Today he goes behind the picture-postcard view of GREECE in the first of a two-parter (the second part airs tomorrow) from last year, to discover how its ...
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How the world sees Greece
Tuesday, May 16, 2017
Offseason begins with golf, GREECE for globe-trotting Giannis
As long as he was overseas, Antetokounmpo once again hooked up with Millko, a maker of chocolate milk located in GREECE and with whom he's had ...
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.foxsports.com |
Jetton heading to GREECE in search of Master's degree
In a Facebook post late Monday night, Jetton announced that he would be moving to GREECE to work on his Master of Arts degree at the University of ...
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT themissouritimes.com |
Greece’s Revised Shoreline Use Law Takes Effect
A joint ministerial decision on a revised shoreline use law has been published in the Government Gazette ahead of the tourism season, aiming to facilitate recreational activities including the rental of sea sport equipment, the placement of tables and ...
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT news.gtp.gr |
Restaurant news: New concept for Brew, The GREEK Taverna opens & more
Toula, along with her husband, Gagik Suleymanian and her parents, Kitsa and Greg Panos, opened the new GREEK Taverna restaurant on Monday.
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.richmond.com |
GREEK Unions Protest New Austerity Measures
The GREEK parliament will meet from tomorrow to approve a new package of austerity measures that includes cuts in pensions and tax increases, ...
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT plenglish.com |
Greece hires Rothschild for €3.2mn to help the country return to bond markets
Deputy Finance Minister Giorgos Chouliarakis approved the cooperation between Greece and the financial advisory group Rotschild & Cie. The banking group is to help Greece return to the bond markets. According to the decision published today in Diavgeia system of public spending, the company will receive a total of up to 3.5 million euros for … The post Greece hires Rothschild for €3.2mn to help the country return to bond markets appeared first on Keep Talking Greece.
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Greek Anti-Austerity Strike Slams Government's International Creditors Deal
… austerity measures. At midnight, the Greek sailors' union began a … measures, which "affect all Greeks and in particular its media … bail-out agreement reached between the Greek government and its international financial …
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT world.einnews.com |
Olympic Air and Aegean flights canceled due to strike (tables in Greek)
9 flights canceled, 99 rescheduled
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT en.protothema.gr |
Eurozone Growth at 1.7% in First Quarter; Greece Is the Only Country in Recession
The eurozone economy grew at a rate of 1.7% in the first quarter, while Greece is the only country that experienced a recession. According to Eurostat‘s first estimate, GDP growth in the Eurozone for the first quarter of the year was at 1.7% on an annual ...
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT greece.greekreporter.com |
Camlachie student sets out to support refugees in GREECE
Ross spoke to Golden K Kiwanis members on May 9 about her upcoming journey to GREECE. CARL HNATYSHYN/SARNIA THIS WEEK ...
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New headquarters for Greece Police
The Greece Police Department unveiled its new headquarters to the public on Tuesday. Town leaders and the Greece Police Chief held a ribbon cutting ceremony. The new facility is off of Long Pond Road, near the Greece Town Court and the Greece Public Library.
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"Holy rollers" converted skating rink into Greek Orthodox sanctuary; more conversions on the way
Georgia Christie stretches up to trace her family’s names on a commemorative brick wall in the narthex of St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church. “There’s my mother and father, my brothers and sister,” she said. “They were here at the beginning, like ...
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT pilotonline.com |
Greece Police Department unveils new headquarters
GREECE, N.Y. (WROC-TV) - The Greece Police Department has new headquarters. Greece Town Supervisor Bill Reilich and the Greece Town Board were on hand for the ribbon cutting ceremony Tuesday. The Precinct 1 Police Headquarters -- located at 1 Vince Tofany ...
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.rochesterfirst.com |
Commission to register Citizens’ Initiative to ‘reduce wage and economic differences within EU’
First of all, a warning! A warning about the comprehension of the European Commission press release and of the initiative of the European Citizens’ Initiative entitled “Let us reduce the wage and economic differences that tear the EU apart.” Commission Press release Commission registers European Citizens’ Initiative entitled ‘Let us reduce the wage and economic … The post Commission to register Citizens’ Initiative to ‘reduce wage and economic differences within EU’ appeared first on Keep Talking Greece.
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Austerity package approved by Parliamentary Committee despite strong reactions
Lawmakers from the coalition SYRIZA-ANEL government approved in principle the new austerity package 2018-2021. The package was debated at the relevant parliamentary committee before coming for a roll-call vote in the Plenary on Thursday evening, May 18 2017. The measures of the competent parliamentary committees were approved in principle with the votes of the government … The post Austerity package approved by Parliamentary Committee despite strong reactions appeared first on Keep Talking Greece.
