How the world sees Greece
BRUSSELS, Feb. 12 (Xinhua) -- The European Council on Friday adopted a recommendation proposing to Greece remedial action to address the deficiencies on the application of the Schengen acquis in the area of external border management. According to a ...
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More than a dozen tractors rolled through Athens on Friday, honking horns and flashing lights outside parliament as thousands of Greek farmers thronged the capital's main Syntagma Square to protest tax hikes and pension reforms. The two-day protest kicked ...
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An estimated 83,201 migrants and refugees have arrived in Europe between 1 January and 11 February, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) announced on Friday. Some 77,303 of those people, or 92% arrived on the Greek islands in the Aegean Sea from Turkey, IOM said in a news release. The number of arrivals in Greece by sea has fallen in February due to bad weather. An estimated 5,110 migrants arrived in the first 10 days of February, compared to 72,193 in the whole of January. About 44%of January arrivals were from Syria, 27%from Afghanistan, and 17% fromIraq, IOM said, citing data of Greek police.
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The EU has overridden objections from Athens, giving Greece three months to tighten up security on its borders. If it fails to do so, other Schengen states will be entitled to erect border controls around Greece for up to two years. A list of 50 ...
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The European Union has given GREECE a three-month ultimatum to fix “deficiencies” in controlling its borders or face suspension from the Schengen ...
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Sweetie pie. Honey. Babydoll. Pumpkin. What could be more normal, more unremarkable than the common endearments English-speaking Americans use to address their romantic counterparts? That is, they seem relatively normal, since we're so used to them. But shift the lens a bit, and suddenly they're positively bizarre. What _is_ a sweetie pie? Why would you address your beloved as a bulbous orange squash? (And that's not even getting into the idiosyncratic pet names that many people bestow upon their partners: A -- um -- friend of mine sometimes calls her fiancé "sweatpants boy.") It's not typical, in American English, to refer to your bae as "fatty," or "crumb of gold," but in Spanish and Finnish, respectively, it wouldn't be out of the normal to do just that. These romantic idioms from other languages can sound ridiculous when translated literally, but that's part of the fun -- just like "sweet cheeks" or "love muffin," their actual meaning has little to do with the exact denotations of the words. Why do we so often call our loves "my cabbage" (French) or "little fish" (Russian) instead of simply their given names, or even the more literal honorifics like "wife," "boyfriend," or "beloved"? Last year, several sex and relationships experts spoke to Bustle about the pet-name phenomenon, which tends to spring up in the context of a whole universe of "relationship speak" -- shorthands and phrases reminiscent of baby talk exclusively used between a couple. Using silly names for each other, experts theorize, signals that a couple feels safe and cared for in each other's company, able to become vulnerable and show their inner childlike side. Even less ridiculous pet names, like the more established "sweetie" or "babe," connote a special level of intimacy; everyone else uses a person's given name, but only their partner would be allowed to refer to them as "babe." These warm and snuggly forces may be at work reinforcing relationships, too; one often-cited study from 1993 found that married couples who used pet names more reported higher satisfaction with their marriages. Carol J. Bruess, who led the original study, told Scientific American last year that she believed these silly names and other relationship speak allowed couples to keep the dynamic in their marriages sweet and fun, potentially alleviating tense situations when they crop up. Most couples, including those that don't last, have their own idiosyncratic pet names that no one else would understand, so trying to catalog all the ways humans have come up with to say "my darling" would be a futile task. Looking at the more common ways people express their affection in different languages from around the world, however, is a beautiful reminder of the joyfully playful nature of romance, even for the most grown-up adults out there. We asked our editorial staff from around the world to share their favorite terms of endearment, and we were buried beneath a wave of devastatingly cute pet names. Here's a selected list to inspire you this Valentine's Day, because your sweetheart deserves to hear what a duckling/sparrow/cauliflower they are, V-Day and every day: SPANISH: GORDO/GORDA/GORDI/GORDITA _Translation:_ Fatty; a term of endearment for people of all shapes "TE QUIERO COMO LA TRUCHA AL TRUCHO." _Translation:_ "I love you like the girl trout loves the boy trout." MI CIELO _Translation:_ My heaven, sky AMIGOVIO _Translation_: Friend with benefits TAGALOG: INDAY _Translation:_ Sweetheart (usually for a young woman) ARABIC (EGYPT): نور عيني NOOR EINY _Translation:_ Light of my eyes حياة قلبي HAYAT ALBY _Translation:_ My heart’s life ARABIC (MAGHREB): روح قلبي ROUH QALBI _Translation:_ Soul of my heart عينيّا AYNAYA _Translation: _My eyes نوّارة عينيّا NAWARET AYNAYA _Translation: _Flower of my eyes خنفوستي - خنفوسي KHANFOUSSTI / KHANFOUSSI _Translation: _My little bug فلّوستي - فلّوسي FALLOUSSTI / FALLOUSSI _Translation: _My little chicken FRENCH: MA PUCE _Translation:_ My flea/louse MON CHOU _Translation:_ My cabbage MON PETIT CHOU FLEUR _Translation:_ My little cauliflower HAWAIIAN: KU'U IPO _Translation:_ My sweetheart/my lover KOREAN: 강아지 GANG-A-JI _Translation:_ Puppy HEBREW: NESHAMA _Translation:_ Soul, used the same way