PITIFUL - 20,000 icons of Cyprus are in the hands of smugglers

Until 1974 there were 575 churches and other Christian shrines on the territory of Cyprus which is now illegally occupied by Turks.

During the Turkish invasion and the subsequent occupation in Cyprus many churches were destroyed. Others were adapted for the use of livestock businesses: stall boxes as well as silage, building materials and technical equipment depots. Some of them were simply sacked or bulldozed (and from what we at HellasFrappe learn others were even used as toilets).

Around 80 temples were converted into mosques. 20,000 icons, dating back to the 12th-20th centuries, vessels and mosaics were stolen from 575 churches.

As a result of the strong foreign policy pressure and the interference of the UN, the situation with the icons has begun to improve over the past year. Nevertheless, ancient churches are gradually crumbling due to the lack of any restoration work since 1974 to the present time.

In order to understand what happened and is happening today in this region, the Greek website Romfea addressed the Church of Cyprus.

Bishop Porphyrius of Naples has referred Romfea to Priest Savvas Hagiionas, representative of the Synodal Committee for the Monuments on the occupied territory. According to him, about 50 churches, which are of international cultural importance, are absolutely inaccessible, as they are situated on the territory of Turkish military bases.

In collaboration with international organizations, some of relics were returned.

In February 2012, the 12th century wall paintings were returned from Houston (Texas, USA).

In October of last year, dozens of relics, for which the Church had been searching from 2004 to 2013 through various agencies, were brought from München (Germany).

     “Now we demand the return from Zurich of a 16th century icon of the Savior and an iconostasis of the same period, which belonged to the Antiphonitis Monastery (Kalogrea village),” said Fr. Savvas.
     “The Church will not cease its attempts to return the stolen relics!”

Pravoslavie.ru

Only in Greece - Cop by day, priest by night!

In the afternoon Priest Konstantinos Spanos serves at the Church of the Dormition of All-Holy Theotokos in Ilioupolis, and in the morning, from 7 a.m. he is on his beat as a junior lieutenant at the Attica Police Central Administration, says a report in Romfea.

He explains his stand on the matter in his interview with the Democratia Greek newspaper:

     “Since early childhood, my time spent in church was the most inspiring and joyous time in my life. To help our parish priest during services was for me a special blessing of God. However, in spite of all my love for the Church, I resolved first to enter to the Greek Police service. But with the course of time I wished more and more to dedicate myself to the ministry of preaching. Thus I decided to become a priest.”

Fr. Konstantinos has also noted that his choice was approved by his colleagues and church parishioners alike:

     “Their support was particularly important for me. I am grateful to God and to Archbishop Ieronymos II of Athens, who put himself in my place and blessed this form of ministry. I also won approval of my confessor and, of course, my spouse”. 

Beating blindness with Omega-3 and olive oil

New research shows Omega-3 rich oils improve membrane fluidity in retina cells and can help fight age-related eye diseases

Scientists working at the Research Center on Aging at the Health and Social Services Centre — University Institute of Geriatrics of Sherbrooke (CSSS-IUGS) (Canada) have been studying strategies for protecting retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cells. Dysfunction of the RPE is found in retinopathy and age-related macular degeneration, which is the leading cause of blindness of elderly people in developed countries.

Findings published in the Canadian Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology suggest that incubating retinal cells with vegetable oils induces biochemical and biophysical changes in the cell membrane, which may have a beneficial effect in preventing or slowing the development of retinopathy.

     "Membrane fluidity, which refers to the viscosity of the lipid bi-layer of a cell membrane, is a marker of the cell function," explained Prof. A. Khalil, professor at the Université de Sherbrooke and principal investigator of the study.
     "A decrease of membrane fluidity can affect the rotation and diffusion of proteins and other bio-molecules within the membrane, thereby affecting the functions of these molecules. Whereas, an increase in membrane fluidity makes for a more flexible membrane and facilitates the transmission of light through the eye."

The researchers discovered that vegetable oil fatty acids incorporate in retina cells and increase the plasma membrane fluidity. They concluded that a diet low in trans-unsaturated fats and rich in omega-3 fatty acids and olive oil may reduce the risk of retinopathy.

In addition, the research suggests that replacing the neutral oil used in eye drops with oil that possesses valuable biological properties for the eye could also contribute to the prevention of retina diseases.

Samaras: Greece won't need more bailouts

"Freedom means to be upright and strong," Prime Minister Antonis Samaras said on Saturday, addressing an event for the 40th anniversary since the founding of the conservative New Democracy party. Explaining the government's policy choices, ND's president said the country was emerging from its six-year recession in the third quarter of 2014, would not need a new bailout and that the government was now delivering on its promise to end the economic crisis.

      "We were never the ones who said: 'There is money'," he underlined to a packed audience in an Athos Palace Hotel banquet hall in Kallithea, Halkidiki. "We in New Democracy are proud of what we did 40 years ago and we continue to be proud. We have strong roots, we are firmly grounded in the present and ready to make the leap to the future."

The choice of venue was symbolic, since it was in the same banquet hall that ND's founder Constantine Karamanlis had held the party's first pre-congress in April 1977 and then its first congress in May 1979.

