Greek Orthodox Church to celebrate annual blessing

During the event, a participating priest will throw a cross into the water and area young people will dive to retrieve it

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Woody Allen on Blue Jasmine: 'You see tantrums in adults all the time'

Woody Allen is back with a shock masterpiece that brings Greek tragedy to the story of a self-destructive socialite played by Cate Blanchett. He talks about rage, tolerance and some men's misgivings about feminism

Woody Allen does not look like a samurai. He looks, at 77, like a Woody Allen action doll, so tiny and iconic you have to sit on your hands so as not to pick him up and put him on the mantelpiece. His green shirt balloons round his body, baggy slacks winched up high. I'm lucky I have a morning slot, he says, extending dinky fingers – these days, he's snoring by four. He smiles mildly, left eye creased, hearing aid in one ear. The world knows Woody as a lover not a fighter. As he approaches 80, that hasn't changed.

And yet it is to a Japanese assassin, a stone-cold swordsman, that his two most recent collaborators compare him. John Turturro, who directed Allen as an unlikely pimp in the forthcoming Fading Gigolo, says it first. "Sure, a samurai," he shrugs. "He's one of the toughest people I've met." Then Cate Blanchett, whom Allen directed in Blue Jasmine. She seizes on the word with something approaching relief. "Yeah! A very little samurai with glasses. I think he'd like that description."

He doesn't. Or, at least, he doesn't recognise it. It takes three takes before he twigs what I'm saying. "A samurai?" he says, finally. "I'd hardly say a samurai." He laughs, aghast. But they're right. Woody is a warrior. He just doesn't know it yet.

The first shock of his new film is its quality. Oour critic Peter Bradshaw gave Blue Jasmine five stars and hailed it as his best in 20 years. For the Allen aficionado, accustomed to diminishing returns, it feels less like the oft-hailed "return to form" than a minor miracle.

Its ferocity is the second. Midnight in Paris, his biggest box-office earner to date, might have lulled you into assuming late-stage Allen was pipe-and-slippers stuff. But Blue Jasmine is a bruiser of a movie, a Greek tragedy that dispatches a Park Avenue princess with a massive slap.

The idea came from Soon-Yi, his wife of 16 years, who told him about the friend of a friend – the wife of a financier who imploded after learning her husband was unfaithful and involved in Ponzi-ish fraud. Critics have feasted on the age-of-Madoff topicality. Allen is unconvinced.

"No. I had none of that in mind," he says. "I don't engage with public events any more than I ever did. In real life of course I vote, I campaign for people I like, I'm interested in public events. But in writing I'm not, and I wasn't here in any way. It's strictly accidental."

Jasmine, broke and shaky, goes to stay with adopted sister Ginger (Sally Hawkins) in her boxy San Francisco flat. Doom isn't definite. She scrapes a job as a dental receptionist, attracts a glossy suitor in Peter Sarsgaard. But, in the background, we're drip-fed details of what went wrong before. And, almost as ominous, we see the attempts of shelf-stacker Ginger, under Jasmine's influence, to swap her car-mechanic fiance, Chilli, for a more middle-class model.

OK: it's not topical. And Allen is sceptical about theories that say it's a modern spin on A Streetcar Named Desire. So maybe it's a public service broadcast? A warning for siblings who might egg each other over the precipice? (Allen and Soon Yi have two adoptive daughters of their own, now teenagers.)

Allen shuts the lid politely. "A cautionary fable? No. I just thought it was an interesting psychological situation for a woman to be in. This is not a character I'd have written 40 years ago. I wouldn't have had the skill to do it, and I didn't come in contact with this type of woman until I got older, because I live in an upscale neighbourhood in New York." 

Allen's career can be charted through his gender adventures. In his "early, funny" films, women were sexy accessories. Then came the Diane Keaton years and the Mia Farrow era, and a stream of female characters that rank as some of the most richly and compassionately realised ever. Following the Farrow split in 1992, a slide back towards stereotype. The love letters regressed into caricatures. And now, out of nowhere, a masterpiece.

