Greece: on the road to recovery?

Greeks don't seem to think so. In the past month a rumoured Euro 2,7 billion left the country in private placements abroad. Despite reassuring noises made by the Minister of Finance, it seems that December's capital outflows will happily beat that.

For a country that has no plan other than the rather scaremongering "tax the rich", 800.000 people on public payroll, and no clear plan for cutting costs... capital outflow comes as no surprise.

So, where does that leave us?

Nowhere. The tree of growth is old and it is tired. And the same old witch-hunt (we'll get back at the dirty rich... and feed our own) still applies.

Thinking of investing? This is a country of surprises.
Such as the fiscal legislation which changes annually.
Such as the electorate -- your target market perhaps?
Even that can change: the prime minister is planning to use immigrants as a way of winning elections.

How genius is that!

Time and time again, Greek governments seem to confirm that the primary objective on their social policy is to impoverish, rather than to improve: the proverbial "I want to see the neighbour's cow die" instead of "I want a cow like - or better than -- the neighbour's".

Investing in Greece...(3)

You're kidding, right?

Check this out:

* S&P's rating fell to BBB+
* The Greek Minister of Finance ), one Papaconstantinou, said: “There is a lot of will to do whatever it takes to bring down the deficit,” Mr Papaconstantinou told the Financial Times on Wednesday.” But he did NOT specify the way.
* “We are starting off with this huge credibility deficit and there’s not much we can do to change it immediately,” Mr Papaconstantinou said on Wednesday. “Our big concern is how we buy some time. The kind of things we’ve started doing are a significant departure from the past but they don’t produce results right away.” What kind of things??? For one, I know of three companies the fiscal authorities visited and left with some cash in pocket. Guess how many more there are.

Is this part of the things "we started"...


Plus ca change, plus c'est la meme chose.


The Greece motto:

"Important measures are taken to ensure the rich become poor without fail, while unerringly retaining the poor in the their poverty."


Invest?
You crazy? In Greece we don't like investors.

Living, Investing... in Greece (2) Investing

For the official blurb go here.
The site contains the usual mish-mash of syncopated info and a host of unsubstantiated reasons to... bring your solar panels to Greece.

For a more serious, no nonsensical approach and (much) better advice, go here.


For the hands-on experience, here are a few pointers...

Living, Investing... in Greece: (2) {Don't} Invest In Greece

Fiscal legislation changes annually; so do rates for corporate and personal taxation;

In times of crisis, extra contributions are levied -- at whim and will of the powers that be;

In Greece figures are notoriously unreliable, whether they be official, published, etc...

In Greece, administrative and/or government commitments can be notoriously unreliable; all it takes is a change of gov and you have to renegotiate the deal and the contract (look at CosCo for example).

Bureaucratic barriers to entry are high: there is even an organisation set up to steer investors away from the uncooperative administration;

Greek administrative legislation and bureaucracy, both, protect the Greek administration at the expense of the people; don't expect to get your papers in order unless you believe in miracles (or a miracle actually took place!);

Allegedly (by all) Greek Government agencies are notoriously corrupt; building permits, sundry fiscal issues, etc, will boost your admin (or legal counsel) budget; interstingly Greece has an automatic tax settlement method: give me X and you've got a deal.

In a move typical of modern Greek politics, the new governments is promising to stimulate the market and foreign investment by... raising income tax and capital gains tax

Athens is in the bottom 50 of (un)welcoming cities; Athens is particularly unfriendly to toddlers, children, and the ageing population (no where to walk, the few pavements are full of murderous potholes, there are rarely damages awarded for any personal claims...); to be on the safe side, your family will have to live elsewhere -- or relatively secluded from everyday life.

Athenians do not like, nor do they welcome, foreigners; fortunately, they dislike Greeks more.

The current leading opinion on labour matters is that work is a form of slavery; "discussions " on Greek TV resound of 50's Soviet propagandist illustrations of the West: business is the bad guy, conspiracies abound and many global perpetrators thereof are out to get Greece and its inhabitants, ranting and raving is the key (in short: the Soviet "West").


Do invest if you are occasional; you do not expect to employ anyone; can go ahead with the help of legal counsel alone; if you are thinking of real estate.

Some things to be proud of...

"...Αλλά υπάρχουν στιγμές κατά τις οποίες ένας λαός οφείλει, αν θέλη να μείνη μεγάλος, να είναι ικανός να πολεμήση, έστω και χωρίς καμμίαν ελπίδα νίκης. Μόνον διότι πρέπει."
(There are moments when a nation, willing to remain a great nation, must be ready to fight, even if it means fighting a war without any hope of victory...)

Powerful words spoken by men with balls to men with balls**.

None of them owned a Porsche Cayenne and none spoke with a whiny mew.

That was Greece in the '40s and those were people to be proud of -- some of them at least.



Today's Greeks are much more comfortable and many have the ultimate symbol of success: the Porsche Cayenne.

They are less fortunate in other ways. Today's Greeks have less to be proud of. Indeed, in a "global world" they have very little to be proud of: check out the Minister of National Defence, * for example.







* to do him justice, the guy has some experience in urban militia: he spent some time studying at faco (Paris2) which used to be populated by right-wing activists.

**or women, insert as appropriate. In the quote above it was Ioannis Metaxas, a General)

Plus ca change, plus c'est... changé!!

