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

Thursday, March 6, 2014

German prosecutors probe alleged arms deal kickbacks to Greek officials

Prosecutors in Munich have led searches at the homes of Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW) employees in Germany after it was alleged in Athens that the arms company had paid bribes to Greek officials, sources have told Kathimerini. The searches took place after ... ...

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PDMA expects Greek credit rating upgrade

Greece is set for a credit rating upgrade and will be able to return to the international capital markets during the course of this year, the head of the Public Debt Management Association (PDMA), Stelios Papadopoulos, stated on Thursday. In a document th... ...

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Small decline in jobless rate in December

Unemployment in Greece posted a minor monthly decline in December 2013, reaching 27.5 percent, against 27.6 percent in November, Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT) data showed on Thursday. The total number of unemployed came to 1,349,495 at the end o... ...

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'300: Rise of an Empire' review: It's Greek to me

Examiner.com'300: Rise of an Empire' review: It's Greek to meThe Star-LedgerSing, Muse! Of the Woods of Holly, and the land of angels, and that storm-tossed, Campari-dark sea from which all the blessings of the gods flow, most beloved those that come with international rights and multi-platform merchandising opportunities. For ...'300: Rise of an Empire' review: My Big Fat Greek BeheadingExaminer.comFilm review: The 300 sequel is an epic blood bathC-VILLE Weekly'300: Rise of an Empire' Reviews: Rallying Audiences for More, or a Bloody Bore?TheWrapFilm Journal -Times of India -Spartanburg Herald Journalall 362 news articles »

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'300: Rise of an Empire' likely to top 'Peabody & Sherman'

An army of ancient Greeks is poised to beat a preternaturally smart cartoon dog at the box office this weekend.     

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Parent Speaks Out Following Greece Teacher Resignation

WROC-TVParent Speaks Out Following Greece Teacher ResignationWROC-TVNorgaard met with the Greece District Superintendent Wednesday afternoon. Superintendent Barabara Deane-Williams thanked the mom for alerting the district. In a statement to News 8, Deane-Williams said “We are educators and advocates for student ...Greece teacher resigns over foul languageRochester Democrat and ChronicleGreece teacher resigns during district investigation13WHAM-TVGreece mother meets with district over viral classroom photoNews 10NBCWebsterPost.com -WHAMall 21 news articles »

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German president told Greece will not give up WWII claims

KathimeriniGerman president told Greece will not give up WWII claimsKathimeriniPresident Karolos Papoulias on Thursday raised two controversial issues with his visiting German counterpart Joachim Gauck – Greece's ongoing demands for WWII reparations from Germany, as well as the return of a forced loan given by the Bank of Greece ...

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Greek Banking System Needs Additional Capital

In a statement, the Bank of Greece said ... "But they won't tell us how they arrived at their estimate." That may only become clear later this year when the ECB, which is due to take on a fresh banking oversight role from 2015, runs its own ...

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52 Year-Old Man Arrested for Abusing Two Minors

Two underage girls from the Greek island Rhodes spoke to the Greek police and accused a 52 year-old man of sexually harassing

READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT greece.greekreporter.com

Increase in Masters and PhDs in Greece

There has been a great increase in the number of university students that acquire post-graduate studies in Greece. During the academic year

READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT greece.greekreporter.com

Three immigrants wounded after coast guard officers fire at boat

Three undocumented immigrants were being treated in a hospital on the island of Chios on Thursday after suffering injuries when Greek coast officers opened fire on their smuggling boat off the coast of Oinousses. According to sources, coast guard officers... ...

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Watchdog calls for improvements at Korydallos Prison hospital

The Greek Ombudsman has called for immediate measures to be taken to improve conditions at the hospital of Attica’s Korydallos Prison after inmates posted photographs on the Internet showing overcrowded and dirty cells at the institution. The Ombudsman no... ...

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Three in 10 pupils subjected to bullying, survey says

Three in 10 school pupils in Greece have been bullied, mostly due to their origins, according to a survey carried out by the Ministry of Education’s Observatory for School Violence and Bullying. The poll of 61,000 pupils found that 33 percent of those who... ...

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Court rules in favor of work at Skouries gold mine resuming

The country’s highest administrative court on Thursday upheld an appeal by a workers’ association in Halkidiki, northern Greece, and mining company Hellas Gold against a decision last summer by zoning authorities to stop a gold-mining operation in nearby ... ...

