Greek police have arrested a man linked to an outlawed leftist guerrilla group, in connection with alleged plans for an attack this week on business or ...
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.odt.co.nz |
How the world sees Greece
Thursday, October 2, 2014
Greek Tragedy: Acropolis Is 'Decaying'
Greek Tragedy: Acropolis Is 'Decaying'. News of the fragile state of the rock and the threat it poses to the Parthenon has sent shock waves across ...
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT news.sky.com |
It's All Greek to Me
Last Sunday I was able to attend a service at my Uncle's church in the suburbs. My Uncle is Greek Orthodox and my family is Lutheran. When I first ...
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.chicagonow.com |
Beer sales buck alcoholic drinks market trend
Beer is showing robust resistance to the overall decline in the alcoholic beverages market in Greece, the latest statistics have shown. Beer sales posted an increase in the first seven months of the year both in the so-called warm market (supermarkets, sm... ...
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.ekathimerini.com |
Samsung to create training hub in Greece
Samsung Medison a subsidiary of the multinational giant, intends to create a training center in the domain of healthcare equipment in Greece in cooperation with the University of Athens. The center will aim at training doctors and technical experts from E... ...
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.ekathimerini.com |
Frankfurt will impose new program to monitor Greece
The European Central Bank's acceptance of junk bonds from economies such as those of Greece and Cyprus, thereby supplying liquidity to ...
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.ekathimerini.com |
Marble Door Revealed in Greek Tomb
Archaeologists excavating the large and mysterious mound at the Kasta Hill site at Amphipolis, Greece, have unearthed a broken marble door, ...
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT news.discovery.com |
Terror plot uncovered in Greece
Athens, Oct 3 (IANS) The police in Greece have uncovered plans for imminent terrorist attacks against a series of business targets, Greek Public Order and Citizen Protection Minister Vassilis Kikilias said Thursday. The announcement came after a booby ...
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT in.news.yahoo.com |
Officials mull incentives to increase use of generic drugs
Health officials in Greece are considering removing a prescriptions ceiling imposed on all public healthcare doctors if they are able to ensure that at least 60 percent of the drugs they prescribe are generic. The Health Ministry and public healthcare pro... ...
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.ekathimerini.com |
Churches given more freedom to conduct their affairs
A new law allowing the Catholic, Anglican and other churches in Greece to administer their affairs without state involvement was passed through Parliament on Thursday. Education and Religious Affairs Minister Andreas Loverdos described the legislation, wh... ...
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.ekathimerini.com |
US official confirms Jihadist concerns conveyed to Europe
A US government official on Thursday confirmed that Washington has expressed its concern to Greek and other European authorities about the flow of radical Islamists into Syria and Iraq. Asked whether the US government has asked Athens to arrest suspected ... ...
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.ekathimerini.com |
Greek police arrest man over alleged attack plans
ATHENS (Reuters) - Greek police said on Thursday they had arrested a man linked to an outlawed leftist guerrilla group, in connection with alleged plans for an attack this week on business or political targets. Police said the man was linked to the banned Revolutionary Struggle group and had a notebook suggesting an attack was imminent on Oct. 4 and that possible targets included the ruling ...
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT news.yahoo.com |
Maziotis’ Terrorist Group Planned October 4 Attack
The Greek minister of public order and the chief of the Greek Police have announced that, following anti-terrorism investigations carried out in a garage in the Vyronas area of Athens, evidence has been uncovered of an impending terrorist attack planned by Nikos Maziotis and his anarchist terror group. The thwarted attack was scheduled to take place on October 4. Its suspected targets were the president of Olympiakos FC Evangelos Marinakis, Greek entrepreneurs Theodoros Veniamis and Theodoros Fessas, Greek companies Capital and Infoquest, as well as the offices of New Democracy. During investigations in the Vyronas garage, police found a car roof rack and several metal objects which may have been used during Maziotis’ car bombing outside the Bank of Greece in April. The garage had been under intense observation over the last ten days. On Wednesday night, men of the Greek anti-terrorism unit spotted a man, aged 25 to 30 years, attempt to enter the garage. After they arrested him, the police found in his possession a key to the garage, a travel bag, a jacket, sunglasses and a binder filled with handwritten notes.