as "honey" KAPARA _Translation:_ Atonement, used in the same way as "babe" CHINESE: 亲爱的 QIN AI DE _Translation:_ Dear WELSH: CARIAD _Translation:_ Love TWI: MEDOFO _Translation:_ In Ghana, this means "my love" JAPANESE: あなた ANATA _Translation:_ My love ITALIAN: TI VOGLIO TANTO BENE _Translation:_ "I want you a lot and well"; basically, “I love you very much.” (It's often used as an acronym, TVTB, at the end of a letter, or a text, between friends.) POLPETTO _Translation:_ Meatball, usually for men. ORSETTO/ORSETTA _Translation:_ Little bear GATTINO/GATTINA _Translation:_ My kitten PULCINO _Translation:_ Little chicken SAMOAN: PELE _Translation:_ Sweetheart FATU _Translation:_ Heart GERMAN: SPATZ/SPATZI _Translation:_ Sparrow BÄR/BÄRCHEN _Translation:_ Bear MAUS/MAUSI _Translation:_ Mouse HASE/HASI _Translation:_ Bunny SCHATZ/SCHATZI _Translation:_ Treasure KRÜMEL _Translation:_ Crumb AMHARIC: YENE FIKIR _Translation:_ My love (Bonus: It's used in a lyric in "The Hills" by The Weeknd, who's also Ethiopian.) YENE KONJO _Translation:_ My beauty/my sweetheart (used for women) FINNISH: KULLANMURU _Translation:_ Crumb of gold; basically means darling or sweetie FARSI: JOON _Translation:_ Used after a person's name, to mean "dear;" used between friends and significant others MALAYALAM: CHAKKARA _Translation:_ Sugar (specifically, jaggery) KARALE _Translation:_ Liver, because it is seen as more connected to love than the heart _(Fun fact: _There's a cute song about it!) TAMIL: KANNA _Translation:_ Literally means “eye” but is used like “dear” HINDU: JAAN/JAANU _Translation:_ Jaan means “my life”; “jaanu” is basically the equivalent of "honey" SHONA _Translation:_ Gold/golden in both Hindi and Bengali BABU _Translation:_ "Little master" in Hindi; modified from "baba," an affectionate term for children. GREEK: ΜΑΝΑΡΑΚΙ (MANARAKI ) _Translation:_ Small lamb that is being fed and prepared for slaughter ΜΆΤΙΑ (MATIA) _Translation_: Eyes ΖΟΥΖΟΥΝΙ (ZUZUNI) _Translation:_ Bug ΠΑΠΑΚΙ (PAPAKI) _Translation:_ Duckling AΣΤΕΡΙ (ASTERI) _Translation:_ Star ΦΕΓΓΆΡΙ ΜΟΥ (FEGGARI MOU) _Translation:_ My moon PORTUGUESE: GATINHO/GATINHA _Translation:_ Kitten PRINCESA/PRÍNCIPE _Translation:_ Princess/Prince FOFO/FOFA _Translation:_ Cute RUSSIAN ЛИСИЧКА (LISICHKA) _Translation:_ Little fox ЯГОДКА (YAGODKA) _Translation:_ Berry СОЛНЫШКО (SOLNISHKO) _Translation:_ Sunshine РЫБKА (RYBKA) _Translation:_ Little fish ARMENIAN: HOKIS _Translation:_ My soul, or love of my soul. Reserved for very close relationships. "TSAVD TANEM" _Translation:_ "Let me take away your pain"; an exclamation of care toward another person that is often just thrown into conversation "JIGARET UDEM" _Translation:_ "I will eat your liver" -- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.
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[Craps]AP/Keith Srakocic FA Insights is a daily newsletter from Business Insider that delivers the top news and commentary for financial advisors. UNREGISTERED BROKER USED CLIENT MONEY TO PAY GAMBLING DEBTS (FINANCIAL ADVISOR) Gregory Ruehle, an unregistered broker based in Oceanside, California, was charged by the Securities and Exchange Commission with "fraudulently selling purported stock in a medical device company and pocketing investors’ money," according to Financial Advisor. The SEC says Ruehle raised $1.9 million from investors, promising to sell them his personal holdings in ICB International, a medical device company. According to the complaint, Ruehle promised the sale of more securities than he owned, and those that he did own weren't transferable. Ruehle then used the money to pay off his gambling debts. GREECE IS BACK IN RECESSION (BLOOMBERG) Greece's economy contracted 0.6% in the fourth quarter, dropping it back into a recession for the second time in a year. The reading was an improvement from the 1.4% decline in the third quarter, but it raises concerns about the viability of the country's bailout program. According to Bloomberg, the European Commission expects Greece's economy to contract 0.7% in 2016 before growing 2.7% in 2017._ _ SOME VALENTINES DAY NUMBERS (COUPONBOX.COM) Couponbox.com says Americans will spend a total of $17.6 billion on Valentines Day in 2016, up 8.5% compared to a year ago. Each year, rose prices climb about 40% ahead of Valentines Day and hotel rooms cost about 25% more than the week before. Valentines Day dinner at a fancy restaurant will cost $280, on average, a 5% jump from a year ago. UBS MADE A BIG HIRE (BUSINESS INSIDER) People familiar with the matter told Business Insider that Scott Francoeur, Morgan Stanley's former head of emerging markets credit sales, has joined UBS as head of emerging markets distribution for foreign exchange, rates, and credit in the Americas. Francoeur was a casualty of Morgan Stanley's job cuts that were announced in December. At the time, Morgan Stanley CEO James Gorman said, "The net of it will be more of a US-focused business, a slimmer business when it comes to some of the macro products." BROKER SALES WEIGHED ON LPL'S QUARTER (WEALTH MANAGEMENT) LPL Financial announced adjusted earnings of $0.37 per share, missing the Bloomberg consensus of $0.51.The results marked a steep drop from the $0.49 per share gain from a year ago. Revenue also fell short, sliding 7.6% to $1.02 billion on expectations of $1.05 billion. According to Wealth Management, LPL's sales commissions tumbled 12% year-over-year and advisory fees fell 5% YoY. "As we move into 2016, market volatility has only increased, and we expect continued pressure on brokerage sales.," LPL Chairman and CEO Mark Casady said in the earnings release. NOW WATCH: NASA just released footage of the most mysterious pyramid in the solar system
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The intersection of Steinway Street and 31st Avenue in Astoria will soon bear the name of Dimitris Kastanas, the founder of National Greek Television and a large presence in the Greek-American community. The City Council approved the renaming, along with ...