Allen has spoken before about his fondness for "kamikaze women", who destroy you in the fallout; Jasmine is cut from the same cloth, yet untroubled by charm. As the film unfolds, you expect revelations that will heighten your sympathy. What you get is further incriminating evidence. It's a character study. It's also character assassination.

I was surprised, I say, he wasn't more on side with someone who seeks solace in a fantasy world. "Well, you're just asking for trouble, if you do that," he says, concern in his voice. "It's very seductive and I've done it a certain amount, but it does take a terrific toll. If you try and live your life with other people in offices and in the street and in your social intercourse I think it can be brutal."

Jasmine forever protests it is feelings which maketh the man, not hard facts. Again, not total anathema to Allen, you'd think. But he's adamantly anti. "Ninety-nine per cent of decisions are predicated on feelings – instinctive, emotional, fears, conflicts, unresolved childhood problems. They're our dominant motivating factor, not reason or rationality or common sense. And that's why the world is in a terrible, terrible state. Human relations are hard and brutal and painful, and the world is in a dreadful state politically. And that's because feelings govern almost everything in every sphere."

It is in giving in to them that Jasmine seals her fate. At a pivotal moment, she succumbs to what Allen calls, in both script and conversation, a "tantrum". That's what snaps his tolerance. "She could have gotten a divorce, forgiven him, had a talk with him, moved out of the house. But she just hit the ceiling blindly and went on a rampage that brought destruction upon her whole household. She never stopped to think out the consequences of her raging moment. You see tantrums in adults all the time. You're driving on the highway and a car bumps you and the driver gets out and he's ready to tear your head off."

But do some people have a greater propensity for self-destruction? "Yes, absolutely." Why? "Well, I think that's genetic. Or at least somewhat genetic and somewhat nurture. The genetic component works in terms of a proclivity towards tantrums and depending on the kind of childhood they've had, how much rage they assimilate and injustices and terrible things or perceived failure work together on you as you grow up."

Allen may have witnessed such combustions. But he seems forever unflappable. Sure, he plays neurotics, but beneath that twitchy exterior there's a clear head, sturdy heart and – according to Diane Keaton – "balls of steel". He prizes poise, particularly in himself.

"I think he's incredibly disciplined," says Blanchett, backing up that samurai theory. "People talk about how hands-off he is and how he likes to give actors free rein but he knows exactly what he doesn't want. He eats the same thing for breakfast, wears the same clothes every day. I mean, he washes them – but he has 20 of that same Ralph Lauren silhouette." 

And such intensity of focus doesn't sit ill with Allen's self-deprecation. The more you really do think that "80% of success is showing up," the more organise your life around arriving on time. The virtues of graft were drummed in by his parents, Nettie, a bookkeeper and Martin, an engraver – so successfully that at 17 Woody was earning more than them both combined, rattling out gags for comedians and columnists. By 19, he was on $1,500 a week and working for Sid Caesar. He still makes a film a year, on time, on budget, like clockwork. (When we first meet in Paris, he's just finished shooting a Riviera romance with Colin Firth and Emma Stone. A fortnight later, we speak on the phone, and he's fresh from finishing the rough cut.)

This traditionalism can take you aback. It's easy to forget, watching him talk, viewing old films, even seeing him goof about with a gaggle of kids in Fading Gigolo, that Allen is the product of pre-war New York. At one point, I'm disparaging about Jasmine's attempts to coat-tail up the social ladder. But, says Allen, women are entitled to feel entitled.

"I think it's a reasonable feeling, the hope to meet somebody who can give them a life of some security and enjoyment. Someone who'll give them something better than they have – or, in upper-class families, at least as good as what they have. They don't wanna marry down. I imagine that would be not too thrilling a proposition."