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT greece.greekreporter.com |
Draghi Opens Door to Buying $18 Billion of Portuguese, Greek ABS
Bonds backed by mortgages to Greek civil servants rallied yesterday to the highest since the nation requested its first bailout in 2010 as investors ...
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.bloomberg.com |
Greek doctors, nurses fight wage cuts
Athens - Greek state doctors and nurses went on nationwide strike Thursday against an austerity plan to cut staff and wages. The strike, which also ...
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.iol.co.za |
The Irish FA has confirmed it is in touch with the Greek authorities over Euro qualifier
It was confirmed earlier this week that all professional Greek domestic sport matches have been postponed this weekend in memory of a supporter ...
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www1.skysports.com |
Greek stock exchange donates bomb
Greecestockexchange1 Reuters. A man walks in the reception hall of the Athens Stock Exchange in Athens September 11, 2014. Athens - A package ...
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.iol.co.za |
First Friday: Greek drama, urban art, 'Razzmatazz' among October offerings
Work by silversmith and jeweler Liz McCormack, of Just Liz, on display. McCormack, a Lynchburg native, has been crafting jewelry for 20 years.
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.newsadvance.com |
Greek minister tells Italian counterpart lets work together
Italian and Greek culture, art, food, landscape and lifestyle are "unique" and could be offered to tourists in the "same package" , Kefalogianni told ...
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.ansamed.info |
PEOPLECERT: A Greek Success Story
peoplecert Byron Nicolaides, President and CEO of the Greek group PEOPLECERT, was reelected member of the Administrative Board of the ...
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT eu.greekreporter.com |
Greek Theatre Neighbors Freaking About Possible New Operator
Tucked into the hills within Griffith Park, the open-air Greek Theatre is both a handsome Los Angeles icon and the city's "highest revenue-producing ...
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT la.curbed.com |
Harvard Study: Amphipolis Tomb Belongs to Laomedon
The vast hype surrounding the newly-excavated Amphipolis tomb has academics scrambling to their Greek histories in search of all possible candidates who could be resting within the tomb’s sealed third chamber. But perhaps that mystery was solved over 70 years ago. A 1941 research paper sponsored by Harvard University – “The Lion Monument of Amphipolis” – casts an intriguing new theory about the occupant of the Casta Hill tomb. The paper focuses on the lion of Amphipolis, an iconic sculpture discovered near the ancient city. It describes in great detail the lion’s significance and historical background. According to the study, Amphipolis was likely the spot where Laomedon, general and close comrade of Alexander the Great, was buried. The Harvard document bolsters current theories that whoever is buried within the Casta Hill had a close connection with Alexander the Great. Historically-speaking, the name “Laomedon” first appears in Greek mythology about Troy. It was the name of a king who, so legend goes, was killed by Hercules after breaking a promise. Laomedon of Mytilene – the man who may rest within the Amphipolis tomb – worked as a language interpreter and sentry during Alexander’s Asian campaigns. According to the historian Diogenes Laertius, Laomedon had originally been banished by Philip II, father of Alexander the Great. He returned to Macedonia after Alexander took the throne. Following Alexander’s death, Laomedon governed a minor province in Syria. During the internecine wars that broke up Alexander’s empire, Laomedon was captured by Nicanor. Later he escaped to Caria; some historians insist that, while in Caria, Alcetas offered him the city of Amphipolis. The connection would make Laomedon a plausible occupant of the massive Hellenistic-era tumulus.
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT greece.greekreporter.com |
Statisticts service, Finance Ministry squabble over Commission deadline
The head of Greece’s statistical service and the Finance Ministry traded accusations on Thursday about who was to blame for Greece being behind schedule in supplying the European Commission with detailed figures regarding its public finances dating back t... ...
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.ekathimerini.com |
Acropolis not crumbling, Greece responds to reports
Greece has played down reports at home and abroad about the Acropolis being threatened by rockfalls. One article went as far as to claim “Greece’s Acropolis will soon be gone.” However, a letter sent by Constantinos Kissas, the deputy director of the Firs... ...
