Wednesday, March 21, 2012
New Moon in Aries - March 22, 2012
March 22, 2012: Aries New Moon (exact at 7:37 am PDT)
Since Aries and the New Moon both symbolize the ushering in of beginnings, this lunar event signals the advent of a new cycle. If Mars were not retrograde, it would be an auspicious time to start a new project. Yet, the planet of action doesn’t turn direct until April 13.
Therefore, instead of creating something anew, use the initiatory palpable energy to reposition and redirect an existing action. For example, rethink your approach to your exercise regimen or kick-start your current dietary strategy, shifting it into a whole new gear.
The Aries New Moon can really be a great motivator. And if you’ve wanted to tackle a problem but found yourself lacking in the moxie department, the Aries New Moon may give you an infusion of courage and daring that can help you persevere.
A caveat, though. With so much initiating energy around, it may seem as if everyone wants things to happen now, or even before. Since Aries prizes immediacy, impatience and/or bursts of anger—within your self or expressed by others—may be heightened around this time (this may be compounded given Mars’ being retrograde). While the go-get-‘em energy instilled by this New Moon can help motivate us into a challenge, rushing can often lead to rashness, a surefire prescription for stress and accidents.
The fact that the New Moon is conjunct Uranus can give the day a flair of the erratic. There’s a sense of adolescent rebellion in the air, a sort of “Don’t fence me in and don’t tell me what to do.” Watch that you don’t get in others’ proverbial line of fire. And if it’s you that’s at the helm of this rebellion, try to keep your eye on the prize–your desire to liberate your authentic being from self-imposed shackles—rather than revolt for revolt’s sake. After all, it’s often counter productive to throw the baby out with the bathwater.
Uranus reflects the earthquake archetype. Something may happen, and it may not last long, but it changes the landscape forever. Knowing to expect the unexpected itself (what I call “Living in the I-Don’t-Know”) may give solace today as then you are open to the any and the all, and won’t be as caught off guard should something occur you weren’t anticipating. This doesn’t necessarily mean that it will be negative. The day may very well have beneficial and productive initiatory surprises in store. If you can find the courage to assert your individuality in a new and expanded way, this time can offer you great potential. Yet, do be aware that many may be on edge with a sense of low-level anxiety potentially more palpable.
With Mercury also connected to this New Moon (itself being at 0+ Aries), expressing your thoughts and feelings takes prime importance. Blocking your expression is a recipe for frustration and sensations of nervousness.
This month’s New Moon falls at 3 degrees of Aries (the location of both the Sun and Moon). While everyone experiences the energies of the New Moon, if you have planets or pivotal points (i.e., Ascendant/Descendant or Nadir/Midheaven) around this degree in Aries or the other cardinal signs—Cancer, Libra, Capricorn—it may impact you more intensely.
http://planetaryapothecary.com/2012/03/aries-new-moon-3/ 
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
7.4 Earthquake in Mexico
An earthquake measuring 7.4 struck today in southern Mexico, about 110 miles from Acapulco, the U.S. Geological Survey reports.
Update at 6:10 p.m. ET: The governor of Guerrero state is now saying that least 800 homes collapsed in Igualapa, CNN reports. Igualapa is a city of about 10,000 people in the coastal region south of Chilpancingo.
Update at 5:07 p.m. ET: The USGS says the quake was caused by "thrust-faulting on or near the plate boundary interface between the Cocos and North America plates" along the Pacific coast.