He chuckles dryly. Men have long had it more straightforward, he thinks. "They feel they have more control. They'll get a job or they'll steal the money or they'll do something to better their circumstances. They're not dependent on their spouse for improvement. 

"Now, of course, feminists changed all of that, which is great. But they didn't change it for every class or for every woman. There are still deep roots women are influenced by. They feel they'll grow up, they'll go to school, they'll meet some guy and he will take over the reins. They may do some work but they're not going to head up a law firm or something – they won't have time, raising the kids. Guys are more used to the business of making their own lives and women have traditionally married men who they feel have an obligation to take care of them in some way."

So how does that make men feel? "I don't think that men have been comfortable with feminist progress," he says, unblinking. "They're used to growing up in a society where women have a role to play and so do the men. Some enlightened men have welcomed and encouraged and supported it. But I'm not so sure if you look deeply even into them that it hasn't been a little bit of an effort to accept women in roles that they're completely entitled to. If you asked most men in the privacy of their own home they might say: I liked it better when a woman got married and took care of the kids and I went out to work and the equation was clearly defined. Women should be free to have anything and everything they want in terms of all of those rights. It should be a given, not be a privilege. But it is undoing a more primitive situation."

So societal structures are struggling to keep up? "That's true. It's happened very rapidly. I think if you look 100 years from now, the situation will be much more graceful. You won't have the old history to fall back on. You'll have a feminist dynamic to refer to."

He frowns. It's not just genes, not just habit. It's class, too. He lives, he says, in the kind of "sophisticated environment" that makes liberal-mindedness easy. "I've never had to go off to a factory and need somebody home to take care of the children." 

The compassion is keen. The friendliness sincere. As he gets older, he says, his fellow-feeling only grows. "Over the years you get to see what a struggle life is for most people, how tough it is, how easy it is to be judgmental and criticise and stand outside of situations and impart your wisdom and judgment. But over the decades I've got more tolerant of people's flaws and mistakes. Everybody makes a lot of them. When you're younger you feel: 'Hey, this person is evil' or 'This person is a jerk' or stupid or 'What's wrong with them?' Then you go through life and you think: 'Well, it's not so easy.' There's a lot of mystery and suffering and complication. Everybody's out there trying to do the best they can. And it's not such an easy business."

He grins again, glasses glinting, soft and sweet. He means it. It's just that it's impossible to reconcile such benevolence with the mercilessness of his new movie. But perhaps that's for the good. The day Allen has it all worked out is the day he might stop making movies. Let's just hope he sticks to his guns. Embraces the way of the sword, even. 

Woody AllenCate BlanchettCatherine Shoardtheguardian.com © 2013 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

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Pope Francis and the Future of Europe

