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Wednesday, April 2, 2014

From Friday the 13th to Apollo 13: A look at the superstitions associated with the number 13

by  Associated Press A look at the power of the number 13 in the world by THOMAS ADAMSON, Associated Press - 2 April 2014 15:47-04:00

PARIS (AP) — It's unlucky to stay inside on the 13th day of the Iranian new year, but fear surrounding the number 13 has chilled people for centuries around the world. The fear of the number even has its own psychological term coined in 1910: "Triskaidekaphobia."

From Friday the 13th, the Apollo 13 mission and even Judas' 13th seat at The Last Supper, here's a look at the power of the number 13 in history and popular culture:

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The Last Supper's unlucky 13th seat:

In Western lore, experts believe the fear over 13 started in the Bible.

Some believe that at the Last Supper, Judas, the disciple who betrayed Jesus, was the 13th to sit at the table — though the Christian text does not specify an order in which they gathered.

"It was first thought to be unlucky to seat 13 at a table because of the Bible story but after it developed that 13 was unlucky for anything," says Stuart Vyse, the author of "Believing in Magic: the Psychology of Superstition."

Vyse says that fears were consolidated in Norse mythology in the late 8th to the mid-11th centuries.

The evil Loki, played by Tom Hiddleston in Marvel's "Thor" movies, was according to Viking myth the 13th god in their pantheon. Also, death is the 13th card in a tarot deck.

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Is it Friday or Tuesday the 13th?

The myth of the cursed Friday the 13th as immortalized in the cult slasher movie is a relatively new thing.

It's thought that already existing superstitions with the number's bad luck was merged with the bad association with Friday, the day people were traditionally hanged in Europe. For Christians, Friday is also the day Jesus was crucified.

Friday still chills in the West, though ironically enough, a study once claimed that in fact the number of car crashes went down, not up, on Friday the 13th as people stayed at home out of fear. In Greece, Mexico and Spain, it's Tuesday the 13th that's thought to be cursed.

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Apollo 13:

The Apollo 13 lunar mission, subject of 1995's acclaimed Tom Hanks film, was aborted after an oxygen tank exploded.

Before the event, NASA and the crew's commander Jim Lovell brushed off the idea that Apollo 13 was a cursed mission over superstitions.

But numerologists had a field day over the mission's launch date that when written out — 4-11-70 — the individual digits add up to 13. It was also on April 13 that the tank exploded.

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Air France doesn't have a 13th row:

Airlines such as Air France often have a 12th and 14th — but no 13th row. Many buildings in the U.S. don't have a 13th floor, and some airports are constructed without a gate 13.

Experts say that it's an economic decision — as customers would not spend money on something they thought was cursed. According to a Gallup poll that appeared in 2007 — spookily enough — 13 percent of Americans said they would be bothered if they were placed on the 13th floor.

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It's 4 that's unlucky in China:

In Asia, 13 is just another number. And in China, it's the number 4 that provokes the most fear.

The phenomenon, known technically as "tetraphobia," exists because of linguistic reasons.

"In Chinese the number 4 sounds much like the word for 'death,'" says Patrick Alexander, a social anthropology lecturer at Oxford University. "As a result, the number 4 is often omitted in elevators and other public contexts."

The number 8 is particularly lucky in China and Japan because it sounds similar to "prosperity" or "wealth."

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Follow Thomas Adamson on Twitter at www.twitter.com/ThomasAdamsonAP.

News Topics: General news, Industrial accidents, Accidents, Accidents and disasters

People, Places and Companies: Tom Hiddleston, Tom Hanks, James Lovell, France, Iran, China, Western Europe, Europe, Middle East, Greater China, East Asia, Asia

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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Greek Prison Guards Admit Torturing Albanian Inmate

Investigators duly called those nine prison guards, although Aravantinos said seven of them denied any participation in the incident, while two admitted their guilt. However, they refused to give any more information about the other seven.

READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT greece.greekreporter.com

Greece sees 'trial and error' bond foray, full return in 2016

ATHENS (Reuters) - Greece's first foray into bond markets after a four-year exclusion will be on a "trial and error" basis but the nation expects to fund itself unaided in 2016, its finance minister told Reuters on Wednesday.

READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.reuters.com

Greek Islands Menu

The dish might incorporate barbecued vegetables, for example tomatoes, onion, and cucumber too. The dish is then dressed with a sauce called tzatziki ... From dark olives to green, Kalamata to Peloponessos, there is something for everybody.

READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT questgreekislands.com

Ex-Ericsson Exec Reveals €13 Million Bribe to Greek Officials

Swedish communication tech company Ericsson paid 116 million Swedish krona (€13.05 million) in bribes to Greek politicians and military officials to secure

READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT greece.greekreporter.com

Greek Bronzes To Be Exhibited in U.S. and Italy

Monumental bronze sculptures from major museums worldwide, including Greek ones, will be displayed in Florence, Los Angeles and Washington next year in

READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT greece.greekreporter.com

Schäuble Plans Credit Fund For Small Greek Businesses

The German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble announced on Wednesday that discussions between the Greek coalition government and eurozone finance ministers concerning the financial support for small and medium-sized enterprises in Greece have ...

READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT greece.greekreporter.com

Eurozone ministers agree to pay Greece €8.3bn

Eurozone ministers agree to pay Greece €8.3bnEUobserverBRUSSELS - Eurozone finance ministers agreed to pay out €8.3 billion of Greece's bailout package on Tuesday (1 April), bringing to a close a protracted battle between the Athens government and its creditors over the latest round of austerity reforms.

READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT euobserver.com

Greek PM's aide quits amid tape row

A top aide to the Greek PM resigns over a videotape in which he appears to accuse his boss of influencing a criminal investigation.

READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.bbc.co.uk

Greece the Country Sponsor of WTM Latin America 2014

eTurboNewsGreece the Country Sponsor of WTM Latin America 2014eTurboNewsThe Country Partnership with WTM Latin America, which takes place between 25- 25 April in São Paulo, is designed to further increase ties between Brazil and Latin America and Greece. As the fundamental pillar of Western culture - the Mediterranean ...

READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.eturbonews.com

Borrowing costs in recovering Greece fall to pre-bailout levels

Borrowing costs in recovering Greece fall to pre-bailout levelsReutersThe chairman of euro zone finance ministers Jeroen Dijsselbloem said on Tuesday Greece was fully funded for the next 12 months and had ambitions to soon return to the market rather than ask for a third bailout. Even so, German Finance Minister Wolfgang ...

READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.reuters.com

Talks on debt relief could start in May, Greek official says

Talks on debt relief could start in May, Greek official saysKathimeriniLong-awaited talks between Greece and its rescue creditors to make the country's debt sustainable could start as early as next month and would likely last until the fall or beyond, a senior official in the Greek government said Wednesday. Greeces ...

READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.ekathimerini.com

Crimea crisis poses a threat to tourism in Spain, Greece

Crimea crisis poses a threat to tourism in Spain, GreeceFortune (blog)The annexation of the Crimea has led to Russia becoming an international pariah and weakened the rouble. It may also mean further economic woe for Spain and Greece. FORTUNE -- You don't need a master's degree in international relations to understand ...

READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT features.blogs.fortune.cnn.com

Tsochatzopoulos Sentence Reduced by Appeal Court

Greece’s court of appeal has handed down a reduced sentence to former government minister Akis Tsochatzopoulos for false declaration of wealth regarding a property on Dionysiou

READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT greece.greekreporter.com

Greece’s Fastest Growing Companies

A study conducted by Infobank Hellastat S.A. lists the 15 Greek companies with the highest growth rate between 2009 and 2012. According

READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT greece.greekreporter.com

Good food, so-so service at Greek taverna

Good food, so-so service at Greek tavernaInquirer.netSuggested orders: Most of the dishes have yogurt, nearly a staple in Greek cuisine. The refreshing starters are a must: hummus made of chickpeas with roasted garlic and tahini, and tatziki, a cucumber and yogurt dip. These are served with pita bread.

READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT lifestyle.inquirer.net

Greece is back, market return in sight-PM

ATHENS (Reuters) - Greece has put the worst of a debt crisis behind it and is considering issuing new debt within three months, Prime Minister Antonis Samaras told Reuters on Wednesday.

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'Multiverse' Idea May Have Originated With Philosopher From Middle Ages

The idea that our universe may be just one among many out there has intrigued modern cosmologists for some time. But it looks like this "multiverse" concept might actually have appeared, albeit unintentionally, back in the Middle Ages.

When scientists analyzed a 13th-century Latin text and applied modern mathematics to it, they found hints that the English philosopher who wrote it in 1225 was already toying with concepts similar to the multiverse.

