Fire progression: 6pm

New fires have been added to the morning one. All of Athens with any tree left is burning...
This is at 6pm. Please note that the sun sets at 8pm..

Fire progression: 12 noon

You can figure out which way the fire is moving (heavy clouds from northeast)
Note I live about 40km away from the fire front

The fires at 9am. View from my terrace

East (heavier smoke)
West (clearer sky)

Athens is burning. Again

Just the other day I was thinking that this year we got away without any fires in the summer. I was really happy but afraid as the summer was not over. During the month of August, the summer wind, known as Meltemi, provide the best condition for a fire to spread.
Unfortunately the last few days we had strong meltemia. This morning I woke up to see my terrace full of ash. The sky was yellow-orange-red toward the east. At the beginning I thought I woke up at some strange moment during sunrise. But the sulfuric smell and the blue sky in the west made me in a few seconds to realize that there was another catastrophy taking place. I shivered. I opened the TV. Nothing yet. Stupid kid shows. After a while there were of course special coverage showing the length and depth of the catastrophy. Toward NE Athens, there was a huge fire killing everything in its passing, a front that was on one side only 5km long! With that wind? I think it is impossible to stop. The good news is that as the day goes on the wind seems to lower its strength.
People are afraid for their lives and properties. I am very much afraid of the impossibility to leave in Athens in the near future. In Cyprus they already import the water they drink and water their plants. I am afraid I will experience that during my lifetime and very soon...

Televised crime on the Amazon

Usually when a person is asked to leave the police corps due to corrupt behavior, the last thing we would expect is that this person should run for office (or should it be the first ?)
Even so, the likelihood of that person becoming an MP should be given in any decent betting agency 101:1. Well, this is not the case of Mr. Wallace Souza, who not only is a member of Parliament but also a very successful TV host of a program whose legitimate intend is to showcase the crime rate in the jungle city of Manaus where law is hardly enforced. His tv show was gaining in ratings as the crew would be there to film the actual crimes, murders as well, while taking place. The police was becoming suspicious of the camera crews being there before they actually arrived and now there is speculation and accusation of Mr Suza actually ordering the murders to increase the ratings. Mr. Suza is also accused of drug smuggling, among other things.. He, along with his son was arrested but was released due to his parliamentary immunity (at least his son is still in prison)
Of course noone should be guilty unless hard evidence is on the table, but it seems like a pattern of corrupt behavior all over again, only this time the abuse of power is criminal - should of course be proved guilty. Needless to say that the evidence the police found in Mr Souza 's home are overwhelming, but I guess nothing is proven yet (remember O.J.?)
In any case, this story reminded me of an 80's Arnold classic, The Running Man, but I never thought we would come to that. Running Man was a famous TV show (time somewhere in the future) where the last man standing would win a prize. There would be professional hunters making it sure that the contestants would not win. Not sure if art imitates life or the other way around...

SFSU reunion

Long live facebook! After 15 years, I was able to locate most of my best friends during my MBA year at San Francisco State University and we have all agreed to meet next June for a week of sailing the Greek islands. Sixteen years since we last met all together. Initially the suggestion was NY but we thought that if we wanted to make it summery and warm, we should do the Med. And what better way to experience it than sailing around the islands?
So, sometime next June - hopefully we will all be able to get out of work for a week by then - we will meet in Athens to pay our respects to the Acropolis and then sail away. Where to? Not known yet. Stay tuned
Of all my friends, of course I have kept close contact with Helena over the years,but have not seen the others for a long time. At least 10 years and some 15, since I left beautiful Frisco.
The sail crew will come from all over the world. Helena from Paris, Karine from Monpelieu, Linda from Tel Aviv, Karen from San Francisco, Muriel from Montreal and of course myself from Athens.
A multinational reunion from the coasts of the Pacific to the Mediterranean waters..Pas mal :-)

An atrocious crime that has gone unpunished...how many more similar crimes take place daily and we do nothing?

People of Kavala, residents and tourists, adults and children, witnessed the most atrocious crime this year.
Someone driving a car at high speed had tied a dog from his leg and only stopped when the dog was definitely tortured to death and threw him in the garbage happy for his deed. The article says that everybody was shouting to him asking him to stop. The police apparently is looking for him. Of all these bystanders nobody managed to get his license plate? And what if the police caught him? You know how much is the fine according to Greek law against animal protection? 400-2000 euros in fine or max 3 months prison. Of course the judge could ask for a higher sentence claiming that he shocked underaged or that his driving was reckless etc.
Torturing a poor animal to death does not, in this country, guarrantee a life sentense as it should. I wish sometimes I was an outlaw. Someone that would take vengence of acts of crimes that go unpunished.
Unfortunately I am not. Nor can I influence policy makers to re-think the law about animals.\

