXwoDYBg&zoom=1" target="_blank">here</a>. Demonstrators often use trashcans to make huge bonfires, because heat makes teargas dissipate faster.</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<strong>When does it all end?</strong></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
By six o’ clock the next morning, the
city crews may start cleaning the square from the debris and people can
go about their business as usual. There may be a lingering acrid smell
if the police have been too enthusiastic in their use of tear gas (they
usually are), but this usually evaporates as soon as the sun is up.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
As for the youth? None of them has ever
been apprehended, which raises some very interesting questions about who
they may be, or about the competence of Greek police, but these are not
for me to answer. I’ll simply move on to describe what happens in the
rest of the city, during the night when the police and rioters are busy
with each other.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<strong>A few blocks away from the riots</strong></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
For the rest of the Greeks, riot night is a night of anger or entertainment, depending on who they are.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Those who are political, are always angry
at how the demonstration has again been hijacked by the same
mask-wearing youths and how it will be discredited by all news media the
next day.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Those who are not, will sit back in their
sofas and get ready for a steady stream of entertainment with
spectacular videos and breathless reporting that will last until well
after midnight.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Those who shun the “box”, go out as
usual, taking walks, chatting at cafés or sitting down at taverns in the
historic district, just a few squares from the riots. The only
inconvenience is that one must take a detour to avoid Syntagma square
and that bus routes that cross the centre do not – of course – work.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<strong>What about the tourists?</strong></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Greece may not be a huge country, but it
is certainly larger than a city square. As a prospective visitor you are
faced with three options:</div>
<ol start="1" style="text-align: justify;">
<li>Avoid Greece entirely</li>
<li>Avoid Athens</li>
<li>Avoid Syntagma square for that night.</li>
</ol>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
It is not my job to tell you which one
you should choose – pick the one you feel most comfortable with. After
all, it’s your vacation.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
If you have already paid in advance, then
think twice before wasting all that hard-earned money. If you feel the
capital is too hot for you, you may want to stay in the provinces –
there’s plenty to see and do in Greece besides the Acropolis.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
If however you feel that the Acropolis is
a must you simply can’t miss or you can’t change your plans without
losing a considerable sum, then rest assured that, even in downtown
Athens, the most important sites are and have always been away from
centres of power and therefore have not been disturbed by riots nor
clouded by teargas.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
If you happen to be so unlucky as to be
in Athens on a day of riots, then steer clear of Syntagma square and the
nearby blocks (see a map here). The rioters will not target you, nor
will the police, but you will get a nasty lungful of smoke or teargas –
or both. So play it safe and keep away from that area. You’ll miss
nothing more than the changing of the Guard, which you can easily watch <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zkLBjZ2eqEc" target="_blank">here</a>.
Go to the Acropolis, see the Museums and take your meals in Plaka
instead of Syntagma. If in doubt, ask a local – your receptionist, a
friend, your guide. They should be able to show you where to have a good
time while keeping your lungs full of nothing worse than a little smog
or barbecue smoke.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Now, if you worry that taking a wrong
turn may accidentally put you into the path of a petrol bomb, rest
assured that such a mistake is impossible, even for the most uninformed.
The acrid smell of tear gas wafting from the scene is ample warning to
anyone that the area should be given a wide berth.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Whatever you do, enjoy your holiday.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<strong>A personal experience</strong></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Once, a few years ago, on a cold winter
night, I was out with a friend. We had just sat down at a nice tavern
and were getting ready to order, when my wife called. “Are you all
right?” she said. “Of course I’m all right,” I answered, a bit testily,
wondering if recent motherhood had changed my wife into another version
of my mom. “Where are you?” she asked again. “I’m in Plaka with
Giorgos,” I answered, worrying whether it might be jealousy after all.
“There’s rioting downtown, it’s all over the news, don’t you know it?”
she asked. I didn’t. Neither of us had heard nor smelt anything out of
the ordinary, as if the rioting were miles away, not a mere five
minutes’ walk from where we were sitting. Yet the rioting was bad, they
said, and it was all over the newspapers the next day.</div>
Μαμά στο Δρόμοhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12376919627274142124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5024970137118246585.post-59199883452191965812012-09-07T21:28:00.001-07:002012-09-07T21:36:19.062-07:00"The sorrow of Athens" photo exhibitionNews photographer <a href="http://www.marokouri.com/cv.php" target="_blank">Maro Kouri</a> <a href="http://www.visapourlimage.com/festival/screenings.do" target="_blank">presented</a> at the <a href="http://www.visapourlimage.com/index.do;jsessionid=611AD17D120DC0779765A8666FB65406" target="_blank">24th International Festival of Photojournalism, "Visa Pour l' Image</a>" at Perpignan, France, images from her exhibition "The sorrow of Athens". <br />
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The photographer says: "In February 2012, a new social class appeared - the nouveau-homeless. Their median age is around 47, 11% of whom hold a university degree, while 23,5% are high school graduates and only 9,3% are illiterate. They are usually the victims of unemployment that has resulted in about 20,000 Greeks sleeping on park benches."<br />
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Source: <a href="http://www.metrogreece.gr/ArticleDetails/tabid/82/ArticleID/201394/Default.aspx" target="_blank">metrogreece</a><br />
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Μαμά στο Δρόμοhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12376919627274142124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5024970137118246585.post-69992334808063226582012-09-06T20:46:00.000-07:002012-09-06T20:46:07.211-07:00Greece: a cowThey tell us that Greece has to pay off her debts. Fine. They tell us the Government needs to have more money to pay those debts. So far so good.<br />
Then they order us to cut down on pensions and salaries, fire of public servants and the like.<br />
But, with 1 in four Greeks without a job and the other three making less money than before, the taxes paid to the state grow less, right?<br />
Not only that, but those people have less to spend, so they buy less, and the state misses on VAT too (Greeks pay a VAt of 23% on everything they buy).<br />
As people buy less, lots of shops and other businesses go out of business. That's even less taxes for the state, isn't it?<br />
Now, with the state getting less revenue and the economy going down instead of up, how on earth are we going to pay our debt?<br />
Do these smart economists even want their money back?<br />
If they do, then how can they impose such counter-productive measures? <br />
<img height="500" id="il_fi" src="http://www.google.gr/url?source=imglanding&ct=img&q=http://www.pitch.com/binary/cd7f/milking.cow.121409.jpg&sa=X&ei=6GxJULrcBM3IsgbW94DgBQ&ved=0CAkQ8wc&usg=AFQjCNEuGWhdDu3g2uBGdCiJz-XY5Z10Uw" style="padding-bottom: 8px; padding-right: 8px; padding-top: 8px;" width="367" /><br />
It seems to me that Greece is like a milk cow: the people who bought it (i.e. own our debt) want it to make milk so they can make money from their investment.<br />
