Fireworks and lambs roasting on an open fire welcomed the Resurrection of Christ for millions of Greek Orthodox Christians all over Greece this weekend. Hellasfrappe has gathered more than 23 videos from all over Greece with the celebrations. If you are from Costantinopole, Thessaloniki, Pyrgos, the area of Corinth, Agrinio, Lefkada, Kalamata, Arcadia, the island of Corfu, Crete, Paros, Epirus, Andros, Veroia, Salamina, Folegandros island, Kimi island, Psara, Aiginia, etc... then this is a must watch! Maybe you can spot your relatives in the videos...
COSTANTINOPOLE - The Fanar
THESSALONIKI
PYRGOS, ILIA
CORINTH, PELOPONNESE
ARCADIA-HOLY SAT. &EASTER SUNDAY TRIPOLI
CORFU ISLAND
AGIOS NICHOLAOS, CRETE
HALKOUNION EVENT AFTER THE RESSURECTION IN AGRINIO
Many Orthodox believers gathered at the St. Dionysios Areopagite Church on Saturday night in Athens to take part in this year's Easter liturgy and just when the Archbishop of Greece began singing the customary "Christos Anesti" dozens of people -outside of the Church- began to instead sing the Greek national anthem. As you will see in the video, not even the loud sounds of the
microphones were able to silence their voices. The look on the face of
the Archbishop of Greece Irineos who was trying to sing "Christos
Anesti" is totally priceless. Following the "Christos Anesti-national anthem" performance, believers turned their attention -and anger- to the politicians attending the event (specifically interim premier Lucas Papademos, MD parliamentarian Olga Kefaloyiannis, Minister of Labor George Koutroumanis, Minister of Development Anna Diamantopoulou and ND MP Ioannis Tragakis). Believe it or not folks, the crowd totally ignored the spiritual significance of the evening and began to scream at the politicians to leave... and eventually they were forced to do so.
The rocket war or "Rouketopolemos" on the island of Chios is ready to ignite the sky and just like every year thousands of tourists have flooded to this island in order to take part in this explosive event tonight. This traditional event is held every Greek Orthodox Easter in the city of Vrontados (Βροντάδος). As a variation of the Greek habit of throwing fireworks during the celebration of the service at midnight before Easter Sunday, two rival church congregations in the town take part in this "rocket war" by firing thousands of rockets across the town. There are two variations as to how this tradition began. The first stems from the 19th century, when the Ottoman occupiers confiscated the canon over fear they would be used in a uprising. So locals resorted to fire rockets instead. The second story states that the tradition started under Ottoman occupation because its residents were prohibited to celebrate Easter so they decided to stage a fake war between two churches to keep the Ottomans away while they celebrated the Resurrection. Believe it or not, the trick apparently worked.
International Monetary Fund Senior Resident Representative in Russia, Odd Per Brekk recently made a surprisingly lucrative suggestion to the international community. According to Mr. Brekk, one should invest their money in the development of national economies rather than saving up the funds on bank accounts. If something happens, the IMF will be there to help the country in trouble. The idea seems to be perfect, but there is a downside to it. It would at first be good to strain our memory to recollect what kind of organization the International Monetary Fund is. The year 1944 - the peak of WWII. The Soviet troops were in fierce battles with Nazi Germany, but the USA called an international conference in Bretton Woods. Why? They did not discuss anything related to the struggle against fascism during that conference. The delegates from 44 countries gathered in Bretton Woods to discuss the post-war financial world order.
Everyone knows that the world split into two after May 5, 1945. The countries that accepted the USSR's socialist plan decided to follow their own path of development. The rest that thanked the USA and its allies for "liberation" found themselves in the zone of influence of the International Monetary Fund, which was actually founded during the Bretton Woods conference. There were officials from 44 countries participating in the conference, as we mentioned above. However, only 29 were listed as the founders of the IMF. This detail was not important at all at that time.
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It was much more important, and it still remains so, that the main founder, administrator and sponsor of the financial organization was the United States of America. This country, due to its geographical and political reasons, did not suffer much in the global bloody massacre in the first half of the 20th century. Moreover, the USA gained incredible profit from the war: the US dollar became the basic currency in international settlements.
Many years have passed since that time. However, the principles and grounds remain the same. It is an open secret that any loan from the IMF to any country is connected with certain terms and conditions. A country that receives a loan from the IMF will have to take off its last shirt for that. The IMF and its principal beneficiary - the USA - miraculously receive more than just a lot in return.
Why did Mr. Brekk become so generous then? Anyone who can count to three may realize that the USA owns more than just the basic share of finance, whereas all other members are supposed to pay their shares in the same currency. One should bear in mind that this system works in spite of the fact that the USA's foreign debt is more than just enormous. Moreover, the BRICS countries have recently decided to establish their own development bank. Therefore, there is no better way to do away with the problems of one state and destroy competitors than tempt more or less developing states into making investments in their own development.
However, this suggestion implies serious investments in the economy of the United States in the first place. What if there is a country that faces the urgent need of finding a certain amount of currency assets? Is there a guarantee that this country will receive them? If it does, what kind of bonus will the country have to pay to the IMF? There are no answers to these questions.
Russia and China, formerly one of the largest buyers of US treasuries, have been reducing their share in national gold and currency reserves for years already. The statement from Mr. Brekk does not smell good at all.