I was in hospital for a week (not recommended) and spent some time talking to physios. Our short converastions took us to trips abroad; for the most part to Paris, France. That's where my home used to be. (Everyone in the hospital asked me where my home used to be.)

Well you know what we say about les Parisiens... unhospitable, unwelcoming, bad-tempered, etc.

The physios -- both -- as well as one of the nurses who spent part of her honeymoon there spoke to me about "how nice people were in Paris; hospitable, nice, helpful!"

Some things do change.

Maybe Athenians could follow suit.

Political Philandering... the extreme right meets the extreme left

Walking past the Greek Socialist Party's HQ in Athens the other day I heard a snippet of a conversation. As two persons entered the building, I heard one saying to the other "...a good position indeed! And he's not even one of ours" (in fact the person said, "...he isn't even a party subscriber"...!)

How many times have I heard this, both in France & in Greece! It is certainly not a uniquely Socialist matter, the incident above is fortuitous.

Nowadays I rarely hear this in France any more...

But anyway, it got me thinking.

Politics & personal gain is thicker than water. Appurtenance is everything: one must belong & thereby acquire a stronghold in order to survive -- or concede defeat. You can't fight them, join them. Tight-knit groups.

In non Anglo-Saxon democracies the most vociferous and staunch political fighters traditionally have been the (seriously) left wingers. In recent times, a new force, the (serious) right wing have surfaced. One only needs to look at French, Austrian, German elections and/ or political gatherings. In Greece, the "Official" exponent of the "official right wing is LAOS (the acronym read "people"). Laos is very soft core compared to its northern brethren; Greeks don't really like political hard core despite their rampant adolescent behaviour.

To a degree all of these parties tout a populist approach mixed with half baked nationalistic superiority.

There is, it seems, an interesting difference between the Greeks and the rest: the Greek right wing talk seems to echo the left-wing feeling. In fact the die-hard self-appointed left wing evangelists are just about as clear in their nationalistic-populist speech as the Right wingers are abroad.

I know one expects to hear bullshit bandied about in the political arena -- but this is overcooked.

It is also too bad, when the voice of moderation & down to earth common sense comes from a party like Laos. They rarely refer to "ours"; they, as all extreme right wing players always think in terms of inclusion rather than exclusion.

And their popularity rose 50% from 2007.

Ok, it's still only <6%.


Another unusual thing is that Greek TV is resolute in its support of anything left-ish: hard luck stories, the rich becoming richer at the expense of the poor who become poorer. There is a good measure of pseudo-populist content mixed with expensive looking ladies brandishing their designer wear or underwear, all served with a few twists:

* the TV propaganda does not touch the tax-free income of its stars. It is not quite clear why the presenters do not touch this issue...

* there is no escape from misery.


So far, only one TV persona /writer /political commentator turned politician, Ms L. Kanelli, makes any sense and is thereby worth listening to. Other than the wit value, she makes sense. She also knows her history and her grasp of the Greek language is refreshingly superior. Compared to her, other politicians are lukewarm at best.


*L. Kanelli is an MP with the local Communists. Amazingly, she is also one person who defended Milosevic.

Elections in Greece: Well, whaddya know, Socialists again! ND vs PASOK: 0-1

Greece voted Socialist yesterday, ending a 6 year tenure of the conservative New Democracy party.

Mr George Papandreou, leader of the Socialist party, a US-born male, not the wittiest boy in town, is to become the 3rd generation prime minister in Greece -- following his grandfather and father.
Sign of the times: Greece honours (nepotist) tradition!

In fine, however, these electoral results remind me of a singles tennis match; as it happens, it is not really the Socialists who won, but the Conservatives who lost.
Whatever.
Hopefully, people living in Greece will not have to suffer, yet again, the customary PASOK arrogance...


Further: digging deeper into electoral mechanics, there is no doubt that from an operational point of view one had to vote for one or the other of the major parties. Failure to do so could easily lead to a minority in parliament, in turn leading to complications, frail coalitions, and ultimately new elections... ad nauseam.

Yet, a good 20% of the voters chose one of the other parties -- i.e. the ones you have on the menu even though everyone knows that their cumulative contribution to day-to-day administration and their grasp of social matters, is nil. They are vociferous and stultifying of course.

So why do people choose them?
I believe it is a non-rational (as opposed to irrational) vote: it is an emotional choice. Nostalgia and the sadness for lost causes and broken dreams
E.g. why else, if not for die-hard emotional reasons, would one vote for Soviet-type communists? God (Lenin) Bless them, the Soviet Union does not exist any more!

And you get many others, too: mostly revolutionary of one ilk or another; not to be outdone, there are humorous choices too (ex: KOTES= HE. N.S.)


So, fortunately, for all those who have the guts to vote anything BUT utilitarian: in Greece there was choice -- 16 choices in fact.


How many countries are thus fortunate?

"DE-BAIT", in Greece

On Sept 21st 2009 the leaders of the two major political parties in Greece, Nea Democratia and Panhellenic Socialist Movement, met before the TV cameras for a show reminiscent of the Eurovision trash-song contest.
Minus the actual voting, of course. That comes on Oct 4th.
That's a shame because,

• it's the best part of the (any) Eurotrash show,

• it would save taxpayers in Greece an estimated (and mind-boggling) Euro 115-125 million in subsidies to politicians & their parties.