But their recipe for making the cow produce more milk is to cut its food by half and its water by one third.<br />
Tell me, is this a recipe for getting one's money back or for a disaster?<br />
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And how can they not see it? <br />
Μαμά στο Δρόμοhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12376919627274142124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5024970137118246585.post-11508058875995123522012-08-19T18:52:00.002-07:002012-08-19T18:56:17.740-07:00Should I stay or should I go? The question many Greeks ask these daysWe've all asked ourselves that question. We all weighed the pros and cons, we all talk about it with friends, we all trade stories of people who left, stayed or came back.<br />
This article captures the way Greeks feel these days:<br />
<h1>
<a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2012/07/13/business/greek-bailout-generation/index.html" target="_blank">Dilemma for Greek youth: Fight or flee</a></h1>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-67h2745KiYk/UDGW4LU_JeI/AAAAAAAABQs/trWBFL3Fssk/s1600/120710122802-maria-papanagiotaki-aristotle-skalizos-greek-generations.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-67h2745KiYk/UDGW4LU_JeI/AAAAAAAABQs/trWBFL3Fssk/s320/120710122802-maria-papanagiotaki-aristotle-skalizos-greek-generations.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<h5 style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<a href="http://www.limitemagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/maria-papanagiotaki-aristotle-skalizos-greek-generations-horizontal-gallery.jpg"><span style="text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><span style="mso-ignore: vglayout;"><br /></span></span></a></h5>
<h5 style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Maria Papanagiotaki and Aristotle Skalizos, part of
Greece’s young professional class. They have been dating for more than two
years but have different views on whether to stay in Greece or leave for
opportunities elsewhere.</span></i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"></span></h5>
<div style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Wandering through central Athens’
Syntagma Square, Maria Papanagiotaki and Aristotle Skalizos stop to perch on a
sun-soaked bench as they consider their future. The couple, who have been
dating for two-and-a-half years, belong to Greece’s post-junta generation,
growing up as the country emerged into its modern democracy.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">As Greece’s turbulent history faded
into its past, the country’s political landscape remained fraught with nepotism
and mismanagement. But the boom times had begun. Greece entered the euro in
2001, and ex-pat money flooded back into the country. It hosted the Olympic
Games in 2004, swelling the country with pride.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7KV_ddTfvXI/UDGXIBryiTI/AAAAAAAABQ0/01YGjSPf2GY/s1600/120710122021-christina-psarra-greek-generations.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7KV_ddTfvXI/UDGXIBryiTI/AAAAAAAABQ0/01YGjSPf2GY/s320/120710122021-christina-psarra-greek-generations.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<h4 style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">“It was time to feed
my heart, not my mind”</span></i></h4>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">- Christina Psarra</span></i><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">But by 2009 — when the country
admitted its deficit was out of control — the financial mirage evaporated. Maria,
34, and 25-year old Aristotle’s generation was caught in the fallout. The
couple belong to a young professional class that will help shape their country’s
future. Together, they must decide if they are willing to live through — and
help alleviate — Greece’s pain.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Their views differ dramatically, and
it weighs on their relationship.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">A few meters away from where Maria,
an electronic mobile technician, and Aristotle, an electronics tester, chat, a
man stumbles to his knees, dropping a begging cup. Grasping for it as it rolls
away, he ends up splayed on the ground.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">It’s a disturbing sight, but one
which has become increasingly common in Athens since austerity measures began
to bite. Greece’s </span><a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2012/04/06/world/europe/greece-austerity-suicide/index.html"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">poverty, suicide</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> </span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">and crime
rates have increased alongside unemployment and emigration. It is this
environment Maria wants to leave. She dreams of life outside of Greece, in the
UK or the U.S., where she has relatives. “I have to go,” she says. “I have to
leave from here.” Aristotle wants to remain. “I want to stay and fight,” he
says. “I don’t want to abandon my country.”</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">His reasoning is clear: “I love my
country.”</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<b><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Maria and Aristotle</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Maria and Aristotle began dating
after meeting at their workplace, a Germany-based telecommunications company. The
relationship blossomed after, in Maria’s words, “he saw me there, we became
friends, he was trying to approach me in any [way]… and finally after eight
months we were together.”</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YoPfDSb07Vs/UDGXRWB2IaI/AAAAAAAABQ8/J243MnpzcrU/s1600/120710031950-george-stathopoulos-greek-generations.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YoPfDSb07Vs/UDGXRWB2IaI/AAAAAAAABQ8/J243MnpzcrU/s320/120710031950-george-stathopoulos-greek-generations.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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</div>
<h4 style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">“The game is not lost
but we are two goals behind”</span></i></h4>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">- George Stathopoulos</span></i><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">They moved in together, but say
their financial situation has become increasingly difficult as the crisis has
unfolded. Each has taken a significant cut in pay since April, in part because
both have seen their work week reduced to four days a week.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">They now earn €1,160 ($1,415) a
month between them, down from €1,480 ($1,805) two years ago. They pay €300
($366) in rent and around €65 ($79) a week in groceries, but face extra costs
because of the crisis. Since Aristotle’s father’s sculpture business went
bankrupt in the recession, the young couple must also help his parents get by,
he says.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Neither voted in the June 17
elections, because they could not spare the cash to return to their home villages
— €15 ($18) for Maria, and €40 ($48) for Aristotle — to vote.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Pro-austerity package party New
Democracy won the election, despite </span><a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2012/06/19/world/europe/tsipras-greek-election/index.html"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">soaring support for the radical left
Syriza party.</span></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UG3kRRQ1yKQ/UDGXae1leDI/AAAAAAAABRE/GgXgc3nKiuU/s1600/120710123720-maria-papanagiotaki-greek-generations.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UG3kRRQ1yKQ/UDGXae1leDI/AAAAAAAABRE/GgXgc3nKiuU/s320/120710123720-maria-papanagiotaki-greek-generations.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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</div>
<h4 style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">“I have to go, I have
to leave from here.”</span></i></h4>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">- Maria Papanagiotaki</span></i></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Alexis Tsipras, who heads Syriza,
is, like Maria, is in his 30s. Tsipras’s vociferous rejection of Europe’s
austerity-driven demands for Greece appealed to discontented youth, with the
party capturing 33% of 18 to 34-year-olds, compared to 20% for New Democracy. The
surge is all the more dramatic given that Greeks, born in a country where
family loyalty is embedded deep in the national psyche, usually vote the way of