Words of anger, despair and resistance were displayed by believers against the political, economic and Greek elite all across the country at Churches (and services) throughout the Holy week, but strong messages were also heard by Greek Orthodox bishops, priests and simple preachers. Finally, the Greek Orthodox Church, which kept Hellenism alive during Ottoman rule, is finally taking a stance against the Memorandum and all foreign interests.
One such story occurred in Corinth on Good Friday. in a dramatic speech following the procession of the Epitaph the Head of Corinth's Metropolitan Church advised parishioners in his speech to not allow themselves to bow as Greeks even if this is in the face of poverty.
"We have to show that we are Hellenes of Christian Orthodox faith, and when we show this, we should not be afraid of anyone. It doesn't matter if the enemy is powerful and if the enemy is rich. Anything the enemy says, even if it threatens us, we should not be afraid. We will not kneel to no one that wants to impose themselves on us. or that wants to destroy us; that wants to exploit us; that wants to claim our lives and our souls. And even if they use trickery no one will make us kneel."
Surprisingly... the "Bloody Frocks" continue to have a voice.
Orthodoxy, the last bulwark of Hellenism, is getting "prepared for the final conflict", a Bishop told defencenet. "If they think we will sit quietly and let the country fall into the hands of foreigners they are making a big mistake "...
(Editor's Comment - Kalio Arga... para pote. Bravo)
Christ came to this earth, shed His blood and died on a cross so Christians can be forgiven and after His crucifixion He was buried in a tomb and on the third day He rose from the dead in a blast of light, at least this is what the Bible teaches us. This light... is the highlight for all Orthodox Christians every Holy Saturday and the miracle we wait for year after year that guides our continued faith.
By Marina Spanos The "Miracle" of the Holy Light of Jerusalem, is a recurring 'miracle' that happens each year with clock work precision, in the Holy Church of the Resurrection otherwise known as the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, to the delight of a large congregation of Christians of the Orthodox Church. Many pilgrims travel to Jerusalem repeatedly for the occasion.
The 'Miracle' takes place on Saturday no on preceding Easter Sunday. The substance of the 'miracle' is the appearance of a supernatural fire in a tomb, thoroughly searched and secured beforehand to exclude any source of fire by Israeli authorities. The 'Miracle' is a privleage of the Greek Orthodox Patriarch, who is ceremoniously searched and then stripped before entering the tomb.
The searches are witnessed by representatives of other Orthodox Churches, especially of the Armenian Church, who also have certain traditional rights in the specific Church, as well as representatives of local authorities, and officials from the Jerusalem police. The patriarch enters the tomb and apparently prays and then he makes his way to the second part of the tomb and a little while later appears with the miraculous light, to the ecstasy of the attending crowd of thousands. At the same time, fire is reported to appear lighting the candles in and out of the Church spontaneously. Wax torches held by the pilgrims are also sporadically seen to be lighted by "divine" intervention.
In fact blue-white lightning is reported to sometimes appear and travel through the air. The miraculous fire lighting the patriarchs' candle has been reported to be different from normal fire, in that a hand placed in the flame is not burned (at least the hands of the believers, and only for the first 33 minutes after the miracle). The Holy Light is brought back to Greece with a special flight and greeted with honors normally reserved for Foreign Heads of State, after all it is the most revered 'miracle' of the Eastern Orthodox Church.
Special flights are used to distribute the Holy Light throughout Greece, so it is made available late Saturday night during the Mass of the Resurrection in many Churches.
Following the customary "Christos Anesi" (Christ has Risen) at midnight, believers return this light to their homes and burn a cross on their front door beams, thus preserving the mark of the Holy Light throughout the year .Then they take the Holy Light to the family altar make the sign of the cross and light a candle which they allow to burn all night. Science cannot explain this great miracle and skeptics say that it is unthinkable to see such neolithic superstitions reign in the land that gave birth to philosophy and the sciences. Indeed, the call of the Ancient Greeks was: "Remember to
Doubt!" (*Memniso Apistein, a quote of Epicharmus mentioned by Lucianus
in Hermotimus). Such scepticism can never coexist with "believeth all
things" (1 Corinthians 13.7) of the Christian dogma.
Our opinion, however, here at hellasfrappe is simple. Miracles do not involve lots of hocus pocus magic that we sometimes view on our television screens, and do not necessarily occur in times when we are the most troubled. Miracles are real.. and they are all around us. The small things we ignore and that occur everyday in our lives are the real miracles.
The fact you can smile is a miracle.
The fact that you can see is a miracle.
The fact that you will have food on your table tonight is a miracle.
The fact that you have love/ed is a miracle.
Take a good look around you...This earth is the real miracle.
When a woman gives birth and then holds that baby in her arms is a miracle because that child is a sure sign that a Supernatural force exists. Whether we call this force God Allah, Buddha or Zeus... does not really make a difference it is still a power that we as humans are not in any position to explain.
The point is to grasp the meaning behind the Miracle of the Holy Light and what it actually represents. For believers and non believers the symbolism is one in the same. Humility, forgiveness and undying love: three simple words that if adopted by all the nations of the world would resolve all the problems we face on this planet in just one second. (such as poverty, famine and war).
And for Orthodox Christians it has an even more profound meaning...