Not to be outdone by the leading role politicians, TV entertainers ensured their own full star billings by extending the event on either chronological side: Yes, ladies and gentlemen, we had pre and post debate discussions and shows. Free content.
The pre's analysing, and speculating on what the two leader were to say; the latter analysing and and speculating on what the leaders actually did say (or not, as the case may be).
Not to put a too fine point on it, little was exchanged that had political consequence.

May I dare propose the following brief but (I believe) no less accurate summary?

• New Demo: I've had it with all the bozos around me. Same old bull, plus ca change plus c'est la meme chose. Country's run by a bunch of lazy morons, anyway.
• Pan Socialist: "I've got a dream, I've got a vision: I'm riding the donkey and leading the country. It is my turn to ride the donkey. They're not the only ones with bills to pay..."

Allegedly, viewership was low in the <24 year olds.

Who said Greek voters are not choosy when it comes to TV entertainment?

"...votez corruption..." Will the Greeks hold out (and on?)?

During French elections two years ago, the slogan "vote for/ choose corruption over fascism..." was aired and heard quite often, urging voters to avoid falling for the extreme Right Wing's sweet siren song of paradise to come. The matter there was clear: choose the lesser evil
As some of us know, the electoral results were in line with the injunction: France chose a run of the mill gov ("corruption") -- rather than the Right Wing paradise.

I Greece, we are past democracy and related sentimentalist bullshit. Voting is a football match, only more expensive and even less fair.

To go back to the french paradigm, one of our problems in Greece is that voters are not faced with a similar choice between two or more evils -- or chosing between windfall solutions; it is all about making a quick buck -- 1.4bucks, to be precise, the Euro having clambered up the scale lately.

So the up and coming elections in Greece are really about choosing the party in which we are best connected, and hoping they will win. If we are connected to the winners , we too can hope for a small share of the spoils...

It is a pity.

Of course this is not a unique case... bemoaning the situation in Greece as if it were better elsewhere, because there is no evidence that politicians are better elsewhere.

It is just that things are so blatantly obvious and unrestrained in Greece, that public Administration enjoys writing the rules to its apparatchiks satisfaction at any junction, that rule of law is talked about more than it is applied, that living in Greece is best for people above the bog-standard law. And of course, Investing in Greece is best left to people who are well connected politically and otherwise, and can hope for serious government contracts -- and/or government influenced favours.


In light of the above, Greeks have held up pretty well. While people living in Athens are generally hostile, with psychopathological aggressive tendencies, they survive. Without proper political representation, un-empowered police (who are still the "bad guys"), iffy schools, expensive lifestyle and expensive real estate...
Only the country's representative Basket Ball team has something to say for itself. Indeed, in that respect it probably is unique in its partiotic duties.

So, the electoral motto no one voices out loud in Greece is, "Who cares about Democracy?
Who is it, who knows somebody, who knows the King, who holds the purse strings? That's who you vote for!"

On the Road to....

...nowhere.

An news entertainment channel, "CNN", has been posting an "On the road to recovery" logo for some time now. Presumably the idea is that some of the optimism will rub off on people -- and things will be hunky-dory yet again. Wishful thinking?

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, as people flock off to (the) sea and summer respite from all worries, the Greek government is paying lip-service to what happens when September comes. After all, history has it that, left alone, problems are apt to resolve themselves.

Well, not to put too fine a point on it, but the present stock of Greek politicians is no better speculating on a fledgling economy than the transport authority is in planning trolley schedules -- and that ain't saying much.

For a country with low industrial activity and a very small proletariat, i.e. lower vulnerability to the crisis, Greece has made an amazing mess of its finances; GDP is dropping slightly (check out OECD for interesting figures) while debt is flirting with 13%. Official unemployment is 10%. By the way, the good thing about unemployment statistics Greek style is, they do not account for people not registered with the unemployment agency. Thus, statistically at least, the country is doing better than it actually is...

The problem is not the actual mess -- but that this mess now shows. For years, Greece has survived on cooking reports or, simply, looking better than she actually was; after all, paraitre rather than etre is something of a cornerstone of for contemporary "grecity".

The problem here is that a crisis is real life as opposed to socio-impressionist comedies that are played in a social context...

We expect the crisis to be perpetuated in Greece due to the government's immediate need for cash -- thereby pulling money out of the market and starving the economy of cash... Hopefully, and by divine intervention, this will go away magically by October. If it does not, then only the global economy recovery (or Chinese lackey money) will save the day.


For those of us who have children, lets stop whining and consider the following very brief stories:
a) a 34yr old woman and mother of one, a marketer by trade, suddenly dissapeared from the Greek job market. The reason? Her husband, a MD, was offered a position by NHS and moved to Scotland. She quickly followed suit. I spoke to her in Aberdeen and she said in no uncertain terms, "excepting the sun factor, life is far better here: we have good schools, nice people, mothers take turns in baby sitting the children, we go out during the week (!), and the incmoe is more than enough for us to live on. We may not be rich, but we are peaceful and quiet. I'll be back for 10 days' holiday mext year..."

b) A businessman, active in the hi-tech defense sector, is aiming his company toward international sales. These now account for 25% of his company's turn-over. His sector is certainly not hit by this (or any other) crisis. Last week we met over a coffee and he declared "45% is the magical number". "For what", I asked. "At 45% income from abroad, I'm moving out". "Where to?" "I don't know yet. But with my wife we are preparing our move putting money aside and studying countries. With two small children to raise, Greece seems too complicated a country; no planning ahead is possible, governments constantly change their minds and the rules, schools are either too expensive or too shoddy, brain-drain seems to be on the rise..." But you've never lived abroad before!" "So what. I'll learn. I'll start again, it's not the end of the world..."


