Ryanair to remove toilets from its planes

Ryanair, which carries 75 million passengers a year, flies as many as 189 passengers each flight. If three toilets (or one toilet per 63 people) are brought down to one, and six more seats are included, that leaves just one can for 195 travellers. Legally speaking, according to the Independent, there is no legal stipulation for an airline to provide even one washroom on its aircrafts.

In O’Leary’s defence, once more, he always brings these wild ideas public for the benefit of the passenger. No matter what he proposes, he always insists, at least, it’s all for lowering fares.

“(Removing two of three toilets) would fundamentally lower air fares by about five per cent for all passengers,” he says, noting that about three bucks of a typical $65 ticket might be saved if more seats can be added to Ryanair’s cabins.

In previous bids to bring down airfare, or at least cater to Ryanair’s idea of what travellers want, the airline has floated the idea of flying with just one pilot per flight, adopting standing-room only trips and even child-free flights, which Ryanair says are coming this fall.

By Jason Buckland, MSN Money

http://www.everydaymoney.ca/2011/10/ryanair-now-to-remove-toilets-from-its-planes.html

Occupy Wall Street

http://cryptome.org/info/ows-16/ows-16.htm

Protesters hurl objects at police in Rome, Saturday, Oct. 15, 2011. Protesters in Rome smashed shop windows and torched cars as violence broke out during a demonstration in the Italian capital, part of worldwide protests against corporate greed and austerity measures. The "Occupy Wall Street" protests, that began in Canada and spread to cities across the U.S., moved Saturday to Asia and Europe, linking up with anti-austerity demonstrations that have raged across the debt-ridden continent for months.

Oct. 15 Global Protests Now Planned In 951 Cities And 82 Countries

Oct. 15 Global Protests Now Planned In 951 Cities And 82 Countries: pTomorrow, the 99 percent movement will go global as hundreds of protests are planned in a worldwide outpouring of democracy. There are now demonstrations planned in 951 cities and 82 countries. The goal of the protests is to elevate local social justice issues into one worldwide demonstration./p

Greece in dire straights

Refinery strikes in Greece ahead of a general strike on October 19, have caused supplies of fuel to drop to a mere 3 days. Everyone is up in arms over still more austerity measures. Also ahead of the "general strike", trash collection services are on strike and garbage mounts in the streets of Athens.

Cars Queue Up For Dwindling Gasoline Supplies

Ekathimerini reports Cars queue up as refineries leave strike open

Greece's oil refineries will continue their strike for “as long as necessary,” the president of the union representing refinery workers said late on Monday, as cars began lining up to fill their tanks at gas stations across the country from the early hours of Tuesday.

Speaking on Skai Television’s “New Files” program, Nikos Orfanos said that a government draft bill to reduce spending in the sector represents a threat to workers’ terms of employment, adding that the new measures are aimed at transforming Greece into a “colony” under the control of foreigners.

Meanwhile, speaking on the same program, gas station owner Giorgos Asmatoglou said that while his sector has not expressed any intention to join the strike that began at midnight on Monday, gas stations will be able to continue serving customers only for another three or four days before they begin running dry.

Garbage Piles Up in Street of Athens

AFP reports Greece hit by new strikes against austerity

New strikes hit Greece on Tuesday as the government finalised talks with its EU-IMF creditors on additional spending cuts to secure payment of a bankruptcy-saving loan.

Civil servants blocked the entrance to several ministries, teachers and municipal staff walked out on their jobs and a key refinery began a protest shutdown ahead of a general strike on October 19.

Hospital workers and prison guards will go on strike later this week while Greece's tax collectors and bank workers plan stoppages next week with lawyers also threatening to join the fray.

Public sector workers are up in arms over pay cuts and government plans to put at least 30,000 on temporary leave this year, on top of cuts imposed last year to rein in a budget deficit five times over the European Union ceiling.

Lawyers, pharmacists, taxi owners and other self-employed professionals are protesting against a parallel deregulation drive to improve the competitiveness of the gridlocked Greek economy, which is in a deep recession.

Another strike by garbage collectors that began last week has left the capital Athens strewn with trash heaps.

These reports show Greece is no longer functional. Should gasoline run out, the entire country may as well shut down.

Source: Global Economic Analysis

Can Greece be saved?

Greek Spirit asks the questions, who has the answers???