Historically, there have been several significant earthquakes along the southern coast of Mexico. In 1932, a magnitude 8.4 thrust earthquake struck in the region of Jalisco, several hundred kilometers to the northwest of today's event. On October 9, 1995 a magnitude 8.0 earthquake struck in the Colima-Jalisco region, killing at least 49 people and leaving 1,000 homeless. The deadliest nearby earthquake occurred in the Michoacan region 470 km to the northwest of today's event, on September 19, 1985. This magnitude 8.0 earthquake killed at least 9,500 people, injured about 30,000, and left 100,000 people homeless. More recently, a 2003 magnitude 7.6 Colima, Mexico earthquake 640 km to the northwest of today's event killed 29 people, destroyed more than 2,000 homes and left more than 10,000 homeless
The Great Bear Rainforest
http://www.pacificwild.org/site/take_action/enbridge-tankers.html
The Great Bear Rainforest is one of the last cradles of biodiversity on the planet. Grizzly bears, spirit bears, and coastal wolves roam the ancient forests, while whales and five species of salmon swim the waters. Despite their appeal and ecological importance, much is still unknown about these wildlife populations and their complex predator-prey relationships. Increased knowledge on these matters is crucial to raising awareness and making informed land and marine-use decisions.
Pacific Wild is working to improve our understanding of elusive coastal wildlife in the most non-invasive manner possible. Traditional approaches to wildlife behaviour research have caused habituation to humans and displacement of wildlife from prime foraging areas.
Our remote sensing systems utilize a new generation of technology including pan-tilt zoom cameras, underwater cameras, and hydrophones. This equipment can be installed in remote locations and beamed back to our headquarters using wireless transmitters and alternative energy systems. The result is our unique opportunity to gather new information while leaving wildlife completely undisturbed. We use the data we collect as an educational tool as a part of the SEAS Community Initiative, as well as for research and conservation planning.
Monday, March 19, 2012
"One of the worst moments in Greek Football"
The Athens derby between Panathinaikos and Olympiakos was abandoned on Sunday after home fans reportedly set fire to several parts of the stadium.
The Superleague encounter between the two arch-rivals was called off nine minutes before full-time after Panathinaikos fans lit fires around the stadium and threw missiles and flares at police.
Away fans were not in attendance at the Olympic Stadium due to league restrictions.
Initial crowd disturbances delayed the start of the second half by nearly an hour, and the mood in the stadium was not helped when Olympiakos took the lead through Djamel Abdoun's 51st-minute strike.
Referee Anastasio Kakos eventually called a halt to proceedings in the 81st minute after a number of explosions occurred close to the field of play.
Panathinaikos skipper Kostas Katsouranis told reporters the incidents marked a black day for Greek football.
''That was not football,'' he said. ''It is one of the worst moments in Greek football.''
http://rt.com/sport/greece-football-riot-fire-871/
Sunday, March 18, 2012
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Zo perimenondas na ziso - Michalis Ermilis
Περνάει αδιάφορα ο καιρός
κι η σκέψη μου είναι σε σένα διαρκώς
με μνήμες ζω και αναμνήσεις
κρατώ κλειδωμένες ορμές και αισθήσεις!
Ακόμα και η μοναξιά
κουράστηκε να μου κρατάει συντροφιά
παλεύω τα ίχνη σου να σβήσω
ζω περιμένοντας να ζήσω!
Μ' απόψε που δεν είσαι εδώ
τ' όνομά σου φωνάζω, με μένα τα βάζω
κι αρκούμαι στο να προσδοκώ
κι ο καημός μου με πνίγει, πληγές μου ανοίγει
δεν ξέρω από που να πιαστώ, να πιαστώ να σωθώ!
Όπου το βλέμμα μου γυρίσω
όπου σταθώ, ό,τι κι αν πω
όλα εσένα μου θυμίζουν
κλείνομαι μέσα μου να μην πληγωθώ!
Ακόμα και η μοναξιά
κουράστηκε να μου κρατάει συντροφιά
παλεύω τα ίχνη σου να σβήσω
ζω περιμένοντας να ζήσω!
Μ' απόψε που δεν είσαι εδώ
τ' όνομά σου φωνάζω, με μένα τα βάζω
κι αρκούμαι στο να προσδοκώ
κι ο καημός μου με πνίγει, πληγές μου ανοίγει
δεν ξέρω από που να πιαστώ, να πιαστώ να σωθώ!
Μ' απόψε που δεν είσαι εδώ
τ' όνομά σου φωνάζω, με μένα τα βάζω
κι αρκούμαι στο να προσδοκώ
κι ο καημός μου με πνίγει, πληγές μου ανοίγει
δεν ξέρω από που να πιαστώ, να πιαστώ να σωθώ!