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coffix: A Quirky, Colorful Coffee Shop in Athens, Greece
Coffee is the universal morning (and all day) pick-me-up and it always seems to makes things better and that’s just the thinking behind studiomateriality’s design of coffix, a coffee shop in Athens, Greece. The quaint space boasts a happy palette of ...
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT design-milk.com |
Eurozone GDP up by 1.7%, while Greece stuck in recession
Eurostat data shows growth up by 2% in EU28
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT en.protothema.gr |
EU threatens Poland and Hungary with SANCTIONS if they do not start taking in migrants and reduce the burden on Greece and Italy
The European Union on Tuesday set a June deadline for Poland and Hungary to start admitting their share of migrants from overstretched Italy and Greece or risk sanctions. Eastern European countries like Hungary and Poland have opposed an EU plan adopted in ...
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.dailymail.co.uk |
EU plan to relocate 160,000 refugees from Italy and Greece by September failing despite record deaths at sea
The EU’s plan to resettle 160,000 refugees from Italy and Greece throughout member states is failing amid waning political will to help those risking their lives to reach Europe. Dimitris Avramopoulos, the European Commissioner for migration, said some ...
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.independent.co.uk |
Travel chaos in Greece as strikes spread
Ferry travel in Greece will be disrupted for a further two days this week after the seamen's union announced a second 48-hour strike. The Panhellenic Seamen Federation members, who walked out for 48 hours today, will go on strike again on May 18 and 19.
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.travelmole.com |
SYRIZA Broken Promise Bill Whacks Greeks With 4.9B Austerity Package
ATHENS – Greece’s Parliament has begun debate on a 4.9 billion-euro ($5.38 billion) austerity plan presented by the ruling Radical Left SYRIZA-led coalition which campaigned […] The post SYRIZA Broken Promise Bill Whacks Greeks With 4.9B Austerity Package appeared first on The National Herald.
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More than 18,000 Migrants Have Been Relocated to EU Countries, Avramopoulos Says
BRUSSELS – The European Union’s landmark migrant plan to share 160,000 refugees in Italy and Greece among their EU partners is likely to result in […] The post More than 18,000 Migrants Have Been Relocated to EU Countries, Avramopoulos Says appeared first on The National Herald.
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Saint Anthony’s Pasadena Golf Classic Combines Fellowship and Fun
LOS ANGELES, CA – The 17th Annual Golf Tournament is a celebration for the community of Saint Anthony’s Greek Orthodox Churchin Pasadena and the many […] The post Saint Anthony’s Pasadena Golf Classic Combines Fellowship and Fun appeared first on The National Herald.
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Exploring Latino Greek Life In New Episode From NPR's Latino USA
For many, college is the first place where serious thought is given to one’s identity. All of a sudden you’re forced to think about what it is you want from life and where you think you belong. Latino USA is diving into the world of college, starting ...
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Chobani CMO on GREEK yogurt: 'We think the category should be double what it is today'
GREEK yogurt accounts for about 54% of the overall yogurt category in the US, coming a long way from less than 1% of the market nine years ago when ...
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.dairyreporter.com |
Olympiakos charged over 'tunnel bust-up'
ATHENS: GREEK champions Olympiakos are in the dock over an alleged tunnel bust-up at half-time in a Super league match last month against ...
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT timesofindia.indiatimes.com |
Greek Inspired Luncheon & Quinoa Tabbouleh Salad
This post about Super Easy Greek Inspired Luncheon & Quinoa Tabbouleh Salad is sponsored by ALDI but all the opinions are 100% our own. I hosted an in-home event to expose my friends to ALDI and share some yummy lunch food. Hosting a luncheon for ...
