ισχυροί βόρειοι άνεμοι που φυσάνε στην ανατολική Mεσόγειο ιδίως κατά το καλοκαίρι. strong northerly winds blowing in the eastern mediterranean especially during the summer.

Category Archives: austerity

Austerity, taxes and grenades

I was going to the local tax office this afternoon in Greece (I needed to pay a fee for the replacement of a lost ID card) and as I was approaching I noticed several police cars, cops cordoning off the sidewalk and after a little bit a fire truck, ambulance and military truck as well as a few unmarked vans pulling up. Apparently an employee noticed a hand grenade at the balcony of the 2nd floor and they called police and evacuated the building. As I was leaving the bomb squad was moving in with their remote robot and police were evacuating all nearby buildings.
I don’t know how, or when, the grenade ended up there but enough people are angry about all the tax increases and new taxes that it is hard not to jump to conclusions. And, judging from the side conversations I overheard, many of the people milling around didn’t seem at all upset at the prospect of a tax office getting blown up.

Faith in people and community

Yesterday afternoon I was in the center of Athens with my mother and after we finished some errands and visiting with some friends we decided to stop by a local place that she likes, to get something to eat. Just outside the entrance an older man was pacing around, hand slightly extended, muttering over and…Continue Reading

Swift “justice”

A few days ago a young girl died from poisonous fumes in Greece after she and her mother had been using a homemade brazier to heat their apartment when their electricity was cut off for non-payment. You would think that this is as bad as things could get for the poor mother but no. She…Continue Reading

Austerity and how the rich are getting richer

Just so that we don’t forget who this is a crisis for and who benefits from the “austerity” measures. “Whereas in 2009 the wealthiest fifth of the population had incomes that were five times higher than the poorer fifth, they now earn 7.5 times more, according to Manos Matsanganis, an associate professor at the Athens…Continue Reading