Saturday, March 17, 2012
2400-year old golden mask in the tomb of an ancient Thracian king
A team of Bulgarian archaeologists, led by Professor Georgi Kitov, discovered a 2400-year old golden mask in the tomb of an ancient Thracian king on August 19.
The mask bears the image of a human face and is made of 500 grams of solid gold, Kitov said. The discovery was made near the town of Shipka, in the heart of the Stara Planina Mountain.
Dozens of Thracian mounds are spread throughout this region, which archeologists have called "the Bulgarian valley of the kings", a reference to the Valley of the Kings near Luxor, which is home to the tombs of Egyptian Pharaohs.
"The unique mask looks even better than the famous image of King Agamemnon, the Greek anti-hero described by Homer in the Iliad," Kitov was quoted as saying by Bulgarian-language media. "This is the first Thracian mask of solid gold ever found,"he said. Previously, archeologists had only found masks covered with golden foil.
Initially, Kitov suggested that the mask could belong to King Seuthes III, the Thracian king who in the fifth century BCE ruled the territory that now is in today's Bulgaria. Later however, he and his team changed their view, and said the mask is most probably of King Teres I, father of the famous Thracian ruler Sitalkes, who expanded the Thracian kingdom into a huge empire, uniting for the first time all Thrace south of the river Danube. The tomb was covered with six stone slabs, each weighing at least two tons. The king's remains have not yet been found, but excavations at the tomb will continue. In addition to the golden mask, archeologists discovered a golden ring with the image of a rower, as well as many bronze and silver vessels. The current find is in the area of the so-called Helvetia Tomb, discovered in 1996, which also dates back to the 4th century BCE. It is also near the town of Shipka. The Shipka Tombs are seven in total, all in the Valley of the Thracian Kings.
Also close is the Kazanluk Tomb, which is famous for its beautiful wall paintings of the early third century BCE, one of the most unique masterpieces of the Early Hellenistic pictorial art. This tomb was built during the reign of king Seuthes III, either for him personally or for close relatives among the nobility.
Thirty-five Thracian tombs have so far been discovered in Bulgaria and all of them have pre-classical vaults (false vaults) made during the period fifth to the third centuries BCE.
The plans of this type of tomb were varied. Some of them, apart from the burial chamber, contain a corridor and other rooms. Fifteen of the tombs found in Bulgaria have round burial chambers. The rest have square burial chambers. The round chambers were roofed with a false beehive dome, while the square ones had a flat roof or a false vault. The tombs were made of ashlars with dry joints, or of bricks and mortar.
The Thracians lived in what is now Bulgaria and parts of modern Greece, Romania, Macedonia, and Turkey between 4,000 B.C. and the 8th century A.D., when they were assimilated by the invading Slavs.
In 2004, another 2,400-year-old golden mask was unearthed from a Thracian tomb in the same area.
Dozens of Thracian mounds are spread throughout central Bulgaria, which archaeologists have dubbed "the Bulgarian valley of kings" in reference to the Valley of the Kings near Luxor, Egypt, home to the tombs of Egyptian Pharaohs.
Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/discoveries/2007-07-16-thracian-mask_N.htm
Friday, March 16, 2012
George Clooney gets arrested for Sudan
WASHINGTON — George Clooney has been arrested at Sudan’s embassy in Washington during a protest against the country’s blockade of humanitarian aid.
Clooney, his father Nick and other anti-Sudan activists including several members of the U.S. Congress ignored three police warnings to leave the grounds of the mission in Washington’s Embassy Row, leading officers to escort them in plastic handcuffs to a waiting police van.
The “Descendants” star, a longtime activist for human rights in Sudan, met Thursday with US President Barack Obama after paying a clandestine visit to South Kordofan, where aid groups say 250,000 people are at risk of imminent food shortages.