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For decades, Beach Boulevard has been a magnet for some of the city’s best homegrown ethnic eateries. That’s especially true on the stretch of Beach between Southside Boulevard and Interstate 295. Just south of the Beach corridor, off St. Johns Bluff ...
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Europe just gave Greece a big ultimatum. On Friday, EU member states told Greece that it has three months to remedy the "deficiencies" in controlling the influx of migrants, or else "effectively face suspension from the Schengen passport-free zone ...
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Jack White, frontman and singer of the famed White Stripes, released a 2-disc collection called “Why the Mountains are Black”, which is a compilation of “primeval Greek village music” throughout the years. The collection includes 28 tracks that ...
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Brussels, Feb 12 (EFE).- The European Union gave Athens three months on Friday to correct the serious deficiencies in the management of its external border, so it has to submit within a month a plan which, if it does not produce results, can extend up to ...
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Greece came closer to an effective suspension from the Schengen zone yesterday after it was handed a three-month ultimatum to control the influx of migrants. In a tempestuous meeting in Brussels, ministers increased pressure on the country by ordering it ...
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European Immigration and Home Affairs Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos on Friday sought to play down fears of GREECE being excluded from ...
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ATHENS, Feb. 12 (Xinhua) -- There is no provision for Greece's expulsion from the Schengen passport-free travel zone, European commissioner for migration Dimitris Avramopoulos told Greek national news agency AMNA on Friday. The statement was made in Athens ...
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The position of the body is the same. The figure is prone on the beach, near the water’s edge. The head is face down in the sand, and the face is just visible. One arm is close to the body, palm upward. The knees are bent, the feet together. This is not Alan Kurdi (initially misreported as Aylan), the three-year-old Syrian child whose body washed up on shore in Turkey. It is the Chinese artist Ai Weiwei, who staged a photographic reenactment for the newspaper _India Today_. He is not dressed in toddler clothing, nor has he shaved his beard to make himself appear younger. He is not after verisimilitude. He is paying homage. At one level, the artist is simply expressing solidarity with the refugees that are pouring out of the warzones of the Middle East. Last month, Ai set up a studio on the Greek island of Lesbos, which has been an entryway into Europe for many of the refugees. He has shared photos of life in the refugee camps with his many social media followers. He withdrew his art from two museums in Denmark after the Danish parliament passed a law allowing the government to seize property from asylum-seekers. He is planning a memorial to the refugees who have perished during the crossing. It’s made out of 14,000 of the poorly made lifejackets that surviving migrants discarded on arriving in Lesbos. At another level, Ai Weiwei is making a bold statement about iconic representations. The initial photo of Alan Kurdi shocked many people into recognizing the enormous cruelty of the refugee exodus. But after the photo was reproduced so often, it could not help but lose its initial capacity to arouse outrage. Can Ai Weiwei use his own iconic status to somehow refocus international attention on the continuing plight of the migrants? Some of that attention has necessarily turned toward the artist himself, and not in a positive way. “In his bizarre beach-lying ego trip, Ai also demonstrates what can happen when artists blunder too unthinkingly into big political issues,” writes Tim Teeman in _The Daily Beast_. “Instead of highlighting their cause, in their effort to shock, they can undermine it. Indeed, this is the biggest problem with Ai’s beach picture: it is all about him, and not about refugees, or the refugee crisis. It’s a pretty picture, whereas the picture of poor Aylan Kurdi — and all it stood for — was anything but.” Teeman has reduced art, at least in this case, to little more than ego plus aestheticism. Ai Weiwei, he is arguing, is fundamentally irresponsible — for not thinking more and inserting himself less. It’s a strange criticism coming from Teeman. As a journalist who doesn’t generally cover politics — he writes mostly about popular culture — he is doing precisely what he faults Ai Weiwei for doing: foregrounding his own opinion (as opposed to sticking to the facts like a journalist) and wading into “big political issues” without thinking very deeply about them. Moreover, just like the Chinese artist, Teeman is aiming to provoke. Well, we often criticize that which we fear, deep down, applies to ourselves as well. Still, Teeman inadvertently raises some important questions. What role can artists play in not only addressing political issues, but also helping to resolve political problems? As provocateurs, can artists do more harm than good? Is all art inherently political — or are politics and art antithetical? I’ll explore these questions not only in this column but also in a new initiative at the Institute for Policy Studies that we’re calling Epicenter. Our new effort explores the intersection of politics and culture, precisely the territory that Ai Weiwei inhabits. More on that, however, after a word from Madame President. MADAME PRESIDENT The United States and the Arab World share this in common: Neither has had a female leader in the modern era. American voters might overturn the patriarchal status quo in the November elections. Arabs, meanwhile, will have to content themselves with the virtual reality of a female president. In a new TV drama _Madame President_, the imaginary Arab country of Jabalein has just lost its leader to a heart attack. Noura Saad, the minister of planning and development, ascends to the presidency, but only for a year until the next elections. During this short tenure, she faces the usual problems of the region: water