The prime minister also attacked main opposition SYRIZA, saying it would "never become a government because it did not even manage to become an opposition," and that SYRIZA will continue to lose voters now that things were improving since the attitude 'there is money' was more frightening to voters.

     "They are playing with things that are well over their heads," he added, accusing SYRIZA of "incurable populism".

He stressed that the country will not need any more bailouts or memorandums, nor will it need the money from the current loan tranches that remain in the next year, while he also announced that measures to relieve the heavy tax burden were imminent.

     "The worst is over," he said in response to questions, "and better times are coming." Whereas, a few months ago, the discussion was focused on whether new austerity measures would be necessary, now the main issue was the tax relief that was coming, he pointed out.
     "A year ago, we were talking about how much higher unemployment would go. Now unemployment is starting to steadily decrease! A short while ago the debate was about how much longer the recession will last. Whereas now that the recovery is beginning, we are concerned about how fast the growth will be in coming years," he said.

The prime minister analysed ND's role in dealing with the crisis, stressing that the party may have made some mistakes over its history, failing to resist those things that led Greece to the crisis in the first place, but had not stooped to the populism that lay behind it and shown great responsibility, not hesitating to support the country during difficult times.

Referring to ND's initial opposition to the bailout memorandums while main opposition, he pointed out that the party had nevertheless supported most crucial measures to cut wasteful spending and for structural changes that should have been made years earlier, before the crisis was reached. "For this we are proud," he underlined.

He also pointed out that ND was later vindicated in opposing the terms of the first memorandums, since both the policy mix and multipliers of the programme were proved wrong, but had not opted to "rest on its laurels" at the country's expense:

     "At the crucial moment, I preferred to change its course, to change its fate insteady of basking in the 'glory' of my country's destruction. Many warned me that I'd been given a hand grenade that could go off in my hands. I knew it! But I held on and I defused that grenade. I did not let it go off. Someone had to do it and it was us. This is the legacy of New Democracy."

For these reasons, he added, the party stayed upright when everything around it was tottering, acting as the main pillar of stability for the present, the main force that would bring the country out of the crisis and the main force that would bring the future of growth, competitiveness and an open economy.

He attacked SYRIZA, by contrast, as a "ghost from the past" and as "sirens of populism":

     "They pretend they want to change the whole world but do not themselves want to change even the slightest thing that is wrong with Greece. They want the world to change but for Greece to make do with yesterday," he said.

The government, Samaras stressed was committed to leading Greece out of the memorandum as soon as possible, something that was happening now, and committed to carrying out and continuing to carry out reforms to make Greece a modern, European country.

Part of this effort he added, was a new Constitution that would allow the country to make faster and more decisive progress in reforms and bring growth and prosperity to all, announcing that this effort will begin in the coming months.

     "This development for the Constitution will be the issue that will dominate 2015," he said.
     "This is what freedom means: to keep a country upright, to strengthen it, to put it in international markets, to overcome its inflexibilities, upgrade its role in energy issues and geopolitically and everywhere. To overcome the crisis as quickly as possible," the prime minister stressed, adding that this was all happening as others were trying to once again mire the country in the deficits that had cast it down and humiliated it.

Among others, Samaras attacked the main opposition for 'mixed messages' concerning Greece's position in EuroAtlantic institutions, especially in light of the volatile situation in the Middle East when many countries were lining up to join the EU and align themselves with the West.

     "At this time, to undermine the country's European position is therefore dangerous. To undermine the country's position in NATO is surely disastrous," he stressed.

Emphasing that support of national issues and religious symbols have always been core values of his party, Samaras also referred to the main opposition's 'silence' regarding the persecution of Christians in the Middle East, who were being driven from their homes in great numbers.

He wrapped up his speech by referring to the party's role in historic milestones of Greece's course, from its founding by Constantine Karamanlis and its entry into Europe right to the present day, as well as its warnings against the populism and policies that Greece had paid for so dearly.

Stressing that the party will continue to be the dominant political force in Greece, he urged the party's supporters and "all those that want to see Greece better and stronger," to join in the party's struggle.

The event was attended by former premier Costas Karamanlis, the nephew of the party's founder, several ministers, MPs and high-ranking members of the party. Speeches will also be made by Petros Molyviatis, Ioannis Varvitsiotis, Parliament President Vangelis Meimarakis, Vassilis Mihaloliakos and ND Political Committee Secretary Andreas Papamimikos.

ANA-MPA

Greece: Only EU country without guaranteed minimum income

Although the government has promised to start a pilot guaranteed minimum income programme the envisaged payment of 200 Euros a month for a single person on no income would still leave him or her below the poverty line of 432 Euros a month for one person

Greece is the only EU country not to have implemented a guaranteed minimum income and is among the most sluggish in adopting programmes to address social inequality and aid citizens living in extreme poverty and social exclusion, a new report from the Parliamentary Budget Office has found.

This is despite the fact that six in ten citizens are living in or at risk of poverty, the PBO report (pdf), which was published on Thursday, said.

     “The demand for social responsibility on the part of citizens is pronounced but what the state offers is characterised by fragmentation and administrative problems. Thus the social safety net is characterised by inefficiency, while at the same time there is are no expectations that income lost due to the economic downturn will be replenished in the near future,” the report stated.

