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How the world sees Greece
Friday, June 20, 2014
Greek, Chinese leaders vow to deepen strategic ties
Prime Minister Antonis Samaras and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Friday issued a joint statement pledging to boost strategic bilateral ties following a visit by the two men to Piraeus, where Chinese shipping giant Cosco is seeking to expand its presence a... ...
Talk on Greek debt ‘when time is right’
No date has been set for negotiations over a lightening of Greece’s public debt, Finance Minister Gikas Hardouvelis said on Friday, stressing that it will take place when the time is right. The new finance chief also reiterated Athens’s pledge to meet its... ...
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Employers expecting more hirings
The confidence of Greek employers in the country’s economy has been getting stronger for an eighth consecutive quarter, according to the quarterly survey by Manpower on employment prospects for the July-September 2014 period.
The estimates of employers on... ...
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WORLD CUP: Brother of Ivory Coast’s Yaya Toure Dies
Ibrahim Toure died at the age of 28 in Manchester yesterday, while his brothers, Yaya and Kolo were at the World Cup in Brazil, competing with Ivory Coast’s national team against Colombia. There were no further official details on his death, but media reports said he died after a short battle with cancer. “On this sad occasion, the players of the Ivory Coast national team, as well and the entire Ivorian delegation in Brazil at the 2014 World Cup, wish to demonstrate their compassion to the Toure brothers and Toure family. The president of the Ivorian Football Federation and the executive committee invite Ivorians to join their prayers for the soul of the deceased,” said a statement signed by Federation President Sidy Diallo. Ibrahim Toure was also a professional soccer player. He was on the books of Ligue 1 club Nice for a season but never made any first team appearances. His last appearance was with Lebanese team Al Safa, where he scored six goals in 10 games this season and helped his team end second in the Lebanon league. Yaya Touré played against Japan and Colombia while Kolo Touré was a substitute player in the game. It is likely the Toure brothers will depart the World Cup following the death of their brother. Ivory Coast play their last Group C game in Fortaleza against Greece on Tuesday, with a chance to qualify for the knockout stage. The Greek Soccer Federation expressed their condolences towards the Toure family.
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Greece will Complete Prior Actions Before August Break, FinMin Says
Greece will have met all 12 prior actions demanded by its adjustment program before the August summer holiday break, Greek Finance Minister Gikas Hardouvelis said in Luxembourg on Friday, after chairing the last ECOFIN council under Greece ‘s EU presidency. “The government has every incentive to move fast and implement the reforms it has promised,” he underlined. Regarding the start of negotiations on the sustainability of Greece’s debt, Hardouvelis said there was no firm date and that these will start “when necessary.” He stressed that there was the guarantee of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for the financing of the country, while European loans will depend on the completion of prior actions and reforms. The minister repeated that European elections were responsible for the delay in carrying out the prior actions foreseen under the Greek program, adding that the first six of them will be met before the end of June and the remaining six “will be fulfilled before the holidays in August.” He also stressed that Greece — after six difficult years of financial crisis and recession — was “coming into a new era, with a population that faces its problems and shows a willingness to solve them.” Hardouvelis noted that every Greek family was affected by the crisis and had to cope with problems, such as unemployment or the inability of employers to pay salaries and said that Greeks now demanded a more balanced policy, in which the promises made would be followed by the necessary financial support.
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1,000 Applicants for 1 Job Position in Greek Public Sector
Approximately 15,000 applications were submitted electronically in just 18 days in regards to ASEP’s recent notification of 149 job openings. The Greek Finance Ministry, has 149 staff positions which will be filled by candidates that hold a higher, technical, or secondary education. In particular, according to ASEP, 6,403 applications were submitted by candidates with higher education degrees, 1,563 applications by candidates with technical education, and 6,695 applications from candidates with secondary education degrees. Furthermore, ASEP issued an invitation to fill 60 positions in the Financial sector at the Secretariat of Fiscal Policy, of the Greek Finance Ministry.
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How To Talk Like A Poker Pro
Tonight your co-workers invited you to a game of poker. What should be a fun night, can quickly become embarrassing if you don’t know what your boss means when he says “pocket rockets”.
But don’t worry. We're here to help out with the key words so that you can sound like a pro.
Let’s start with the parts of the game. In poker, not only are you dealt your own cards, but there’s also a shared pile of 5 cards on the table. The first three cards are dealt at the same time and they’re called the flop.
After a round of betting, the fourth card – the turn – is dealt, and is followed by another round of betting. And finally, the river, or the fifth card, is uncovered.
In between all these card reveals there’s a series of bets. The first bet is the ante, which is a small bet that every player must make before the round starts. Then, you have the blinds, which are also required bets that the first two players to the left of the dealer must make. The first is called the small blind, and the second is called the big blind.
Matching or raising a bet that was made before you is known as calling the bet. And players who call too much are given the insulting nickname "calling station".
Why is it bad to call too frequently? Well, for starters, it reveals that you are an amateur because only players who don’t know the correct pot odds call often. And secondly, amateur players get lucky and end up with winning hands when they do this – which naturally annoys the pros even more.Pot odds, by the way, is a ratio of the money in the pot to the amount it will cost you to call the current bet. Sounds complicated, but all it means is that if there is $100 in the pot, and the bet will cost you $10, you have 10-to-1 odds. And even though betting is great, sometimes the odds are low and you don't have great cards. When this happens you have several options. First, you can check. By quickly tapping their fingers twice on the table, players signify that they want to stay in the game but do not want to bet extra money.
Other players may want to raise your check anyway, after which you need to decide if you are willing to throw in the chips. Otherwise you can fold – or quit the round – and throw your cards into the dead pile, or muck.
Another option is to bluff, which is when a player makes a bet, knowing that they do not have the best cards, and hopes that his opponent will panic and fold in his place. Unfortunately, even with a great hand (known as a monster) a player with even better cards might beat you. This is called a bad beat. And to make things worse, it’s usually because of a lucky last minute draw for the other player. After a series of bad beats, some players start getting desperate and play too aggressively and carelessly. Others will refer to them as tilts. Needless to say, you want to avoid this nickname. While we’re on this, you don’t want to be called a donkey or fish either. That’s someone who plays poorly and looks like he’s throwing away his money.
And if you’re feeling really lucky, you might consider going all in, a move when a player bets all his chips. Afterwards, he can no longer bet and a side pot may be created for other players to continue betting. You either win big, or you’re done.
Finally, here’s some slang terms for cards you might have in your hand:
Two Aces are usually called Pocket Rockets. Star Wars enthusiasts call them Admiral Ackbar when a player holds the aces to trap another player. An Ace and King is called Big Slick because it is a slippery hand with which one can easily loose a fortune. Tennis fans call it the Anna Kournikova because it “looks good, but doesn’t win.” Two Kings are called Cowboys Two Queens are called Canadian Aces, referring to The Queen of England's relationship to Canada. A Queen and Jack (QJ) is called the Oedipus, referencing Queen Jocasta from the Greek Tragedy Two nines are called the Wayne Gretzky. Two eights are called snowmen. And two fours are called the Midlife Crisis.Now get out there and don't make a fool of yourself.