shortages, unemployment, civil unrest, political intrigue. On top of that, she must address concerns from colleagues and citizens alike that a woman is somehow not fit to be president. Though it draws some musical and visual motifs from _House of Cards_, this production by Search for Common Ground and a Jordanian multimedia company relies more heavily on Tia Leoni’s _Madam Secretary_ for inspiration: similar rise to power, nearly identical family make-up, and comparable conspiratorial backstory. What it lacks in humor and fast-paced storytelling, _Madame President_ makes up for in earnestness. It wants to address issues that are often off-limits in public debate in Arab countries: the status of women, the limits of civic protest, the prevalence of corruption. In the first episode, the new president decides not to crack down on young protestors upset over rising prices and unemployment. Instead, she meets face to face with them, listens to their demands, and releases their detained compatriots. Crisis averted! Search for Common Ground has pursued this popular culture strategy in several parts of the world — a children’s TV show in Macedonia promoting intercultural understanding, a soap opera about social issues in Guinea, and a multi-nation TV show about footballers called _The Team_. Here the artists are not simply raising provocative issues. They’re modeling the solutions: compassionate leaders committed to non-violence, football players from different socio-cultural backgrounds working together, soap opera characters providing information about public health issues. If Ai Weiwei is the provocateur activist, Search for Common Ground offers public service announcements wrapped up in the garb of popular entertainment. While the activist artist deploys the astringency of vinegar, the public service artist offers the honey of homey narrative. You might argue that soap operas are not art. You might also argue that art should not be in the business of answering questions, only asking them. These are legitimate challenges. But instead of this dualism of art/not-art, I prefer to imagine a spectrum that runs from more provocative to less provocative. On one end of the spectrum, the artist-dissident is throwing a pie in the face of convention: wake up! At the other end of the spectrum, the artist-diplomat is offering us the same pie as reconciliation and sustenance: eat up! EPICENTER Our new program at IPS, Epicenter, is devoted to lifting up the work of artists as both dissidents and as diplomats — those who help to provoke conflict where the status quo is unjust and those who hope to resolve conflict where the status quo is violent. We’ll be focusing on the Middle East for the next year, with a particular emphasis on Iran. The nuclear deal — signed in July and implemented in January — offers a tremendous opportunity to improve U.S.-Iranian relations and pave the way for the resolution of key conflicts in the region: in Syria, Iraq, and even Israel-Palestine. Since the United States and Iran don’t have formal diplomatic relations, much of the work of reconciliation must take place indirectly — through third parties, in second-track diplomacy, and by people-to-people contacts. One of the more successful examples of this kind of public diplomacy has been in sports. Like soap operas, athletic contests can often reach more people than exchanges in the fine arts. This week, for instance, I write about the extraordinary case of “wrestling diplomacy”between Iran and the United States. Iranian wrestlers participated in the “Rumble on the Rails” in Grand Central Station in 2013. The next year, a U.S. team participated in the World Cup of Greco-Roman wrestling in 2014. What makes these exchanges so important is that, first of all, Iranian wrestlers are so much better than their U.S. counterparts — so a certain respect for Iranian culture and traditions is implicit in the exchange. Also, as Bahman Baktiari, the executive director of the International Foundation for Civil Society, explains, “Wrestling appeals to conservative elements. Iranians start matches with prayers. Most of the logos in the arena are from the Koran. We are connecting to an important segment of Iranian civil society that we were not reaching before.” Epicenter will tell these stories of the peacemaking component of culture. But it will also tell stories about the provocateurs. “Art and culture is a great way to ensure accountability,” Manal Omar of the U.S. Institute of Peace told an audience at a session on “Art in Response to Conflict” sponsored by the Middle East Institute last week in Washington, DC. She pointed out that in a perverse way, artists are accorded more power and status in authoritarian countries. “The jails in the Middle East are filled with artists, poets, playwrights. They are the risks. They are the people who are inspiring the people. The authoritarian regimes have figured this out. Why haven’t we?” Epicenter will amplify the efforts of organizations working with both the dissidents and the diplomats. Follow us on our Facebook page to read articles, see videos, and learn of events that are changing the face of the Middle East. Foreign policy is too important to leave to the “professionals.” Through art and culture, we can all work to make the world a better place. _Crossposted with Foreign Policy In Focus_ -- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.
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ATHENS (Reuters) - Angry Greek farmers clashed with riot police in Athens then paraded their tractors and pick-ups outside parliament on Friday, in their first big protest in the capital against pension reform plans after weeks of road blockades.
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Deputy Federal Reserve chair Bill Dudley said the US economy has momentum to withstand weakness from abroad A recovery in US consumer spending revived battered stock markets in Europe and New York on Friday, despite the latest eurozone GDP figures showing a broad slowdown across the currency union and Greece slipping back into recession. The FTSE 100 soared 169 points to register the strongest daily increase since last August, before the Dow Jones index followed suit in New York, wiping out much of the losses from earlier in the week as January figures for US consumer spending beat expectations. The FTSE 100 still ended the week down 2.4%. Continue reading...