To quote from a related religious site:
"The Holy Light
symbolizes and recalls in a miraculous manner the Resurrection of
Christ. It is a god sent miracle through the centuries, from the Light
which is Jesus Christ to the world".
That is what we as a society should absorb tonight
... but a little mageritsa would not hurt either...
The island of Patmos, or Greece's Holy Island, is the site where the Apostile John or Saint John the Divine wrote the text of Revelation. At Easter time the island comes alive and tourists flock here every year to take part in the holy events that lead to Christ's Resurrection on Holy Saturday.
On Holy Tuesday a solemn procession of the icons in the monastery takes place in the main town.
On Holy Thursday, the center of these church ceremonies and Christian services is the “Washing of the Disciples’ Feet”. On this day, a platform is raised in the main town, or Chora, and then the ceremony begins. The Bishop usually plays the role of Christ and he washes the feet of twelve monks – in lieu of what the Bible has written of Christ’s actions before his Crucifixion.
The reenactment of the Deposition from the Cross takes place in the Monastery of St. John. On the same evening, Epitaphs of the various churches fill the narrow cobbled streets and paths of the island to meet at the central squares of Ησra (a UNESCO world heritage site) and Skαla (Patmos’ port).
In the evening of Easter Saturday, the Monastery opens its gates to welcome us for the celebration of the Resurrection. Locals and visitors have the unique opportunity to attend an Eastern Orthodox mass in a mystic atmosphere of devout concentration, held in one of the most important Christian monasteries. Then “Christσs Anιsti” (Christ has risen) is heard, and an impressive display of fireworks light up the night sky.
The highlight, however, is Sunday at 3 in the afternoon when a Second Resurrection is held at the Patmos Monastery. The Gospel of the Resurrection is read, in seven various languages, and is chanted in heroic hexameters, with a kontio. Red eggs are also distributed to all those in attendance.
Finally, on the Second Day of Easter, or the Monday after Easter, a celebration is held in Skala, during which the Municipality distributes free food to all the visitors.
Patmos has been one of UNESCO's Monuments of Global Heritage. The monastery and its treasures, the preservation and maintenance of the Chora settlement from the Middle Ages to the present time, and the sacred Cave of the Apocalypse were the basic reasons why ICOM has chosen Patmos for this special accolade and distinguished it by characterizing it as a monument of global cultural heritage.
Τhe NATO Summit in Chicago is but several weeks away and FYROManians are mobilizing their citizens and its Diaspora to achieve the country's accession to the North Atlantic Alliance. FYROManians do not want to fulfill the conditions set by NATO for a solution to the name issue, and have rather turned their focus on endorsing their accession by "imposing" their integration.
One such move is an all new online campaign from the FYROM Diaspora which created the site www.macedoniainnato.org and is now actually advertising and promoting the country's accession to NATO. Parallel to this, it is flooding youtube with videos promoting its accession.
But there is more, on May 19 the FYROM Embassy in Washington is to jointly organize a Gala at Chicago's Hilton hotel and according to Greek press reports the event will be attended by the President of Skopje, Ivanov as well as leading NATO leaders.
And just one day later, a march has been organized by the FYROM Diaspora in Chicago where participants plan to wear the shirts featured on this blog post.
Hellenes, and members of the Greek Diaspora...
We implore you to ACT NOW
Let us all unite and advocate for Hellas, our Macedonia and our rights... before its too late.
The Monastery of the Temptation or "Sarantario" is a Greek Orthodox Christian monastery located in the West Bank, along a cliff overlooking the city of Jericho and the Jordan Valley. Today, Monk Gerasimos is the only living soul living at the monastery and life at Sarantario is difficult, but he has dedicated his life to preserving the monastery, the Greek Orthodox Church as well as preserving the Greek flag which proudly waves there.
It is built upon the summit of the Mount of Temptation, rising 350
meters above sea level and serves as a tourist attraction. Its land is
under the full jurisdiction of the Palestinian National Authority, but
the monastery is owned and managed by the Orthodox Church of Jerusalem.
The earliest monastery was constructed by the Byzantines in the 6th century CE above the cave traditionally said to be that where Jesus spent forty days and forty nights fasting and meditating during the temptation of Satan, about three kilometers northwest of Jericho. The monastery receives its name from the mountain which the early Christians referred to as the "Mount of the Temptation". The Monastery of the Temptation was identified by Augusta Helena of Constantinople as one of the "holy sites" in her pilgrimage in 326 CE.
We here at hellasfrappe have often said that there are some politicians in Greece that are not even capable of serving perfume samples at department stores, but there are also a few that are totally committed to the good of the people they represent. And every time they do something impressive they usually get our applause. One such person is former actor Apostolos Gletzos who today is acting Mayor of Stylida (a town in Fthiotida located in Central Greece). Some may remember him from ANT1's
"Psythiri Kardias" series (as well as a long line of other sitcoms and/
or movies). What some may not know however, is that Gletzos is also very
politically active and has been a strong supporter of the Greek
Communist Party (KKE). According to Lamia Report, Gletzos beat up a local building contractor today because the builder wanted to teach him the art of "kickbacks".
If we stumbled on this story two years ago... we would of not believed it. But when we have already seen Gletzos climb onto a tractor in order to break down illegal toll booths in his town, or get into the ring to punch out central development committees that go against his town's interests (and trust us he really let them have it - metaphorically speaking of course), or remove key political figures from platforms to allow the elderly to sit (as he did last October 28th) and even dive for the cross when we all know that he has a serious heart problem... we not only believe it... WE APPLAUD IT.