The government has said that, this month, a new 20 million Euros, six-month pilot programme will begin in 13 municipalities which will provide what it says is a minimum income. Monthly payments will range from 200 Euros a month for a single person on no income to 400 Euros for a married couple with two underage children with no other earnings.

Those payments will still leave recipients below the poverty line, which the PBO report sets at 432 Euros a month for one person or 908  Euros for a family of four.

The PBO singled out specific social groups which it said deserved “special care”. These included the long-term unemployed, new entrants to the labour market, uninsured workers, breadwinners on low incomes, the self-employed, the elderly and people with disability.

     “These groups have experienced the accumulation of debt, the loss of purchasing power, reduced incomes and increased taxes,” the report added.

The report listed Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Germany, Denmark, Finland, Netherlands Portugal, Romania, Slovenia and Sweden as the countries with the most robust guaranteed minimum income programmes.

Most programmes combine cash payments as well as payments in kind, such as free medical care in Cyprus. Commonly, each country requires that applicants have a minimum number of years of legal residency in order to benefit. Some countries also limit the benefits to their own citizens, although Cyprus is the only state not to have any such restriction.

Figures

According to the PBO report, entitled “Minimum income policies in the EU and Greece: a comparative analysis”, 2.5 million citizens are already living below the poverty line in Greece, with a further 3.8 million at risk of poverty.

The report set the poverty line –the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country – at €432 a month for one person or €908 for a family of four.

The threshold for those deemed to be at risk of poverty, ie those whose income is 60% or less of the general average, was €665 for one person and €1,397 for a family of four.

The report also said that the minimum household costs (excluding rent and mortgage payments) in Attica, which includes the Athens, was 233 Euros for one person and 684 Euros for a family of four.

Enet

Greece-Cyprus-Egypt Alliance: New Pillar of Stability in Mediterranean

The Foreign Affairs Ministers of Greece, Cyprus and Egypt (Evangelos Venizelos, Ioannis Kasoulidis and Sameh Shoukry, respectively) issued a joint communique at the weekend, after holding a meeting in New York. In their communique, the Ministers praised the progress of the ongoing negotiations regarding mutually beneficial sectors, while it also points out that this new alliance could turn out to be a new pillar of stability in the Mediterranean.

All three FMs had the opportunity to evaluate and discuss latest developments in the region and underlined the importance of cooperation, particularly in the energy sector.

Both Greece and Cyprus offered their support to the Egyptian government and its people, but also praised the efforts made to adopt a new Constitution via referendum between January 14-15 which press reports claim aims to entrench basic human rights.

On the issue of Cyprus, all three men lauded the recent appointment of Espen Barth Eide as UN Special Envoy to Cyprus and repeated their commitment towards finding a solution to the Cypriot dispute, based on UN Security Council resolutions.

Turning to matters in the Middle East, and specifically to Gaza, all three Ministers stressed the importance of the two sides resuming negotiations in order to come up with a mutually-accepted solution that can sustain peace. The FMs also expressed their hope that the talks scheduled to begin in Norway on October 12th is going to work towards this goal.

On other matters, and especially on the developments in Iraq and Syria, particularly regarding human rights violations and terrorist activities, (minority groups being persecuted by ISIL), the ministers noted the importance of collective action under the UN, but at the same time warned that other extremist groups are also operating in the region.

BBC DOCUMENTARY On Fugitive Paleokostas: Is He Greece's Robin Hood?

The Uncatchable takes an immersive approach to explain the biography of a Vassilis Paleokostas, dubbed Greece’s Robin Hood, because of his legendary habit of distributing the proceeds of his crimes to people in need

It certainly is the stuff of movies and now that an extensive and gripping feature article detailing his life, bank-robbing and kidnapping exploits and two helicopter prison escapes has appeared on the BBC, fugitive Vassilis Paleokostas (48) could certainly expect that someday his fascinating story could make it to the silver screen.

Researched and written by Los Angeles-based British journalist Jeff Maysh over many months, The Uncatchable takes an immersive approach to explain the biography of a man dubbed Greece’s Robin Hood, because of his legendary habit of distributing the proceeds of his crimes to people in need: from poor farmers, girls needing dowries and migrants.

For the article, Maysh spoke to many people who know Paleokostas, including his father, Leonidas, and Costas Samaras, aka the Artist, who was a mentor to the young Paleokostas and his brother. Alket Rizai, the Albanian hitman who fled with Paleokostas in the second helicopter escape, also spoke to Maysh from his prison cell.

The Trikala-born brigand, who remains at large, would certainly take great pleasure if a movie ever materialised, considering his life-long love for action movies, a passion that developed when his family moved down from the mountains in the 1970s and got electricity for the first time. Indeed, when police swooped in on him in 2008, they found a DVD of Ransom and the Al Pacino movie Heat, about two veteran bank robbers evading the cops.

EnetEnglish

US Ambassador Not Well Liked By FYROManians Because They Say He Is Too Greek Friendly!

The people in FYROM are worried that the views that were recently expressed by their US Ambassador, more or less follow those of Greece in regards to the true Slavic origin of their peoples.