their forebears.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Maria, for one, would have fallen
behind her parents and voted New Democracy. The party now leads a fragile
coalition, but that provides no comfort for Maria.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<b><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">A country fights for its future</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Greece’s new government is now
renegotiating its bailout package, but there is no guarantee the country will
emerge from years of recession. And the country could lose people like Maria
and Aristotle overseas, while those with less hope could give in to despair.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wraTKB67gf4/UDGXiKZXHzI/AAAAAAAABRM/qRO57Qjd2z0/s1600/120710115319-aristotle-skalizos-greek-generations.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wraTKB67gf4/UDGXiKZXHzI/AAAAAAAABRM/qRO57Qjd2z0/s320/120710115319-aristotle-skalizos-greek-generations.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt;">
<br /></div>
<h4 style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">“I don’t want to
abandon the situation…. because I love my country”</span></i></h4>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">- Aristotle Skalizos</span></i></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">More than </span><a href="http://edition.cnn.com/SPECIALS/business/euro-crisis/index.html"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">50% of working age Greeks under 26
are without a job.</span></a><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> <span lang="EN-US">Those just entering the workforce are particularly hard-hit, with
2011 figures from Eurostat showing 56% unemployment among those aged 15 to 19. Around
one in four workers under 39 years old are unemployed. Eurostat figures show
the extent of the exodus of young workers fleeing Greece’s crisis. In 2010,
almost 2.5% of those in their mid-to-late 20s left the country, while around 2%
of those aged 30 to 34 emigrated.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<b><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Dreams of going abroad </span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Those choosing to leave must
struggle against the desire to stay and help their family, and overcome a deep
loyalty to a country which has suffered under civil war, dictatorship, and
foreign rule under Germany, now its main paymaster.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Those entering the workforce carry a
cultural weight of responsibility to family. Aristotle’s 19-year-old brother,
Nick, a student, wants to move to the Netherlands to study fine arts. Holland
attracts him because of its place in art history, and the “country and the
color of the sky are beautiful,” he says. But any money he earns — after he’s
made enough to get by — will be sent back to Greece, to help his family.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Marios-Aristotle Koulouris, a
23-year-old soldier, also wants to go abroad, and study political science. But
he wants to return, to break his generation’s “consciousness of dependency.”</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Greece, he believes, needs to “rise
up and develop its own power, to protect our people’s benefits. Economically
and politically, we need to rise up.”</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">The country’s next generation needs
to be taught the value of productivity, he believes. The crisis represents a
chance “to change people’s minds…. to abolish the mentality of dependency.”</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<b><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Coming back home</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Some of those who have left Greece
have already returned in an effort to help the country they love.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-H4QLEHTOUBY/UDGXq9m914I/AAAAAAAABRU/w0aQSxHm29M/s1600/120710115916-nick-skalizos-greek-generations.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-H4QLEHTOUBY/UDGXq9m914I/AAAAAAAABRU/w0aQSxHm29M/s320/120710115916-nick-skalizos-greek-generations.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt;">
<br /></div>
<h4 style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">“The country
[Netherlands] and the color of the sky are beautiful”</span></i></h4>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">- Nick Skalizos</span></i></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Christina Psarra, a 27-year-old who
works in policy at humanitarian organization Doctors of the World studied at
the London School of Economics, while George Stathopoulos, a 33-year-old
investment banker studied at Middlesex University. Although their educations
opened a world of possibility, both opted to forgo careers abroad to return to
Athens.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Christina says when her studies in
London were coming to an end last year, she knew it was time to “feed my heart
not my mind.”</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Christina and George describe Greece
as a country where one always cooks extra food in preparation for a guest,
where a feisty debate over sport will end with friendly drink, and where
parents maintain close contact with children after they leave home. But this
often idyllic country today finds itself immersed in anger and fear. And
Christina, who is passionate about helping the vulnerable and now works with
drug addicts, says she doesn’t know which is more dangerous.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">“I’m afraid for other people and
myself,” she says.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-snTsWZuiHTc/UDGXyHucuXI/AAAAAAAABRc/zfbXMWKt0-Q/s1600/120710122417-marios-aristotle-koulouris.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-snTsWZuiHTc/UDGXyHucuXI/AAAAAAAABRc/zfbXMWKt0-Q/s320/120710122417-marios-aristotle-koulouris.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt;">
</div>
<h4 style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">“Economically and
politically, we need to rise up”</span></i></h4>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">- Marios- Aristotle Koulouris</span></i></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">With the option to work overseas,
she believes she may be forced to leave, due to Greece’s lack of opportunities.
“I have the chance, I have the choice to decide to live abroad. If I am forced
to do it, I can do it,” she says.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">George believes the country can —
should it follow the example of others, such as Turkey — restructure itself
into a viable European economy. The revelations of its financial irresponsibility,
which led the spiral into bailout, were akin to the country being caught
“skinny-dipping” when the tide went out, he says.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">George wants to see the country’s
red-tape unraveled to allow investment into its promising industries such as
tourism and shipping. The problems for Greece are structural, he says, and that
can be a “glass half full …you can see that as an opportunity. [If] you realize
you have a problem, you can transform how you do business.”</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">The way he sees it: “The game is not
lost but we are two goals behind.”</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Marios-Aristotle also sees
opportunity in Greece’s future, and he is not afraid of the pain that may still
come. “My country [during] its history has passed many greater disasters. So I
am not afraid.”</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">For Aristotle, there is one answer
to a difficult question. It goes against his wishes but he will put his
relationship with Maria ahead of his country. “I love [Maria], and I will
follow her. I will sacrifice,” he says.</span></div>
<br />
(Source: <a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2012/07/13/business/greek-bailout-generation/index.html" target="_blank">CNN</a>)Μαμά στο Δρόμοhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12376919627274142124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5024970137118246585.post-38465413738884952792012-06-27T14:53:00.001-07:002012-06-27T14:53:36.736-07:00One picture, 1000 wordsYesterday, I found a picture that says it all about the situation in Greece:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sVIqkPL9VGs/T-t-wMXNBTI/AAAAAAAABJI/HKq3JC_3tWg/s1600/being+a+Greek.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sVIqkPL9VGs/T-t-wMXNBTI/AAAAAAAABJI/HKq3JC_3tWg/s320/being+a+Greek.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Need I explain? While the media present Greeks as unreasonable rioting vandals, and the police treat us like dangerous terrorists, the rest of Europe thinks we're nothing but lazy bums, who have spent too much and are now refusing to pay.<br />