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Greek Banks Need to Raise 6.38 Billion Euros, Central Bank Says

Greece’s lenders need to boost their capital by 6.38 billion euros ($8.84 billion) after six years of recession and the country’s financial crisis left them with swelling bad loans, the central bank said. Euro area and International Monetary ...

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Greece Presses German WWII Payments

Greece's President called for talks with Berlin on rejected Greek claims for wartime reparations, during a meeting with his German counterpart.

The post Greece Presses German WWII Payments appeared first on The National Herald.


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Bank of Greece, The : 2013 Stress Test of the Greek Banking Sector

Over the past few years, the Bank of Greece, in close cooperation with the European Commission, the European Central Bank (ECB) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), successfully completed an ambitious programme for the restructuring of the banking ...

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American Greengemony: How the U.S. Can Help Ukraine and the E.U. Break Free From Russia's Energy Stranglehold

Early into Barack Obama's first term as president, I made a plea for a new national security strategy based on what I called "Greengemony" - that America shore up its global primacy by becoming the world's first ever green hegemon. The idea is that, by developing and adopting alternative energy supplies - and then selling America's eco-friendly power to its economic partners - the United States can break free of its dependence on fossil fuel autocracies and grow its national economy. In the process, America's allies and partners can significantly cut their geopolitical over-reliance as well. Nowhere is this more evident these days than in Europe. Following Russia's military occupation of Ukraine's Crimea region, it's becoming abundantly clear that the European Union nations are not willing to take any aggressive actions against Russia out of fear that they will draw the ire of Vladimir Putin, who will exercise retribution by depriving the continent of vital gas and oil supplies. Currently, Europe receives approximately 25% of all the gas and oil it consumes from Russia. While the EU can certainly take a minor, short-term hit, over the long-run, being cut off from Russian energy could result in sharp political and economic costs. No European country is arguably more vulnerable than Ukraine itself, which receives around two-thirds of its natural gas and oil from Russia. All Putin has to do is turn off the spigot, and the people of Ukraine will quickly find themselves in dire straits. So what's the United States to do? For starters, the Obama administration needs to prepare for the worst-case scenario by developing a contingency plan that will provide its allies, especially Ukraine, with energy sources in the event Putin decides to play hardball. Already there has been talk of Ukraine reversing pipeline flows to import natural gas from Germany and Greece - which is a step in the right direction. Looking at the middle-range, the West should continue to invest in fossil fuel extraction from allied countries. It's possible, for instance, that in just a few years, Ukraine might be in a position to replace Russia as the top exporter of natural gas to the EU. Given Putin's penchant for stirring trouble on the world stage, this would be a great way to break free of the leverage he currently has over the region. But nothing would better serve the United States in the long-term than if it invested in clean, green energy production. If the United States is serious about undermining the power of Russia to wreak havoc in the future, then it needs to adopt a strategy of Greengemony. Going green is the best way to leave Putin in the red.

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Greek Cotton and Carpets Popular in Japan

Greek ReporterGreek Cotton and Carpets Popular in JapanGreek ReporterAccording to the Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT) and the Greek embassy in Tokyo, Greek cotton is the most important import in Japan and imports of Greek carpets to Japan increased by 786% in 2012, compared to 2011. The new Honorary Consul of ...

READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT greece.greekreporter.com

Greek Banks Need Additional €6.4 Billion

Greece's four big, systemic banks will need another €6.4 billion to shore up their still-fragile balance sheets, the country's central bank said

READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT online.wsj.com

FYROM to hold early elections

by  Norman Klaus

The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) is set to hold a double election on April 27, following its parliament’s decision to dissolve itself. 

All 116 parliamentarians voted for the dissolution of the parliament. Parliamentary elecionts were not scheduled until 2015 but now they will be held on the same day as the second round of the country’s Presidential elections - the first round takes place on April 13. 

"I want to underline that the election rules for this election process were agreed by both position and opposition which is added responsibility for both as well as obligation this to be respected through the whole process," parliamentary speaker Traiko Veljanoski said.

 On Friday the Democratic Union for Integration (DUI), a junior partner in the coalition led by the right- wing VMRO-DPMNE, asked for early elections after VMRO-DPMNE refused their proposal for a common presidential candidate. DUI is unwilling to give its support to President Gjorgje Ivanov, who wants to run for a second term. 

The biggest opposition party, the Social Democrats (SDSM), accused the coalition partners of staging the crisis  as an excuse to take the country to the polls earlier than planned. 

Recent polls show that both DUI and VMRO-DPMNE are both popular and would benefit from holding the elections earlier. 

FYROM’s ruling coalition is traditionally formed by the country’s largest ethnic Macedonian party (VMRO-DPMNE) and its ethnic Albanian counterpart. 