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Truck traffic at Kulata border checkpoint on Bulgaria’s border with Greece has been blocked again at 5 p.m. on Friday by Greek farmers protesting on their side of the border against planned pеnsion cuts. The blockade for trucks was lifted for about six hours on Friday as agreed by Bulgarian and Greek authorities earlier this week. Traffic has been suspended for all motor vehicles at Ilinden border crossing since 5 p.m. on Friday. It was expected to resume at 10 p.m., the Ministry of the Interior said in a statement. According to unofficial information provided by the Greek authorities, the blockade of Kapitan Petko Voyvoda crossing, which began at about 10 a.m. on Friday, was expected to be lifted at 8 p.m. Makaza, Zlatograd and Ivaylovgrad border crossings operated in normal mode as of Friday evening, the Ministry of the Interior said.
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Relay for Life, one of OU's largest fundraisers for cancer research, has always been supported by a majority of students involved with GREEK life, said ...
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Less than 36 HOURS LEFT to help KeepTalkingGreece’s Crowdfunding for 2016. We’re just 6% away from reaching half of original goal. If it were for the IMF’s wording, we may “not reach a Primary Surplus other than 0%” but we could achieve some kind of “sustainability” that will help us […]
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The U.S. plans on filling Eastern Europe with thousands of troops along with vehicles and weapons to equip an armored combat brigade. That will require a special budget request of $3.4 billion for next year. Uncle Sam may be bankrupt, but nothing is too expensive for our pampered European allies, who enjoy greater wealth while spending far less on the military. The U.S. plans on stationing up to 5000 troops along with the prepositioned equipment, on top of 65,000 already deployed in Europe. Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter opined: "We're going to have to help countries to harden themselves against Russian influence ... and also mount--as we did in decades past--staunch defense of our NATO allies." The Pentagon calls this the "European Reassurance Initiative." An unnamed administration official told the _New York Times_, that the step "fulfills promises we've made to NATO" and "also shows our commitment and resolve to individual countries to which we will be putting a persistent rotational presence of forces to demonstrate our resolve in their, and our, collective defense." Moreover, said another anonymous aide, the administration sought to respond "in a more programmatic and consistent way" to the threat environment. "This is a longer-term response to a changed security environment in Europe. This reflects a new situation, where Russia has become a more difficult actor." However, the basic question remains unanswered: Why is the U.S. defending Europe? Doing so made sense at one moment in time: when the war-ravaged states of Western Europe were vulnerable to coercion if not aggression by the triumphant Red Army after it (more than the Western allies) defeated Nazi Germany. However, the need for America to play an overwhelming role disappeared as the continent recovered. With the end of the Cold War any theoretical justification for U.S. defense hegemony disappeared. The Soviet Union collapsed, the Warsaw Pact dissolved, the Eastern European nations raced westward. There was no more "there, there" to the threat of aggression from the east. Today NATO involves collective defense, but "their," not "our," defense. Although the Europeans sometimes join America in "out of area" activities, for which no alliance is necessary, they have never come to, and are unlikely to ever come to, America's actual defense. Applying Article 5 after 9/11 was a nice act of solidarity, but European support was never necessary to strike al-Qaeda and oust the Taliban. The 14-plus year attempt to remake Afghanistan had nothing to do with any Western nation's defense. Libya was Europe's war fought with U.S. backing. Turmoil elsewhere in North Africa and the Middle East also is a far greater problem for the continent. Nor is there any serious military threat to Europe. Libya's Moammar Khaddafy made a deal with the U.S. and Europe. The Taliban had limited ambitions. The Islamic State has limited capabilities. Russia may be "a more difficult actor," but it is not a suicidal aggressor. Moscow today is not the Moscow of the Soviet Union. It is much more like the Moscow (actually, St. Petersburg, then the capital) of the Russian Empire. Vladimir Putin's Russia cares about border security. It wants to be respected and have its interests protected. It doesn't act precipitously, but it does act. And it will take advantage of circumstances. Moscow's treatment of Ukraine is instructive. Russia did little when Ukraine was ruled by the hostile, incompetent Viktor Yushchenko. The West supported the Orange Revolution which helped bring him to power and had high hopes for his presidency, which ended when he received less than six percent of the vote in his reelection bid. Russia acted after the West supported the ouster of a friendly president, who had won a relatively free election, over a trade agreement which would reorient Ukraine toward Europe. That didn't justify Moscow's support for Ukrainian separatists, but it was far different than a Hitleresque Blitzkrieg across Ukraine. Indeed, Putin wanted to weaken rather than swallow his neighbor, which would be indigestible, as nationalistic Ukrainians would violently resist Russian control. He's done nothing to suggest that he wants to rule over the small Baltic republics, which joined NATO at a time of greater Russian weakness. Grabbing a chunk of Poland would be as foolish as trying to annex Ukraine: Indeed, Joseph Stalin already moved both countries westward at the end of World War II to redraw boundary lines set by previous treaties and conflicts. And nothing suggests Moscow's slightest interest in challenging European nations further west--however competent the new Russian army, it won't be marching on Berlin, Paris, or Madrid. Moreover, if this really is a "new situation" and "changed security environment," why don't the Europeans act like they believe that? The countries theoretically most at risk, the Europeans, continue to cut their military outlays and capabilities. As always, NATO stands for "North America and the Others." According to the alliance's latest annual report, total NATO Europe expenditures went from $275 billion in 2010 to $253 billion last year. As percentage of GDP outlays have slipped from 1.64 to 1.43. The percentage of NATO Europe defense outlays that went to equipment fell from 20.5 to 19.7 (which at least was an increase from the 17.4 percent of 2014). A majority of European countries have cut their spending. From 2010 to 2015, Albania is down. Belgium is down. Bulgaria is down. Croatia is down. Denmark is down. France is down. Greece is down. Italy is (way) down. Lithuania is down. Netherlands is down. Portugal is down. Slovenia is down. Spain is down. United Kingdom is down. In contrast, Estonia is up. Germany is up. Hungary is up. Latvia is up. Luxembourg (thank