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Welcome, 77 artists, 40 different points of Attica welcomes you by singing Erotokritos an epic romance written at 1713 by Vitsentzos Kornaros

Wednesday, June 18, 2014

Greek Midfielder Giannis Maniatis Nearly Goes Home over Team-Mate Spat

In a near-scandal that had "France 2010" written all over it, Greece midfielder Giannis Maniatis nearly left the Greek squad over a seemingly trivial bust-up with team-mate Giorgos Tzavellas on the training ground. In the aftermath of the heated row ...

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Greek Bishop Condemns Gay Pride, Homosexuality

A prominent Greek Orthodox bishop is making headlines this week after saying homosexuality is a "perversion of human existence" and Gay Pride is a "disgrace and a challenge," Pink News reports. Bishop Anthimos of Thessaloniki’s comments were made about ...

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Greek Scientist Behind “Sex Algorithm”

The acclaimed diaspora scientist Christos Papadimitriou, professor in the Department of Computer Science, University of California-Berkeley, discovered a “sex algorithm” that explains the evolution of genes with a revolutionary point of view.

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Spain v Chile: World Cup 2014 live!

Live updates from Spain's crucial Group B game against ChileEmail john.ashdown@theguardian.comOr you can tweet @John_AshdownSid Lowe: del Bosque set to make changes

7.14pm BST

Seems like it's chaos in the bowels of the Maracana:

Total chaos at Maracana as dozens of Chile fans break through fences + charge into press centre. pic.twitter.com/zl9cCBJFlB

Complete chaos in the Maracana press centre. Group of Chile fans running amok pic.twitter.com/2ngmjZqfWi

7.13pm BST

Estimates are varying in number I've seen suggestions ranging from 40 to 100 but a group of Chile fans have stormed the media centre at the Maracana:

Chile fans have just stormed the media centre, trying to get into the ground.

Old skool. Approx 40 Chile fans storm media centre to get thru to Stadium without tickets. Got a bit bouncy there

I'm not sure why but 100+ Chilean fans just ran into media centre at Maracana. Stewards trying to remove them. Glass broken, walls damaged

Now Chile fans smashing up a partition. Reporters holding up camera phones..or running away...some doing both at once

7.09pm BST

Tonight's referee is Mark Geiger of USA! USA!! USA!!! He's the first American referee at a World Cup since 2002. He took charge of Colombia v Greece the other day and did an impressive job. His World Cup started back in September 2011, when he took charge of a qualifier between Guyana and Bermuda not many people have had a longer road to Brazil than him.

7.02pm BST

Confirmation of those Spain changes in full:

Spain: Casillas; Azpilicueta, Javi Martínez, Sergio Ramos, Alba; Alonso, Busquets; Pedro, Iniesta, Silva; Diego Costa. Subs: Reina, De Gea, Albiol, Piqué, Juanfran, David Villa, Xavi, Torres, Fábregas, Mata, Koke, Cazorla.

6.47pm BST

Our roving reporter Hadley Freeman has been out and about in Rio on the hunt for Chile and Spain fans. "It's basically one big Chilean street party here," she writes.

6.39pm BST

Some early team news

Del Bosque has made changes and what changes they are. Xavi and Gerard Pique, with 194 caps between them, have been dropped, with Javi Martinez and Pedro coming into the team. The other players thought to be vulnerable David Silva, Diego Costa and Cesar Azpilicueta have all kept their starting spots.

6.30pm BST

Was Spain's display against Holland an incredible aberration or a sign of a wider malaise in this great side? It's the Arachnophobia conundrum are you with old Dr Metcalf, insisting that there's nothing amiss despite the series of suspicious spider bites, or are you with young Jeff Daniels, who spots that there might just be a much bigger problem? Götterdämmerung? Or a blip?

I have to say I'm with Dr Metcalf with this one (though you can see why they went in the other direction in the film. If he had been proven right, it wouldn't have been much of a movie, Jon Goodman, the best bit about the film, wouldn't have been needed, and the title of Arachnophobia would've been more than a little misleading). A poor half does not a dynasty end. That said, it'll be interesting to see what changes Vicente Del Bosque makes to his side. On the Football Daily podcast today, Sid Lowe is of the opinion that Pedro will come into the first XI instead of David Silva, and that Juanfran will come in for Azpilicueta at right-back. Other possible changes include Koke coming for Xavi, either Fernando Torres or David Villa will step in for Diego Costa, and possibly even Javi Martinez come in for Pique. Iker Casillas, reckons our Sid, will keep his shirt despite his cataclysmic display against the Dutch. And if he doesn't Sid has promised to appear on TV in a dress.