Join the conversation about this story »
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Greek sailing: High jinks on the high seas
The IndependentGreek sailing: High jinks on the high seasThe IndependentKim, our skipper, starts yanking on the lines attached to the boom of the boat, swinging it and its sail over to the port side (or, for the landlubbers out there, to the left). The yacht continues to zoom across the blue open water, tipping heavily to ...
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The Bible and Seeds of Imagination
MoreThis Ramadan, Let’s Restore the Sanctity of LifePope for Legal Dope? Still Nope.Bloody Battlefields: Iraq Forces Fight Endless Stream of Militants NBC NewsGeorge Will Gets Dumped From Newspaper After Horrible Rape Column Huffington PostTracy Morgan Out of Hospital, 'Has a Long Way to Go' NBC NewsThis article originally appeared on Patheos. Popular Among Subscribers The…
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Banish blah pasta salad with Greek feta, Kalamata olives and shrimp
Vancouver SunBanish blah pasta salad with Greek feta, Kalamata olives and shrimpThe OregonianWe want something with lots of ridges, nooks and crannies. Which is to say, something with tons of surface area for trapping dressing. Go with rotini or something similar. For inspiration, I decided to use a conventional Greek salad. And that means ...Cooking on Deadline: Recipe for Greek shrimp and feta pasta saladVancouver Sunall 11 news articles »
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5 Greek men, including 2 police, charged with paying to watch live online abuse of children
Greek authorities say they have charged five men — including two policemen — with allegedly paying to watch on their computers as men in the Philippines sexually abused children as young as six months old.
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5 Charged in Greece for Watching Live Child Porn
5 Greek men, including 2 police, charged with paying to watch live online abuse of children
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Mitroglou set to be fit to face Ivory Coast
Greece striker Costas Mitroglou, who took a hit to his side and had to be taken off during their World Cup Group C draw against Japan on Thursday, will be fit in time for their final game against Ivory Coast, a team official said.
Mitroglou, Greece's most... ...
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Sudden rise in stock market in the last hour of trading
Friday’s June triple witching and a sudden interest expressed by foreign buyers in the week’s very last hour of trading took the Greek bourse’s benchmark above 1,300 points and its weekly gains close to 3 percent.
The Athens Exchange (ATHEX) general index... ...
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Fitch upgrades three Greek banks' state-guaranteed debt to 'B'
Fitch Ratings has upgraded the state-guaranteed long-term senior debt rating of National Bank of Greece (NBG, B-/Stable), Alpha Bank (Alpha, B-/Stable) and Eurobank Ergasias (Eurobank, B-/Stable) to 'B' from 'B-'.
The rating actions follow the upgrade of ... ...
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Literal-Minded Lawyers Accuse Chobani Yogurt of Not Being Greek
Until recently, Chobani Inc. wouldn’t have attracted the attention of class-action lawyers. With $1.5 billion in sales expected this year, the Greek-style yogurt company has shaken up the industry and also brought plaintiffs’ attorneys out of the woodwork.
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Greek Day returns for 40th anniversary
Kitsilano’s Greek Day festival returns to celebrate its 40th anniversary this Sunday in the neighbourhood where Vancouver’s Hellenic community first took root. Before Kits was overrun with yoga pants and six-dollar lattes, even before the hippies ...
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Japan vs Greece World Cup 2014: A tournament of squandered opportunities for ...
The IndependentJapan vs Greece World Cup 2014: A tournament of squandered opportunities for ...The IndependentThe Greece manager, Fernando Santos, thought his side showed courage, determination and the ability to defend but lacked a lot when it came to the counter-attack, would probably be happier than Zaccharoni with his equation. However, the truth was that ...
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Japan vs. Greece, 2014 World Cup: Lineups
Japan vs. Greece, 2014 World Cup: LineupsSB NationBoth Japan and Greece are chasing three points as they look to stay alive in the World Cup. After disappointing losses for both sides, under very different circumstances, both head coaches have decided to make some adjustments to their starting lineups.
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China signs $4bn of deals with Greece
China has invested more than $4bn in Greece’s transportation and energy sectors as the European country emerges from recession
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Japan fail to crack 10-man Greece
Japan fail to crack 10-man GreeceThe AustralianGreece play Ivory Coast, who are on three points, in their final match while Japan tackle Colombia, who have a perfect six points. Japan winger Shinji Kagawa's terrible year continued after a miserable season with Manchester United as national coach ...
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Europe must face up to the new antisemites
The rising tide of hostility towards Jews across Europe must be stopped. We can all help in the fightback
The New York Met this week cancelled its planned global telecast of John Adams's The Death of Klinghoffer, the opera that portrays the hijacking of the Achille Lauro cruise ship by the Palestinian Liberation Front in 1985. While emphasising that the work itself is not antisemitic, the Met's general manager, Peter Gelb, said that he recognised concerns among Jews "at this time of rising antisemitism, particularly in Europe". Regardless of one's view of either the opera or the Met's decision, Gelb is unfortunately spot on about Europe.
A survey of global attitudes towards Jews conducted by the Anti-Defamation League recently found that 24% of people in western Europe (37% in France, 29% in Spain, 27% in Germany, 69% in Greece) and 34% in eastern Europe (41% in Hungary, 45% in Poland, 38% in Ukraine) harboured antisemitic views. By this it meant they agreed with six or more classical stereotypes about Jews from a list of 11 including "Jews have too much control over the US government", "Jews are responsible for most of the world's wars", and "People hate Jews because of the way Jews behave".
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Lorde is coming to Greek Theatre on October 2
Lorde is coming to Greek Theatre on October 2Daily CalifornianLorde has recently announced her North American tour will include Berkeley's very own Greek Theatre on October 2. Many expect new music to be unveiled, which might be nice, if you are as sick of “Royals” as almost anyone who has listened to the radio ...
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Report: Greek team Panathinaikos to make run at Jimmer Fredette
Report: Greek team Panathinaikos to make run at Jimmer FredetteNBCSports.comIs it time for Jimmer Fredette to consider picking up a bigger paycheck in Europe? A number of readers just screamed “NNNOOOOO!” There are a lot of fans out there convinced the former BYU star is just not getting a chance, the man is holding him down.and more »
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Cooking on Deadline: Recipe for Greek shrimp and feta pasta salad
The ProvinceCooking on Deadline: Recipe for Greek shrimp and feta pasta saladThe ProvinceFor inspiration, I decided to use a conventional Greek salad. And that means loading up on feta cheese, chopped Kalamata olives, chopped red onion, green bell pepper, some tomatoes and fresh oregano. For a bit of substance, I also added some ...and more »
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Food Chat: Debbie Matenopoulos shares secrets of great Greek food
Canada.comFood Chat: Debbie Matenopoulos shares secrets of great Greek foodCanada.comBut a return to her Greek roots, and traditional Greek food, helped her get back to her natural weight and boosted her energy. Now, she's sharing her tips for healthy living with a new cookbook, It's All Greek to Me: Transform Your Health the ...and more »
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Greek Captain Kostas Katsouranis Ejected On Questionable Red Card
International Business TimesGreek Captain Kostas Katsouranis Ejected On Questionable Red CardInternational Business TimesSupporters of the Greek national team were angered Thursday evening when team captain Kostas Katsouranis was ejected on a questionable red card call during the team's World Cup match against Japan. The second yellow card call on Katsouranis was ...Football - ANALYSIS-Desperate times call for desperate Greek defenceYahoo Eurosport UKDesperate times call for desperate Greek defenseReutersJapan vs. Greece: Honda, Kagawa and Co. Fail to Penetrate Greek Defensive WallBleacher ReportFox News -Daily News & Analysisall 891 news articles »
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A World Without AIDS for American Women
Written in collaboration with Negar Avaregan, M.P.H
The Impact of HIV/AIDS on Women in America
Last year marked the 20th anniversary of a critical change made to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) case definition of AIDS so that it would include women. Prior to 1993, HIV/AIDS was defined as a disease affecting only men. Two decades following this pivotal change, now is an opportune time to review the progress made in the fight against this disease and underscore what still needs to be done to end HIV/AIDS for women and girls in America.