goodness!) is up. Norway is up. Poland is up. Romania is up. Slovak Republic is up. Turkey is up. All good, though Germany, Hungary, and the Slovak Republic didn't keep up with inflation. Overall, U.S. expenditures ran a bit more than 2.6 times those of Europe in 2010. The disparity had increased to almost 2.8 times in 2015. Although NATO aspires to devote two percent of its members' GDP to the military, NATO Europe managed just 1.43 percent overall. Only Estonia, Greece, Poland, and the United Kingdom hit the two percent level. Several of the alliance's most important members fell below even this mediocre average, including Belgium (.90), Germany (1.18), Italy (.95), Netherlands (1.16), and Spain (.89). As did Canada (1.00), the only other non-European alliance member. On defense expenditures per capita the numbers are particularly striking. Last year the U.S. devoted $1865 per person to the military. NATO Europe spent $446 per person. The highest European state was Norway, at $1343. Next was Britain at $851. At the bottom was Bulgaria at $89. Several others barely broke the $100 level. Netherlands was $592, Germany $521, Belgium $407, Italy $318, and Spain $273. Even as the administration proposes spending more, it won't do so honestly. It would use money from an account for fighting in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria. Explained Todd Harrison of the Center for Strategic and International Studies: "It's a way to get around the budget caps" imposed by Congress to limit federal spending. No wonder Washington is broke. The Eastern Europeans are theoretically at the greatest risk but do not impress with their efforts. Admittedly, they tend to be less wealthy. Nevertheless, they put little effort into their defense. They are more likely to have increased spending, but not by much. Per capita defense expenditures for all but Estonia are under $200. Moreover, last year Latvia devoted 1.06 percent of GDP to the military. Lithuania was 1.14 percent, Bulgaria 1.20 percent. and Romania 1.44 percent. Estonia was 2.04 percent and Poland was 2.18 percent, the first time both countries met the NATO standard. Then there is spending on equipment, which the U.S. will be covering for Eastern Europe. Washington already devotes a larger share of its military outlays (26 percent) to equipment than any European nation except Poland, which dramatically increased its share last year over 2014, and Luxembourg, which doesn't spend much overall. Turkey and France came close. Bulgaria is 3.2 percent, Estonia is 12.8 percent, Latvia is 10.3 percent, Lithuania is 20.1 percent, and Romania is 14.6 percent. But don't worry. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg proudly announced that "Over the last year, we have started to move in the right direction." Why, "after many years of substantial reductions in defense spending, the cuts have now practically stopped among European Allies and Canada." In his annual report he explained that 2015 saw "the greatest strengthening of NATO's collective defense since the Cold War." The situation sounded almost rosy: "Five Allies now meet our guideline on spending 2% of GDP or more on defense. Sixteen Allies spent more on defense in real terms in 2015 than they did in 2014. Of those, 12 increased defense spending as a percent of GDP." True, he acknowledged, "This has taken a lot of effort." Moreover, he added, "we need to do more." Yes, "we" do. These increases come on a very low base. Noted Olivier de France for the Paris-based Institute for International and Strategic Affairs, "Defense expenditure has been shrinking in Europe for the best part of two decades, and public spending has fallen sharply with the onset of the financial crisis in 2008." The Europeans spent years digging a very deep hole. Adjusted for inflation, NATO alliance outlays last year still dropped slightly. The two largest, most important, and most active European military powers, France and the United Kingdom, reduced outlays in real terms. So did Belgium, Italy, and Norway, among the larger contributors. Several countries which upped outlays nevertheless failed to even restore 2013 levels: Denmark, Germany, Hungary, Portugal, and Slovenia, The result certainly is better than continued big reductions. But no one expects an alliance-wide build-up. The only nations which increased outlays by at least five percent were smaller states in the east--Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece (more to confront Turkey than Russia), Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, and the Slovak Republic. None of the major powers, including Turkey, which courted war with Moscow by recklessly downing a Russian plane over Syria, funded a meaningful increase. If the Europeans really believe Russia poses a serious military threat their performance remains pitiful. Roman Kuzniar of the Institute of International Relations in Warsaw applauded the administration's move, arguing: "It is clear that the European Union can no longer adequately respond to Russia's demonstrations of power." But that is demonstrably false. The other European nations simply have chosen not to act. The Europeans collectively have a larger economy and population than America. Their advantage over Russia is around ten to one and three to one, respectively. Already Europe NATO outspends Russia about two-to-one on the military. The former could do much more. Radko Hokovsky of Prague-based European Values said: "Europeans really need to step up their defense efforts so that they are not like a child always waiting for an American mom to come save them because they are so lazy to spend their wealth on their own security." U.S. expenditures are down as well, but mainly because the U.S. no longer is so intensely fighting so many wars. The Obama administration is merely reducing the massive Bush build-up. And as a percentage of GDP America's outlays are more than double those of the Europeans. Equipment expenditures as a percent of total military outlays remain well above European levels. Although the U.S. faces even fewer serious military threats, including from Russia, than does Europe. World War II ended more than seven decades ago. If the Europeans feel endangered, they should take action. It is not the responsibility of Americans to do more. After all, the U.S. is very busy in the world. It is doing most of the fighting in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria. It is defending Japan and South Korea. It is confronting China over the South China Seas. It is patrolling the seas. Moreover, Washington cannot afford to spend more on the military. The U.S. government is effectively bankrupt. The Congressional Budget Office recently warned that deficits will start rising again this year. By 2026 the red ink will be $1.37 trillion. The cumulative deficit over the next decade will be $9.4 trillion. Worse are promised benefits for the future for which there is no money. By one estimate the U.S. has some $200 trillion in unfunded liabilities. Washington no longer can afford to garrison the globe. The world is changing. So should America's national security priorities. Europe should take over its own defense. _This article was first posted to Forbes online._ -- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.