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.ekathimerini.com |
Greek Ambition to Exit Bailout Meets Draghi Roadblock
Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras. Close Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras. Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras.
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.bloomberg.com |
The Acropolis is in Danger of Collapsing
Engineers have determined that part of the massive flat-topped rock on which the Parthenon sits in Athens’ Acropolis is crumbling, the Daily Telegraph reported. Experts from Greece’s Central Archaeological Council found “instability” over a large portion of the Acropolis, after investigating the fall in January of a boulder “of considerable size,” the Telegraph reported. Restoration […] The post The Acropolis is in Danger of Collapsing appeared first on The National Herald.
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.thenationalherald.com |
Dr. Lori Hart Gives “Making Greek Great” Perspective to MTSU Members
Dr. Lori Hart, a motivational speaker with a concentration on Fratenity and Sorority Life, spoke to the MTSU Greek Life community on Tuesday night in Tucker Theater. Hart speaks at about 75 campuses each year, according to the CampusSpeak website, and ...
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT mtsusidelines.com |
Greece: weddings between illegals and poor women on the rise
(ANSAmed) - ATHENS, OCTOBER 2 - Criminal organizations are taking advantage of migrants who, having illegally entered Greece, are on the lookout for ways to obtain a residency permit. These crime rings specialize in targeting unemployed or poor Greek women ...
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT ansamed.ansa.it |
Greek pensioners demonstrate against spending cuts
Greek pensioners have taken to the streets in the capital, Athens, to voice anger at austerity measures taken by the government of Prime Minister Antonis Samaras. Furious at the government’s plans to cut pensions and increase taxes, the demonstrators ...
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.presstv.ir |
Drugs baron Kevin Hanley who smuggled cocaine into Britain in watermelons jailed
Kevin Hanley, 52, of Fulham, south west London, ran a gang with the help of his Greek TV presenter girlfriend, Chrysi Minadaki, 45, and Covent Garden grocer, John Fowler, 58.
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.dailymail.co.uk |
Greece woman denies driving drunk in fatal crash
A Greece driver pleaded not guilty Wednesday to charges accusing her of driving drunk and leaving the scene of a fatal crash in Gates on Aug. 12.
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.democratandchronicle.com |
Greece: Police Foil Bomb Attack Against Conservative Party HQ by Far-Left Militants
One suspect was arrested on terror-related charges. Police found other plans for potential terror targets, which included ship owners, the chairman of Greece's industry federation and the chairman of Olympiakos, Greece's largest football club. The Greek ...
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.ibtimes.co.uk |
Greek police foil far-left militant bomb plot
ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Police in Greece say they have foiled a bomb attack by a far-left militant group planned for the weekend. They say the suspected target was the headquarters of the conservative New Democracy party, which heads the government coalition.
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT news.yahoo.com |
Greek police foil far-left militant bomb plot
ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Police in Greece say they have foiled a bomb attack by a far-left militant group planned for the weekend. They say the suspected target was the headquarters of the conservative New Democracy party, which heads the government coalition.
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT news.yahoo.com |
Cyprus: International Manhunt for Stolen Degas Painting
An international manhunt is now underway to recover a painting attributed to the French impressionist Edgar Degas. “Ballerina Adjusting Her Slipper” was stolen by a group of thieves earlier this week in Limassol, Cyprus. Cypriot authorities are making organized efforts to retrieve the painting, the price of which is estimated at some 30 million euros. International media has shown heightened interest in the case. The painting is one of Degas’ most famous works. BBC, ABC, Financial Mirror and other key global media outlets are following developments closely. The painting was stolen from the house of a 70-year-old Cypriot citizen. He was initially approached by two Greek-Cypriot men who visited his home, claimed to be antique collectors and toured his private art collection. Later that evening the man’s home was robbed; among other objects of value, the Degas painting is now missing. It is purportedly uninsured. Two Greek-Cypriots were arrested immediately after the case broke. Authories have announced that they have been looking for a Russian entrepreneur since yesterday. Two additional thieves are thought to have been involved in the heist.
