Greek Prostitution Soars By A Whopping 150%, As Youth Unemployment Skyrockets

With Greece suffering the biggest economic depression in decades, all so a few rich men can preserve their wealth and not have their EUR-denominated savings wiped out (even if the alternative means finally being able to re balance externally using the Drachma instead of forcing internal re balancing via unemployment and plunging wages), it was only a matter of time before we found out just how humiliating the conversion of the entire economy to a "gray", non-tax paying one would be for the citizens of Greece.

As the NYT reports, in just the past two years, the numbers of Greeks engaging in prostitution as a last course source of income has more than doubled: according to the National Center for Social Research, the number of people selling sex has surged 150 percent in the last two years.

credit zerohedge

Furthermore, with every business in which there is exploding "competition" and rich client scarcity, it is not just any prostitution, but very deflationary prostitution:

    “Five euros only, just 5 euros,” whispered Maria, a young prostitute with sunken cheeks and bedraggled hair, as she pitched herself forward from the shadows of a graffiti-riddled alley in central Athens on a recent weeknight.
    Many prostitutes have been selling their services for as little as 10 to 15 euros, a price that has shrunk along with the income of clients afflicted by the crisis. Many more prostitutes are taking greater health risks by having unprotected sex, which sells for a premium. Still more are subject to violence and rape.
    Now a new menace has arisen: a type of crystal methamphetamine called shisha, after the Turkish water pipe, but otherwise known as poor man’s cocaine, brewed from barbiturates and other ingredients including alcohol, chlorine and even battery acid.

And with a surge in prostitution come the drugs, and the danger of an epidemic of blood-transmitted diseases, like HIV:

    A hit of shisha, concocted in makeshift laboratories around Athens, costs 3 to 4 euros. Doses come in the form of a 0.01-gram ball, leaving many users reaching for hits throughout the day. They include prostitutes, whom Mr. Tzortzinis photographed in a seedy central neighborhood of Athens called Omonia, next to a large police station.
    Shisha is most often smoked. But it is increasingly being taken intravenously; because of the caustic chemicals it contains, a rising number of users are winding up in the emergency room. Health experts say the injections are also adding to an alarming rise in H.I.V. cases around Greece, which surged more than 50 percent last year from 2011 as more people turn to narcotics.
    For Mr. Tzortzinis, who grew up in the area, seeing women give themselves for as little as 5 euros underscores one of the many horrors of Greece’s drawn-out crisis.

Unfortunately for the country which is terrified to just say no to Europe due to the indoctrinated dread of what would happen if it left the Eurozone, this is only the beginning as the problem is far deeper, and it goes to the root of everything: an entire generation going to waste.

But while the Greek still soaring unemployment rate is no surprise to anyone, it is the youth unemployment that is the problem. And as the Telegraph reports, in some areas of Greece, youth unemployment has now hit a inconceivable 75%.

    Western Macedonia in Greece had the highest level of youth unemployment in the European Union, with the number of 16 to 24 year-olds out of work jumping to 72.5pc in 2012 from 52.8pc in 2011, according to Eurostat. Total youth unemployment in Greece stood at 55.3pc last year, more than double the EU average of 22.9pc.
    The region, located in northern Greece, has been hit hard by the economic crisis, with total unemployment rising from 12.1pc in 2007 to almost 30pc in 2012 due to de-industrialisation and the migration of labour intensive industries to neighbouring countries, where wage demands are lower.
    According to a report by the European Commission in December, more than a fifth of firms stopped trading in the region between 2008 and 2011.

Europe's response to this pandemic of unemployment?

    Europe's leaders have called for more action to tackle joblessness in Europe. Earlier this month, European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso urged Europe's leaders to come up with "a more ambitious plan to fight youth unemployment" at a next month's EU summit.
    "We must give revive hope, specially for young people," he said. "We cannot wait for long, we are all aware this is urgent."

And when hope is not enough, and when these same young people end up as prostitutes, drug addicts or, worst, infected with HIV, maybe they should also hope that a cure for the disease is somehow discovered (and which they can afford).

Why? Just so the 0.001% uberwealthy can continue to get richer and richer courtesy of a year after year of flawed monetary and fiscal policy, even as the real world around them burns. - zerohedge


Also read


More & More Drug Addicts in Greece Turn To The New "Poor Man's Cocaine" Shisha (VIDEO)
http://hellasfrappe.blogspot.com/2013/05/more-more-drug-addicts-in-greece-turn.html

SPECIAL REPORT: Dramatic rise in prostitution by foreigners + sex-related diseases (Documentary)
http://hellasfrappe.blogspot.com/2011/07/special-report-dramatic-rise-in.html

Prostitution And Trafficking On The Streets Of Athens
http://hellasfrappe.blogspot.com/2011/11/sunday-at-movies-prostitution-and.html

Omonia Today - A Square Full of Drug Dealers, Addicts And Prostitutes (VIDEOS)
http://hellasfrappe.blogspot.com/2013/01/omonia-today-square-full-of-drug.html

BOOK OPPORTUNITY - The Cyprus Problem: What Everyone Needs to Know

For nearly 60 years--from its uprising against British rule in the 1950s, to the bloody civil war between Greek and Turkish Cypriots in the 1960s, the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in the 1970s, and the United Nation's ongoing 30-year effort to reunite the island--the tiny Mediterranean nation of Cyprus has taken a disproportionate share of the international spotlight. And while it has been often in the news, accurate and impartial information on the conflict has been nearly impossible to obtain.

In The Cyprus Problem, James Ker-Lindsay--recently appointed as expert advisor to the UN Secretary-General's Special Advisor on Cyprus--offers an incisive, even-handed account of the conflict. Ker-Lindsay covers all aspects of the Cyprus problem, placing it in historical context, addressing the situation as it now stands, and looking toward its possible resolution. The book begins with the origins of the Greek and Turkish Cypriot communities as well as the other indigenous communities on the island (Maronites, Latin, Armenians, and Gypsies). Ker-Lindsay then examines the tensions that emerged between the Greek and Turkish Cypriots after independence in 1960 and the complex constitutional provisions and international treaties designed to safeguard the new state. He pays special attention to the Turkish invasion in 1974 and the subsequent efforts by the UN and the international community to reunite Cyprus. The book's final two chapters address a host of pressing issues that divide the two Cypriot communities, including key concerns over property, refugee returns, and the repatriation of settlers. Ker-Lindsay concludes by considering whether partition really is the best solution, as many observers increasingly suggest.

Written by a leading expert, The Cyprus Problem brings much needed clarity and understanding to a conflict that has confounded observers and participants alike for decades.

*Remember when you purchase a book from the list of Amazon books that HellasFrappe suggests to you, you are also helping out HellasFrappe! So you not only gain a great book, but you also help out our blog! Simply click on the icon above the text and make your order today!

