Greek Government - Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Albert Einstein

http://independence4wales.com/2011/greek-economy-shuts-down-19-10-11-total-strike
October 17, 2011 by Richard @ I4W | 0 comments
The 19th of October 2011 will witness the almost complete shut down of the Greek economy.

2 main themes dominate the motives of the strikes.

1. Public sector workers unhappy about massive wage and benefit cuts

2. Private sector refusing to contribute to government revenue.

The public sector strikes are now almost daily. Athens News has taken to dedicating one article everyday to highlight which unions will be on strike so people can plan their days in advance.

A private sector strike until this point has been largely organised by unions. The strike on the 19th of October are different.The majority of the Greek private sector, unionised or not, will be closing its doors for one day to protest against the state violence now being inflicted upon the Greek populous.

The simple motivation for this unprecedented no unionised stoppage of the private sector is to deprive the government of one days worth of tax revenue. It is an interesting and possible decisive move by the private sector. Even though businesses are not generally unionised a show of solidarity amongst all independent private businesses ups the stakes for the government, a much bigger resistance to their plans has emerged.This is the most telling and possibly the most effective strike to hit Greece in 3 years.if there is one thing that a government will take notice of it is being hit in the pocket.The Greek government deficit remains at over 10% despite massive increases in tax rates for all members of Greek society.The Greek government deficit in 2010 is now stated as 10.6% and yet the Greek finance minister Venizelos and prime minister Papandreou show no signs of altering their policies.

According to Albert Einstein, Venizelos and Papandreou are now officially insane
"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."

Papandreou and Venizelos would do well to read them

"Any intelligent fool can make things bigger and more complex… It takes a touch of genius – and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction."

"Force always attracts men of low morality"

"We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them."

Albert Einstein

We all know about Albert Einstein, the founder of the theory of relativity but how about the person who taught him and showed him the way to a bright scientific journey which would change the world? That was his teacher, Konstantinos Karathodoris. During one of his last pubic appearance Albert Einstein said, “You ask me to answer to all sorts of questions, but noone has ever wanted to know who was my teacher, who showed me the way to the higher mathematical science, thought and research. I simply say that my teacher was the unrivalled Greek Konstantinos Karatheodoris, to who we owe everything…” Indeed, it was a Greek from Thrace. He has not only been in touch with Einstein but has also hepled him to complete the theory of relativity. The world’s mathematical community acknowledges the  major offering and contrubution of  “Kara” , as they name him when it comes to the research of higher mathematics. He started his studies at the age of 27 and until the last days of his life he kept writing critics and scientific studies. His cooperation and communication with Einstein  for the theory of relativity is imprinted in the letters they exchanged, which know are  exhibited in the museum “Karatheodoris ” in Komotini. Below is an excerpt:

“I consider your derivative as excellent.. at first I was misleaded by a slight error in  the second page. But know, I understand everything. You should publish the theory in this form in Αnnalen der Physik since physicists know  nothing on this subject, neighter do I. [...] If you would  like to unfold regular transformations, I would be  a concious and grateful listener. If you could also solve the problem of closed timelines, then I would kneel to you. [...]  A. Einstein”

http://greece.greekreporter.com/2011/02/21/alber-einsteins-teacher-was-the-great-greek-konstantinos-karatheodoris/

Greece should leave the Euro

another hit from 1987 as we remember the market crash onthis day 24 hours ago. there's a look at some of the protests in greece today. massive strike is under way. protesters rallying against another round of austerity cuts ahead of a key vote set for tomorrow. michael spence is a nobel lar laureate in economics. he joins us here on the set. good to see you again, michael. good to see you, carl. obviously the pictures keepbringing us back to greece. you make the point, though, that in effect it is already dead. i think so. greece probably can be bailed out in terms of affordability on the fiscal debt. but they're 40% out of bounds in terms of being able to kind of grow the economy. they have huge trade deficit with the rest of europe.it's -- and they don't have the exchange rate. so it's very hard to see how you can keep greece in the euro zone and have them have a future. you said they should exit? you know, it's a rock and a hard place, carl. they exit and the fear is you have a lehman-like event in the euro zone. and they don't exit and you've got an economy that's dead in the water. i think probably at some point they'll figure that out and decide there's a better future if we can reset the terms of trade. do you see a path not to where europe's problems are solved, but to where it becomes what we would call in the biz news business a second-page story? yes, i do. what's being talked about nowmay not be quite enough. but they're pretty determined to solve this problem. and the main events are -- the big countries, spain and italy, getting things under control. and the ecb backed by the euro zone countries just stopping the contagion. they have to do it enthusiastically so that the speculators just can't drive the yields up. does the imf need to -- obviously the huge disagreement around the globe about whether or not they should go in with their own bazooka. but some say, if you leave it up to the europeans, they have shown time and again they'reunwilling to fill that vacuum with political will, with money and maybe you really do need the imf? the imf has the technicalcompetence to play a really important role. i think and hope that the europeans will ask them to play that role in implementingwhatever solutions they come to, the austerity programs, thereform and growth f-oriented programs, all that stuff, the imf, that's what they're good at. and they've done it before. not on this scale and not in advanced countries, but they're good at it.any sense about how much the german economy has benefited? the huge german how much have they benefitedfrom everything that's been involved with the euro over the last decade? well, they've benefited for sure. on a standalone basis as the way the euro trades now, it's an undervalued currency from a german point of view. and that helps exports. but on the other hand, you have to remember, germany went through a very tough reform program in the period -- the decade before the crisis and restored their productivity and competitiveness. so the combination of those two things puts them in pretty goodshape.