VMRO-DPMNE has been in power since 2006. 

FYROM is hoping to eventually aceed to the EU but its 20-year-long dispute over its official name with neighboring EU member Greece is a major obstacle on the way. Greece says FYROM is trying to steal its heritage by wanting to be called Macedonia and using symbols related to the dynasty of Alexander the Great. 


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.neurope.eu

Greek President Papoulias Meets with German Counterpart

“Greece and Germany share a common future as part of their European course,” Greek President Karolos Papoulias told his German counterpart Joachim Gauck on Thursday, after an official welcome ceremony at the Greek presidential mansion.

READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT greece.greekreporter.com

Bank of Greece, The : Greek Central Bank confirms major banks need EUR6.4 bln

Greece’s central bank said on Thursday that a health check-up of the country’s major banks showed they need 6.4 billion euros ($8.86 billion) in additional capital to withstand potential losses in the future. That confirmed the results a banking source ...

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Greece's bank bailout fund HFSF says ready to help lenders, if needed

Greece's bank bailout fund HFSF said on Thursday it stands ready to provide capital to Greek banks, if needed. The Hellenic Financial Stability Fund is the majority-owner of the country's top four banks after it pumped 25 billion euros last year to shore up their capital base. The country's central bank earlier on Thursday released the results of a stress test that showed the major banks have an ...

READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT finance.yahoo.com

President Joachim Gauck, currently in Greece, talks about Greek-German relations

In an interview with Kathimerini ahead of his arrival in Athens, German President Joachim Gauck said that if Greece sees through its structural reforms, the country will receive due support from its European Union partners. Gauck, who arrived for a three-... ...

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Banks' capital needs add up to 6.4 bln euros, says BoG

The additional capital requirements of Greek systemic lenders add up to 6.382 billion euros according to the results of the stress tests that BlackRock Solutions performed on the loan portfolios of National, Alpha, Piraeus, Eurobank, Attica and Panellinia... ...

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Greek Banks Need More Money

Greek banks which have received a state injection will need an additional infusion but how much is hanging up a deal with international lenders.

The post Greek Banks Need More Money appeared first on The National Herald.


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Greek for an Afternoon in Central PA

Having lived in or around Manhattan for most of my life, it has been easy for me to “be Greek” whenever I felt like it. I lived walking distance from a Greek Orthodox Church almost my entire life, with easy access to Greek restaurants and food stores, and an array of Greek dances and other […]

The post Greek for an Afternoon in Central PA appeared first on The National Herald.


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Greek Coast Guard Pursues Vessel Smuggling Immigrants

Upon catching up speed, the Coast Guard officers shot at the engine of the Turkish boat, with some bullets missing their target, thus injuring three of the passengers on-board, a 19-year-old girl and two men, aged 30 and 45. The officers jumped ...

READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT greece.greekreporter.com

Greek Protesters Clash with Riot Police

Greek riot police used tear gas, pepper spray and batons in scuffles Thursday with anti-austerity protesters who took to the streets despite a partial ban on demonstrations in the capital during a visit by German President Joachim Gauck.        

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Greece seeks more time to shore up ailing banks

A man walks past the Zappeion Mansion in Athens on December 26, 2013

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Austerity-weary Greeks seek reparations for Nazi-era crimes

German president Joachim Gauck dismissed Greek demands for compensation for Nazi-era crimes during a symbolic visit to Greece today, and instead offered to set up a new fund to remind Germans of their past. World War II reparations have resurfaced as an ...

READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.irishtimes.com

Greece's top banks need 6.4 billion euros extra capital

ATHENS (Reuters) - A health check-up of the country's major banks has shown they need 6.4 billion euros (£5.28 billion pounds) in additional capital to withstand potential losses in the future, a banking source with knowledge of the matter told Reuters on Thursday.        

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CHESS to allow visitors to shape museum visits

by  Norman Klaus

Visitors to museums across Europe may soon be able to shape their own cultural experience before even leaving home or getting on a plane by using an EU-funded app. 