 

BOOK OPPORTUNITY - Three Sisters Around the Greek Table: A Cookbook [Paperback]

Synopsis This award-winning cookbook, celebrates both food and family. Written by three Greek-Canadian sisters, this cookbook shares the secrets to eating better with today's busy families. The ingredients are simple, rustic and true to the Mediterranean diet. There are 105 recipes and 112 stunning food photographs that will inspire the chef at home. The pages are filled with tips, variations, and make-ahead suggestions. There are even 12 complete menu ideas to help one put together a meal from start to finish. Heart-warming tales of how the recipes came to be staple dishes in the three sisters' homes are also shared throughout. The anecdotes are enhanced by a storybook of black and white photography. The stories remind us that eating is more than just a means for survival; it is a chance to pause with family and friends and connect with loved ones. Three Sisters Around the Greek Table is a reflection of Greek cooking and of living Greek. This book sets itself apart with its beauty, simplicity and thoroughness. More than a cookbook, it is a work of art, making it a must-have cookbook for the coffee-table and the kitchen.

*Remember when you purchase a book from the list of Amazon books that HellasFrappe suggests to you, you are also helping out HellasFrappe! So you not only gain a great book, but you also help out our blog! Simply click on the icon above the text and make your order today!

Pan-Macedonian Association's letter to the American Archaeological Institute (AAI)

(The formation of the Pan-Macedonian Association might have started from the need to protect the Macedonian land that was indisputably and unquestionably Greek; however the members of the Association expanded their efforts in various educational, philanthropic and charitable activities. On different occasions the Pan-Macedonian Association has organized lectures, scientific discussions, has supported art exhibitions and various symposia.)

Ms Elizabeth Bartman
President of the American Archaeological Institute (AAI)
Boston University
656 Beacon Street, 6th Floor
Boston, MA 02215-2006

Dear Ms Bartman,

We, the members of the Pan-Macedonian Association, one of the largest Greek American Associations in the US, are writing this letter as a collective effort to express our concerns regarding a cultural event held at Scandinavia House in New York on April 29, 2013, which was sponsored by the government of the "Republic of Macedonia" (the FYROM as per the United Nations) and your esteemed magazine Archaeology: http://www.archaeological.org/events/11790.

During the event a lecture was given by archaeologist Dr. Dragi Mitrevski (current head of the Institute for History of Art and Archaeology at the Faculty of Philosophy at State University Ss. Cyril and Methodius, Skopje). He spoke about the archaeological sites in his country that you are aware are mostly Greek and/or Roman, stemming from various historical periods of antiquity. His lecture might not have been political at face value, but this event was sponsored by the government of the FYROM. Furthermore, the presence and speech by the FYROM Minister of Culture, Elizabeta Kanchevska Milevska, did politicize the event.

Additionally, on your webpage one reads the following: "Thank you to those who joined us for an enjoyable evening of food, wine, musical and dance entertainment PLUS archaeology as we listened to a lecture from the leading archaeologist of the Republic of Macedonia [sic], Dr. Dragi Mitrevski. We toured his homeland, so full of archaeological riches". "Archaeological riches" yes, but whose "archaeological riches" were they? There was no clarification given during the lecture that these finds are Greek and on your website there is no mention that the "archaeological riches" in Dr. Mitrevski's homeland belong to various Greek and Roman historical periods - centuries before the Slavs arrived in the area known as the FYROM currently.

Moreover, we would like to highlight the confusing title of the event: "The Most Significant Findings of Macedonian [sic] Archaeology". What "Macedonian" [sic] archaeology? Are they the findings of the modern FYROM that relate to its post Yugoslav culture - or of Ancient Macedon perhaps? If it is the former, then it is politically motivated historical anachronism on the part of your institute. If it is the latter, then is your institute stating that they are more significant than the Macedonian findings in Vergina, Dion, Philippi, Aiani, and Thessaloniki - in the true Macedonia, a little further to the south and over the border in Greece where the Greek kingdom of Macedon once existed whose cultural, linguistic, and anthropological ties continue to exist in modern Greece today.

In February of 2009, Professor Stephen Miller from Berkley University responded to Matthew Brunwasser's highly propagandistic article "Letter from Macedonia [sic]. Modern Macedonia [sic] Lays its Claim to the Ancient Conqueror's Legacy", published in Archaeology. Your journal however refused to publish his response. We are wondering if there is some kind of a pattern developed by the American Archaeological Institute (AAI) to side with historical revisionism, rather than promote the science of true history.

We, as Americans citizens, strongly believe that such an educational and scientific entity as the AAI should stand against pseudohistory, and instead highlight the true evidence of archaeological discoveries without engaging in political propaganda and anachronism, especially when these are promoted by a state whose ultimate goal is to usurp Macedonian Greek history. You owe it to our future generations and to the preservation of the science of archaeology.

Sincerely,
Kostas Hatzistefanidis           Dimitris Chatzis
Supreme President                Supreme Secretary

Cc: Claudia Valentino-Editor in Chief, ARCHAEOLOGY Magazine

For more info visit http://www.panmacedonian.info/

Pyrros Dimas Now On Executive Board of IWF

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

It was announced that four-time Olympic medalist in weightlifting, Pyrros Dimas was elected at the Executive Board of the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF), during its electoral Congress held in Moscow between May 20-21.

The veteran olympic gold medalist, who today is forty-two years old, has had an outstanding career in international weightlifting. He won three gold Olympic medals (Barcelona 1992, Atlanta 1996, Sydney 2000) and a bronze in Athens in the 2004 Olympic Games, after which he signaled his retirement by leaving his shoes on the platform, while an appreciative crowd gave him a standing ovation.

His trophy chest also includes 3 gold medals in World Championships and 1 in European Championships. Dimas is currently the chairman of the Hellenic Weightlifting Federation and a member of the Hellenic Parliament with the PASOK party.

Sources
http://www.iwf.net/wp-content/uploads/downloads/2013/05/List-of-elected-officers-2013-2016.pdf
http://www.iwf.net/2013/05/21/a-new-set-of-officers-took-the-oath-in-moscow/
http://www.weightlifting.gr/

CYPRUS - A Peace Maker, Downer he ain’t

credit mignatiou.com

The Australian Alexander Downer is busy these days  making the rounds as a UN envoy to bring peace to Cyprus. He can’t. He is uniquely unqualified for the job and for such a high mission. Here is why. To begin with the man is blatantly disrespectful of the ideals and principles of the United Nations, the organization he represents at the bequest of its Secretary General.  The latter has been mandated by the Security Council to use his “good offices” to bring an end to the Cyprus conflict, in line with pertinent UN Resolutions.

By MARIOS EVRIVIADES
mignatiou.com

Worse, as representative of an organization that pledges in the name of humanity to “turn swords into plowshares”, Alexander Downer is an unabashed warmonger. Just read what this man had to say on the 10th anniversary of the Iraq war, pursued by the US as “a war of choice”, that is an aggressive war, and which the then UN Secretary General characterized as “illegal”. “Even with hindsight the Iraq war was the best option for all concerned”, he opined in The Sydney Morning Herald on March 25, 2013. Only  on Monday May 20th over 133 were killed and close to 300 injured in uncontrolled sectarian violence in “liberated” Iraq.