The study, published on the pre-print server Arxiv and accepted by the Proceedings of the Royal Society A, has brought together two traditionally quite separate subjects: cosmology and history. [7 Surprising Things About the Universe]

"The results give us a much deeper appreciation of science in the 13th century," said one of the lead authors of the study, physicist Richard Bower of Durham University in the United Kingdom. "From a scientist's perspective, I find I had previously completely underestimated the depth of logical argument in the Middle Ages."

The international team first translated the original Latin text — called De Luce, which means "On Light," and written by a philosopher named Robert Grosseteste — into English.

Grosseteste was "one of the most dazzling minds of his generation, lauded by his successors as a mathematical genius, theologian, politician and church leader; he was the bishop of Lincoln from 1235-53," said the principal investigator of the research, medieval historian Giles Gasper of Durham University.

The scientists then tried to understand what Grosseteste was aiming to explain, and wrote down his ideas as if they were modern mathematical equations. The team used a computer to solve these equations, and to see whether they explained the universe as Grosseteste imagined it.

Concentric spheres

In Grosseteste's time, the dominant cosmological model was the one developed mainly by the Greek philosopher Aristotle. He postulated that there were nine planets (called spheres), one inside the other, with planet Earth at the center.

In De Luce, Grosseteste assumed that the universe was born from an explosion that pushed everything, matter and light, out from a single point — an idea that is strikingly similar to the modern Big Bang theory.

At first, wrote the philosopher, matter and light were linked together. But the rapid expansion eventually led to a "perfect state," with light-matter crystallizing and forming the outermost sphere — the so-called "firmament" — of the medieval cosmos. [The Universe: Big Bang to Now in 10 Easy Steps]

The crystalized matter, Grosseteste assumed, also radiated a special kind of light, which he called lumen. It radiated inward, gathering up the "imperfect" matter it encountered and piling it up in front, similar to the way shock waves propagate in a supernova explosion.

This left behind "perfect" matter that crystallized into another sphere, embedded within the first and also radiating lumen. Eventually, in the center, the remaining imperfect matter formed the core of all the spheres — the Earth.

After they ran a computer simulation using modern equations, the researchers found that the universe imagined by Grosseteste indeed could have formed exactly the way he described it.

"Amazingly, the computer simulation shows that Grosseteste's description is accurate," Bower said.

However, Grosseteste's reasoning only works if there is the right number of properly ordered celestial spheres — and this only happens in the simulations if there are very specific starting points.

"On their own, Grosseteste's laws aren't enough to produce the universe he thought he lived in," Bower said.

The medieval philosopher realized this problem, too. To deal with it, he added an extra reason to explain why there were "exactly nine celestial spheres plus one, an 'imperfect' Earth," Bower said.

Today's physics

Grosseteste's explanation was remarkably similar to the reasoning applied in modern cosmology. Today, the laws of general relativity and quantum mechanics are used to explain the origin of the cosmos, but they do not tell us the amounts of normal matter, dark matter and dark energy in the universe.

"To explain this, cosmologists often appeal to some new theory, such as a super-symmetry theory, for example," Bower said.

In other words, current models work for only certain specific values, and if the values are chosen at random, the explanation fails. So to satisfy these conditions, some physicists suggest that we, in fact, live in a multiverse — that there is not one universe, but an infinite number of them. In this way, any outcome can be accounted for, if not in ours, then in a neighboring universe.

In the same way, if the parameters in Grosseteste's model are modified, there will be a different number of spheres around the Earth.

And although De Luce never mentions the term "multiverse," Bower said that Grosseteste "seems to realize that the model does not predict a unique solution, and that there are many possible outcomes. He needs to pick out one universe from all the possibilities."

"Robert Grosseteste works in a very similar way to a modern cosmologist, suggesting physical laws based on observations of the world around him, and he then uses these laws to understand how the universe formed," Bower said.

Although Grosseteste's description of the origin of the cosmos is not accurate and not based on modern physics, his theory makes sense, and — when one accepts Grosseteste's initial assertions — it is "a logical argument that a modern physicist would be proud of," Bower added.

"Personally, it reminds me that in future centuries, a new generation of physicists will look back at how we understand the universe today, and think, 'How could they not see that?'" Bower said. "Modern cosmology is a grasping towards a more complete understanding of creation, but we do not yet see the full picture."

The study was funded by the UK's Arts and Humanities Research Council, and is described in more detail on the team's Ordered Universe blog (http://ordered-universe.com).

Follow Katia Moskvitch on Twitter @SciTech_Cat. Follow us @Spacedotcom. We're also on Facebookand Google+. Original article on Space.com.