Ανδρών επιφανών πάσα γη... οίκος

Self Importance or Total Lack of Self-Confidence?

Yesterday I attended the Commencement at the College(s)*. This is the annual graduation event at my old school which is also my son's new school!

As a graduate and a parent (of a student, that is), I have the standing invitation to attend and parade. It is, of course, an event of some import, and Greece being what it is not (i.e. a country honouring institutions, decency, and self-respect), such happenings are all the more noteworthy and attend-worthy.

A man walked passed me, late (which in & of itself does not matter) and demanded to be seated. A lady rushed to help; she works at the college, part of the admin staff for 20 odd years and volunteers as many others, to make this event happy & memorable every year. She asked, "may I see your invitation, please" and received the gruff answer "Deputy minister of education here".

Eh what? Your parents give you a name, mite? Or is it that everyone should recognise you, because that is a school and you work temporarily at the ministry? To which one may ask, "what have you done to deserve recognition? Obviously not much, because no-one does recognise you." And finally, would it not be nicer if you simply gave your name?


You may have noticed His Beatitude spoke clearly, briefly and humbly, with imagery and friendliness. Remember, He, is an Archbishop. He does not flaunt it.


I am dismayed at this objectionable person representing, in his own way, the country of Socrates & others (for your benefit, that's a philosopher, lived a long time ago, now dead. Not the Socrates who has the Taverna).
Either too full of himself or too self-effacing, dismayed at not being recognised and angry at himself for being a nonentity. Clearly to his mindset, his (temporary) title provides his only raison d'etre. He disallows himself the right to be. Fine.
There are good analysts around, the aforementioned woman is not of them. She's just a volunteer trying to be nice and help make this a memorable event for the kids graduating, the parents, the graduates and all the friends.


I know I sound lame, but I do understand that these people, politicians, are enemies and as such dangerous to the school. They must be treated with great care... so I cannot describe this man in plain English.


Nevertheless, for a party that touts "the power of responsibility", it should perhaps choose its public representatives more responsibly -- or at least teach them manners and, perhaps, humility.




Whatever may be the case, that party also comprises serious and decent people. To these, I kindly request:

Please don't let your colleagues harm our school!
Just let us be, leave us alone.
(I promise to try to get you all invited and perhaps even, help to get your kids admitted so you can brag about it.)

*As in "Athens College & Psychico College", i.e. the colleges, as Athens College, the school, is wont to be now called, having split into two organisations following the request of a idiopathically psychotic past Prime Minister (he's now left us to greener pastures, having himself joined some such).

What's Good About Greece, nowadays

A good and rare thing about living in Greece nowadays is immunity; another is impunity. Both, are privileges open to some segments of the population.
Anyone working as a journalist and equipped with a media's card, for example.
Impunity.

People expressing their just -- or not so just -- opposition to you-name-it, en masse.
Impunity.

Now, of course, this impunity is selective, i.e. does not apply to everything nor does it apply in the same way to everyone enjoying it.
I.e., "journalists" are not really allowed to break shop-windows; liberation hooligans are not really allowed to park their Jeeps wherever they like, or break into homes at will.

Neither is allowed to kill anyone; only politicians can do that -- and it's not recommended even for them.

This selective liberal immunity vs. strictly prohibited acts is a bit like buying prescription drugs at a Greek pharmacy: all you have to do is ask for them. You don't really need a prescription. Since most medication in Greece officially requires a prescription, it is easy to realise that, either MDs would have to spend their time prescribing aspirin (prescritpion drug until recently) or pharmacists would sell nothing. Drugs, however, (Xanax, for example) are distributed under prescription only, and no amount of cajoling will get you anything at any pharmacy in Greece without it.


But for those who use and abuse it, this selective immunity is a good thing to have. The other day, the police had cleared an Athenian street of its rogue parked cars -- all except for a Renault sporting an "ERT" sign. No doubt, a world-renown journalist breaking the story of the century!
Stay tuned...

Why does one keep a blog?

It has become a customary thing to sit and write on a public medium, be it a forum or a site or a blog. Apart from the quest of popularity and the need to make oneself heard, I asked myself what it is exactly deep down that makes us want to do it.

Could there be an overwhelmingly personal, human dna-related explanation for the mounting number of terrabites dedicated to lonesome soliloquies?

In a world where the nagging frustrations are dealt with in a desultory manner, and cyberspace is quick replacing the village square, the first thing that comes to my mind is, Thank God for the Internet, because at least some contact is achieved in this fashion and something is always better than nothing in my book. However, this explanation does not go too far below the surface of things -- which is where we want to be.

I think there is a more immediately recognisable source for the urge to cyber-blab and waffle and it is rooted in peoples' natural gregariousness. Indeed, isn't the forum, or a frequented blog, a recreation of the erstwhile community with all its components?