Today, women account for one in four of the more than 1.1 million Americans living with HIV, and one in five of the more than 50,000 new infections that occur every year. [1] In 2011, women of color accounted for two-thirds of new AIDS diagnoses among all women, with African-American women being disproportionately affected. At some point in their lifetimes, 1 in 32 black women, 1 in 106 Hispanic/Latina women, and 1 in 526 white women will be diagnosed with HIV in the U.S. [2] In 2010, 84 percent of women infected with HIV acquired the illness through heterosexual transmission, while 16 percent were infected by injection drug use. [3] By the end of 2010, 10 states represented the majority (68 percent) of all women living with an HIV diagnoses in the U.S., with New York and Florida having the greatest number of cases. Women represent one quarter of AIDS deaths in America.
In recent years, there have been some promising signs suggesting that HIV infections are falling among women, including for black women, who account for roughly two-thirds of all new female HIV infections. Comparing rates from 2008 to 2010, there was a 21 percent decline in new infections among black women (7,700 to 6,100) as well as among women overall (12,025 to 9,500). [4] This was the first significant decrease after more than a decade of relatively steady HIV incidence among women. [5] While this evidence is encouraging, further research is needed to determine if the decrease among women is the beginning of a longer trend.
The Past
When HIV/AIDS first emerged in 1981, it was viewed as a disease of men who have sex with men (MSM). Although HIV was soon identified in women, the scientific community failed to address females as a unique target population for research. In addition to being omitted from the clinical definition of AIDS, women were also excluded from clinical trials of HIV/AIDS medications and preventive interventions. Trial inclusion/exclusion criteria at that time read, "No pregnant women and non-pregnant women allowed."
As a result, women had more difficulty getting government disability payments than did men because the standard definition of AIDS at that time did not take into account many of the symptoms experienced by women including candidiasis (yeast infection), cervical cancer and pelvic inflammatory disease. Some hospitals would not even admit women to their HIV wards. Additionally, on average, women were dying of AIDS in half the time as men did from the disease and researchers did not understand why. This omission of women as a focus of research, treatment and prevention efforts at the beginning of the epidemic resulted in a rapid rise in the number of cases in women with HIV/AIDS in America and worldwide.
In the mid 1980s, as a response to a report from the U.S. Public Health Service Task Force on Women's Health Issues, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) issued recommendations that women be included in all applicable research studies. [6] But these recommendations were loosely enforced. In 1987, women of childbearing age were excluded from participating in clinical trials unless they agreed to use birth control -- meanwhile receiving no support services such as childcare, transportation, or on-site gynecological care. [7]
Furthermore, when scientists recognized that the HIV virus was being transmitted from mother to child, treatment programs primarily focused on preventing transmission to infants, with minimal attention to the long-term care of mothers. Myths about HIV in women were spreading throughout the media, including that most heterosexual women were not at risk for contracting HIV. This resulted in millions of women believing that they could not be infected with the virus and therefore not protecting themselves. [7] Moreover, data from studies that did include women were often not analyzed for sex differences in medication dosage, outcomes, and side effects.
Neglecting women in the early years of the epidemic proved to be a major public health oversight and resulted in a startling development in the 21st century: Worldwide, there are now more women than men living with HIV/AIDS.
Progress
A number of steps have since been taken to end AIDS in women. In 1985, I convened the first workshop on Women and AIDS at the NIH to stimulate research studies on this population group. In 1990, a protest occurred at the CDC headquarters with advocates demanding that the agency expand its AIDS definition to include disease symptoms specific to women. In May of that year, ACT UP members gathered at the NIH to protest the lack of women and people of color in clinical trials of drugs being tested to treat AIDS. Advocates also requested a national conference on women and HIV as well as a study of the natural history of HIV infection in women.[7]
Furthermore, in 1990, the General Accounting Office (GAO) published a report, at the request of the Congressional Caucus on Women's Issues, which found that the NIH policy on women's inclusion in clinical research was not being adequately applied to research grant applications. I worked with other scientists and advocates to help bring these inequities to public and scientific attention at that time.
As a result of these efforts, beginning in 1991, NIH strengthened its policy to require, rather than recommend, the inclusion of women in clinical research (when applicable). [6] However, the advocacy community believed more needed to be done. In 1993, the NIH Revitalization Act was passed by Congress that required women and minorities to be included in all research studies funded by the NIH. Additionally, in 1993, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released new guidelines on expectations regarding the inclusion of patients of both sexes in drug development, analyses, and assessments entitled "Guideline for the Study and Evaluation of Gender Differences in the Clinical Evaluation of Drugs." These guidelines addressed concerns that the drug development process did not include women in clinical trials and therefore there was inadequate information about the metabolism and side effects of medications in females.
Another important development was the establishment of the Women's Interagency HIV Study (WIHS) to investigate the impact and progression of HIV in women. Primarily funded by the NIH, this nationwide study tracked 3,000 HIV-positive women and 1,000 high-risk HIV negative women and investigated the history and course of their HIV infection. The study has produced many important findings about the course of the disease in women including factors that increase the risk of the disease.[8]
That same year, as the country's first Deputy Assistant Secretary for Women's Health in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), my work included ensuring that women's health issues were a major focus of all of the federal health agencies. I established the Women and AIDS Task Force within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services with representation from more than 60 organizations and developed the National Centers of Excellence program at academic medical centers across the country. We worked with the CDC to revise its case definition of AIDS to include women, as well as to enact the 1995 FDA's policy change that recommended females be included as subjects in clinical trials. [6]
These actions in the 1990s began a series of steps taken by the U.S. government to target women's issues in HIV/AIDS in research, diagnosis, treatment and prevention that have yielded life-saving dividends. For example today, women represent more than 50 percent of subjects in clinical research supported by the NIH; however, females are still underrepresented in studies conducted by pharmaceutical and medical device companies. This year, the NIH revised its policies to require that basic research studies where scientific theories are tested include both male and female animals and that data from this research be analyzed for sex differences.