How did Athens look like at the turn of the 20th century? What about Thessaloniki and Piraeus? How did Greek citizens in the cities and in the countryside spend Easter? What type of transportation was used? What were the leading career choices at the time? How did the homes, the shops and the cinemas look like? What types of games did children play and how did their schools look like? Find out today as TIME MACHINE takes a step back in time to a Greece at the turn of the century. A compilation of videos with rare pictures and art depict a country in shambles where everyone might have been poor, but certainly filotimo and solidarity were the A and Z of Hellenic life. (The videos are self-explanatory) Enjoy.
When did the Orthodox faith begin? Who was the founder of the Orthodox
faith? What is meant by Apostolic Succession? What does Holy Tradition
mean? Why are there icons in Orthodox churches? Are Orthodox
Christians "saved?" How does the Orthodox faith view the Virgin Mary?
Are Orthodox Christians "born again?" Why is the Orthodox faith
considered "the best kept secret?"
"Understanding the Orthodox Faith" is an introductory guide to learning the basics about the Orthodox faith. Ellinas Multimedia has combined interviews with Orthodox Priests along with beautiful photography inside Orthodox churches to teach you.:
Greek journalists say media freedom in Greece is sliding under the heavy-handedness of riot police during street anti-austerity demonstrations. Apart from reportedly firing tear-gas and flash-bang grenades against elderly people, parents holding their children, medical teams and Athens subway personnel, anti-riot police appear to deliberately attack Greek and foreign journalists and news photographers.
According to research carried out by the Greek Union of Photojournalists, 46 percent of photo-reporters have been mal-handled by the police during fieldwork the last year, resulting in three separate cases of hospitalization, the most recent that of Greek journalist Manolis Kypraios who lost his hearing permanently when police threw a flash-bang grenade on his head.
The spate of police violence against media professionals began last year during the summer occupation of Constitution Sq. by civilian protesters, continued in the October two-day general strike and has come without warning in almost every other public protest over the last few months, affecting the work of Greek and global media professionals.
Journalists say that Greek police is using tear gas and flash-bang grenades of military specification, against all protocols.
Despite governmental assurances that investigations be launched to shed light on the attacks, little has been done towards isolating and prosecuting the police officers who violate Greek and international protocols of ethical handling of civilians and media employees.
While the financial and social crisis in Greece deepens, the police announced its intention to rent out police officers for 30 Euros per hour. It has been called a desperate attempt to find money while the country is still reeling from tough austerity cuts to secure a $170 billion bailout from the EU.
After the news conference, journalists staged a protest outside the prime ministerial mansion, while the Greek Prime Minister prepares for his televised address to the nation, announcing the dissolution of the government and the upcoming elections on May 6th.
The secretary general of the Greek Union of Photojournalists Xristina Zaxopoulou observes that Athenian streets are the most dangerous in Europe for reporters, more so than war-zones, occasionally. (PressTv)
Alkinoos Ioannidis is a singer, song writer, composer and one of the most brilliant artists to date. He was born in Nicosia, Cyprus and after studying classical guitar at the European Conservatory, he moved to Athens, and began his career in 1989. He then studied drama at the National Theatre Drama School and philosophy at the Athens University. In 1993 he signed with Universal Music, and continues to honor this label until today. He has released eleven solo albums which have gone gold or platinum and has performed as a guest on more than 40 albums with various artists. He has also written songs, arranged and produced albums for other artists, as well as music for dance and theater, while his symphonic work is often performed by orchestras in Greece and abroad. His influences range from traditional Cypriot music, Greek composers of the last decades, Byzantine, Classical and Rock. Today, he speaks to Marina Spanos and hellasfrappe about his work, the situation in Greece, as well as his upcoming North-American Tour.
Q: Before we get started with the interview, it would be nice if you could tell us a little bit about how you began dabbling with music and what inspired you to make a career our of it. AI - I started listening to my father’s Lp's, mostly classical music and Greek music of the 60s and 70s. Then, when I was 8, I decided I would become a drummer but there weren't any tutors in Cyprus at the time, so my parents sent me to learn the guitar, which was exactly the same as drums, or so I was told... I loved both music and literature.
One day I found out that this union (duo art) produces a new kind of expression, named “song”.
And I was a sucker... I fell in love with their baby immediately.
It is this love that keeps me going until today.
Q: Why did you choose alternative rock sounds? AI - I never chose a style. Character is what I’m looking for, not style. In my albums and on stage I “use” different styles of music, moving constantly from folk to byzantine, from rock to classical, from pop to middle-eastern, from Baroque to the 21st century. These are my influences, and, whenever they prove themselves useful delivering a thought, a feeling or a memory, I find no reason to hide them.
Q: Do you combine your "real life” to music? AI - There is no “real life” for me outside music. I don’t remember myself without it. Music is not some kind of an illusive world that allows me to step in whenever I please and hide from reality and then step out whenever I can’t stand looking in the mirror in front of me.
Everything has to do with music in my life:
My children play in my basement studio while I am recording or rehearsing. I talk about music and play music all day with my musicians and technicians, who are companions and friends, in the studio, on stage, off-stage, day and night.