Less the physical presence and contact, of course, the cyber community is where one is heard simply because one is there, part of that community; and one exists and is acknowledged as such by that fact itself. In our overwhelmingly urban society being heard is to exist and vice-vera; it's a way of rising above anonymity.
On the other hand, it is no plain sailing as communicating / talking / touching others, requires a strategic approach with set tactics and rules of operation.
Not so with communities -- the small size, the customs inherent, the stories that (used to) emanate from each community are (were) legion. Of course, one of the staples of such communities is that no-one is anonymous and nothing is secret!


So, have we reached the point where the quest for privacy and anonymity has taken us to the other side where we now look for that locality, the sense of "growing old together"?

I think so. And there comes the frustration of cyber-contact, a frustration that can only be ultimately washed away through actual contact.

The blog, is one's own tiny little forum, a little voice unhindered by custom, rules, lies, or circumstance other than our own. But it's one voice amongst millions of others, many more added every second.

Some voices are lucky and around them, forms a community. So what of it's virtual, it is a community of sorts, and soemthing is always better than nothing...

Living, Investing... in Greece. (1) Living

(That's a map of ancient Greece. Reputedly, things were better then.)

For anyone planning to live in Greece, invest in Greece, or simply move to Greece for a while, pointers and support are generally (if not generously) available.

Here I will give brief, but in my opinion most pertinent, guiding principles. These are ruling maxims, if you will.
Following these, everyday life falls into place and understanding is easy.

The order of presentation will leave some to be desired. I tried to work my way from the general to the particular; nevertheless, readers will notice many lapses in this logical sequence and will have to excuse my muddle-headedness.
Please be advised that contemporary Greeks, i.e. the contemporary inhabitants of Greece of Hellenic origin (i.e. in no order, Athenians, Megariotes, Macedonians, Corinthians, Eubiotes, Cretans, Rhodans, Peloponnesians.... etc) are commonly referred to in Greek as neoGreeks.


Moving to and Living in Greece: preliminary consideration
You are expected to have property in Greece before you move here. Preferably inherited. Please keep in mind that, by Continental European standards, Greece is expensive. In all but renting real estate, prices are slightly to considerably higher than elsewhere.
Buying property is relatively easy but establishing your title on that property can be tricky.
Any newcomer to Greece, not arriving to claim inheritance, is a potential source of income -- or unwelcome. This is not to discourage anyone -- rather, it is an explanation.
The above is a generalised fact; I went through it as have others and as will others. It applies to all who have moved to Greece from the late '80s onwards.


Moving to and Living in Greece: the Dominant (predominant) lifestyle
Here as elsewhere, there is an cultural undercurrent, a denominator which shapes everyday life -- as it is lived by some and pursued as a goal by others.
The institutions, as presented and in their daily operation reflect this clearly. Understanding this brings a ray of light to all the shady perversions of mondanity.
Urban Greece is for healthy adults, educated elsewhere, with independent sources of income, appreciative of lightweight conversation and socialising (superficial is OK) -- in short, a country where applied leisure is the national vision & supererogatory goal.

Other parts of the population are a hindrance if not a nuisance.

E.g. You are most welcome to have coffee at a trendy cafe, at any time of the day -- particularly during all working time of the day. In fact, you can sit for hours on end with just one drink. Reading a paper. (This is most enjoyable in a country where the weather sometimes allows outdoor drinks in mid-December -- and this is not a side effect of global warming.)

This is because the predominant lifestyle is... just that, and it is thereby cherished and protected.
In this respect, and within limits of other peoples' leisure and the entertainment /Horeca industry, you can generally do anything.

Example 1: park your car anywhere. But NOT, leave your pram anywhere UNLESS it is at a cafe -- where it is tolerated but not condoned.

The limits to your freedom derive from any hindrance to the "rule of leisure"; i.e. if you actually disturb other peoples' leisure. If your car blocks access to a cafe -- but NOT if your car blocks a pedestrian crossing (unless said crossing facilitates a bar or a cafe-restau).

This is instrumental if the newcomer is to understand why, say, an automobile belonging to, and driven by a healthy adult takes precedence over a pram holding a dependent baby and driven by an adult.

It is important to understand that this habit is neither good or bad -- it just is. Moralising about the precendence to the needy gets you nowhere in Greece -- it simply is NOT on the agenda.
Likewise, parents are NOT supported in any institutional way; while this may be frowned upon elsewhere, it must be clearly understood that in Greece, mothers are NOT a priority. Indeed, many women become mother out of an inculcated urge or strategic necessity and perhaps patriotic duty, rather than any inherently parental consideration.

Point 2
Thereby, Greece is generally hostile to two categories of the population: children & the elderly.
This is not a cultural matter, but a practical one. Both -- particularly children -- are mostly a hindrance to leisure and pleasure.
Political correctitude apart where everyone wastes their breath touting the importance of children and respect for the elders, we don't waste our money throwing it away where our mouth is:

• if you need a dependable school, it is privately operated;
• childrens' activities are few & far between. The nation's capital sporting one small building in Plaka (the old town) called the childrens' museum; the building is run mostly by volunteers and the building is run down;
• children don't vote, so there is another reason why throwing money at them is a waste of money;
• children are the antithesis of leisure -- unless you have 24/7/365 nannies, which few can afford;
• the only exception is childrens' parties & funparks -- but these really facilitate adults' leisure and offer parents some pleasure;
• childrens' prams take up space which can usefully be allocated to tables for adults; they require pavements which can be better used as expensive extensions to real estate and the horeca industry; they require armies of teachers, etc; and children take away from the leisure industry all the adults who have to supervise them.
• Summing up overall, last but not in any way least, children and pensioners, are expensive. Good money, thrown away at hospitals, retirement benefits (sometimes delayed hoping for the beneficiary's), teachers in sundry pretence of education...
  