Meanwhile, when we're optimistic, we ordinary folk think that we can change the system, but in the end we bow to the status quo because we're too busy looking for any job to make ends meet (or working like slaves to keep the one we've got).<br />
Rather a bleak way to look at things, isn't it? It's all true...<br />
<br />Μαμά στο Δρόμοhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12376919627274142124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5024970137118246585.post-57268781013951241742012-05-29T21:20:00.000-07:002012-08-23T21:23:08.276-07:00Hospital refuses to give baby to mom until she pays for C-section<a class="GM1BAGKBG2B" href="javascript:void(0);" kind="click"> </a><br />
<div class="GM1BAGKBL2B">
<a class="GM1BAGKBG2B" href="javascript:void(0);" kind="click"> <span class="GM1BAGKBI2B GM1BAGKBDVB"></span> <span>Ετικέτες</span></a></div>
<a class="GM1BAGKBG2B" href="javascript:void(0);" kind="click"><div class="GM1BAGKBL2B">
</div>
</a><br />
Things are getting worse by the day. Every day, one hears desperate stories. Young people who abandon studies because they can't afford the cost of living in another city (university education is still free). Old people who cannot have a cataract operation for lack of money. Children fainting at schools for lack of food. And now this.<br />
<br />
<br />
<h1 style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px none; color: black; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 1.8em; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.2; margin: 0px 0px 13px; orphans: 2; outline-style: none; padding: 0px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<a href="http://thestir.cafemom.com/baby/138084/hospital_threatens_to_hold_baby" target="_blank">Hospital Refuses to Give Baby to Mom Until She Pays for C-Section</a></h1>
<div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px none; color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.3; margin: 0px 0px 1em; orphans: 2; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<img alt="baby nursery" class="userImageLeft" height="314" src="http://cdn-ugc.cafemom.com/gen/constrain/500/500/80/2012/05/24/11/5d/w7/poplv21w081azzo.jpg" style="border: 0px none; float: left; margin: 0px 1em 0px 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: baseline;" width="237" />I have joked a time or two with<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><strong style="border: 0px none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">new mom</strong><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>friends that it would be glorious if we could<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><strong style="border: 0px none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">leave the hospital</strong><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>for a few days after delivering a baby just to recover while the<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><strong style="border: 0px none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">nurses in the maternity ward take care of the child</strong>. Never again. For one mom in Greece, the joke has become a reality!</div>
<div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px none; color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.3; margin: 0px 0px 1em; orphans: 2; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
According to reports out of the country that's quickly becoming infamous for financial instability, one new mom didn't have enough money to<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><strong style="border: 0px none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">pay for her C-section</strong>. So the hospital decided to<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><strong style="border: 0px none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">hold her newborn baby hostage</strong><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>until she came up with the cash!</div>
<div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px none; color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.3; margin: 0px 0px 1em; orphans: 2; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
Fortunately someone with some common sense has since intervened and helped the woman being identified only as Anna set up a<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><strong style="border: 0px none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">payment plan</strong><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>for the approximately $1,500 bill so she could<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://washington.cbslocal.com/2012/05/23/greek-hospital-threatens-to-hold-newborn-until-payments-are-received/" style="border: 0px none; color: #1c74bb; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">leave the hospital with her baby</a> <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>in her arms. But the fact that the threat was made at all makes it hard to imagine ever trusting that hospital, doesn't it? </div>
<div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px none; color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.3; margin: 0px 0px 1em; orphans: 2; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
These people are in the business of<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><strong style="border: 0px none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">helping women bring human life into the world</strong>? Really? They certainly don't seem to have a handle on what "life" means.</div>
<div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px none; color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.3; margin: 0px 0px 1em; orphans: 2; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
Babies are not products. Going into the hospital to deliver your child is not like walking into the grocery store to buy a gallon of milk. A cashier has every right to tell you that you can't walk out with that plastic jug until you hand over the cash to pay for it. That's how business works.</div>
<div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px none; color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.3; margin: 0px 0px 1em; orphans: 2; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
But babies<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><em style="border: 0px none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">aren't</em><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>milk jugs. They're human beings. That's why<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><strong style="border: 0px none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">hospitals can't work like traditional businesses</strong>. They deal with lives, not "stuff." And yet, this hospital was claiming a baby's life is equal to the cost of a C-section. And here I thought people were priceless.</div>
<div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px none; color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.3; margin: 0px 0px 1em; orphans: 2; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<strong style="border: 0px none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">What should hospitals be doing when new mothers can't pay their bills?</strong></div>
Μαμά στο Δρόμοhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12376919627274142124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5024970137118246585.post-62305720938395140002012-02-20T19:28:00.000-08:002012-02-20T19:28:58.195-08:00Greece is being destroyed by 'respectable' fanatics<span style="font-size: large;">The EU, which boasts that solidarity is its founding principle, is forcing
Greece into destitution and chaos</span><br />
<br />
By<a class="contributor" href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/profile/nickcohen" rel="author"> Nick Cohen</a> from <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/feb/19/nick-cohen-greece-european-union-crisis">The Observer</a>, Sunday 19 February 2012.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Homeless men in Athens. 'Europe is now offering to revive
Greece by impoverishing it; to heal it by harming it.'</span> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photograph: Oli
Scarff/Getty Images</span></div>