Clooney was protesting Sudan’s efforts to block humanitarian aid from reaching a volatile border region where its army is fighting rebels aligned with South Sudan. He had been widely expected to provoke police into arresting him.
“We need humanitarian aid to be allowed into the Sudan before it becomes the worst humanitarian crisis in the world — immediately,” Clooney said to cheering supporters shortly before his arrest.
“The second thing we are here to ask is a very simple thing — it’s for the government in Khartoum to stop randomly killing its own innocent men, women and children,” Clooney said.
“Stop raping them, and stop starving them. That’s all we ask,” he said.
Four members of the House of Representatives — Al Green, Jim McGovern, Jim Moran and John Olver — were also arrested at the protest, along with human rights activists and religious leaders.
National Post
http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/03/16/george-clooney-arrested-at-sudanese-embassy-protest-in-washington
/
National Post
http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/03/16/george-clooney-arrested-at-sudanese-embassy-protest-in-washington
/
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Limbaugh called her a slut and a Feminazi on his radio show
With the current Mercury-Uranus conjunction in Aries square Pluto infusing the atmosphere, the Ceres in Aries themes are quite apparent within media (Mercury) channels. Case in point: the verbal attack (Mercury in Aries) from Rush Limbaugh of law student Sandra Fluke.
As many are probably aware by now, Fluke spoke at a congressional hearing in favour of the Obama health plan covering the cost of contraceptives. Her support for this was based primarily on health reasons – a friend of hers lost one of her ovaries due to a condition that could have been controlled had she been able to afford birth control pills. Limbaugh, one of those right-wing, privileged, white males who seem to be so oppressed by women having control of anything these days, called her a slut and a Feminazi on his radio show, prompting a storm of controversy and the pulling of multiple advertisers from his show.
“So Miss Fluke, and the rest of you Feminazis, here’s the deal. If we are going to pay for your contraceptives, and thus pay for you to have sex, we want something for it. We want you to post the videos online so we can all watch.”
Limbaugh's language has an undertone of sexual violence and is a broadcasted voicing of the hatred, rage, and fear within the societies at large related to women's control of their own sexuality and reproduction.
The thread of hatred toward women, particularly strong women and particularly feminists, is out with teeth bared these days, not least of which in the race to become the next leader of the United States Republican party.
“The radical feminists succeeded in undermining the traditional family and convincing women that professional accomplishments are the key to happiness.”
Advertisers continue to pull away from The Rush Limbaugh Show, over a week since he first began his verbal assault on Georgetown student and birth control advocate Sandra Fluke.
Last Wednesday, Limbaugh called Fluke a "slut" and a "prostitute" for wanting to testify in Congress in favor of insurance coverage of contraception, then spent the next two days demanding she post online videos of herself having sex. By Friday,Sleep Number, The Sleep Train, Quicken Loans and Legal Zoom had pulled their ads from his broadcast, signaling a mass exodus that has thus far seen 49 sponsors request their spots to be removed from airing during the show.
Limbaugh has played down the losses, saying he has some 18,000 local and national advertisers and calling the exits "losing a couple of french fries in the container when it's delivered to you at the drive thru." It was a defiant tone from a man who had apologized on Saturday, though many found his mea culpa to Fluke to be insincere in the first place.
He has also seen two stations, in Pittsfield, Mass. and Hilo, Hawaii, removed him from their schedules.
Not that he would expect his support, but President Obama has also called out Limbaugh.
"All good folks can agree that the remarks that were made don’t have any place in the public discourse," he said in a news conference on Tuesday. "And you know, the reason I called Ms. Fluke is because I thought about my daughters, and one of the things I want them to do as they get older is to engage in issues they care about, even ones I may not agree with them on. I want them to be able to speak their mind in a civil and thoughtful way.” BRAVO OBAMA!!! Every woman could only hope to have a man like you by her side, you are rare indeed!!!! GreekSpirit
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/rush-limbaugh-sponsor-loss-increases-sandra-fluke-297698
Drunk Amish youths crash buggy into cop car
http://www.theprovince.com/health/Amish+youths+crash+buggy+into/6292711/story.html
Four Amish youths were charged with underage drinking after they crashed their horse-drawn buggy into a police cruiser in upstate New York, authorities said Monday.Police were dispatched to the town of Sherman on Sunday night in response to complaints about Amish youths drinking and drag racing their horse and carriages on the road, said Chautauqua County Sheriff Joseph Gerace.