More exactly, the newly-appointed US Ambassador to the Former Republic of Macedonia, Jess Lippincott Baily, raised a few eyebrows in Skopje recently when he more or less left it to be well understood that FYROM has a Slavic majority and Albanian minority.

While taking part in a nomination hearing in the Committee on Foreign Relations of the United States, Jess Lippincott Baily was asked by Democrat Senator Chris Murphy, Chairman of the Committee within the American Senate about ethnic tensions within FYROM.

Specifically, Senator Murphy said:

    "You touched some recent concerns raised about ethnic tensions within Macedonia and, of course, ethnic reconciliation is a key element of lasting regional peace on the Balkans and so, you have a Slavic majority and Albanian minority, you’ve got reports of rising tensions and you got, as you mentioned, the Ohrid Agreement. What’s your understanding in where the Ohrid Agreement ?

Baily responded that the Framework Agreement has put an end to the civil conflict and has encouraged the active participation of  the Albanian minority in the government and the economy of the country, and added:

    "I would note that within the fabric of Macedonian society there are more than Slavs and Albanians. There are Turks and there are Roma and others so this is a micro cosmos in many ways of the richness of the Balkans and to get all those populations to see a common future, I think the US can play important role given our own history and our own set of values."

His reluctance to use the word “Macedonians” (or as we always say FYROManians here at HellasFrappe) to label the residents of FYROM aligns his opinions to those of Greece and his constant repetition of Slavs and Slavo-Macedonians have caused outbursts in FYROM with press articles pointing to Mr. Baily negating the so-called “Macedonian identity” that the people of FYROM believe they have.

In the long-standing name dispute between the FYROM and Greece, the Greek government has insisted that the FYROM has no right to use the name Macedonia nor does it have a right to usurp ancient Macedonian symbols. As a result of this dispute, and rightfully so, Athens has blocked FYROM’s request for NATO and EU membership.

Architects of Amphipolis Took Measures To Avert Tomb Raiders - Third Chamber Holds Puzzling Riddles

Some archaeologists argue that there is a possible link between the tomb and the famous statue of the Lion of Amphipolis. The 300BC tomb was constructed in the era of Alexander the Great and speculation has run wild on who's buried in it. As archaeologists continue at Amphipolis to structurally reinforce the site, the general secretary of Greece's Ministry of Culture, Lina Mendoni, said on Tuesday that those who constructed the massive tomb “had taken measures to avert tomb raiders.”

She said efforts to reinforce the structure and support the walls are aimed at protecting the excavating team and the monument itself, but the structure is not in bad condition.

     "The need to reinforce the structure is not due to the fact that the monument is in bad condition. It's because when it was constructed, it had earth in it. There were large amounts of river soil which covering the inner structure which, combined with the walls, had created a specific static condition," Mendoni said.

She also said archaeologists believe this was a measure purposely used by those who built the monument to prevent tomb robbing which was widespread in those times.

Mendoni also repeated that the excavation process needs time and cannot be hurried.

     "You can speed up the process by taking some safety measures, which we have. We have a full, modern construction site set up there. Excavation needs time."  

The archaeologists are carefully considering their plans regarding the third room, which is behind the caryatid statues and the support work that needs to be carried out in order to ensure safety. And for good reason! It was announced that the third chamber is underground and has a flight of stairs.

The obvious question is: Could the fourth chamber hold the key to the Amphipolis riddle?

No one knows as of yet.

The only thing that is certain is that the third chamber is a riddle by itself. More exactly, it has three strange elements: The longer height of the third chamber, its small entrance compared to the three previous ones, and there is no opening at the fourth septal wall, (apart of some removed stones of the blocks, probably from natural causes).

All the archaeologists and researchers at the site are proceeding with extreme care, carefully moving centimeter by centimeter of sand and debris. Judging by what some reports say they will have to work at it for some time because the level of sand in the third chamber is at least seven meters in height.

This obvious and extraordinary difference in height (from the previous chambers) is forcing Greek archaeologists to come to the conclusion that there is an underground tomb construction in the fourth chamber.

With this in mind, if the forth chamber (or any other chamber after that) contains human remains, or other objects, then they are without a doubt buried safely deep in the earth.

Another puzzling element, (which is also quite bizzare), is the small door (opening) which was discovered at the fourth wall. According to reports it only has an opening (or width) of 96 cm. It should be reminded that the previous door openings measured at 1.68 meters.

Finally, the pieces of the fourth wall that seems to be missing from the right part of the wall, are not associated with human action (or at least this was announced by the ProtoThema newspaper). The relevant report noted that it is rather about bricks that have been dislodged, and concluded that this was probably due to a seismic event.

The same report also said that this final element is critical, since it is the conviction of Katerina Peristeri (who is heading the dig at Amphipolis) that the tomb hasn’t been raided.

At the weekend, the Ministry of Culture announced that the archaeologists handling the dig have also finished clearing up the dirt and debris surrounding the two caryatid statues that were found in the tomb. According to the statement, the statues measure 2.27 meters high and are dressed in long chitons and long, fringed robes with rich folds. Pieces of the statue arms were found in the dirt surrounding the statues. The shoes worn by the statues appear to have been colored in red and yellow, while traces of red color were found on the stand of the eastern caryatid.