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Greek democracy is being destroyed. Not by soldiers
marching with insane slogans on their lips about the inevitable triumph of the
German master race, international proletariat or global jihad, but by moderate
men and women who think themselves immune to ideological frenzy. <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/greece" title="More from guardian.co.uk on Greece">Greece</a>'s enemies are novel,
but no less frightening for that: extremists from the centre ground; the
respectable running riot.<br />
Which ever way you cut it, Greece can't win. The EU
"bailout" cannot perform the first function of a rescue and save the sufferer
from suffering. The Germans, with Dutch and Finnish assistance, are pushing
Greece into a death spiral. The <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/02/10/us-greece-idUSTRE8120HI20120210" title="">EU
demands that Greece cuts 150,000 public jobs </a>over three years – the
equivalent in terms of population of our government taking 800,000 jobs from the
UK public sector. Greek politicians must also accept without a quibble a 22% cut
in the minimum wage and <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2012/feb/09/eurozone-crisis-live-greek-bailout-deal" title="">further
reductions in the welfare state</a>.<br />
Greece is in permanent recession. The economy shrank
by 7% in the three months to December 2011. Tens of thousands of family
businesses have gone bust. <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/europe-news" title="More from guardian.co.uk on Europe">Europe</a> is now offering to
revive Greece by impoverishing it; to heal it by harming it. As Tacitus said of
the Roman legions' earlier attempt to impose a <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/eu" title="More from guardian.co.uk on European Union">European union</a>: "They make a
desert and call it peace."<br />
Whether Greek society can stand the pressure remains an open question. The
parties of the far left and right are flourishing in the polls as the public
comes to see its centrist politicians as traitors for trying to appease a
hostile EU. Once the Grecian fringe was reserved for the unhinged. The last time
I asked Liana Kanelli, spokeswoman for the Greek Communist party, about her
country's crisis, she flew off into a rage about how the 1999 Nato intervention
to stop Serb nationalists slaughtering Kosovo Muslims was an imperialist plot to
extend capitalism into the Balkans. Nothing I could say could wake her from her
land of make-believe and return her to the subject at hand.<br />
Her fellow citizens no longer see Kanelli and her kind as dangerous fools,
however. Because they oppose the EU, cranks from the left and racists from the
right now make more sense to Greeks than their mainstream politicians. The
parallels with the 1930s are too obvious to labour.<br />
Whatever the political consequences, every sensible financial commentator
understands that the Greek economy can take no more. The "bailout" will merely
push it deeper into the mire. The EU's terms do not begin to match the altruism
the United States showed to the defeated Germans after 1945. America did not
pauperise West Germans as many in France and indeed Washington wanted. America
guaranteed their security, then gave them loans from the Marshall Plan that
allowed the West German economic miracle to begin. Greece has invaded no one and
committed no crimes against humanity. Yet the EU, which boasts that solidarity
is its founding principle, is forcing it into destitution and chaos.<br />
The alternative to bowing to the demands of their
German overlords is not noticeably better. If Greece were to leave the <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/euro" title="More from guardian.co.uk on Euro">euro</a>, there would be hundreds
of thousands, maybe millions, of law suits, as parties argued whether contracts
should be honoured in the old or new currency. Hyper-inflation might set in. The
European banking system might collapse. As William Hague says, the euro is a
burning building with no exits.<br />
The EU cannot take responsibility for what it has done and be magnanimous for
reasons British readers may not grasp. Raised in a Eurosceptic country, we do
not understand how an absolute commitment to the European project was a mark of
respectability on the continent. Like going to church and saying your prayers
for previous generations, a public demonstration of commitment to the EU ensured
that the world saw you as a worthy citizen. If you wanted to advance in Europe's
governing parties, judiciaries, bureaucracies and culture industries, you had to
subscribe to the belief that ever-greater union was self-evidently
worthwhile.<br />
Currency union is – self-evidently – a disaster. Admitting that would bring a
loss of face too great for the European elites to bear. To take the most
discreditable example, Germany and Holland have benefited enormously from the
single currency holding down the exchange rate for their goods, while imposing
effective tariff barriers on southern Europe.<br />
Instead of saying: "We are rich because they are
poor", Angela Merkel and her boorish colleagues imitate the smug, parochial,
selfish <a href="http://www.bild.de/news/bild-english/bild-com/home-19858064.bild.html" title=""><em>Bild</em></a>
reader, who thinks that foreigners' problems would be solved if only they could
turn themselves into him. Germany insists that the Greek crisis is the result of
the corruption of Greek public life. Greek politics is undoubtedly corrupt,
although I should add that the first victims of corruption are poor Greeks who
cannot afford to bribe officials or hide their savings from the taxman.<br />
But Greek corruption cannot explain why Portugal is in crisis, any more than
Italian corruption can explain why Ireland and Spain are in crisis. All five
countries are suffering – and France may soon be suffering – because the euro is
a monumental mistake. Rather than rectify it, European leaders attack the
welfare states, employment protections and public services that the best of the
European centre-left fought for after 1945. In the name of saving the euro,
everything must go.<br />
As the poverty deepens and the protests swell, the EU's image will change –
and not for the better. It was once seen as a haven, which offered Europeans an
escape from the terrors of the past. The EU, wrote the perceptive British
diplomat Robert Cooper in 2002, is at the forefront of the "postmodern world".
Instead of invading each other, Europeans allowed negotiators at Brussels to
settle conflicts and regulate everything "right down to beer and sausages".<br />
The EU may have been petty and irritating. It may not have been very
democratic. But its avoidance of conflict produced a pleasant, prosperous and
peaceful continent.<br />
Europe does not seem pleasant, prosperous or peaceful today. When historians
write about the end of its postmodern utopia, they will note that it was not
destroyed by invading armies anxious to plunder Europe's wealth or totalitarian
ideologues determined to install a dictatorship, but by politicians and
bureaucrats, who appeared to be pillars of respectability, but turned out to be
fanatics after all.</div>
</div>Μαμά στο Δρόμοhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12376919627274142124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5024970137118246585.post-5073766688608432892012-02-15T18:34:00.000-08:002012-08-24T19:42:29.157-07:00Once again at Syntagma SquareAnother phase of the IMF Memorandum was about to be approved by the Greek parliament. The majority was slim. The people against it.<br />
We gathered around the parliament in droves, to protest against it, to urge our "elected representatives" to vote against it.<br />
We had tried this before, in the summer. Our voice was not heard.<br />
Yet there we were again.<br />
We went early. Starting from the parliament, the crowd grew to fill Amalias Avenue all the way to Hadrian's Arch, about a mile down the road. Other friends called to say that they were in Omonoia or Monastiraki but we couldn't meet - so thick were the crowds.<br />
Thick was the smoke of teargas too. Riot police kept throwing canister after canister to keep us at bay.<br />
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This time the crowd was not like in the summer. Back then we felt euphoric, optimistic, believing that we were starting a revolution,that we could change things. There was singing and dancing and shouting of slogans.<br />
This time the crowd was silent. People had dark faces and clenced teeth. We were angry but not euphoric, nor optimistic.<br />