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[2016-02-12-1455289353-8466097-ScreenShot20160212at10.01.52AM.png] _Credit: Aldolfo Lujan_ _By Karolina Chorvath _ I'll never forget running along a student protest under the Arc de Triomf in Barcelona last year, as chants against the Spanish government's new rules for university students echoed off the buildings. The sticky May air was as heavy as the protest, and my clothes clung to my body. My notebook nearly fused with my hand as drops of sweat mixed with the ink on the pages. While reporting for two months on the student movements, I became enamored with the culture of protest. When I returned to school at Northeastern University in Boston, my friends asked me what I liked most about my time in Spain -- the food, the wine, the music? And every time I answered, "The people." In Spain, people my age are as infuriated as they are inspired. They express it to those around them and strive to change what is fueling their frustrations. I encountered so many students and activists that refused to let any law or regulation determine their future or their right to talk about it. Activist Lucia Lois told me, "We are going to be able to stand up, to analyze the causes of what we are suffering. Not as victims but as active participants in the politics of this country." But this fire and struggle isn't limited to Spain. According to the International Labour Organization, the global youth unemployment rate is projected to grow to 12.8 percent by 2018 with current levels of youth joblessness higher than 50 percent in countries such as South Africa, Greece and Bosnia. Young people around the world are screaming about the inability to achieve their dreams and sometimes their inability to just get a job. The GroundTruth Project is listening. Youth represent 41 percent of the world's unemployed people. The numbers are there but as we know, they're only part of the story. So GroundTruth, along with RTI International, has developed a user-generated, multimedia storytelling platform to bring young people further into the global conversation. Are you tired of older generations treating you like a second-class citizen? Have you worked for four years to get a degree and no matter what, can't get hired? Are you frustrated when you read an article about youth unemployment with a byline belonging to someone older than your parents? Does your government create laws that restrict your education? Have any or all of these things gotten in the way of your dream job? If so, tell us. Whether your medium is video, photo, text or song, we want you to share your story. Maybe you already have your dream job? If that's the case, tell us how you got it. Whatever your story is, Youth Voices is your microphone and it's our generation's chance to change the narrative. We're aiming to collect 10,000 stories by April 30, and then we'll offer paid assignments to contributors who stand out. Tell us your story. _Youth Voices is a multimedia, user-generated storytelling platform that is part of GroundTruth's "Generation T.B.D." reporting initiative on youth unemployment. It's presented with support from RTI International, and stories from Youth Voices will appear on Huffington Post in the coming months. _ -- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.
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Greece requests 279 billion euros compensation... Thousands of protesting farmers arrived in Syntagma Square late on Friday evening, joined by 20 tractors, leading their march opposite Parliament and digging in for a rally intended to last the entire weekend.
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.sigmalive.com |
Amidst a hand-wringing defence of the indefensible, The New Statesman propagated a common myth thus: “The European Union has indeed brought peace and prosperity to the people of Europe, . . .” Indeed, it never did. The institution that arguably ...
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_The Insider Picks team writes about stuff we think you'll like. Business Insider has affiliate partnerships so we may get a share of the revenue from your purchase._ [options trader]Scott Olson / Getty ImagesThere are lots of different ways to invest your money. You can buy big, sell short, get involved with mutual funds, bonds, and much more; the only thing limiting how and where you invest your cash is your knowledge of how the market works and the amount you’re willing to risk. Many of us have at least a working understanding of stock market basics. You do your research, invest in a stock, and if your research was solid and the price goes up, you’re making money. But IF YOU’RE INTERESTED IN LEARNING MORE WAYS TO PLAY THE MARKETS AND DIVERSIFY YOUR INVESTMENTS, YOU MAY WANT TO LOOK INTO OPTIONS TRADING. The most succinct explanation of the asset comes from Investopedia: an option is a contract that gives the buyer the right, but not the obligation, to buy or sell an underlying asset at a specific price on or before a certain date. When that date comes, you can either choose to act on the option, or decline and eat the loss of the cost of the contract. It’s important to note that options trading involve a lot of risk, and thus it’s important to know what you’re doing. If you dabble in the stock market and want to get involved with options trading, UDEMY IS OFFERING A BUNDLE OF CLASSES THAT COULD BE OF GREAT USE TO YOU. The three courses will take students through the basics of how options trading works, as well as the underlying theories and mathematics involved when evaluating potential investments. Once you have a strong foundational knowledge, you’ll learn more of the nuance involved in options trading, including concepts like time decay, and “The Greeks,” which are used to measure the sensitivity of an options point at any given time. This bundle of 'options trading' courses normally runs for $149, but through the end of February you can get all three for just $19 with the code “INSIDER229” at checkout. Options involve a lot of risk, so it’s important to be well-informed before diving in too deep. But if you’re ready to widen the breadth of your potential investments, these classes might be the perfect place for you to start. OPTIONS TRADING BASICS (3-COURSE BUNDLE), $19 (ORIGINALLY $149), AVAILABLE AT UDEMY. [87% OFF WITH THE PROMO CODE INSIDER229]
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Giant piles of lifejackets have built up on the shores of Lesbos, abandoned by refugees and migrants making the hazardous journey into Europe. But plans are already underway to block the borders into Eastern Europe, effectively trapping incoming asylum ...