Whatever I do, even the most practical things, I do them keeping music in my mind, and always working towards creating more.
And when I’m not performing, rehearsing, writing, orchestrating or recording, I listen to music, read about it and even think about it.
This is the only way I know how to live. It didn’t help me become rich, but it gave me the life I was made to live. And there’s no bigger success than this.
Q: We agree. Your lyrics are so profound, and stir up countless emotions, where do you receive your inspiration from and are you trying to pass a message through them to your listeners? AI - Most of my songs talk about time. So, I guess, they talk about existence. They also speak about non-existence as well. If existence and non-existence exist of course…
You could say a few are “love songs”, others are more “political”, others more “poetic”, or “surreal”. Some of them are happy, some are sad, some are even foolish, while others are wise, or crazy, funny, expel anger, ambitious, humble, some are even simple while others are more complicated. They are like a whole community of people diverse in character.
I’m not really trying to deliver messages through them though. I don’t have the ability to do so, nor the desire to become some kind of a guru, or intellectual leader, preacher, politician or even a great poet that can show people what they can’t see by themselves.
I simply turn my life into song, or rather sing about other people’s lives sometimes and this is enough to keep me going, interested and keep the creative juices flowing. And it will be for the rest of my life I hope.
Q: You chose a very competitive industry, is it difficult to stay creative and still be successful, and what does this entail? AI - It would be difficult to create in an environment that wouldn’t suit my needs and my preferences. Some people tell me that I chose the difficult road. Meaning that a more commercial kind of song would have probably been easier. I disagree. I chose the only one that best suited me, the one that I enjoy, that demands everything from me but also provides everything I need, and the only type of music that will never ask me to fight for things I don’t believe in, or make sacrifices for in order to gain things I don’t really need. I’ve always been lazy in my life. My father was a caring man, but a tireless worker and he kept telling me when I was a child that I wasn't cut out for hard work. "I advise you as a father to find a rich woman and never have to work”, he would say, and he was not being ironic he really meant it. When I grew up I realized I was one of the hardest-working persons I knew, but still I never felt like I was actually doing a "job". So much so, that whenever I leave home in order to perform my kids often ask me “where are you going?” and I usually reply “I’m going to play”, much in the way they play with their friends.
Q: That is actually good, because when you are working and you don't feel like its work, then it means that your are involved in something that is effortless, tireless and successful. Speaking of performances, you have given many live concerts throughout your career, which concert made a mark on you and why? AI - I perform at some 60 to 120 concerts per year, and this has been going on for the past 19 years. Believe it or not, I remember each one of them in detail. If I didn’t.. I would have lost a quarter of my life. Most of my memories are good, and only a few are bad that involve mainly non-musical reasons, thank God.
Q: The social networks such as facebook, myspace, etc., today allow artists such as yourself to get quick feedback from their fans, are you exploiting these options and how constructive is this feedback in your line of work? AI - There is an official Facebook page looked after by my management company. My official site, alkinoos.gr, is only for nine months old. Before that there wasn’t even an official site. So, I guess, I’m not the right guy to answer your question.
Q: I read an article recently that you featured on your website called "We Blame You", which we had also featured here on hellasfrappe, where you literally let an Englishman have it for not being properly informed, and insensitive about the Greek crisis. It was quite impressive, and profound. Seeing as you are outspoken, I can't help but ask what your views are on the present situation. Where does this crisis stem from? AI - The root of the problem has always been the fact that human life has never been truly respected. The markets, the banks, the hedge-funds, the governments, the companies and, most of the times, religions, never really respected human life, if it wasn’t for their own profit. At the same time we don’t respect our own lives the way we should, and we don’t respect our neighbours’ or even our children’s lives, living the way we do. So, it is obvious that from time to time we will have periods of “depression”, while our sunny days are being spent happily by producing and consuming waste, depressing others, disregarding our brothers’ and sisters’ problems and making slaves out of ourselves.
Going back ten years ago, when “there was no crisis”, seems like a nightmare to me.
We either go forward into something new, or stay here until we have nothing more to lose.
Q: Artists, yourself included, can help towards this healing, through their work because people favor and admire your work, and value your opinion. AI - Art always expresses its times. It would be abnormal for people who are suffering not to sing about their troubles, and woes. The danger for the artist is always the possibility of falling into populism, saying the words everyone wants to hear, just to become more popular or sell more.
Finally, this kind of art never serves its political purpose, nor does it contribute to art itself. So, I believe it’s a privilege for a songwriter and for any sensitive person to live in an interesting place during an interesting period such as this. But we also have to be careful, and always go over our true motives daily.
Q: Does it offend you when people criticize Greece, or when they speak in a negative tone about our country? AI - Yes, I get really annoyed, and this is not because of pride but because I despair to find people who believe that a whole country can consist only of thieves, lazy guys or criminals who have been partying for the last 20 years. Who think that 11 million people are all guilty of corruption and deserve to be tortured, while there is no corrupter, no European or American governments who paid their men to suck the blood from these people, no big companies who profited on their backs, etc. Who don’t care how many children faint at school here everyday because they don’t eat properly, or how many suicides occur from desperate, innocent people.
It is likely for politicians or businessmen to talk like that, but it’s unacceptable to hear such words from honest, good-hearted people, who don’t understand that this game of accusing each other only makes us weaker and who do not understand that if they don’t fight for our children and we don’t fight for theirs, everything will be lost for everybody.