European political leadership is desperately in need of new energy and vision. Within Europe's ongoing deep malaise an unexpected element has appeared: the new pontiff, Pope Francis. The thoughts that follow are inspired by the surprising popular enthusiasm his initial public appearances seem to generate as well as the much-commented interview published in the September 30 issue of America: the National Catholic Review. This is admittedly not much to go on but Europe's well-wishers have to work with what we have, hoping that we're not just grasping at straws. It's not implausible to think that a contemporary pope might have a significant effect on European affairs writ large, beyond overseeing the Vatican hierarchy, the Catholic theological message and the pastoral affairs of the Church. The previous two popes are examples that lead in different directions. John Paul II's election in October 1978 was immediately perceived as inaugurating a new era for the Church. Everyone knew that he would also be a man to reckon with in the evolution of cold war European political and cultural life. He was Polish. He had grown up in a totalitarian Communist regime and as the Archbishop of Krakow embodied a Catholic Church that had long been in effect Poland's civil society, the greatest Resistance movement to Stalinism and to Soviet influence in that martyred country. He was young for a pope, intelligent and subtle, personally attractive, a linguist and obviously determined to be a mobilizing, charismatic personality. The 1980s were the decade of Communism's decline and collapse. John Paul played a significant role in pushing forward that result. He was a godfather of Eastern Europe's liberation, therein of the unification of Europe. Almost all the former Soviet satellite countries were safely inside the European Union within fifteen years. His anti-Communism and tenacious dealings with Moscow and Warsaw made him a kind of geopolitical force in himself. His electrifying "be not afraid" speech October 22 to the crowd in St. Peter's Square put the Church on the right side of history, a place it had not always occupied in Europe's bloody half-century, 1914-1945. His successor, Benedict XVI, seemed the opposite of John Paul. His introverted personality made him a distant leader, anything but charismatic. His doctrinal rigidity, more interested in theology than in pastoral affairs and reaching out to the Catholic masses, left a surprisingly meager heritage. His goal was a smaller, purer Church. Likely as not he succeeded only in the first. Benedict had little influence on the evolution of European affairs. His 2004 book, Europe: Today and Tomorrow, published shortly before his election, had little impact and is hardly remembered. On his election to the papacy last March, Francis -- Jorge Mario Bergolio of Argentina, son of Italian immigrants -- hardly seemed a fount of dynamism. He didn't look charismatic and behaved with a beguiling simplicity. As contrasted with John Paul's memorable "be not afraid," Pope Francis ended his first appearance on the Vatican balcony by wishing the crowd a good evening. Nevertheless, his humble, man-in-the-street aspect -- living in a small Vatican apartment rather than the papal apartment, using a modest car instead of the pope-mobile, an easy-going, informal manner, his emphasis on the poor rather than on theology -- is turning out to be remarkably appealing. The "Catholic Review" interview demonstrates that this informality shouldn't be misread as superficiality. The new pope seems to be a man of deep reflection, wide culture and sophisticated but practical wisdom. One passage in the interview stands out here because it is a reflection on collective identity. "Belonging to a people," he said, "has a strong theological value. In the history of salvation, God has saved a people. There is no full identity without belonging to a people." If a nation or people is an "imagined community," in the famous phrase of political scientist Benedict Anderson, then so is the Church -- and so must be a united Europe if it is ever to be. A united Europe must be more than transnational institutions and meetings of European Union leaders. If Europe is to save its soul, Europeans must ultimately imagine themselves to be "European," rooted in nationalities but also a distinct people destined to a common fate in a globalized, competitive world. The historic "idea of Europe" needs to be given new life. Francis has called for an ecumenical Catholic outreach to "our Orthodox brethren," the Russian, Greek and other eastern churches. He ought to make haste to reach out as well to Jews and Muslims. In doing so he could have some indirect effect on Europe's sense of itself by working to remake the religious tapestry of the Old Continent. Even non-believers understand that religion is a powerful source of national unity. In the twenty-first century, religious reconciliation could be a resource of European identity.

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Greece's democracy in danger, warns Demos, as Greek reservists call for coup

The GuardianGreece's democracy in danger, warns Demos, as Greek reservists call for coupThe GuardianNo country has displayed more of a "backslide in democracy" than Greece, the British thinktank Demos has said in a study highlighting the crisis-plagued country's slide into economic, social and political disarray. Released on the same day that ...

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New Greek state radio station goes on air

Talk shows, music programs and hourly news bulletins make up the schedule of a new public radio station, Proto Programma, which began broadcasting on Thursday. The radio station, which replaces those of defunct state TV and radio broadcaster ERT, is prima... ...

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Greek gov't draws up decree to slash red tape

The government is preparing a presidential decree that will cut red tape by replacing 27 actions that needed to be carried out by the public administration with just one: the signature of a minister. In total the decree, which is being drawn up by the Adm... ...

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Greek police arrest 6 family members for lucrative inheritance scam

A policeman is among six people, all members of the same family, that have been arrested for fraud after they allegedly obtained some 1 million euros in cash and more than 20 properties by pretending to be the relatives of people who had died. Police said... ...