Earlier this week, Greece's Minister of Culture, Costas Tasoulas, who was invited to speak on the Mega television channel morning show said that the questions regarding the enigmatic tomb’s resident will “soon” be answered, as the archaeological efforts continue.

While rumors regarding the tomb continue to rage, Tasoulas expressed the belief that it is rather unlikely that the tomb belongs to Alexander the Great and at the same time dismissed criticism that the coalition government is using the discoveries for political gains.

Later on that day and after hearing a load of criticism for what he said, the Minister retracted his statement.

Nonetheless, the Greek media jumped the bandwagon and began repeating his statement. This is what forced Lina Mendoni of the culture ministry to announce on ANT1 TV on Tuesday morning that no one yet knows what's hidden inside the third chamber.

Venizelos Present At Erdogan's Reception in New York

Minister of Foreign Affairs Evangelos Venizelos on Tuesday attended a reception hosted by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the "Turkish Centre" in New York on the sidelines of the 69th UN General Assembly. Ahead of the event, the Greek Minister met with members of prominent American-Jewish organizations and discussed issues related to Greek-Israeli cooperation and energy.

He also addressed an event at the American Jewish Committee on anti-Semitism where he signalled out the importance of Greek-Israeli relations.

     "For once more we confirm and underline the great importance of our friendship; the friendship between the Greek and the Israeli people, the friendship between Greece and Israel," he said.

Within the framework of the Ministerial Week of the 69th UN General Assembly, Venizelos also met and held talks with the Foreign Minister of the Palestinian Authority Riyad Al-Maliki. Discussions centered on the situation in the wider area following the cease fire in the Gaza Strip as well as the excellent course of bilateral relations.

The Greek Minister also pointed out to his counterpart the importance Greece attaches to the promotion of the peace process, assuring him that Greece, as an EU member-state and a country that maintains traditionally close relations with the Palestinian people, is always ready to contribute to the efforts to overcome the crisis in the direction of security and regional stability.

Finally, Venizelos would also represent Greece at the UN climate summit called by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.

Russia Discovers Mass Grave Near Ukraine’s Donetsk - Launches Probe

ITAR-TASS - Russia’s Investigative Committee plans to launch an inquiry into the discovered mass burial of civilians near Donetsk as part of the criminal case into the war in southeastern Ukraine, official spokesman Vladimir Markin said on Wednesday.

     “The reports of killings of people, whose bodies were found in a mass burial near Donetsk, are to be verified by the Main Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee in the framework of the investigation of the criminal case into the use of banned means and methods of warfare against civilians in southeastern Ukraine,” Markin said.

Russia's reaction to terrible findings near Donetsk

Russia’s Foreign Ministry called the mass burial of civilians in eastern Ukraine a military crime that could have been committed by Ukraine’s security forces.

Russia's ruling United Russia party has called to establish an international commission to investigate mass burials found near Donetsk in eastern Ukraine.
Grave found on Ukrainian National Guard positions in eastern Ukraine

Militias of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic on Tuesday found burials on the site of Kommunar mine’s wood depot, 60 kilometres from Donetsk.

The first exhumation results following the discovery showed that the civilians, mainly young women, had been raped, tortured, tied up and gunned down.

When Casualties Rise, The Coverage of War & Conflicts Becomes Even More Negative

As the number of U.S. casualties rose in Afghanistan, reporters filed more stories about the conflict and those articles grew increasingly negative about both the war effort and the military, according to a Penn State researcher.

     "When the war in Afghanistan started, the tone of the stories that reporters filed was generally neutral," says Michel Haigh, associate professor of communications. "However, over time, and as casualties increased, the coverage became more negative."

In 2003, as the media began to focus more on the conflict in Iraq, reporters wrote less than 20 stories about Afghanistan in the newspapers that Haigh and her assistants analyzed. They examined articles about the war from major newspapers during a 10-year period -- from 2001 to 2010. However, between 2009 and 2010, when casualties reached their highest levels, there were more than 450 articles written about the war in Afghanistan.

The negativity toward the war effort was reflected in the stories written by reporters in the field, as well as articles written by journalists in the U.S. and in other countries, said Haigh, who released her findings in a recent issue of Newspaper Research Journal.

While reporters who were embedded in military units in previous conflicts tended to be more positive about the military, embedded reporters in Afghanistan were typically negative about the military, according to Haigh.

In fact, reporters in Afghanistan wrote stories with tones that were slightly less positive about the military than reporters who wrote their articles outside the country.

     "This isn't the type of story we expected from embedded reporters," Haigh said. "Typically, the use of embeds in a military unit leads to more positive reporting, however, coverage in Afghanistan was negative, regardless of whether the journalists reported from in Afghanistan or outside the country."

The researchers also said that another difference in the coverage was how reporters framed their stories.

Framing refers to how reporters decide to tell the story.

For example, a journalist may decide to focus the story on the war on terrorism or on casualties. In this case, reporters both inside and outside of Afghanistan reported on the increasing casualties, although reporters who were not in Afghanistan did write stories on the economic and political impact of the conflict.