Australia and he as Foreign Minister supported and participated in the war to get rid of a dictator, Downer, has proudly proclaimed. The world and the Iraqis,  he went on to say, got rid of a dictator who killed and gassed “his own people”, with humanity, democracy and freedom benefiting. All of which it took Downer and his ilk 10-12 year to recognize and digest. And all the while hypocritically making money by bribing the Saddam regime with hundreds of millions of dollars, as did the Australian wheat producers. Downer was  “shocked, shocked” when he finally found out that all these illegalities were taking place under his watch.

Unlucky for Downer, his fellow Aussies have known him better than the unsuspecting Cypriots. Andrew Worssam wrote this in response to Downer’s “humanitarian” effusions: “I rarely read a more sickening and self-serving post-facto rationalization than Alexander Downer’s defence of the indefensible – the illegal and grossly  incompetent invasion of Iraq”. And here is another Aussie, John Barman: “Many thousands more civilians –men, women and children were slaughter during the “shock and awe” invasion and the sectarian violence that followed … than were killed by Saddam. In Downer’s claim of “simple humanity” we’d have done better to have left Saddam and his secular crew in place”.

Downer’s ethical perspective on matters of life and death was no different than the company he kept. Like that of  his now new business associate, Clinton’s Secretary of State Madeline Albright. She was asked on the “ The 60 Minutes” program of CBS in 1996 whether the “price” –the 500.000 Iraqi children that died of malnutrition because of the West’s Iraq embargo – “is worth it”. And her response was yes, “we think the price was worth it”.

And so was with the 2003 war for Downer and his government. In order to convince Australians to participate in America’s “war of choice”, Downer argued, according to press reports at the time, that Australian wheat producers were going to make a kill because the war would have jacked up demand for surplus Australian wheat. Alternatively, he argued, the Iraqi market would have been lost to the American producers. Is this cesspool morality, or what?

“Sovereignty”, he writes in his warmongering article, “is important but not more important than humanity”. Let’s see how Downer measures up to his own standard. In 2001 while Foreign Minister he refused permission for a ship, the NV Tampa to put in an Australian harbor because it had the “misfortune” to pick up shipwrecked non-white asylum seekers on the high seas. And he repeated the same in 2003 with the Australian Pacific Solution. No humanity here for Mr. Downer. Only Australian sovereignty. And this raises another moral issue. In his bio, Mr. Downer lists himself a recipient of an honorary doctorate from Israeli’s Bar Ilan University. This  honor was awarded in 2007 after the MV Tampa  and the Pacific Solution outrages. I doubt that busybody Downer ever heard of the WWII “Struma” tragedy. But what about the folks at Bar Illan who honored him? Did they not see similarities and analogies? Seven hundred Jewish refugees on board the “Struma” perished at sea in 1942 because the pro-Nazi regime in Turkey refused them safe harbor. Details, I suppose.

Which brings us back to Cyprus and my point that this man Downer has no moral standing and is not qualified to be a peace envoy anywhere. On almost all issues of relevance to Cyprus, human rights, refugees, right of return, property, respect for UN principles, resolutions and international law, his record of which he is proud, is abysmal.

With regards to Cyprus he does not acknowledge that the country, a UN member, was forcefully partitioned by Turkey in the 1974 war, that 1% of Cypriot population was killed by a NATO army run amok, and that decades later a Turkish occupation army remains ensconced in the country. Cyprus, he writes elsewhere, is just a “bifurcated” country and there is a “Greek Cyprus” and there is a “Turkish Cyprus”, which is precisely  Ankara’s terminology. That he sees and writes about. But the Turkish army whose NATO bayonets are the cause for this state of affairs, Downer sees not.  His thesis, which he repeats ad nauseum,  is that the Turkish army is not the problem. The problem for him is the victimized Cypriot majority that  refuses to lie prostrate before Turkish power, mediated by Downer. (He does acknowledge the Turkish army on Cyprus but only in the context of… Gallipoli. But that’s another story burried deep into the psyche of Downer as an Aussie).

Nor is the Turkish occupation and its delibilating  effects seen by his Cyprus UN Office, that uses millions of unaccounted UN and US monies to fund dubious, “academic” projects by GONGOS (Governmental Non Governmental Organizations), most prominent of which is Cyprus 2015 and Norway’s controversial Cold War remnant, PRIO. Here we have politically correct pseudo-scholarship at its best. Proof of this is that the authors quote their likes  incestuously and follow instructions so that their labors and conclusions always come down the line 50-50. (Really if numbers in Cyprus do not count and only communities do – as Downer and his subordinates claim- then the divider should be by five and not two. For five are the Cypriot communities, not two. Imagine what that would do to Downer’s humanitarian agenda and his pseudo scholar enablers. Five politically correct conclusions for every project, and more money, I suppose).

Alexander Downer a.k.a. Alexander John Gosse Downer, is just another politically opinionated  charlatan, but no official in Cyprus dares tell him that and send him packing. Still the nature of the man is such that he may bolt on his own and soon, if the premiership of Southern Australia comes calling and provided Australians forget his loser role as opposition leader in the 1990s.

What most people do not know is that Cyprus, besides being small fish, is a part time job for Downer. And he has said on another occasion involving alleged nepotism towards his elder daughter, (too many Downer  stories, too little space) that he has a family and expenses to meet. On that he ain’t doing badly. He is a visiting professor and a regular columnist  in Australia.  And  above all he is a businessman associated with the consulting and lobbying firm Bespoke which he cofounded, and also associated  with Albright’s Stonebridge Group, the British spy firm Hakluyt, Lake’s Oil, AO Energy, Huawei (China) Group, Cappello Capital Corp., Resource House LTD, and probably more.

Is this man a peacemaker, a warmonger, a mammonite or what? What do you think?

DEPA/DESFA To Highest Bidder - Gazprom Eyes DEPA

The highest bidder will win a tender to buy DEPA and DESFA, Greece's natural gas distribution companies, Stelios Stavridis, head of the Hellenic Republic Asset Development Fund said this week.

In comments made in Greek radio, Stavridis said there were certain issues, such as a letter of guarantee.

     "The Russians' initial letter of guarantee - at 20 pct of the first offer of 900 million euros - was extremely high," he said. "Thus, the value of the letter of guarantee was lowered to become more rational. Another big problem in the energy market is that because of the crisis everybody owes to everyone. It is the government's obligation and up to government will to find a solution to the problem."

On Tuesday, Samaras received Gazprom CEO Alexey Miller, the head of the Russian energy giant and largest global producer of natural gas, at the government's headquarters in the Maximos Mansion. The meeting was also attended by Deputy Environment, Energy and Climate Change Minister Asimakis Papageorgiou, Hellenic Republic Asset Development Fund (HRADF) CEO Yiannis Emiris and government spokesman Simos Kedikoglou.

According to an announcement issued by Gazprom, the two sides held talks on the "excellent cooperation in the sector of natural gas and expressed their interest in further developing mutually beneficial cooperation".

Gazprom is among the companies planning to bid in an international tender for the privatisation of the Public Gas Corporation (DEPA).

According to sources, Gazprom intends to submit a binding offer for DEPA but they did not specify whether agreement was reached on the demands made by the Russian side concerning the terms of the tender, such as the letter of guarantee required of participants and the debts toward DEPA.

The same sources said the talks with the government included discussion on the terms and prices for the supply of natural gas to Greece in the framework of an existing contract that expires in 2016.