We have our style and we will keep to it. We keep working in the same way and were not going to change that. We hope to play Spain and get all three points. If that eliminates them, so be it. We came to Brazil with the hope of becoming world champions and for that to happen you have to get through different stages and past your rivals.

Continue reading...

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Greek Satanist Arrested Over Sacrificial Killing of Homeless Woman

Greek police have arrested an Athens man accused of brutally killing a woman in a satanic ritual on Orthodox Easter Sunday. The suspect, identified by local media as Alexandros Papageorgiou, 22, confessed to murdering a 41-year-old homeless woman in a pre-dawn attack, as she lay in a square in the Athens seaside suburb of Glyfada, police said. Papageorgiou told detectives he hit his victim with ...

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Cyprus raises €750m in post-crisis bond

In issuing its first bond since its financial crisis, Cyprus is following in the footsteps of fellow bailout recipient Greece, which raised €3bn

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Skopje Interested in Thessaloniki Port Authority

After eight candidates have stepped forward in response to the tender announced by the Hellenic Republic Asset Developement Fund (TAIPED) for the 67% stake of Thessaloniki Port Authority, Skopje has expressed interest in buying 7% of the organization. The Skopjan proposal was met with great surprise by the Greek state but this hasn’t discouraged the investors. Skopje believes that Thessaloniki’s port in northern Greece is of great importance for the country’s trade. Thessaloniki’s port is located just 70 miles from the southern utmost of Skopje, while 90% of the country’s products pass through Thessaloniki. The investors interested in the Greek port are: APM Terminals, B.V. Deutsche Invest Equity Partners, GmbH DufercoParticiption Holding, SA International Container Terminal Services, Inc Mitsui & Co., Ltd. P&O Steam Navigation Company (DP World) Russian Railways JSC / GEK TERNA S.A. Yilport Holding,Inc Duferco is the only company directly related to Skopje and if it qualifies for the final phase of the tender, the Skopjan state will manage to have a shareholder access to Thessaloniki’s port.  

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Greeks Have Degrees But No Skills

  According to a European survey, 43% of Greek citizens and 25% of Europeans report that their education and training do not meet the requirements of the labor market. In fact, 43% of Greeks claim that the education they received did not provide them with the skills needed to find a job that corresponds to their qualifications. Greece is in first place in the whole European Union in ths study, followed by Spain (38%) and Italy (35%).  In contrast, the lowest percentages have been reported in Sweden (10%), Denmark (11%), and Germany (13%). Almost half of the Greek respondents believe that their qualifications would be recognized in other EU Member States. However, 6% of Greek and European citizens tried to work or study in another Member State, but failed in either case because their qualifications could not be recognized or because the respondents did not have sufficient information about the recognition of their skills abroad. As for the quality of education received in school, 81% of Greeks evaluate  it as “good”, compared to 29% of them when asked to evaluate their higher education. In addition the majority of European citizens (95%) believe that the qualifications, such as foreign languages or general skills that can be applied in different kinds of jobs, can be acquired outside the framework of  formal education. Only 21% has ever heard about the European Qualifications Framework (EQF), while 9% knows at what level of the EQF their qualifications do correspond. The European Commission indicates that over the years, a number of European initiatives about the recognition of the qualifications have been implemented, a rather difficult task. The effort is also supported by the European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism, and Youth, Androulla Vassiliou  .  

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Economics faces long needed upheaval as students demand right to dissent

Thomas Piketty and his supporters illustrate just how long subject has been held hostage by neoliberal, capitalist dogma

In last month's European parliament elections eurosceptic and extremist parties won 25% of the popular vote, with the biggest gains chalked up in France, the UK and Greece. These results were widely, and correctly, interpreted as showing the degree of disconnect between an arrogant European elite and ordinary citizens.

