Thank you for choosing Paleokostas Airlines

Thank you for choosing Paleokostas Airlines, originally uploaded by Teacher Dude's BBQ.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome onboard Flight 4B7 with service from Korydallo.

We ask that you please fasten your seatbelts at this time and secure all explosive devices underneath your seat or in the overhead compartments. We also ask that weapons are in the upright position for take-off. Please turn off all personal electronic devices, including tazors and IEDs. Shooting is prohibited for the duration of the flight.

Thank you for choosing Paleokostas Airlines. Enjoy your flight."

Come fly with me, come fly, fly away

Come fly with me, come fly, fly away, originally uploaded by Teacher Dude's BBQ.

If you put this story in a movie nobody would believe you.

Prison Break - take two

Whenever I hear the authorities express shock or outrage about some police gaff or prison foul up like the one we say yesterday in which the same two prisoners escaped the the same jail in exactly the same way then I can't but be reminded of Casablanca, the scene in which Captain Renault the corrupt Vichy French official suddenly "discovers" that Rick's Cafe is also a casino and has it closed down.



Rick: How can you close me up? On what grounds?
Captain Renault: I'm shocked, shocked to find that gambling is going on in here!
[a croupier hands Renault a pile of money]
Croupier: Your winnings, sir.
Captain Renault: [sotto voce] Oh, thank you very much.
[aloud]
Captain Renault: Everybody out at once!


Or in the case of the Greek Minister for Justice, Nikos Dendias, quoted in CNN;


"I will not tolerate this embarrassment and all necessary measures will be taken, no matter how stringent they may be."


The problem is that the government said exactly the same thing in 2006 when the Paleokostas and Razai escaped by helicopter for the first time, then promptly ignored all problems once the media spotlight went somewhere else.

In the meantime the prison system has been widely condemned by outsiders for its violence, corruption and lack of oversight by a number of organisations such as the CPT (European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment)in 2005 and 2007. Yet the government has done virtually nothing to address the problems, hoping that spin is always much cheaper and effective than policy

Once you turn a blind eye to such behaviour you are just asking for trouble as those involved in a rotten system start to believe that have been given carte blanche to act in any way they see fit.

Prisoners escape Greek jail by copter for second time

For the second time in three years the same convicted bank robbers, Vasilis Paleokostas and Alket Razai have escaped from Greece's largest prison, Korydallos in exactly the same manner. Little after 4pm a helicopter took the inmates from the prison yard so repeating their previous escape attempt in 2006 from the same jail when the pair used a hi-jacked copter.

Despite government promises in 2006 that steps would be taken to avoid a repetition of the previous prison attempt local media report say that no additional measures had been taken to prevent another airbourne escape.

Prison guards inside the prison shot at the helicopter as it was leaving as did a platoon of riot police positioned outside the main entrance resulting in the injury of one officer whose weapon went off as he was taking it out of his holster.

Questions still remain over how exactly the two prisoners who were being held in isolation at the time managed to get out into the prison yard. However, the Greek prison system has been severely criticised in a series of Human rights and European Union reports for lack of supervision and oversight.

In its 2007 report the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhumanor Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) noted that just one officer was on duty during their visit supervising 446 prisoners on the facility's C Wing and that in other wings no more than three officers were present.

In addition severe overcrowding, violence, rampant drug use and primitive health care facilities are some of the problems facing the country's prison system.

Timo Behrendt, a 31 German national who was arrested during a demonstration outside the university of Thessaloniki in 2008 and held for more than four months before being released also spoke of random violence meted out to inmates by gaurds, organised gangs and the pervasive drugs trade that goes on under the noses of the authorities in an interview today in the local Macedonia newspaper.

Both Paleokostas and Razai were both due to appear in court tomorrow to face charges connected with their previous escape.

Little devil.

Little devil., originally uploaded by Teacher Dude's BBQ.

Portraits

Sci - Fi Friday (delayed)

A little late, I know but yesterday was quite hectic, what between writing articles, editing videos, processing photos, having an interview and teaching. But without further ado is this week's addition to Sci-Fi Friday, Howard Hawk's 1951 classic The Thing from Another World. As IMDB puts it;

"Scientist at an Arctic research station discover a spacecraft buried in the ice. Upon closer examination, they discover the frozen pilot. All hell breaks loose when they take him back to their station and he is accidentally thawed out!"





What makes this movie stand out from its "guy in a monster suit" contemporaries is the witty dialogue and interesting ideas.

For other classics such as Santa Claus Conquers the Martians and The Brain That Wouldn't Die check out Classic Cinema Online.

Tsiknopempti - Τσικνοπεμπτη

"Tsikna is the smell of charred meat, and the word pempti means "Thursday" so the whole word Tsiknopempti loosely translates to "Barbecue Thursday," and is similar to Fat Thursday in other countries. This year, Tsiknopempti falls on Thursday, February 19th.

