30/9/06

ΘΡΗΣΚΕΥΤΙΚΟ ΧΙΟΥΜΟΡ!!



ΓΙΑ ΝΑ ΜΗΝ ΨΑΧΝΕΤΕ ΠΟΙΟΙ ΕΙΝΑΙ ΠΙΣΩ ΑΠΟ ΤΗΝ MERCEDES BENZ.

ΧΡΙΣΤΙΑΝΙΚΟΣ ΟΥΡΑΝΟΞΥΣΤΗΣ..ΠΟΛΥ TRENDY

ΣΥΛΛΕΚΤΙΚΟ ΚΟΜΠΟΛΟΪ ΕΝΟΣ ΙΟΥΔΑΙΟΧΡΙΣΤΙΑΝΟΪΝΔΟΥΙΣΤΗ



ΑΞΩΝΙΚΗ ΤΟΜΟΓΡΑΦΙΑ ΒΟΥΔΙΣΤΗ





ΤΕΛΙΚΑ Ο ΓΚΟΡΜΠΙ ΗΤΑΝ ΙΝΔΟΥΙΣΤΗΣ

ΝΑ ΚΑΙ ΕΝΑ ΙΣΛΑΜΟΪΟΥΔΑΪΚΟΧΡΙΣΤΙΑΝΙΚΟ ΨΑΡΕΜΑ!

(ΜΠΑΣ ΚΑΙ ΠΙΑΣΟΥΜΕ ΚΑΝΑ ΨΑΡΙ)



Ο ΠΑΝΘΡΗΣΚΟΣ ΣΦΙΧΤΗΣ!!



ΕΑΝ ΟΙ ΕΒΡΑΙΟΙ ΣΚΛΑΒΟΙ ΕΙΧΑΝ ΧΤΙΣΕΙ ΤΙΣ ΠΥΡΑΜΙΔΕΣ!




ΠΟΙΟΙ ΣΤΑΥΡΩΣΑΝ ΤΟΝ ΧΡΙΣΤΟ?



MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU
Copyright © Demetrios the Traveler
(
Brexians lair)



ΤΟ ΣΚΑΝΔΑΛΟ ΤΗΣ ΓΑΛΑΚΤΟΒΙΟΜΗΧΑΝΙΑΣ....

Η ΠΕΤΡΑ ΤΟΥ ΣΚΑΝΔΑΛΟΥ


MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU
Copyright © Demetrios the Traveler
(
Brexians lair)


ΜΙΑ ΠΑΡΑΞΕΝΗ ΔΙΑΦΗΜΗΣΗ





ΜΙΑ ΛΑΜΠΟΡΓΚΙΝΙ ΣΤΟ ΦΛΥΤΖΑΝΙ ΣΑΣ

ΑΥΤΑ ΣΥΜΒΑΙΝΟΥΝ ΣΤΗΝ ΣΟΣΙΑΛΙΣΤΙΚΗ ΚΙΝΑ.

MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU
Copyright © Demetrios the Traveler
(
Brexians lair)


ΚΑΤΑΠΛΗΚΤΙΚΑ !!






MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOUCopyright © Demetrios the Traveler
(Brexians lair)


ΠΑΝΤΟΥΡΚΙΣΜΟΣ = ΕΙΝΑΙ ΓΙΑ ΓΕΛΙΑ.....




MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU
Copyright © Demetrios the Traveler
(
Brexians lair)


σκεψεις θεσεις αποψεις....



Γράφω αυτό το ιστογράφημα με αφορμή τα 3 τελευταία ιστογραφήματα της συν-μπλόκισσας Λορελάϊ

"Loreley whispering through ears... "


με τίτλους :
• Αποχαύνωση
• Προβλήματα Πολυτελείας
• Δημήτρης Δανίκας

-Ειλικρινά μου είναι δύσκολο να κρίνω και να αποφασίσω, τι δεν μου αρέσει περισσότερο, το ότι πεθαίνουν παιδία από πείνα κάθε μέρα, ή το ότι δεν στειρώνουν τους αγράμματους, φτωχοδιάβολους γονείς τους.
-Δυστυχώς μου είναι δύσκολο να κρίνω και να αποφασίσω, τι δεν μου αρέσει περισσότερο, το ότι πεθαίνουν παιδία από το AIDS κάθε μέρα, ή το ότι οι γονείς τους πηδιούνται με όποιον και ότι βρουν.
-Αλήθεια μου είναι δύσκολο να κρίνω και να αποφασίσω, τι δεν μου αρέσει περισσότερο, το ότι πεθαίνουν παιδία από οικογενειακή κακοποίηση κάθε μέρα, ή το ότι δεν κλίνουν τους γονείς τους στο πιο βαθύ μπουντρούμι.
-Σίγουρα μου είναι δύσκολο να κρίνω και να αποφασίσω, τι δεν μου αρέσει περισσότερο, το ότι πεθαίνουν παιδία από ενδοσχολική βία κάθε μέρα, ή το ότι οι γονείς τους αγοράζουν όπλα.
-Χωρίς ενδοιασμό μου είναι δύσκολο να κρίνω και να αποφασίσω, τι δεν μου αρέσει περισσότερο, το ότι αυτοκτονούν παιδία κάθε μέρα, ή το ότι οι γονείς τους δεν νοιάζονται για τα προβλήματα και τις ανησυχίες τους.

Δεν με νοιάζει και δεν μου καίγεται καρφί για όλα τα πιο κάτω:

1. για τους δασκάλους, καθηγητές του δημόσιου, που κάνουν απεργία και για τα οποία αιτήματα τους.
2. για τους δήθεν σοσιαλιστές εκδότες, δημοσιογράφους και παρουσιαστές του glamour, του gossip και του life style.
3. για τους κατ’ επάγγελμα εργατοπατέρες που στη συνεχεία θα μπούνε στη βουλή να φάνε με χρυσές μασέλες.
4. για το gay κατεστημένο στα media.
5. για την αμερικανική εξωτερική πολιτική.
6. για την εβραιοσιωνιστική φατρία της 7ης τέχνης.
7. για τους παρατρεχάμενους και ενασχολούμενους ερασιτέχνες και επαγγελματίες γύρω από το επαγγελματικό ποδόσφαιρο και μπάσκετ.
8. για τις μεγαλοκυρίες και τους μεγαλοκαρχαρίες συζύγους τους και για την όποια κοινωνικό-φιλανθρωπική τους δραστηριότητα.
9. για την κατάντια της πανεπιστημιακής εκπαίδευσης.
Και τέλος,

για όλους αυτούς που υποστηρίζουν, φωνάζουν, τσακώνονται για κάποιο από τα πιο πάνω.
Ψάχνουν δηλαδή να κουρέψουν το αυγό!

Και τώρα αρχίστε να πυροβολείτε !!

Απαντήσεις.