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We had learned from past experience that our voice would not be heard. We knew that we'd be pushed back by the riot police. We knew that we'd insist and push back, again and again. We knew this phase of the Memorandum, together with its austerity measures, would be approved.<br />
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What we didn't expect was how few MPs would say nay. How many would bow their heads to unknown pressures or interests and vote yes.<br />
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And we didn't expect the media to betray us so blatantly.<br />
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All channels showed the upper part of the square, empty of people, surrounded by the police and a cloud of teargas. No camera turned just a few degrees right or left to show the throngs of people still there, despite the chemical warfare. No reporters described our sheer numbers, nor our persistence.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-InUePYkG82Q/Tz9LMucQVPI/AAAAAAAAA9w/8dRDcPwZh34/s1600/syntagma+%25285%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-InUePYkG82Q/Tz9LMucQVPI/AAAAAAAAA9w/8dRDcPwZh34/s320/syntagma+%25285%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Instead, they all breathlessly reported about the fires started and the damages done by a handful of young, angry men (who, many people think, were just undercover police agents). No screen showed the thousands surrounding the parliament, no radio commentor talked about them, as if their disregard could erase our presence, mute our voice.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3Fq2a_ktCFM/Tz9KwDERYxI/AAAAAAAAA9Q/smpiExelh_4/s1600/2012_02_12+protests+fire+starbucks.bmp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3Fq2a_ktCFM/Tz9KwDERYxI/AAAAAAAAA9Q/smpiExelh_4/s320/2012_02_12+protests+fire+starbucks.bmp" width="320" /></a></div>
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Perhaps they can. History will show. What they couldn't erase was the anger. The silent rage which every single one of us carried back home. A rage that clung to one's soul, like the smell of teargas clung to our hair and clothes.<br />
I wonder - what will this rage evolve into?<br />
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PS. I am not the only one feeling this way. Several people wrote the same on the web. Here is a handful of posts: <a href="http://1/">1</a>, <a href="http://2/">2</a>, <a href="http://www.infoblog.gr/2012/02/blog-post_5114.html">3</a>, <a href="http://aperigraftos.blogspot.com/2012/02/12-2-2012.html?spref=fb">4</a>, <a href="http://laconicorama.blogspot.com/2012/02/1222012-video.html">5</a>, <a href="http://tro-ma-ktiko.blogspot.com/2012/02/blog-post_381.html">6</a>, etc, etc.Μαμά στο Δρόμοhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12376919627274142124noreply@blogger.com0Λεωφόρος Βασιλίσσης Αμαλίας, Αθήνα 105 57, Ελλάδα37.975453754689283 23.73567223548889237.974671254689284 23.734438235488891 37.976236254689283 23.736906235488892tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5024970137118246585.post-16482375540740089842012-02-12T23:46:00.000-08:002012-02-17T17:50:23.103-08:00Our latest action, on February 4This is a video of our latest action, in the pedestrianized Aiolou street:<br />
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<object width="320" height="266" class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="http://0.gvt0.com/vi/_bWYXJcQSkQ/0.jpg"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/_bWYXJcQSkQ&fs=1&source=uds" />
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Reports, photos and comments of those who participated can be found at the <a href="http://www.podilates.gr/node/20475">Cyclists'</a> site, at the blog of SOS-Road Crimes (<a href="http://sostegr.wordpress.com/2012/02/06/%CF%84%CF%81%CE%BF%CF%87%CE%B1%CE%AF%CE%B1-%CE%B5%CE%B3%CE%BA%CE%BB%CE%AE%CE%BC%CE%B1%CF%84%CE%B1-%CF%83%CF%84%CE%BF%CF%85%CF%82-%CE%B4%CF%81%CF%8C%CE%BC%CE%BF%CF%85%CF%82-%CF%83%CF%84%CE%BF%CF%85/">here</a> and <a href="http://sostegr.wordpress.com/2012/02/11/%CE%B7-%CF%80%CE%B1%CF%81%CE%B1%CE%B2%CE%AF%CE%B1%CF%83%CE%B7-%CF%84%CF%89%CE%BD-%CF%80%CE%B5%CE%B6%CF%8C%CE%B4%CF%81%CE%BF%CE%BC%CF%89%CE%BD-%CE%BC%CE%B1%CF%82-%CE%BC%CE%AC%CF%81%CE%B1%CE%BD/">here</a>) as well as in the blog of Moms in the Street (<a href="http://mamastodromo.blogspot.com/2012/02/blog-post_05.html">here</a>, <a href="http://mamastodromo.blogspot.com/2012/02/blog-post_3063.html">here</a> and <a href="http://mamastodromo.blogspot.com/2012/02/blog-post_7718.html">here</a>).<br />
The number of Greeks worried about quality of life and mobility issues is increasing. On the same day, students of the German School of Athens organised a similar event in the suburb of Maroussi. For more information, see <a href="http://sostegr.wordpress.com/2012/02/17/parking-day-ghost-bike-%CF%83%CF%84%CE%BF-%CE%BC%CE%B1%CF%81%CE%BF%CF%8D%CF%83%CE%B9/">here</a>.<br />
Unfortunately, all posts are in Greek, but the photos give a good idea of what happened and are not subject to the abuse of automatic translators.Μαμά στο Δρόμοhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12376919627274142124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5024970137118246585.post-75652693760809941712012-01-29T21:00:00.000-08:002012-01-29T21:02:47.840-08:00Thank The Crisis for less garbage<b>In the Greek capital, the volume of garbage has fallen by about 30%, due to the country's financial crisis.</b><br />
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This is not because people have begun to embrace a more frugal lifestyle, but simply because households cannot afford basic needs.<br />
In Athens, the largest municipality of Greece, the volume of garbage has fallen by 29% in 2011. Deputy mayor A. Varelas says that in 2010 this drop was around 5 to 6%, but by October 2011 it had reached 27%. “The data for the last two months of 2011 are distorted due to the prolonged garbage strike, but it seems that the reduction in household garbage exceeded 30%.”<br />
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The quality of garbage has also changed. Gone are the large cartons of appliances such as fridges and televisions. This is not due to the new phenomenon of immigrants searching cans for recyclables, but to the drastic cut of expenses on the part of households.<br />
It is striking that lately trash cans contain virtually no leftovers. A typical example is the lack of pizza cartons, while two years ago it was not unusual to find ten per can, often with a lot of uneaten pizza still inside. The deputy mayor adds: “These are all but gone now. The cans no longer contain large garbage bags, either. 95% of trash is found in small bags, because households produce less garbage.”<br />
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In the open air markets (held once a week in every neighbourhood of the capital) a new category of people has appeared, the leftover collectors. Mr. Varelas says that when the producers pack up after noon, these people ask the cleaning crews to delay cleaning the street until they have time to pick up any eatables among the discarded fruit and vegetables. These new collectors are not the typical homeless in rags, but neatly dressed people of every age who patiently wait to get whatever they can from the unsalable produce thrown away.<br />
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Source: <a href="http://www.avgi.gr/ArticleActionshow.action?articleID=665952">Avgi newspaper</a> (in Greek)<br />
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<br />Μαμά στο Δρόμοhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12376919627274142124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5024970137118246585.post-69177583810794541602012-01-26T19:50:00.000-08:002012-01-26T19:58:06.522-08:00Famous director run over by motorcycleTheo Angelopoulos, film director, winner of the Palme d' Or at the Cannes film festival, died yesterday, after being hit by a motorcycle, while crossing a busy street.<br />
His crew was nearby, preparing the shooting of a scene for what was to be his last film. They were all wearing reflective jackets, except for him.<br />
It was a mistake he paid with his life.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PSNDvHdJRi0/TyC9ZD7IGyI/AAAAAAAAA30/dT-xRFZZmYc/s1600/aggelopoulos.bmp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="264" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PSNDvHdJRi0/TyC9ZD7IGyI/AAAAAAAAA30/dT-xRFZZmYc/s320/aggelopoulos.bmp" width="320" /></a></div>
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Since when is wearing a reflective jacket a prerequisite for crossing a street safely?<br />