"These Amish kids in buggies were racing up and down the street," he said. "When police came, there were two buggies on the road and each was taking a lane of traffic up. One of the buggies tried to shift out of the way when a patrol car came and ended up crashing into it," Gerace said.
The police report from the crash said the buggy flipped over and the horse broke free, running off to a nearby barn. Four youths, aged 18 to 20, were charged with underage possession of alcohol.
Sherman is a town in western New York about 145 kilometres south of Buffalo. The area is home to a large Amish community.
Zorba, a fun-loving but wise philosopher of life, who everybody loved and admired.
On Sunday evening, on one of MEGA TV's most popular programmes, Protagonistes, some of Greece's best and brightest Global Greeks discussed Greece's image with journalist/host Stavros Theodorakis and how it needs to be changed to combat the recently acquired negative stereotype of the lazy and corrupt, non-tax paying Greek who lies on the beach all day drinking coffees....
Brand Strategist extraordinaire, and Global Greek of the Year runner up, Peter Economides (Greece), Athens 2004 Opening and Closing Ceremonies' Mastermind Dimitri Papaioannou (Greece), journalist/showman Nikos Aliagas (France), MP Jorgos Chatzimarkakis (Germany) , CEO of V+O Communication creators of the Give Greece a Chance Campaign,John Olympios, along with journalist Rika Vagiani (Australia) and writer/journalist Soti Triantafyllou (USA) discussed ways of how Greece can reverse the negative stereotype which has prevailed recently because of the economic crisis and has led to almost racist jokes, snide remarks, sneers and odd behaviour not just from other people but from some otherwise seemingly respectable institutions such as airlines and pilots ..
Brand Strategist extraordinaire, and Global Greek of the Year runner up, Peter Economides (Greece), Athens 2004 Opening and Closing Ceremonies' Mastermind Dimitri Papaioannou (Greece), journalist/showman Nikos Aliagas (France), MP Jorgos Chatzimarkakis (Germany) , CEO of V+O Communication creators of the Give Greece a Chance Campaign,John Olympios, along with journalist Rika Vagiani (Australia) and writer/journalist Soti Triantafyllou (USA) discussed ways of how Greece can reverse the negative stereotype which has prevailed recently because of the economic crisis and has led to almost racist jokes, snide remarks, sneers and odd behaviour not just from other people but from some otherwise seemingly respectable institutions such as airlines and pilots ..
.
Papademos -" We Greeks can see the future with greater confidence.”
PAPADEMOS
http://www.greeknewsonline.com/?p=19810
Prime Minister Lucas Papademos, in a televised statement on Friday following a PSI (bonds swap) successful completion hours earlier, said the present day “is not only a day of satisfaction for all that has been achieved. It is also an opportunity for circumspection. Because we are aware that investors and depositors, including thousands of ordinary citizens of this country, suffered considerable losses (property losses). And this obliges us to think of our mistakes, that obliged us to be led to the restructuring of the debt. This in parallel, strengthens our will and determination to change Greece.”
“With the completion of the biggest debt restructuring that has ever taken place, a window of opportunities and hope opens for Greece. It is a considerable – I would say historic – success, that became possible with the systematic, coordinated and tough efforts of many. With the help of our partners, with the sacrifices of the Greek people and the cooperation of the political forces that support the government, we achieved a very difficult task,” Papademos said.
The prime minister further said that “with the completion of the steps that remain, with the final ratification and signing of the loan agreement in the next two weeks, we are escaping from the quicksand of the past months. We are now treading on solid ground. For the first time Greece is not adding, but removing public debt from the backs of its citizens and of the next generations. With the decrease of the debt by about 105 billion euros, we Greeks can see the future with greater confidence.”
