Let’s create a short list of things Cypriots won’t sell to the highest bidder:
- Their dignity.
- Their heritage.
- Their country.
Let’s look at a few analysts who just don’t understand the above. First off, we have Slate’s Matt Yglesias, who put forth this proposal that he claimed was “much too sensible to be considered”:
sell diplomatic recognition of Northern Cyprus' secession to Turkey for the 5.8 billion euros that Cyprus needs.
Next, we have “economists and diplomats," quoted today in The Wall Street Journal in an article titled "Turks to the Rescue? An Unlikely Cyprus Bailout":
[S]triking a loan deal with Turkey and pursuing reunification with Turkish Cypriots in the north may pose the best option for President Nicos Anastasiades, some economists and diplomats say.” [...]
“We are asking for help clearly, but something that would make also economic sense for Russia,” Cypriot Finance Minister...Continue reading →
Greek prosecutors have been busy cracking down on tax evasion and corruption among the country's political elite. Here's a sampling of what they've pursued:
- Former defense minister Akis Tsochatzopoulos: convicted and sentenced to eight years in prison for concealing assets from the authorities. Faces a separate trial on money-laundering charges.
- Former mayor of Thessaloniki Vassilis Papageorgopoulos: convicted and sentenced to life in prison for embezzling about 18 million euros from city coffers.
- Former finance minister Yannos Papantoniou: charged with failing to fully disclose financial assets.
- Former Merchant Marine Minister Giorgios Voulgarakis: charged with failing to fully disclose financial assets.
- Former Deputy Finance Minister Petros Doukas: charged with failing to fully disclose financial assets.
- Former head of arms procurements at the Defense Ministry Yiannis Sbokos: charged for allegedly participating in a kickback scheme relating to armaments procurements.
- Finance Ministerty General Secretary Yorgos Mergos: charged with breach of duty.
- Takis Athanasopoulos, president of the Hellenic Republic Asset Development Fund (HRADF): charged with breach of...
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Turkey's Prime Minister has expended much time, effort and money over the last years crafting the image of a moderate Middle Eastern politician. Yet every now and again, there are moments when Erdogan’s unpolished persona and politics reveal themselves. The world saw one such moment about a week ago during the Fifth Global Forum of the Alliance of Civilizations. There, Erdogan made the following statement:
“Just like Zionism, anti-Semitism and fascism, it becomes unavoidable that Islamophobia must be regarded as a crime against humanity."
His comparison of Zionism to fascism and a “crime against humanity" drew strong rebukes around the world. United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
released a statement calling Erdogan's comments "wrong" and stressing that "contradicts the very principles on which the Alliance of Civilizations is based.” Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu called the comment “sinister and mendacious.” The White House, through National Security Council spokesperson Tonny Vietor, called Erdogan’s statement “offensive...
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During his State of the Union address this week, President Barack Obama called for a transatlantic free trade agreement between the United States and the European Union. The need for such an agreement can be summed up in one worth: growth.
European Commission President José Manuel Barroso called such a pact "a game-changer, giving a strong boost to our economies on both sides of the Atlantic." Riccardo Alcaro and Emiliano Alessandri of The German Marshall Fund presented a paper earlier this month detailing what "a deeper and wider Atlantic" would mean for economies around the globe (PDF
here). As they point out, the concept of a free trade agreement between the United States and Europe is not a new concept; it's been contemplated for nearly a decade now. "A US-EU free-trade agreement is an old idea whose time may finally have arrived," echoes
Bruce Fellows, also of The German Marshall Fund. Events have progressed...
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Gandhi died after being shot at point-blank range on this day in 1948 (Photo via LIFE Magazine)
Today marks the anniversary of the death of a Mahatma Gandhi, an advocate for non-violence, civil rights and freedom whose life has influenced millions across the globe. One little-known fact about this great man is that Gandhi himself was influenced by Greek philosophy.