Gazprom's announcement said that natural gas deliveries to Greece began in 1996 and, according to preliminary figures, total deliveries for 2012 came to 2.5 billion cubic metres.

(Combined Reports)

All Who Enter Parliament Must Now Pass Through Metal Detectors

 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

All persons entering the Greek Parliament, including members of the government and the prime minister, are now going to be restricted to using the magnetic gateway that is equipped with metal detectors, the Parliament guard said this week. All entrances to Parliament are equipped with magnetic gateways, which were previously used for the staff and various aides.

On his part, parliamentary speaker Evangelos Meimarakis informed parties that all MPs would have to pass through metal detectors to enter the House and would not be allowed to bring guns into Parliament.

TEDGlobal Responds To Petition Against George Papandreou

An online petition that was posted last week demanding that TEDGlobal conference organizers remove George Papandreou from the speakers list and declare him as a persona non Grata, finally received a response!

According to TEDGlobal, Papandreou is a former prime minister of Greece, and someone who was at the head of the country in 2009, when the euro crisis flared up. He was invited to share his views on these events and other themes at TEDGlobal 2013, which is scheduled to take place in three weeks.

     "With all due respect for those who have signed the petition, the TEDGlobal program won’t change. Papandreou’s experience as the PM of his country during a phase of political and economic turmoil is an interesting lens into the broader problems that continue to trouble Europe. That’s why we invited him to TEDGlobal. What he learned from his period in office gives him a rare insiders’ viewpoint, at a crucial moment for the continent.
     For the record, any politicians coming to TED are asked to give a talk that is framed around ideas and insights, rather than partisanship. And like all our speakers, Papandreou is not being paid to speak at TEDGlobal.

(Tsk, tsk, tsk... Now dear frappers you know why and how the one percent protects its own!)

Related articles

• HALLELUJAH - Petition To Declare George Papandreou As "Persona non grata" (ENG. + GR)
• Papandreou Will Not Testify At Lagarde List Probe, To Submit Deposition
• Deposition Ignored - Papandreou Now Summoned To Testify IN PERSON in Lagarde List Probe
• Papandreou Not Welcome In Edinburgh
• SPECIAL REPORT - Venizelos Exposes Papandreou's Lust For Luxury - Or The Missing 100+Mln

George Soros and IRS Attacked The Tea Party!!

(The news does not really shock us here in Greece because the "Progressive" or PASOK - SYRIZA - DIMAR - KKE public sector operates much in the same way, and have been targeting right-wingers in Greece so for decades now! Also, most of the Leftist parties in Greece have been, or are presently, involved in some way or another with George Soros)

 For as many as three years (yes 3 YEARS) the Internal Revenue Service (or IRS) had been feverishly working to suppress any votes from the US "Right Wing"! How? Simple, from what US reports say the IRS had "suppressed" tax-exempt status from HUNDREDS of right-wing conservative Tea Party groups!

Obviously if tax-exempt status is suppressed then money is suppressed and let us not kid ourselves, money is the backbone of any capitalist society. That funding of the "grass-roots groups" was essential to oppose the Democratic Party!

Simply put the IRS put a choke-hold on the funding of the Tea Party while giving the Progressive Party (or in this case the Democratic Party) a pass!

In all reality the IRS in the US is supposed to be impartial. Their conduct has NOT been impartial or UN-biased! In fact it is a clear violation of 'The Hatch Act' which limits political activities of Government employees both ON and OFF the job!


A few days after the story broke it was also revealed that billionaire George Soros contributed a whopping US $6.1 Million dollars to left-wing groups in the framework of pressuring the IRS to "target" conservative groups!

IRS Chief out after targeting conservative groups

George Soros behind the scenes of IRS scandal!

Furthermore to add insult to injury for the IRS it is now being reported that the IRS also gave Progressive groups "Confidential Documents" about the "conservative groups"...And it does not take a rocket scientist to figure out that this is NOT impartial nor is it UN-biased!

IRS gave Progressive groups confidential documents about Conservative Groups!

Obama IRS forced Tea Party groups to 'shut down' before 2012 election!

CLICK ON BOLD LINKS TO CROSS REFERENCE ARTICLE

My Big Fat Greek Minister (Ex BBC Reporter Slams Pangalos LOL)

This is definately a MUST READ. Renowned journalist Greg Palast, who turned his skills to journalism after two decades as a top investigator of corporate fraud, literally characterized former PASOK Minister Theodore Pangalos as a "Fat Bastard" in his latest article which was featured in Vice Magazine and then republished on his own personal website.

Greg Palast’s book Vultures’ Picnic (Constable Robinson UK/Penguin USA), including chapters on Greece and Goldman, are expected to be published in Greek in early fall by Livanis.  Download the first chapter, Goldfinger, and videos at VulturesPicnic.org.

By Greg Palast
for Vice Magazine via gregpalast.com

The journalist met Pangalos at a Eurasia Media Forum in Kazakhstan and he begins his article by saying that "it wasn't too difficult picking out the Fat Bastard in the crowd of Russian models, craven moochers and media mavens. Besides, Fat Bastard and I were both desperate for coffee and heading for the same empty urn.

(Kazakhstan's annual Eurasia Media Forum, is a kind of Burning Man festival for Eastern oilgarchs and their media camp followers.)

Palast says that his his policy is never to mention an interlocutor's weight, nor question the legitimacy of his or her age, but, this particular Greek Minister whom he calls a "Fat Bastard" was asking for it.

"I had tried to put the belly of this beast out of my thoughts, but I still had a New York Times story folded in my pocket that begins: As an elementary school principal, Leonidas Nikas is used to seeing children play, laugh and dream about the future. But recently he has seen something altogether different, something he thought was impossible in Greece: children picking through school trash cans for food; needy youngsters asking playmates for leftovers; and an 11-year-old boy, Pantelis Petrakis, bent over with hunger pains. Fat Bastard – or Theodoros Pangalos, thinks the little Greek kiddies should stop belly-aching. Pangalos, as you can see from the photo below, is not bent over with hunger pains. In fact, he looks more likely to be bent over with labour pains, but in truth he probably just can't bend over at all.

Pangalos is best known for blaming the working people of Greece for the horror and the hunger among the ruins of what was once Greece's economy. However, it is, of course, not his fault; until last year, and through the core of the crisis, he was just Greece's Deputy Prime Minister – why should he be held accountable for anything?

Minister Pangalos is much loved by Europe's banking chieftains, by vulture speculators and by Prussian President Angela Merkel because they've got themselves a gigantic Greek who will mouth their mantra: that his nation's sudden collapse can be blamed squarely on olive-pit-spitting, lazy-ass Greeks who won't work more than three hours a week, then retire while they're still teenagers to swill state-subsidised ouzo.

Pangalos leads the Fifth Column of Greeks calling to accept Germany's terms of economic surrender: austerity, meaning cuts in food allowances, in pensions, in jobs. As of this week, more than one in four Greeks (27 percent) are out of work.

While we hunted for caffeine, Fat Bastard told me that anyone who complains about the austerity diktat, "Is a fascist or a communist or a conspiracy theorist." He didn't tell me which of these three categories the 11-year-old kids complaining of hunger pains fell into.

