Amphipolis Tomb - Who Can it Be Now?

We Know, but you'll have to wait like everyone Else....

Lovely Greek Women by the Beach - Asteras Vouliagmenis 2013

Terrorist Attack on Greek Prime Minister's Office

Terrorist gunfired fired a couple of Kalashnikov rounds yesterday at the Prime Minister's office in the New Democracy headquarters on Sygrou Avenue in the early hours this morning. Although the premises were empty, one of the bullets penetrated and entered the office of Antonis Samaras, the present Greek prime minster and leader of the New Democracy ruling party. New Democracy, along with PASOK and the Democractic Left are the present coalition government that is overseeing the running of the Greek state.

Police have presently closed off parts of Sygrou and Amphithea Avenue and are currently looking for clues as to the identity of the terrorist gunmen (or women).

Greek Elections 2012

The Greek Crisis, Social Media, And the New World Order

Rumour mill: Telefónica Spain to select Alca-Lu for LTE network

www.lteworld.gr Telefónica Spain is expected to announce that Alcatel-Lucent is to provide the company with a nationwide LTE network, according to a Bloomberg report. Sources close to the negotiations say that Alca-Lu is ahead of rival LTE infrastructure suppliers, with a formal decision anticipated when Telefónica unveils details of its future network strategy at the Mobile World Congress trade show in Barcelona, Spain. The companies didn't comment to Bloomberg. Rumours of the deal, speculated to be worth around €300 million to provide LTE coverage to 65 per cent of the Spanish population, boosted Alca-Lu's share price €0.085 to €1.85 in Paris, valuing the company at €4.3 billion. Commenting on the suggested contract award, Robin Bienenstock, an analyst at Sanford C Bernstein in London, noted that Telefónica needs to deploy LTE in an effort to regain subscribers that have been lost to fixed and mobile operators providing faster broadband services. "LTE will be important, especially in rural areas" where download speeds may be limited to about 2 Mbps, Bienenstock said. "In the absence of significant cable coverage, Telefónica's wireline customers are threatened by faster speeds available through LTE, hence the company has to build LTE to prevent further revenue declines in these areas." Last September, Telefónica announced that Alca-Lu had been selected to help the telco test LTE services for business users in Madrid and Barcelona. Huawei has been providing LTE dongle modems for use in the trial. Data compiled by the market research firm Dell'Oro Group has Alca-Lu holding 30 per cent of the LTE market as of September 2011, trailing Ericsson's estimated 44 per cent market share. www.lteworld.gr

Afternoon on a Beach with Katerina

Beautiful European Women : Greece

Mrs Eve Kaili : Greek Socialist Party Cabinet Member

Beautiful European Women : Greece

Mrs. Stamatina Tsimtsili...

Wall Street is Responsible for Today's Economic Crisis

The same entity that caused the 1929 crisis; Wall Street

Basically Wall street speculative activities burned up at least 40% of world wealth; aftershocks such as Lehman's collapse and dubious practices such as Blackrock have lead to the present state of things which will last for at least a decade.

Wall street is now publishing silly articles trying to blame nations for the current world trials and tribulations, but the guilty party is Wall street and those that removed regulatory constraints allowing Wall street to do what it did.

Capitalism has to do with innovative production. Google is capitalism in its best form.

Wall street speculation is parasytic behaviour chewing away at the foundations of capitalism and innovation, which will have detrimental results if left unchecked.

"Wall Street, in these matters, is like a lovely and accomplished woman who must wear black cotton stockings, heavy woollen underwear, and parade her knowledge as a cook because, unhappily, her supreme accomplishment is as a harlot." The Great Crash: 1929", John Kenneth Galbraith, First Published 1955, Page 47

Wall Street in its finest hour

Women of Europe : Greece

Mrs. Tatiana Stefanidou

Greek Alpha Bank and Eurobank to Merge

Alpha Bank, part of the Kostopoulos group, and Eurobank, part of the Latsis group have formally announced their plans to merge. The merger will be supported by Quatar interests and the result will be a new bank, possibly named AlphaEuro which will rationalize the institutions' offerings in the Hellenic, Balkan, Cypriot and other markets.

No layoffs announced initially but rationalizations in management structures and eventually distribution channels and retail outlets are expected to take place in due times especially in areas (like the Athenian suburb of Agia Paraskevi) where the banks have outlets close to each other.

This is the first of several expected Greek bank mergers.

How much should a Greek Salad Cost ?

If you're visiting Greece, and ordering a Greek salad, pay no more than 4 euro. If the menu has the salad priced more than 4 euro you're getting badly ripped off, even though you may be visiting an island and the waiter carries a pony tail.