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Greek court rejects Victor Restis's bail request

A council of appeals court judges on Thursday rejected a request by businessmen Victor Restis to be released from custody. The judges rejected the shipping tycoon’s argument that he is not a flight risk and that he is only being held for embezzlement and ... ...

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Asopos River to be cleaned up after years of delays

Authorities are to proceed with delayed plans to combat pollution in the Asopos River in central Greece, which provides households and farms in Viotia with water. The Environment Ministry, the Athens Water and Sewage Company (EYDAP) and the Municipality o... ...

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National Bank Plans 2,000 Voluntary Job Cuts

The National Bank of Greece, following the lead of Piraeus Bank, said it’s going to reduce its workforce through the voluntary departures of 2,000 employees in a bid to cut its operating costs and boost its profits even more, helped by the mere 0.10 percent interest rate it pays depositors while lending at far higher rates. […]

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What Golden Dawn Believes In

The statute of the Golden Dawn adopts military hierarchy and a secret separate structure for hit squads, referring to the respective features of Adolf Hitler’s NSDAP (National Socialist German Workers’ Party). The statute, which was revealed by the Greek journal “Efimerida ton Syntakton”, shows the military hierarchy of the organization, as well as the fact […]

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Proto Thema Newspaper Attacked By Mob

The offices of the Athens newspaper Proto Thema, which published a startling front page photo of a dying anti-fascist being cradled in his girlfriend’s arms after he was stabbed by a man police said belonged to the neo-Nazi Golden Dawn party, was attacked by a gang of hooded assailants on Sept. 26, officials there said. […]

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Papadimoulis Asks for a Referendum Against Nazism

Parliamentary Spokesman of SY.RIZ.A.-Ε.Κ.Μ. Dimitris Papadimoulis stated: “The people have to show they are against nazism as well as that their large majority are against the memorandum and liberal policies.” Former Member of the European Parliament Papadimoulis expressed SYRIZA’s intention to convert the potential elections that will take place if Golden Dawn’s MPs resign into […]

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Greek toy retailer Jumbo says full-year profit drops 24 pct

Jumbo, which operates 51 department stores in crisis-hit Greece and another 11 in Cyprus and Bulgaria, said net profit fell to 74 million euros ($99.96 million), compared with a 70 million euro estimate it gave earlier in the year. The company ...

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EU Official Questions Needs to Forgive Greek Debt

The head of the euro zone's bailout fund cast doubt on official assessments of how much Greece's debt is really weighing on its economy.

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Apple Releases iOS 7.0.2 With Fixes For Lock Screen Bypass, Greek Passcode ...

Apple Releases iOS 7.0.2 With Fixes For Lock Screen Bypass, Greek Passcode ...TechCrunchApple has today released iOS 7.0.2 for iOS devices with a fix for the lock screen bypass vulnerability discovered this week. The issue allowed users to jump past lock screen passcodes to gain access to photos and other social sharing options. The fix ...and more »

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BSF lifting-and-mooring vessel to visit ports of Greece

MOSCOW, September 26 (Itar-Tass) - The Kil-158 lifting-and-mooring vessel of Russia's Black Sea Fleet (BSF) will call at Greek ports for business visits. Over there Russianseamen will participate in activities of the 12th International public forum on the theme of "Russian Week on Ionian Sea Islands" and ceremonies on the occasion of a regular anniversary of the Naval Battle of ...

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Greek favorites served at annual Las Vegas Greek food fest

There's no need to travel to Greece this weekend to taste some of your favorite Greek food, a local church will be serving it on their grounds for three full days.