• add lib
  

Point 3
Greenery and global warming.
In Greece we are particularly concerned about global warming. Indeed, awareness has reached stratospheric levels in this country and Greece is probably one of the statistical leaders. In fact, Green is trendy, Green is very neoGreek. When Porsche, an automobile manufacturer, offers a green model, Greece is sure to be one of its best, if not THE best, markets.
As long as we can just speak about it and on occasion get together to switch off the lights collectively sipping a well-deserved glass of wine.
In Greece, being very Green does not extend to actually doing anything about it. Indeed, being very active and, consequently, noisy, about it is in very bad taste.





Comin up: Being focused on leisure and entertainment, Greece does NOT favour nor does Greece COMPREHEND any business initiative and activity OTHER than in the horeca & entertainment industries.
Many complain about institutions, corrupt civil servants, unfriendly authorities, etc. They are wrong.
It is simple to understand...}

Schools in Athens, Disctrict of Attica, Greece (4)

(con'nued from previous)

If you have children, small or otherwise...
...that would be private schools.

Costea-Geitona (CGS) has nice facilities attesting to wise use of funds -- and lots of them. Private secondary school is good business in Greece, nay, getting better and better as public (grammar & local) schooling gets worse and gradually abandoned. You just have to see CGS' buildings to realise - goodness, the schools has been around for ~30 years. Not that long, considering the likes of Jeanne d'Arc.

And yet.

CGS -- I started out as a hard-working nobody and now am a fully fledged somebody, with solid foundations &, some, very good points to make in secondary schooling.

CGS management had the bright idea to join the IB bandwagon very early and to supplement the Greek Ministry of Education curriculum (admittedly, more of a hindrance as private eductational institutions in Greece probably know education better than Ministry apparatchiks with questionable credentials) with IB's skills-centred appraoch to learning. Its IB programme is also reputed to have results - i.e. many students get offers at first choice universities.
And, they are welcoming, and... expensive. You are convinced The only setback is, there is nothing particularly obvious to choose this school rather than another. No offense meant; as a matter of fact, there is nothing to dissuade one from actually chosing CGS, despite its "youth".

_____________


Another well-known institution, albeit with a much longer history, is Ziridi. Here, there is a 75 year history and a strong family undercurrent -- the Ziridi family, that is, with Ms Ziridi (amazingly for her apparent age, only 2nd generation) on the home page. To give credit where it's due, the P.A. is well supported and active, too and, the point being made is that this school is also a family -- not an institution.

SO far so good.

"We're a family of school-children and our school family name is Ziridi."

Having stated this, the old tradition that came with the original "Lykeion i Athena" is no longer. As a matter of fact, the present name is "new gen Ziridi". Unlike new gen coke that bombed, this one hasn't.

The school is heavy on competencies, things environmental (Greeks are into these, as long as it doesn't require them to actually do anything more than talk and, occasionally, switch off the lights for an hour) -- and sports a "botanical garden" (i.e. nice looking and scenting herbs planted in its grounds); some traditions are still favoured the highlight (IMO) being the inauguration of the new campus with the presence of no less than His All Holiness, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, Archbishop of Constantinople and New Rome.

Wow.

Of course, Ziridi is "connected" to the legendary Great School of the Nation -- Megali tou Genous Scholi (in Greek) -- the school of all schools, with a list of Principals going back to 1454. Now that's prestigious. That, is also the one school that is supervised by the Patriarchate.
{Unfortunately, the school, situated in Turkish territory, is regularly attacked & pillaged after the Turkish government in 1945 simply kicked out 250.000 people of Greek origin and, of course, pocketed their belongings.}

So, does one choose the "new gen Ziridi", with its penchant for competencies in 1-6th formers and a preference for IB?

Let's stay tuned.

p.s. is it necessary to repeat that teaching of English as a second language is excellent in both schools?

Schools in Athens, District of Attica (3)

(...continued...)

Another school, this one inspired the following thought: "we are self-contained and content to be as, and who, we are".

This is ACS, no longer catering only to Americans as the name would imply; reportedly, ACS has a very international student body.
However, many of the children are transients. Your child's friend(s) may have to leave soon, move to another country. Sad.
Therein lies a problem.

Otherwise it seems that the school(s) has its act together, wants to have fun in teaching and learning; its teachers try to inspire creative thinking; and lots of empowerment (to use one of Human Resources' many emetic mumbo-jumbos) goes to the "kids".
Also children are encouraged to take little if any homework home... Learn to work well & efficiently.

Sounds good.

Very expensive.

Conflicting views on academic achievement of its alumni. No one seems to dispute, however, that children have fun at ACS.

Who is the lady in the picture opposite? As a special treat, the first three students to give the correct answer will get a bonus extra 5 points on their IB results!

Schools in Athens, Disctrict of Attica, Greece (2)

(con'nued from previous)
If you have children, small or otherwise...
...that would be private schools.