Researchers who work with cell cultures are also being encouraged to study cells derived from females as well as males, and to do separate analyses to determine sex differences at the cellular level. This is an important development because for decades, scientists have designed their hypothesis testing research by first experimenting on laboratory animals that were most often male. Researchers avoided using female animals because of the cost of adding this variable of hormone fluctuations to their projects as well as the concern that estrus cycle changes could alter the results of their experiments.
As a result of this new national focus on women's health, research has shown that sex matters at the molecular, cellular, organ system levels and in the way the environmental factors impacts health. That is why it is imperative to target the unique needs of women in research, treatment, and prevention of HIV/AIDS as women are at a particularly high risk for acquiring the disease due to a combination of biological, economic, and social factors that increase their vulnerability to the virus.
The transmission of HIV from a man to a woman is two to eight times more efficient than from a woman to a man. [9] Physiologically, women are more susceptible to HIV than men, and a woman's susceptibility to HIV infection is further increased if she or her partner has a sexually transmitted infection, if she has experienced genital trauma, or if her partner is HIV positive and has a high viral load. [10]
Certain customs and practices surrounding gender roles and partner fidelity, along with economic dependency, can create power imbalances within relationships. This may result in women's reluctance to insist that their partners remain monogamous or use condoms, thereby increasing their vulnerability to HIV infections. [11] [12] A powerful tool to help women become more economically independent is education and occupational opportunities. Young women who stay in school are more likely to be exposed to HIV prevention messages, and are less likely to have an economic need to marry early. [13] With higher education and income, women are also more empowered to make healthier choices including protecting themselves from HIV/AIDS. In the United States, young women complete their education at a higher rate than young men. In fact, in 2013, 2 percent more young women graduated with a high school degree and 2.1 million more young women completed their bachelor's degree than young men of the same age. [14] However, in 2010, a smaller percentage of black and Hispanic women had completed high school or college compared with white women. [15]
Access to Care
Antiretroviral treatment (ARV) has resulted in making HIV/AIDS a treatable condition and has resulted in improved quality of life, reduced mortality, and a significantly reduced chance of transmitting the virus to others for women in the United States and worldwide. [16] Yet, more effort is needed to ensure access to these lifesaving medications and prevention strategies for all those women in need.
Significant progress has been made in the prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) in the United States. PMTCT has decreased dramatically in America since its peak in 1991 as a result of over 1.5 million HIV-positive pregnant women receiving antiretroviral drugs to prevent the passing of the virus to their infants. [17] [18] Since the mid-1990s, preventative HIV testing and interventions have led to a 90 percent decline in the number of infants perinatally infected with HIV. In fact, transmission to infants has been virtually eliminated in America. [18] Perinatal HIV infections declined, from 193 in 2007 to 164 in 2010. [18] While PMTCT infections continue to remain low, the NIH's Office of AIDS Research Advisory Council (OARAC) updated their PMTCT guidelines and recommendations for use of antiretroviral drugs in pregnant HIV infected women for maternal health as a means to reduce perinatal HIV transmission in the United States. The guidelines provide recommendations for HIV-infected women contemplating pregnancy, as well as up to date reproductive options for HIV concordant and serodiscordant couples. New recommendations for use of ARV during pregnancy is addressed, as well as advanced information on HIV/Hepatitis C coinfection and HIV-2 infection and pregnancy.[19]
Limited access to health care has compromised the health of HIV-positive women in the United States. As many as 15-20 percent do not know they are infected; only 41 percent of HIV positive women are in regular care, 36 percent are prescribed anti-retroviral medications, and only 26 percent are virally suppressed. [20] Challenges that prevent women from accessing the health services they need include stigma and discrimination as well as socio-economic and structural barriers including the lack of health insurance, poverty, cultural inequities, lack of transportation and violence.
Two recent developments, the National HIV/AIDS Strategy (NHAS) and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (ACA), should improve health care for women including advancing HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment.
The National HIV/AIDS Strategy, released in July 2010, details several actions that are needed to effectively address HIV/AIDS in women. The NHAS has three main goals: 1) decrease new infections, 2) improve health outcomes and access to care, and 3) reduce health disparities associated with HIV/AIDS. [21] Among the actions outlined in the National Strategy call for increasing the number of HIV clinical care providers as well as support services for women. [22]
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Actwhich passed in March 2010 is expanding health insurance coverage to an estimated 32 million Americans, over half of whom are women. [23] Under the ACA, insurance companies are prohibited from charging women more than men for premiums and they cannot deny coverage for pre-existing conditions including HIV/AIDS. [24] Health insurance must -- with no cost sharing -- cover certain preventive services to improve women's health, including free testing and counseling for HIV, sexually-transmitted infections, and intimate partner violence. [25] It is estimated that these ACA preventive services will benefit approximately 45 million women, [26] while also resulting in an additional 466,153 HIV tests done nationally by 2017. [27]
Additionally, efforts are needed to ensure that insurance companies participating in the ACA cover at an affordable cost the lifesaving medications and other technologies that women need to treat and prevent HIV infection.
What's Needed
Since the passage of the NIH Revitalization Act over 20 years ago that mandated women be included in clinical trials, more than 90 NIH-supported studies on women and HIV have been conducted producing findings that have improved the treatment and prevention of the disease in women. [28] The CDC is also supporting the national dissemination of effective HIV behavioral interventions including many designed for women. An educational campaign is being conducted to increase HIV testing among African American women, aged 18-34; another campaign is fighting stigma by sharing stories of women who are living with HIV.
Yet despite this significant progress, women continue to be under-represented and even excluded in some areas of HIV research and care. [29] Some studies still do not analyze for sex differences to provide women-specific evidence to guide prevention and treatment decisions. Women and men may differ in terms of susceptibility to HIV infection, the course of the infection, response to treatment, drug pharmacokinetics and toxicity. Basic science research using animal models where hypotheses are tested have often excluded females; but this will now change as a result of revisions to NIH grant policy issued this year requiring both female and male animals in such studies.
Until recently, the FDA still did not require data analysis by sex in the drug and device approval process or in making recommendations about medication dosing. The omission of women and female animals from the development of the evidence base that informs medical practice has impeded health professionals' ability to identify and address important sex and racial/ethnic differences that could benefit the health of everyone. Thus, the impact of sex/gender differences needs to be better defined and addressed in both basic and clinical studies to improve patient care. [30]
More effort is needed to increase the numbers of females participating in HIV/AIDS research and to provide sex-specific information about treatment, diagnosis, prevention and cure. It is our hope that the new guidelines required by the NIH will encourage such participation. Key knowledge gaps related to women and HIV/AIDS that require further attention include the impact of sex/gender differences on clinical management; how different ARVs and pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) interact with endogenous and exogenous sex hormones and other drugs commonly used in clinical practice; evaluating health outcomes by sex/gender; increasing interventions to end violence against women; reducing the stigma and discrimination faced by women with HIV; and increasing access to HIV testing and care for women.