1. αφού έχουν γλύψει κατουρημένες ποδιές, οι κηφήνες, για να μπουν στο Δημόσιο, τώρα κάνουν απεργία οι τεμπελαράδες.
2. γιατί το πείραμα του σοσιαλισμού, αυτή την χρονική στιγμή έχει λάβει τέλος. Ποιος ξέρει, ίσως μετά από 200 χρόνια!!
3. γιατί δεν έχουν δουλέψει ποτέ, και τα μόνα ένσημα που έχουν είναι από ατελείωτο γλείψιμο οπισθίων.
4. γιατί το παρακάνανε και έτσι έχασαν το συγκριτικό πλεονέκτημα, για να διεκδικήσουν τα δικαιώματα τους. Ότι έπαθαν δηλαδή, οι φεμινίστριες πριν λίγα χρόνια.
5. αφού δεν υπάρχει κανείς να τους σταματήσει, καλά κάνουνε, μαγκιά τους και καμποϊλίκι τους. Οι Ρώσοι μουγκά στη στρούγκα, οι Ευρωπαίοι κουλτούρα να φύγουμε και οι Κινέζοι δεν είναι έτοιμοι.
6. ας βρεθεί κάποιος να τους ανακόψει, μην μου αναφέρεται για Αγγελόπουλο και Ταρκόφσκι, γιατί θα γελάσει και το παρδαλό κατσίκι.
7. γιατί ενασχολούμενοι με τον επαγγελματικό αθλητισμό, γινόμαστε πιο αμαθείς πιο εύκολη λεία στα χέρια του κατεστημένου. Θα παραφράσω εδώ «επαγγελματικός αθλητισμός = το όπιο του λαού»!
8. γιατί ότι λεφτά δίνουνε, είναι φοροαπαλαχτέα ύλη και τα λεφτά που μαζεύουνε, τα δίνετε εσείς βλάκες!
9. γιατί δεν υπάρχει αντίπαλο δέος, μιας πραγματικής ιδιωτικής ή ημι-ιδιωτικής παιδείας και έτσι έχουμε καθηγητάδες άσχετους και φοιτητές πανάσχετους.

Το μόνο μοντέλο ενάντια στην παγκοσμιοποίηση, είναι να μην μασάμε κουτόχορτο, να ασχοληθούμε με τον εαυτό μας και την οικογενειά μας και να προσπαθησουμε να είμαστε παράδειγμα προς μίμηση και όχι χειροκροτητές ηλιθίων.

Πιστεύω:

Ότι κάθε νόμισμα έχει δυο όψεις.

Δεν διαπραγματεύομαι:

Την Πατρίδα μου, με την ιστορία της και την ομορφιά της.
Την ελευθέρια της έκφρασης, γι'αυτο γουστάρω το διαδύκτιο.
Το δικαίωμα όλων στην εκπαίδευση, την γνώση και την μάθηση.

Σκοτώνω:

Για τα παιδία μου και μόνο!

Και σας σέβομαι όλους εκτός από εσάς που δεν με σέβεστε.



MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU
Copyright © Demetrios the Traveler
(
Brexians lair)


8 tips for eating well




These practical tips can help you make healthier choices. The two keys to a healthy diet are eating the right amount of food for how active you are and eating a range of foods to make sure you’re getting a balanced diet.A healthy balanced diet contains a variety of types of food, including lots of fruit, vegetables and starchy foods such as wholemeal bread and wholegrain cereals; some protein-rich foods such as meat, fish, eggs and lentils; and some dairy foods.
1. Base your meals on starchy foods

Starchy foods such as bread, cereals, rice, pasta and potatoes are a really important part of a healthy diet. Try to choose wholegrain varieties of starchy foods whenever you can. Starchy foods should make up about a third of the food we eat. They are a good source of energy and the main source of a range of nutrients in our diet. As well as starch, these foods contain fibre, calcium, iron and B vitamins.

Most of us should eat more starchy foods – try to include at least one starchy food with each of your main meals. So you could start the day with a wholegrain breakfast cereal, have a sandwich for lunch, and potatoes, pasta or rice with your evening meal.Some people think starchy foods are fattening, but gram for gram they contain less than half the calories of fat. You just need to watch the fats you add when cooking and serving these foods, because this is what increases the calorie content.

Why choose whole grain foods?

Wholegrain foods contain more fibre and other nutrients than white or refined starchy foods.We also digest wholegrain foods more slowly so they can help make us feel full for longer.Whole grain foods include:
Whole meal and wholegrain bread, pitta and chapatti
Whole wheat pasta and brown rice
Whole grain breakfast cereals


2. Eat lots of fruit and veg

Most people know we should be eating more fruit and veg. But most of us still aren't eating enough. Try to eat at least 5 portions of a variety of fruit and veg every day. It might be easier than you think. You could try adding up your portions during the day.For example, you could have:
a glass of juice and a sliced banana with your cereal at breakfast
a side salad at lunch
a pear as an afternoon snack
a portion of peas or other vegetables with your evening meal
You can choose from fresh, frozen, tinned, dried or juiced, but remember potatoes count as a starchy food, not as portions of fruit and veg.


3. Eat more fish
Most of us should be eating more fish – including a portion of oily fish each week. It's an excellent source of protein and contains many vitamins and minerals.Aim for at least two portions of fish a week, including a portion of oily fish. You can choose from fresh, frozen or canned – but remember that canned and smoked fish can be high in salt.
What are oily fish?
Some fish are called oily fish because they are rich in certain types of fats, called omega 3 fatty acids, which can help keep our hearts healthy.

How much oily fish?
Although most of us should be eating more oily fish, women who might have a baby one day should have a maximum of 2 portions of oily fish a week (a portion is about 140g). And 4 is the recommended maximum number of portions for other adults.Examples of oily fishSalmon, mackerel, trout, herring, fresh tuna, sardines, pilchards, eelExamples of white or non-oily fishCod, haddock, plaice, coley, tinned tuna, skate, hakeShark, swordfish and marlin Don’t have more than one portion a week of these types of fish. This is because of the high levels of mercury in these fish.Anyone who regularly eats a lot of fish should try and choose as wide a variety as possible.For more information on fish and for advice – including recommended limits – for children, women who are pregnant, breastfeeding or trying for a baby, see the link below.


4. Cut down on saturated fat and sugar

Fats

To stay healthy we need some fat in our diets. What is important is the kind of fat we are eating. There are two main types of fat:
saturated fat – having too much can increase the amount of cholesterol in the blood, which increases the chance of developing heart disease
unsaturated fat – having unsaturated fat instead of saturated fat lowers blood cholesterol
Try to cut down on food that is high in saturated fat and have foods that are rich in unsaturated fat instead, such as vegetable oils (including sunflower, rapeseed and olive oil), oily fish, avocados, nuts and seeds.

Foods high in saturated fat
Try to eat these sorts of foods less often or in small amounts:
meat pies, sausages, meat with visible white fat
hard cheese
butter and lard
pastry
cakes and biscuits
cream, soured cream
coconut oil, coconut cream or palm oil
For a healthy choice, use just a small amount of vegetable oil or a reduced-fat spread instead of butter, lard or ghee. And when you are having meat, try to choose lean cuts and cut off any visible fat.


How do I know if a food is high in fat?
Look at the label to see how much fat a food contains. Generally the label will say how many grams (g) of fat there are in 100g of the food.Some foods also give a figure for saturated fat, or ‘saturates’. Use the following as a guide to what is a lot and what is a little fat per 100g of food.This is A LOT of fat 20g fat or more per 100g5g saturates or more per 100gThis is A LITTLE fat3g fat or less per 100g1g saturates or less per 100gIf the amount of total fat is between 3g and 20g per 100g, this is a moderate amount of total fat. Between 1g and 5g of saturates is a moderate amount of saturated fat.Try to choose more foods that only contain a little fat (3g fat or less per 100g) and cut down on foods that contain a lot of fat (20g fat or more per 100g).
Sugar

Most people iare eating too much sugar. We should all be trying to eat fewer foods containing added sugar, such as sweets, cakes and biscuits, and drinking fewer sugary soft and fizzy drinks.Having sugary foods and drinks too often can cause tooth decay, especially if you have them between meals. Many foods that contain added sugar can also be high in calories so cutting down could help you control your weight.