Why were there so few street lights at the spot?<br />
Why was there an open shaft nearby, into which the director fell after the crash, compounding his initial injuries?<br />
Why did the ambulance take 45 minutes to arrive?<br />
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If a celebrity cannot cross the street safely and be taken to hospital within time to be treated properly, what are the chances for the rest of us?<br />
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Theo Angelopoulos was - is - one of my favorite directors.<br />
But even if he were not, the world is a much poorer place without him.<br />
It is much poorer without the ordinary men and women who lose their lives everyday in Greece, a country with the worst traffic accident record in Europe.<br />
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Sources:<a href="http://www.athensnews.gr/portal/1/52583"> Athens News</a>, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/26/movies/theo-angelopoulos-greek-film-director-dies-at-76.html?_r=1">The New York Times</a>, <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/24/theo-angelopoulos-dead_n_1229898.html%20">Huffington post</a>.<br />
Also: <a href="http://www.theoangelopoulos.com/cv.htm">the director's biography, from his official website</a><br />
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<br />Μαμά στο Δρόμοhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12376919627274142124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5024970137118246585.post-14077263963711380242012-01-19T07:16:00.000-08:002012-02-01T00:07:32.126-08:00Pedestrian streets - an invitation for actionPedestrian streets are for pedestrians, right?<br />
Well, not in Greece. They are for scooter riders who want to bypass the clogged streets, for car drivers who know that no policeman or traffic warden is going to materialize with a ticket in hand.<br />
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And what about pedestrians?<br />
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Well, they'd better learn to get out of the way fast. If not - well, it's their life.<br />
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The above scene is from Aiolou, one of the busiest shopping streets in Athens. The next one is from Themistokleous, a smaller street, but no less busy. In fourty seconds I counted 4 vehicles. How many does that make per hour? Per day?<br />
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Amazingly, there are some people who are not happy with the status quo. They get angry with passing vehicles instead of meekly moving aside. They have decided to do something to protest the situation. I'm one of those people.<br />
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Our meeting is at noon, on Saturday, February 4th, at the corner of Stadiou and Aiolou streets, in Athens (near Omonoia Metro station). There will be canvas, colors and brushes for the children to paint a better city, as well as jugglers and clowns to entertain us. There will also be a gaggle of like-minded people who are going to stop scooters and cars from entering the street. Everyone's invited. We'd be delighted if you would join us.<br />
<br /></div>Μαμά στο Δρόμοhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12376919627274142124noreply@blogger.com0Αιόλου 99-101, Αθήνα 10551, Ελλάς37.982718187707015 23.72898817062377937.981153687707014 23.726520670623778 37.984282687707015 23.731455670623781tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5024970137118246585.post-67537806572498980212012-01-16T18:01:00.000-08:002012-01-16T18:01:00.343-08:00Pedestrian crossing? You must be jokingThis is a typical pedestrian crossing in Greece.<br />
Typically, it is blocked by parked cars and other obstacles at both ends.<br />
People often ask me why Greeks are always jaywalking.<br />
Well, how else can they cross the street?<br />
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<br />Μαμά στο Δρόμοhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12376919627274142124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5024970137118246585.post-13345887381604260992012-01-09T20:20:00.000-08:002012-01-11T15:42:23.088-08:00An accident that didn't happen and the mentality of Greek leaders<br />
Greek ex-minister runs four red lights in a row in a central Athens avenue. Stopped by the police, he believes he'll be let go as soon as he is recognised. When this does not happen, he derides the policemen, refuses to hand over his papers and attempts to drive away, lightly injuring the policeman who tried to stop him.<br />
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The Greek public is neither shocked or surprised by the news, but rather regards it as typical.<br />
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I will not comment on why the ex minister was finally released without any charges or even a fine. I will not even ask myself what would have happened (in the hands of our not-so-gentle Greek policemen) if any other citizen had attempted even the least of the audacities perpetrated by the ex minister.<br />
I will only ask these questions:<br />
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What is it that makes Greek politicians behave in such a manner, as if beyond law and morals?<br />
What gives them the audacity to break the law certain that they will not suffer any consequences?<br />
Why are they always so surprised when they come accross its enforcers?<br />
What makes them think that they can always bargain, barter, threaten or cajole their way out of any fix?<br />
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Besides those crucial questions, let us ask a few more:<br />
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When the people who run this country are so prone to breaking the law and so certain that they will not be punished for that, what does that tell us about how they run the country?<br />
What are the consequences for a country so governed?<br />
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And, finally, what conclusions will their constituents draw from such behaviour?<br />
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(<span style="font-size: x-small;">Most information from <a href="http://www.tanea.gr/ellada/article/?aid=4685973">here</a>. The night photo from <a href="http://athens-dailyphoto.blogspot.com/2010/12/city-that-never-sleeps.html">here</a>. The photo of the last traffic light violated, in Leoforos Vouliagmenis, from <a href="http://www.newsit.gr/default.php?pname=Article&art_id=115447&catid=3">here</a>.</span>)</div>
</div>
</div>Μαμά στο Δρόμοhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12376919627274142124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5024970137118246585.post-46135231200476654762012-01-01T00:02:00.000-08:002012-01-01T00:02:00.166-08:00Happy New Year<br />
<br />
What a year 2011 was! On one hand, the "developed" world is still reeling from a financial crisis the end of which we have yet to see. Arab countries are in turmoil, with people protesting against oppressive regimes and being brutalized for it. In the third world, violence, war, famine and diseases continue to claim their terrible toll.<br />
<br />
Yet, amid this despair, a few glimmers of hope: "occupy" movements and self-help networks spring up across the western world. The arab world has seen two regimes toppled by their own citizens (and a third by foreign intervention) even if the result is not yet the democracy the people hoped for. Only the problems of the poorest parts of the world seem as intractable as ever.<br />
<br />
Oh, I so wish that 2012 would bring nothing but good news from every corner of the globe. I wish the crisis would end, that the economy would pick up and that no one would have to worry about their next meal or how to survive in their old age. I wish no gifted youngster would have to forsake their education just to make a living. I wish there were no prisons full of dissenters or protestors, no torture, no oppression. I wish there were no wars, warlords, conflicts or refugees. I wish every child born would live to old age. I wish every person had enough to eat and a roof over their heads. I wish no one cared about anyone else's color or religion. I wish education and health care were available to all. I wish the rights of every man and woman were respected and none had to live in oppression, submission and fear.<br />
<br />
I wish the powerful had less power, the greedy less opportunity and the masses more say.<br />
<br />
All in all, I wish for a year better than the previous one.<br />