A Roadmap for Action
There are several critical steps that can be taken towards ending AIDS in America for women. Women and girls need better information with messages targeted to vulnerable groups, particularly women of color, about avoiding risky behaviors and how to access resources for prevention and treatment. Since 16 percent of women are infected with HIV through injection drug use, lifting the ban on federal funding for syringe exchange programs is a critical measure. Greater investment in behavioral research is needed to give women the tools they need to prevent HIV infection and to increase adherence to medication regimens. Educational campaigns must targeting specific populations of women and girls. The importance of routine HIV testing must be underscored that is now covered as a preventive benefit without any cost-sharing in the ACA.
Listed below is a roadmap of high priority policies across all sectors of society for achieving an America without HIV/AIDS for women:
Make Women a Priority in America's National HIV/AIDS Strategy:Ensure that the National HIV/AIDS strategy implements policies across all sectors to empower women while promoting gender equality and the human rights of women and girls. [31] Provide women with the knowledge and tools they need to prevent HIV. Government agencies must address sex/gender in designing, implementing and evaluating research, services, and the health system.Increase Public Knowledge and Decrease Stigma and Discrimination:Eradicate stigma and discrimination against women living with HIV/AIDS through greater investment in community-specific educational and awareness campaigns.Increase the Focus on Sex Differences in HIV/AIDS Research and Programs:Focus research on the unique biological factors and the social, economic, and cultural issues that increase women's vulnerability to HIV/AIDS. Ensure that female animals are included in basic science studies and that results are reported and analyzed by sex. Reduce Barriers Faced by Women in Disadvantaged Populations:Re-evaluate existing HIV/AIDS programs to ensure that they address the social, economic, cultural, and linguistic needs of women from disadvantaged populations.Increase Women's Access to HIV Testing and Counseling Services:While over half of women in the U.S. ages 18-64 report having been tested for HIV at some point, only 22 percent were tested in the past year. Among those who are HIV positive, 31 percent were tested for HIV late in their illness. CDC guidelines for HIV testing and counseling should be incorporated into routine healthcare visits for all sexually active women. Screening should be repeated at least annually for those at high risk. [32]Improve Women's Reproductive Health:HIV is associated with women's reproductive health in many different ways. Women are more vulnerable to HIV infection and those who have other sexually transmitted infections are at increased risk for acquiring the virus. Implement evidenced-based public policies to promote sexual and reproductive health services for women and girls. Family planning sites provide an important entry point for reaching women who are at risk and living with HIV/AIDS.Invest in the Development of Female-Controlled and Other Prevention Methods: Promote the acceptability and use of the female condom. Continue studies to evaluate the effectiveness of PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis with ARV medications) including long-acting PrEP preparations in women. Implement new federal guidelines for health care providers that recommend that PrEP be considered for women at high-risk for HIV infection (HIV-negative, heterosexual women who do not regularly use condoms during sex with partners of unknown HIV status). [33] Increase investments in microbicide development, as topical microbicides offer women a method to prevent HIV infection that can be used without negotiating with a partner, which often must occur when using condoms.Eliminate Mother-to-Child-Transmission (PMTCT):Continue to expand the availability of HIV screening programs, education programs, better surveillance, and treatment to eliminate perinatal transmission of HIV from mother to child in the U.S. While mother to child transmission has decreased dramatically in America since its peak in 1991 as a result of ARV treatment, some cases still occur each year, which represents missed opportunities for prevention. Health Care Professional Education: Provide education and training on sex/gender differences in HIV/AIDS in health care provider and scientists' professional training.Increase Women's Access to Health Care: Expand the sources of care for women in the U.S. including government programs such as Medicaid and Ryan White for those who are eligible. The ACA increases access to testing, prevention and treatment services for HIV/AIDS and other diseases for millions of women, and as implementation of the legislation proceeds, state and federal programs should be coordinated to enhance access to and affordability of comprehensive care for women to prevent and treat HIV/AIDS. [34] Advocate for the expansion of Medicaid in states that opted out of this provision in the ACA. Ensure that the health data and reporting of outcomes collected by the ACA are analyzed for sex/gender, racial/ethnic and age differences. [30]Stop Violence Against Women: National, state, and local governments must enact and enforce laws and prevention and intervention programs to protect women from violence. Enforce Women's Rights and Expand their Opportunities, and Leadership in Society: Ensure the human rights of women and girls, and promote their education, empowerment, occupational opportunities, and participation and leadership in all sectors of society.Invest in global health and AIDS: Global health is America's health and America's health is global health. In an interdependent world, the spread of HIV/AIDS crosses state and national borders. Investing in global health is essential for humanitarian, economic and national security reasons. Strengthen investments and innovation in programs including PEPFAR and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria to improve women's health and the fight against AIDS worldwide.Summary
Thirty years since the emergence of HIV in America, there are hopeful signs in recent years suggesting that the number of new infections is declining among women in the United States. To sustain this promising trend, continuing efforts to address the epidemic's impact on women, particularly women of color, are needed. For all too long, women's health had been neglected in research, in clinical settings, and in public policy. The intensified national focus on women and girls that began two decades ago in our country's domestic and foreign policy agendas including in the conduct of medical research and the provision of health services are not only critical steps towards empowering women, reducing their risk of HIV infection, and supporting women living with HIV and AIDS -- they are also critical steps towards increased prosperity and health for all people in the U.S. and worldwide.
For more information about HIV/AIDS, please visit amfar.org and AIDS.gov.
Rear Admiral Susan Blumenthal, M.D., M.P.A. (ret.) is the Public Health Editor of The Huffington Post. She is the Senior Policy and Medical Advisor at amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research in Washington, D.C. and also a Clinical Professor at Tufts and Georgetown University Schools of Medicine. Dr. Blumenthal served for more than 20 years in senior health leadership positions in the federal government in the Administrations of four U.S. Presidents including as Assistant Surgeon General of the United States, the first Deputy Assistant Secretary of Women's Health, and as Senior Global Health Advisor in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. She also served as a White House advisor on health. Prior to these positions, Dr. Blumenthal was Chief of the Behavioral Medicine and Basic Prevention Research Branch and Chair of the Health and Behavior Coordinating Committee at the National Institutes of Health. She has chaired numerous national and global commissions and conferences and is the author of many scientific publications. Admiral Blumenthal has received numerous awards including honorary doctorates and has been decorated with the highest medals of the U.S. Public Health Service for her pioneering leadership and significant contributions to advancing health in the United States and worldwide. Named by the New York Times, the National Library of Medicine and the Medical Herald as one of the most influential women in medicine, Dr. Blumenthal was named the 2009 Health Leader of the Year by the Commissioned Officers Association and as a Rock Star of Science by the Geoffrey Beene Foundation. She is the recipient of the Rosalind Franklin Centennial Life in Discovery Award. Her work has included a focus on HIV/AIDS since the beginning of the epidemic in the early 1980s.
Negar Avaregan, M.P.H. serves as an Allan Rosenfield Public Policy Fellow with amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research in Washington, D.C. Negar earned her Master of Public Health degree from the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University and her B.A. from UCLA in International Development Studies.
References:[1] "Women and HIV/AIDS in the United States." HIV/AIDS Policy. The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, Mar. 2013. Web. Feb. 2014.
[2] "HIV Among Women." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 24 Apr. 2013. Web. Feb. 2014.
[3] "HIV Among Youth in the US." Centers for Disease Control Vital Signs. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 08 Jan. 2013. Web. Feb. 2014.