According to Haigh, there were fewer embedded reporters in Afghanistan than in previous conflicts. Because newspapers pay to have embedded reporters travel with the troops, the cost of sending reporters to file stories in Afghanistan was too expensive for most news outlets that were struggling during the economic downturn.

War fatigue may have been another reason for fewer embedded reporters.
The American public was tired of hearing about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Haigh and her assistants examined more than 1,100 articles from three national newspapers -- the New York Times, Los Angeles Times and The Washington Post.

A group of eight coders was trained to analyze the frames and tone of the stories. The coders did not consider opinion and editorial columns when they analyzed the content. An area for future research may be to match this content analysis with public opinion polls to determine whether the media coverage affected public support for the war.

If hippopotamuses can't swim, how did they land on Crete and Cyprus?

There is no published account where hippopotamuses are demonstrably shown swimming or floating at the surface of any body of water. But if they can't swim, how did they reach and colonize islands?

Experts say that widely accepted models for the methods, patterns, and timing of the colonization and dispersal to several islands (e.g. Cyprus, Crete, and Madagascar) may need to be reconsidered.

"Although land bridge connections between these islands and the mainland are not currently supported by positive geological evidence, neither is there any contradictory evidence to exclude it," said Dr. Paul Mazza, author of a Lethaia article on the topic.

Low-fat Hot Dogs With Olive Oil - Without Giving up Taste!

Many backyard cooks are turning to more healthful alternatives to their savored but fatty hot dogs. But low fat can sometimes mean low satisfaction. Now researchers are reporting new progress toward addressing the texture problem in low-fat wieners that are made with olive oil rather than pork fat.

Their study was published recently in ACS' Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

Ana M. Herrero and colleagues note that hot-dog consumers have come to expect just the right amount of chewiness and springiness, among other things, from their beloved summer fare. But traditional hot dogs come with a large dose of pork back-fat.

To build a more healthful frankfurter, Herrero's team has developed olive oil "bulking agents" to replace the saturated animal fat.

The substitutes contain 55 percent olive oil, which contains more healthful unsaturated fats, and could reduce the calories by more than a third. But knowing that only alternatives that closely mimic the high-fat originals will win over BBQ fans, the researchers analyzed them for texture and storage potential.

To explore factors important to texture, they used a technique called Raman spectroscopy to probe the protein and lipid structures of two low-fat recipes and their relationship with textural properties.

They also tested how well they held up during refrigeration. The researchers figured out how protein and lipid structures affect texture.

They also found that regardless of ingredients, all the franks, including those made with pork fat, responded similarly to cold conditions for nearly three months – long enough to last through the entire summer.

Seismic shifts - Researchers Say Major Quake Could Occur Off Coast of Constantinople

When a segment of a major fault line goes quiet, it can mean one of two things: The "seismic gap" may simply be inactive — the result of two tectonic plates placidly gliding past each other — or the segment may be a source of potential earthquakes, quietly building tension over decades until an inevitable seismic release.

Researchers from MIT and Turkey have found evidence for both types of behavior on different segments of the North Anatolian Fault — one of the most energetic earthquake zones in the world. The fault, similar in scale to California's San Andreas Fault, stretches for about 745 miles across northern Turkey and into the Aegean Sea.

The researchers analyzed 20 years of GPS data along the fault, and determined that the next large earthquake to strike the region will likely occur along a seismic gap beneath the Sea of Marmara, some five miles west of Constantinople.

In contrast, the western segment of the seismic gap appears to be moving without producing large earthquakes.

     "Istanbul (Constantinople) is a large city, and many of the buildings are very old and not built to the highest modern standards compared to, say, southern California," says Michael Floyd, a research scientist in MIT's Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences. "From an earthquake scientist's perspective, this is a hotspot for potential seismic hazards."

Although it's impossible to pinpoint when such a quake might occur, Floyd says this one could be powerful — on the order of a magnitude 7 temblor, or stronger.

     "When people talk about when the next quake will be, what they're really asking is, 'When will it be, to within a few hours, so that I can evacuate?' But earthquakes can't be predicted that way," Floyd says. "Ultimately, for people's safety, we encourage them to be prepared. To be prepared, they need to know what to prepare for — that's where our work can contribute"

Floyd and his colleagues, including Semih Ergintav of the Kandilli Observatory and Earthquake Research Institute in Constantinople and MIT research scientist Robert Reilinger, have published their seismic analysis in the journal Geophysical Research Letters.

In recent decades, major earthquakes have occurred along the North Anatolian Fault in a roughly domino-like fashion, breaking sequentially from east to west. The most recent quake occurred in 1999 in the city of Izmit, just east of Constantinople.

The initial shock, which lasted less than a minute, killed thousands.

As Constantinople sits at the fault's western end, many scientists have thought the city will be near the epicenter of the next major quake.

To get an idea of exactly where the fault may fracture next, the MIT and Turkish researchers used GPS data to measure the region's ground movement over the last 20 years. The group took data along the fault from about 100 GPS locations, including stations where data are collected continuously and sites where instruments are episodically set up over small markers on the ground, the positions of which can be recorded over time as the Earth slowly shifts.

