ERT TV free broadcast

I may not agree with management and nepotism in the greek state tv ERT but to shut down a national broadcaster leaves you with a sense of been in a dictatorship. The emperor Samaras with this action unfortunately reinforces the impression that he is only good as samaras.

You can watch ERT streaming here:

http://www3.ebu.ch/cms/en/sites/ebu/contents/news/2013/06/monitor-ert-online.html

Poem For Greece [Ποίημα για την Ελλάδα] - Ξένος στο πλακόστρωτο

Some time ago and whilst seeing the carnage of my country (GREECE) I felt like shouting. Shouting to all of my fellow Greeks that do not seem to understand their predicament and worst of all they do not want to do anything about it. If I wanted to express my feeling to my fellow Greeks I would have to write a 500 page book but even then I did not think it would make any difference to them.
Yet it is difficult to bottle your feeling of rage and despair when feel that you are in dream in which your screams are silent. It all came up in the poem below. For those non-Greek I apologise but I will try to translate it later on.

Πριν από λίγο καιρό, και βλέποντας το μακελειό της χώρας μου, ένιωσα την ανάγκη να φωνάξω. Να φωνάξω σε όλους τους συμπατριώτες μου που δεν φαίνεται να κατανοούν την κατάσταση και το χειρότερο από όλα, δεν θέλουν να κάνουν τίποτα γι 'αυτήν. Αν ήθελα να εκφράσω τα αισθήματά μου για τους συμπατριώτες μου θα έπρεπε να γράψω ένα βιβλίο με 500 σελίδες, αλλά ακόμα και αυτό δεν πιστεύω  ότι θα αλλάξει  τίποτα

Ωστόσο, είναι δύσκολο να σφραγιστούν το αίσθημα της οργής και της απελπισίας, όταν αισθάνεστε ότι βρίσκεστε σε όνειρο στο οποίο κραυγές σου είναι σιωπηλές. Όλα αυτά, κατέληξαν στο παρακάτω ποίημα.

Ξένος στο πλακόστρωτο (Παναγιώτης Παντελίδης – Panagiotis Pantelidis)

Αγκαλιάζω τα κύματα,

που είδαν τα ταξίδια του Οδυσσέα

Αναπνέω στον Όλυμπο,

τον αέρα των θεών

Αγναντεύω απ' τον Άθωνα,

την γαλήνη στην καρδιά

Και Δακρύζουν τα ματιά μου,

όταν περνώ τοις πύλες του Ελλησπόντου

Ξεχασμένες πατρίδες,

χάνονται με τοις μνήμες που σβήνουν

Ηλιοκαμένα πρόσωπα!

Μυρίζω το γιασεμί στον ώμο σου,

που τύλιξε τις πύλες του Διός

Δακρύζω στον πόνο,

που φέρνουν οι αμανέδες της χαμένης Μικρασίας

Διαβάζω τον όμηρο,

που άναψε το φως για τον Καβάφη

Ακούω τον απόηχο,

που ξυπνάει το Βυζάντιο κάθε Κυριακή

Χορεύω στην πανήγυρη,

πάνω στα βήματα του Καραΐσκάκη

Κοιτάζω γύρο μου· πιο σήμερα θα μείνει στα παιδιά του αύριο;

Γύρισα τον κόσμο, μα ο κόσμος με γύρισε πίσω.

Η θάλασσα γκρίζα και ο ήλιος κρύος όταν έχεις την Ελλάδα στις φλέβες σου

Σε Ξαναείδα·

όχι την νεράιδα που άφησα, μα μια νέα που δεν γνώρισα

Τα βήματα συρτά όταν η καρδιά βαραίνει.

Το βλέμμα θολό όταν η καρδιά βουρκώνει.

Γύρισα μα δεν σε βρήκα.

Ελλάδα· Ελλάδα της ψυχής μου

Ελλάδα των αναμνήσεων μου.

Universities have passed their sale by date.

We need to have a radical rethink the role of the Universities. Their traditional role has been to provide a level of education relevant to employment requirements. However, the job market map has changed and will change further in the the next decade. Is it worth spending all that money educating individual that will then be employed at a low paid clerical jobs? We must face the truth and take action. We must face the fact that Big businesses are leaving Britain and those remaining are employing at the global market for specialist skills. Thus Universities should change their structure to produce entrepreneurs and not supermarket shelve stackers.

Greece: Economic downturn will do us good - Time to end waste.

The economic downturn is hitting the Greek economy. As a Greek living abroad I say GOOD. Am I spiteful? Am I bitter? Do I hate my compatriots?

None of the above.

However, the situation in Greece has become so unbearable at all levels that is leading to stagnation. If a few years of stagnation and hardship are needed to create a better tomorrow then let it be it.

What do I mean this?

Let me explain. Greece as a country has always verged at the edges of bankruptcy. One would think that in such an environment the populous of a country would also verge at edge of destitute. On the contrary, unlike any logical scenario, my fellow Greeks in Greece live a wonderful life with minimal work effort, high returns, annual expensive holidays and real estate (both primary and holiday homes) that would make any European envious.

So how is this achieved especially in a country in which 46% of the population are classified a permanent civil servants and as such they do not contribute to the creation of wealth?

Tax evasion is part of the answer. Spending what has already been accumulated by previous generations is another part of the answer. Living beyond the means is the final part of the puzzle that will destroy my country.

All of these have to be corrected and to be corrected they have to be addressed. However, anyone that has had to deal with Greek civil service, the Greek educational system, the Greek Tax office, will tell you one thing. Nothing works. People have been to places of power and placed key positions not because of their ability but because of their political affiliation and as such it is not in their interest to change the status quo.