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Bailout Fund Boss Says Current Greek Debt Analysis 'Meaningless'

Bailout Fund Boss Says Current Greek Debt Analysis 'Meaningless'Wall Street Journal (blog)Klaus Regling, the managing director of the European Stability Mechanism, the euro-zone bailout fund, spoke to The Wall Street Journal about a range of issues, starting with Greece's debt load. This is a transcript of the interview with Matina Stevis ...and more »

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Golden Dawn wire tapped as Greece reels from violent protests

In a turbulent 24 hours for Greece, anti-fascist protests became violent, an army website demanded the resignation of the government, and an official admitted they planted wire taps in the communications of a neo-Nazi political party. The ...

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Alex Ovechkin to be first Russian Torchbearer Sunday in Greece

CBSSports.comAlex Ovechkin to be first Russian Torchbearer Sunday in GreeceCBSSports.comWashington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin will be the first Russian to carry the Olympic Torch when it is lit this weekend in Olympia, Greece on Sunday. Once the torch is lit, Ovechkin will be the first Russian to touch it in the customary Torch relay ...and more »

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ESM Chief Questions Greece Debt Deal

Wall Street JournalESM Chief Questions Greece Debt DealWall Street JournalBRUSSELS—The head of the euro zone's bailout fund cast doubt on official assessments of how much Greece's debt is really weighing on its economy, the latest signal that the currency bloc is stepping away from previous commitments to reduce the ...

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Greece is the word at Southbank Centre

It has given birth to some very exciting voices, especially as far as our contemporary Greek literature and theatre is concerned. “These voices, however, are silenced in Greece today, without support and funding. I do wish that someday we ...

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Unable to Pay Elderly Gives up House

An 83-year-old man, named Antonis Margetakis, resident of Metaxohori village in Ierapetra, on the island of Crete, took the decision to give up his house to the Municipality of Ierapetra as he was unable to pay all the fees. Margetakis said he took this decision as he felt indignant at the unjustified fees the municipality […]

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Greek Costamare Buys Five Container Ships

Costamare Inc., the Greek owner of about 60 container ships, is using its new joint venture with investor York Capital Management to acquire five container vessels at a total price of more than USD 190 million. The purchases, as daily Kathimerini reports quoting Bloomberg, include two new vessels built in Asia with a capacity of […]

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Lee: UI greek life poorly integrated

Lee: UI greek life poorly integratedUI The Daily IowanIt's common for University of Iowa students to consider greek life. However, not much thought is given to each chapter's racial demographics. Recently, the University of Alabama's National Panhellenic Conference sororities have received negative attention.

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Greek Festival's Pastichio recipe (Food Detective)

In addition to Greek cui­sine, the festival will include Greek music ... Send your request to: Food Detective, The Birming­ham News, P.O. Box 2553, Birmingham, AL 35202; fax Food Detective, 205-325-2494 or email LGFullman@aol.com

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Benefit for the Needy Children of Cyprus

FLUSHING ? For the forseeable future, some of the most worthwhile community events will be those that benefit the people of Greece and Cyprus during their time of troubles. On September 25 the Cyprus Federation of America hosted its 2013 Testimonial Dinner which was billed as ?A Philanthropic Event to Benefit The Needy Children of Cyprus.? The gathering at Terrace on the Park in Flushing was also an opportunity to honor George A. David and Michael and Mary Jaharis for ? Their Love for Cyprus and Their Dedication to Hellenism and Orthodoxy.? The highlight of the evening came during Michael Jaharis? acceptance speech when he praised ?the leadership and tireless efforts of Cyprus? Consul General in New York, Koula Sophianou, especially citing her work in behalf of children in need, and announcing an additional $200,000 donation for the children of Cyprus. Nicos Anastasiades, President of the Republic of Cyprus, also attended served as the Honorary Chairperson, as did His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios of America. Greek Deputy Premier and Foreign Minster Evangelos Venizelos was an honored guest. Peter Papanicolaou, the former president of the Federation was the event chairman. Archbishop Demterios offered the invocation and benediction. More to follow.