In the Greek tradition, Tsiknopempti (say: tseek-no-PEMP-tee) is a day celebrated with great gusto. City and town governments set up grills in central squares, musicians stroll around playing traditional instruments, and great quantities of roasted meats are consumed in the midst of the Carnival atmosphere. And it isn't only central squares in cities and towns that will be filled with the smell of fabulous meats cooking over hot coals - our backyard grills and fireplaces will be fired up as well and the countryside fills with wonderful aromas. "

From Nancy's Greek Food Blog

Riot police sent in to quell Greek carnival disturbances

Greek riot police were deployed against teenagers who had blocked roads in the centre of Greece's second city, Thessaloniki last night during Carnivali celebrations, the Greek Orthodox equivalent of Mardi Gras.

Hundreds of teenagers burned garbage bins, let off fireworks and hurled objects at the platoons of riot police on duty in the centre of the port city. The officers accompanied fire engines which quickly doused the fires in Mitropoleos St.

Traditionally, Tsiknopempti or "Burnt Thursday" marks the countdown to the start of Lent for Greek Orthodox Christians and is celebrated by fancy dress parties and carnivals across the country. However, the usually raucous atmosphere was more charged than previous years, a reflection that the effects of the riots and protests that swept Greece in December and January following the police shooting of a 15 year old are still being felt.

Now Public

Afghanistan surge ? Sir, No Sir.

With the US about to send another 17,000 more ground troops to Afghanistan to add to the 36,000 already there it seems appropriate to remind ourselves that in the past ordinary people fought against such foreign adventures and brought them to a halt by just saying no.

David Ziegler's 2005 documentary, Sir, No Sir traces the grass root movement amongst GIs to stop the war in Vietnam. As they say themselves

"Sir, No Sir tells the long suppressed story of the GI movement to end the war in Vietnam. This is the story of one of the most vibrant and widespread upheavals of the 1960’s- one that had a profound impact on American society yet has been virtually obliterated from the collective memory of that time."



To see the whole film click on the image below.



And to find out about a similar movement in the Greek military check out the Diktios Spartakos network. It's in Greek but you can translate this into English using Google translation tools.

Mad, bad and nowhere to be seen

The temperature is rising in Greece as over the last 48 hours there has been a machine gun attack on TV station in the capital, a massive car bomb defused, a professor beaten while giving a talk at the university of Athens. Not to mention yesterday passers by beat a mugger to death here in Thessaloniki and yet another asylum seeker committed suicide while in police custody near Athens airport.

And where are the police during all this? Your guess is as good as mine considering there are far more per head of population here than in most European countries. If they are as successful in dealing with the latest terrorist groups and they were with 17th November revolutionary organisation then we can expect arrests some time around 2038.

Mad, bad and nowhere to be seen.

Starman

Goodbye love
Didn't know what time it was the lights were low oh how
I leaned back on my radio oh oh
Some cat was layin' down some rock n roll lotta soul, he said
Then the loud sound did seem to fade a ade
Came back like a slow voice on a wave of phase ha hase
That weren't no d.j. that was hazy cosmic jive

There's a starman waiting in the sky
He'd like to come and meet us
But he thinks hed blow our minds
There's a starman waiting in the sky
Hes told us not to blow it
Cause he knows its all worthwhile
He told me:
Let the children lose it
Let the children use it
Let all the children boogie

I had to phone someone so I picked on you ho ho
Hey, that's far out so you heard him too! o o
Switch on the tv we may pick him up on channel two
Look out your window I can see his light a light
If we can sparkle he may land tonight a light
Dont tell your poppa or hell get us locked up in fright

Theres a starman waiting in the sky
He'd like to come and meet us
But he thinks hed blow our minds
There's a starman waiting in the sky
Hes told us not to blow it
Cause he knows its all worthwhile
He told me:
Let the children lose it
Let the children use it
Let all the children boogie

Starman waiting in the sky
He'd like to come and meet us
But he thinks he'd blow our minds
There's a starman waiting in the sky
Hes told us not to blow it
Cause he knows its all worthwhile
He told me:
Let the children lose it
Let the children use it
Let all the children boogie

La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la

Currents

I was looking through some photos when I came across this one taken at a recent exhibition at the museum of Photography here in Thessaloniki called "Currents".

"At the Thessaloniki Museum of Photography, Warehouse A’, 1st floor, Port of Thessaloniki.

The Greeks wondered: the rivers never stop flowing in the sea. And yet, the level of the sea never rises. The Greeks reflect and cannot find any other enlightening explanation for this mystery, just one unavoidable reasoning: it is the sea which creates the rivers. This is where their sources are! And it is the internal fire of the Earth, which through distillation will alleviate the salt from the salt water. In this manner the sea receives what it gives."