Just for the record, those Greeks who can get a job, work 619 more hours per year (see table) than the average German (and way, way more than Britons or Americans as well)."

WE LOVE YOU GREG PALAST

London School of Economics: Window of Opportunity Now Open For Greece

“Mediating a Greek Success Story?” is the title of an article published at the official website of the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE).

On 17 May 2013 the German tabloid newspaper Bild portrayed on its front page Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras as a successful politician who has managed to save the country from chaotic default and an exit from the eurosystem. This constitutes a symbolic example of the improvement of Greece’s international coverage in recent months. Similar cases can also be found in the media discourse.

The Wall Street Journal, for instance, concentrated on Mr Samaras’ attempt to stabilise the national economy and cool political tempers. For its part, Die Welt praised the Greek Prime Minister for his courage and spirit in times of recession. Existing problems such as the rise of the neo-fascist Golden Dawn party and the impact of unemployment on young people partly attract the attention of foreign journalists. But their general stance vis-à-vis the country seems to have entered a new era.

The relatively positive image of Greece in the international media discourse has to be principally attributed to its determination to implement necessary reforms and deliver. As it had also happened in the period between May 2010 and November 2010, when the then centre-left government of George Papandreou was showing initial dynamism to apply the bailout terms, the international media now observe a similar tendency. On 13 July 2010, for example, French newspaper Le Monde regarded Greece in its print edition as the ‘good student’ of the European Union who had learned from mistakes of the past and could be a model for other problematic members of the eurozone.  At that time, the PA.SO.K government was insisting on the need to liberate closed professions in spite of opposition by trade unions.

There are two main reasons that explain the optimism penetrating the current coverage. The first is the ongoing survival of the coalition government – led by conservative New Democracy and supported by PA.SO.K and the Democratic Left party. The cohesion of this government had been significantly doubted in autumn 2012 during voting procedures in the Parliament on new austerity measures. And the second reason is the significant reduction of the Greek twin deficits, the budget and the current account one. German politicians have not been economical in acknowledging this reality. Speaking in the Bundestag on 30 November 2012, German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble framed – for the first time – the debate on Greece on the basis of the country’s achievements and not failures or omissions.

An analysis of the coverage of the Greek crisis by the international media since October 2009 suggests that journalists tend to follow developments and use international surveys and the domestic press as a source of information. Writing for Foreign Affairs in April 2012 I deconstructed the argument that their majority had been – a priori – biased against the country, as many Greek officials were openly suggesting. By contrast, I found signs of objectivity in their work on the basis of Greece’s poor performance regarding issues such as corruption, competitiveness, underground economy and public spending. In parallel with this, the so-called ‘credibility deficit’ of politicians could not but play a negative role. I recall a live interview I gave for ‘The Hub’ a few days after the first Greek national election on 6 May 2012, in which BBC anchorman Nik Gowing emphasised the question of whether political interests were being put ahead of national ones!

In the aftermath of the second national election of 17 June 2012 Greek pathogenies have not been eliminated. As the Financial Times recently put it in an editorial, ‘a deeper political transformation is required’. For foreign journalists covering the country, however, a sense of routine and fatigue has started to dominate their work. Even personal stories dealing with corruption or tax evasion can hardly be of high interest to their editors or audiences. In parallel with this, credit should be given to the personal communication strategy of Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras who is prepared to regularly grant interviews actively demonstrating the will of his government to remain committed to the path of reforms and privatisation.  In August 2012, for instance, he personally arranged a meeting with the editorial team of Bild newspaper in Berlin in order to elaborate on the Greek-German misunderstanding.

It is premature to suggest that foreign journalists are mediating a Greek success story. A country suffering from recession, unemployment, the rise of extreme political parties and widespread public pessimism about the future, has a long way to go in order to change its course. But, on the other hand, a window of opportunity is now open. Valuable time has been offered for Greece to benefit from the current international climate in order to meet its fiscal targets and return to growth. It is in the hands of the coalition government to positively surprise international media leading them to rebrand the lemma ‘Greece’ and disassociate it from terms such as ‘fakelaki’ and ‘rousfeti’.

capital

Conspiracy or Truth - Russia Issues “Extreme Danger” Warning As Alabama Death Toll Rises

PLEASE CLICK ON BOLD LINKS TO CROSS REFERENCE POST WITH MAINSTREAM NEWS ARTICLES

The Russian Maritime Register of Shipping (RS) on Wednesday issued an “Extreme Danger” warning for all vessels entering or nearing the United States Port of Mobile, located in the State of Alabama, as the death toll rises from what this report claims is an environmental disaster related to the flowering of genetically modified cotton crops located in this region.

The RS is tasked with providing the safety of navigation, safety of life at sea, security of ships, safe carriage of cargo, environmental safety of ships, prevention of pollution from ships, performance of authorizations issued by Administrations and customers, while the Port of Mobile is the 9th largest US deep water port.

According to this report, RS officials became “highly concerned” this past week after the Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) reported that at least 2 people have died, and another 5 put in hospital, due to a “mysterious illness” attacking the respiratory systems of those affected and causing flu-like symptoms.

According to ADPH spokeswoman Mary McIntyre, the illness was first reported late last week and the last of the seven patients was hospitalized Monday, though it wasn't immediately clear which municipalities the illnesses were concentrated in.

“We're only aware of the Southeast, but we don't know — we haven't received reports from anywhere else,” McIntyre said, “That's why we're trying to get the information out.”

RS officials in their “Extreme Danger” warning, however, state that the deaths and symptoms being reported in Alabama are “identical” to those that were reported by Indian farmers last year who were planting the latest version of Monsanto’s Deltapine® genetically modified (GM) cotton seed, and which caused the single largest wave of recorded suicides in human history and resulted in India revoking the right for this most dangerous of seed to be sold.

In Alabama, this report continues, the Deltapine® GM cotton plants (which have a long growing season of 120 - 180 days of frost free weather) are now in their flowering stage giving off massive amounts of pollen contaminated with Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) toxins used in all of Monsanto’s genetically modified seeds and proven to cause the symptoms and deaths being reported by the ADPH.

So dangerous, in fact, are Monsanto’s Bt toxins, scientists from the Department of Genetics and Morphology and the Institute of Biological Sciences, at the University of Brasilia, and the University of Western Ontario warned in a new study published last week that Monsanto crops are harmful to mammalian blood by damaging red blood cells and are much more toxic to mammals than previously thought. The study was published in the Journal of Hematology and Thromboembolic Diseases.

Scientists at the United States Institute for Responsible Technology (IRT) had further warned that Indian farmers that picked or loaded Monsanto’s Bt cotton reported reactions of the skin, eyes and upper respiratory tract and that 25% of sheep herds that fed on them died within a week.

On 19 May 2009, the American Academy of Environmental Medicine (AAEM) called on “Physicians to educate their patients, the medical community, and the public to avoid GM foods when possible and provide educational materials concerning GM foods and health risks.”