Less noticed, because less obviously political, are current intellectual rumblings, of which French economist Thomas Piketty's Capital in the Twenty-First Century, a withering indictment of growing inequality, is the latest manifestation. We may be witnessing the beginning of the end of the neo-liberal capitalist consensus that has prevailed throughout the west since the 1980s and that many claim led to the economic disaster of 2008-2009.

Continue reading...

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2500-Year-Old Greek Statues Sparkle After Facelift

National Geographic2500-Year-Old Greek Statues Sparkle After FaceliftNational GeographicSculpted in the late fifth century B.C., the draped figures served as columns for the Erechtheion, one of the temples that stood on the Acropolis, the sacred rocky hill that rises 512 feet (156 meters) above the modern Greek capital. The maidens, known ...

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Involvement in Greek Groups Linked to Better Financial and Social Standing ...

University HeraldInvolvement in Greek Groups Linked to Better Financial and Social Standing ...University HeraldGreek groups often mimic real life companies and corporations and members hold offices and perform tasks that will prepare themselves for the workforce. Employers also take into account the history behind certain Greek groups, as they have been part of ...

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Lincoln Acedemy students bring Greek mythology to life

Lincoln Acedemy students bring Greek mythology to lifeGreensboro News & RecordStudents in the Very Strong Needs gifted classes and Accelerated Integration of Middle Math classes created Facebook pages, wrote songs, developed a magazine and sewed costumes for a Greek fashion show. “At this point in the year, the kids are tired ...

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Koufonisia – Mediterranean Utopia

Fine sand tickles your toes…the soothing sound of waves casts its spell as you stare entranced into crisp turquoise waters, and there, somewhere there in the distant horizon, the skies swoop down to kiss the earth while a light breeze cools your skin as you soak up the sun. Sounds like paradise? Sounds like the […]

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Feuding In Samaras’ New Cabinet

Cracks have developed in Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras' new Cabinet, with ministers sniping at each other and the government over austerity measures.

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Bishop Blasts Gay Pride Festival

On the heels of gay parades on Cyprus and in Athens, Thessaloniki Bishop Anthimos said a two-day gay pride festival in Greece's second-largest city is a "disgrace."

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Greek Traditional Games for Children

Greek ReporterGreek Traditional Games for ChildrenGreek ReporterGreek game In the past, children in Greece used to gather in parks and played games. These games were dominated by creativity and imagination. Nowadays, video games have taken up most of our children's lives, however a trend for traditional Greek ...

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Post-Crash Economics

by  Robert Skidelsky

In last month’s European Parliament election, euroskeptic and extremist parties won 25% of the popular vote, with the biggest gains chalked up in France, the United Kingdom, and Greece. These results were widely, and correctly, interpreted as showing the degree of disconnect between an arrogant European elite and ordinary citizens.

Less noticed, because less obviously political, are today’s intellectual rumblings, of which French economist Thomas Piketty’s Capital in the Twenty-First Century, a withering indictment of growing inequality, is the latest manifestation. We may be witnessing the beginning of the end of the neoliberal capitalist consensus that has prevailed throughout the West since the 1980s – and that many claim led to the economic disaster of 2008-2009.

Particularly important is the growing discontent of economics students with the university curriculum. Undergraduates’ discontent matters, because economics has long been the West’s political lodestar.

This discontent was born in the “post-autistic economics movement,” which started in Paris in 2000, and spread to the United States, Australia, and New Zealand. Its adherents’ main complaint was that the mainstream economics taught to students had become a branch of mathematics, disconnected from reality.

The revolt made little progress in the years of the “Great Moderation” of the 2000s, but was revived following the 2008 crisis. Two important links with the earlier network are US economist James Galbraith, the son of John Kenneth Galbraith, and British economist Ha-Joon Chang, author of the best-selling 23 Things They Don’t Tell You about Capitalism.

In a manifesto published in April, economics students at the University of Manchester advocated an approach “that begins with economic phenomena and then gives students a toolkit to evaluate how well different perspectives can explain it,” rather than with mathematical models based on unreal assumptions. Significantly, Andrew Haldane, Executive Director for Financial Stability at the Bank of England, wrote the introduction.

