It certainly has advantages to wake up early in the morning. Especially in a sunny morning. Especially at this time of the season. Although we are in first ten days of November, the sun still shines bright, even though a bit more chilly than in the previous month. It shines …
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Crete: Debts and no job: man shoots himself with a rifle
Debts? No job? A man saw no way out of the many problems. He took a hunting rifle and shot himself in the face. However he survived the suicide attempt even though the shot hit the jawbones. HE was transferred to a nearby hospital. According to local media reports, the …
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Three little birds sitting …on a wire
It’s time for the birds. For angry birds, for hungry birds, for birds longing to move away and they can’t. There are several different hindering these birds from open wings and fly away. To other places with less financial distress, less trouble-causing bureaucracy. Somewhere where the state mechanism functions and …
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Greece is boiling… with empty pockets
I am not going to talk about the masses of municipality workers and policemen, civil servants, teachers and school guards who take to the streets every day protesting the upcoming lay-offs in the Greek public sector. I am going to talk about my friend Markos and my friend Giota. Two people …
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Huffington Post: Bill Frezza “How Long Until Junta?”
How long does it take until Greek society explodes under the heavy load of austerity measures? “How long will these proud people put up with such degradation?” asks himself Bill Frezza, a Greek-American whose columns appear in Forbes and The Huffington Post. Frezza’s article appears in KTG with the author’s …
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Man Commits Suicide After Being Deprived of Disability Pension
“Wife, I won’t come back home. I have nothing to offer. I’m nothing. I love you all. Take care of the children … ” With these words Giorgos Chatzis made a last phone call to his family and bade farewell. Then he moved to put an end to his life. Giorgos …
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Do You Have an Idea What’s Really Going On in Greece?
Many trees make a big forest. And many puzzle pieces make a big picture. Let’s take the example of a normal day, like today: September 20th. It would be a normal day some years ago. Let’s say in 2005. People would go to work without any problems, would do their duty and return home. Members …
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Social Unrest Nears as Greece’s Society Groups Get Angry at Each Other?
It came as expected. Employees affected by the upcoming wages cuts included in the 11.5-billion-euro package took to the streets. Policemen, firefighters, coastal guards, judges, academics, teachers, doctors, tax officers. Greece’s public sector is boiling. Civil servants protest and strike and threaten with escalation of their mobilization. Sept 6/2012 – Athens: Riot …
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Greeks Angry About No Lay-Offs in Public Sector, Cuts in Lowest-Pensions
Greeks are getting more and more angry. Each and every day fresh adrenaline shot drive high blood pressure, heart beats and deep rooted frustration. They need just a tiny spark to explode. Reason for this boiling mood are the upcoming additional austerity measures, the so-called “spending cuts” worth 11. billion euro. So far, no public …
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Rhodes: Pensioner Deprived of Oxygen-Supply due to Insurance Fund Debts to Supplier
A cry of agony, an appeal for urgent help comes from the island of Rhodes. A chronic-ill pensioner with damaged lungs has been deprived from life-supporting oxygen by the supplier. Emmanuil Taktikopoulos, 92, pensioner from Farmer’s Fund OGA impeached that the supplier took away the oxygen delivering machine because of OGA-debts to …
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Older Generations Voted for ND, Younger for SYRIZA
reece’s voters demonstrated a “generations’ gap” concerning their voting behaviour. According to the findings of Sunday’s exit polls: Nea Dimocratia received almost double votes by voters older than 55 years old. SYRIZA prevails in age groups 18-54 years old. ND received 20% in 18-34 age group, 24% in 35-54 and …
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Michaloliakos (Chrysi Avgi): “Germans are Sausage-Eaters Without Ideals”
Nikos Michaloliakos, leader of extreme-right Chrysi Avgi (Golden Dawn) expressed his views on several important issues like the Germans, the SYRIZA or the motives of the Greek voters. Speaking to private Contra-Channel TV, Michaloliakos said that the Germans are an enslaved folk, that has totally bowed to the consuming way …
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EU Leaders vs Greek Voters: Huge Gap, Dangerous Cliff
Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti supports ND Antonis Samaras, French President Francois Hollande support PASOK Evangelos Venizelos. The two leaders of the Greek parties that definitely support the austerity bailout. At the same time a, while the country heads for fresh elections, Greeks have developed an allergy towards the austerity and the …
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EC Report – Greece: Unemployment, Income Losses, Poverty
Greece is going from bad to worse. That’s no news, but when it comes summarized through the official data from the European Union it is really impressive. In its querterly report on employment and the social situation in the opean Union, the European Commission states that 370,000 jobs were lost in the first three quarters …
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400K Greek Employees Work Without Salary since 6 Months
Maria* has been working at a lady’s fashion shop in Glyfada, a noble suburb of Athens, in the south. The 50-year old woman is desperate. Last time she got paid her full salary of 900 euro was in July 2011. From August onwards, Maria has been receiving 200 euro per …
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Survey: Six Out of Ten Greek Households Unable to Pay Utility Bills
…and soon they will not be able to pay even for their daily food. According to a survey conducted by the Institute of Small Enterprises (IME/GSEVEE), six out of ten Greek households have difficulties in paying monthly utility bills (electricity, water), taxes and repay bank loans. The survey was conducted among …
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Greek Pharmacists Cut Credit for Prescription Medicine as 1.1.12
A scandalous blackmail shines on the horizon, that threatens the lives of millions of Greeks, especially the lives of long-term patients. Another blow is about to sweep away the last euro banknotes of millions of austerity-ridden Greeks. Greece’s pharmacists have decided to cut credits to insurance funds. As of 1.1.12 insured patients will …
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Athens 11° C: Latest Trends Bei Greece’s New Poor
That was another sunny day in Athens today. Chilly but sunny. I had to go ‘downtown’ of the suburb I live to fix some issues, buy a birthday present for a friend. I walked around and visited several shops. What a miserable ‘festive’ mood! Hardly customers inside, not very modern or good quality staff, …
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Guest Post: Proud to Be Greek! YEAH!
What referendum? What early elections? What 50% haircut or 100% bankruptcy? Greeks were not born two years ago. They have a long history, they fought several wars and suffered many hardships. Should they be sacrifized to save the EURO? Hm…. Enough is enough. And you know something? We are Proud …
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Greek Boil, With or Without “Haircut”
“They put our feet in one single shoe” shouts the old lady as she enters slowly a bakery shop in a middle class suburb of Athens. She stands half-at the doorway and sends a smile to the bakery woman; she shouts over my head “I can’t buy anything today, I’ve …
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