Further food price rises hit Greek consumers hard

While the rest of the economy may be in freefall many of the large national and multi-national companies that dominate the Greek food and drinks industry have raised the price of a range of basic goods far in excess of the official rate of inflation.

This is the third time in twelve months that such increases have been announced further squeezing family budgets already under strain due to the ongoing economic crisis.

Consumer organisations have been quick to call for a boycott of companies considered to be profitering, however the reality remains that the retail cost of food and other everyday essentials remains stubbornly high. Many Greeks of all political persuasions argue that the reason the average consumer pays over the odds is the presence of cartels that choke competition throughout the country.

This week the Greek competition commission imposed a fine of 29.9 million euros on the Swiss food conglomerate Nestle for using its dominant position in the Greek market to shoulder out competitors in supermarkets and other distribution points.

Similarly, energy giants Shell and BP Hellas were fined 50 million Euros for price fixing in November 2008.

Despite such penalties, the right of appeal combined with Greece’s slow moving legal system mean that there is doubt over how much will finally be paid out and when it will be paid.

In addition Greece’s competition commission is itself still embroiled in ongoing scandal following the revelation that some members of the commission allegedly asked for a 2.5 million Euros bribe from Greek diary companies in 2007 in order to reduce 25 million in fines fines imposed upon them for price fixing.

Even before the latest price hikes Greek consumers were paying 66% more than German and Dutch shoppers for basic supermarket items. As a result last year Greek food sales saw their first decline since 1974, a further indication that even before the global financial crisis many of the country’s poorest were cutting down on basics.

As the global slowdown starts to affect Greece’s most important economic sectors; tourism, shipping and construction doubts have been voiced about how much more lower income Greeks can cut from their family budgets

The Battle of Algiers (1966)

Click on the picture above to see the whole movie with English Subtitles.

The Battle of Algiers (Italian: La battaglia di Algeri) is a 1966 black-and-white film by Gillo Pontecorvo based on events during the 1954-1962 Algerian War against French rule.

The film depicts an episode in the war of independence in then-French Algeria, in the capital city of Algiers. It reconstructs the events of November 1954 to December 1960 in Algiers during the Algerian War of Independence, beginning with the organization of revolutionary cells in the Casbah. From there, it depicts the conflict between native Algerians and European settlers (pied-noirs) in which the two sides exchange acts of increasing violence, leading to the introduction of French paratroopers, under the direction of General Massu and then Colonel Bigeard, to root out the National Liberation Front (FLN). The paratroopers are depicted as "winning" the battle by neutralizing the whole FLN leadership through assassination or capture. However, the film ends with a coda, depicting demonstrations and rioting by native Algerians for independence, in which it is suggested that though the French have won the Battle of Algiers, they have lost the war.

Click here to see the full Wiki article

Battle of Algiers - Ennio Morricone

Greek government fights for its political life

Latest opinion poll results show that nearly half of Greek voters believe that neither of the country’s two major political parties is capable of governing. The ruling right - wing New Democracy was given an approval rating of just 16% whilst the opposition centre left PASOK party polled just 17%.

The results underline the massive lack of trust in the present political system which has been exacerbated by the recent economic downturn, a series of high profile corruption scandals and the wave of violent confontations which swept Greece In December and January.

This week doctors and other health care officials took industrial action for 48 hours in order to protest the chronic staff and equipment shortages that have plagued the public health care system for years.

A senior doctor at a hospital in Thessaloniki, Greece’s second city, speaking on condition of anonymity said that his department had just a third of the nurses required. In addition lack of staff means that Greek hospitals are regularly demanding doctors work more than the European Union mandated limit of 48 hours a week.

There have also been complaints over shortages of basic supplies such as bandages and medicine in many hospitals caused by cuts in funding by the Ministry of Health and massive delays in paying medical suppliers for previous orders.

The death of a 58 year old man this week in a ambulance taking him to hospital in Thessaloniki sparked off a political row when it came out that the man died as paramedics were unable to revive him following a heart attack as their resuscitator was missing parts. Although a coroner's report said that the death was unrelated to the heart attack, doctors who treated the man are adamant he could have been saved if the ambulance's equipment had been in working order.

The strike action is just one of a series of protests which has seen the government pitched against students, farmers, cleaners and even police officers.


Whilst the riots and street clashes that were sparked off by the killing of a teenager in December have faded from the world’s TV screens violent confrontations have continued albeit on a smaller scale.

Last week Thessaloniki saw riots in which 500 - 1000 demonstrators attacked the city’s central police station and take part in running street battles for hours. In addition there were 17 arson attacks on Friday by a revolutionary organisation calling itself the Conspiracy of the Cores of Fire.