Here is the link of the article, http://www.zougla.gr/page.ashx?pid=2&aid=55855&cid=4
of the flawed greek law http://faethoussa.wordpress.com/2008/08/07/%CE%BA%CE%B1%CF%84%CE%BF%CE%B9%CE%BA%CE%AF%CE%B4%CE%B9%CE%B1-%CE%B6%CF%8E%CE%B1-%CE%BD%CE%BF%CE%BC%CE%BF%CE%B8%CE%B5%CF%83%CE%AF%CE%B1/
and a beloved Mobby tune that takes new meaning if you watch the clip

Enough with Jacko already

Unfortunately the sad King of Pop can still not rest in peace. The investigation about the causes of his death is still open. There is speculation that he killed hismelf or that he was a victim of malicious act.
Please! Is it so hard to swallow all the millions of fans that they have played a huge part of his death? A slow death that started about 20 years ago?
Michael Jackson is probably one of the most miserable people that ever lived this earth.
His father ought to be hanged in public no doubt. So should the majority of the rest of his family. And the press. The fans as well. Michael had not produced something of value for at least 10 years. His ghostly white skin with his nose coming on and off should be a ticket to the best possible mental clinic that his money could buy.
But the emptyness of the majority of people that want to feel greater in the presence - even mental - of someone great allowed him to continue to kill himself slowly. He could never be MIchael of the Jackson five or of Thriller or even of Dirty Diana (by that time he was also becoming something of a clown)
His fans now say that he made a breakthrough in music. Well yes, about 30 years ago. What has he done recently? Nothing much because he couldnt. The poor lad could hardly walk or talk or even breath unaided.
Fans should demand that his idol - if they loved him as much as they claimed - should go in a clinic. He should look after himself. Not in the sick way that he thought he did. Instead they let him think it was alright to be abnormal. Or they called him a freak.
Michael needed to be loved in a healthy way. Nobody did that.
So, that investigation in my mind is extremely hypocritical. We all killed Michael. By allowing him to stay out of therapy.
What's worse, is that people still make money out of him. I hope that his soul will eventually rest in peace that he could not find among the living.

Myconos report

Myconos was as always lovely. A bit too crowded but it is expected this time of year.
Due to strong winds were only able to visit a couple of beaches, and wished I had only stayed in Lia where I stayed the first two days.
Lia is a superb southern beach, without music and people dancing. There is a button on the umbrella calling the waitor (!) which makes moving from the chaiselong unecessary unless if for a dive in the divine green-blue waters
Myconos is a also a gastronomical paradise - a bit expensive of course but if only for three days it is ok. As such we had to try the new Mashuhitsa restaurant (in place of Nobu run by the same people) in Belvedere hotel pool restaurant
Although everyone seemed to be going to Cavo for clubbing, the city's typical bars were also full but not too crowded. The best thing was when Antonis Remos had a concert in Namos, Psarrou beach (my most dreaded myconian place), so about half of the myconian visitors went to listen to him and we were able to have a lovely table on Remezzo's terrace overlooking the port and town. However, it was a bit hard to dance after the nobu dinner and the lovely cocktails they served us, so we only stayed for a while as our digestive function would take the best of us.
And then of course there are the sunsets at little Venice, one of the most photographed places on earth, and for good reason as well.
Some pictures prove the point

Right now back to real life. Well, till next time :-)

POLITICS AND POLITICAL PARTIES IN GREECE

This is a book directed mainly to academia, but if one is patient enough and has access to the authors to direct questions about the statistical tables or basic principles of politics, it is a superb book
I could not be a prouder sister. My brother Manos was asked to write the first chapter. The book is a compilation of academic articles about the political phenomena in Greece. Manos' article is about old and new dividing structures. By structures he means the social structures as they are depicted in political parties and how these have evolved from traditional ideologies and left-right or center-periphery divide (work-capital in Europe is stronger) to modern political ideologies (economic agenda, ecology, conservativism-social modernization and so on)
The only slight problem is that Manos had struggled with the Greek language a bit and sentences are hefty making it mandatory to be extremely focused when reading it. Definitely not a beach book unless one goes to a quiet beach (Lia :-) and reads through carefully
The way the book is edited, Manos' article sets the framework explaining the political structures and social implications in Greece and providing some contrasts with other European countries. The rest of the articles, very interesting as well, deal with more specific phenomena like the Greek 2007 elections and the submission of duopoly(ND/PASOK) to that of a multi-party parliament(Tsimbras).

Best read I had in years and there is definitely not a single sister on this planet that is prouder than I am.
His other articles are for academic journals and I am trying to get my hands on them and he is now starting working on a book.
Now I understand his obsession of researching instead of teaching. Teaching wastes time of his brilliant analysing talent. Yet, people need to learn from geniuses. Manos is one of them