     "By continuously tracking, we can tell which parts of the Earth's crust are moving relative to other parts, and we can see that this fault has relative motion across it at about the rate at which your fingernail grows," Floyd says.

From their ground data, the researchers estimate that, for the most part, the North Anatolian Fault must move at about 25 millimeters — or one inch — per year, sliding quietly or slipping in a series of earthquakes.

As there's currently no way to track the Earth's movement offshore, the group also used fault models to estimate the motion off the Turkish coast. The team identified a segment of the fault under the Sea of Marmara, west of Constantinople, that is essentially stuck, with the "missing" slip accumulating at 10 to 15 millimeters per year.

This section — called the Princes' Island segment, for a nearby tourist destination — last experienced an earthquake 250 years ago.

Floyd and colleagues calculate that the Princes' Island segment should have slipped about 8 to 11 feet — but it hasn't. Instead, strain has likely been building along the segment for the last 250 years.

If this tension were to break the fault in one cataclysmic earthquake, the Earth could shift by as much as 11 feet within seconds.

Although such accumulated strain may be released in a series of smaller, less hazardous rumbles, Floyd says that given the historical pattern of major quakes along the North Anatolian Fault, it would be reasonable to expect a large earthquake off the coast of Constantinople within the next few decades.

"Earthquakes are not regular or predictable," Floyd says.

     "They're far more random over the long run, and you can go many lifetimes without experiencing one. But it only takes one to affect many lives. In a location like Istanbul (Constantinople) that is known to be subject to large earthquakes, it comes back to the message: Always be prepared."

UN Condemns Vulture Fund Assaults Against ALL Nations - (11 against: including the U.S., Germany & Japan)

On Sept. 9, the United Nations General Assembly overwhelmingly supported a convention to protect nations from predatory funds. The resolution, proposed by Argentina and backed by the Group of 77+China, calls for creating a framework for regulating debt restructuring processes, to prevent vulture funds from blocking agreements with most creditors as they have done in Argentina. The vote was 124 in favor, 11 against (including the U.S., Germany and Japan), 44 abstentions.

Contributed to HellasFrappe by
EIR Strategic Alert

The text calls for “intergovernmental negotiations” to create a framework, fostering “predictability of the international financial system, and achieving equitable and inclusive growth.”

In a nationally-televised speech the same evening, a very happy President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner told her fellow citizens that “we should all feel very proud” of this great “diplomatic success...which isn’t just Argentina’s but rather of all nations of dignity which defend the rights of their people.”

Thanking those who supported the measure -- she particularly highlighted the leadership of the G-77 + China -- and even those who abstained “because of their commitments,” the Argentine
President then pointedly addressed the eleven countries that voted against it:

     “Perhaps some day they will understand that we need a more balanced world, a more just one with more doves and fewer vultures. We are fed up with the hawks and the vultures! ... The large nations may have looked the other way, but they know that it’s not Argentina’s future that depends on these things, but the future of the entire planet!”

Greek Parliament Ratifies Hydrocarbon Deals

The Hellenic Parliament recently ratified the first three concessions, granting rights for hydrocarbon exploration and extraction in offshore locations in western Greece. Specifically, this involves the area in Katakolo, Ioannina and the Patras Gulf.

During the parliamentary session, Greek MPs also ratified a fourth contract that modified the existing hydrocarbon exploitation contract in the Thracian Sea, (Northeast of Greece).

Environment, Energy and Climate Change Minister Yiannis Maniatis, who was quoted by Greek press reports as saying that the ratification of these first three concessions were "historic," also sought to address fears concerning environmental safety issues. He noted that a team of experts had been working on a new, stricter European legal framework for offshore drilling platforms, and announced that Greece is going to be the first country to adopt these stricter standards which will obviously be established by EU directives.

BUSTED - CIA Base In Glyfada Suspected of Involvement In wiretapping scandal

Press reports in Greece are claiming that the CIA had set up an intelligence "base" in the area of Glyfada (southern Athens) where it performed illegal telephone interceptions and/or witretappings on prominent Greek government officials. A report that was published on Thursday in To Vima said that the "base" was discovered following an investigation led by the Greek courts. A separate article on the news site defencenet (that was analyzing the report in To Vima) speculated that these wiretappings could be linked to the phonetappings that were conducted against former Greek prime minister Costas Karamanlis.

Officials have not released any information on what authorities discovered at this apartment where the wiretappings were being conducted (or base), nor how long it was in operation.

Judicial magistrate Dimitris Foukas, who is in charge of the investigation, reportedly took advantage of information obtained by the Greek intelligence unit EYP in 2009. A separate report in To Vima said that this information was provided by a reliable source but could not be substantiated by the intelligence unit during that time.

It should be reminded that Mr. Foukas is in charge of investigating the wiretapping scandal that involved the illegal telephone interceptions of some 104 politicians, police officials and other individuals between the period 2004-2005.

According to the Greek press, Mr. Foukas has already asked a Greek-American former-CIA agent, who was based in Athens for a number of years, for information. The reports said that the agent, who has since then returned to the United States, has apparently cooperated with EYP on several cases in the past – such as the arsenal found in the Iraqi embassy in Athens.