Even more violent have been the armed attacks on police stations in Athens which left one police officer seriously injured after being shot while standing guard outside the Ministry of Culture signalling a rekindling of terrorism in the country.

Political and economic woes have added to calls for national elections by many unhappy with the government’s handling of a wide range of everyday issues such as employment, education and law enforcement.

Currently, Prime minister Kostas Karamanlis has just a slim one seat majority in parliament and is facing a series of clashes within his own cabinet as ministers manouever to position themselves for the possibility of national elections and a subsequent leadership battle.

Sin City Salonika

"Ποινή φυλάκισης 12 μηνών με τριετή αναστολή επέβαλε το Τριμελές Εφετείο Θεσσαλονίκης στο νομάρχη Παναγιώτη Ψωμιάδη, κρίνοντάς τον ένοχο για το αδίκημα της παράβασης καθήκοντος.

Η υπόθεση αφορούσε μείωση προστίμου σε πρατήριο υγρών καυσίμων -πρόστιμο το οποίο είχε επιβάλει προκάτοχος του κ. Ψωμιάδη."

In.gr

Panagiotis Psomiadis, leader of the Thessaloniki county council (prefecture) has been found guilty of neglect of duty and sentenced to a suspended sentence of 12 months. The conviction came after Psomiadis was accused of reducing a 89,000 euro fine imposed on a gas station owner for adulterating fuel to 5000.

Sci-fi Friday

I thought that I would start a new idea. Every Friday I will post a full length sci-fi movie or TV episode. They will be the kind of things that you don't usually come across in your local video club or perhaps haven't been shown for years on TV channels, so don't expect Star Wars or anything else so mainstream.

To start off with here is Quatermass and the Pit (1967) which I saw when I was young and remember scaring the living daylights out of me.

"While digging a new subway line in London, a construction crew discovers first: a skeleton, then what they think is an old World War II German missle. Upon closer examination the "missile" appears to be not of this earth!"

From Imdb

If you have any suggestions or know of sites which stream such movies online, let me know.

The bird is the word

A Matter of Life and Death

"A Matter of Life and Death (1946) is a romantic fantasy film set in the Second World War by the British writer-director-producer team of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger. It was originally released in U.S. under the title Stairway to Heaven, which was derived from the film's most prominent special effect: a broad escalator linking the Other World and Earth. Reversing the convention of The Wizard of Oz, the supernatural scenes are in black-and-white, while the ones on Earth are in Technicolor."

From Wikipedia

Kicking the essay in the 21st century

I have a student who is a classic example of a brilliant learner who is ill served by traditional teaching methods. A mercurial but easily distracted mind capable of absorbing huge amounts of information but at the same time one which finds it hard to stick to the determinedly linear classroom process.

Of course, we are all bound by the system we are part of and this means that we have to prepare people for exams, teach skills which as essay writing and the like. However, this doesn't mean we don't have some say in the way we do this and I think that the following idea is a good example of how we can twist the demands of the curriculum into a different shape.

Basically, the idea is that we work on our essay writing skills in a more conventional way and then use the essay as the basis for something more meaningful i.e present our ideas and arguments in the form of a video. On the most unimaginative level this could involvs just reading it to camera (yawn, yawn) but I think that using clips from Youtube, pictures off the internet and editing applications such as Windows Movie Maker (if you own a PC you already have it) to turn it into a mini - documentary complete with voice over, quotes and text.

As you can imagine the possibilities are endless. I have already done this with my students and was pleasantly surprised by the imagination and sophistication employed to convey his message. Best of all, the exercise combines the intellectual rigour involved in discursive writing with opportunities for creativity and self - expression.

The future is already here

This year I decided that I wasn't going to work anymore in language schools (or frontisterio as they are called in Greek). It wasn't just the low wages or lack of job security that prompted the decision but also the fact that nothing seems to change.

Actually, that is a lie there has been lots of change but none of it forward. Responding to the growth in choice in exams students can take most schools have a curriculum that amounts to little more than doing old test papers for years on end. I just couldn't face doing that for another year as it would amount to undergoing a voluntary lobotomy.

Instead I decided that I would do just private lessons not simply because the pay is better and people treat you with more respect but also I can teach in a manner that recognises that we are in fact living in the 21st century and not recycling the 19th.

Today I will be teaching the difference between how much and how many in English and the various grammatical rules that these words represents. If I was doing that in a school this would probably mean wading through a chapter of turgid explanations that are dull and difficult for many to understand.

Afterwards, there would be the obligatory pages full of exercise designed to supposedly reinforce the alleged learning that had taken place. Of course, there are students that thrive on such an approach but they are a minority. The majority either find such explanations incomprehensible or mind numbingly boring.