[caption id="attachment_2951" align="alignright" width="221" caption="Photo by Margaret Bourke-White (Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images)"]
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In fact, Gandhi translated Plato's
Apology into Gujerati. In
their book,
Reading Gandhi in two tongues, Judy Wakabayashi and Rita Kothari explain why Gandhi chose to translate the
Apology at that time in history:
Gandhi was engaged in fighting injustice in...Continue reading →
HALC’s Facebook community has voted, and
last week’s best and worst of the week winners are travel writer
Rick Steves (Best) and the
Greek government for its firesale of state assets (Worst).
The name
Rick Steves is almost synonymous with travel, which is why his nationally syndicated column last week is so significant. Steves took on the myth of a violent Greece head on and said point blank that tourists have nothing to fear in visiting Greece. Steves even went one step further and called for tourists around the world to support Greece with their tourist dollars. This isn't the first time Steves has stepped up to support Greece. Back in June of last year,
he published notes from travelers on The Huffington Post, all of which declared that their trips to Greece were wonderful and that other tourists should ignore the international media and book their trips instead.
The community's worst of the...
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January 27th is
International Holocaust Remembrance Day. The theme for this year
Rescue during the Holocaust: The Courage to Care. The history of the holocaust in Greece is one that every member of the diaspora should read and share today.
The
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM) has chronicled both the pain and courage of the Holocaust in Greece:
Greece lost at least 81 percent of its Jewish population during the Holocaust. Between 60,000 and 70,000 Greek Jews perished, most of them at Auschwitz-Birkenau.
You can read the entire report here (
PDF). In Zakynthos, the USHMM reminds us of one Greek who had "the courage to care":
[caption id="attachment_2898" align="alignright" width="200" caption="Mayor Lucas Carrer"][/caption]
In 1944 Mayor Carrer was ordered at gunpoint to hand over a list of Jews residing on the island. The list was presented to the Germans by Bishop Chrysostomos containing only two names: Mayor Carrer and Bishop Chrysostomos. The bishop bravely told the Germans,...Continue reading →
HALC's Facebook community has voted, and
last week's best and worst of the week winners are astronaut
Chris Hadfield (Best) and the
Greek politicians who voted against a Lagarde list inquiry (Worst).
Hadfield is a Canadian astronaut currently living aboard the International Space Station. He has almost a quarter million followers on Twitter and had captivated millions around the world with his live communications from space.
As one editorial put it, "He has probably done more to inspire would-be Starfleet commanders than anyone since Capt. James T. Kirk left the helm of the Enterprise. And Chris Hadfield isn’t even halfway through
his mission yet on the International Space Station." Hadfield's tweets are indeed inspirational, and his commentary on the beauty of Greece was spot on.
You can see his gorgeous photos and read his commentary here.
Try as they might, the
Worst of the Week winners -- the Greek politicians who voted against investigated former finance minister Giorgos Papaconstantinou over alleged tampering and mishandling of...
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On March 26, 1965, LIFE Magazine featured an iconic photo on its cover of Greek Orthodox Archbishop Iakovos marching with Dr. Martin Luther Jr.
Sixteen days earlier, the events that gave rise to that photo took place in Selma, Alabama. On March 11, 1965, white American Unitarian Universalist minister James Reed was brutally clubbed to death by segregationists while marching for civil rights. Days later, Archbishop Iakovos would travel to Selma and march arm in arm with King for equality. The photo on LIFE's cover is of Archbishop Iakovos marching with King as King holds a wreath for Reed's memorial service.
Professor Albert J. Raboteau at Fordham University, Bronx, reported that "[a]s the congregation waited for King to arrive for the service, distinguished leaders, who had gathered from around the country (including Archbishop Iakovos) eulogized Reeb and linked arms to sing “We Shall Overcome” and other movement hymns."
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Continuing HALC’s “Best & Worst” of the week series, here are the nominees for this week. Every Friday,
HALC’s Facebook community votes on who should win each category. The results are announced on our Facebook page every Monday. The nominees are:
BEST OF THE WEEK NOMINEES
1. Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield
Commander Chris Hadfield is a Canadian astronaut currently living aboard the International Space Station. Posting to his Twitter account which has nearly a quarter million followers,
Hadfield tweeted pictures of Greece from space. Not only did he spread the beauty of Greece through his images, but he also shared commentary, praising Greece:
2. Thanos Dokos
When...
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