The Manchester students argue that “the mainstream within the discipline (neoclassical theory) has excluded all dissenting opinion, and the crisis is arguably the ultimate price of this exclusion. Alternative approaches such as Post-Keynesian, Marxist, and Austrian economics (as well as many others) have been marginalized. The same can be said of the history of the discipline.” As a result, students have little awareness of neoclassical theory’s limits, much less alternatives to it.

The aim, according to the students, should be to “bridge disciplines within and outside of economics.” Economics should not be divorced from psychology, politics, history, philosophy, and so on. Students are especially keen to study issues like inequality, the role of ethics and fairness in economics (as opposed to the prevailing focus on profit maximization), and the economic consequences of climate change.

The idea is that such intellectual cross-fertilization would help students understand recent economic phenomena better and improve economic theory. From this point of view, everyone stands to benefit from curriculum reform.

The deeper message is that mainstream economics is in fact an ideology – the ideology of the free market. Its tools and assumptions define its topics. If we assume perfect rationality and complete markets, we are debarred from exploring the causes of large-scale economic failures. Unfortunately, such assumptions have a profound influence on policy.

The efficient-market hypothesis – the belief that financial markets price risks correctly on average – provided the intellectual argument for extensive deregulation of banking in the 1980s and 1990s. Similarly, the austerity policies that Europe used to fight the recession from 2010 on were based on the belief that there was no recession to fight.

These ideas were tailored to the views of the financial oligarchy. But the tools of economics, as currently taught, provide little scope for investigating the links between economists’ ideas and the structures of power.

Today’s “post-crash” students are right. So what is keeping the mainstream’s intellectual apparatus going?

For starters, economics teaching and research is deeply embedded in an institutional structure that, as with any ideological movement, rewards orthodoxy and penalizes heresy. The great classics of economics, from Smith to Ricardo to Veblen, go untaught. Research funding is allocated on the basis of publication in academic journals that espouse the neoclassical perspective. Publication in such journals is also the basis of promotion.

Moreover, it has become an article of faith that any move toward a more open or “pluralist” approach to economics portends regression to “pre-scientific” modes of thought, just as the results of the European Parliament election threaten to revive a more primitive mode of politics.

Yet institutions and ideologies cannot survive by mere incantation or reminders of past horrors. They have to address and account for the contemporary world of lived experience.

For now, the best that curriculum reform can do is to remind students that economics is not a science like physics, and that it has a much richer history than is to be found in the standard textbooks. In his book Economics of Good and Evil, the Czech economist Tomáš Sedláček shows that what we call “economics” is only a formalized fragment of a much wider range of thinking about economic life, stretching from the Sumerian epic of Gilgamesh to the meta-mathematics of today.

Indeed, mainstream economics is a pitifully thin distillation of historical wisdom on the topics that it addresses. It should be applied to whatever practical problems it can solve; but its tools and assumptions should always be in creative tension with other beliefs concerning human wellbeing and flourishing. What students are taught today certainly does not deserve its imperial status in social thought.

Copyright: Project Syndicate, 2014.www.project-syndicate.org


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Peter Economides: “Being Greek is Again in Fashion”

“Being Greek is back in fashion,” claimed the so-called marketing guru, Peter Economides speaking in an event on the Greek crisis organised by the Hellenic Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (HACCI) in Melbourne. Economides said that there ...

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Laimos Sentenced to 15 Years Imprisonment for “Albion 2″

After seventeen years of legal battles, famous Greek shipowner Panagiotis Laimos is facing a sentence of 15 years in prison for the “Albion 2” shipwreck. Seventeen years ago, the tragic event led to the death of 25 people. Now, the 84-year-old shipowner has been found unanimously guilty by the Piraeus Three-Member Felony Court of Appeals for disruption of water transport safety. The Court decided that the appeal may be suspended now the shipowner will have to post a 20,000 euros bail within two months. “On April 2003 Laimos was brought before the Three-Member Court of Athens with charges of culpable homicide. However, the complainant, the wife of the Chief Mate, who died on “Albion 2”, withdrew the charges and the criminal proceedings ceased. The case would sink into oblivion, just like the ship did, but five years later Ombudsman Giorgos Trandalidis came back with charges on another crime; disruption of water transport safety, which is a felony crime. Giorgos Trandalidis highlighted that the victims’ families have received no compensation so far, although various sums have been won in several trials that took place in the meantime. The previous “Albion 2” captain, who was saved after denying to board the ship due to illness, gave a statement in the trial held on Tuesday, June 10. As he stated, the repairs made on the ship before it sailed on its last trip were incomplete and there was a big chance that the crew would be in danger. He also accused the 84-year old-shipowner for fraud and dishonesty, since he gave the green light despite the fact that he was aware of the ship’s bad condition. Albion 2” sunk west of Brest, France with total loss of crew. The case has been chasing Laimos since 1997 but nearly two decades had to pass for the victims’ families to get relief.    