The beauty of computer technology and especially the internet is that it allows us to vary our teaching approach and find alternatives that fit in with how they learn. A case in point would be teaching how much/how many.

One way would be to find a picture of a street, room, fridge etc and then use Flickr notes (click here to see a explanation) to label the image with the correct term. e.g How many apples are there in the fridge? and then get their partners to answer. The picture could then be used to teach the others in the class each person taking turns to use it to teach the rule to the rest of their group or class. Also it could be added to a class/personal blog as part of an electronic portfolio.


Alternatively, you could get students to video (using their cell phones) a classroom, road, home etc and them use Windows Movie Maker (which comes as standard with every copy of Windows) to make a presentation in which the students ask questions such as, how much snow can you see? etc.

See video below on how to use the programme.



As you can see there are just a few of the ways we can use computers and the internet as something more than a glorified course book and allow our students to learn in other ways which fit in with own style.

I've found that when students have access to the internet during a lesson teaching possibilities expand exponentially. Occasionally, this is not possible and I feel that I've gone back, something akin to being forced to use chalk and a slate.

There's never an end for the sea.

Endgame - A play in one act by Samuel Beckett.

Little bird

Greek government clamps down on internet critics

http://my.nowpublic.com/world/greek-government-attempts-shut-down-internet-news-sites

Greek government attempts to shut down internet news sites

The Greek government has made move to shut down Indymedia sites in the capital, Athens and neighbouring Patras according to local news sources. Following questions in parliament by member of the far right LAOS party, Kyriakos Velopoulos, junior minister for Education and Religious Affairs, Spyros Taliadouros demanded that the National Technical University of Athens (Greece's equivalent of MIT) immediately locate and shut down the site which is hosted on the university's server.

The site still remains in operation, however, Konstantinos Moutzouris dean of the university has said that while Indymedia sites make use of the universities facilities thay have not been given permission to do so. In addition according to national daily, Kathimerini the university is currently making attempts to find and shut down the site.

In addition an article in this Sunday's Paron newspaper claimed that the newly appointed minister for Justice, Nikos Dendias is aiming to inroduce legislation that would end Greek bloggers right to anonymity. The publication immediately provoked uproar across the Greek language blogosphere prompting the minister to make an official statment denying that any such legislation was being considered.

However, despite the announcement there is a widespread belief amongst Greek bloggers that the current ruling New Democracy party is attempting to reign in critics on the internet in view of the possibility of forthcoming elections.

With a slender one seat majority in parliament and its standing in the polls dropping badly the Kostas Karamanlis's government is seen as likely to fall. Growing resentment over the handling of last year's corruption scandals, mounting economic problems and an ongoing series of crisis in education, law and order and health care mean that elections seem likely.

Greece considers using snipers to protect Athens police stations

Following a series of armed attacks on police officers in Athens the Greek ministry of law and order is seriously considering plans to station snipers around the capital's police stations and other possible targets according to Greek daily, Kathimerini.

Last week a newly formed group calling itself the Revolutionary Sect claimed responsibility for machine gun attack on the station in the Athens suburb of Korydallou in which a grenade was also thrown which failed to explode. In the declaration left as a CD on the grave of Alexis Grigoropoulos, the 15 year - old shot by police in December the group stated that "a cop's life is the cost of a bullet" and that as well as high ranking police officials, members of the government and media would be considered targets.

The attack was the third in since the riots and protests that swept Greece in December and a variety of far left groups have claimed responsibility. The most serious incident resulted in one officer being seriously wounded as he was standing guard outside a government building in central Athens in January.

The government is also considering the possibility of asking for help from British police in order to combat a rising tide of anti-government violence. Scotland Yard was previously consulted during attempts to capture members of the 17th November terrorist group following their assassination of Stephen Saunders, the British military attache in Athens in 2000. The 19 members of the group were eventually arrested in 2002.

However, questions remain over the effectiveness of deploying members of the police anti-terrorist unit, EKAM. Although the organisation was widely praised for its working during the 2004 summer Olympics the force has had a checkered operational history which has seen a number of embarrassing failures such as the botched hostage rescue attempt in Athens,1998 which led to the death of a hostage and a failed operation to recapture escaped armed robber, Kostas Passaras in 2001.

Over the last two months police stations across Greece have also seen dozens of arson attacks as well a being the target of small improvised explosive devices known locally as "gazakia" since they utlilise small camping gas canisters.

See it, film it change it

I came across the Witness.org site which aims to give a voice to those not usually included in global dialogues by giving access to video and online technologies which allow them to tell their own story.

Here is a great video about how to get started with a video and issues to think about. Click here for a PDF download of the ideas covered.