The redoubtable Athens College seems to be the indisputable king of privately managed educational institutions in Greece and, originally, a boys' school. Athens College now also accepts girls. There are two educational institutions, created mostly in response to some neo-fascist request from Greece's bureaucracy some 10 years ago. "AC" refers to both.

My one-liner: AC is the school for the children of influential people. AC accepts offspring that promises to be influential.

It is as simple as that.
It does not really matter if you are poor or rich or in-between, if you can pay or not the tuition fees. Anyway, 400 children at AC (out of 3000?) have a scholarship.
It only matters that you are influential or that your child promises the be distinctive (note: not necessarily exceptional, but distinctive).

p. s. The AC grounds and facilities are nothing short of phenomenal, certainly the best by far I've seen both in Athens and Paris. Possibly envied worldwide. The secondary schools classes held in what used to be the boarding houses, are not so impressive. Years ago, the AC facilities were in a different planet -- not just a different league -- compared to the rest on offer. Fortunately, others are catching up somewhat.

Unless you are an influential alumnus, or very dangerous to the schools survival (a Greek politician, for example;) chances of getting your child at AC are slim, and not worth the investment in time. Oh, yes, AC is as impressive as it is expensive. The most expensive probably -- closely followed or surpassed by St. CAtherine's below.

________NEXT (in random order)

St. Catherine's British Embassy School. Rumour has it, this school has one of the best, if not the best, academic standards. I have a soft spot; I was a British Embassy School student in my time. Different city.
The curriculum, the creativity involved in its conception and the thoroughness with which it is followed: very good.
One-liner: "we are a distinctive island in the midst of everyone" The school's culture sports an insular exclusivity. Some children will feel left out, despite efforts by the teaching staff. Some children will never feel "one of us".
Best thing to be, English; second best, top performer and tall if male, or attractive if female. Reportedly, the third best thing to be is Australian; the attraction of the exotic? (Best of all, of course, is still wealthy and generous.)

The academic achievement of its graduates is indisputable and, the school is probably well positioned in the listings of the world's top secondary schools. Teaching of Greek is weak compared to the rest. It is also a has a reasonable student body with an accordingly large teaching body. If you cannot pay, your child will be kicked out without any ado, so check what is under the floor-boards (presumably your banker no longer exists or is in extinction mode). If your child cannot cope with the curriculum and you can pay through your nose, the child will be given many chances to make it. If the child does make it, but you cannot pay it -- your child will be kicked out, politely.

The grounds are decent, adequate and (surprisingly) maintained. The extracurricular activities, sometimes varying from one year to the other, are typically interesting and educational, if not particularly exciting.
Reportedly (by its admin staff) there is a depressingly long waiting list for 1st formers. If you are impressively rich or drink with whoever is UK ambassador to Greece, or are yourself the ambassador, or part of HRM's or Ozz's dip missions to Greece, the waiting list commendably disappears. Purportedly, Canadians are also accepted -- but never find any chairs left for their children. Fortunately, some Canadians have some proximity to the French language which opens up more possibilities for their offspring.


________NEXT (in random order)

The oldest privately held and operated school in Greece is French, Ecole Jeanne d'Arc. 150 years old, as touted on the site. J d'A gets the gold medal for
longevity and consistency. It follows the french curriculum with additions of couleur locale, and strongly supported but quietly encouraged creativity.

One-liner: J d'A is a scholastic institution of modern Greece. The bacs (baccalauréats) it delivers are a by-product of the institution's operation.

It is neither well-known nor unknown. Neiother discussed nor shunned. In fine, its culture wills it to be friendly and heart-warming; the soeurs run the school and they adhere to their religious discipline. Accordingly they expect others to adhere to their own discipline, whether identical or not. Within this frame of self-discipline, freedom is encouraged.

The motto is, this is a good school for good students, but can cater to and support and deal with exceptional students as well. It is probably true, with a slight predominance in the literary, rather than tech, subjects.

Schools in Athens, District of Attica, Greece. (1)

If you have children, small or otherwise...
...that would be private schools.

Exclusively.
All hogwash and balderdash to the contrary is just that...
Why? Because today's excellent, well-honed, organised local school is tomorrow's shooting back alley. Why? Because that superb and inspired teacher moved to another location; because teachers' pay at 20 years experience level is EURO: 1.327,0 /month, because there is little motivation, no recognition of effort expended, and even less on-going education...
so most will moonlight private lessons, go on sick leave, strike, /all or some of the above... and then some.

Presently I am checking out schools -- yet again. First time it was for my elder in Paris, France. There's really nothing to check out there; "public" (grammar) schools there are good to very-good unless otherwise indicated -- in which case they are excellent to outstanding. You may not like the system, but the academic and scholastic levels are beyond reproach.
This is not (no longer, I've been told) the case in Athens, capital of Greece.

Friends have checked this out before me. I am now checking it out. Greek, English schools, écoles Francaises... (I don't know nor understand German-except for German music 65 years old at its youngest)


There many private schools in and at the outskirts of Athens, many sporting phenomenal facilities and impressive buildings and, not least, very good credentials -- academic and otherwise. English taught as a foreign language in Greece is consistently outstanding. Greek taught as a foreign or mother tongue is less consistent in quality.

I propose to protray my impressions of schools I visit and add a comment on school personality / image. A display of uniquely differentiating factor for each institution, as it were.
At the onstart, all the schools look good -- in fact, the impressions range from good to excellent -- were it for their educational promise or their facilities (Greek schools) or both (Athens College, for example).