[4] CDC. HiV Surveillance Supplemental Report, Vol. 17, No. 4; December 2012. Data are estimates and do not include U.S. dependent areas.
[5] Hall HI et al. "Estimation of HIV Incidence in the United States." JAMA, Vol. 300, No. 5; August 2008.
[6] "Inclusion of Women and Minorities In Clinical Research." NIH Office of Research on Women's Health. The National Institute of Health, 13 May 2013. Web. 25 Feb. 2014.
[7] Olufs, Cathy. "The AIDS Time Line." TheBody.com. Women Alive, Spring 2001. Web. 20 Feb. 2014.
[8] Roe, Joanna D. "Women's Interagency HIV Study, NIAID, NIH." Division of AIDS (DAIDS). National Institute for Allergies and Infectious Diseases, 31 Jan. 2012. Web. 19 Feb. 2014.
[9] Cummins JE, Dezzutti CS. Sexual HIV-1 Transmission and Mucosal Defense Mechanisms.AIDS Rev. 2000; 2: 144-154.
[10] Shattock R. Sexual Trauma and the Female Genital Tract. In Women Sexual Violence and HIV. amfAR Symposium. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; 2005; 7-8.
[11] Goodreau SM, Cassels S, Kasprzyk D, Montaño DE, Greek A, Morris M (2012). Concurrent partnerships, acute infection and HIV epidemic dynamics among young adults in Zimbabwe. J AIDS and Behavior. February; doi: 10.1007/s10461-010-9858-x, <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21190074>.
[12] Gupta GR, Weiss E. Women's lives and sex: implications for AIDS prevention. Cult Med Psychiatry. 1993 Dec;17(4):399-12.
[13] The World Bank. (2002). Education and HIV/AIDS: A window of hope. (page xvii) Available online at http://siteresources.worldbank.org/EDUCATION/Resources/278200-1099079877269/547664-1099080042112/Edu_HIVAIDS_window_hope.pdf. (date last accessed: )
[14] "Educational Attainment in the United States: 2013 - Detailed Tables." Educational Attainment. United States Census, 2013. Web. 21 Feb. 2014.
[15] The United States Census Bureau. (2012). The 2012 statistical abstract. The national data book: Education. (Table 230: Educational Attainment by Race, Hispanic Origin, and Sex) Available online at http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2012/tables/12s0230.pdf.
[16] HIV Among Pregnant Women, Infants, and Children. Rep. no. Fact Sheet. Centers for Disease Control. Web. June 2014.
[17] "Strategy for an AIDS-Free Generation." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 27 Nov. 2013. Web. June 2014.
[18] HIV Among Pregnant Women, Infants, and Children. Rep. no. Fact Sheet. Centers for Disease Control. Web. June 2014.
[19] Recommendations for Use of Antiretroviral Drugs in Pregnant HIV-1-Infected Women for Maternal Health and Interventions to Reduce Perinatal HIV Transmission in the United States. Rep. AIDSinfo, 28 Mar. 2014. Web. June 2014.
[20] CDC. HIV in the United States: The States of Care; July 2012
[21] The White House Office of National AIDS Policy. (2010). National HIV/AIDS Strategy for the United States. (page 8-9) Available online at http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/uploads/NHAS.pdf.
[22] The White House Office of National AIDS Policy. (2010). National HIV/AIDS Strategy for the United States. (page 21-29) Available online at http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/uploads/NHAS.pdf
[23] Kenney, Genevieve M., Stephen Zuckerman, Lisa Dubay, Michael Huntress, Victoria Lynch, Jennifer Haley, and Nathaniel Anderson. Opting in to the Medicaid Expansion under the ACA: Who Are the Uninsured Adults Who Could Gain Health Insurance Coverage? -Timely Analysis of Immediate Health Policy Issues. Rep. N.p.: n.p., 2012. Print.
[24]HealthCare.gov. (2012). Women and the Affordable Care Act. Available online at http://www.healthcare.gov/news/factsheets/2011/08/women.html.
[25] HealthCare.gov. (31 July 2012). Newsroom: Affordable Care Act rules on expanding access to preventive services for women. Available online at http://www.healthcare.gov/news/factsheets/2011/08/womensprevention08012011a.html.
[26] Cuellar, A., Simmons, A., & Finegold, K. for the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, HHS. (2012). Research brief: The Affordable Care Act and women. (page 6) Available online at http://aspe.hhs.gov/health/reports/2012/ACA&Women/rb.pdf.
[27] Wagner, Zachary, Yanyu Wu, and Neeraj Sood. "The Affordable Care Act May Increase The Number Of People Getting Tested For HIV By Nearly 500,000 By 2017."Health Affairs 33.3 (2014): 378-85. Web. Mar. 2014.
[28] "What Works for Women and Girls: Evidence for HIV/AIDS Interventions." What Works for Women. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Feb. 2014.
[29] Blumenthal, Susan, and Negar Avaregan. "America Without HIV/AIDS in Women: A Wish for This National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day." Editorial. Huffington Post 10 Mar. 2014: Print.
[30] Blumenthal, Susan. "Women's Health: Decades Later, What's Still Neglected." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 08 Mar. 2011. Web. Mar. 2014.
[31] Blumenthal, M.D. Susan. "Making AIDS History: Achieving an HIV-Free Generation." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 23 July 2012. Web. Mar. 2014.
[32] Valenti, S.E., Szpunar, S.M., Saravolatz, L.D., & Johnson, L.B. (2012). Routine HIV testing in primary care clinics: a study evaluating patient and provider acceptance. The Journal of the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care, 23(1), 87-91.
[33] Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP). Rep. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 19 May 2014. Web. June 2014.
[34] Goldman, Dana, Timothy Juday, Mark T. Linthicum, Lisa Rosenblatt, and Daniel Seekins. "The Prospect Of A Generation Free Of HIV May Be Within Reach If The Right Policy Decisions Are Made." Health Affairs 33.3 (2014): 428-33. Web. Mar. 2014.
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12 Incredibly Impressive Students Who Graduated College This Year
Every year, thousands of students graduate from college, eager to go out and make their marks in the world.
Whether on campus or on the big screen, some of this year's college graduates are already making a name for themselves.
We've profiled a dozen of this year's best and brightest, ranging from student journalists to military leaders to an international moviestar.
Andrew Arsht and Andrew Markoff are some of the best debaters in the country.Andrew Markoff and Andrew Arsht were debate partners at Georgetown University, accomplishing the rare feat of winning the National Debate Tournament twice — their sophomore and seniors years.
After winning the tournament as sophomores — only the second team ever to do so — the partners took home the Rex Copeland award for the best yearlong record their junior year, winning the tournament again this year. "This year's win was the best possible finish to my debate career," Arsht told Business Insider.
While both agreed it was bringing home the first place title to Georgetown's after the program's 20 year drought was a highlight, the second win as seniors, Markoff said, "doesn’t get any less cool."
Markoff is currently working at Dropbox and Arsht is working as a research assistant at a law firm.