The History & Structure of the Universe (Infographic) Big Bang Gravitational Waves Discovered | Video Oldest Light In The Universe - How It Traveled To Us | Video Copyright 2014 SPACE.com, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Top aide to Greek PM resigns over taped claim that his boss influenced Golden Dawn probe

ATHENS, Greece - A top aide to Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras has resigned over a video in which he appears to accuse Samaras of influencing a criminal investigation into a Nazi-inspired party to gain votes.

READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.canada.com

Merkel Sets April 11 Athens Visit

German Chancellor Angela Merkel is expected to come back to Athens on April 11 for the first time in 18 months to give a boost to Prime Minister Antonis Samaras.

The post Merkel Sets April 11 Athens Visit appeared first on The National Herald.


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.thenationalherald.com

Art in Sahara – Human, Not Alien

EL GOUNA, Egypt – Looking at photos of the Sahara – the largest desert in Africa – taken by a satellite, one encounters a breathtakingly beautiful and spectacularly symmetrical masterpiece, that looks like a footprint made by an outer space alien whose foot must be the size of a small city. Then, a more cynical […]

The post Art in Sahara – Human, Not Alien appeared first on The National Herald.


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.thenationalherald.com

Greek PM's top aide quits over Golden Dawn remarks

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — A top aide to Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras has resigned over a video in which he appears to accuse Samaras of influencing a criminal investigation into a Nazi-inspired party to gain votes.

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German finance minister Schäuble announces action plan for Greek businesses

German finance minister Schäuble announces action plan for Greek businessesDeutsche WelleTalks had begun between the Greek government and eurozone finance ministers on garnering fresh financial support for small and medium-sized businesses in Greece, German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble announced Wednesday. Speaking after a ...

READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.dw.de

The danger in the BNP's 'indigenous Brits only' food banks

Manipulative charity thrives in the spaces vacated by welfare, a tool the Nazis, Mussolini and, more recently, Greece's Golden Dawn have used before

What is it with fascists and charity? One of the most insidious propaganda coups on the part of the neo-Nazi Golden Dawn in Greece was to initiate a series of food banks for "indigenous" Greeks. Since last year, BNP food banks have been spotted in east London similar to their traditional propaganda efforts based on civic activism such as litter-picking and now the party has announced to a riveted world that these are only for "indigenous Brits".

This isn't even coded racism. It was only a few years ago that the BNP explained the concept of "racial foreigners" to the credulous if you're not white, they averred, you're not truly British. As if to underline the point in this context, the BNP's duce, Nick Griffin, also charmingly compared a leading black member of Unite Against Fascism, who had criticised the scheme, to an orc a mythical, villainous humanoid creature with facial features drawn from various animals.


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10 Things You Need To Know This Morning (DIA, SPY, QQQ)

Good morning! Here's what you need to know.

ADP's Private Payrolls Report. We get our first look at March jobs data today as ADP releases its employment report at 8:15 a.m. in advance of Friday's non-farm payrolls survey. Expectations are for a 195,000 increase in private payrolls from 139,000 in February. Economists are generally expecting the numbers in Friday's official report to be impressive. "While the median estimate stands at 200K -- up from 150K just one month ago -- BTIG thinks job growth could be on the order of 225K while many with whom we’re meeting have been speaking of a much stronger snapback," BTIG's Dan Greenhaus wrote in a note. "If you believe, as we do, that weather was instrumental in weighing on the economy more generally, then this number should provide evidence for just such a belief. Conversations with clients suggest we’re not alone in the “possibly stronger” camp. On that front, [today's] ADP report should be closely watched."

New China Bitcoin rules. The FT reports China is preparing a fresh crackdown on Bitcoin. "The People’s Bank of China is considering whether to order the country’s banks to close Bitcoin trading accounts, according to people familiar with the matter. If that order goes through, it would eliminate the last major remaining channel by which people in China can buy the virtual currency."

Virtu delays IPO. Michael Lewis' book on high-frequency trading continues to ripple through the market: "Virtu Financial, a high-frequency trading company, has delayed a planned US initial public offering after its bankers advised it to hold fire as this week’s publication of Flash Boys thrust the business of lightning fast trading into the spotlight," the FT wrote.

Markets. Stocks are up around the world, led by the Nikkei at 1%. Gold and silver were higher. Bitcoin prices climbed 8% to $490.  

Factory orders. The Census releases factory orders data for February at 10 a.m. Expectations are for a gain of more than 1% after a decline of 0.7% in January.