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT stayingclosetohome.com |
Alternate Foreign Minister G. Katrougalos visits Qatar and participates in DOHA Forum
The greatest challenge the world is facing today is the inequality between states – and within them – which is increasing poverty and depriving millions of people of a decent life, Alternate Foreign Minister Giorgos Katrougalos stressed, speaking at the 17th International Doha Forum, in Qatar (14-15 May). Bearing in mind the increase in global population and falling prices of oil and basic goods, it is obvious, Mr. Katrougalos added, that we need to adopt policies that bolster salaried employment and the social state, promote diversification of sources of income in the mid- and long term, reform public finances and increase sources of income from investments in infrastructure and a trained, specialized labour force. Within the framework of the 2017 Doha Forum, entitled "Development, Stability and the Refugee Crisis", Mr. Katrougalos had bilateral meetings with Qatari officials and with representatives of the major companies interested in investments in Greece and the promotion of bilateral economic relations. Specifically, Mr. Katrougalos met with his Qatari counterpart, the State Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr. al Muraikhi, with whom, in a very positive and constructive atmosphere, he agreed on the further promotion of bilateral economic relations and discussed the possibility of an exchange of visits on the highest political and state levels. During his meeting with the Qatari Education Minister, Mr. al Hammadi, there was a discussion of ways to further strengthen cultural and educational exchanges between Qatar and Greece, particularly in view of the convening of the first Greece-Qatar Joint Interministerial Committee. With Economy and Trade Minister Mohammed al Thani, Mr. Katrougalos exchanged views on the prospects unfolding for bilateral economic relations, with emphasis on specific sectors of the economy with potential for attracting investments from Qatar.Within the framework of promoting bilateral economic relations, the Alternate Foreign Minister met, at his request, with the CEO of Qatar Airways, Mr. al Baker. Mr. Katrougalos also had a courtesy meeting with the former Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Qatar, Sheikh Jaber al Thani. Finally, during his stay in Doha, Mr. Katrougalos met with the CEO of the international television station Al Jazeera.
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Airlines Cancel, Reschedule Flights Due to Work Stoppage in Greece
Flight cancellations have been announced by AEGEAN and Sky Express for Wednesday, May 17, due to the work stoppages of the unions of air traffic controllers (11:00-15:00 local time) and licensed aeronautical telecommunications officers (08:00- 12:00 local ...
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT news.gtp.gr |
Greece is exploring first new government bond issue since 2014 if it secures a debt relief deal, reports say
Greece is planning to issue its first sovereign bonds since 2014 this summer if it can secure relief on its massive debt pile, according to reports. The Greek government could offer a five-year bond as early as July, Reuters reported, citing government ...
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.cityam.com |
International chain serving Greek frozen yogurt plans area debut
That's the hope of those bringing Chillbox Greek Frozen Yogurt, an international chain from Greece, to the Sacramento area. A Chillbox location is scheduled to open soon in a new space at 7441 W. Stockton Blvd. The 1,000-square-foot local site will join ...
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.bizjournals.com |
Greek debt relief up to ministers after euro zone, IMF officials fail to break deadlock
BRUSSELS, May 16 (Reuters) - Euro zone lenders and the International Monetary Fund remain far apart on how to provide debt relief for Greece, but officials hope euro zone finance ministers will still be able to hammer out an agreement at their May 22 meeting.
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.dailymail.co.uk |
Greek Finance Ministry Eases Capital Controls
The Greek finance ministry announced this week the further relaxation of capital controls which have been in effect since June 2015. The move is one of the requirements set by Greece’s international lenders for the country’s bailout program. According ...
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT news.gtp.gr |
Trip to Italy and Greece
There will be a meeting for all those interested in going to Italy and Greece from February 25-March 6, 2018. The meeting will take place in the high school auditorium on Monday, May 22 at 5 p.m. Students in grades 9 - 12 (and parents), as well as ...
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.boothbayregister.com |
Trump: The Big Boy in Oval Office admits he shared security information with Russia
US President Donald Trump has once again found himself at the center of a storm – this time for reportedly sharing “codeword classified” information with the Russian ambassador. The information, which related to the use of laptops on aircraft, is understood to have been passed to the Americans by an ally who had apparently chosen … The post Trump: The Big Boy in Oval Office admits he shared security information with Russia appeared first on Keep Talking Greece.
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The ‘Most Greek’ Cities in the USA
There are Greeks in abundance throughout the United States, however, there are some cities that are known for their “Greekness” — whether it’s for their statues, food or Hellenic communities. Let’s take a look at the top “most Greek” places ...