They, also, called for a moratorium on GM foods, long-term independent studies, and labeling. AAEM's position paper stated, “Several animal studies indicate serious health risks associated with GM food,” including infertility, immune problems, accelerated aging, insulin regulation, and changes in major organs and the gastrointestinal system.

They conclude, “There is more than a casual association between GM foods and adverse health effects. There is causation,” as defined by recognized scientific criteria. “The strength of association and consistency between GM foods and disease is confirmed in several animal studies.”

Even though the RS is now warning Russian seaman about the GM catastrophe now unfolding in Alabama, there is no evidence the Obama regie is doing the same to protect its own citizens.

As to why this is so was recently explained by the Infowar News Service in their article titled “How did Barack Obama become Monsanto’s man in Washington?” which, in part, says:

     “After his victory in the 2008 election, Obama filled key posts with Monsanto people, in federal agencies that wield tremendous force in food issues, the USDA and the FDA:
     At the USDA, as the director of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Roger Beachy, former director of the Monsanto Danforth Center.
     As deputy commissioner of the FDA, the new food-safety-issues czar, the infamous Michael Taylor, former vice-president for public policy for Monsanto. Taylor had been instrumental in getting approval for Monsanto’s genetically engineered bovine growth hormone.
     As commissioner of the USDA, Iowa governor, Tom Vilsack. Vilsack had set up a national group, the Governors’ Biotechnology Partnership, and had been given a Governor of the Year Award by the Biotechnology Industry Organization, whose members include Monsanto.
     As the new Agriculture Trade Representative, who would push GMOs for export, Islam Siddiqui, a former Monsanto lobbyist.
     As the new counsel for the USDA, Ramona Romero, who had been corporate counsel for another biotech giant, DuPont.
     As the new head of the USAID, Rajiv Shah, who had previously worked in key positions for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, a major funder of GMO agriculture research.
     We should also remember that Obama’s secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, once worked for the Rose law firm. That firm was counsel to Monsanto.
     Obama nominated Elena Kagan to the US Supreme Court. Kagan, as federal solicitor general, had previously argued for Monsanto in the Monsanto v. Geertson seed case before the Supreme Court.”

Even worse for the American people, and as reported by the Planet Save News Service in their article about Obama signing a new law last month to protect Monsanto titled “5 Appalling Facts About The Monsanto Protection Act Obama Signed Into Law (GMO Heaven)”:

1.) “The ‘Monsanto Protection Act’ effectively bars federal courts from being able to halt the sale or planting of controversial genetically modified (aka GMO) or genetically engineered (GE) seeds, no matter what health issues may arise concerning GMOs in the future.” (Studies have revealed severe adverse health effects related to the consumption of genetically modified foods.)

2.) “The provision’s language was written in collusion with Monsanto… the fact that Sen. Roy Blunt, Republican of Missouri worked with Monsanto on a provision that in effect allows them to keep selling seeds, which can then go on to be planted, even if it is found to be harmful to consumers, is stunning.”

3.) “Many members of Congress were apparently unaware that the ‘Monsanto Protection Act’ existed within the bill they were voting on.” HR 933 was a spending bill aimed at averting a government shutdown.

     “In this hidden backroom deal, Sen. [Barbara] Mikulski turned her back on consumer, environmental and farmer protection in favor of corporate welfare for biotech companies such as Monsanto,” Andrew Kimbrell, executive director of the the Center for Food Safety said in a statement. “This abuse of power is not the kind of leadership the public has come to expect from Sen. Mikulski or the Democrat Majority in the Senate.”

4.) “On Tuesday, Obama signed HR 933 while the rest of the nation fixated on gay marriage as the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral argument concerning California’s Proposition 8.” (250,000 voters signed a petition opposing the provision.)

5.) The precedent, the message it sends is that corporations can get around consumer protections and safety. It suggests that court challenges are a privilege, not a right.)

As Russia has previously warned the Obama regime that global war could very well erupt over the Americans seeming hatred of the global environment, from the people in the United States itself there appears to be no notice of these things….and for the simple reason that they aren’t being told.

Sorcha Faal
WhatDoesItMean

Trial of Tsochatzopoulos Continues

The trial of former defence minister Akis Tsochatzopoulos and another 18 defendants, charged with money-laundering and taking kickbacks for armaments' procurements programs, is continuing. The trial opened this week with the continuation of testimony by finance ministry financial crime squad (SDOE) official Nikos Maitos and his cross-examination by defence lawyers.

Press reports said that Criminal Appeals court president Christos Katsianis chastised SDOE for not trying to locate the real owners of the American offshore Nobilis, which transferred ownership of a neoclassical house located at the foothills of the Acropolis to Tsochatzopoulos' wife Vicky Stamatis.

He also criticised SDOE for the lack of thoroughness in its reports on the case.

Appeal to the Greek Population for Testimonies

Our blogger friends in Germany are asking all Greek citizens who have suffered greatly from the ongoing recession ,as a result of the strict austerity measures imposed by the Troika, to write about their ordeals and send it ASAP to the International Criminal Court in The Hague so that it can be used as testimony in the following case.

http://unser-politikblog.blogspot.de/2013/05/appeal-to-english-speaking-greek.html

FROM: Sarah Luzia Hassel-Reusing
Thorner Str. 7
42283 Wuppertal (Germany)
+49/202/2502621
human rights activist

file number: OTP-CR-345/12

Dear ladies and gentlemen,

On 21.11.2012, I filed at the International Criminal Court (ICC) at The Hague a charge against unknown for the suspicion of a crime against humanity because of intentions and, at the same time, systematic and broad-scale damage to the health of the Greek population (art.7 par. 1 lit. k Roman Statute).

Everyone has the human right to the, for the respective person, highest attainable standard of physical and mental health (art. 12 UN Social Pact). In addition to that, the human right to health is protected for women by art. 12 of the UN women's rights convention (CEDAW) and for children by art. 24 UN children's rights convention (CRC).

Furthermore, children have to be protected, according to art. 19 CRC, against damages. As a result, the human right to health needs to be less affected by austerity measures than any other social human right.

I have directed consciously directed the charge against unknown, because so many persons (among them the Troika consisting of EU Commission, IMF, and ECB, the Eurogroup Working Group of the financial undersecretaries, the financial ministers superior to them, and many external counsellors and lobbyists) are involved in the drafts and in the decisions on the conditions in connection with the loans of Greece Support and EFSF, that presumably only the files of the coming into existence of the conditions and testimonies will bring clearness, which concrete persons are responsible for those conditions, which have led to the damage of so many inhabitants and citizens of Greece.

The guilty persons must be detected and be held accountable, and the damaging of the health of the Greeks by the austerity measures must be stopped.

I have, in my charge, shown connections between the conditions and their results to the hunger and to the damaging of the health system at Greece, partly by referring to evidence, which had already been filed by Mr. Georgios Tragkas and his colleagues.

According the pieces of information available to me, the damages to the health have been caused especially by the cuts in the health sector and by the causing of hunger, but also by the causing of homelessness and by lacking financial means for the heating of apartments.

The evidence filed up to now are all on an abstract level. What especially is missing yet, are testimonies of concrete inhabitants of Greece, whose health has been damaged by the austerity measures. Also testimonies of friends and relatives of Greek people, who have died because of health damages caused by the austerity measures, or who committed suicide because of the effects of the austerity measures, are important.