Q: I totally agree with you. I think during this time, Greece is once again in the forefront. And since we both agree that it is, what type of messages can Greece send out to the world to let make people come to grips with what is really going on? AI - Greece is a place that suffered too much during its recent history. Too many wars, too much blood, too many refugees and missing people, too much poverty, starvation, civil killings, exiles, bankruptcies, deception, treason, confusion, lies, injustice, isolation. I believe that if something new ever comes to make our world really better it will only come out of pain. And Greece has lots of it!
Q: Let's change the subject shall we? How do you view our Omogenia and what is your opinion on all the Greek people who live abroad?
AI - I have a very strong connection to the Greek and Cypriot communities in New York, so strong that makes a part of me feel like I live abroad. I have also met other Greek communities around the world, in Europe, Latin America, Africa or Australia. It’s always a deep experience for me to be part of these communities, even if it is for a few days. Then I leave, always carrying a part of them in my heart. I believe that “Nostalgia” is a great, creative power. Greeks outside Greece have always made the best of it.
Q: Since we are talking about the Omogenia, I know that you have some shows lined up in Canada, have you ever visited Canada before?
AI - It’s going to be my first trip -ever- to Canada. From what I have already read about and from what some of my friends have told me I only have a positive impression both for the country and the Greek and Cypriot communities there. So I’m really looking forward to it!
Q: Us too.. So you are planning to give a live performance in Montreal and Toronto right? Where else are you going to appear?
AI - It’s a 6-concert North-American tour. It begins on April 20 in Virginia, then on the 22 we will be in Washington, on April 24 we will perform in New York city, on the 25 of April we have a concert in Toronto, on the 26 we will perform in Montreal and finally on April 28 we will be in Connecticut. Then return to Greece, play with our kids, put some laundry on and then its back on the road again…
Q: You are one of the few artists that has remained popular with Greek music lovers, an honest stable career. Were many sacrifices made for this, did it come with grave repercussions?
AI - Paying the price for the life you choose is a blessing. Accepting a life you despise for free is unaffordable.
Q: Before we end our interview I just want to know if there is a magic recipe for success, especially in the music industry.
AI - The only formula that I know is simple: Be yourself and respect your art and your audience.
Q: I almost forgot to ask about your new work, tell us a little bit about your new album.
AI - “Local Stranger” is my first international release. It’s a compilation of songs from my original albums, something like a “best of”, although I despise this term… It was released by Universal and Wrasse Records about a month ago. To be honest, I never really cared for a career abroad, I guess I never really cared about a career at home. It’s a bit like sending my kids away for vacation and it’s great to know that they can live their own lives, conduct their own journeys and positively affect other peoples lives without me.
Q: Alkinoo I am honored for this interview and want to wish you a successful tour may your music light the hearts of our Omogeneia with plenty of "Greece".
AI - Thank you. Kali antamosi.
ALIKINOS IOANNIDIS NORTH AMERICAN TOUR
Friday, April 20, 2012 - NORFOLK, VA
The Kaufman Theatre at the Chrysler Museum of Arts
Incredible but absolutely true. Following the "sale of Greece" on E-bay another citizen with a bizarre sense of humor decided to sell his vote for the upcoming national elections! A reader on the military news site onalert.gr stated that he actually went in and "clicked" -for fun- and the vote was actually being auctioned.
Incredible!
Hellasfrappe caught the story right on time, because when E-Bay got word of it they took it down. Check the link below.
Easter on Mount Athos does not have fireworks, roasted lamb and folk
dances, it is a deep connection to one's spirituality and very
inspirational.
Creating an atmosphere of pure devotion, the Easter
liturgy is usually performed under the light of candles and its magic is
indescribable. The rituals have remained unchanged for centuries, and motivate Christians from all over the world to flock here year after year in
order to participate in this wondrous celebration as well as quench their spiritual thirst. They receive Communion and give
praise to the Lord, and participate in the Divine Drama of our Holy
Lord, as well as rejoice in his Resurrection on Holy Saturday with all
of the monastic community.
Instead of extravagant Epitaphs a simple Epitaph is adorned with an embroidered purple cloth, and decorated with a few flowers. There are red Easter eggs of course, but the monks here celebrate Easter with lots of fish and collar greens.
The mini-documentary was made for MEGA Channel and shows how the monks of Mount Athos celebrate Orthodox Holy Week.
Mount Athos or Agion Oros, is the oldest surviving monastic community in the world. It dates back more than a thousand years, to Byzantine times and is a unique monastic republic, which, although part of Greece. It is a World Heritage Site and self-governed state. It is home to approximately 20 Stavropegial Eastern Orthodox monasteries under the direct jurisdiction of the Patriarch of Constantinople.
Editor's Note - The documentary is in Greek, but contains English subtitles.
Frankfurt 1968: Fate brings together two prominent socialists, Akis Tsochatzopoulos and the late Andreas Papandreou. Almost three decades later, or specifically on June 23, 1996. Akis said his last goodbye to Papandreou, a man he considered as his friend and mentor. The years that followed were carefree with lots of Joie de Vivre and jet set living and there was only one thing he could not digest and this involved losing PASOK's presidency to his rival Costas Simitis in 1996.