 

"Europe has the world's best #culturalheritage. New digital tools aren't just about sharing that heritage, but about opening up our culture for all. To remain relevant, museums need to be a digital breeding ground for innovation and the app economy”said Nellie Kroes, Commission Vice-President responsible for the EU’s digital agenda

CHESS, the 'Cultural-Heritage Experiences through Socio-personal interactions and Storytelling' was received more than €2.8 million in funding from the European Commission and aims to make the museum experience an attractive, more engaging one for all using mobile, augmented reality and geo-localisation technologies turns an ordinary museum visit into a personal, interactive storytelling experience.The project has built a number of innovative tools that achieve just this by focusing on the visitors and allowing cultural heritage sites to create and publish experiences tailor-made for them. With the online ‘CHESS visitor survey', people can register their interests, likes and dislikes. This tool permits museums to create surveys with single- or multiple-choice and to link answers with a persona, i.e. a character representative of the visitor's profile. The 'CHESS authoring tool' then enables non-IT professionals such as museum curators and staff to easily develop multi-path dynamic storylines integrated with advanced multimedia content. Finally, the 'Storytelling engine' runs the story according to the paths defined but also personalises and dynamically adapts the story being told according to the visitors’ individual choices, updating their profile right through the course of the story.

Unlike traditional museum guides, the CHESS App tells each visitor a dedicated story, focused on the exhibits most relevant to their interests and mood, with as few or many details as preferred. Stories can be enhanced with multimedia, 3D and augmented reality games and in some cases objects talk and invite visitors to interact with them.

When leaving the museum, visitors will find souvenirs, i.e. a video or a picture, from their own story on the museum website, thereby having a personal memory to share with family and friends. The project according to Dr Maria Roussou of the University of Athens has the potential to revolutionise the way in which we behave and engage when visiting museums.

“CHESS aims to enhance and personalise the experience of each and every visitor by creating a tailored experience, aimed at an individual’s likes, hobbies and interests. By directing the visitor to the artefacts of most interest to him or her, and offering interactive content such as quizzes or games, we can greatly enhance the user experience. Not only is this of benefit to the user, but also to the museums, which want their visitors to have the best experience possible and to keep coming back,” said Professor Yannis Ioannidis of the University of Athens.

The CHESS product was trialled at the Acropolis Museum in Athens, Greece and at the Cité de l'Espace Park in Toulouse, France, over six months last year to great success.

Developed by seven partners from four countries - France, Greece, UK and Germany – CHESS will be introduced to the market by project coordinator DIGINEXT, bringing the project from the research stage to commercialisation. The project co-ordinators are predicting that CHESS will be launched on the market in two years.

Michael Jennings, spokesman for European Research, Innovation and Science Commissioner Máire Geoghegan-Quinn, said: "Europe has a rich history that technology such as CHESS can bring to life for a digital generation and make more accessible to everyone. Building more inclusive, reflective societies is a priority of the Horizon 2020 programme and that includes innovation to communicate and educate European cultural heritage".


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.neurope.eu

Bank Battle Hangs Up Troika Deal

The biggest stumbling block for Greece in its long-stalled negotiations with international lenders is how much more money already-recapitalized state banks are

READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT greece.greekreporter.com

Turkish politics: Anatolia (mostly) loves Erdogan

“WE GAVE you new hospitals, we gave you proper schools,” roars the mayor of Kayseri, Mehmet Ozhaseki. Veiled housewives chant back, “Kayseri is proud of you,” as the mayor boasts of the achievements of the ruling Justice and Development (AK) party at an election rally in the city’s Eskisehir district. Eskisehir was a slum full of squatters and open sewers until Mr Ozhaseki, a local businessman, was elected mayor in 1999. Now its pristine streets are lined with two-storey houses built on land given by AK. Mr Ozhaseki is also restoring an ancient Armenian church. “Kayseri is very nationalist, I am getting criticised for this,” he confides.Sitting next to one of Turkey’s highest mountains, Mount Erciyes, Kayseri was once home to thousands of Greeks and Armenians until they were driven out or slaughtered a century ago. Their once grand mansions stand derelict, the basements dotted with gaping holes where looters tunnelled to look for gold. But today Kayseri symbolises the “new Islam” ushered in by AK when it came to power in 2002. This mix of piety and entrepreneurship has produced a class of so called “Islamic Calvinists” who have popularised such things as Turkish jeans and furniture across the world. Abdullah Gul, Turkey’s president and a co-founder of AK, is Kayseri’s most famous son.Mr Ozhaseki, who was elected with 60% of the vote in 2009, ought to be a shoo-in for a...


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Greece's Piraeus Bank to tap debt market after five-year drought

Greece's second-largest lender Piraeus Bank (ATH:TPEIR) is planning the first foray in five years by a major Greek lender into debt markets via a bond issue, it said on Thursday. Greek banks were shut out of capital markets after the debt crisis in late 2009. They were then hit by big losses from a sovereign debt write-down that led to their recapitalisation last summer. A banking source close ...