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.dailymail.co.uk |
Greece has become wearily accustomed to micromanagers in Brussels and Berlin telling it what to do. Last summer’s Greek bailout sought reforms in some remarkably specific areas, including the weight of loaves and the shelf-life of milk. (Bakeries and ...
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT blogs.ft.com |
Syriza-led government aims to rescue pension system by raising contributions from private sector
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.ft.com |
GREECE will be booted out of the Schengen passport-free zone in a ... Eurocrats will impose checks between GREECE and EU countries after deciding ...
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.express.co.uk |
With fraternities in the midst of recruiting and sororities in pre-recruitment, it is time for most of the student body to decide if Greek life is right for them. “If you are looking for the beer-swilling, foul-mouthed, morally questionable Greek-letter ...
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.muhlenbergweekly.com |
Greek farmers protested under a cloud of police tear gas in Athens as part of mass demonstrations against pension cuts demanded by the country's international creditors. Farmers have pelted riot police with tomatoes. Thousands of farmers have begun two ...
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.dw.com |
GREECE has had a miserable year. In 2015, even as the country was getting its third bail-out in five years, it was deluged by over 800,000 Middle ...
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.economist.com |
The EU is turning up the heat on Greece, giving it three months to fix serious holes in border protection. In a bid to stem the influx of migrants, Athens is being told to implement 50 recommendations – to tighten frontier checks. But to many, such a ...
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.euronews.com |
PRAGUE/BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Eastern European leaders are set to offer manpower and other aid to help Macedonia seal its Greek border, sources close to the discussions told Reuters, in a move that could strand migrants in Greece in the coming months.
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT news.yahoo.com |
… normalize traffic through Greece’s border with Bulgaria. Greek farmers protesting at … in a draft report that Greece had "seriously neglected… Macedonia – the two countries bordering Greece to the north, will also …
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT world.einnews.com |
More than a million people fleeing war, persecution and poverty in the Middle East and Africa crossed the Mediterranean to Europe in 2015. The influx of refugees has plunged the European Union into what some see as the most serious crisis in its history. In response, Nato has ordered three warships to sail immediately to the Aegean Sea to help end the deadly smuggling of asylum-seekers across the sea from Turkey to Greece.
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT uk.news.yahoo.com |
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said on Friday that pension reforms remain a major sticking point in talks with ...
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Two GREECE residents were killed in a crash on Lake Avenue in Rochester Wednesday night. Rochester police on Friday identified those killed as ...
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.democratandchronicle.com |
The UN High Commission for Refugees on Friday welcomed the relocation of asylum-seekers from GREECE to Cyprus, according to a press release.
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT in-cyprus.com |
It was previously reported in the Turkish media that the 16 islands and islets in the South Aegean were illegally seized by GREECE in various periods as ...
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.todayszaman.com |
The European Union has formally served notice that GREECE will be kicked out and sealed off from Europe's passport-free Schengen zone for failing to ...
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.thetimes.co.uk |
GREECE slipped back into recession with its second straight quarter of contraction – 0.6 percent – though economists had expected the fourth quarter ...
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The European Union gave Greece an ultimatum Friday, saying it needed to fix its border controls within three months or face expulsion from the bloc's passport-free travel area for up to two years.
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GREEK police fired tear gas as farmers protesting against pension reforms tried to break into a government building ahead of a major demonstration.
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.itv.com |
GREEK farmers clash with police during a protest against planned pension reforms outside the agriculture ministry in Athens, Feb. 12, 2016.
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT america.aljazeera.com |
ATHENS, Greece (AP) - More than a dozen tractors rolled through Athens on Friday, honking horns and flashing lights outside parliament as thousands of Greek farmers thronged the capital's main Syntagma Square to protest tax hikes and pension reforms.
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EU member states on Friday gave Greece three months to remedy "serious deficiencies" in controlling the migrant influx or effectively face suspension from Europe’s Schengen zone of passport-free travel, AFP reported. The decision was taken by the EU ministerial council over objections of Greece, which is the main gateway for the million of refugees and migrants who entered Europe last year. “The action recommended covers areas such as registration procedures, sea border surveillance, border check procedures, risk analyses, human resources and training, infrastructure and equipment and international cooperation,” the European Council said in a statement. Ten days ago, the European Commission said in a draft report that Greece had "seriously neglected" its obligations to control the external frontier of Schengen zone. The report found that Greece had failed to properly register, check and fingerprint migrants during inspections at the Turkish land border and several islands in the Aegean Sea last November. Friday’s decision gives Greece three months to enact 50 recommendations to tighten border control. If Greece fails to remedy the deficiencies, the European Commission may activate a procedure provided for in the Schengen Borders Code that allows EU member states to reimpose controls on internal frontiers for up to two years as a matter of last resort. Several EU members such as Austria and Hungary have already introduced temporary border controls, as passport-free travel in Schengen zone comes under increased strain.
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.novinite.com |
EU states have piled the pressure on Greece to sort out its frontiers or risk extending internal controls throughout the passport-free Schengen zone for up to two years. Ministers on Friday (12 February) issued Athens some 50 demands following EU ...
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT euobserver.com |
ATHENS: Angry Greek farmers protesting against pension reform plans clashed with riot police in Athens on Friday, in their first big demonstration in the capital after weeks of road blockades around the country. Under the pension reform plan demanded by ...
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