How do I know if a food is high in added sugar?
Take a look at the label. The ingredients list always starts with the biggest ingredient first. But watch out for other words used to describe added sugar, such as sucrose, glucose, fructose, maltose, hydrolysed starch and invert sugar, corn syrup and honey. If you see one of these near the top of the list, you know the food is likely to be high in added sugars.Another way to get an idea of how much sugar is in a food is to have a look for the 'Carbohydrates (of which sugars)' figure on the label. But this figure can't tell you how much is from added sugars, which is the type we should try to cut down on.10g sugars or more per 100g is A LOT of sugar2g sugars or less per 100g is A LITTLE sugarIf the amount of sugars is between 2g and 10g per 100g, this is a moderate amount.Sometimes you will only see a figure for total 'Carbohydrates', not for 'Carbohydrates (of which sugars)', which means the figure also includes the carbohydrate from starchy foods.

5. Try to eat less salt – no more than 6g a day

Lots of people think they don't eat much salt, especially if they don't add it to their food. But don't be so sure! Every day, 85% men and 69% women eat too much salt.
Adults – and children over 11 – should have no more than 6g salt a day. Younger children should have even less.Three-quarters (75%) of the salt we eat comes from processed food, such as some breakfast cereals, soups, sauces, bread, biscuits and ready meals. So you could easily be eating too much salt without realising it.Eating too much salt can raise your blood pressure. And people with high blood pressure are three times more likely to develop heart disease or have a stroke than people with normal blood pressure.

How do I know if a food is high in salt?
Salt is often listed as sodium on food labels. Salt = sodium x 2.5.Use the following as a guide to what is a lot and what is a little salt (or sodium) per 100g food.This is A LOT of salt1.25g salt or more per 100g0.5g sodium or more per 100gThis is A LITTLE salt0.25g salt or less per 100g0.1g sodium or less per 100gTry to choose foods that are low in salt (0.25g salt or less per 100g).

6. Get active and try to be a healthy weight
It's not a good idea to be either underweight or overweight. Being overweight can lead to health conditions such as heart disease, high blood pressure or diabetes. Being underweight could also affect your health. Check if you are the right weight for your height using the link below.If you’re worried about your weight, ask your GP or a dietitian for advice. But if you think you just need to lose a little weight, the main things to remember are:
only eat as much food as you need
make healthy choices – it’s a good idea to choose low-fat and low-sugar varieties, eat plenty of fruit and veg and wholegrains
get more active
It’s also important to eat a variety of types of food so you get all the nutrients your body needs.Physical activity is a good way of using up extra calories, and helps control our weight. But this doesn’t mean you need to join a gym. Just try to get active every day and build up the amount you do. For example, you could try to fit in as much walking as you can into your daily routine. Try to walk at a good pace.Whenever we eat more than our body needs, we put on weight. This is because we store any energy we don't use up – usually as fat. Even small amounts of extra energy each day can lead to weight gain.But crash diets aren't good for your health and they don't work in the longer term. The way to reach a healthy weight – and stay there – is to change your lifestyle gradually. Aim to lose about 0.5 to 1kg (about 1 to 2lbs) a week, until you reach a healthy weight for your height.

7. Drink plenty of water
We should be drinking about 6 to 8 glasses (1.2 litres) of water, or other fluids, every day to stop us getting dehydrated. When the weather is warm or when we get active, our bodies need more than this. But avoid drinking soft and fizzy drinks that are high in added sugar.
Alcohol
There is nothing wrong with the occasional drink. But drinking too much can cause problems. Alcohol is also high in calories, so cutting down could help you control your weight.Women can drink up to 2 to 3 units of alcohol a day and men up to 3 to 4 units a day, without significant risk to their health.A unit is half a pint of standard strength (3 to 5% ABV) beer, lager or cider, or a pub measure of spirit. A glass of wine is about 2 units and alcopops are about 1.5 units.For good health, it's a good idea to spread your drinking throughout the week and avoid binge drinking. Drinking heavily over a long period of time can damage the liver.

8. Don’t skip breakfast
Breakfast can help give us the energy we need to face the day, as well as some of the vitamins and minerals we need for good health.Some people skip breakfast because they think it will help them lose weight. But missing meals doesn't help us lose weight and it isn't good for us, because we can miss out on essential nutrients. Research shows that eating breakfast can actually help people control their weight. This is probably because when we don't have breakfast we're more likely to get hungry before lunch and snack on foods that are high in fat and sugar, such as biscuits, doughnuts or pastries.So why not go for a bowl of wholegrain cereal with some sliced banana and a glass of fruit juice for a healthy start to the day?



MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU
Copyright © Demetrios the Traveler
(
Brexians lair)


Te tenteaza sa-ti faci un tatuaj?

Tatuajele au devenit foarte populare, destule persoane opteaza pentru o astfel de exprimare a simtului artistic sau a propriei personalitati.
Daca te-ai decis sa iti faci un tatuaj, ai grija ca totul sa fie facut igienic si artistul la care apelezi sa fie un profesionist, ca sa nu exista pericolul de infectii.

Inainte de a ti-l face:
Asigura-te ca incaperea unde se efectueaza tatuajul este sigura si curata. Adu-ti aminte, artistul iti va infinge ace in piele, asa ca fii foarte exigenta in ceea ce priveste igiena locului.


Cel care face tatuajul ar trebui sa foloseasca un ac nou, steril, pentru fiecare persoana in parte si pentru fiecare tatuaj nou. Roaga-l pe artist sa faca intreaga procedura de fata cu tine, de la desigilarea acului si sterilizarea intrumentelor folosite si pana la manusile pe care si le pune cand lucreaza.
Daca protesteaza ca nu ai incredere, e de preferat sa optezi pentru alt salon de gen. Toate "uneltele" ar trebui sa fie intinse, pregatite expres pentru tine si tatuajul tau, de exemplu, sticlute noi cu cerneala. Manusile purtate de cel care face tatuajul trebuie sa fie din latex, iar uleiul aplicat pe noul tatuaj sa se faca cu un instrument anume, nu cu mana.
Opteaza pentru desen. Gandeste-te foarte bine inainte. O sa iti placa la fel de mult intr-un an, cinci ani, zece ani? Nu iti tatua un nume pe care vei vrea sa il acoperi in anii care vor veni. Cele mai sigure nume sunt cele ale parintilor sau ale copiilor.


Vorbeste cu artistul despre cum vrei sa arate desenul - forma si culoare. Arata-i mostre si discuta cu el despre culori. Chiar si un ten mai inchis este optim pentru un desen in colori, dar nu uita, orice fel de tip de piele ai avea, doua straturi din culoarea naturala a pielii tale (sau bronzul) vor acoperi produsul final. Daca ai tenul mai inchis si vrei culori aprinse, gandeste-te ca protocaliul se poate dovedi a fi un rosu mai palid.
Asigura-te ca pielea ta este sanatoasa. Cu cateva zile inainte de a merge sa iti faci tatuajul, pregateste-ti pielea. Bea cat mai multe apa pentru hidratare.
Foloseste o lotiune buna de cateva ori pe zi. Nu bea alcool in ziua precedenta operatiei deoarece ar putea cauza sangerare excesiva in timpul procesului. Nu te bronza sau sta prea mult la soare inainte de a te tatua.

Ingrijirea
Cele mai importante lucruri pe care trebuie sa ti le amintesti: foloseste vitamina E sub forma uleioasa cel putin o data pe zi, timp de o saptamana, aplicandu-o pe tatuaj. Fereste tatuajul de apa fierbinte timp de o saptamana, la fel cum trebuie sa eviti piscinele cu apa cu clor. Pentru detalii, consulta propriul doctor sau pe cel care ti-a facut tatuajul.
Metode de a scapa de tatuaje
Exista cateva metode excelente in ziua de astazi pentru a iti "scoate" tatuajul. Metoda pe care doctorul sau artistul o va folosi depinde de dimensiunea tatuajului, de locatie si de timpul care a trecut de cand l-ai facut.
Astfel metodele pot fi: excizia, indepartarea unui strat de piele, indepartarea tatuajului prin laser sau prin folosirea unei solutii de sare pentru indepartarea culori.




MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU
Copyright © Demetrios the Traveler
(
Brexians lair)


γιατι να ειναι μονο ο TARANTINO pulp

ΟΛΟΙ ΣΤΗΝ ΠΙΟ CULT ΠΙΣΤΑ !
Ο ΠΑΝΤΑΖΗΣ ΜΕ ΕΜΦΑΝΙΣΗ 18 ΚΤΑΡΗ
Η ΔΗΜΗΤΡΙΟΥ, ΦΡΕΣΚΟΧΩΡΙΣΜΕΝΗ, ΜΕ ΝΕΟ LOΟK "ΚΡΟΥΕΛΑ"!!
ΝΗΣΙΩΤΙΚΑ ΚΑΙ ΞΕΣΑΛΩΜΑ.!!


«OPERA» ΣΤΗΝ ΙΕΡΑ ΟΔΟ

Η νύχτες σας θα είναι πιο καυτές, πιο CULT αυτό το χειμώνα στο «OPERA».
Η διασκέδασή σας θα έχει τέλεια μουσικά χρώματα, αφού θα συνυπάρχουν το λαϊκό και το νησιώτικo τραγούδι με τους Λευτέρη Πανταζή, Άντζελα Δημητρίου και τους Ματθαίο Γιαννούλη και Λευτέρη Βαζαίο με την πιτσιρίκα τους….

Ιερά οδός 30 . Τηλ κρατήσεων 6974 751881
δεν τους κανω διαφημιση αλλα θα μαζεψουν ολο το χαρτι...
....γιατι αγκιζουν τους απλους λαϊκους ανθρωπους....
MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU
Copyright © Demetrios the Traveler
(
Brexians lair)


ORDO AB CHAO


Freemasonry in Greece: Secret History Revealed

A topic insufficiently researched in Greece nowadays is the existence and historical progression of freemasonry in the country. Great debates occur whenever this theme is mentioned, with conspiracy theorists doing their best to blame all of the misfortunes of the Greek state on the existence of the lodges. This article will examine briefly the intriguing and little-known history of freemasonry in the Greek world, as it has unfolded over the past two centuries.
The Early Days: Venetian Influence and the Spirit of Revolution
The first Freemason’s Lodge in Greece was created in 1782 on Corfu. At the time, the island was still under Venetian rule, while most of the rest of Greece was occupied by the Ottomans. The Lodge’s name was “Beneficenza” and was under the direction of the Grand Lodge of Verona, based in Padova, Italy. During that period there were quite a few Greek people residing or studying in Northern Italy, and they were the ones who formed the nucleus of the first Greek lodge; soon they would spread the organizational structure of Freemasonry all around the Greek diaspora in Europe.
In 1790 in Vienna an organization similar in some respects to the Masons was formed by Greek merchants and intellectuals. It was called “Bon Cuisins,” and was presumably associated with the Greek pre-revolutionary intellectual Rigas Feraios, one of the leading figures in spreading revolutionary idea among those Greeks still under the Turkish occupation. This era was one of intellectual ferment, following the American and French revolutions, and thus offered an excellent environment for the dissemination of new ideas. This ideological development would ultimately lead to the dissolution of the world of empires and the emergence of the nation-state.
In the case of Greece, it seems that the lodges became veritable repositories of knowledge, where the information and ideals needed to start an uprising were collected and shared with a select few. Usually, these were Greeks of the diaspora who had the intellectual capacity, as well as the capital, to take the first decisive revolutionary actions.
After 1789, a series of Masonic lodges opened throughout the Heptanisa (“seven islands”) off of the western Greek coast, islands such as Corfu, Kefalonia, Lefkada, Ithaka, Zakinthos. At that time, these represented the only area in the Hellenic world in relative peace and prosperity, being as they were under Venetian control.
In 1810, one of the leading figures of Corfu, Dionysios Romas, merged together the two existing local lodges, Filogenia and Agathoergia and thus created the Grand Anatolian Lodge of Hellas and Corfu. After this event, Masonic lodges mushroomed across the Hellenic world so that already by 1812 the Greeks in Moscow were able to organize a formidable secret society. Under the auspices of Ioannis Kapodistrias, the then-Russian Foreign Minister, a Masonic lodge that encompassed the Greek elite of Tsarist Russia and played an important role towards creating the framework for the forthcoming Greek revolution was created.
Interestingly, it was named the “Phoenix Lodge. The ancient symbol of the Phoenix – the mythical bird that rises from its own ashes – is frequently encountered in Greek mysticism. Ioannis Kapodistrias would become the first head of state in Greece (1827-1831) and was the head of the Phoenix Lodge while still in Moscow. In fact, he even named the first Greek currency ‘phoenix,’ but after his assassination by a Greek clan chief, the famous ‘drachma’ was born.
The grandest Greek secret society of them all, the Philiki Etaireia (“Friendly Society”) used the phoenix as its symbol. Nowadays it is still one of the symbolic emblems of the Freemason Lodges in Greece. Lastly, during the Junta in Greece (1967-1974) the symbol of the regime was the Phoenix again; presumably this owed to the membership of some of its officers in certain Greek Masonic lodges.
One of the most important organizations in modern Greek history, the Philiki Etaireia was established on September 14, 1814 in Odessa; it is widely assumed to have been an offshoot of the Phoenix Lodge of Moscow. However, Kapodistrias himself would later voice his opposition to the organization. It was created in order to prepare the Greek populace to rise up against the Ottoman Empire. Its leaders were Nikolaos Skoufas, from the Arta province of Epiros, Emmanuel Ksanthos from Patmos in the Dodecanese, and Athanasios Tsakalov, also from Epirus.