Papademos pointed out that “the restructuring of the debt is a tangible recognition of Greece’s efforts. It is an expression of confidence for the country’s prospects and our future in the Eurozone. It creates preconditions for the deposits to return, for investments to be made, for the economy to forge ahead again, jobs to be created for the young people.”
He went on to say that “we are continuing to have a great uphill path before us. We do not have the right to waste the money that we shall save from the interest and the instalments. We must utilise them for us to modernise the structures of the country, to make our economy competitive, to tidy up the state.”
Lastly, Papademos stressed that “through the deep recession and the ordeals of the Greek people a hopeful prospect of exiting from the worst crisis of the postwar period is emerging. Confidence is being restored. The support of our partners is being confirmed. But the decisive responsibility for us to shape the country’s course belongs to us. To change our economy, to keep our society upright, to defend our position in the euro, to gain the future. We have a new big opportunity. Let us not lose it.”
http://www.greeknewsonline.com/?p=19810
http://globalgreekworld.blogspot.com/2012/02/today-we-are-all-greek-nous-sommes-tous.html
http://www.greeknewsonline.com/?p=19810
Prime Minister Lucas Papademos, in a televised statement on Friday following a PSI (bonds swap) successful completion hours earlier, said the present day “is not only a day of satisfaction for all that has been achieved. It is also an opportunity for circumspection. Because we are aware that investors and depositors, including thousands of ordinary citizens of this country, suffered considerable losses (property losses). And this obliges us to think of our mistakes, that obliged us to be led to the restructuring of the debt. This in parallel, strengthens our will and determination to change Greece.”
“With the completion of the biggest debt restructuring that has ever taken place, a window of opportunities and hope opens for Greece. It is a considerable – I would say historic – success, that became possible with the systematic, coordinated and tough efforts of many. With the help of our partners, with the sacrifices of the Greek people and the cooperation of the political forces that support the government, we achieved a very difficult task,” Papademos said.
The prime minister further said that “with the completion of the steps that remain, with the final ratification and signing of the loan agreement in the next two weeks, we are escaping from the quicksand of the past months. We are now treading on solid ground. For the first time Greece is not adding, but removing public debt from the backs of its citizens and of the next generations. With the decrease of the debt by about 105 billion euros, we Greeks can see the future with greater confidence.”
Papademos pointed out that “the restructuring of the debt is a tangible recognition of Greece’s efforts. It is an expression of confidence for the country’s prospects and our future in the Eurozone. It creates preconditions for the deposits to return, for investments to be made, for the economy to forge ahead again, jobs to be created for the young people.”
He went on to say that “we are continuing to have a great uphill path before us. We do not have the right to waste the money that we shall save from the interest and the instalments. We must utilise them for us to modernise the structures of the country, to make our economy competitive, to tidy up the state.”
Lastly, Papademos stressed that “through the deep recession and the ordeals of the Greek people a hopeful prospect of exiting from the worst crisis of the postwar period is emerging. Confidence is being restored. The support of our partners is being confirmed. But the decisive responsibility for us to shape the country’s course belongs to us. To change our economy, to keep our society upright, to defend our position in the euro, to gain the future. We have a new big opportunity. Let us not lose it.”
http://www.greeknewsonline.com/?p=19810
http://globalgreekworld.blogspot.com/2012/02/today-we-are-all-greek-nous-sommes-tous.html
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Homeless in Greece
As Greece enters its fifth straight year of recession, the cuts deepen and the dole queues lengthen, some people are beginning to fight back.
On Monday, in Plaka, Athens' old town, I met Katerina Kanelidou, 42, a leadership coach who decided she had to do something one night a couple of weeks ago when she saw a homeless man outside the station during one of the coldest Athens winters in memory.
"Then on YouTube, I saw someone had posted a video of a pregnant woman being ejected from a homeless shelter," she said. "I was just so shocked. I was thinking, how many unemployed people are going to become homeless? And what kind of society have we become, that we are kicking homeless pregnant women on to the streets?"