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Samaras Hopes Chinese Premier’s Visit Brings Business

Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras on July 19 will host Chinese Premier Li Keqiang for meetings that are expected to include more agreements being signed as China boosts its presence in Greece. The Chinese company Cosco already essentially runs the port of Piraeus and Samaras is seeking more investors to meet pressure from the country’s international lenders who want the pace of privatization to be sped up. Greece is looking to sell off many of its assets, including more properties and enterprises in ports, airports and state-run operations. Li will be in Greece for thee days and both sides are expected to reaffirm their commitment to boosting bilateral trade ties. The Chinese leader will be accompanied by a 14-member government delegation and, in a letter published in Kathimerini, noted his his intention to “open up new prospects for a deeper China-Greece relationship.” Describing the Greek and Chinese economies as “mutually complementary,” the Chinese premier said he saw “huge potential for cooperation.” Expanding Cosco’s hold on Piraeus, the country’s busiest port, is a key aim for the Chinese as Li said his country “will work with Greece to make the port the best of its kind in the Mediterranean.” On June 20 the two leaders are scheduled to visit Cosco’s facilities in Piraeus in a symbolic appearance as the firm is aiming to acquire 67 percent of the Piraeus Port Authority’s share capital. Li also expressed interest in “airport, rail, road and other infrastructure development”” as well as in maritime transport, logistics and shipbuilding. He described tourism as an “important growth area for China-Greece cooperation,” noting that officials from both sides would sign an agreement foreseeing the creation of cultural centers to facilitate “people-to-people exchanges.” Greece has reached out to Chinese tourists, a number of whom come to Greek islands for marriages. Samaras and Li are also expected to sign several more pacts foreseeing closer cooperation in shipping, infrastructure, financial services and exports. The two leaders also also scheduled to address a forum exploring opportunities in shipping, investments and trade. In another symbolic trip the two leaders are due to travel to Crete, one of Greece’s top tourist destinations. While there, the Chinese premier is expected to repeat Beijing’s interest in the new international airport near the port of Iraklio. Li’s visit comes nearly a month before a trip by Chinese President Xi Jinping to Rhodes, another top tourist destination. Xi is set to meet his Greek counterpart Karolos Papoulias there. In a letter sent to Papoulias earlier this month, the Chinese statesman reportedly described Greece as “a strategic partner” and reaffirmed Beijing’s interest in making major investments in the country.

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Greek Students’ Cheat Sheets as Works of Art

The University of Thessaloniki has organized a unique exhibition. It is a collection of cheat sheets, confiscated by professors over the years, from students of the university’s Economic Department who were desperately trying to pass their semester exams. Some pieces are works of art, or rather ingenuity. Despite their cunning, the students were caught by professors of the department, who started collecting the cheat sheets in 1984. The two displays that have been set up consist of more than 200 cheat sheet contraptions which have been categorized in 32 different types. Most notable examples of the Greek students’ ingenius attempts are a scroll of 2 meters which has been wrapped around sticks, while the exhibit also has another scroll which is literally a work of art. It is made of thin rice paper and the text has been written with a professional drafting pen. Dimitris Mardas, Associate Professor at the Department of Economics in the University of Thessaloniki, who assembled the exhibits and organized the exhibition, noted that the student must have taken more than ten hours to finish the scroll. Only if he had spent those hours studying the student might have been able to actually pass the course without the assistance of a cheat sheet. One of the exhibits is a cheat sheet index, created by a forgetful student who probably could not remember where he had hidden the papers (in his socks, shoes, pockets etc.). There is even a mini cheat book of 100 pages. In our day and age, however, students rely on technological means of cheating, using their mobile phones, tablets, and Bluetooth earphones, thus depriving the professors of the joy of finding such “works of art.”  