This summer I traveled back in time, back to my roots, back to my family's birthplace. Wandering around Greece this summer, after an extended absense of 22 years, my heart bled as I watched this ancient country, fall apart, piece by piece by piece before my eyes. Greece's value as a nation of passionate spirits, as the birthplace of civilization, a country overflowing with wisdom and philosophy and an abundance of strength, blind faith left over from the thousands of years she fought to free herself from the captivity of her neighboring enemies.  Will Her defeat after so many centuries of battling earthquakes, fires, wars, civil unrest and carnage, will her downfall  be by  politicians and the misuse of her pocketbook?

Why cant we solve the economic mess we are in today??????
Who is at fault??? why??? is there a solution???? or is it too late????

So many questions, and so few answers to calm my confused mind. Everywhere I look, I see in the tortured broken eyes of its citizens, in the empty hands of the children in the streets begging for a coin, the civil worker threatening to quit his own job, refusing to cut the power supply of the homes of those who cannot pay for their electricity, the disabled, the elderly, the unemployed,  the abandoned buildings, the empty homes , a country unable to feed itself, a country who's value is now in the hands of " Troika ".

The center of Athens , " To Sintagma ", echoing memories of civil unrest from another era  fill the streets, as the " platia " is again lined with riot equipped police officers, waiting for the next violent outpouring of its people. The foreigners who fill the jobs of the resident, and the taxi drivers who pay a debt that has no value, screams of suicide and violence echo in the streets. The absence of enforcement, the death machines of the youth fill the air with noise and competition as they race the streets on their rally bikes, no helmets and no fear, heartbroken families mourn their lost innocence taken not by war but by their own stupidity. There are no rules on the road as they fight for the same square inch of space, parked one ontop of another, all arriving at the same time, all looking for the best prices at the "Laiki Agora", it is " Mesimeri " and time for " Mezedakia , Feta, olives, bread " Horiatiki Salata", and their afternoon Siesta. When they are done,  their garbage is left in the streets or in their neighbors yard, their country is littered in Plastic water bottles and dirty toilet paper, yet their homes are monuments of sanitation and order.

Remembering the words of  a 14 year old boy who whispered in my ear, " as long as there is Retsina and God, Greece will survive "

Delusion? or blind hope??? or is there an answer somewhere in his logic?

Spoken with few words, and secret pain, painted all over this country, their voices spread across the nation with color...with prayers and their lit candles, on their knees, the monasteries full of believers, the hopeful ones who wait for a sign that things will improve and their conversations with a spirit above will guide them to peace.

Our country is in ruins our country is bleeding, hemorrhaging , how do we save it??

your comments are welcome below
your opinion matters

*Greek Spirit*
Anna M

Athens a dumping ground for Politicians

Should I move to Greece?

Should I move to Greece?

Unemployment rate at 16.6% not a wise move.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/07/world/europe/07iht-greece07.html

ATHENS — As the debt crisis in Greece hits male-dominated sectors like construction and thousands of men lose their jobs or suffer from salary cuts, Greek women are making a brave effort to become the breadwinners. Few are finding any joy.

THE FEMALE FACTOR

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“It’s an attempted defense against the crisis,” said Maria Karamesini, an associate professor of economics at Panteion University who briefs the European Commission on gender equality issues. “As joblessness rises among men, a growing pool of women are seeking to offset losses in household income,” said Ms. Karamesini, 51, who has been supporting her husband since early 2009 when he lost his job as an architect. “Most aren’t finding work, of course.”

Natalia Papapetrou, a 36-year-old architect who speaks three languages, never expected to apply for work as a cashier at her local supermarket in Athens. But five months after losing her job as an administrative assistant to a state-run organization, and 18 months after her husband lost his, the responsibility of feeding two children weighed heavily.

The couple moved their elder daughter from a private school to a state school, and their parents are helping with mortgage repayments. With virtually no money coming in, finding work has become a pressing concern.

“I’m willing to do anything,” said Mrs. Papapetrou, who has applied for dozens of positions in stores and offices, but has yet to get a single offer.

Government statistics show that unemployment among Greek women rose 4 percent in the last quarter of 2010, reaching 17.9 percent, compared with an average of 9.7 percent in the 27-member European Union. For Greek women aged 29 and under, the rate stood at 33 percent. Joblessness among men increased by about the same rate, reaching 11.5 percent compared to an E.U. average of 9.5 percent.