He is suspected of operating the illegal phonetapping operation.

The reports said that the agent has said that he would return to Greece to answer any further questions, but he has yet to return.

Judicial sources told To Vima that this development is extremely serious and shows that foreign secret agencies were running rogue in Greece. The paper also noted that Mr. Foukas is investigating other cases of spying by foreign agencies.

TT Scandal - Griveas Extradited to Greece From UK Authorities

Businessman Kyriakos Griveas and his spouse Anastasia Vatsika were extradited to Greece on Wednesday by Scotland Yard in order to stand trial for an unsecured loan scandal worth 27 million euros from the TT Hellenic Postbank in 2009.

It should be reminded that a European arrest warrant had been issued against the couple following a Greek prosecutor’s report that discovered that they were involved in that scandal.

Negotiations for the couple’s extradition had been underway for months.

The couple was detained by authorities on Wednesday evening and it is reported that they now have to appear before a Greek magistrate to discuss the felony charges against them.

They have the right to ask for time to prepare their defense.

Antifascists unveil monument to mark one year from Pavlos Fyssas death

A year has passed since anti-fascist rapper Pavlos Fyssas died by a self-proclaimed member of the far right Golden Dawn party. To mark the memorial, a series of events took place on Thursday in Keratsini, Athens and other Greek cities by antifascist groups and/or other organizations.

At the site of the murder a monument was unveiled which honors Fyssas and later on an antifascist protest and march was held.

On Friday, September 19th, the friends and family of Fyssas and members of various antifascist initiatives are organizing a concert, which is set to take place at 17:00 at Syntagma Square.

Also, an antifascist meeting is expected to be held at the Selepitsari Park in Keratsini on Sunday, followed by a concert on the grounds of the nearby high school.

Meanwhile, the Appeals Council decided to extend the detention period by six months of Golden Dawn member George Roupakias. The self-proclaimed member of Greece's far-right party, who is currently being held in the Malandrino Prison, recently requested to be released on bail until his trial, claiming to have regretted his crime and citing financial reasons.

The slew of revelations in the press following the murder and the investigation by judicial authorities brought to light a host of so called "evidence" which wants to show us that the Golden Dawn party is involved in criminal activities, and in the murder as well. All this of course will be proved in the much-awaited upcoming trials, with the trial of Pavlos Fyssas coming first, but if one was to listen to the Greek media the members of GD have already been judged and crucified for their supposed crimes.

As to the substance of the act there is no doubt, whatsoever, that Fyssas' death was a brutal crime, a classic stabbing, where one of the two men used a weapon against his opponent. The victim was clearly taken back, stabbed and unfortunately died from these deep wounds.

But Fyssas' death also has a political dimension to it as well. Let us not forget that Fyssas' murder prompted Greek authorities to begin extensive investigations into Golden Dawn's activities, which has lead to the detention of a large portion of its leaders as well as a good number of its MPs.

Editor's note: We have said many times here at HellasFrappe that the government is not going to make Golden Dawn disappear by highlighting their alleged criminal activity. In fact the opposite is happening because Greece's political elite refuses to face off with them politically. Today its Golden Dawn, tomorrow the same protagonists or others like them could operate under another name. Their supporters will not go away, they will become more determined to get their voices heard and they will become more polarized. That is why GD had to be faced off politically, but our political elite (especially the Communist Party of Greece) treated them as second rate citizens and never once as political opponents. HellasFrappe wants to remind our far-leftist friends that if it wasn't for the late Constantine Karamanlis (yes the founder of the rightest New Democracy party) they would not even exist today. Karamanlis, who was a man of reason, who respected democracy and always did the obvious by using good old COMMON SENSE, legalized the Communist party even though he (and his party) were subjected to their ridiculous rhetoric for years. He never once shunned them, or treated them as second rate citizens. nor did he ever show signs of prejudice against their ideals and political philosophies. He faced off with them politically, because he knew that sooner or later the people of Greece would come to their own conclusions. The result? Greeks began moving away from the Communist party and that is why this party barely makes it to Parliament during every election run. So what can we conclude from all of this? Well we have said it before, and we will repeat it once more: Greece gave birth to democracy and freedom of speech and our political elite should have respected this fact before they decided to point the finger at a party that followed a different philosophy and set of ideals. If GD's ideals are too raw, or too way out there for some to handle, then why couldn't Greece's political elite allow the people to see through them. If real political dialogue was held, Greek citizens would sooner or later come to their own conclusions. But they instead slandered them by calling them neo-Nazis, criminals (even before their cases were held in court) and murderers. Also, they actually had the audacity to jail most of the party when we all know that characters such as George Papakonstantinou, George Papandreou, and a truckload of other MPs are still walking free (and we all know and suspect what they are accused of). They did this because Golden Dawn was not part of their establishment and because they were, and clearly still are, too afraid to square off with them politically. Mark our words Frappers, this whole case will boomerang against everyone who was either too afraid, to prejudice, or just too idiotic to do the obvious as Karamanlis did. Roupakias was ruthless and he must be judged before a court for his crimes, but this crime cannot be used by our political system to make Golden Dawn disappear, only political dialogue can.