http://video.cnbc.com/gallery/?video=3000051433
http://video.cnbc.com/gallery/?video=3000051433

Greece is fed up

https://www.createspace.com/3700466

www.zougla.gr

Sintagma is more than just riots

The side streets of Sintagma Square leading to the Acropolis abound with mini-markets, cafes and παντοπολεία - pantopolia - literally a 'sell-everything' shop. In terms of edibles, the one I chanced on sold croissants, potato chips, sweets, sodas, fragile φρυγανιές (crumbly rusks that look like miniature toasts) as well as tinned goods. About the only healthy item in it was fruit, which was out of the question: bananas will go black with the merest touch, while the other all-time classic morning-break fruit, the apple, bruises easily, and may need peeling if you don't know what its pesticide content is.
I was beginning to feel I had lost the battle for a healthy mid-morning school snack when I spotted a lady selling the classic Greek bagel - κουλούρι, koulouri - at a stand on the corner of the road on Μητροπόλεως (mitropoleos - Cathedral) and Φιλελλήνων (filelinon - Philhellenic) Streets. Bagels are quite durable; in any case, they don't lose their taste, nor do they become stale in 24 hours. A perfect choice; I bought two plain soft bagels, two hand-shaped hard ones and a tomato-and-feta filled soft bagel, ditching plans to buy the full range, which also included chocolate-filled ones. Koulouria are usually eaten on their own, but if you manage to avoid the temptation of munching into them on the street, they go great with a piece of cheese, a few olives and a glass of wine, which I didn't have handy on me at the time, the reason why I didn't deal with my own bagel choice (the filled one, naturally) till I got back to Hania.


http://www.organicallycooked.com/2008/10/double-identity.html

Athens Protests & Tear Gas- Live Blogging in EN – Oct 19, 2011 | Keep Talking Greece

Athens Protests & Tear Gas- Live Blogging in EN – Oct 19, 2011 | Keep Talking Greece

Greek News

GREECE STRIKES AGAIN !!! LIVE STREAM

http://www.e-magazino.gr/index.php/eidiseis/epikairotita/kanoun-ton-giro-tou-kosmou-oi-eikones-apo-tin-athina.html

stopcarteltvgr on livestream.com. Broadcast Live Free

Barbara Goldsmith predicts Pluto and Uranus will cause more riots

This weekend, the Wall Street protests went global with demonstrations in many major cities around the world. So far most of the rallies have been small and quite peaceful, but in Rome there were tens of thousands of people who were prepared to be violent to get their point across. From New Zealand, to Australia, Japan, the Philippines, Taiwan, France, Spain, Germany, Greece, the UK and many cities across the US.

What's happening? Which planets are triggering these events and how does the future look? The two planets at play here are Uranus and Pluto.

Bravo aggele me to baglamadaki sou - and only after 5 lessons !!!

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

In a series of articles, columns and multimedia reports, The International Herald Tribune examines where women stand in the early 21st century.

Previous Articles in the Series »

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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

Picks of the week

Εσύ πόσο τον έχεις;

Εσύ πόσο τον έχεις;: 15.000 τόνοι ψαριών κάθε χρόνο πετιούνται στη θάλασσα νεκρά. Κάνε click και πάρε θέση για να τα σώσεις!

The Slap

Hector

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Played by Jonathan LaPaglia

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“On the day before his 40th birthday, Hector awoke with one thing in mind…Connie.”

Hector seems to have it all. He is a handsome, financially secure and married to the beautiful Aisha with whom he has two children, Adam and Melissa. From the outside looking in, it appears like his doting Greek parents have handed him everything on a plate. But Hector knows that under this seemingly ideal facade of his life lies a dangerous secret.Over the last few months, Hector has become infatuated with 17 year-old Connie, who works part-time at his wife’s vet clinic.The slap and its aftermath force Hector to face up to his actions, understand his weaknesses and to re-evaluate what is truly important to him.

Relationship to “the slap”

His cousin Harry is the one who slaps Hugo. His wife, Aisha, sides with Hugo’s family and Hector’s loyalty is torn between his wife and his extended family.

From the book

“He simply loved women. Young, old, those just starting to blossom and those beginning to fade. And sheepishly, almost embarrassed

Slap is a bold, provocative television drama series that forensically examines the mores and morality of contemporary middleclass life. Based on Christos Tsiolkas’ bestselling novel, this 8 –part drama series traces the shattering repercussions of a single event upon a group of family and friends.

The series starts at an Australian backyard BBQ. Amongst alcohol, friendship and a children’s cricket game a man slaps a child who is not his son. The party comes to a sudden halt. The child’s parents are so affronted they vow to take the man to court. As the series unfolds the police become involved and friends and family are forced to take sides. One cousin is forced to testify against another. Couples are caught in the crossfire. Beliefs are tested and relationships strained.

 Christos Tsiolkas writes novels, plays and scripts. His first novel Loaded was turned into the film Head On by Ana Kokkinos in 1998. His second novel The Jesus Man was published in 1999. His third novel Dead Europe won The Age Fiction Book of the Year prize in 2006 and also the Melbourne Prize for that year. In 1999 Christos was asked to participate with three other writers (Andrew Bovell, Patricia Cornelius and Melissa Reeves) and composer Irinia Vela, on the theatrical collaboration Who’s Afraid of the Working Class? The production won the Australian Writers Guild top prize for that year but more importantly was the beginning of a long professional relationship with the above artists and the Melbourne Workers Theatre. Other plays include Viewing Blue Poles and Elektra AD, and Non Parlo di Salo, written with Spiro Economopoulos, about the Italian filmmaker, poet and activist, Pier Paolo Pasolini

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Kai Fobamai - Kripseme