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Happy new year, everyone.<br />
May it be better than our wildest dreams!Μαμά στο Δρόμοhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12376919627274142124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5024970137118246585.post-33536024562235740312011-12-20T07:30:00.000-08:002011-12-20T07:30:05.184-08:00The streets my love walks in<div>I have two children. My youngest has just left the stroller to explore the world on his own.</div><div>This is the world we've made for him to explore: ugly, dirty, full of garbage.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MR42V4UxnNk/Tu6wIuy7YUI/AAAAAAAAAzk/ZrXCflaHt3g/s1600/child_sidewalk_Athens_dirty.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MR42V4UxnNk/Tu6wIuy7YUI/AAAAAAAAAzk/ZrXCflaHt3g/s320/child_sidewalk_Athens_dirty.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
I'm ashamed to have brought him and his older brother to live in Athens, a city so deprived of nature and beauty.<br />
Besides a few well-known spots (and a few less known ones) everyday life is defined by the same dreary rows of blocks of flats, and noisy streets full of cars and their exhaust fumes, with nothing pretty for the eye to see.<br />
Instead, everywhere one turns one sees neglect and piles of garbage.<br />
Greeks don't seem to care for their surroundings, the "outside", the land of strangers. Instead, they turn their attention inwards, at home, the place where they receive their friends and relatives. Their streets and neighbors are like a no man's land which one simply has to cross on the way to work or for any other reason. It is not a place to care for or try to improve, being no indicator of one's status as a breadwinner or a homemaker. Therefore, no attention is paid to it, as if it were not a part of our everyday lives.<br />
Literally -and I've noticed this time and again- people are practically blind to their surroundings.<br />
However, these surroundings affect them more than they themselves realize.<br />
Besides the dangers inherent in the smog-filled atmosphere, the garbage-filled streets and impassable sidewalks, this environment of ugliness all around us affects the young who come to regard it as natural so much that they perpetuate it without seeing it for what it really is.<br />
Will my children grow up to be part of the problem, at the same time their mother is striving for a solution?<br />
And if so, will that be so bad, after all?<br />
Which is better? Swimming like a fish in the water (however murky), or trying to reverse the tide?Μαμά στο Δρόμοhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12376919627274142124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5024970137118246585.post-88523042689322755012011-12-18T18:45:00.000-08:002012-01-21T15:50:24.771-08:00Poverty-stricken parents abandon childrenI was so shocked by the article below that I couldn't stop myself reading it, again and again. As if to make sure it was true. Then I just had to translate it - to tell someone about it.<br />
It was just the kind of jolt I needed to start this blog.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 16pt;"><i>I
won’t be coming back for Anna. I’m sorry.<o:p></o:p></i></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-US"><i>Destitute parents ask to leave their
children at the Greek 'SOS Children’s Villages' <o:p></o:p></i></span></b><b><span lang="EN-US"><i>*</i></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><i>By Marili
Margomenou<o:p></o:p></i></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><i>Anna was
still at the day care. It was late afternoon and her mother had still not shown
up. The teachers didn’t know what to do. Then the little girl pulled something
out of her pocket. It was a note: “I won’t be coming back for Anna. I’m sorry.
Her mom.”<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><i>The man who
tells the story as if it were something common is Mr. S. Sifnios, head of the social
service at the Greek 'SOS Children’s villages'. “The teachers called the local
DA, who sent the child to us.”<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><i>The story
is not an excerpt from a Dickens novel. It took place in a quarter of Athens. Anna’s
mother is not crazy. She is a young woman who lost her job and panicked. There are
more than five hundred other stories like hers. Today, in Greece there are five
hundred families in such dire financial state that they asked the SOS villages
to leave their children there.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><i>“Until up
to two years, 95% of requests there had to do with abuse. The DA decided that
the child was in danger” Ms. P. Vastarouha, the villages’ social worker, tells
us. “Now half of requests are from parents in extreme poverty. Eight out of ten
parents are Greek, most of them single parents, usually without other relatives”.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><i>Mrs Marina
has been a mother in one of the villages for 19 years. She lives the story from
the other side. “The new child is brought to us by his or her mom. She shows
the child his bed, his room, and me. Then she says ‘I love you,’ and goes away.
The child stays at the door.” Marina's voice breaks.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-US"><i>They stand and stare<o:p></o:p></i></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><i>Mrs. Marina
makes an effort to continue. “None of them scream or shout,” she says. “They
stand at the door and stare until their mom is out of sight. If it’s two of
them -or more- you can’t keep them apart that night. You put them in their beds
and ten minutes later you find them huddled together in a bunch.”<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><i>Normally
SOS villages do not take children whose families are simply poor. For those
families there is a program of support at home. But extreme poverty is usually accompanied
by other problems. “A child was brought to us and I thought she had some
disability. At three, she spoke barely 15 words,” says the social worker. “She
was checked by doctors who found nothing wrong. Her father was a vendor in open-air
markets, her mother was blind, the child was neglected. When the child is not
spoken to, how is she going to learn how to speak?” Poverty leads to neglect,
even abuse. Before things get that bad, some people opt for another way out, extreme
though it may seem to us. <o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><i>Mrs. Marina
continues: “I was on my way out of the village to get some milk for my
children. At the gate there was a woman with a girl. She didn’t know that I was
one of the SOS mothers, she didn’t even see me. There she stood, holding her
child by the hand and talking to her: “Don’t you think that mom doesn’t love
you. Mom adores you but she has no food to give you. These good people here
will…’ She thought she’d get in, find someone to leave her child with and go.”
Mrs. Marina pauses, puts her hand on her forehead. There are some things one
cannot get used to, no matter how many years one has spent here. “She was
holding her hand,” she says. “And the child didn’t make a sound. She was just
looking up at her mom, staring. I don’t know what happened next. I had to go
fetch milk for my own children.”<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span lang="EN-US">* SOS
Children’s Villages: An international organisation for children in need. More information <a href="http://www.sos-childrensvillages.org/pages/default.aspx">here.</a> For a look into life in an SOS village,</span></i> <i>see <a href="http://en.rian.ru/analysis/20111202/169219558.html">here</a>.</i><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
(Article from Kathimerini newspaper, Dec. 18th, 2011, original in Greek <a href="http://news.kathimerini.gr/4dcgi/_w_articles_ell_2_18/12/2011_466572">here</a>.)
</div>Μαμά στο Δρόμοhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12376919627274142124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5024970137118246585.post-276284560981883832011-11-27T18:55:00.000-08:002012-08-24T19:43:28.536-07:00All Greeks are liars<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epimenides_paradox">Epimenides' paradox</a> in its modern version.<br />
Our own Prime Minister had the audacity to slander an entire nation - hoping to gain what exactly?<br />
Is
there any wonder his name is anathema to all Greeks? (With the possible
exception of a handful of hard-core followers of his party.)<br />
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Μαμά στο Δρόμοhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12376919627274142124noreply@blogger.com0