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My big, fat Greek Festival 2013: Gyros, grape leaves and more at 41st annual Birmingham food fest

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- Some of us have been waiting all year for this. Birmingham is blessed with a wealth of wonderful ethnic food festivals, and this weekend, one of the city’s oldest and most popular, the Greek Festival, returns for its 41st year.

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Teachers Suspend Strike and Open Schools

After eight days of striking, Greek secondary school teachers decided on September 25 to suspend their strike, as reported by Greek media. Schools began functioning normally from September 26. The strike’s end was decided by the presidents of the local unions of secondary teachers, ELME. The strike began on September 16, as the secondary teachers’ […]

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Golden Dawn Recruiting Young Greek Students

It seems that the Greek neo-Nazi Golden Dawn party has invaded Greek schools, as it is attempting to recruit young students, while several teachers talk about groups of out-of-school individuals who try to recruit minor boys and girls in order to staff the organization’s hit squads. The situation at schools seems to be out of […]

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Creditors urge Cyprus: be more like Ireland and less like Greece

Economic output fell less than estimated in the first half of the year and sentiment indicators rebounded from lows in April, a month after the euro area's first rescue that included seizing deposits and imposing capital controls. "Programme implementation ...

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Greek Military Elite Wants Government to Quit

ATHENS ? Greek Special Forces reservists, in a posting on their website, said they want the government to resign and be replaced with a new administration of ?national unity? that would cancel the country's deal with international lenders, put politicians on trial and be backed by the military. Recalling the days of the repressive dictatorship of the military junta that ruled the country from 1967-74, the posting prompted the government ? already investigating possible ties between the military and the neo-Nazi Golden Dawn party ? to launch a new probe. Defence Minister Dimitris Avramopoulos earlier said he would investigate whether any military forces are training Golden Dawn members, said to have a 3,000-man unit, also working with some police, as a private army. The Hellenic Special Forces Union (KEED) said an interim government would operate under the ?guarantee? of the Armed Forces.

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The Fine Words of Venizelos

Evangelos Venizelos has always been an interesting political figure. As the leader of a very small party, he managed to capture two top government posts, Deputy Prime Minister, as well as the prestigious position of Minister of Foreign Affairs. This alone speak volumes. It says a lot about him, but about today's Greece, as well. His speeches, expressed as a torrent of words that flow with ease, exhibit an eloquence few other Greek politicians possess. Critics, however ? and in recent years there have been many ? criticize him for presentations that cannot withstand a careful analysis. That came through again in the speech to Greek and Cypriot-American leaders at the Greek Consulate in New York.Venizelos covers all sides of an issue. He offers each person the opportunity to choose anything that pleases him. He can pick from column A and column B according to his level of knowledge ? and his political affiliation.

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Maxwell: Greek rental inspections unnecessary

Last week, the Ames City Council had a discussion over how fraternities and sororities are not listed as being exempt from the Rental Housing Code (Ames City Code Chapter 13). Because these chapter houses have not previously been kept to such standards ...

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Greek yogurt's next boom town may be Canastota (with state help)

Upstate New York's surging Greek yogurt industry may find its next foothold in Canastota -- and two companies are seeking state money to help make it happen. A company called Ariston Dairy Products wants to invest $32.1 million in a plant that would make ...

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Following the Greek crisis biological stress levels measured using hair

mental health problems and are less optimistic about the future than Swedes of the same age. The grave financial problems in Greece have brought on a social crisis that has probably affected people's health, according to a study from Linkoping University. In the study, recently published in the scientific ...

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Greek bank deposits fall further in August-cenbank

Deposits of businesses and households fell 0.1 percent from July to 162.21 billion euros ($219.10 billion), the Bank of Greece said. Greek banks had lost around 90 billion euros, a third of their deposit base, after the country plunged into a ...