His father, Evangelos, was originally from Costantinopole who arrived in Thessaloniki in 1926 as a refugee. It was here that he met Akis' mother Areti Georgakis, from Ioannina. They married in 1939, and had Akis the same year. Shortly afterwards the family acquired two more children, Stephen and Costas.
The family moved to Komninon 24, near Thessaloniki's Modiano market, known at the time as the neighborhood with the florists. Just a little further away, and specifically on Ermou Street the family also set up a sausage shop (or delicatessens) called "Allantika Tsochatzopoulos Piotis Alpha".
Akis himself would sell sandwiches at Thessaloniki's train station and then later on go for training at PAOK's junior basketball team.
At the age of eighteen Tsochatzopoulos came to Athens with the hopes of joining the Greek Air Force but the doctors had a different opinion and after diagnosing him with a systolic murmur infarction his hopes of joining the Academy were gone. So he packed up and immigrated to Germany in 1959 where he settled in Munich and apparently attended University. While studying at the Polytechnic he worked as a waiter and washed dishes, and he also found odd jobs as a driver, at a tire plant, etc. In 1964 he supposedly received his diploma in civil engineering and
started his professional career. In the same year he married his first wife Gudrun Molntenchaouer. Five years later they had a daughter which they named Areti and in 1969 his wife gave birth to their son Alex.
In 1972 he opened his first office in Munich called "Plan & Bau GmbH", but when the Junta fell in a little while after that he abandoned everything loaded up a troubled "Citroen" and road back to Greece!
Once in Greece, he apparently worked in construction designing buildings and posh homes with pristine pools and lush garden roofs and then he joined Andreas Papandreou and the Panhellenic Socialist party (PASOK).
When PASOK won the national elections in 1981, Tsochatzopoulos served as Minister of Public Works. At the following elections in 1985, Papandreou appointed him to the position of Minister for the Presidency of the Government (1985–1987) and then to the post of Minister for the Interior (1987–1989). When the Papandreou government fell in 1989 from a river of scandals, Tsochatzopoulos served a short term as Minister for Transport and Communication (1989–1990) under the Coalition Government. When the late Andreas Papandreou again won the elections in 1993 Tsochatzopoulos was named as Minister for the Interior (1993–1995) and then when Andreas died and Costas Simitis took over he served as Minister for National Defence (1996–2001) and then as Minister for Development (2001–2004).
In 2004, he came under strong criticism by members of the press and Greece's political scene in regards to his wedding in Paris and the reception that followed at the Four Seasons Hotel in order to have a view to the Eiffel Tower.
On 30 May 2010 Greek newspapers such as "Kathimerini" as well as "Proto Thema" published reports claiming that Tsochatzopoulos' wife had purchased a house for one million euros from an offshore company on one of Athens' most prestigious streets, just a few days before parliament passed a series of austerity measures aimed at increasing taxes and combating tax evasion.
At the time, Akis Tsochatzopoulos had threatened that he would go to the courts, but nevertheless on June 7 the committee in charge of the case asked for the removal of Tsochatzopoulos' party privileges because of evidence found against him.
In early 2011, following an investigation by a specialized committee of the Hellenic Parliament, evidence emerged that Tsochatzopoulos was also involved in the Siemens scandal. Among others, the committee statement included: "Mr. Tsochatzopoulos is being checked in regards to his activities in the capacity of Minister for National Defence between 1996 and 2001. The Committee combines the orders for defence systems that occurred under his leadership with the confessions of the people managing the 'black' money given by Siemens as bribe for the MIM-104 Patriot systems".
On 31 March 2011 a parliamentary committee decided to inspect Tsochatzopoulos' assets, as well as those of New Democracy politician George Alogoskoufis and another former minister of the same party, on whose account deposits of up to 178 million euro were found. The aim of the investigation into Tsochatzopoulos' assets was to verify that his tax forms were truthful or if any other irregularities had occurred.
In April 2011 new evidence emerged that tied Tsochatzopoulos to yet another scandal in addition to the previous two, this time with the German company Ferrostaal in relation to the purchase of German submarines. According to the newspaper Real News, Tsochatzopoulos had received thanks from the German representatives for having been chosen for the purchase before a deal had been signed.
Tsochatzopoulos threatened to go to courts over the newspaper's front page, which he considered to be "insulting".
In mid April the parliamentary group of PASOK decided on the creation of committee to investigate the submarine scandal. Tsochatzopoulos accused the parliamentary group of acting in line with the opposition and of making wrong moves against him. A few days later he made a request to the Areios Pagos, Greece's supreme court, to move faster with the procedure of investigating his assets.
On 11 April 2011 the George Papandreou government decided to expel him from the party.
A vote in parliament on 28 April on the creation of a committee to determine whether or not Tsochatzopoulos should be held accountable for criminal actions in the purchase of the German type 214 submarines was voted overwhelmingly in favor, with 226 of 300 votes in the house. Almost a month later, on 26 May, the findings on the committee for the investigation of Tsochatzopoulos' assets were published; they found that Tsochatzopoulos had lied about the value of his home, which was greater than his tax documents stated.
On 6 June 2011 the committee decision in relation to the purchase of the German submarines was handed over to the president of the Hellenic Parliament. The committee suggested that Tsochatzopoulos be criminally charged for the attempting to pass off money obtained through illegal means as legitimate. The same day he gave an interview to the Greek TV channel SKAI where he denied all charges and said that the accusations are a plot against him.