Fed speeches. Atlanta Fed President Dennis Lockhart presents in Miami at 12:30 p.m. St. Louis Fed President Jim Bullard speaks in St. Louis at 5 p.m.

Greek borrowing. Greece's borrowing costs have fallen to a 2010 low of 6.4%. "Yesterday Matina Stevis at WSJ reported that Greece is getting set to return to the market with its first long-term debt issue since the bailout," BI's Joe Weisenthal writes. "Obviously the pain has been wrenching, and much of it unnecessary. More than anything, what saved Greece is what saved all of Europe: The implicit commitment by Mario Draghi (made in the summer of 2012) to backstop Eurozone governments." 

More easing in Japan? Corporate managers are skeptical the Bank of Japan can hit its 2% inflation target, meaning more easing could be in the offing. "The finding that corporate managers do not believe a 2% inflation target can be achieved in coming years should be a strong reason for additional easing," said Masamichi Adachi, economist at JPMorgan in Tokyo according to the FT.

Charles Keating dead. The protagonist of the '80s and '90s savings-and-loans crisis passed away aged 90. "The S. & L. debacle of the 1980s and 90s, when a thousand institutions collapsed in an implosion of reckless investments, may be a distant echo in a nation stricken by economic turmoil," the New York Times' Robert McFadden writes. "But to millions old enough to have been dragged through the mess, Mr. Keating is remembered, perhaps unjustly, as the pre-eminent villain of an era when depositors, many of them older Americans and naïve investors, lost life savings they had squirreled away in hometown thrifts they thought were safe."

#MH370 disappearance now criminal. Malaysian authorities officially classified the disappearance of flight #MH370 as criminal, but said they may never solve the mystery. "At the end of the investigations, we may not even know the real cause. We may not even know the reason for this incident," the country's police chief said.

Join the conversation about this story »

    

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Greece Lifts Immunity for Golden Dawn Lawmakers

Prosecutors will be able to file criminal charges against five deputies of the far-right Golden Dawn party following parliamentary vote.

READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT online.wsj.com

Parliament Votes to Lift Immunity of Golden Dawn MPs

The Ethics Committee of the Greek Parliament voted to lift the parliamentary immunity of three members of the neo-nazi Golden Dawn party, Konstantinos

READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT greece.greekreporter.com

25 Colleges Where Students Are Both Hot And Smart

The largest religious university in the country is also the best place to find students with beauty and brains.

Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah is the top school for students who are both hot and smart, according to data put together by Niche. The other schools that make the cut span from small liberal arts colleges to giant state universities, and everything else in between.

To compile this ranking, we used data from Niche's lists on the colleges with the hottest guys, hottest girls, smartest guys, and smartest girls. Niche's college section — College Prowler — features close to 1 million in-depth student reviews on more than 8,000 schools

We've included a few quotes from each school's Niche profile in our ranking to help illustrate what the student body is like. 

#25 University of Wisconsin — Madison

Madison — Wisconsin

"Everyone is really nice. Easy to strike up a conversation out in public or in class. Everyone likes to have fun but is ultimately there for an excellent degree and a good future."

"I love my dorm neighbor guys. I have a ton of guy friends and guys I can study with. Smart and cute is a great combination!"

Visit Niche for more on University of Wisconsin — Madison.

#24 Middlebury College

Middlebury — Vermont

"We can't keep our hands off each other! Most guys here have a sculpted body, and the girls here are fit with pretty faces."

"Not only are the people at Middlebury superficially beautiful and fit, but they're also hard working, brilliant, interesting and engaging individuals who are passionate about something."

Visit Niche for more on Middlebury College.

#23 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill — North Carolina

"Both the girls and guys are athletic and into looking good. People take pride in their appearances. The accent isn't hard to get used to but if you're not from here it'll take a little while to get used to."

"The people you meet is really up to you. If you're into Greek people, then you'll most-likely get upper class, preppy, and sometimes snooty people. If you try to meet others outside of the Greek scene, then you're most-likely to get a more diverse range of people, which could include people who are nice, geeky, etc."

Visit Niche for more on University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

See the rest of the story at Business Insider    

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Greek Presidency results before the European Parliament LIBE Committee

The Regulation is expected to contribute significantly to an effective border management ... the future development of JHA. The Presidency is now reflecting on how to bring things further in view of the June Council and in view of the European Council.

READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.neurope.eu

A View from the Bridge review – 'Greek tragedy in dockers' work boots'

The GuardianA View from the Bridge review – 'Greek tragedy in dockers' work boots'The GuardianThe presence of this choric figure (sagaciously played by Bruce Alexander) makes clear Miller's intent to issue Greek tragedy with a pair of dockers' dirty work boots, and Lloyd Hutchinson's hugely impressive Eddie has the implacable fate of the tragic ...and more »

READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.theguardian.com

Clashes in Athens as Greece bailout promise fails to quell anti-austerity anger

Clashes in Athens as Greece bailout promise fails to quell anti-austerity angereuronewsOur correspondent in Athens Stamatis Giannisis said: ''After four years of austerity Greece's international economic profile is improving fast, but this by no means marks the end of public protest, as workers and pensioners have suffered a dramatic ...

READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.euronews.com

Greece can use bank rescue cushion to avert new bailout -source

Greece wants to use some 11 billion euros ($15 billion) left in its EU bank rescue package to meet upcoming needs and avoid a new bailout loan, a government source said on Wednesday. "The 11 billion euros can keep Greece from needing a third loan," a Greek finance ministry source said on the sidelines of a two-day Eurogroup meeting in Athens. A sum of 50 billion euros from Greece's EU rescue ...

READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT en-maktoob.news.yahoo.com

"Fruitful" discussions on European banking system reform at ECOFIN: Greek FinMin

A two-day informal ECOFIN meeting in Athens closed on Wednesday with Greek Finance Minister Yannis Stournaras expressing satisfaction over "fruitful" discussions over reforms of the European banking system after the financial crisis which has tested Europe in recent years.

READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT news.xinhuanet.com

Greece Weighs Using $15 Billion Bank Aid to Pay Down Debt

Greece may use 11 billion euros ($15.2 billion) of international aid earmarked for banks to reduce the nation’s debt, adding momentum to the government’s planned return to international bond markets.

READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.bloomberg.com

Greek Parliament Lifts Immunity for Far-Right Lawmakers

Wall Street JournalGreek Parliament Lifts Immunity for Far-Right LawmakersWall Street JournalFour of the five lawmakers face charges of belonging to a criminal organization—a felony under Greek law—while the fifth, party spokesman, Ilias Kasidiaris, faces a lesser charge of carrying an unregistered firearm. All five deny the charges against ...

READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT online.wsj.com

Ericsson money was used to bribe Greek officials

Ericsson money was used to bribe Greek officials - reportReuters UKSTOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Swedish mobile telecoms equipment maker Ericsson paid 116 million Swedish crowns (10 million pounds) to a commercial agent, money which was then used to bribe Greek officials to secure a deal for Ericsson in 1999, Swedish ...and more »

READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT uk.reuters.com

Philosophy Storms Business

It doesn't from a distance seem as if philosophy and business would have anything to say to one another. Businesses are concerned with meeting strict targets under time pressure, maximising revenue and outwitting competitors. Philosophy is concerned with the largest and most impractical questions about the meaning of life; it sets itself no targets and has no practical outcomes. But in reality, business and philosophy have a huge amount to offer one another. Beneath their interest in profits, businesses are forced to engage with nothing less than the issue of how to satisfy their customers, a subject full of contradictions and complexities. For its part, philosophy has spent most of its long history investigating the ingredients of a good life, what Aristotle called eudaimonia, a Greek word translated as 'flourishing' or 'fulfilment'. In their different ways, philosophy and business have to work out how to satisfy people - and therefore how they tick.

READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.huffingtonpost.com

'Too Big To Fail' Is Still Alive And Well

LONDON (Reuters) - Five years after Lehman Brothers' seismic bust and just two years after euro member Greece defaulted, the concept of being too big or too strategic to fail is alive and well. Although unwritten government guarantees of big banks have been at the heart of taxpayer outrage over being left on the hook for the missteps of giant corporations, few politicians or voters are keen to embrace another 'Lehman moment' or the global economic implosion that ensued. Tighter regulation on capital buffers and risk-taking, the insistence that banks have 'living wills' for any future workout procedure, creditor 'bail-in' bonds and even the ring-fencing of certain operations within banks have all been preferred routes to limit the exposure of both society and shareholders. Yet, as an International Monetary Fund study detailed this week, there's still a running assumption that governments would again rescue the biggest banks in the event of another panic. The IMF found that at least through 2012 the euro zone's biggest banks still benefited from an implicit taxpayer subsidy of $90 billion to $300 billion. Subsidies for UK and Japanese banks may have been as high as $110 billion and they ranged from $20 billion to $70 billion in the United States. So the risk, you might assume, is still loaded on the government's tab. Yet government borrowing costs across the western world and beyond have rarely, if ever, been lower. GREEK RETURNS Even far out on the risk spectrum, Greece - whose 2010 bailout and 2012 debt default has traumatized the euro zone for four years - looks set for the quickest and arguably most dramatic return in history of a sovereign bond defaulter to capital markets. A new public debt sale is expected by many later this year. While new debt issued by euro zone governments will from now on contain some form of workout prescription, or so-called Collective Action Clauses, the assumption of broad international support remains intact. Prospective bond buyers reckon the chances of Greek government, IMF or euro zone officials contemplating another private sector default by Athens in the foreseeable future are slim - for domestic political as well as bloc-wide stability reasons. There may well be further rescheduling or restructuring of official sector loans to Greece, but this would likely be seen as preferable to another protracted private creditor workout with little material relief to the long-term Athens debt load. And that's why some are saying Greece - a single B credit at best - could well borrow for five years at less than 6 percent. Fully funded for the next 12 months, Greece does not want another EU/IMF bailout either. "I have taken note of the optimism or let's say the ambition of the Greek government not to have another programme," euro group chair Jeroen Dijsselbloem said on Tuesday. And yet again - emboldened by the European Central Bank's landmark commitment to do 'whatever it takes' to keep the euro zone intact - Germany and the highly indebted euro zone sovereigns are enjoying multi-year lows in borrowing costs. 'TOO IMPORTANT' So if political, systematic or strategic significance renders borrowers "too important to fail", as the IMF study described it, then how far does the calculation extend? Ukraine is a classic case in point. Despite horrendous public finances, a contracting economy, dwindling currency reserves and the annexation of part of its territory by a neighboring superpower, few now see Ukraine defaulting. Its bonds trade above 90 cents in the dollar - now more than 10 percent up from the nadir of the Crimea crisis. Perhaps the original deduction by Ukraine's biggest bondholders, such as Templeton Franklin's Michael Hasenstab - was that its strategic importance played out in sequential financial rescues, as first Russia and then the IMF swapped promises to keep the country from defaulting with giant bailout programmes. Hasenstab, now famous for making similarly strategic and contrarian bond bets on both Irish and Hungarian government paper, has seen his funds suffer redemptions of late but what looks like another 'too big to fail' bet could well come good. "I wouldn't say exactly that (Ukraine was) too important to fail, but it's a very important geopolitical situation and that means backstops will appear from unexpected places," said Exotix economist Gabriel Sterne. Moral hazard or not then, governments will still likely stand by key banks and countries considered critical to financial, economic or political stability. And - thanks largely to the power of central bank printing presses - the guarantors appear to pay little or no additional price for that support. For investors channeling ever larger amounts of savings to fixed income as prospective retirees "de-risk", the temptation of these well-chosen yield plays seems clear. So high yields may signal 'buyer beware', but only up to a point. And yet the more money that floods to relatively risky bond markets, the bigger the fear of just one miscalculation. "I don't think you can ever eliminate the possibility of another Lehman moment - all you can do is try to reduce the chances," said Chris Probyn, Chief Economist at State Street Global Advisors.

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Byzantine Monastery Unearthed In Israel Has Spectacular Mosaics

The remains of a 1,500-year-old monastery with intact mosaics covering the floor have been unearthed in southern Israel, the Israel Antiquities Authority announced Tuesday (April 1).

The Byzantine complex — which was discovered near Hura, a Bedouin village in the northern Negev Desert — measures 65 feet by 115 feet (20 by 35 meters). It is arranged on an east-west axis, a common feature in Byzantine churches, and a prayer hall and dining room are decorated with elaborate mosaics that show geometric patterns, leaves, flowers, baskets, jars and birds.

These tiles have managed to retain their vibrant blue, red, yellow and green colors over the centuries. The floor decorations, IAA officials say, include inscriptions in Greek and the Syriac language, which contain rather helpful information for historians: the names of the monastery's abbots — Eliyahu, Nonus, Solomon and Ilrion — and the dates on which each floor was laid down during the second half of the sixth century A.D. [Image Gallery: See a Stunning Byzantine Mosaic]

6th century A.D. floor mosaics revealed in southern Israel.

"It seems that this monastery, located near the Byzantine settlement of Horbat Hur, is one monastery in a series of monasteries situated alongside a road that linked Transjordan with the Be'er Sheva Valley," Daniel Varga, who was leading excavations at the site for the IAA, said in a statement.