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT usa.greekreporter.com |
Dancing With the Devil: Trump's Politics of Fascist Collaboration
[President Donald Trump speaks at the 36th annual National Peace Officers' Memorial Service on Capitol Hill in Washington, May 15, 2017. (Photo: Doug Mills / The New York Times)]President Trump speaks at the 36th annual National Peace Officers' Memorial Service on Capitol Hill in Washington, May 15, 2017. (Photo: Doug Mills / The New York Times) Trump's support of a number of dictators and right-wing political figures is best understood as an act of collusion that has its counterpart in the collaborationist politics surrounding the rise of fascism in Germany and Italy in the 1930s. This is why historical memory is important, both as a form of moral witnessing and a crucial asset in preventing the normalization of an evolving American-style fascism. [President Donald Trump speaks at the 36th annual National Peace Officers' Memorial Service on Capitol Hill in Washington, May 15, 2017. (Photo: Doug Mills / The New York Times)]President Trump speaks at the 36th annual National Peace Officers' Memorial Service on Capitol Hill in Washington, May 15, 2017. (Photo: Doug Mills / The New York Times) Donald Trump's election has sparked a heated debate about the past, particularly over whether the Trump administration represents a continuum, if not an echo, of the protean origins of fascism. This is an argument that combines the resources of historical memory with current analyses of the distinctive temper of a new and dangerous historical moment in the United States. For instance, an increasing number of pundits across the ideological spectrum have identified Trump as a fascist or neo-fascist, while resurrecting some of the key messages of an earlier period of fascist politics. On the left/liberal side of politics, this includes writers, such as Chris Hedges, Robert Reich, Cornel West, Drucilla Cornell, Peter Dreier and John Bellamy Foster. Similar arguments have been made on the conservative side by writers, such as Robert Kagan, Jeet Heer, Meg Whitman and Charles Sykes. Historians of fascism, such as Timothy Snyder and Robert O. Paxton have argued that Trump is not Hitler but that there are sufficient similarities between them to warrant some concerns about surviving elements of a totalitarian past crystalizing into new forms in the United States. Paxton, in particular, argues that the Trump regime is closer to a plutocracy than to fascism. But, I think Paxton overplays the differences between fascism and Trump's style of authoritarianism, particularly underemphasizing Trump's ultra-nationalism, militarism and his embrace of the neoliberal state which does not suggest the rule of free-market capitalism but a more extreme example of the corporate state or what Mussolini called the corporatist state. In this case, traditional state power has been replaced by the rule of major corporations and the financial elite. At the same time, the social cleansing and state violence inherent in totalitarianism has been amplified under Trump. Both Hannah Arendt and Sheldon Wolin, the great historians of totalitarianism, have argued that the conditions that produce authoritarian logics have persisted well after their mid-twentieth century expressions. Wolin, in particular, insisted in 2010 that the United States was evolving into an authoritarian society. Recently, though, numerous critics have denied the persistence of fascism and totalitarianism. They have argued that Trump is either a sham, right-wing populist, or simply a reactionary Republican. Three notable examples of the latter positions can be found in the work of cultural critic Neal Gabler, who argues that Trump is mostly a self-promoting con artist and pretender president whose greatest crime is to elevate pretense, self-promotion and appearance over substance, all of which proves that he lacks the capacity and will to govern. Andrew O'Hehir claims we have to choose between whether Trump is just a clown or a fascist dictator and in the end seems to pivot more toward the clown argument, though he admits Trump is nonetheless dangerous. A more sophisticated version of this argument can be found in the work of historian Victoria de Grazia, who has argued that Trump bears little direct resemblance to either Hitler or Mussolini and is just a reactionary conservative. Certainly, Trump is not Hitler, and the United States at the current historical moment is not the Weimar Republic. But it would be irresponsible to consider Trump to be a either a clown or aberration given his hold on power and the ideologues who support him. What appears indisputable is that Trump's election is part of a sustained effort over the last 40 years on the part of the financial elite to undermine the democratic ethos and highjack the institutions that support it. Consequently, in the midst of the rising tyranny of totalitarian politics, democracy is on life support and its fate appears more uncertain than ever. Such an acknowledgment should make clear that the curse of totalitarianism is not a historical relic and that it is crucial that we learn something about the current political moment by examining how the spread of authoritarianism has become the crisis of our times, albeit in a form suited to the American context. History, once again, offers us a framework in which a global constellation of authoritarian economic, social and political forces are coming together that speak to tensions and contradictions animating everyday lives that transcend national boundaries for which there is not yet a comprehensive, coherent and critical language. What has emerged is a climate of precarity, fear, angst, paranoia and incendiary passion. Drawing upon Hannah Arendt, it would be wise to resurrect one of the key questions that emerges from her work on totalitarianism, which is whether the events of our time are leading to totalitarian rule. Whether or not Trump is a fascist in the exact manner of earlier totalitarian leaders somewhat misses the point, because it suggests that fascism is a historically fixed doctrine rather than an ideology that mutates and expresses itself in different forms around a number of commonalities. There is no exact blueprint for fascism, though echoes of its past haunt contemporary politics. As Adam Gopnik observes: > ... to call [Trump] a fascist of some > variety is