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT greece.greekreporter.com |
The Bill Gross Blunder That Led To His Demise
In the wake of Bill Gross' shock departure, Paul Krugman has been hammering on an important point, which is that PIMCO really started hitting the rocks when Bill Gross made a wrong call about interest rates in 2011. Paul Krugman has written four posts on the topic (here, here, here, and here). So what's it all about? Well here's the quick and dirty version. In early 2011, Bill Gross completely exited the Treasury market on the premise that interest rates were going to surge and hit bonds. The reason he thought interest rates were going to surge was that the Fed was ending QE2 in the summer of 2011. In a note written to investors in March, 2011 he asked: Who will buy Treasuries when the Fed doesn’t? The thinking was that the Federal government was running gigantic, trillion-dollar deficits at the time, and that nobody wanted all that US debt, and it was only the Fed buying debt, holding our interest rates down. That sounded compelling, but actually was pretty flimsy, and even at the time people were criticizing the thinking. Krugman was criticizing Gross at the time, arguing that interest rates weren't a function of how much debt the US was offering, but rather about US growth and inflation prospects. And since at the time, we were digging ourselves out of a gigantic economic hole, there was no chance of a pickup in inflation. So Gross was using a flawed economic model (as were the deficit hawks who insisted that the US had to get its spending down to avoid a Greece-like bond spiral). When QE2 ended, interest rates didn't rise... they actually fell, perhaps because the markets interpreted the end of Fed easing as a reason to bet against rising inflation or growth. This was THE core economic debate of the post-crisis years. The economists like Krugman, who relied on traditional models, correctly surmised that interest rates would not surge and that the debt would be a problem. Folks like Bill Gross (and Republicans politicians) thought the Fed was distorting the market, and keeping interest rates from surging, and that turned out to be wrong. And that lead to a period of underperformance for PIMCO, and the start of the turmoil that saw significant outflows, and ultimately the departure of Mohamed El-Erian and then Gross. These debates mostly aren't talked about now, but as stated above, this was really the whole story back in the day. And it ended up costing Gross his role in the company he created.SEE ALSO: PIMCO sees massive outflows Join the conversation about this story »
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.businessinsider.com |
The Greeks Have Dreamt the Dream of Life Best
Every year, about 13 million tourists go to Greece to see the ancient ruins. The decision to go to Greece, in many instances, is a decision to improve oneself. Learning about ancient Greece is a pilgrimage into the heart of civilization. Greek ruins help the visitors fall in love with the land that made their culture possible or, at the very least, help them understand the beauty and achievements of ancient Greece. The 18th-century German poet, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, was right saying: "Of all peoples, the Greeks have dreamt the dream of life best." Since the Renaissance in the 15th century, the Greeks have been the subject of intense scrutiny and study. Thousands of books continue to be published about them in several Western and non-Western languages. Hundreds of colleges teach ancient Greek in the West and some other countries of the world. Classicists, scholars specializing in Greek and Roman culture, teach ancient Greek and Latin and other facets of Greek and Roman culture. The verdict is clear: Publishing the Greek and Roman texts, especially the Greek texts, during the Renaissance made all the difference in the Western world. Science, technology and exploration took off and, simultaneously, the Greek-inspired West became the model for the rest of the world. To some degree, we see the world with Greek eyes and think Greek thoughts because we have been using the ideas of the Greeks to build and manage our world; our civilization's headwaters are Greek, except for a not so minor detail, which is that our morality is not Greek: Western people, including the Greeks of Greece, no longer have a Greek pantheon and cosmos. The Greek legacy The Greeks were whole: Their ideas and values were one. They believed in many gods who had a great deal to do with the formation of their character. Our Greek legacy, while real, is not what it could be, and neither it is coming straightforward from the Greeks, but it is filtered through Christianity. We certainly see the world with Greek eyes, but these eyes wear Christian glasses. Greek religion The many gods religion of the Greeks had no dogmas, holy books or clergy. Mary Lefkowitz, a classicist from Wellesley College, says that Greek religion is a religion for adults. The religious speculation of the Greeks about the gods and the cosmos found expression in their poetry, mythology, cosmology, literature, dramatic theater and politics. The Greek gods were part of nature and the cosmos. The Greeks used the gods to probe the cosmos, the causal laws in nature leading them to the invention of philosophy and science. Is it not enough knowing that