Realising she had neither "the power to influence the politicians, or the money to pay for more shelters", Kanelidou decided what she could do was offer her professional experience, providing specially devised, free coaching programmes for the city's unemployed aimed at boosting their self-confidence and skills.
"I just thought: I have to do something," she said. "Yes, there is real depression; huge numbers of people are taking anti-depressants. And a lot of anger at what's happened. But the time for excuses is over now. I am so fed up with the excuses: we can't do anything, we don't have the money, the time, the right paperwork. I have all I need to do something."
So Kanelidou posted on her Facebook page and emailed her contacts, offering coaching sessions to unemployed people on little or no income. She wasn't sure what the take-up would be. "People call us lazy, but we have always worked hard," she said. "There's a huge stigma to being unemployed in Greece. Plus volunteering isn't really a big part of our make-up. There's a mentality that says, if it's free it means either it's no good, or there's a catch somewhere."
But in the space of a few days she attracted 15 participants; more are joining daily. They come from diverse backgrounds: two from a family firm that went bankrupt, a couple of HR professionals, a mid-level company manager, an architect. She has taken on a volunteer assistant.
When the town hall refused to lend her a seminar room on the grounds that she did not represent any professional or corporate body, she persuaded OTE, the Greek state-owned telecoms operator, to give her space in its training centre. "They bypassed their whole bureaucratic procedure to give me the space," she said. "They saw they could do something, too."
The first sessions take place this week. In exchange for the confidence and skills she hopes to impart ("People have the experience and talent, but many need new tools for a new technological environment") she is asking her course members to devise concrete ways in which they, in turn, can do something in their community: "That way, if I am just one person helping one group, each of them will do something for another group."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/blog/2012/mar/13/greece-breadline-volunteers-moved-homeless-plight
On Monday, in Plaka, Athens' old town, I met Katerina Kanelidou, 42, a leadership coach who decided she had to do something one night a couple of weeks ago when she saw a homeless man outside the station during one of the coldest Athens winters in memory.
"Then on YouTube, I saw someone had posted a video of a pregnant woman being ejected from a homeless shelter," she said. "I was just so shocked. I was thinking, how many unemployed people are going to become homeless? And what kind of society have we become, that we are kicking homeless pregnant women on to the streets?"
Realising she had neither "the power to influence the politicians, or the money to pay for more shelters", Kanelidou decided what she could do was offer her professional experience, providing specially devised, free coaching programmes for the city's unemployed aimed at boosting their self-confidence and skills.
"I just thought: I have to do something," she said. "Yes, there is real depression; huge numbers of people are taking anti-depressants. And a lot of anger at what's happened. But the time for excuses is over now. I am so fed up with the excuses: we can't do anything, we don't have the money, the time, the right paperwork. I have all I need to do something."
So Kanelidou posted on her Facebook page and emailed her contacts, offering coaching sessions to unemployed people on little or no income. She wasn't sure what the take-up would be. "People call us lazy, but we have always worked hard," she said. "There's a huge stigma to being unemployed in Greece. Plus volunteering isn't really a big part of our make-up. There's a mentality that says, if it's free it means either it's no good, or there's a catch somewhere."
But in the space of a few days she attracted 15 participants; more are joining daily. They come from diverse backgrounds: two from a family firm that went bankrupt, a couple of HR professionals, a mid-level company manager, an architect. She has taken on a volunteer assistant.
When the town hall refused to lend her a seminar room on the grounds that she did not represent any professional or corporate body, she persuaded OTE, the Greek state-owned telecoms operator, to give her space in its training centre. "They bypassed their whole bureaucratic procedure to give me the space," she said. "They saw they could do something, too."
The first sessions take place this week. In exchange for the confidence and skills she hopes to impart ("People have the experience and talent, but many need new tools for a new technological environment") she is asking her course members to devise concrete ways in which they, in turn, can do something in their community: "That way, if I am just one person helping one group, each of them will do something for another group."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/blog/2012/mar/13/greece-breadline-volunteers-moved-homeless-plight
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