These men had previous connections with secret societies. Ksanthos was a member of the Lodge of Lefkada, while Skoufas’ associate Konstantinos Rados was a devotee of the Italian “Charcoal-burners” Carbonarism movement, an equivalent to the Greek group which sought the unification of Italy. For his part, the much younger Tsakalov had been a founding member of Ellinoglwsso Xenodoxeio (the “Greek-speaking Hotel”), an unsuccessful precursor to the Etairia that was devoted to the same goal of an independent Greece.
It is worthwhile to note that the date of the society’s creation was that of the “Holy Cross,” which in the Greek Orthodox calendar has been associated with the miraculous victory of the Byzantine Empire against a combined Avar-Persian siege in 614 AD. According to hagiographic tradition, Constantinople was in dire danger of falling to the barbarians, until the patriarch of the city ran across the walls, armed with an icon of the Virgin Mary (the icon now resides in the Monastery of Dionysiou on Mt. Athos).
Considering the symbolism and importance of the day for the Greek nation, one can assume that the creators of the Philiki Etaireia chose it in order to highlight to their followers the historical role that this organization planned to play in the future. Indeed, the members of the organization were inevitably high-born and ambitious, and included many Phanariots living in Russia. They firmly believed in the mutual obligation to the Etairia’s secrecy, to the extent that those who revealed its secrets were murdered.
With such severity was the Filiki Etairia able to maintain its cohesion and, in less than seven years, to encompass the length and breadth of Greek populations in Europe, from Alexandria and Antioch to Budapest and Trieste. Most importantly, it created the intellectual foundations upon which a revolutionary uprising could be established.
Freemasonry in Greece after 1830: Philanthropy, Scandal and Schism
During the early years of independence in Greece, there was no notable activity among the Freemasons. Only in 1863, the year that the new Glücksburg royal dynasty came to Greece, was the Panellinio Lodge established in Athens, soon to be followed by numerous others in provisional Greek towns. In 1867, the Grand Orient Lodge of Italy accepted the autonomy of Greek Freemasons and the “Great Orient Lodge of Hellas” was created. The same organization has been known under this name since 1936.
The 19th century saw the Freemasons in Greece engaged in continuous recruitment of new members, despite the fact that it never became fully accepted by Greek society. Freemasonry was often viewed as a heresy by the Orthodox Church, or as a manifestation of unwanted foreign influence in the political sphere. Nevertheless, various philanthropic initiatives were undertaken as a result of Masonic activity. Schools, hospitals, support during wartime, scholarships and so on were the legacy of Greek lodges. These factors explain why, in 1927, the Greek state recognized the Hellenic Lodge as a philanthropic association administered by the Ministry of Public Health.
Unfortunately, during the WWII occupation most of the Greek Masonic archives were destroyed by the Germans. The lodges stopped operating during this turbulent period. In the aftermath of the war, Freemasonry gradually regained its previous influence and spread further in Greek society. Today, a grand building in the centre of Athens attests to the economic affluence of the organization that has managed to retain its veil of secrecy right through the present day.
During the military dictatorship in Greece of 1967-1974, officers involved in the Junta were accused of being Freemasons, something that was decidely bad public relations for the Greek Grand Lodge. In 1980, a Greek journalist, Kostas Tsarouchas, revealed the names and ranks of numerous Greek Freemasons. This revelation created a certain havoc in the Athenian world, because a large number of politicians, judges, academics and other were said to be involved- precisely at a time when political passions in the country were running high, one year before the first socialist government of Andreas Papandreou took power.
Later, in 1993, the Grand Lodge of Greece was accused by the mother lodge of London of engaging in political activity, supposedly a no-no for Freemasons worldwide. Thus once again was the image of the Greek Lodge tarnished, and as a result a schism began that ultimately brought about the creation of several unrecognized Masonic Lodges in Greece.
However, it should be added that politics and Freemasonry do mix; it would be incomprehensible to expect otherwise from a class of people frequently involved in politics and who exercise political clout. The 1993 argument with the Grand Lodge in London happened, according to rumors, from the different opinions between the Greeks and the British over who had the right to initiate and take under its influence the newly emerging Masonic lodges of the Balkan states. If true, this would most certainly amount to an act of politics of the higher level. Moreover, the global Freemason movement has always been heavily influenced by its Anglo-Saxon members, and even nowadays the majority of the members worldwide are to be found in Britain, the USA, Canada and Australia. Obviously, the influence they exert is not only spiritual but political as well.
Greek Freemasonry: Some Conclusions
Even though it is difficult to keep track of developments in the Freemason world due to its secrecy, some interesting notes can be made so far as the Greek example is concerned. In our days numerous associations have been active within the Greek society such as the Rotary Club and the Junior Chamber International, and there has been a veritable mushrooming of esoteric societies and other forms of more or less secret fraternities. This proliferation of groups has weakened the traditional supremacy of the Freemasons in Greece.
On balance, the Greek Freemasonry movement has most historical significance in that it was the main procreator of the revolutionary organizations of the early 19th century, chief among them the Philiki Etairia. Similar societies both before and after have drawn from a rich tradition of esoteric customs, symbols and activities. These can be traced ultimately back to the pagan mystery cults of Greek Antiquity, and the later crypto-Christian groups (when Christians were still being persecuted by the Roman Empire). It can even be argued that the pyramidal, multi-leveled organizational hierarchy of the Philiki Etairia resembles somewhat the neo-Platonic conception of the universal organization of ideality and divinity as laid out by ancient authors such as Porphyry and Plotinus.
If all of these are indeed manifestations of the unique Greek passion for convoluted and complex organization, irrational rules and secrecy (the undoing of which would open onto time-honored themes of scandal and betrayal), then one can perceive a continuous historical tradition, in which Freemasonry becomes just one epoch’s manifestation of the seminal impulses and psyche of a people.
BY YIANNIS MICHALETOS



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Copyright © Demetrios the Traveler
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Η 9η ΤΕΧΝΗ...





Από τις 12 έως 15 Oκτωβρίου θα πραγματοποιηθεί το 11ο Διεθνές Φεστιβάλ Κόμικς της Βαβέλ.



Το φεστιβάλ διοργανώνεται στην Τεχνόπολη του Δήμου Αθηναίων (Πειραιώς 100, τηλ. 210-3828.222), με τη συμμετοχή καταξιωμένων Ελλήνων και ξένων δημιουργών.
Οι φετινές εκδηλώσεις έχουν το κεντρικό θέμα Όνειρο ίσως, πάνω στο οποίο οι καλλιτέχνες που συμμετέχουν καλούνται να παρουσιάσουν ολοκληρωμένες ιστορίες.
Το κοινό θα έχει την ευκαιρία να δει από κοντά τις δημιουργίες γνωστών Ελλήνων σχεδιαστών (Δερβενιώτης, Ναβροζίδου, Πεχλιβανίδης, Solup, Μπότσος, Ζαφειράτος, Κυριαζής κ.ά.), τις εικαστικές επεμβάσεις του Σπύρου Βερύκιου και Λάζαρου Ζήκου, αλλά και καινούργιες προτάσεις από τους νέους εικαστικούς καλλιτέχνες Ανδρέα Κασάπη και Λάζαρο Ζήκο.
Παράλληλα, η ομάδα Carpe Diem ετοίμασε ένα ειδικό γκράφιτι γύρω από όνειρα, ενώ το ξεχωριστό τους στίγμα θα δώσουν και ξένοι δημιουργοί.


Με ιδιαίτερο ενδιαφέρον αναμένεται η έκθεση της μακροβιότερης ομάδας των Τσέχων υπερ-ρεαλιστών που δημιουργήθηκε το 1934 και παραμένει ενεργή μέχρι σήμερα, ενώ η έκπληξη έρχεται από την έκθεση με τράπουλες ταρό, σχεδιασμένες από σύγχρονους δημιουργούς.
Όπως αναφέρουν τα Νέα, θα παρουσιαστούν ακόμη τα πρωτότυπα των σειρών Ταρό του Δάντη, Ταρό μάνγκα, Ταρό βαμπίρ, Ταρό της Ατλαντίδας, ενώ χώρο στο Φεστιβάλ της Βαβέλ έχουν και οι αφίσες.



Μέλος της ομάδας Firehouse, o Τσακ Σπέρι, που έχει κάνει αφίσες για ροκ συγκροτήματα όπως οι Rolling Stones, Pearl Jam, The Beatles και U2, θα εκθέσει το δικό του έργο.
Τέλος, όπως κάθε χρόνο, η Τεχνόπολη θα γεμίσει από μουσικές, δρώμενα, θέατρο δρόμου και προβολές κινουμένων σχεδίων.

news.in.gr


MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU
Copyright © Demetrios the Traveler
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Brexians lair)


Γύρισε...




Προσγειώθηκε το Σογιούζ«Διακοπές» τέλος, για την Ιρανή τουρίστρια του Διαστήματος

Με ασφάλεια προσγειώθηκε στη στέπα του Καζακστάν η ρωσική διαστημική κάψουλα Σογιούζ, στην οποία επέβαινε η ιρανικής καταγωγής τουρίστρια του Διαστήματος, Ανουσέχ Ανσαρί.

«Η προσγείωση ολοκληρώθηκε» δήλωσε ο εκπρόσωπος του κέντρου ελέγχου, στη Μόσχα, αμέσως μόλις η μικρή κάψουλα Σογιούζ ΤΜΑ-8 προσγειώθηκε στο βόρειο Καζακστάν.