Click here to see a video offering lots of practical tips on how to use a video camera to its best advantage for those of us unfamiliar with the technology.


Finally here is a video of musician and activist Peter Gabriel at TED Talks sharing his very personal motivation for standing up for human rights with the watchdog group WITNESS and tells stories of citizen journalists in action.

Handbook for bloggers and cyber-dissidents

"Blogs get people excited. Or else they disturb and worry them. Some people distrust them. Others see them as the vanguard of a new information revolution. Because they allow and encourage ordinary people to speak up, they’re tremendous tools of freedom of expression.

Bloggers are often the only real journalists in countries where the mainstream media is censored or under pressure. Only they provide independent news, at the risk of displeasing the government and sometimes courting arrest.

Reporters Without Borders has produced this handbook to help them, with handy tips and technical advice on how to to remain anonymous and to get round censorship, by choosing the most suitable method for each situation. It also explains how to set up and make the most of a blog, to publicise it (getting it picked up efficiently by search-engines) and to establish its credibility through observing basic ethical and journalistic principles."

From the Reporters Without Borders site. To download the handbook in the form of a PDF file click here. If you want to set up your own blog using their blogging platform click here.

Despair, or something like it

Despair, or something like it, originally uploaded by Teacher Dude's BBQ.

There is a house by the sea

Workers on the Thessaloniki underground protest death of colleague

The public prosecutor in Thessaloniki is investigating the exact circumstances under which a 50 year old construction worker was killed yesterday and whether the company is liable for prosecution . The accident happened when the arm of a crane used in the construction of the city's underground came loose and struck the employee.

Fellow workers downed tools and gathered outside the ministry of Northern Greece in protest today and in order to bring attention to lax safety standards.

Να πραγματοποιεί προληπτικούς ελέγχους σε εργοτάξια -ιδιαίτερα των μεγάλων έργων- για να διαπιστωθεί εάν τηρούνται τα προβλεπόμενα από τη νομοθεσία μέτρα ασφαλείας των εργαζομένων, καλεί το Σώμα Επιθεώρησης Εργασίας (ΣΕπΕ), ο προϊστάμενος της Εισαγγελίας Πρωτοδικών Θεσσαλονίκης, Δημήτρης Παπαγεωργίου.

Ο κ. Παπαγεωργίου ζητά επίσης από τις αρμόδιες αστυνομικές αρχές -σε συνεργασία με το ΣΕπΕ- να προχωρούν άμεσα στη σύλληψη των υπευθύνων, σε περίπτωση που σημειώνονται θανατηφόρα ή μη εργατικά ατυχήματα.

http://www.tvxs.gr/v4729

To ίντερνετ ρίχνει κυβερνήσεις - the internet topples governments

Photo by Oliristinn

Η πρωθυπουργός της Ισλανδίας ζήτησε από τους διοικητές των τριών μεγαλύτερων τραπεζών της χώρας να παραιτηθούν, προσπαθώντας να αποκαταστήσει στην εμπιστοσύνη στο τρωθέν σύστημα της χώρας.

H νέα πρωθυπουργός ανέλαβε την εξουσία υποσχόμενος να αντιμετωπίσει την χρηματοπιστωτική κρίση που έπληξε τη χώρα, και έριξε την προηγούμενη κυβέρνηση, η οποία υπέστη και ιντερνετικό πόλεμο.

To ξημέρωμα στην Ισλανδία, η ατμόσφαιρα είναι παγωμένη και το σκοτάδι δεν δίνει σιγά σιγά τη θέση του στο φως της ημέρας.

Είναι η ώρα που που οι Ισλανδοί κολυμπούν στα νερά των ιαματικών γεωθερμικών λουτρών.

Μετά το πρωινό κολύμπι απολαμβάνουν τη ραστώνη, και συζητούν για τραπεζίτες και πολιτικούς.

“Έπρεπε να είναι όλοι στη φυλακή, πολλοί άνθρωποι χάνουν τις δουλειές τους, η κρίση είναι μεγάλη, είναι εγκληματίες και κλέφτες”, σχολιάζουν οι πολίτες.

Το σάϊτ Iceland Weather Report, είναι ένα από τα δημοφιλέστερα στη χώρα. Εκεί εκφράζεται ο ωμός θυμός πολλών Ισλανδών.

Οι πολιτικοί προσποιούνται ότι ο διαδικτυακός αυτός τόπος δεν υπάρχει, όμως το 90% των Ισλανδών κάνουν χρήση του διαδικτύου, και εξέφρασαν τις απόψεις τους.