Abbey Crain and Matt Ford wrote a newspaper feature that changed their school.No college newspaper story had a bigger impact this year than University of Alabama graduates Abbey Crain and Matt Ford's report on segregation in the school's sororities.
Their article in student newspaper The Crimson White — titled "The Final Barrier: 50 Years Later, Segregation Still Exists" — was a in-depth look at racial segregation in the school's sororities. Within days of publication, Crain and Ford's story made national headlines and pushed the UA administration to instate "continuous open bidding," which allowed all students — including traditionally excluded minority students — to join the school's almost exclusively white Greek system.
Originally, the piece had been planned to cover what should have been a historic moment of inclusion, as an objectively impressive black female student seemed poised to break the racial barrier of Greek life. However, she was not accepted to any sorority.
"Matt and I prepared to write a celebratory piece on bid day," Crain told Business Insider. "When that didn't happen, we knew we had to do something on this."
Crain and Ford are both currently planning on moving to New York City to pursue careers in journalism.
Lindsey Danilack was responsible for 4,400 cadets at West Point.United States Mililary Academy cadet Lindsey Danilack served as first captain of the Corp of Cadets this year, the highest position in the military students' chain of command.
As first captain — also called "brigade commander" — Danilack was responsible for implementing a class agenda for all 4,400 cadets and acting as a liaison between students and the West Point administration. Danilack was also only the fourth woman to serve in the position.
Danilack is also involved with sexual assault and sexual harassment prevention efforts, founding a program called Cadets Against Sexual Harassment and Assault raise awareness among cadets.
Danilack now plans to attend flight school and one day go to Harvard Business School.
Danilack was previously featured on Business Insider's list of impressive West Point students, with reporting from Melia Robinson and Melissa Stanger.
See the rest of the story at Business Insider |
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Greek Policemen Involved in Child Pornography Case
Greek Cyber Crime Police Unit has found evidence on men who paid a foreign site to allow them to watch young children being abused and tortured. Greek police in co-operation with Interpol have tracked down all personal data concerning five of the six ...
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Picnic Chicken with Greek Leek Dip
Serves 12 Ingredients: 3 eggs 3 tablespoons water 1 ½ cup dry bread crumbs 2 teaspoons smoked paprika ½ teaspoon dried Greek oregano ½ teaspoon pepper 2 tablespoons tomato powder 1 cup butter, melted 12 chicken legs 12 chicken thighs, bone in Directions: In a bowl, whisk eggs and water. In another bowl, combine bread […]
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How ALIPAC Defeated U.S. Cong. Eric Cantor
RALEIGH, NC – In a stunning upset that virtually turned political punditry on its ear, Dave Brat, an economics professor at Randolph-Macon College, who has never held political office, defeated Eric Cantor, a Virginia Congressman who was also House Republican Majority Leader and touted as the next House Speaker, in that state’s primary last week. […]
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Greece’s NY Fans Watch and Hope
NEW YORK – Greek-Americans had mixed feelings about the performance of the Greek national team in its game against Japan on June 19, but they were out in force to cheer them on at bars and restaurants all over the city. Many felt Greece should have won, but after a sad performance in a […]
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Greece seeks role as China's gateway to Europe
China wants to invest in Greek airports and railways as well as the busiest port, officials said on Friday, as the country where the euro debt crisis began seeks a role as China's gateway into Europe. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang is on a three-day trip to Greece to boost economic ties between the nations, who have drawn closer since China's Cosco Paficic won a 35-year concession in 2009 to upgrade ...
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Why Greece won’t worry about being boring at the 2014 World Cup
Theofanis Gekas of Greece reacts during his country’s game with Japan (Picture: Getty Images) Unsurprisingly, quite a few people across the Twitterverse were lamenting the goalless draw between Greece and Japan. I read one individual comment that the ...
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The Story of the Real Greek Lover Ends in Murder
Elias Fanouris was a legendary figure of a long-gone era. He was the epitome of ”kamaki,” the Greek lover who used to seduce foreign women who were visiting Greece for the sea, the sun, and a brief summer affair. Fanouris was found dead in the ashes of his home in the Agios Fanourios neighborhood of Rhodes on Friday the 13th at 1:30 a.m. He was 64 years old. The police and fire department commented that all evidence lead to suspicions of arson, while the neighbors said that in his last days the victim had loud arguments with someone through Skype. The police investigation led to Chalikidiki, where local police arrested a 35-year-old Bulgarian man and a 37-year-old Bulgarian woman. According to police reports, the couple was living in Rhodes and the Bulgarian woman had an affair with Fanouris, who was trying to convince her to leave her partner. The Bulgarian man had many arguments with the 64-year-old man and allegedly, he confessed that on the fatal night he went to Fanouris‘ house in order to scare him off, but lost control and murdered him. Chalkidiki Police will transfer the couple to Rhodes for further interrogation. Profile of the Greek “kamaki” (lover)….. The kamaki — best described in English as a harpoon-like lover who hooks his bait and reels her in — reigned the beaches, discotheques, bars, and other holiday spots in the 70s and 80s. After the fall of the 1974 dictatorship, the number of tourists visiting Greece grew rapidly as did the number of eager young men who were looking for sex and, in many cases, money from lonely women spending their holidays in Greece. The Greek kamaki was found mainly on the islands and seaside towns. The young men practicing the art were mostly sexually frustrated individuals who grew up in very conservative rural environments where sex before marriage was forbidden for women. These men found an outlet for this desire in the large numbers of women from all over the world who vacationed in Greece every year. For many of these women, the myth of the Greek lover was an attraction equal to visiting the Parthenon. The Greek lover who flourished in the 70s and 80s was mainly from the lower social strata. His age ranged between 18 and 35. He had his own code of conduct and dress. His English was poor, but he proclaimed that he spoke the international language of love fluently. His shirt was wide open, showing his chest proudly which was usually hairy and decorated with a gold chain. He fashioned longish hair and wore tight pants to exhibit his manhood. A kamaki had his own territory and usually operated in gang-like groups. Once he marked his target, no other man was allowed to approach the woman. His tactic would be to promise her the earth and moon and wouldn’t take no for an answer. He was committed to his trade and most of the time a successful seducer. Many Greek 80s comedies show the Greek kamaki in action. In 2010, director Nikos Mistriotis and journalist-script writer Maria Koufopoulou created a documentary called ”Colossi of Love,” the title taken from the ancient statue of Colossus in the port of Rhodes. The documentary is shot on the island and focuses on four legendary kamaki men, who reminisce and recount their love adventures from the golden days of kamaki. Elias Fanouris, is the star with the nickname “Bruno” and claims to have started this art of seducing women in 1967-1968, bedding 4,500 women since. He also claims to still be an active kamaki, although he admits the women who fall for him now are older. Next, there is 51-year-old Yannis, the owner of “Highway” — a famous discotheque of the time — who has a family with a Finnish woman. Finally, there is George, 41, who is married to a Danish stripper, and 44-year-old Takis who married a woman from Norway. “Colossi of Love” won Best Documentary Award at the Los Angeles Greek Film Festival in 2010 and was shown at the Documentary Festival of Thessaloniki in 2012. The kamaki generation disappeared somewhere in the late 80s as Greece became more cosmopolitan and less conservative. The attitude towards sex had since changed and Greece was now part of the European Union. The myth of the Greek lover lost its sheen as many female tourists realized that kamaki was somewhat of a sport. Many Greek lovers ended up marrying foreign women, settling down in their hometowns, while others followed their foreign wives abroad seeking a better life. Elias Fanouris continued to live the life he knew, surrounded by women. In the last years of his life he was hanging out with people who were prostituting themselves in his neighborhood. There are rumors that he was trying to whisk the Bulgarian woman away from her partner in order to procure her. Some might say he stayed true to his role until the violent end.