simply to use a historical label that fits. The arguments > about whether he meets every point in some static fascism matrix > show a misunderstanding of what that ideology involves. It is the > essence of fascism to have no single fixed form -- an attenuated > form of nationalism in its basic nature, it naturally takes on the > colors and practices of each nation it infects. In Italy, it is > bombastic and neoclassical in form; in Spain, Catholic and > religious; in Germany, violent and romantic. It took forms still > crazier and more feverishly sinister, if one can imagine, in > Romania, whereas under Oswald Mosley, in England, its manner was > predictably paternalistic and aristocratic. It is no surprise that > the American face of fascism would take on the forms of celebrity > television and the casino greeter's come-on, since that is as much > our symbolic scene as nostalgic re-creations of Roman splendors once > were Italy's. The undeniable truth is that Trump is the product of an authoritarian movement and ideology with fascist overtones. In responding to the question of whether or not he believes Trump is a fascist, historian Timothy Snyder makes clear that the real issue is not whether Trump is a literal model of other fascist leaders but whether his approach to governing and the new political order he is producing are fascistic. He writes: > I don't want to dodge your question about whether Trump is a fascist > or not. As I see it, there are certainly elements of his approach > which are fascistic. The straight-on confrontation with the truth is > at the center of the fascist worldview. The attempt to undo the > Enlightenment as a way to undo institutions, that is fascism. > > Whether he realizes it or not is a different question, but that's > what fascists did. They said, 'Don't worry about the facts, don't > worry about logic, think instead in terms of mystical unities and > direct connections between the mystical leader and the people.' > That's fascism. Whether we see it or not, whether we like it or not, > whether we forget, that is fascism. > > Another thing that's clearly fascist about Trump were the rallies. > The way that he used the language, the blunt repetitions, the naming > of the enemies, the physical removal of opponents from rallies, that > was really, without exaggeration, just like the 1920s and the 1930s. > > And Mr. [Steve] Bannon's preoccupation with the 1930s and his kind > of wishful reclamation of Italian and other fascists speaks for > itself. To date, Trump's ascendancy has been compared to the discrete emergence of deeply reactionary nationalisms in Italy, Germany, France and elsewhere. I would like to broaden the lens with which we view these incipient events in ways that allow for a deeper historical understanding of the international scope and interplay of critical forces that respond to the shifts and contradictions brought about by a globalizing world increasingly brought to the brink of catastrophe by technological disruption, massive inequities in wealth and power, ecological disaster, mass migrations, relentless permanent warfare and the threat of a nuclear crisis. In the United States, shades of a growing authoritarianism are present in Trump's eroding of civil liberties, the undermining of the separation of church and state, health care policies that reveal an egregious indifference to life and death, his manufactured spectacles of self-promotion, contempt for weakness and dissent, and his attempts to shape the political realm through a process of fear, if not tyranny itself, as Snyder insists in his book _On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century_. History contains dangerous memories and this is particularly true for Trump given the ideological features and legacies of fascism that are deeply woven into his rhetoric of hate and demonization, his mix of theater and violence, his frenzied defiance of basic laws and his policies supportive of ultra-nationalism and racial cleansing. All the more reason for Trump and his acolytes to treat historical memory as a dangerous ghost that harbors critical tools for understanding how the present has become the past and the past informs the future. Historical memory matters because it serves as a form of moral witnessing, and in doing so becomes a crucial asset in preventing new forms of fascism from becoming normalized. We cannot pretend as if the current conditions exist outside of history in some ethereal space in which everything is measured against the degree of distraction it promises. Echoes of Trump's fascist impulses have been well documented, but what has been overlooked is a sustained analysis of his abuse and disparagement of historical memory, particularly in light of his association with a range of current right-wing dictators and political demagogues across the globe. Trump's ignorance of history was on full display with his misinformed comments about former president Andrew Jackson and nineteenth-century abolitionist Frederick Douglas. Trump's comments about Jackson having strong views on the civil war were widely ridiculed, given that Jackson died 16 years before the war started. Trump was also criticized for comments he made during Black History Month when he spoke about Frederick Douglass as if he were still alive, though he died 120 years ago. For the mainstream press, these historical missteps largely reflect Trump's ignorance of American history. But I think there is more at stake than simply ignorance, given the appeal of Trump's comments to white nationalists. Trump's comments provide a window into his ongoing practice of stepping outside of history so as to deny its relevance for understanding both the economic and political forces that brought him to power and the historical lessons to be drawn, given his egregious embrace of a number of authoritarian elements that resemble the plague of a fascist past. His alleged ignorance is also a cover for enabling a post-truth culture in which dissent is reduced to "fake news," the press is dismissed as the enemy of the people and a mode of totalitarian education is enabled whose purpose, as Hannah Arendt wrote in _The Origins of Totalitarianism_, is "not to instill convictions but to destroy the capacity to form any." Trump may appear to be an ignoramus and a clown, but such behavior points to something more profound politically, such as an attack on any viable