The spike in male unemployment reflects months of layoffs that have fueled frequent angry protests in Athens. But there have been no mass redundancies in female-dominated areas like the public sector and the service industry — at least not yet. So the main reason for the rise in women’s unemployment would appear to be the unsuccessful search for jobs.

Economists at the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development in Paris are drawing the same conclusion. According to the agency, the labor force participation rate among Greek women (those either employed or actively looking for a job) increased 2.9 percent over the past three years — nearly triple the 1 percent E.U. average. But the employment rate for Greek women fell 0.8 percent in the period.

BLEEPS.GR

Greek Theater of a different kind

Stand up to Cancer

Aseme - Alexandros Notas and Kripstemou to telephono - Kostas Galanos

O Αλέξανδρος Νότας η λαϊκή φωνή του X Factor 3 που όλοι μας αγαπήσαμε παρουσιάζει το νέο του τραγούδι με τίτλο "ΑΣΕ ΜΕ " σε στίχους και μουσική Γιώργου Θεοφάνους !!!!
"ΑΣΕ ΜΕ "
Για ότι πέρασα ως τώρα έφταιγα και εγώ και με ήλιο και με μπόρα έδωσα ουρανό ΟΜΩΣ τα δικά σου χέρια έγιναν κλειδιά κι' όλες μου οι κλειστές μου πόρτες άνοιξαν ξανά
Άσε με να σ' αγαπήσω μην κάνεις πίσω ΣΕ ΠΑΡΑΚΑΛΩ ασε με να σ' αγαπήσω να σου αποδείξω ποιος είμαι εγώ άσε με κι όπου με βγάλει μπορεί και πάλι να πληγωθώ άσε με να σ' αγαπήσω λίγο να ζήσω κι ας σκοτωθώ
Για όσα νόμιζα ως τώρα και έλεγα ζωή όλα τ' άλλαξες για μένα μεσ' μια στιγμή όλα θα σου τα χαρίσω δεν θα φοβηθώ βγαίνω μεσ'την καταιγίδα βγαίνω κι'ας χαθώ
Άσε με να σ' αγαπήσω μην κάνεις πίσω ΣΕ ΠΑΡΑΚΑΛΩ άσε με να σ' αγαπήσω να σου αποδείξω ποιος είμαι εγώ άσε με κι όπου με βγάλει μπορεί και πάλι να πληγωθώ άσε με να σ' αγαπήσω λίγο να ζήσω κι ας σκοτωθώ
Άσε με να σ' αγαπήσω μην κάνεις πίσω ΣΕ ΠΑΡΑΚΑΛΩ άσε με να σ' αγαπήσω να σου αποδείξω ποιος είμαι εγώ άσε με κι όπου με βγάλει μπορεί και πάλι να πληγωθώ άσε με να σ' αγαπήσω λίγο να ζήσω κι ας σκοτωθώ





Tαξίδι μέσα στο καπνό θα ξεκινήσω
και συ ακόμα μια φορά θα λείπεις πάλι
Eνα τραγούδι απ'τα παλιά θα ψυθιρίσω
που λέει ότι η αγάπη είναι ζάλη
και αφού τελειώσω το τσιγάρο πάλι το ψέμμα μου θα πω
ότι καθόλου δεν μου λείπεις κι οτι δεν θέλω να σε δω
Kαι όταν με βλέπετε να πίνω κρύψτε μου το τηλέφωνο γιατί απόψε θα ξεφύγω και αυτά που νιώθω θα τα πω
δεν πρέπει τίποτα να στείλω ούτε να γράψω σ'αγαπώ...
όταν βλέπετε να πίνω πάρτε μου το τηλέφωνο...
ταξίδι μέσα στη σιωπή και μες στη νύχτα είναι το βλέμμα σου που τόσα μου θυμίζει
μες το δωμάτιο η δική σου καληνύχτα είναι σαν χάδι στα μαλλιά που με κοιμίζει
και γω που ζω μόνο για σένα και να ξεχάσω δεν μπορώ μόλις φανεί καινούρια μέρα πάλι το ψέμμα μου θα πω
και όταν με βλέπετε να πίνω κρύψτε μου το τηλέφωνο γιατί απόψε θα ξεφύγω και αυτά που νιώθω θα τα πω δεν πρέπει τίποτα να στείλω ούτε να γράψω σ'αγάπω

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