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World Cup 2014 power rankings: who is highest after the first round of matches?

Holland are top of the pile, closely followed by Germany, while Australia and Greece bring up the rear in our ranking of the teams so far

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U.S. Investors Buying Greek

With Greece on a disputed road to recovery from a crushing economic crisis, American investors and others from around the world are snapping up Greek bonds.

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Cyprus Back To The Markets

Only 15 months after needing an international bailout and losing one of its banks, Cyprus is poised to return to the bond markets on June 18.

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Can Demos Ride Anti-Establishment Wave all the Way to DC?

NEW YORK – The battle for the Republican nomination for New York’s 1st Congressional District between George Demos and State Senator Lee Zeldin is now in the final stretch, but tremors are being felt beyond the normal rumbles of a local political horse race after Eric Cantor’s defeat by a Tea Party candidate. In fact, given Zeldin’s […]

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Greek Employers Cannot Fill Specific Posts

According to Manpower Group’s recent “talent shortfall survey” for 2014, even though unemployment in Greece is at its highest, 4 out of every 10 employers find it difficult to fill several posts with the appropriate staff. “Forty two percent of ...

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International Award to Aristotle University Employee and teacher for Website

Katie Quartano, an administrative employee at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, northern Greece, and Paul Shaw an English language teacher received by the British Council an award for their website “Disabled Access Friendly”. Their website provides free teaching material for  English language teachers,  while it raises awareness on physical disability issues. The website competed with hundreds of other sites in the 12th «ELTons 2014 award for Innovation in Teacher Resources» competition which took place in London.  The competition was dedicated to innovation and creativity in English language teaching and was supported by the Cambridge English Language Assessment. “The particularity of this website is that it promotes topics related to physical disability, in order to inform and stimulate students to talk about the problems people with physical disabilities face,  infrastructure problems, social behavior etc.”said Katie Quartano.  Paul Shaw the co-creator of this innovative website is himself a disabled person. The judges described the winner website as “a great initiative to embed useful social content into mainstream English language teaching lessons”. It is estimated that last year alone about 19,000 teachers in over 110 countries across the world visited this website.  Free online teaching material is available through the website www.disabled-accessfriendly.com.  

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Thousands of Greek Vehicles Uninsured

The Greek Public Order and Citizen Protection Ministry traffic police department sent a document to Parliament, which states  that thousands of vehicles have no  insurance and haven’t passed technical tests for roadworthiness (KTEO). In a document signed by the former Public Order and Citizen Protection Minister, Nikos Dendias on June 3 before his transfer to the Ministry of Development, traffic police said that 10,925 tickets had been handed out to vehicle owners who failed to produce evidence of passing the KTEO test and 18,501 tickets to those who hadn’t insured their vehicles in the first four months of the year. The Democratic Left MP Asiminia Xirotiri-Aikaterinari claimed that the problem of uninsured vehicles in Greece is a major road safety issue as well as a major loss of revenue for the Greek State.  Greek Deputy Infrastructure, Transport and Networks Minister Michalis Papadopoulos said that in 2012 and 2013 only 4,030,781 vehicles had a certified KTEO techinical test ticket.  He further stated that dealing with the problem of vehicles circulating without roadworthiness tests is one of the ministry’s main concern.

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World Cup 2014: Can Colombia veteran Mario Yepes put brakes on Ivory Coast?

Veteran captain to make his 100th appearance in a Colombia shirt in the fight for Group C top spot

One word has dominated José Pekermans press conferences at the World Cup calm and no player followed that instruction with more conviction in Colombias defeat of Greece than Mario Yepes. The veteran defender will make his 100th appearance in a Colombia shirt against Ivory Coast on Thursday and intends to retire when the tournament is over. The captains form is essential to delaying that farewell as long as possible.

The focus was on Colombias attack in the absence of Radamel Falcao before their opening game and remained there following their biggest win in five World Cup tournament appearances. James Rodríguez was voted man of the match after patiently dissecting Greeces respected defence in the 3-0 victory, Juan Cuadrado demonstrated his blossoming reputation at Fiorentina on the right and Teófilo Gutiérrez led the line selflessly in the heat of Belo Horizonte. But it was Yepes composure and organisation in defence that gave them the platform to impress.