The profits from Greek salads pass the 400 % mark which means that anything more than 4 euro is a sure ripoff.

And remember, always ask for a receipt !

Zakynthos Ionian Sea Greece

Great Place. Direct flights available on this lovely island or through Kilini (about 1 hour with Ferry).

Vassilikos has the best beaches and carreta turtles can be seen through boat trips from Laganas. Also don't miss the boat trips to the shipwreck or the summit point at Bohali.

Recommended beaches are Gerakas, Banana,Azzurro, Daphne (difficult access;need a jeep), Kaminia and if you're into french tarts or english muffins try the nightlife in Tsilibi.

Vacationing in Greece : The Beachside Resort of Artemida Loutsa

Loutsa Artemida is a seaside resort located about 25 km north east of Athens Greece.

The municipality of Loutsa Artemida belongs to the Attica periphery and is part of the Attica prefecture. Loutsa Artemida bears its name from the nearby pre-classical Doric temple in Vavrona, dedicated to the Greek goddess of the hunt Artemis.
Loutsa Artemida is notable for its fine inexpensive fish taverns, its fashionable cafes and lavishly exciting nightlife as well as its impressive 18 km shoreline which is easily and freely accessible for beach side events and swimming. One of the most popular windsurfing clubs in Greece is located in Loutsa Artemida as well as a number of entertainment facilities and fun parks for the younger of age.

Proximity from Athens Greece

What makes Loutsa Artemida so attractive and popular amongst Athenians and foreigners aside from its lovely countryside, is its proximity and easy accessibility from Athens and the nearby Eleftherios Venizelos international airport. Accessibility from Athens via the Attika superhighway (Attiki Odos) is about 20 minutes while from the airport about 5.
This proximity from the Greek capital and accessibility from various parts of the Greek capital gives Loutsa Artemida a village air with all the facilities and services of the metropolitan city. A number of Athenians hold summer houses in the area making it possible to escape on weekends, and even weekdays from the hustle and bustle of the Greek capital for a quick swim, relaxation and fresh fish. To the south east of Loutsa stands the port of Porto Rafti and to North East the beach side resorts of Rafina, Nea Makri and Marathon with the tomb of the slain Athenian infantry dating back to the first Persian War.

Popular Family Vacation and Holiday Destination

The last couple of years have seen an impressive acceleration in the number of permanent residents and construction has been hectically trying to keep pace with the ever increasing demand. Paradoxically, prices have remained relatively stable (and in some cases have actually decreased) partly due to the working class nature of the municipality and the relative noise of the nearby airport especially during the summer.

Historic Loutsa Artemida

From most parts of the municipality one can see the island of Evia which is separated from Attica and mainland Greece by the Evoikos Kolpos a body of water belonging to the Aegean Sea. Herodotus states in The Persian Wars, that Artemida Loutsa was used by the Athenian Army as an observation post to observe the movements of the Persian navy from Thermopylae towards their final annihilation (whilst decimating the city of Karystos in Evia) at Salamina.

Greek Real Estate taking a Dive

Construction down 62 percent (on the basis of construction licences) from 2010 levels.

Expected number of transactions to sum up to less than 50,000 Euros in 2011.

e-shop.gr Bankrupt

e-shop.gr the celebrated online IT retail store filed for clause 99 which is the equivalent of the American Chapter 11 seeking refuge from creditors. The Greek Real Estate market is continuing its negative spiral with the expected transactions to be less than 50,000 in 2011 comparing with about 75,000 in  2010 and over 100,000 in 2008.

The Greek photovoltaic market is showing potential (no pun intended !) with major players such as Solyndra/Clemens Jargon making a break in via Pacific Renew Energy while the austerity measures have lead yacht owners to flee Greek marinas for Croat and Turkish ones.

Source : Kathimerini, June 23 2011, pg. 24

Vogue : L'autre Grece

The Colorful Sounds of Summer by sunsecrets

Nokia Siemens Networks' life hangs in the balance

Nokia and Siemens' desire to sell a major stake in their Nokia Siemens Networks (NSN) venture took another setback this week as private equity groups KKR and TPG have decided such a deal is not a fit for them.

Both groups, according to a Financial Times report, decided to pass on a deal because neither could agree on price and how much control they would have over the company.With KKR and TPG out of the running, the Gores Group and Platinum Equity are the only remaining bidding consortium for NSN.Not surprisingly, Nokia,

KKR and TPG are remaining tight-lipped about any potential deals other than to say that "We continue to be in constructive talks with several interested parties."Nokia and Siemens have been searching for a bidder as the NSN venture has struggled to get beaten by aggressive competitors such as Alcatel-Lucent (NYSE: ALU), Ericsson and Huawei.

In the first quarter, NSN lost $157 million.