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Special Forces Reservists Want Government Out

With the Greek government already probing possible ties between the neo-Nazi Golden Dawn party and whether military forces are training its members, a prosecutor has ordered an investigation into a blog post on the special forces reservists’ website demanding the government and President resign and an interim government be appointed under the “guarantee” of the […]

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Venizelos Says No More Bailouts, Austerity

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Greece does not require a third bailout and can cover its needs without further burdening its current backers, by improving the terms of its debt and possibly returning to the bond market next year, the country's deputy prime minister said on Sept. 25. Evangelos Venizelos, who is also foreign minister in a coalition government, is determined not to impose losses on Greece's European Union partners and the International Monetary Fund, which have pulled the troubled country from the brink of bankruptcy with about 240 billion euros ($325 billion) so far. 'We understand very, very well how difficult it is for every government to accept debt relief. ... Our demand is not debt relief. It is additional re-profiling without problem, without additional burden for our institutional partners,' Venizelos said in an interview with top editors at Reuters in New York.

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Greek gauntlet offers too few choices

If you ask me, recruitment is Penn State’s version of "The Bachelor" where the sororities are the hot guys and the bid cards are the roses. Many make it out of this process unscathed, but they are not the majority. A lot of girls suffer ...

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Greece is Europe's biggest 'democracy backslider,' study finds

Greece is Europe's biggest 'democracy backslider,' study findsKathimeriniGreek democracy is in retreat a new European study has found while warning that the crisis-hit country has declined across the rule of law, control of corruption and political stability. The Demos report, which was published under the title ...Report on Erosion of Democracy in EU Fingers Greece, HungaryWall Street Journal (blog)all 2 news articles »

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Greek municipalities go solar

The Greek Ministry of the Interior recently approved a program that aims to upgrade local governments’ infrastructure, including the installation of solar PV systems in municipality buildings throughout Greece. The Greek Interior Ministry will use ...

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Large anti-Golden Dawn protest in Greece ends in violence

Police and anti-fascist protesters have clashed in Athens near the Golden Dawn party headquarters. Riot officers fired tear gas at protesters who hurled petrol bombs and stones. Rampaging protesters set garbage cans on fire and smashed bank windows. Police chased small groups of protesters through the streets. The violence in the Greek capital came after dozens of demonstrators broke off from ...

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Greece activates wiretaps against neo-Nazis: justice source

On Tuesday, at least 10,000 people demonstrated in Athens in an anti-fascist protest organised by unions and political parties. Clashes with police broke out when demonstrators tried to approach Golden Dawn's central offices in Athens. The rise of Golden ...

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Head of Pakistani community to provide information on more than 900 attacks against immigrants

The head of the Pakistani Community in Greece, Javed Aslam, was on Thursday expected to provide evidence to the authorities concerning more than 900 racially-motivated attacks against immigrants over the past 3 years. In comments made to Skai on Thursday,... ...

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Bomb Explodes Outside Greek Tax Office

A bomb exploded early Thursday outside a tax office in northern Athens, causing material damage but no injuries, Greek police said. The explosion at 0200 GMT in Kifissia district was preceded by telephone warnings placed by an anonymous caller to a news website, a daily newspaper and Greek police. According to the website Zougla, which […]

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No third bail-out for Greece, says deputy leader

The looming prospect of a third rescue package for Greece has been widely acknowledged by key EU figures, including an unlikely admission from the German finance minister Wolfgang Schaeuble in the run-up to this month's elections. Greece faces a ...

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NBA Rookie Wants To Bring Hope To Greece, And To Milwaukee

NPRNBA Rookie Wants To Bring Hope To Greece, And To MilwaukeeNPRGreece is not a country where many young people can realize their dreams these days. Nearly two-thirds of Greeks under age 24 are out of work — one of the highest unemployment rates in the developed world, according to the Organization for Economic ...and more »

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Greece probes alleged posting by Special Forces reservists calling for gov't change

A prosecutor in Athens has ordered an investigation into a blog post on the special forces reservists' website demanding the government and president resign and an interim government be appointed under the "guarantee" of the armed forces.

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