Εκτός από την ιρανικής καταγωγής επιχειρηματία, στο Σογιούζ επέβαιναν ο Ρώσος κοσμοναύτης Πάβελ Βινογκράντοφ και ο Αμερικανός αστροναύτης Τζεφ Γουίλιαμς -μέλη του Διεθνούς Διαστημικού Σταθμού.

Η προσγείωση του Σογιούζ έγινε σε μία στέπα περίπου 80 χιλιόμετρα βορείως της πόλης Αρκάλικ, στο βόρειο Καζακστάν. Αμέσως ομάδα Ρώσων ειδικών που έχουν την ευθύνη για το πρόγραμμα ανάρρωσης των μελών του διαστημικού σταθμού περικύκλωσε την κάψουλα και βοήθησε τα τρία άτομα να αποβιβαστούν και στη συνέχεια να μεταφερθούν για ιατρικές εξετάσεις.

Η Ανουσέχ Ανσαρί, 40 χρόνων, η οποία έφυγε από το Ιράν το 1984, είναι η πρώτη γυναίκα-τουρίστρια του Διαστήματος. Την υποδέχτηκαν με ένα μπουκέτο κόκκινα τριαντάφυλλα, τα οποία δέχτηκε με ένα χαμόγελο.

Πριν φύγει από τον Διεθνή Διαστημικό Σταθμό χαρακτήρισε «θαυμάσια» την εμπειρία που απεκόμισε και εξέφρασε την επιθυμία να μπορέσει να ξανακάνει τέτοιες... διακοπές.

news.in.gr, με πληροφορίες από ΑΠΕ/Reuters/Γαλλικό

MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU

Copyright © Demetrios the Traveler
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Brexians lair)



The Making of Modern Greece



An international conference at King's College London looks into the Greek experience of nation-building in the 19th century


A visionary, Rigas Ferraios - aka Velestinlis - was behind the 1797 publication in Vienna of a constitution for a future 'Hellenic Republic'. He paid for his ideals with his life shortly afterwards
EVERY Greek and every friend of the country knows the magic date of 1821, when the banner of revolution was raised against the empire of the Ottoman Turks, and the story of 'Modern Greece' is usually said to begin. What is less well known, but almost more important, is that just eleven years later, in 1832, the newly independent state of Hellas was recognised by international treaty, with the full rights of a sovereign nation. Greece was only the second of the new nation-states of modern Europe to be recognised in this way (pipped by just two years by... Belgium).
Historians of Modern Greece have not always paid sufficient attention to this fact, which places the Greek achievement of an independent nation-state, so early in the nineteenth century, in the forefront of the emergence of the modern political and intellectual movement known today as nationalism. Historians of the movement, whose origins are generally supposed to lie in the ferment of ideas that reached its peak before and after the French Revolution of 1789, may learn much from studying the Greek experience during those years. Nationalism is still a very potent force in world politics today - just think of the breakup of the former Yugoslavia, only a few years ago, or the present conflict in the Middle East. Those who try to understand the powerful appeal that the idea of the nation can have over the intellects and emotions of its members ought to interest themselves in charting, much more rigorously than has yet been done, the ferment of ideas that accompanied the birth and early years of the modern Greek state.
The year 1797 saw the publication, in Vienna, of a constitution for a future 'Hellenic Republic' by Rigas of Velestino (sometimes also known as Ferraios). No such state existed at the time, of course, and Rigas paid for his visionary ideals with his life shortly afterwards. But a century later, in 1896, the capital of independent Greece, Athens, was chosen by an international committee as the first venue of the newly revived Olympic Games, an event that established the greatest international sporting fixture of modern times. The achievement of nationhood had not only transformed Greece; it had also very radically changed ways of thinking, both among Greeks themselves and those who interacted with them.
How did this come about? How were the new ideas expressed and disseminated? What were the roles of philhellenes, critics and other observers outside the country? The answers to these and other related questions were sought at an international conference held on September 7-9, at King's College London, under the auspices of the college's Centre for Hellenic Studies, in collaboration with the Institute for Neohellenic Research, part of the National Hellenic Research Foundation in Athens.

Print of Rigas' so-called Charta (map)
The theme of the conference was "The Making of Modern Greece: Nationalism, Romanticism, and the Uses of the Past (1797-1896)". It attracted over 30 speakers, from institutions in Austria, France, Italy, and Russia, as well as from Greece, the UK and the US. The focus throughout was not so much on the well-known milestones on the way to the creation of the Greek nation-state, but rather on the thought-processes that underpinned nationalism and made that achievement possible. Speakers were encouraged whenever possible to bring a comparative dimension to their work so that Greek ideas, attitudes and achievements would be considered not in isolation but in relation to comparable trends elsewhere in Europe and the region.
Under the title "Comparative Nationalism", the concluding panel included Suzanne Marchand (Louisiana State University), a specialist on romanticism and philhellenism in 19th-century Germany, and Samim Akgonul, who researches in social history at the University of Strasbourg in France, and has written on the vexed issue of relations between Greece and his native Turkey during the 20th century. Also speaking in this session was Robert Holland, of the Institute of Commonwealth Studies, London, who has just published (with Diana Markides) ground-breaking work on successive British 'colonial' confrontations with Hellenism: in the Ionian Islands, in Crete and in Cyprus. Then, from the point of view of a classicist with a strong comparative interest in the way history has been written in modern and ancient times, Henrik Mouritsen, of the Department of Classics at King's, rounded off this session by suggesting that modern Greece has been much more successful than modern Italy in mobilising a vision of the country's classical past so as to capture the imagination and the loyalty of its citizens.
Other panels tackled such subjects as 'Religion and Nationalism', the juxtaposition of western European perspectives on emerging Greece with emergent Greek perspectives on their neighbours in the Balkans and Europe, and the nature and wider impact of the perennially controversial 'Language Question' in Greece. Archaeology, and attitudes to the progressive uncovering of a sometimes unfamiliar past, formed the backbone of two sessions. In others, speakers addressed questions of political and social developments (with particular reference to the Ionian Islands under British rule from 1815 to 1864), the role of literature in shaping the national imagination, and parallel developments in the daily press, in opera and music, in visual arts and in public architecture.
The first of two 'keynote' speeches was given by Paschalis Kitromilides, director of the Institute for Neohellenic Research and professor of Political Science at the University of Athens, who called for the study of Greek intellectual history to be 'canonised', through wider recognition by scholars in other countries dealing with comparative and theoretical issues. The second, by Anthony D Smith, applied the insights of the one of the most influential and original political scientists of the day to the specific case of Greece. A notable aspect of the conference was the interaction between distinguished experts in their respective fields (including, among others, Mark Mazower, Charles Stewart, Michael Llewellyn Smith, who was recently British ambassador to Greece, Peter Mackridge, Alexis Politis and Dimitris Tziovas) and younger scholars, now completing their doctorates or in junior academic positions, who will take the subject forward into the next generation.
So, what does the Greek experience of nation-building in the 19th century have to teach academics and policymakers in the globalised world of the 21st century? I cannot claim that our discussions in London produced any short, sharp, 'sound-bite' answers to the questions raised by the conference. But I do believe that, thanks to the many scholars who took part and to an excellent organising team on the ground, something worthwhile was achieved in defining the questions that future research will have to answer. In these fields of enquiry, just as in the 'hard' sciences, working out how to formulate your question properly can already take you a long way towards finding the answer.
* The writer is Koraes Professor of Modern Greek and Byzantine History, Language and Literature at King's College London. He contributed this review to the Athens News
ATHENS NEWS , 22/09/2006, page: A40 Article code: C13201A401




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Copyright © Demetrios the Traveler
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Brexians lair)


Kill Bill, Vol. 3


I thought that after the 9/11 Commission report was issued, with its useful history and bad policy recommendations, the United States of America was over the 9/11 blame game.