Continue reading...

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US Makes Farmers Case in Europe

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has come to Europe to make the U.S. case on disputed issues in farm trade, while Greece wants protection for feta cheese.

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Chinese Premier Coming to Athens, Samaras Looks For Business

Looking for a boost in business and trade, Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras on July 19 will host Chinese Premier Li Keqiang for meetings that are expected to include more agreements being signed as China boosts its presence in Greece. The Chinese company Cosco already essentially runs the port of Piraeus and Samaras is seeking more investors to meet pressure from the country's international lenders who want the pace of privatization to be sped up

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Greek yogurt with a coffee chaser

Greek yogurt with a coffee chaserCrain's New York BusinessGreek-style yogurt has been an increasingly popular choice for New Yorkers in recent years. Now one entrepreneur is hoping Greek coffee might catch on as well. Maza Loukouma and Espresso Bar, a new café serving java roasted in Greece, and also ...

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Smoothie King® Offers New Greek Yogurt Smoothies

NEW ORLEANS, June 18, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Smoothie King Franchises, Inc. has introduced three new Greek Yogurt Smoothies to its menu.  Greek yogurt's protein, probiotic and calcium attributes, paired with Smoothie King's real fruit, vegetables, juice blends and fiber, work together to create a meal replacement any time of the day. "We found Greek yogurt to be a perfect addition to the ...

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Golden Spike Results

by  Associated Press Golden Spike Results Associated Press - 18 June 2014 05:23-04:00

OSTRAVA, Czech Republic (AP) — Results Tuesday from the Golden Spike, part of the IAAF world challenge series (all distances in meters):

Men

100_1, Justin Gatlin, United States, 9.86. 2, Mike Rodgers, United States, 10.08. 3, Kim Collins, St. Kitts and Nevis, 10.12. 4, Simon Magakwe, South Africa, 10.19. 5, Harry Aikines-Aryeetey, Britain, 10.19. 6, Sean Safo-Antwi, Britain, 10.21.

400_1, LaShawn Merritt, United States, 44.16. 2, Isaac Makwala, Botswana, 44.83. 3, Martyn Rooney, Britain, 45.03. 4, Demetrius Pinder, Bahamas, 45.30. 5, Anas Beshr, Egypt, 45.60. 6, Rafal Omelko, Poland, 45.69.

1,000_1, Ilham Tanui Ozbilen, Turkey, 2:15.08. 2, Pierre-Ambroise Bosse, France, 2:15.31. 3, Jeff Riseley, Australia, 2:16.09. 4, Mohammed Aman, Ethiopia, 2:16.33. 5, Jakub Holusa, Czech Republic, 2:16.79. 6, Adam Kszczot, Poland, 2:16.96.

3,000_1, Caleb Ndiku, Kenya, 7:31.66. 2, Yomif Kejelcha, Ethiopia, 7:36.28. 3, Nick Willis, New Zealand, 7:36.91. 4, Bernard Lagat, United States, 7:38.30. 5, John Kipkoech, Kenya, 7:38.97. 6, Jonathan Ndiku, Kenya, 7:39.63.

110 Hurdles_1, Hansle Parchment, Jamaica, 13.18. 2, Pascal Martinot-Lagarde, France, 13.28. 3, Xie Wenjun, China, 13.37. 4, Andrew Riley, Jamaica, 13.39. 5, Orlando Ortega, Cuba, 13.43. 6, Dimitri Bascou, France, 13.49.

400 Hurdles_1, Niall Flannery, Britain, 48.80. 2, Rasmus Magi, Estonia, 48.87. 3, Ashton Eaton, United States, 48.94. 4, Emir Bekric, Serbia, 49.96. 5, Woulter Le Roux, South Africa, 50.15. 6, Michal Broz, Czech Republic, 51.09.

High Jump_1, Bogdan Bondarenko, Ukraine, 2.33. 2, Adonios Mastoras, Greece, 2.30. 3, Andriy Protsenko, Ukraine, 2.26. 4, Aleksey Dmitrik, Russia, 2.26. 5, Guowei Zhang, China, 2.22. 6, Donald Thomas, Bahamas, 2.22.