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Greek President Presses Germany's Gauck on WWII

Greek president urges speedy talks with Berlin on bid for World War II reparations

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Greek bank Piraeus set to return to capital markets

Greek bank Piraeus set to return to capital marketsFinancial TimesPiraeus Bank is poised to become the first Greek bank since the eurozone crisis to return to capital markets for borrowing in a crucial test of investor appetite for eurozone periphery banks. The bank wants to do a “benchmark” senior unsecured deal ...UPDATE 1-Piraeus prepares to sell first Greek bank bond since 2009Reutersall 3 news articles »

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German President Gauck dismisses Greek reparation demands for Nazi crimes

President Joachim Gauck acknowledged Germany's "moral debt" for the killings of Greek civilians by Nazi soldiers during World War Two. But he reiterated Berlin's refusal to discuss fresh reparation payments.

READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.dw.de

Greek president urges speedy talks with Berlin on bid for World War II reparations

Greece's president has called for talks as soon as possible with Berlin on long-rejected Greek claims for wartime reparations, during a meeting with his German counterpart.

READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.foxnews.com

NASA Launches Rocket Through Auroras for GREECE Mission (Photos)

NASA Launches Rocket Through Auroras for GREECE Mission (Photos)Space.comThe Ground-to-Rocket Electrodynamics…Read More » – Electron Correlative Experiment (GREECE) sounding rocket mission, which launched from Poker Flat Research Range in Poker Flat, Alaska, will study classic curls in the aurora in the night sky. Less «.

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What Makes Greece Special?

The euro crisis seems to be largely over. Risk premiums continue to fall across the board, and two countries – Ireland and Portugal – have already exited their adjustment programs. They can now finance themselves in the market, and their economies seem ...

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Greece’s Piraeus to return to bond market

The bank wants to do a “benchmark” senior unsecured deal ahead of European regulators’ assessments of the region’s banks’ balance sheets later this year

READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.ft.com

Greek authorities say 3 migrants injured as Aegean coastguards fire at people-smuggling vessel

by  Associated Press 3 migrants hurt as Greek coastguards fire at boat Associated Press - 6 March 2014 10:40-05:00

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greek authorities say three people were injured when coastguards opened fire on a migrant-smuggling vessel that allegedly tried to ram their patrol boat.

A Merchant Marine Ministry statement says none of the three — two men and a woman — suffered life-threatening injuries. Their nationalities were not made public.

The plastic speedboat was carrying 16 immigrants, 13 of whom were out of sight in a cabin, and a Turkish smuggler, who was arrested.

Its master allegedly ignored commands to stop early Thursday off the eastern Aegean Sea islet of Oinousses and, according to the statement, repeatedly tried to ram the coastguard vessel.

The statement said that, following engagement rules, the coastguards first fired shots in the air and then at the speedboat's bows before it stopped.

News Topics: General news, Maritime accidents, Smuggling, Fires, Immigration, Shootings, Transportation accidents, Accidents, Accidents and disasters, Transportation, Crime, Social issues, Social affairs, Violent crime

People, Places and Companies: Greece, Western Europe, Europe

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


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3 migrants hurt as Greek coastguards fire at boat

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greek authorities say three people were injured when coastguards opened fire on a migrant-smuggling vessel that allegedly tried to ram their patrol boat.

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Greek Politician Tries To Use Defamation Lawsuit To Gag Wikipedia, Is ...

Greek Politician Tries To Use Defamation Lawsuit To Gag Wikipedia, Is ...TechdirtFor those of us that tend to take Wikipedia and the way it works for granted, it comes as something of a shock to encounter someone who clearly doesn't understand it at all. That seems to be the case in a lawsuit brought by the Greek politician and ...

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5 Ways To Use Greek Yogurt Outside Of Breakfast

5 Ways To Use Greek Yogurt Outside Of BreakfastGothamistGreek yogurt has taken over as the trendy dairy product du jour, and not without good reason. It's high in protein, good for your digestion and will totally make a man of you. It can also be delicious, especially compared to the watered down cultured ...

READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT gothamist.com

Changes to Pre-election Period of Greek Local Elections

On the basis of the amendment proposed to Parliament by the Greek Minister of Interior, Yiannis Michelakis, the campaign period for the

READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT greece.greekreporter.com

Education Ministry Presents Program for Expat and Foreign Students

The Greek Ministry of Education has launched a video creation competition for expat and foreign students, entitled “Good morning-One day in your

READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT greece.greekreporter.com