On 1 July 2011 the committee's suggestion that charges be made against Tsochatzopoulos was passed in parliament with a majority of 216 of 300 seat.
French Presidential candidate Jacques Cheminade, in an interview aired live on March 21 on the Parliamentary TV channel, was asked about Lyndon LaRouche’s charge that the British monarchy is financed by drug money. Cheminade’s reply – that part of Queen Elisabeth’s fortune has indeed historically come from illicit drug trafficking – was immediately portrayed in the media as outrageously ludicrous.
Then, ironically, only five days later, Coutts & Co., the private bank used by Queen Elisabeth II, was hit with the U.K.’s biggest-ever fine for laundering dirty money, “after it failed to conduct proper checks on almost three-quarters of clients that held politically sensitive positions”, as written in the Financial Times of March 26. Many other press in the UK also headlined their coverage on the dirty dealings of the “Queen’s Bank”.
In reviewing 103 files of clients of Coutts Bank, the Financial Services Authority, which is the financial watchdog of the City of London, found that no less than 73 showed a routine failure to identify “high risk” clients, generally criminals, drug dealers, and so-called “Politically Exposed Persons,” i.e., corrupt politicians or government officials, deemed as “unacceptable risk.”
The fine is related to a three-year period from the end of 2007, a time when it was paying bonuses to staff on the basis of the number of new customers they signed up. According to the FSA, Coutts failed to take the appropriate steps to control that expanding customer base.Coutts is now the private banking wealth division of the Royal Bank of Scotland, leader of the notorious Rothschild-controlled Inter-Alpha Group of banks, which is now majority-owned by the British government. The FSA also investigated four other RBS-affiliated banks.
“Coutts’ failings were significant, widespread and unacceptable,” said Tracey McDermott, acting FSA enforcement director. The fine amounts to approximately 10 million euros.Coutts had already been fined for not preventing use of its accounts to finance terrorist organizations, as part of a £5.6 million fine levied against RBS in 2010. In total, RBS has been fined more than £25 million, more than any other U.K. bank.
E.I.R. STRATEGIC ALERT www.eir.de Published by: E.I.R.GmbH, Bahnstr.9A, 65205 Wiesbaden Tel.: 0611/73650, Fax: 0611/7365101, Email: eirna@eirna.com Verantwortl. f. d. Inhalt: Dean Andromidas, Claudio Celani
Did the bank of Greece discover 57 sacks with some 14 million Nazi Reichsmark banknotes that were from in Greece from WWII (1941-44)? Well according to a report on defencenet it did. The report, which was quoting a similar report on news247, said that the government is now thinking of creating a committee to appraise the treasure.
Googling the story, hellasfrappe found something interesting on THE SLOG about this. According to the author, the the Bank of Greece had informed the ministry of the German money about a year ago, but given that it is only of historic value, the ministry had then decided against taking any action. However, as a result of the war reparations debate that is currently raging, Finance Minister Filippos Sachinidis now decided to see what can be done with it.
"What occurs to me, however, is that these notes are worth a helluva lot more than 1-year Greek bonds….and perhaps all Greek bonds. As collectors’ items, for example, 14 million 5-Reichsmark notes – if marketed online – would be worth around 150 million euros. Given Wolfgang Schauble spent three weeks during February holding up the debt swap on the basis of almost exactly that sum, it’s bound to come in useful for something. Paying off English Law and Vulture Fund non-swappers of pre-March bonds, for example. But a better and infinitely bigger bazooka presents itself in the shape of offering them to Jens Weidmann’s Bundesbank as loan collateral. For now that She Who Must be Obeyed in Berlin has decreed that Jens never said anything at all about banning ClubMed bonds as collateral, not ever oh no, in theory Athens could twist his arm to take any old sh*t from the Bank of Greece. To use a related technical term here, these marks are actually worth a sh*tload of money. From some initial digging undertaken by The Slog in the wee hours this morning [Tuesday] I can’t find any trace of them being declared as illegal tender. What’s more, the mark/dollar exchange rate in 1941 (just before the unpleasantness at Pearl Harbor suspended operations) was 2.5 to 1. So the Bank of Greece’s Nazi notes are worth circa six million 1941 bucks. As a form of economic power (there are seven ways to calculate dollar inflation over the years) these $6M from 70 odd years ago are now worth 4.3 billion dollars. The average EU bank is currently leveraged at the 35 to 1 level. So as collateral, in theory Adolf’s fading currency haul is worth around $150 billion." THE SLOG
Coca-Cola Hellenic (CCH) , Coca-Cola΄s No.2 bottler worldwide, on Tuesday dismissed a press report that soft drinks it recalled last month contained a substance which could be dangerous to public health. A report on capital said that in in February, the company removed some of its Coca-Cola and Sprite plastic and glass bottles from the market which it produced at a Greek unit, citing an unusual taste.
Meanwhile, a report in the Proto Thema newspaper over the weekend noted that the drinks could cause serious health problems if consumed in large quantities.
In a statement the company, which is active in 27 countries in Europe and also in Nigeria, said that the products never posed a risk to public health and that this has been confirmed in laboratory tests by the country΄s chemistry laboratory and certified international and Greek scientific organisations.
Following the news, a Greek prosecutor ordered a preliminary investigation into the report.
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