"Μας δίνεται η αίσθηση μιας σιωπηλής επανάστασης, ο κόσμος ζητά ριζικές αλλαγές, οι επιφανειακές διακοσμητικές αλλαγές δεν είναι αρκετές, δεν φτάνει μόνον ένας κυβερνητικός ανασχηματισμός", επισημαίνει η Άλντα Σίγκμουντοτιρ, υπεύθυνη του διαδικτυακού τόπου Iceland Weather Report.

Οι μπλόγκερς υποστήριξαν τις διαδηλώσεις που έγιναν έξω από το κοινοβούλιο της Ισλανδίας, οι πολίτες δεν ικανοποιήθηκαν από την ανατροπή της κυβέρνησης, θεωρούν όλους τους πολιτικούς διεφθαρμένους, και ζητούν νέα πρόσωπα στην κυβέρνηση.

Οι διαμαρτυρίες διαπέρασαν και υπερκέρασαν τις παραδοσιακές πολιτικές δομές, ο αυθόρμητος πολιτικός θυμός των ανθρώπων εξελίχθηκε σε κίνημα που ανέτρεψε την κυβέρνηση, κάτι που οι πολιτικοί απέτυχαν να προβλέψουν.

Χιλιάδες πολίτες μέσω των ίντερνετ καφέ και τις μπλογκόσφαιρας δημοσιοποιούν τις απόψεις τους και την αγανάκτηση τους.

"Οι πολίτες μάθαιναν τα νέα και τις εξελίξεις από άλλους πολίτες, κανείς δεν εμπιστευόταν τις επίσημες πηγές πληροφόρησης, οι πολιτικοί πρέπει να είναι ταπεινοί και να αφουγκράζονται το λαό", τονίζει ο πολιτικός ακτιβιστής, Στάρι Χόκστον.

Η Ισλανδία επικοινωνεί με ολόκληρο τον κόσμο, μέσω διαδικτύου, μια παλιά αποθήκη για ψάρια στεγάζει την ηλεκτρονική βάσει του μεγαλύτερου διαδικτυακού παιχνιδιού στον κόσμο, με 250,000 παίκτες παγκοσμίως, που προσπαθούν να κατακτήσουν ένα τεχνητό σύμπαν.

Στον πραγματικό κόσμο οι πολιτικοί προσπαθούν να ελέγξουν το διαδίκτυο, στην περίπτωση όμως της Ισλανδίας, το διαδίκτυο κέρδισε τους πολιτικούς.

From Skai.gr

And see here for the original BBC video report from Iceland

Iceland's new prime minister Johanna Sigurdardottir has asked the country's three central bank governors to resign in an attempt to restore faith in the country's battered financial system.

The previous government was the first in the world to be brought down by the credit crunch, but it may also have been the first casualty of internet politics.

Brian Hanrahan reports from Reykjavik.

New Model

"Dreamed a dream by the old canal"

Labour to keep alive in your breast that little spark of celestial fire, called conscience

“Labour to keep alive in your breast that little spark of celestial fire, called conscience.”

George Washington

Hanging out with the Thessaloniki Amish

Hanging out with the Thessaloniki Amish, originally uploaded by Teacher Dude's BBQ.

The Witness trailer.

Sweet Jane

, originally uploaded by Teacher Dude's BBQ.

Shooting outside US ambassador's home - Athens

Two shots were fired this morning outside the official residence of American ambassador in Athens. According to local media reports the private security guard assigned to protect the ambassador's home, which is behind the embassy was shot twice by a Greek police officer.

Police spokesperson, Panagiotis Stathis (see here for video) stated that the security guard was leaving the ambassador's home when the officer who was on duty at the entrance to the residence shot at him as he was walking away. As the guard turned round the officer fired once more, hitting him in the throat.

The guard was rushed to hospital where the bullet was removed and the officer placed under arrest. The authorities say that the officer, who joined the force in 1995 has given contradictory explanations as to why the shooting took place.

Ambassador, Daniel Speckhard, who was at home giving a working lunch when the shooting took place was not injured.

The incident couldn't come at a worst time for the Greek police, ELAS already under fire literally and metaphorically since the police shooting of a teenager last December. Yesterday a police station in the Athens suburb of Korydallou was sprayed with bullets by a group claiming to be Revolutionay Struggle (Epanastatikos Agonas), the third such attack in a month. In addition the police leadership came under heavy criticism when riot police tear gassed the leader of the country's main opposition party during a speech to demonstrating farmers.

Top Greek politician tear gassed while giving speech

Giorgos Papandreou - Γιώργος Ανδρέα Παπανδρέου, originally uploaded by Teacher Dude's BBQ.

Giorgos Papandreaou, leader of Greece’s opposition in parliament was tear gassed during a speech in the Greek port of Pireaus this morning.Papandreau, head of the PASOK party was addressing protesting farmers from Crete when riot police fired tear gas into the crowds following clashes between a small group of protesters and the police.