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Greek captain sent off on soft red in less than 38 minutes for clumsy challenges
USA TODAYGreek captain sent off on soft red in less than 38 minutes for clumsy challengesUSA TODAYGreek captain Kostas Katsouranis received yellow for a clumsy challenge in the 27th minute of the Greece-Japan World Cup match. Less than 15 minutes later, he received a second for another needless, clumsy challenge.Japan founder against Greek defensive wallFifa.comGreek Captain Kostas Katsouranis Ejected On Questionable Red CardInternational Business TimesJapan vs. Greece: Honda, Kagawa and Co. Fail to Penetrate Greek Defensive WallBleacher ReportReutersall 817 news articles »
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Cheapo Greek EU Presidency Ending
Greece's unremarkable six-month tenure as the European Union President, which will end on June 30 with virtually no achievements, will be its cheapest ever.
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Santos Says Red Card Cost Greece
A red card that got Costas Katsouranis tossed is why Greece had to take a 0-0 tie with Japan in the World Cup, coach Fernando Santos said.
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Japan 0 Greece 0: Kostas Katsouranis sent off but 10 men hold out for a draw
Strikers such as Luis Suarez really do make the difference, just ask toothless Group C rivals Japan and Greece. Like Uruguay and England earlier in the evening, they entered into the second match of the finals having suffered defeat in their opener.
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Li’s Greek Visit Signals Investment Flow From China
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said confidence in the Greek economy is returning, as China signaled interest in investing in the Mediterranean country’s airports, railways and energy sector.
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World Cup 2014: Japan 0-0 Greece, Full Time
World Cup 2014: Japan 0-0 Greece, Full TimeWall Street Journal (blog)By contrast, Greece enjoyed 54% of the possession against a Colombia side that was supposed to dominate. Forward Georgios Samaras has said they were unlucky to lose to the South American side, implying that the 3-0 score was a flattering result that ...
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World Cup Football Daily: Luis Suárez double breaks English hearts
England were beaten by Uruguay, as Colombia pipped Ivory Coast, and Japan drew with Greece Continue reading...
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Santos: Greece could have beaten Japan but for red card
Greece could have emerged victorious from its 0-0 World Cup Group C draw with Japan on Thursday were it not for Costas Katsouranis's first-half red card, coach Fernando Santos said.
The Greek skipper was dismissed for a second yellow in the 38th minute, l... ...
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‘Hangover Holiday’ Campaign in Zakynthos
The deputy head of the British Embassy, Andrew Staunton arrived today, June 20, at the Greek island of Zakynthos to launch for the 2nd year in a row, the “Hangover Holiday” campaign. Last year, the British Embassy launched the “Hangover Holiday” campaign in Greece, for the awareness of young British tourists, with great success. The purpose of Staunton’s visit is the cooperation between the British embassy and local institutions in dealing with the problems British tourists cause during the summer season. For the second year, the main topic of the discussion will be youth tourism, due to their extreme behavior on the streets and beaches of the popular Greek island of Zakynthos. The campaign “Hangover Holiday” aims to raise awareness of young tourists on the possible consequences of excessive alcohol consumption or driving under the influence of alcohol. The British Embassy in an effort to encourage a more responsible behavior, informs young British tourists through its website, with emergency phone numbers and other useful information.
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Coast Guard and SDOE Search For Another Ton of Heroin
The Hellenic Coast Guard (HCG) and the Financial and Economic Crime Unit (SDOE) in Greece are conducting investigations to locate another ton of heroin, hidden by suspects arrested last week. During last week’s large-scale operation, authorities seized 1.1 tons of heroin. However, the 41-year old businessman who was arrested is supposed to have hidden another 1.1 ton of the drug in another warehouse in the Koropi suburb of Athens. According to information from the Greek website tovima.gr, the businessman has already been accused as “the dealer of the transportation of 1.1 ton of pure heroin” from Middle East to Greece. Before the arrest, the man tried to rent another warehouse near the one where the heroin was found, telling the owner of the building that he wanted to store stuff from his marine business. The rental agreement was not formally completed, though, and the warehouse owner is going to testify at the Piraeus Port authorities, because there is information of another ton of heroin in the particular warehouse.
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Share a Story on International Immigrants Day
The United Nations High Commission of Refugees in Greece honors the strength and courage of millions of people around the world who are forced to leave their homes because of war or the violation of human rights. These people in order to escape the suffering in their country are trying by all means to find refuge in the “Promised Land” illegally. Greece is one of the main destinations for immigrants. The influx of immigrants in the country has changed. After the construction of the fence in Evros border in August 2012, the majority of immigrants enter the country through its maritime borders. According to data presented by the Greek office of UNHCR in 2013, the number of immigrants who arrived in Greece by sea increased by more than three times, (11,447 in 2013 compared to 3,651 in 2012). During the first four months of 2014, the number doubled compared to the same period in 2013 (4,700 and 2,077 respectively). Hundreds of immigrants put their lives in great risk in the attempt to enter Greece. The incident near Farmakonisi, which cost the lives of dozens of immigrants, in January 2014 is only one of many similar cases the Greek Coast Guard has to deal with. This year the UNHCR on the occasion of the International Immigrants Day, invites people to show their solidarity and to share a story of immigration. One can read stories of immigrants but can also post their own in the special UNHCR website.
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Reports of Immigrant Rights Violations in Greece
In a report released today on the occasion of the International Immigrants Day, several organizations report that Greek authorities and Frontex, the European Union agency for external border security, are violating immigrants’ rights. The report by the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), the Migreurop network, and the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Network (REMDH) speak of testimonies confirming the practice of collective expulsion (push-back) at the Greek-Turkish maritime borders. International law prohibits collective expulsions in order to protect the right to asylum. However, the report states that Greek Coast Guard often tows violently the boats of immigrants to Turkey. A Syrian man reported that the Greek Coast Guard took all his belongings and then left him, his wife, and their baby in a boat in the middle of the sea for 24 hours until they were rescued by the Turkish authorities. According to the report, enven though Frontex is aware of the collective expulsions and the abuse of immigrants, it continues to provide the Greek Coast Guard with ships, planes, thermal cameras, and training of officers. After the increase of surveillance operations in land borders and the building of a wall in Evros border, immigrants turned to the sea. In 2013, Frontex halted the arrival of 10,427 immigrants compared to 3,307 in 2012. According to a report, from September 2012 until May 2014, at least 18 boats sunk, 191 people were drowned, and 33 are missing. Most of the victims came from Syria, Afghanistan, Somalia, and Eritrea.
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