notion of thoughtfulness and moral agency. His forays into international politics offer another less remarked upon form of fascistic embrace. There are important lessons to be mined historically regarding how we examine Donald Trump's support from and for a number of ruthless dictators and political demagogues. Trump's endorsements of and by a range of ruthless dictators are well-known and include Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoǧan, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte and the [recently defeated] French presidential candidate Marine Le Pen, the leader of the National Front party. All of these politicians have been condemned by a number of human rights groups, including Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and Freedom House. Less has been said about the support Trump has received from controversial right-wing bigots and politicians from around the world, such as Nigel Farage, the former leader of the right-wing UK Independence Party; Matteo Salvini, the right-wing Italian politician who heads the North League [Lega Nord]; Geert Wilders, the founder of the Dutch Party for Freedom; and Viktor Orbán, the reactionary prime minister of Hungary. All of these politicians share a mix of ultra-nationalism, xenophobia, Islamophobia, anti-Semitism, homophobia and transphobia. While the mainstream press and others have expressed moral outrage over these associations, they have refused to examine these relationships within a broader historical context. In an age when totalitarian ideas and tendencies inhabit the everyday experiences of millions of people and create a formative culture for promoting massive human suffering and misery, Trump's affinity for indulging right-wing demagogues becomes an important signpost for recognizing the totalitarian nightmare that marks a terrifying glimpse of the future. Historical memory suggests that a better template for understanding Trump's embrace of rogue states, dictators and neo-fascist politicians can be found in the reprehensible history of collaboration between individuals and governments, and the fascist regimes of Italy and Germany before and during the Second World War. For instance, one of the darkest periods in French history took place under Marshall Philippe Petain, the head of the Vichy regime, who collaborated with the Nazi regime between 1940 and 1944. As Helene Fouquet and Gregory Viscusi have noted, the Vichy regime was responsible for "about 76,000 Jews [being] deported from France, only 3,000 of whom returned from the concentration camps.... Twenty-six percent of France's pre-war Jewish population died in the Holocaust." For years, France refused to examine and condemn this shameful period in its history by claiming that the Vichy regime was an aberration, a position that has been recently taken up by Marine Le Pen, the neo-fascist National Front candidate. Not only has Le Pen denied the French government's responsibility for the roundup of Jews sent to concentration camps between 1940 and 1944, she has also used a totalitarian script from the past in appealing to economic nationalism in order "to cover up her fascist principles." During the election [campaign], as Angela Charlton has noted, [now President] Emmanuel Macron repeatedly "paid homage ... to the tens of thousands of French Jews killed in the Holocaust, with a somber, simple message to voters: Never Again," which served as a powerful reminder "of the anti-Semitic past of his rival Marine Le-Pen's far-right National Front party." Of course, such comments should not be read as an extraordinary political intervention for a mediocre neoliberal presidential candidate. These comments should be acknowledged by all candidates. The deeply horrifying acts of collaboration with twentieth-century fascism were not limited to France and included collaborators in Belgium, Croatia, the IRA [in Ireland], Greece, Holland and other countries. At the same time that millions of people were being killed by the Nazis, many businesses collaborated with them in order to profit from the fascist machinery of death. Business that collaborated with the Nazis included Kodak, which used slave laborers in Germany. Hugo Boss, the clothing company, manufactured clothes for the Nazis. IBM created the punch cards and a sorting system used for identifying Jews and other marginalized people and sending them to the gas chambers. BMW and IG Farben used forced laborers in Germany along with Audi, the giant car company that "used thousands of forced laborers from the concentration camps ... to work in their plant." The political and moral stain for collaboration with the Nazis was also at work in the United States and was evident in both FDR's and the American business community's initial supportive views of Mussolini. Moreover, as Noam Chomsky has pointed out, "In 1937 the State Department described Hitler as a kind of moderate who was holding off the dangerous forces of the left, meaning of the Bolsheviks, the labor movement ... and of the right, namely the extremist Nazis. [They believed] Hitler was kind of in the middle and therefore we should kind of support him." One telling incident of collaboration suggesting America's deeply rooted affinity with fascist principles is visible in the America First movement of the 1930s. America First was the motto of Americans friendly to Nazi ideology and Hitler's Germany. Its most famous spokespersons were Charles Lindbergh and William Randolph Hearst. The movement had a long history of anti-Semitism evident in Lindbergh's claim that American Jews were pushing America into war. Historian Susan Dunn has argued that the phrase, America First, which was appropriated and used by Donald Trump before and after his election, is a "toxic phrase with a putrid history." The concept of collaboration functions historically to deepen our understanding of Trump's associations with right-wing demagogues as a warning sign that offers up a glimpse of both the contemporary recurrence of fascist overtones from the past and what Richard Falk has called "a pre-fascist moment." Trump's endorsement of right-wing demagogues, such as Duterte, Le Pen and Erdoǧan, in particular, is more than an aberration for a US president: It suggests more ominously his disregard for human rights, the suppression of dissent, human suffering and the principles of democracy itself. Trump's collaboration with dictators