So, I propose to make


Oh yes, before we get to the core let's cut to the chase: EURO 12.000 / year for primary school is in the ballpark. Plus busing and similar superfluous luxuries such as food. Total should exceed 14k, yes, four-teen thousand Euro i.e. 18 thousand USD per year. For a full 12 year programme to graduation, parents are looking at euro: 150k in constant terms. Yes, that's before college. You can buy a small flat in a rotten area for that kind of money. Or you might just pack your bags and move elsewhere -- France say. But we're not there, yet.

Starting with the schools, the order only relates to random how thoughts in my mind manufest themselves -- or the proximity of my visit/ research on that particular schools. Nothing scholastic.

Athens College, aka the Hellenic-American Educational Foundation and its redoubtable alumni association.

Know anyone??? (For expats considering Greece as their destination)

It took me a very long stay in Greece, to understand that it's all about who you know -- not what you know, or what rule you adhere to, or what you believe in, or....

When you need to solve or resolve, anything, you must first check if it can't be done through connections. Easily, friendly, efficiently and, often, justly. If this fails, -- ie. you have NO connections -- you turn to institutions. Which don't always credibly seem to have their official raison d'etre coincide with what they actually do
Justice, is not quite there to administer justice (but to divide the spoils)
Education should not be seen primarily as a means to educate (but rather, as employment for graduates in otherwise useless disciplines)
...etc.

Ad nauseam.

Please introduce me to someone -- no, THREE INFLUENTIAL people. When I settle in Greece for ever, I will include them in my immediate family.
These are,
An active politician
An active doctor
An active lawyer

The BBC, Kossovo, and ranting

In an early morning story, this morning (i.e. around 5:30 a.m. Feb 17th), the BBC News channel aired a short report on Kossovo.

With serious and concerned faces, presenter, an EU official with the cushy job of doing nothing (or maybe, supervising... traffic? noting the weather? watching grass grow?) and an anchorwoman sur place informed us that there may be a problem in Kossovo. It took considerable air time and a trip over there for at least two persons (i.e. the one on the screen & the one behind the camera that recorded the scene) to tell us what we already know; those of us who do not, are not interested.

We got some not so touristy background views of couleur locale, however, the BBC correspondent quite appropriately dominated the screen most of the time; her image is arguably aesthetically superior to what was behind her.

All in all, the inanity of the presenter's story was only out shadowed by the vapidity of the correspondent's reporting.

This said, neither of the two can hold a candle to the officious official representing the EU (Mr. Pieter Feith). He was beyond description.

First of all, the aforementioned pair still have to work and worry about ratings.
Our officous official, having landed the cushy job, has a number of arguments that say he does not have to do, or be, or try to be, anything any more: EURO: 184.000 tax-free, + private insurance + pension plan, + support for kids' tuition, + travelling expenses, + business & extraordinary expenses... etc.

Am I envious? Yes I am!

Australians need help -- not from Greece, please!

While part of Australia is under water, another part is surpassing itself trying to survive fires... as well as looking for possible perpetrators.

At the opposite end of the spectrum, Greece is recompensing setting trees and forests on fire.
Especially when it leads to real-estate development. Presently, homes built without planning permit and on grounds cleared by fire are receiving legalised status.

Greece is the country where burning down trees is the consecrated ticket to obtaining a home. Or the most profitable method to engage in real-estate development. It is slow in producing its yield, but it is dependable.

Yup. While Australia is in literal mayhem, Greece is presently and yet again legalising tree-burning of the '90s vintage. In other words, buildings of that era and before, erected on burned land, are now being legalised. The later millesimes have yet to reach the age of maturity, so fresher home dwellers & tree-burning societies have to be patient; their turn will come.
On a more financial note, it is cheaper to burn a few bushes, trees, forests, other peoples' land... and build and wait patiently for the thing to be legalised -- than purchase the legal equivalent.

The Greece paradigm affords an important lesson to the global community: burn to build.
(The greenery in the pic was added post-building.)

Hopefully Australia will not follow the Greek example. I don't think it will.


For now, however, for stricken and threatened Australians, any and all talk is useless. Let's all pray; and let those who can do more, do it.

Terrorism Greek(?) style: "shoot thems working class wogs"

Yuuuup.
In Greece, the "Anti-somethingorother" group sent a "declaration" to an obscure Athenian paper, claiming responsibility for a number of terrorist attacks making them out to be cool man and, more importantly, making no bones about their intentions to crush (the) police(men).

Under a purported left-wing cover, this group seems to be revealing itself, unintentionally perhaps, either as a case of neo-fascists or, just as likely, as the Eton vs Comprehensive, Working-classes- trying-to-assert-themselves-and-being-violently-shunned by an armed militia of privileged classes offspring.

Which is probably where this anti-somethingorother group members come from: privileged classes.

They are certainly not working class or lower middle class, or small farmers' children; that what their enemies, the police(men) are... working class, poor, farmers' kids mostly.

Let us end this short epistle asserting our revolutionary support to the upper classes and their gracious militia, by borrowing the words of an erstwhile emperor:
"Cock your pistols, KKK! Don't let gun-carrying snots and the wogs assert themselves! Kill them all, God will recognise his own"