Apparently not.
Former President Bill Clinton's eruption against Fox News' Chris Wallace was unseemly. But it was also, in some respects, understandable.
After all, Clinton is being accused of neglectful performance in office that resulted in the death of nearly 3,000 Americans in the worst domestic attack since the War of 1812. That's serious stuff.Wallace didn't acquit himself very well either. Rather than letting Clinton respond fully and comprehensively after tossing him a hand grenade of a question - why didn't you do more to get bin Laden? - Wallace kept interrupting him, short-circuiting Clinton's narrative.
Although Clinton was wrong to include Wallace and ABC among them, he is right that there is a concerted effort among some conservatives to pin the blame for 9/11, and everything else that has gone wrong since the beginning of time, on him. There's something about Clinton that gets to the right wing, the same way as there is something about President Bush that gets to left-wingers. When Clinton does something to get back in the news, it's like double-dessert day for conservative talk radio.
Moreover, the charge is unjustified. Given what was known and the context of the time, Clinton actually took fairly aggressive action against bin Laden and al-Qaida.
Until 9/11, the various terrorist acts conducted by al-Qaida had killed only about 30 Americans. While Clinton was in office, Hezbollah had a far more lethal record.Nevertheless, under Clinton a special unit of the CIA devoted to bin Laden was established. Clinton's administration got Saudi Arabia and Pakistan to exert considerable pressure on the Taliban to cough up or expel bin Laden.
There is a dispute between senior Clinton administration officials and the CIA over whether Clinton authorized the CIA to kill bin Laden, as Clinton officials insist, or only to kill him in an effort to capture him, as CIA officials maintain. Regardless, Clinton clearly wasn't limiting the effort against al-Qaida to law enforcement-style activities, as critics now maintain.
Before 9/11, there would have been no support in the country to go to war to dislodge the Taliban and remove al-Qaida's safe haven in Afghanistan.Nevertheless, Clinton's outrage is selective. There has also been an effort, very intense during the 9/11 Commission's deliberations, to blame 9/11 on President Bush.
Some Clintonistas claimed that the Clinton administration gave Bush a plan to take out al-Qaida, which the Bush administration ignored. This is also a claim without justification.
The "plan" was some ideas of terrorism adviser Richard Clarke, basically to bomb al-Qaida training camps and give assistance to the Northern Alliance for its fight against the Taliban. These ideas had been rejected by the Clinton administration because of questions about their effectiveness and concerns about the Northern Alliance. Far from ignoring these ideas and the al-Qaida threat, the Bush administration began a process of developing a true plan for potential action, one that involved not just the Northern Alliance but Pushtan organizations, representing Afghanistan's largest ethnic group.
Clinton's wife, Sen. Hillary, D-N.Y., revived the Bush blame game in recent days by claiming that her husband would have taken action - unlike Bush - if presented with the memo Bush received about a month before the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, entitled, "Bin Laden Determined to Strike in U.S." That's a contemptible assertion.
There was nothing new in that memo. Bin Laden had, in fact, already tried to attack in the United States, in the foiled millennium plots. And the Bush administration did increase domestic counter-terrorism efforts in response to the elevated threat traffic that summer, even though (to the extent that it was specific) it pointed to overseas targets.Apparently, it is beyond the capability of our political class to accept that the opposition acted in good faith and did the best they could, given the context and what was known at the time.
This toxic partisanship afflicts other national security discussions. Democrats continue to try to breathe life into the charge that the Bush administration knowingly manipulated intelligence to get the country into the Iraq war. Meanwhile, the Bush administration remains in deep denial about the extent to which the Iraq war and our continuing presence there inflames the entire Muslim world, and continues to characterize any suggestion of an alternative course as "giving in to the terrorists." In this country, we used to be able to have a grown-up discussion about national security. Now, it's just another battlefield for partisan spin, blame and dissembling.




MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU
Copyright © Demetrios the Traveler
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Brexians lair)


28/9/06

Going topless

This would not be a good time for another Ford failure; it can't bury much more bad news. Last week the blue oval's share value fell 15 per cent in one day when news leaked that 14,000 of its white-collar staff would be joining 30,000 of its blue-collar workers on the dole queue.

Solid: Ford's new Focus CC
Bill Ford no longer runs the firm, having been replaced by axe men from Boeing and Goldman Sachs. Aston is for sale, Jaguar might be and so might Land Rover. Ford's projected losses this year will be nearly £4.8 billion, yet it has been forced to buy the Rover name from BMW to protect itself from cheap, Chinese-made Rovers. While rival General Motors is almost too big to go bankrupt, Ford isn't. The House of Henry is up a creek without a paddle.

And so to the parched, poplar-studded hills around Siena, where this week Ford launched the Focus CC, the retractable hardtop version of the ever-popular family hatchback. Siena is a fitting place to launch a competitor into the ferociously competitive coupé-cabriolet market. The inhabitants of the city's contrade, its wards, know all about stiff competition: each year, 10 horses race round the Piazza del Campo in the famous Palio. The loser is not the contrada to finish last, but the one that comes second. Being number one is all that counts.
Fortunately for Ford, it seems to have backed a winner here.

As chief programme engineer, Steve Thomas pointed out, the company had the best foundation in the market from which to develop the CC - "the greatest family hatchback there has ever been," as Andrew English described the Focus . The Astra and VW Golf, which have both gone topless this year, simply don't match its driving dynamics. But therein lay a conundrum for Ford: how to take the lid off its magic box without the sides wobbling and the ride and handling falling apart.
Ford found the answer in the affable Mr Thomas, a Cambridge-educated engineer who, thank goodness, talks in plain English. Working five days a week in Turin, where Pininfarina assembles the bodyshells, Thomas cracked the problem. The CC loses a staggering 90 per cent of its torsional rigidity with the roof down, and yet there is only the merest hint of wobble as it's driven. How? Steel, largely. There's an extra cross-member across the bulkhead, super-strength steel reinforcements in the A-pillars, across the top of the windscreen, in the doors and in a torsion box behind the rear seats (which houses the roll-over hoops). Yet it doesn't feel like a heavy beast.
Storage space required: the Focus has a large rump, due to the need for a large area to store its roof
The springs have been stiffened substantially and the rear dampers, taken from the high-performance Focus ST, have been tuned to compensate. As a result, the car responds cleanly and crisply to steering inputs. At the same time, the ride is comfortable yet firm, relaying bumps and ridges in the road through the steering wheel and seats, but protecting you from the full impact of potholes.
Weight distribution is another major handling factor, and the Focus CC has a near-perfect 53:47 balance, with no hint of a heavy nose dragging the car straight on in turns. Lift the throttle and squeeze the brakes in mid-corner and the rear tyres start to slip sideways, but that's a dangerous thing to do anyway and traction control steps in almost imperceptibly to calm things down.
The car's balance is, in part, due to the two-piece folding roof, which, 66lb lighter than a three-piece design, only increases the weight over the rear axles by 37lb, so the suspension set-up works equally well with the roof up or down. Also, with only two working parts, there are fewer hydraulic cylinders and motors to go wrong.
But, oh, the aesthetic nightmare of the vast boot that is required to house a two-piece roof. The Focus CC's rump is reminiscent of the flight deck of HMS Invincible; stand on the roof with two illuminated ping-pong bats and you might get Harriers coming in to land. It does mean that bulky luggage is easily swallowed with the roof raised, and even roof-down there is a respectable 248 litres (a class first) but it's ugly. Combined with a reduced rear view due to the raised boot line and thick C-pillars, the car should have rear parking sensors as standard, not an option. A new Focus-embossed chrome strip across the boot is smart but scratches easily, while the new tail-light clusters, if not beautiful, at least confer a new identity.
Try one on for size: the car handles smoothly but interior space is limited
Moving through the inside, the limited space in front of the rear seats really makes this a two-plus-two, although shoulder-width space is class-leading. The facia is the same as that in a normal Focus; matt black plastic with plastic brushed-alumium-effect splashes and the same switchgear. There's a button for the roof - press when stationary - which lowers or raises in 29 seconds while a digital display by the speedo counts down the process. There are three trim levels - CC-1 to CC-3 - and a startling orange-tan leather option, which is meant to evoke smart Italian businessmen's shoes, but just makes you feel queasy.
Outside, at the front, the car looks more like a Focus ST, with a large, secondary grille under the number plate and aggressively protruding fog lamps. Ford wants you to think of this and the ST as the flagship cars of the range. And what of an ST version of the CC?