Pole Vault_1, Renaud Lavillenie, France, 5.83. 2, Thiago Braz, Brazil, 5.73. 3 (tie), Jan Kudlicka, Czech Republic, and Augusto Dutra, Brazil, 5.63. 5, Hiroki Ogita, Japan, 5.53. 6, Raphael Holzdeppe, Germany, 5.53.

Shot Put_1, Tomasz Majewski, Poland, 20.90. 2, Jan Marcell, Czech Republic, 20.74. 3, Tomas Stanek, Czech Republic, 20.58. 4, Ladislav Prasil, Czech Republic, 20.50. 5, Kurt Roberts, United States, 20.41. 6, Georgi Ivanov, Bulgaria, 20.36.

Javelin_1, Vitezslav Vesely, Czech Republic, 87.38. 2, Zigismunds Sirmais, Latvia, 86.61. 3, Dmitriy Tarabin, Russia, 85.92. 4, Antti Ruuskanen, Finland, 83.23. 5, Petr Frydrych, Czech Republic, 81.42. 6, Lukasz Grzeszczuk, Poland, 79.91.

Women

200_1, Allyson Felix, United States, 22.75. 2, Bianca Williams, Britain, 22.79. 3, Myriam Soumare France, 22.85. 4, Hrystyna Stuy, Ukraine, 23.29. 5, Anyika Onuora, Britain, 23.39. 6, Jana Slaninova, Czech Republic, 24.32.

800_1, Winnie Nanyondo, Uganda, 1:59.27. 2, Maryna Arzamasava, Belarus, 1:59.65. 3, Molly Beckwith, United States, 1:59.77. 4, Lenka Masna, Czech Republic, 1:59.93. 5, Sifan Hassan, Netherlands, 1:59.95. 6, Rose Almanza, Cuba, 2:00.30.

2,000_1, Genzebe Dibaba, Ethiopia, 5:27.50. 2, Senbera Teferi, Ethiopia, 5:34.27. 3, Gemeda Feyne, Ethiopia, 5:39.96. 4, Renata Plis, Poland, 5:41.98. 5. Kristiina Maki, Czech Republic, 5:42.71. 6. Etagegne Woldu, Ethiopia, 5:46.70.

400 Hurdles_1, Nickiesha Wilson, Jamaica, 55.22. 2, Ristananna Tracey, Jamaica, 55.43. 3, Kemi Adekoya, Bahrain, 55.49. 4, Wenda Nel, South Africa, 55.53. 5, Denisa Rosolova, Czech Republic, 55.76.

3,000 Steeplechase_1, Jepkemoi Hyvin, Kenya, 9:22.58. 2, Salima Alami, Morocco, 9:23.27. 3, Birtukan Adamu, Ethiopia, 9:27.29. 4, Amina Betiche, Algeria, 9:29.20. 5, Birtukan Fente, Ethiopia, 9:30.75. 6, Svetlana Kudzelic, Belarus, 9:32.79.

20,000_1, Alice Kimutai, Kenya, 1:08:32.20. 2, Mulahabt Tsega, Ethiopia, 1:09:07.14. 3, Julia Mombi, Kenya, 1:09:24.78.

Javelin_1, Martina Ratej, Slovenia, 64.35. 2, Tatjana Jelaca, Serbia, 60.16. 3, Katharina Molitor, Germany, 58.68. 4, Irena Sediva, Czech Republic, 55.16. 5, Nikola Ogrodnikova, Czech Republic, 53.30. 6, Jarmila Jurkovicova, Czech Republic, 50.43.

News Topics: Track and field, Men's track and field, Women's track and field, Men's sports, Sports, Women's sports

People, Places and Companies: Justin Gatlin, Michael Rodgers, Kim Collins, LaShawn Merritt, Mohammed Aman, Bernard Lagat, Ashton Eaton, Renaud Lavillenie, Thiago, Tomasz Majewski, Allyson Felix, Myriam Soumare, Czech Republic, Poland, Ethiopia, Kenya, France, East Africa, Belarus, Jamaica, Caribbean, Ukraine, North Africa, Middle East, Eastern Europe, Europe, Africa, Western Europe, Latin America and Caribbean, South Africa, Southern Africa

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Ladies Philoptochos Society sponsors American Heroes project

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