What is the incentive for the tax officer to do his job when he knows that he will be bribed the moment he appears to investigate the shopkeeper.

What is the incentive for the shopkeeper to pay his worker the correct amount of money and national insurance or to accept that his profit has to be reasonable and not 500% when he has to find extra money to pay for his child’s education because the teaching is not up to standard at schools

What is the incentive for the teacher to teach when he realy did not want to be a teacher but the University entry system has force him to this career path and now no-one can fire him for doing a bad job of for not working because he is a public servant (that’s the law in Greece).

What is the incentive for the to the university student to do learn with passion since he is allowed to take go through to the final year of university without passing the exams from the first year at university. (this tells you much about the relevance of what is been taught at universities in Greece)

What is the incentive for the new graduate to progress in life when his lecturer, teacher and guide of his future demands that you buy his book (or photocopied notes) if he wants to pass the exams since for the lecturer this is extra income? (This is a good example to the student of of what he will see in the rest of your life in Greece).

What is the incentive for the doctor to treat you and treat you correctly when he demands that you pay him in a brown envelop if he is to do a good job. Otherwise, he may have to be busy until you find the money. (by the way he is already being paid by the Greek NHS as a consultant and what he is doing is illegal but who cares since he pays the Tax man anyway).

What is the incentive to make Greece a great country when all of its components are rotten?

What you do with the rot? You get rid of it and replace it with solid wood but while in the process you take the whole structure apart.

This is what is needed in Greece and if this requires drastic measures let it be it.

As for me?

Last time I tried to go back in an academic post advertised to all qualified, I found out that there was no point applying because the post was already spoken for.

So there you are. Different rules exist for Greeks and different for Greece. Maybe it is about time that two coincided.

Let us try and make thing better

Panagiotis

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Greece politics and money

The economic downturn is hitting the Greek economy. As a Greek living abroad I say GOOD. Am I spiteful? Am I bitter? Do I hate my compatriots?

None of the above.

However, the situation in Greece has become so unbearable at all levels that is leading to stagnation. It is sad to say but we as nation have not matured. We have not reached the level when we can have a planned development. As a result development can only take place when necessity dictates and a few years of hardship are needed to kick start a stagnant state to a better tomorrow.

What do I mean this?

Let me explain. Greece as a country has always verged at the edge of bankruptcy. One would think that in such an environment the citizens of a country would also verge at edge of destitute. On the contrary, unlike any logical scenario, my fellow Greeks in Greece live a wonderful life with minimal work effort, high returns, expensive holidays and several real estate investments that would make any European envious. I often naively wandered how is it possible that I, with a descent income, can only afford a single home after years of mortgage and yet a civil servant in a small town in Greece can have two town houses and a holiday home.

Were does this wealth come from in a country in which 46% of the population are civil servants and as such they do not contribute to the creation of wealth?

Tax evasion is part of the answer. Spending what has already been accumulated by previous generations is another part of the answer. Living beyond the means on borrowed money is the final part of the puzzle that will destroy my country.

All of these have to be corrected and to be corrected they have to be addressed. However, anyone that had to deal with the Greek civil service, the Greek educational system, the Greek Tax office, will tell you one thing. Nothing works. People have been put into places of power not for their ability but because of their political affiliation and as such it is not in their interest to change the status quo.

What is the incentive for the tax officer to do his job when he knows that he will be bribed if he tries to investigate the shopkeeper.

What is the incentive for the shopkeeper to pay his workers the correct minimum wage, to the state the VAT or to accept that his profit has to be reasonable and not 500%, when he knows that he has to pay extra for his child’s education because the teachers do not do their jobs in state schools.

What is the incentive for the school teacher to devote his live to education when in reality he never wanted to become a teacher but the University entry system has force him to this career and not the one of his choice.

What is the purpose of an education system that will allow a university student to reach the final year of education without completing the exams from all previous years and he is allowed to take subject exams as he/she sees fit. This tells you much about the relevance of what is taught at Greek universities.

What example is given to the new generation of graduates when their tutors demand that they have to buy the tutor’s book (bad imitation of good academic books) in order to pass the exams. These books are extra income to the tutors.

What tell you of a nation when your health, which is the most basic right, is in the hands of a Greek Nantional Health Service doctor, public servant, that will demand extra undeclared money in a brown envelope in order to treat you at the most vulnerable point of your life.

What is the incentive to make Greece a great country when all its components are rotten?

What you do with the rot? You get rid of it and replace it with solid wood but while in the process you take the whole structure apart.

This is what is needed in Greece and if this requires drastic measures let it be it.

As for me?

Last time I tried to go back I was met by the status quo.

I think Seferis was so right

we took our lives; wrong! And we changed life.” G. Seferis, Arnisi.

All the answers

It is so easy to believe that life is simple. 

Go to work, earn money, buy things go holidays. 

Then you decide to play grownup.

Get married, have kids, go to work, earn money, go fewer holidays, buy more expensive things.

Then the world starts to turn upside down. Suddenly, the streets are not safe anymore. The jobs are not that secure and everyone is telling you that is going to get worst before it gets better.

The question that comes to mind is: What is it all about?

Why am I here?

Some times I look at what I am doing and I ask my self : so what?

It use to be simpler in years gone past. It was so hard making a living that going through life and providing for your family was an achievement by it self. 

Can you say the same now? NO

What I want you to do is to think. For the next week think what it is life for you and tell me.