In a rather scathing piece for the September edition of Vanity Fair, celebrated American author and financial journalist, Michael Lewis, travels to Greece and the now famed Vatopaidi monastery.
"Beware of Greeks Bearing Bonds" delves deep (7 pages) into the more colorful aspects of the Greek financial crisis and how a couple of monks took down an administration and somehow bartered a worthless lake into what some newspapers estimate a fortune of anywhere from tens of millions to many billions of dollars.
In the end, the author observes:
It behaves [Greece] as a collection of atomized particles, each of which has grown accustomed to pursuing its own interest at the expense of the common good.
and asks:
There’s no question that the government is resolved to at least try to re-create Greek civic life. The only question is: Can such a thing, once lost, ever be re-created?
An entertaining read (albeit ultimately the wrong message being sent out about Greece) after the jump.
Bonus Thursday:
Last year, National Geographic ran a wonderful article on the monks of Mount Athos. Great photos and also a worthy article.
Mount Athos via National Geographic
Photos
posted on Thursday, September 9
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With the down turn in the economy in Greece and the subsequent fall in property values has spurred the interest of Russians to buy property in Greece. A local newspaper in northern Greece "Thraki" has stated that nearly a half billion euros of development in the real estate sector could come from the Russians alone.
The Greek Consulates in Moscow and St. Petersburg are also working to help make the process of which Russian can obtain visas to Greece as easy as possible.
Other Tid Bits:
The annual Adelaide Glendi, which has been running for 30 years in this Australian city, will be postponed until next year due to the significant drop of volunteers, sponsors, exhibitors and participants. Organizers hope to revive the large and popular festival in 2011.
Canadian Teams sweep in Hellenic Soccer Tournament. Toronto Hellas Football Club (Men's Open Competitive Division), Olympic Flame "Alexander The Great" (Men's Open Division), and PAOK Hellas (Men's Over 40 Division) were crowned Hellenic Soccer Tournament Champions. For a full wrap up of the event that took place in Chicago, click here.
Cyprus foreign citizen population near 16%. Cyprus has the third largest foreign born population of any EU Country, with nearly 128,000 people being foreign citizens.
posted on Wednesday, September 8
Invest in Greece is the official Investment Promotion Agency of Greece that promotes and facilitates private investment. Invest in Greece identifies market opportunities and provides investors with assistance, analysis, advice, and after-care support free of charge. The site provides quite an array of information available to readers about the business practices, laws and environment in Greece.
Something that is quite impressive to check out are the different Investment Sectors being promoted, each with sub tabs that go more into depth for each sector. The Investment sectors include: Tourism, Energy, ICT, Life Sciences, Food and Beverage, Environmental Management and Licensing Procedures.
According to the site, "One of the most impressive achievements of the significant reforms carried out by the Greek government since 2004 has been the dynamic increase in Foreign Direct Investment.For instance, gross FDI inflows in 2006 totaled more than 6.29 billion Euro, a 100% increase over 2005. More significantly, net inflows reached 4.27 billion Euro, up from 487 million Euro in 2006, a noteworthy 10-fold increase. "
The site is a good effort, some of the tabs for the English version seem to still need some work but the Greek version works well . The site is currently available in five languages, English, French, Greek, German and now Chinese.
posted on Tuesday, September 7
On September 6th and 7th of 1955, Constantinople's Greek minority became victim to a violent program.
Riots were orchestrated by the Turkish military's Tactical Mobilization Group, the seat of Operation Gladio's Turkish branch; the Counter-Guerrilla. The events were triggered by the news that the Turkish consulate in Thessaloniki, the house where Mustafa Kemal Atatürk was born in 1881, had been bombed the day before.In actuality it was a bomb planted by a Turkish usher of the consulate, who was later arrested and confessed, incited the events. The Turkish press conveying the news in Turkey was silent about the arrest and instead insinuated that Greeks had set off the bomb.
A Turkish mob, most of which had been trucked into the city in advance, assaulted Constantinople’s Greek community for nine hours. Although the mob did not explicitly call for Greeks to be killed, over a dozen people died during or after the pogrom as a result of beatings and arson. Jews and Armenians were also targeted.
The material damage was extensive. There was damage to 5317 properties, almost all Greek-owned. Among these were 4214 homes, 1004 businesses, 73 churches, 2 monasteries, 1 synagogue, and 26 schools. This began a huge exodus of Greeks from the city, which today have dropped to a population between 2,500 to 6,000. (Depending on who you ask.)
Pogrom
posted on Monday, September 6
The Greek government says it will grant refugee status to a group of Iranian men who have held a hunger strike to protest long delays in the processing of their asylum applications.
A government statement Monday said all six men, two of whom had refused food since July 19, were given political asylum.