The thing is, to show to the ICC not only abstract number, articles, and statistics, but also the human perspective. The point is, that not only journalists and human rights activists, but especially as many victims as possible themselves testify and so actively engage for justice and for the punishing of the perpetrators.

And for this purpose of giving evidence, I need your support in the way, that you send your testimony to the ICC at The Hague in English language and referring to the file number OTP-CR-345/12.
According to art. 15 Roman Statute, everyone can send evidential pieces of information regarding presumable cases of crimes according to the Roman Statute..

The address for sending evidence is, according to the website of the International Criminal Court:

International Criminal Court
Information and Evidence Unit
Office of the Prosecutor
Post Office Box 19519
2500 CM The Hague
The Netherlands
or sent by facsimile to +31 70 515 8555.

The point at issue is the damaging of the health by concrete austerity measures. Please explain, since which time your health has been damaged by which measure.

This can refer to medicaments or to health services of physicians, which are not available any more or only with unaffordable co-payments or self-payments, or not any more close enough to the place where you live.
If you are starving, the point for your testimony is, since when and because of which cuts (e. g. of your pension or of your wage) you have not had any more enough means for your sufficient nutrition. Also if the loosening of the protection against unjustified dismissal or the rise of specific costs of living are the cause, your testimony is important.

Please also testify, if you are not undernourished only because you are supported by a charitable organization. .

If you have become homeless, or if you have to live in an unheated apartment because of a lack of financial means, please also explain, since when because of which cuts you have not been able any more to afford the necessary means.

If possible, please attach to your letter to the ICC also photocopies of pieces of evidence, which show, that with the financial means available to you, the necessary costs for food, apartment, or health could not be paid any more.

If you have pieces of evidence, since when the persons, who have drafted or decided on the conditions for Greece, must have known, what they cause to the health of the citizens and of the inhabitants of Greece with these conditions, please inform the ICC and also me about these pieces of evidence. Because a crime against humanity (art. 7 Roman Statute) exists only with a certain degree of intention, that one knows respectively must know, what one causes, but that one nevertheless does it.

Every testimony with evidential pieces of information regarding the damaging of the health of concrete persons by the conditions is an important contribution to the solution. In addition to that, the more evidential testimonies are filed, the more is shown to the ICC, that it is important to the citizens and the inhabitants of Greece, to give a high priority to the detection of the persons responsible for the damaging of the health and to the deterrence against further damages.

With friendly greetings,
Sarah Luzia Hassel-Reusing

link to the address of the ICC for the filing of testimonies and pieces of evidence according to art. 15 Roman Statute - http://www.icc-cpi.int/en_menus/icc/about%20the%20court/practical%20information/Pages/contact.aspx

BOOK OPPORTUNITY - Treasury of Greek Mythology: Classic Stories of Gods, Goddesses, Heroes & Monsters

The new National Geographic Treasury of Greek Mythology offers timeless stories of Greek myths in a beautiful new volume. Brought to life with lyrical text by award-winning author Donna Jo Napoli and stunning artwork by award-winning illustrator Christina Balit, the tales of gods and goddesses such as Zeus, Aphrodite, Apollo, and Athena and heroes and monsters such as Helen of Troy, Perseus, and Medusa will fascinate and engage children’s imaginations.

National Geographic completes the book with embellishments of each story: sidebars for each god, goddess, hero, and monster link the myths to constellations, geography, history, and culture to help young readers connect the stories to real life events, people, and places. A family tree and a “cast of characters” profile page help make relationships between the characters clear, and a mapping feature adds to the fun and fascination. Resource notes and ample back matter directing readers to more information round out this luminous book. Sure to dazzle all those intrigued with the fantastic tales of Greek mythology and enchant new readers, this vibrant book will soon become a family keepsake.

*Remember that by purchasing a book from the list of Amazon books that HellasFrappe suggests to you, you are also helping out HellasFrappe! So you not only gain a great book, but you also help out our blog! Simply click on the icon above the text and make your order today!

Samaras: Greece Can Easily Become China's Gateway to Europe

Greece, given its geographic location, can be China's gateway to Europe and Europe's to China, Prime Minister Antonis Samaras said this week at an event at Athens' Intercontinental hotel, hosted by the Union of Greek Ship Owners and the Hellenic Chamber of Shipping, on the occasion of the European Maritime Day and Hellenic Maritime Day.

The Greek premier noted that Greece could play this role as it has a pioneer commercial fleet worldwide. He reiterated that there should be interest in investing in this sector and referred to the successful investment model of China's Cosco in the port of Piraeus.

He added that Greece has now consolidated its position in Europe and the country should be placed on the world map, guided by shipping and tourism. But there should be interest for investments in other sectors, too, he said.

Earlier, Samaras chaired a meeting of cabinet ministers to assess the results of his visit to China last week. The meeting also focused on mapping out a strategy to be followed from now on, aimed at implementing agreements signed in China and enhancing cooperation between the two countries.

Upon decision of premier Samaras, a Coordination Group was formed, which will be in constant contact with all ministers involved for the speedy implementation of these agreements.

Samaras also briefed President of the Republic Karolos Papoulias on his visit to China and Azerbaijan and on the government's progress.

(Combined Reports, AMNA)

Boutaris Says Frangoulis Frangos "Is Dangerous" - Ti Pineis Re Dimarxe & Den mas Dineis?

Thessaloniki Mayor Yiannis Boutaris, who is not really one of our favorite people, has probably just created many, many enemies in the northern Greek city, and we here at HellasFrappe highly doubt that he will ever be elected as mayor again. At the weekend, and on the sidelines of his meeting with the leader of the "Agreement for A New Greece," Andreas Loverdos, Boutaris had the audacity to criticize the former Chief of the Hellenic Armed Forces Frangoulis Frangos, for basically being a patriot.

It should be reminded that Boutaris, who advocates for gay pride parades, and closer Turkish cooperation, was hand selected by George Papandreou to run as Mayor of Thessaloniki. This past winter, billionaire George Soros also took a liking to him and apparently made a handsome donation to the municipality with the excuse of heating some schools (Editor - uhmmm... clearing throat).

Boutaris expressed his dissatisfaction with what Frangoulis Frangos said at an event that was held on Sunday commemorating the Genocide of the Greek Pontus people.

In his speech in Thessaloniki Frangoulis Frangos talked about the "genocide of the Memorandum", urging the government and opposition to finally bring the people's agony to an end.

      "Today we are experiencing another genocide, which is occurring at the expense of the Greek people. Our young people, the youth and the future of Greece, due to unemployment which stands at 60%, find it difficult to marry and have children. Even those who do work with wages that do not conform to country- member of the European Union, (are affected)."

He added that the government and the opposition must resolve this problem right away so that the people can start believing that they will see a light at the end of the tunnel. He also said that excuses such Greece is in dire financial straits, will not be tolerated.

We agree, so what is Boutaris' problem?