philosophy, science, theater, athletics, politics and democracy have their roots in Greece. We must have an understanding of how the Greeks developed those revolutionary foundations of civilization so we can continue to support and practice them for invigorating our own democratic traditions of civilization. Is the 21st century becoming an age of fear? Our time could easily become another dark age. Christianity and Islam are hovering over each other, fighting global crusades in the Middle East. The horror of the Middle East is played out in the context of an even larger horror: the globalization of ruthless business practices threatening our Mother Earth. Something is wrong. Neither crusades nor melting nuclear plants nor the destruction of nature nor undermining of our democracy fit in the Greek way. The Greek paradigm The Greeks were not perfect: They fought with each other. They had slaves and did not give women the same rights they gave to men. The Greeks, however, improved themselves. Alkidamas, a fifth century BCE teacher of rhetoric, said the gods made no man a slave. Greek tragic poets gave intelligent and heroic roles to women. It was from this understanding of the Greeks -- that Greek and non-Greek, male and female, shared a common humanity -- that convinced the West in the eighteenth century to end slavery and, a century or so later, lessen and, eventually, abolish the inequalities between men and women. A movement for a global polis of gods and men "It seems quite clear," says the British classical scholar, Gilbert Murray, in 1921, "that the Greeks owed exceedingly little to foreign influence." For Murray, "what constitutes Greece is the movement which leads... to the Stoic or fifth-century 'sophist' who condemns and denies slavery, who has abolished all cruel superstitions and preaches some religion based on philosophy and humanity, who claims for women the same spiritual rights as for man, who looks on all human creatures as his brethren, and the world as 'one great City of gods and men'. It is that movement which you will not find elsewhere, any more than the statues of Pheidias or the dialogues of Plato or the poems of Aeschylus and Euripides." We have a long way to go before we feel secure with the legacy of the Greeks. Writing in the late 1940s, a time after a savage world war and holocaust, another distinguished classicist, Gilbert Highet, said this: "What the Renaissance did was to dig down through the silt [of Christianity] and find the lost beauties [of Greek and Roman culture], and imitate or emulate them." We have to do the same thing: Dig down through the silt of alarming religious tensions, creeping undemocratic practices, bad science and suicidal public health and environmental policies to rediscover the Greek texts and imitate or emulate the struggle of the Greeks for an honest democratic life lived in freedom and in concert with healthy human beings and a healthy Mother Earth. The Greek texts may yet inspire us to return to the Greek traditions of reason, the good, the beautiful, and the ecological.
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.huffingtonpost.com |
Investor's Alert -National Bank of Greece (ADR) (NYSE:NBG), SPROTT RESOURCE CP ...
National Bank of Greece (ADR) (NYSE:NBG) plunged -2.99% and ended at $2.92. The total traded volume was 6.13 million shares and market ...
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.techsonian.com |
The Remote Gambling Association Asks Greece to Stop the Monopoly
Two days after Greece's betting monopoly was declared legal by a ruling of the country's Council of State, the Remote Gambling Association (RGA) ...
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.pokernews.com |
ECB unveils asset-buying programme
The ECB will buy assets from across the eurozone, including from Greece and Cyprus, which benefit from an exception for countries in receipt of an international bailout.
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.europeanvoice.com |
Greece’s far left: The company he keeps
ALEXIS TSIPRAS, Greece’s radical left-wing opposition leader, believes that by raising his profile abroad he can impress voters at home. His audience last month with Pope Francis, party officials explained, was a “meeting of minds”. The pontiff, they said, agreed with Mr Tsipras, an atheist, about the unjust suffering caused by harsh austerity policies imposed in the wake of economic collapse, whether in Greece or, in the late 1990s, in the Pope’s native Argentina.Mr Tsipras’s unsuccessful but well-publicised run for president of the European Union’s commission as the candidate of the European left also helped boost his credibility back home. His Syriza party finished 3.8% ahead of the governing coalition, led by New Democracy, a centre-right party, in the elections for the EU parliament in May.Talk of an early general election is in the air: New Democracy and the PanHellenic Socialist Movement need 180 votes in parliament next February to choose a new president to replace the incumbent, Karolos Papoulias, who is retiring from politics. With only 154 lawmakers between them, it will be a struggle to round up the extra votes from a pool of fractious independents and moderate left-wingers. If they fail, an early general election will be held. Mr Tsipras is in pole position to win.Three recent opinion polls showed Syriza’s lead over New Democracy widening to up to five...