More than 2000 farmers arrived from the Greek island yesterday along with hundreds of tractors in order to march on parliament in protest against the present conservative government’s agricultural policies. However, authorities refused to allow the march which led to use of clashes and two arrests. Although the blockade of the country’s main highways by farmers has eased off over the last day Greece’s land crossings with neighbouring Bulgaria are still closed to most traffic.

Framers responded to yesterday's scenes of violence between farmers and police near Athens by blockading roads in Crete's main cities and occupying government buildings. In addition another 100 farmers and tractors arrived in Pireaus this morning to support those already present.

In common with many other European countries, Greece has experienced a wave of rioting and often violent demonstrations over the last two months as people unhappy with the government’s handling of major issues took to the streets.

Athens, Riga, Paris, Reykjavik and other capitals have been the scenes of sometimes unprecedented clashes between disgruntled citizens and police.

To see video of the event from tvxs.gr clickr here.

Greek farmers in clashes with riot police

Violent clashes between farmers and riot police followed the Greek authorities to prevent 2000 protesters from Crete from leaving the port city of Pireaus to demonstrate outside the parliament in Athens. Tear gas and pepper spray were used against protesting farmers in the docks.

Like other farmers who have blocked road junctions across the country and still are preventing traffic from entering or leaving Greece's land borders Cretan farmers are seeking government assurances that the island's producers will be included in 500 million Euro agricultural aid package. However, despite negotiations between officials from the ministry of agriculture and farmers representatives no agreement has been reached and protesters have decided not to return to Crete.

Scenes of violent clashes also enraged farmers in Crete itself and many have vowed to sail to Athens to aid their follow farmers. In addition the Greek Union of Merchant Ship Engineers has said that it will strike if riot police units are not wihdrawn from the port according to Greek media sources.

Live Station

Screened realities, originally uploaded by Teacher Dude's BBQ.

One of the most useful applications I've came across recently is Live Station. After you've downloaded their programme (about 15mb) you can watch TV on your computer from all over the world as CNN, BBC and over 2000 other stations can be found. There are versions for Windows, Mac and Linux.

A great resource for anyone wanting to practice their English and of course for anyone who wants to get a wider view of world events.

Day of the Triffids

Once again I went back to my new favourite site, Flash-candy.com in order to see the 1962 Brit sci-fi classic, Day of The Triffids. I think I saw this when I was young but thankfully couldn't remember how it eneded so keeping me in suspence. The strangest thing was a feeling of deja vu as I kept on saying but I've seen this somewhere else. Then it hit me that much of the plot and imagery was re-cycled in 28 Days Later, Danny Boyles London based zombie thriller. Streets devoid of life, a few scattered survivors, even the upturned red double decker bus are to be found in both films.

However, as Day of the Triffid is a very English sci-fi movie even the the mass blinding of virtually every person in London doesn't lead to mass panic or despair. Indeed, people manage to say please and thank you after every polite request to the few sighted people left.

"Oh dear, we seem to be in a bit of a pickle, what with the collapse of civilsation as we know it and our imminent demise due to starvation. Darn it. Now who wants a cuppa?"

Click here to see full movie online.

Actually, both movies were extra scary as they take place in, what to me at least. is a very familiar background. Instead of monsters tearing up New York or aliens menacing LA the idea that terrible things can happen in seemingly dull British suburban street seemed to add to the believability.



Even the movements of the blinded survivors of the meteor shower seemed to anticipate the zombie movies from later in the sixties and beyond. Apparently the BBC is making a new TV series based on John Wydham's book so expect to see Day of the Triffids once again hit the headlines.

Actually, I think a Greek version set in Athens would be super scary as well. I was wondering why no one has thought of it. Still, as the price of film making and special effects drops even further I wouldn't be surprised to see something coming out via the internet in the near future.

The Creature from the Planet that Time Forgot

When I was younger, that is before the dawn of time when dinosaurs and Christian fundamentalists roamed the Earth I just loved the old 50's science fiction movies they'd show on TV. Flying saucers, mutant monsters and heroes with jaws of granite and nerves of steel fought to the death in order to make sure my Thursday evenings remained the highlight of my week.

So, imagine my joy when I found a site where I could see online some of the films that I enjoyed so much when I was a kid. Classics such as Forbidden Planet with its ethereal monster and amazing robot.



Click here to see the whole movie at Flash-candy.com.

Also I was drawn to the story behind This Island Earth when top human scientists are whisked off to Metaluna to save their civilisation from the Zagons (no kidding).




Click here to see the whole movie at Flash-candy.com.

I hope you enjoy watching these again as much as I did. Cheap special effects, stilted dialogue and acting so wooden you can hear it creak, kids today don't know what they are missing.