The Iranians have camped outside the Athens offices of the United Nations refugee agency, claiming their asylum applications were unanswered for up to nine years. They said they faced persecution in Iran for their beliefs.
Human rights groups often criticize Greece about their asylum system. Only about four in 10,000 applicants are granted asylum, and a backlog of more than 45,000 appeals has built up. Greek authorities have pledged reforms.
DF: Should Greece be getting help from other EU countries to deal with the flow of immigrants/refugees?
posted on Thursday, September 2
A blanket ban on smoking in public places, aimed at bringing Greece’s legislation into line with EU laws, comes into effect today. The ban will apply to bars, cafes and restaurants, as well as offices and all modes of public transport. Going with the theme of the slogan "Stub out your cigarettes, add to your life," the controversial legislation adopted in July 2009 but so far unenforced bans smoking in all public spaces except casinos and large music halls which have a nine-month extension to June.
Caught smoking? Get ready to pay up. Violaters faces fines from 50 to 500 euros (64 to 640 dollars) while business operators risk tougher penalties of 500 to 10,000 euros and repeat offenders could have their licenses revoked.
Regulators say they will allow for a one month 'grace' period for anyone caught smoking during the transition phase.
But for nicotine addicted Greece, we will see how fast this new ban will be able to be adapted. According to a report by the Greek newspaper Ta Nea, forty percent of Greeks are smokers and go through an average of eight cigarettes per day.
posted on Wednesday, September 1
Last year, a primary school in Melbourne cut both Greek and Mandarin from it's curriculum due to budget cuts and teacher restraints. The school, Wales St Primary School, draws students from areas of the greater Melbourne area that are home to a large Greek population (Northcote and Thornbury).
Over 130 parents have signed a petition to bring the language back to the curriculum saying that it not only benefits the students but the neighborhood as a whole. The parents will try to partner up with the Greek Orthodox Community of Melbourne in Victoria (GOCMV) to create a wider buzz about the subject.
A public forum to reinstate Modern Greek at Wales St Primary School in Melbourne will be held at St Georges Greek Orthodox Church Hall, 66 St David St, Thornbury on September 2 from 7pm. We will keep you all posted.
posted on Monday, August 30
Photographer Tony Koukos finds inspiration throughout the world. Currently residing in Canada but with strong ties to his native Greece and her whitewashed isles, Tony is a veteran traveler whose search for unique matter has brough him to over 30 countires including: Italy, Cuba, Australia, Thailand, Japan and Turkey.
Tony recently has one of his pieces, Heart Street, be launched globally at over 300 IKEA Stores.
Tony captured the image on his camera while walking down the graffiti-strewn streets of an old Athens.
A new website is planned to launch soon with over 3000 new travel images from approximately 38 countries. Best of luck for continued success Tony!
Be sure to check out his website at www.tonykoukos.com.
You can also find his work on Facebook at "Tony Koukos World Travel Photography"
DF Note:
» DF was on WGN's Morning News in Chicago promoting the upcoming Taste of Greece in Chicago's Greektown with WGN's 'Around Town' Reporter Ana See you there!
posted on Friday, August 27
GREEK X-FACTOR JUDGES ARRIVE IN NEW YORK TO LOOK FOR THE NEXT BIG STAR!
JOIN BY SEPTEMBER 3rd
The most successful talent show of Greek TV is back and looks for this year’s big star! Special auditions for Greek-Americans will take place for the first time in New York. All performers or vocal groups that have the x-factor have the privilege to participate in the Greek version of THE X-FACTOR 3 show!
NEW YORK X-FACTOR AUDITIONS: SEPTEMBER 10th 11th and 12th, MANHATTAN
To Join Call 1 212 688 5475, send an email to satellite@antenna.gr with all your data or fill
the join form at www.antenna.gr/satellite.
Join forms’ deadline: Friday, September 3rd.
posted on Thursday, August 26
Sudan, the largest country in Africa, and the tenth largest in the world; has been home to a small yet powerful Greek business community since the early 20th century. Located mostly in the capital Khartoum, the Greeks got heavily involved in trading and the industrial sectors, which turned out to be very lucrative for them.
Sudan unfortunately has been rocked by decades of war, famine, and civil strife; leading to many Greeks to leave the country for Greece or South Africa. About 250 Greeks still remain in the country. A crucial referendum will take place in 2011 to see if South Sudan will vote from independence from the north, hopefully leading to an end of hostilities in the country and a new era for growth and peace.
A interesting note about the Greek community in Sudan. The Acropole Hotel, which was founded in 1955 and run by the Greek Pagoulatos family - brothers Thanasis, George, and Mike; is the oldest hotel in Khartoum, founded by the brothers' father in 1955.
Acropole Hotel
posted on Wednesday, August 25