The Seaside Resort of Tiros Arkadias

Tiros Arkadias is a seaside village built on the side of Mount Parnonas and combines the colors of the enchanting sea with the magnificence of a mountainside.

Tiros Arkadias is approximately 75 km from Tripoli Arkadias, 21 klm from the seaside resort of Astros and about 200 klm south of Athens Greece. The municipality of Tiros Arkadias consists of three hamlets, namely upper Tiros on the side of Mount Parnonas, Lower Tiros and the Aegean resort of Tiros.

The population of Tiros according to the 2001 panhellenic census is about 1,200 individuals and the primary activities of the township are fishing, general maritime activities and tourism. Tiros was also one of the major emigration centers where many Tirians abandoned the village to find better fortune (as many of their Peloponisian countrymen) in Canada, the United States and Australia. These immigrants return annually to their birthplace as tourists. Tiros Arkadias, which bears the name from the god Apollo Tiriti, is considered one of the oldest maritime communities of the Peloponnese. The shrine of Apollo rests on the Prophet Elias hill which is southwest of the municipality.

Archeological exchavactions (Professor Romeos) have resulted in artifacts that conclude that Tiros Arkadias was populated in prehellenic times and was the site of maritime commerce and general trade activity.This is also confirmed by Pausanias' Travels (Laconica) and the resultant artifacts are today found in the museums of Sparta and Tripoli, as well as The Louvre.

Albeit limited in size, Tiros has all the requirements of a modern resort town including an upgraded and modern infrastructure, full fledged tourist services, excellent night clubs and restaurants as well as a host of surrounding support facilities including transportation and communication networks.
Tiros is especially enchanting during Easter, as one of the traditions is to re-enact the burial of Christ (the Epitaphios) by the seaside road, while being escorted by fishing boats and trailers. The procession ends with the symbolic burning of Judas Iskariot, this done by setting a fishing boat on fire in the middle of the port. Children are then asked to throw candles in the sea to symbolize the salvation of all the souls of those mariners lost at sea.

There are also numerous excellent and notable beaches, aside from the Tiros beachfront, including the beach of Tigani (or frying pan) in the direction of Astros, and the Tsakos beach after Tigani right below the shrine of St. Christopher in the Astros-Tiros roadway.

To get to Tiros Arkadias from Athens one takes the highway to Tripoli. One then takes the exit before the Artemision tunnel and drives towards Argos. From Argos one continues to Astros, and Tiros lies right after Astros and before the popular resort of Leonidion. The whole trip is about three hours from central Athens.

La Malaise Grecque

The French Revolution was the result of the merchant class’ difference with the aristocracy and the Church. Similar to the American Revolution, another merchant class revolution, the French business class was tired of gifting their hard earned profits to the establishment, the lazy aristocrats and the ever burdensome Catholic Church.

The Greek crisis is similar in nature to the crises that lead to the French and American revolutions with the Elite class being the civil service and the Greek government taking measures to protect the Greek civil service, regardless of growing unemployment in the private business sectors and the damage because of ill thought tax measures (to pay for Greek civil service costs) to Greek and foreign businesses.

The Greek government is deepening itself in debt, and foreclosing the future of Greek posterity to protect the lazy, inefficient, redundant, criminally ignorant, obnoxious and obsolete civil service whose employment is guaranteed by the constitution. Greeks and Greek businesses are expected to toil in labor in order to protect the salaries of an inert civil system that has lead to Greece’s present circumstances and the selling of off valuable assets, such as Hellenic Telecom (at 1/3 the price of the 2008 sale), which are vital to the portfolio of any country seeking long term prosperity.

The current second memorandum which will be implemented by the government will collect revenues (blood money) to pay back loans that will be used primarily to pay civil service wages, many which pass the 3000 euro per month levels.

If Greece continues its present debt growth rate, the country is sure to default in the not so far future since fixed civil service costs remain, but growth is non existent (why work your butt off to create niches whose results will be taxed away to protect a civil service that was in the first place polemic towards your ideas?).

There is only one way for Greece to solve its present tribulations : Revise the constitution, reduce drastically and revamp the civil service and make it do what it was suppose to be doing in the last 30 – 40 years (serve the civilians).

Regarding the resultant unemployment, Greek inventiveness and invention will soon result in market initiatives that will surprise doubters and bring the country back on its feet (Greeks manage to do that in foreign countries, why not Greece – it is the system that deters Greeks from being Greek in Greece). This would’ve occurred today if the system (the civil service) did not hinder growth as it has hindered growth in the last 40 years.

The writing for Greece is no the wall : Take measures to reduce drastically government inefficiencies which are due mostly to the Greek Civil Service, or perish in the annals of history.