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.economist.com |
The Original Greek Festival 2014
Now in its 48th year, the Original Greek Festival returns Oct. 2-5 on the grounds of the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Montrose. Expect delicious Greek food and wine, plus entertaining displays of traditional Greek dancing and music, a shopping ...
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT houston.culturemap.com |
Amphipolis: Marble Door Found in Third Chamber
Archaeologists in Amphipolis have uncovered new evidence that corroborates speculation that Casta Hill is an ancient burial complex. After removing a section of soil enclosed in the tomb’s third chamber, archaeologists found three fragments of a marble door. The marble appears to have originated on the Greek island of Thassos, as do the other examples of marble discovered in the tomb. Archaeologists are now assured that the Casta Hill complex is in fact a tomb. It follows the standard form of a Macedonian tomb, they added. Archaeologists have also uncovered a door hinge next to the marble fragments. Additionally, the excavation has unearthed several bronze and iron nails.
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT greece.greekreporter.com |
Ikaria: The Mindful Mediterranean Diet on the Greek Island Where People Forget to Die
I knew I was in Paradise the first time I set foot on Ikaria, the Greek island where my father was born that was catapulted a few years ago to unexpected fame as a Blue Zone, one of the world's pockets of longevity. It was 1972. After a 14-hour ride, the ferry let us off mid-sea in the middle of the night, where we were tossed, young and old, canes, carriages, and suitcases, into the fishing boats that sidled up to the stern, the norm back then since the ports were too shallow for ferries to dock. There were no tourists, roads that belied definition, and an almost otherworldly sense of being very, very far away and yet, somehow, right at the center. It took me, a New York kid then, decades to fully appreciate exactly what that meant. Ikaria's remoteness helped shape a culture of solidarity, self-reliance, and, to use a catchphrase of the day, mindfulness. Ikarians -- even many of us who live far from the island -- are tuned in to our own unique, honeyed pace, neither wound nor bound by the clock, sometimes much to the frustration of our non-Ikarian friends. Ikaria's isolation helped create a living testament to the Mediterranean Diet in its most holistic sense, one in which fresh, seasonal, home-cooked food and community are interwoven in ways that sustain physical and emotional health, human relationships, and the environment. Many Ikarians live long and well, with less cancer and heart disease than Americans, and virtually no dementia, or depression, drinking wine, enjoying sex, walking, gardening, and socializing into their sunset years. They are 10 times more likely to live to 90 or even 100 than Americans, a statistic that embraces men and women almost equally. Although the island is definitely more accessible than it was 40 years ago, it is still a paradigm of mindful Mediterranean living. The essence of Ikaria's good-for-life Mediterranean diet is evinced in its simple, pure foods, which are still popular. Most families have year-round gardens, traditionally planted in relatively shady places near streams because water management is an inherent part of life. Gardens provide a source of nourishment, pride, self-sufficiency, and, most important, dignity, irrespective of income, which tends to be on the low end of the scale anyway. Seasonality of food is a given, with lessons to be had that go far beyond Ikaria's borders. Eating foods in their season, when nature intended, brings anticipation, which in turn teaches us to savor and enjoy the moment, a notion obscured by the 24/7 availability of almost everything in American supermarkets and the erroneous -- and, ultimately, unsustainable -- belief that it's our right to have it all in endless choice. On Ikaria, many people still forage for wild foods, from nutritionally dense edible greens, weeds, and herbs to mushrooms that would sell for a prize in any American gourmet market. Looking for the likes of fiddlehead ferns, borage, purslane, nettles, thin wild asparagus, thistles, pennyroyal, salsify, and so much more provides both natural exercise and immense pleasure. (Tellingly, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has published many a manual on how to kill the very same plants, considered pests.) On Ikaria, indeed throughout Greece, we eat edible weeds, aka horta, in raw and cooked salads, savory pies, and other recipes that are both purely vegetarian (or even vegan) but also combined with meat and fish, naturally flexitarian before the word was ever invented. Herbs have