and right-wing rogues also suggests something more ominous. As Michael Brenner observes, " ... authoritarian movements and ideology with fascist overtones are back -- in America and in Europe. Not just as a political expletive thrown at opponents, but as a doctrine, as a movement, and -- above all -- as a set of feelings." It is against this historical backdrop of collaboration that Trump's association with various dictators should be analyzed. The case of Rodrigo Duterte is particularly telling. Warning signs of a "pre-fascist moment" abound in Trump's invitation to Rodrigo Duterte to visit the White House. Duterte has supported and employed the use of death squads both as mayor of Davao and as the president of the Philippines. The New York Times has reported that "more than 7,000 suspected drug users and dealers, witnesses and bystanders -- including children -- have been killed by the police or vigilantes in the Philippines" under Duterte's rule. Moreover, he has supported a nationwide killing machine that includes giving "free license to the police and vigilantes" to kill drug users and pushers while allowing children, innocent bystanders and others to be caught in the indiscriminate violence. He has called former president Obama "the son of a whore," has compared himself to Hitler, has stated that Trump approves of his drug war, and has threatened to assassinate journalists. Duterte's ruthlessness is captured by photographer, Daniel Berehulak, who while working in the Philippines stated that he had "worked in 60 countries, covered wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and spent much of 2014 living inside West Africa's Ebola zone, a place gripped by fear and death" but added that what he experienced in the Philippines "felt like a new level of ruthlessness: police officers' summarily shooting anyone suspected of dealing or even using drugs, vigilantes' taking seriously Mr. Duterte's call to "slaughter them all.'" Trump's support for Duterte may arise out of his admiration for his law-and-order campaign, his hatred of the press, and his utter embrace of one-man rule. It may also have to do with Trump's various business ventures in the Philippines, including ownership of a new "$150 million tower in Manila's financial district." All of these issues represent in more extreme form elements of Trump's own anti-democratic policies and serve as a warning as to how far he might want to push them. Trump's affinity for what borders on collaboration with overt racists and authoritarians has played out within a global configuration of economic nationalism and right-wing politics among people, such as Le Pen, Erdoǧan, Putin and el-Sisi who look to Trump for support and tacit approval. Trump's tacit support for Le Pen's failed bid for the presidency of France rests on his sympathies with her anti-immigration policies, her ultra-nationalism and her claim to speak for the people. Like Le Pen, he deflects attention away from real problems, such as rising inequality, a carceral state, human rights violations, racial injustice and climate change, while demonizing and scapegoating marginalized people. Trump wants to join hands with those other right-wing leaders who want to build walls, beef up the security state and enable his white nationalist and white supremacist followers. His affinity for collaboration with Le Pen feeds his own narcissistic impulses, bigotry, hatred of Muslims and what Juan Cole calls "economic patriotism." At the same time, Trump's disdain for human rights, the critical media and dissent has enamored him to Putin in Russia, Erdoǧan in Turkey and el-Sisi in Egypt. These men are all ideological bedfellows of Trump who harbor a great deal of contempt for the rule of law, the courts and any other check on their power. Erdoǧan, in particular, has not only imposed a state of emergency on his country and then later installed himself as a virtual dictator, but he has also purged and arrested dissidents in the critical media and in academia. After Erdoǧan assumed dictatorial powers through what many believe was a rigged election, Trump congratulated him in a phone call. As Jennifer Williams and Zack Beauchamp have noted, el-Sisi, a brutal military dictator, "overthrew his country's democratically elected president in a 2013 coup, killed more than 800 protesters in a single day, and has imprisoned tens of thousands of dissidents since he took power." Williams and Beauchamp add that Trump's response to his human rights violations and the turning of Egypt into a police state was to publicly announce that he was "very much behind President el-Sisi. He's done a fantastic job in a difficult situation." Trump has also offered to meet with Thailand prime minister, Prayuth Chan-ocha, a junta head who is responsible for jailing dissidents after he took power through a coup. He has also called one of the most brutal dictators in the world, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, "a smart cookie." Ironically, such praise comes at a time when Trump is threatening North Korea with a frightening and terrifying military confrontation. In his endorsement, support and legitimation of a range of dictators and right-wing extremists, Trump has emulated a period in history of shameless complicity with the ideologies, policies and practices associated with fascism itself. Situating Trump within the historical legacy of collaboration with fascist states and leaders provides a new language for examining how far Trump might go in pushing authoritarian policies, and how historical memory can be used to prevent such practices from being normalized. Trump's collaborationist endorsements offer insights into what the prelude to authoritarianism looks like in contemporary terms by enabling the public to understand how fascism can be normalized by escaping from history. The politics of collaboration reminds us that the current crisis facing Americans is really about the crisis of memory, justice and democracy and not simply about Trump's poor judgment or aberrant behavior. Historical memory, in this case, is a crucial referent for gaining insights into the violent forces and totalitarian forms emerging under the Trump regime. It also provides a referent for salvaging possibilities for individual and collective resistance against the evolving dynamics of an American-style fascism that poses a dire threat to democracy at home and abroad.
