The Poverty of the Greek people

[Ephilant]

While Samaras and Merkel are spouting their predictable crap inside at the press conference ("still a long way to go", "great progress" ," Greece needs to stay with the program")
Syntagma square is a battle field, once again. Tear gas, stun grenades, hoodies, fire bombs, the works. So far, 1 casualty in hospital, loads of detentions and a good few arrests. More to come, no doubt.

[DCon]

A nice welcoming committee

[TotalMayhem]

Ungreateful bunch, Merkel just gave 'em 30 Million yoyos.

[Captain Con O'Sullivan]

Time for a Big Wooden Horse at the Brandenburg Gate some misty morning...

[Ephilant]

192 detentions, 12 arrests, 2 casualties (1 civilian who had a heart attack, 1 policeman who got a stone on the head. Apparently it was a big stone...)

The night is young.....

[Ephilant]

While Samaras is too busy brown-nosing his masters, very unsavoury things are happening in this country.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012...torture-police

[fluffybiscuits]

Samaras really does know how to piss people off

He opens the press conference with


Somebody should tell him to have a look out the window...

With a stone coming through...

[Ephilant]

Signs of the times...

Driven by lack of, if not totally lacking money, many Greeks, especially in the cities, have turned their flat roof tops into roof gardens, growing food. The wonderful thing that is happening is that these gardens are in a large amount of cases not owned by individuals, but are a communal garden for all those living in the block.
Somehow, i don't think this is an expected result of the sheer poverty some of those people have been driven in to. I also don't think that the powers that be will like the development. If people start working together on this level, God knows what unholy things they might come up with if they start thinking together as well.
It simply wouldn't do to have people thinking for themselves....

[Captain Con O'Sullivan]

Reaction to the distant corporate enemy on a psychological level ... I do love it when the weird pendulum starts to swing.

Localism, regionalism and nationalism about to be revived and we can see that in small ways and in big ways in the papers.

Grist to the mill and sod the corporate right and centralist left.

[Ephilant]

When the going gets though, the though go pink! One of the local football teams in Larissa has turned heads and raised eyebrows when they appeared in their new kit.

After finding it very difficult to stay together as a club without sponsorship, the Voukefalas team landed the most unlike of sponsorships deals, and also landed themselves in hot water with some god-fearing good souls in Larissa.

Through the "connections" of their reserve goalie, the club landed itself a joint sponsorship deal from "Villa Erotica" and "Soula's House of History", 2 of the more notorious bordellos in Larissa. Prostitution is legal in Greece, so there was no problem there. The problems arose when the boys came out in their new kit, and the new sponsors with entourage came out in force to cheer them on. It resulted in a 1 game ban, which is being appealed, for bringing the game into disrepute. The team supporter alleges game fixing by the local priest. I predict lots of flying frappe.
Soula Alivredou, the new sponsor, is disappointed, but thinks the furore will die down and then she can get down to business and develop the team. The players have all been "offered a nice day out" in the villa if they win their next game...

[fluffybiscuits]

Signs of the times...

Driven by lack of, if not totally lacking money, many Greeks, especially in the cities, have turned their flat roof tops into roof gardens, growing food. The wonderful thing that is happening is that these gardens are in a large amount of cases not owned by individuals, but are a communal garden for all those living in the block.
Somehow, i don't think this is an expected result of the sheer poverty some of those people have been driven in to. I also don't think that the powers that be will like the development. If people start working together on this level, God knows what unholy things they might come up with if they start thinking together as well.
It simply wouldn't do to have people thinking for themselves....

This is a reaction perhaps to a lack of food and money. Its a wonderful idea, fosters a sense of community and creates a level of team work and intercommunity dialogue. You get to know your neighbours in other words. There is potential there to alleviate some suffering. The Greeks have to be admired for this.,..

[Ephilant]

How Sick does it get?

The Troika, with the capable cooperation of the current Greek government, has all but destroyed the health care system in this country.
On a daily basis we hear from totally disgusted and disillusioned doctors and nurses about the situation in hospitals, which is more often than not less than 3rd world. Not to mention the fact that the vast majority of these people have simply not been paid for months on end and are really working to the letter of their Hippocratic Oath. We hear from people who simply cannot afford their medication any longer, and we now hear of the latest scam, no doubt sponsored by the Pharmaceutical Industry, whereby a doctor has the choice to prescribed generic or brand name drug. If the doctor prescribes brand name drugs, the patient pays the difference out of his own pocket, plus 10%. Most doctors prescribe brand name drugs....
Today, in a EU sponsored study, the Hellenic Chamber of Hotels is looking at the bright side and forecasts 400 million € in extra revenue as a result of "Medical Tourism".
Apart from the fact that this quite clearly sends the message that the level of health care depends on your how much you are willing to pay, the real question is "Where are they going to provide this health care for the rich?" Or are we going to read soon about an EU sponsored grant-aid system for building private health care centres?

[fluffybiscuits]

How Sick does it get?

The Troika, with the capable cooperation of the current Greek government, has all but destroyed the health care system in this country.
On a daily basis we hear from totally disgusted and disillusioned doctors and nurses about the situation in hospitals, which is more often than not less than 3rd world. Not to mention the fact that the vast majority of these people have simply not been paid for months on end and are really working to the letter of their Hippocratic Oath. We hear from people who simply cannot afford their medication any longer, and we now hear of the latest scam, no doubt sponsored by the Pharmaceutical Industry, whereby a doctor has the choice to prescribed generic or brand name drug. If the doctor prescribes brand name drugs, the patient pays the difference out of his own pocket, plus 10%. Most doctors prescribe brand name drugs....
Today, in a EU sponsored study, the Hellenic Chamber of Hotels is looking at the bright side and forecasts 400 million € in extra revenue as a result of "Medical Tourism".
Apart from the fact that this quite clearly sends the message that the level of health care depends on your how much you are willing to pay, the real question is "Where are they going to provide this health care for the rich?" Or are we going to read soon about an EU sponsored grant-aid system for building private health care centres?

This is what is happening in Hungary at the moment. There is a huge industry in dentistry that people from Western Europe are taking advantage of and using. From this medical tourism though are a lot of doctors and nurses going to jump ship and set up clinics offering what we may deem inexpensive procedures but which are out of the reach of the average Greek working person? You are very right in your assumption, this could very well lead to a two tier health system that is not just two tier but creates an enormous gulf .

[Sam Lord]

They're spreading ...

ASTORIA, QUEENS, NEW YORK, October 9 — Over 200 people rallied in a church this evening to discuss preventing the Greek neo-Nazi group Golden Dawn from opening an office in this largely Greek neighborhood. A number of people from Greece were there, including one of the former leaders of the Stella D’Oro strike in the Bronx, as well as teachers, students and labor activists.

http://www.plp.org/challenge/2012/10...nazi-gang.html

[20 yards of linen=1 coat]

While Samaras is too busy brown-nosing his masters, very unsavoury things are happening in this country.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012...torture-police

more on that here

http://blog.occupiedlondon.org/2012/...-headquarters/

http://blog.occupiedlondon.org/2012/...ion-in-athens/

extremely disturbing. this too

http://blog.occupiedlondon.org/2012/...rosia-montana/