Is it because Mr. Boutaris is noticing that the citizens of Thessaloniki are realizing that he is better skilled to operate his wine business and not the management of Greece's second city? Or is it because he is feeling a little bit of heat under the collar because Frangoulis Frangos continues to advocate for the rights of the Greek people, their history and especially this country's culture? Is it because Frangos could mass thousands of people together in a flick of the wrist, whereas Boutaris needs his campaign people to do so, or is it because the former General of the Greek Armed Forces has a wide acceptance with the public (right and left) and is someone that is extremely highly respected in Greece?

We here at HellasFrappe do not know what Boutaris' beef is, but we suspect that the same people that supported him politically, meaning the pseudo-leftist powers of Papandreou and his clan (both domestically and internationally) do not want citizens in Thessaloniki, or in other areas of Macedonia to remember atrocities such as the genoicide of hundreds of thousands of Greeks in Pontus and Asia Minor, and certainly Mr. Boutaris does not want people in Macedonia to be united. In fact George Papandreou, and the PASOK party has worked hard to separate the Greeks for the past three decades.

So why is Boutaris so bothered by Frangoulis Frangos?

Well the various Pontian associations and organizations which are scattered throughout Thessaloniki are not on very good terms with Boutaris.

Last year he and the Pontian associations were at odds end over the use of the city's main square. This year, Boutaris might of given the associations the right to use the square for their commemoration (because municipal elections are around the corner) but Pontian Greeks might forgive, but they sure as hell never forget. One of the basic reasons for this is because of Boutaris' ongoing pro-Turkish statements.

At the end of the commemoration on Sunday the criticism and good old fashioned heckling (and boos) against Boutaris were indeed very loud and very intense. When the organizers decided to thank the Thessaloniki Mayor for his support at the event, the only thing that was heard was a loud dissatisfaction of the people.

On Monday night, and on the last day of the two-day event, the same criticism was heard.

This time it was Boutaris' turn to speak, and certainly the people did not hold off on their emotions towards him. They literally verbally attacked Boutaris who dared to criticize Frangoulis Frangos, who was the keynote speaker at the event of Pontian Associations a day earlier.

    "Wow, what he (Frangoulis) said yesterday (Sunday night) is dangerous. He is only pouring oil on fire (meaning between Greeks and Turks)," said Boutaris.

This stunned all those who were present and Boutaris was suddenly booed and hissed by everyone present once again.

After these statements, various reporters asked the retired Chief of the Hellenic Armed Forces to comment on Boutaris' statements. So what did this patriot say, as opposed to the man who is so pro-Turkey?

     "Everyone has a right to have an opinion. My speech was a historical reference for the event. I have not provoked anyone. On the contrary, I honored him" noted Frangoulis Frangos, leaving everyone to draw their own conclusions.

This is how real men (with oumbala as we say in Greece) responds. And certainly this is how a Greek democrat who has decency, who is well cultured , educated and a patriot responds! Not someone who pretends to be Greek, and endorses the Ottoman culture every chance he gets!

In fact Boutaris' grand admiration and determination to endorse the Ottoman culture in Thessaloniki has indeed shocked and annoyed many citizens in the city, and at times he is so passionate about his beliefs that he forgets to follow protocol. 0ne such foul-up happened on Monday night after his verbal attack against Frangoulis, when he accidentally let it slip out that the FYROManian language is actually "Macedonian".

This obvious screw up occurred at a municipal council meeting and while he was referring to a Skopjan plaque to Rome, which, he said, was written in the "Macedonian" language. Boutaris obvious foul offended many who were present and Theophilus Pateli, who is a city councillor for the "Creative Team" party under conservative MP Costas Gkioulekas, decided to intervene.

"FYROManian Mr Mayor" said Patelli correcting Boutaris, but the Mayor of Thessaloniki insisted and then pointed out that he is a Vlach who was born in Nymphaeum, where, he added, in the past the "Macedonian" language was spoken by the Vlach people!

Ti Pineis Re Dimarxe & Den mas Dineis?

ΕΛΕΟΣ!

Signed
HellasFrappe

References
http://www.eglimatikotita.gr/2013/05/blog-post_6863.html
http://www.inews.gr/135/i-nea-kontra-boutari--fragkou-kai-i-proklisi-me-ti-glossa-ton-skopion.htm
http://taxalia.blogspot.com/2013/05/blog-post_5247.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+blogspot/nJOIs+%28TaXalia:+Macedonia%27s+Nr.1+blog%29

BOOK OPPORTUNITY - Greek Revival: Cooking for Life

Take eighty-seven ambrosial recipes designed for the needs and appetites of everyday cooks, leaven with delectable anecdotes about the Greek lifestyle, then pepper with revealing scientific insight, and the result is Greek Revival: Cooking for Life--an appetizing introduction to wonderful flavors and health benefits of the traditional Mediterranean diet. Patricia Moore-Pastides, an accomplished cook and public-health professional, presents dozens of easy-to-make and impossible-to-resist recipes that infuse a healthful diet with the enticement of great taste.

Greek Revival showcases a pantheon of healthy recipes, accompanied by beautiful color illustrations, helpful preparation techniques, and tips for making the most of familiar ingredients, from colorful fresh fruits and vegetables, to whole grains, beans, and seafood. These natural flavors are enhanced by rich extra-virgin olive oil, so the delectable dishes are savored without guilt. Following Greek tradition, meat is not eliminated from the diet, but rather saved for special occasion, and you will find a variety of succulent and creative meat recipes in Greek Revival as well. Always mindful of time, health, and budget, the author makes wonderful use of natural, minimally processed ingredients readily found in most neighborhood supermarkets. Recipes include dolmades (grape leaves stuffed with cracked wheat and pine nuts), imam baildi (caramelized eggplant), gemista (vegetables stuffed with barley and mint), xifias souvlaki (herbed swordfish kebabs), tavas (oven-roasted onion, tomato and lamb stew), karidopita (spiced walnut cake), and many more.

Throughout the book Moore-Pastides shares lively stories of her days living in Greece and Cyprus that exemplify the enduring charm of an Old World lifestyle. Through her tales we see a snapshot of a world lost to fast-paced modern living, and we are introduced to the health benefits of the Mediterranean lifestyle. Her observations are supported with illuminating summaries of current scientific research. Health-conscious readers looking to improve their diets and protect themselves from the perils of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, cancer, and Alzheimer's disease will find hope in the author's research, presented in a way that is accessible and inspiring.

 *Remember that by purchasing a book from the list of Amazon books that HellasFrappe suggests to you, you are also helping out HellasFrappe! So you not only gain a great book, but you also help out our blog! Simply click on the icon above the text and make your order today!

US Diaspora Donates US $100,000 For Children in Need in Greece

Archbishop Ieronymos, who is still in the US on an official trip, reportedly received a donation of US $100.000 from Archbishop Demetrios of America as an initial amount to help the children in Greece that are in need. The contribution was made after the Archiepiscopal common liturgy in the Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Trinity in Manhattan, New York.

Addressing the congregation afterwards, Ieronymos noted that in Greece people are suffering and that there’s a lot of pain. He said that he was optimistic that this would pass that that the only thing that was needed was to "keep our souls strong.”

He then hailed the Diaspora of America by stressing that they constitute "a Greece, outside of Greece".