The monastery also has four service rooms in the western wing, which are paved with white mosaic tiles, IAA officials said. Archaeologists found ceramic jars, cooking pots, kraters, bowls, glass vessels and coins strewn about the ruins.

The discovery was made during a salvage excavation ahead of construction of an interchange on southern Israel's Highway 31. Israeli officials say they plan to relocate the monastery, including its mosaics, to the Wadi 'Attir agricultural and tourism project next to Hura.

Salvage excavations are common in archaeologically rich locales like Israel, where construction and development projects could cover up or damage hidden ruins. Before Israel's Highway 38 could be widened in Eshtaol, archaeologists dug several trenches on the side of the road and discovered a 10,000-year-old house, one of the oldest dwellings in the region. Ahead of the construction of a bridge along Highway 44, excavators found traces of a 900-year-old wealthy estate with a garden and mosaic fountain. During expansions to Highway 1 last year, excavators found a carving of a phallus from the Stone Age.

Follow Megan Gannon on Twitter and Google+. Follow us @livescience, Facebook & Google+. Original article on Live Science.

Photos: Amazing Mosaics in an Ancient Church The Holy Land: 7 Amazing Archaeological Finds Photos: Peering into a 12th-Century Byzantine Monastery Copyright 2014 LiveScience, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Greek-Australian ‘King’ of Gold Coast

The Greek Australian croesus, Kostas Makris, can now be considered as the King of the famous Gold Coast in Australia, after having bought the most expensive properties in the area. Makris, one of the wealthiest residents of Australia and the ...

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Greek prison guards charged with torture death

THESSALONIKI, Greece (AP) — Eight Greek prison guards were charged Tuesday with torturing to death an Albanian convict accused of fatally stabbing a guard in another jail after being refused temporary release to visit his critically ill mother.

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Angela Merkel’s Visit to Greece Rushed

Angela Merkel will be arriving in Athens at the end of next week to express her support for the government of Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras. According to the German newspaper, Suddeutsche Zeitung, Merkel will be arriving in Greece on ...

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Greece: Talks on debt relief could start in May

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — A senior official in the Greek government says long-awaited negotiations with creditors to try and make the country's national debt sustainable could start as early as next month and would likely last to the fall or beyond.

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Greek bond yields tumble to 2010 low

Long-delayed €8.3bn bailout aid tranche for Greece is signed off, ending stand-off that strained relations between Athens and its international lenders

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Rethinking Rep. Joe Wilson’s “You Lie” Obama Outburst

U.S. Rep Joe Wilson was condemned for shouting "You lie!" as President Barack Obama addressed Congress in 2009, but some of what he said has come home to roost.

The post Rethinking Rep. Joe Wilson’s “You Lie” Obama Outburst appeared first on The National Herald.


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PASOK Feud: Venizelos vs. Papandreou

PASOK's once-dominant Socialist party is in almost completely disarray with leader Evangelos Venizelos battling former leader George Papandreou.

The post PASOK Feud: Venizelos vs. Papandreou appeared first on The National Herald.


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Olympic Committee Protests Funding Cut

Angered by deep cuts in the amateur athletic program, the Hellenic Olympic Committee (HOC) said it plans to suspend operations for two days this month in protest.

The post Olympic Committee Protests Funding Cut appeared first on The National Herald.


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'Too Big to Fail' still thriving

LONDON (Reuters) - Five years after Lehman Brothers' seismic bust and just two years after euro member Greece defaulted, the concept of being too big or too strategic to fail is alive and well.

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PASOK In Panic Over Papandreou Defiance

PASOK’s once-dominant Socialist party is in almost completely disarray in the aftermath of its former leader and previous Greek premier George Papandreou

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Greece's Incredible Round Trip Doesn't Get Enough Attention

This fact doesn't get enough attention.

Greece's 10-year borrowing costs continue to fall and if you look at a 5-year chart we're getting closer to where we started. Graeme Wearden just tweeted this, as a reminder.

With the steep drop in Greek borrowing costs, the country is getting ready to make its triumphant return to financial markets.

Yesterday Matina Stevis at WSJ reported that Greece is getting set to return to the market with its first long-term debt issue since the bailout.

Obviously the pain has been wrenching, and much of it unnecessary. More than anything, what saved Greece is what saved all of Europe: The implicit commitment by Mario Draghi (made in the summer of 2012) to backstop Eurozone governments. 

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