a fascinating place in the local culture, as both food and folk medicine. Sage tea with honey was "our childhood antibiotic," as my friend Yiorgos Stenos, 84, told me. Ikarians still drink this when they feel a cold coming on, as they do oregano for stomachaches, chamomile for insomnia, and more. Most of these infusions are mild diuretics, helping relieve hypertension, perhaps one reason locals have relatively little heart disease. Ikarians consume antioxidant-rich goat's milk and cheeses, pure, raw pine, thyme, blossom, and heather honeys, enjoy fresh fish, goat as the main source of animal protein, and a bevy of legumes and vegetables at every time of the year, including the much-maligned potato and taro root, both foods of survival that still have a delicious place on the table. Most make their own wine and readily share it with others. But the good life here is about more than just food. What I sensed as a young girl that first pivotal summer on the island was that the perspective on life, in defiance of materialistic pursuits, was more about time, and living in a way that seems to stretch it. There is a telling joke about the time of day always being "late-thirty." Read that to mean that it's always the present. It takes a cultivated mindfulness to live this way, especially today, and Ikarians seem to have a kind of internal languidness in their DNA, a tempo that allows them to be both observers and participants in the moment. It's what enabled, for example, my 95-year-old aunt to literally be able to feel her body from the inside, as one does, say, in meditation exercises, to know if something was ailing, and to have the empiric knowledge to heal it, typically with herbs and specific foods. Many people on the island possess this ability. On a personal level, it's what disabled me, as well, from ever aspiring to live within the rigid confines of a corporate job. I had a first taste of Ikarian timelessness at a formative age, and it was sweet. Life on Ikaria, even in 2014, is still a paradigm for healthy living, sound of body and mind. The island has taught me to cherish relationships that span generations and continents, to enjoy and appreciate the gifts of nature, to eat real food in its season, and, perhaps, most important of all, to do so with an open heart and an open table, welcoming others to it. This is the Mediterranean Diet in its most profound and holistic. It's an approach to life and eating that requires you to actually make time for enjoying both. This post is part of a series produced by The Huffington Post and the Harvard School of Public Health, in conjunction with the "Mediterranean Diet and Workplace Health" conference (September 27-28 in Boston at HSPH). This event will feature lectures, panels, select chef-supervised meals and a Greek food and wine exhibition to increase awareness, appeal, and understanding of Mediterranean dietary habits as a vehicle for improved workplace and school health. For more information about Mediterranean Diet and Workplace Health, visit here.
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.huffingtonpost.com |
Greek police destroy suspected bomb sent to bourse
Greek police have destroyed a suspicious parcel sent to the Athens Stock Exchange that was stopped at the mailroom and did not disrupt trading. Police said the parcel sent to the stock exchange contained ...
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT news.yahoo.com |
Greek Minister of Defence: Cyprus sends a message of peace in the wider region
Minister of National Defence of Greece Demetris Avramopoulos said on Wednesday that his country will remain the strongest supporter of the ...
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT famagusta-gazette.com |
Syrian, Iraqi migrants squat in Greek police station
A police station on the island of Kos, in Greece, has turned into into a Syrian and Iraqi refugee camp. Photos by Maître Cama, a lawyer from Athens.
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT observers.france24.com |
Developer builds Greek housing
The housing options for a university's Greek life community are growing. The Grand Rapids-based developer Orion Real Estate Solutions officially ...
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.grbj.com |
53 rotating beers on tap at Jimmy the Greek's in South Portland
Jimmy Albert opened the first Jimmy the Greek's, a Greek-themed, hybrid restaurant, in Old Orchard Beach in 2008. A few years later, his second ...
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT mainetoday.com |
53 rotating beers on tap at Jimmy the Greek's in South Portland
Jimmy Albert opened the first Jimmy the Greek's, a Greek-themed, hybrid restaurant, in Old Orchard Beach in 2008. A few years later, his second ...
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT mainetoday.com |