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Thomson Holidays best late deals for 2017 including all inclusive offers to Spain, Greece and Mexico
On a mission to find the some pre-summer sun on a budget? Those after a cheap holiday can take advantage of some tempting offers this season. Read on for some of the best late deals from Thomson Holidays to Spain, Mexico and more, flying from all around …
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Italy higher than year ago, numbers in Greece drop
… of migrants arriving on the Greek islands in the Aegean in … to detections made by the Greek authorities). These figures are similar … 6 100 migrants reached the Greek islands, barely 4% of the …
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Cooking school founder shares favorite Greek recipes
… cooking Greek. A cook who lived in Greece and Australia, founding the Greek cooking school Greekalicious, is sharing … traditional Kalamata salad, known in Greece as “horiatiki salata” (or villagers …
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Chef John Ondo's new Kairos Greek Kitchen opening any day now
John Ondo is answering the call of Mt. Pleasant's desire for quality fast/casual food with Kairos Greek Kitchen and sources say it should open any day now. The chef's move from running his Mediterranean-influenced Lana on Rutledge Ave to a strip mall gyro ...
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Public Entities, Unions React Strongly to Greek Gov’t Austerity Measures
The reaction of public entities and unions to the new austerity measures the Greek government is trying to pass was expressed with strong language in the House at the discussion of the new omnibus bill. Phrases like “You conned us!”, “Aren’t you ...
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New memorandum approved in principle in parliamentary committee
New austerity measures included in onmibus bill to be debated in plenary session of Greek parliament on Wednesday and Thursday
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Greece Eying July Bond, if Deal Reached With Lenders-Sources
ATHENS/LONDON — Greece is eying its first sovereign bond issue in three years as early as July if its international lenders specify longer term debt relief for the country, and the European Central Bank includes it in its bond-buying programme.
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Foreign Ministry Slams “Flagrant Violation of International Law” by Turkish Navy
ATHENS (ANA) – The violation of Greek territorial waters from Turkish Navy vessels in the area of Agathonisi on Monday constitutes a “flagrant violation of […] The post Foreign Ministry Slams “Flagrant Violation of International Law” by Turkish Navy appeared first on The National Herald.
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Greek-Australian Kyrgios Withdraws from Italian Open with Hip Injury
ROME (AP) — Nick Kyrgios has withdrawn from the Italian Open with a hip injury. Tournament organizers made the announcement Tuesday, shortly before the 18th-ranked […] The post Greek-Australian Kyrgios Withdraws from Italian Open with Hip Injury appeared first on The National Herald.
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Priests in his home? A woman named Clancy? It's Greek to him
Please I want to make a reservation in your facility for six (6) newly ordained priest from Greece will be visiting your country for a seven (7) days religious program in the month June 2017. Checking in Date: 4th June 2017. Check out Date: 10th June 2017.
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Aegean flights from Larnaca affected by Greek strike
The times of four Aegean flights between Athens and Larnaca on Wednesday have been changed as air traffic controllers and civil aviation telecommunications personnel in Greece join in the country’s wider strike action. The widespread strikes are in ...
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Vodafone Greece service revenue growth slows to 0.2% in Q4
Vodafone Greece saw its service revenue growth slow again in the fiscal fourth quarter to March, to 0.2 percent and a total EUR 189 million in revenue. Vodafone said the growth was led by the consumer fixed activities, which added 11,000 new broadband ...
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