Ford says a biofuel model is more likely first. Meanwhile there is the choice of a 1.6 or 2.0-litre petrol or 2.0-litre turbodiesel engines, the first two mated to five-speed manual boxes and the last to a six-speed manual (automatics will be here before Christmas). The predicted bestseller out of a projected 5,500 UK sales is the 2.0 petrol unit, although Roelant de Waard, chairman of Ford of Britain, said on the flight home that after hearing us all raving about the diesel unit, he would reconsider the production figures. It's certainly the pick of the bunch - smooth, relaxed with lots of punchy torque at low revs, which suits the relaxed nature of this type of car, while the 2.0 petrol unit could do with a sixth gear to stop it thrashing about at 75mph, and it feels a little underpowered (so you can probably discount the 1.6, although it was not available to try).
The Focus CC conforms to the Erin Baker Shoe Theory, tried and tested on boyfriends past, and as the CC market is dominated by female buyers, it seems an apposite test: you have the stiletto - sexy, enticing and exciting, but ultimately expensive and disappointing; the trainer - still good-looking, but built really for sport, practicality and comfort; and the slipper - designed solely for comfort and very boring. The Focus CC is without doubt a trainer, which is no bad thing.


Ford Focus CC [tech/spec]

Engine/transmission: 1,596cc petrol with DOHC and four valves per cylinder;

99bhp at 5,500rpm, 111lb ft of torque at 4,000rpm. 1,999cc petrol with DOHC and four valves per cyl;

143bhp at 6,000rpm, 136lb ft at 4,500rpm. 1,997cc diesel with DOHC and four valves per cyl;

134bhp at 4,000rpm, 236lb ft at 2,000rpm.


Performance: 1.6-litre: top speed 113mph, 0-62mph in 13.6sec, EU Urban fuel consumption 30.1mpg, CO2 emissions 169g/km.

2.0-litre petrol: 129mph/10.3sec/26.7mpg/179g/km. 2.0-litre diesel: 127mph/10.3sec/36.7mpg/156g/km.


We like: Handling, ride, sense of value for money.


We don't like: Dull interior and exterior styling, lacklustre petrol engines.


Alternatives: Astra TwinTop, Volkswagen Eos, Renault Megane CC , Peugeot 307 CC.

MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU

Copyright © Demetrios the Traveler
(
Brexians lair)



26/9/06

Colin Farrell Biography




Possibly Ireland's hottest cinematic export since Liam Neeson got his kilt off in Rob Roy, Colin Farrell enjoyed a generous helping of trans-Atlantic buzz for his work in Joel Schumacher's 2000 military drama Tigerland.


Previously known in his native Ireland for supporting parts in film and television productions, Farrell earned both industry recognition and international heartthrob status for his portrayal of a young drifter recruited to fight in the Vietnam War, winning over critics and audiences with talent, charisma, and his fearless assumption of a Texan accent.


The son of famed footballer Eamon Farrell, Farrell was born in Dublin, on May 31, 1976. Growing up, he planned to follow in the footsteps of his father and an uncle, who was also a well-known footballer in the 1960s. However, Farrell's plans changed when, while he was still in high school, his sister enrolled in acting classes at Dublin's Gaiety School of Drama. His interest piqued, the nascent actor followed suit, signing up for classes at the Gaiety School and then making his film debut in a low-budget production called Drinking Crude before he even made it to the Gaiety's classrooms.


Having dropped out of high school in order to pursue acting, Farrell dropped out again -- this time from the Gaiety -- after a successful audition for the Irish TV series Ballykissangel. Joining the show in 1996, he earned a degree of fame in his native country, which opened the door for further work in the U.K. In 1999, he could be seen in the family drama The War Zone, Tim Roth's directorial debut, and on TV in Love in the 21st Century, a segmented series that also featured such up-and-comers as Ioan Gruffudd and Catherine McCormack.


His first glint of overseas recognition came the following year, when Farrell was cast in a supporting role in Thaddeus O'Sullivan's Ordinary Decent Criminal, an Irish gangster drama starring Kevin Spacey and Linda Fiorentino. Criminal, which didn't fare well on U.S. shores, was quickly followed by Joel Schumacher's Tigerland. Although the low-key ensemble film, which was set in a Louisiana boot camp in 1971, received a lukewarm reaction from critics and audiences, Farrell's performance was the subject of almost ubiquitous praise.



Quickly labeled as one of the most exciting new actors to be detected by the Hollywood radar, the young Dubliner subsequently found himself enmeshed in the distinctly American phenomenon of almost overnight success; before the year was out, he had secured starring roles in a number of projects, including American Outlaws, in which he starred as Jesse James alongside Scott Caan and Kathy Bates, and Joel Schumacher's Phone Booth, a thriller about a young man (Farrell) fighting for his life inside the titular enclosure.


Although the long-delayed Outlaws did little for Farrell's career, far more ticket buyers were able to see the young actor alongside Bruce Willis in the somber POW drama Hart's War in early 2002. The following year, Farrell was virtually unavoidable. Not only did 2003 see the release of the aforementioned The Phonebooth, is also found the actor on the right side of the law in both The Recruit and SWAT and on the wrong side as the villainous Bullseye in the /comic book superhero film Daredevil. As if the year was busy enough, he also turned up in a pair of smaller films, Veronica Guerin and Intermission.


The two ensuing years might not have seen Farrell churning out a half-dozen pictures apiece, but he continued to grow in stature, first with a supporting part in the indie period piece A Home at the End of the World, then the title role in Oliver Stone's ambitious flop Alexander (both 2004). Indeed, Farrell's most notorious appearance around this time was, like so many before him, in a much-circulated sex tape leaked on the Internet.


Two major roles in films by well-respected directors followed: The lead in Terrence Malick's critically-acclaimed but, again, little-seen The New World (2005), and the challenging role of author Arturo Bandini in Robert Towne's Ask the Dust. 2006 promised to turn around Farrell's downward box-office spiral with Michael Mann's much-anticipated remake of his own groundbreaking '80s TV show, Miami Vice.



MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU
Copyright © Demetrios the Traveler
(
Brexians lair)


A Touch of Greece, and a Spatter of Grease


ΤΟ ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΟ ΔΑΙΜΟΝΙΟ ΣΤΗΝ ΑΜΕΡΙΚΑΝΙΚΗ ΠΡΩΤΕΥΟΥΣΑ

By Matt Schudel

Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, September 24, 2006

When Homer Bacas moved his family to the Virginia suburbs in 1960, he bought a brick rambler on an acre in Fairfax County. It was on a dirt road with a hand-lettered sign that read "Atheans Road."
He promptly went to the courthouse and got county officials to agree to give his street the name "Athens Road." The faulty spelling of an early land surveyor was corrected, but it was also Bacas's sly way of putting his Greek heritage on the county map.
His father, Angelos Bacas (pronounced BACK-us), came to Washington as a young man and eventually brought three brothers with him. They ran a series of restaurants across the city, including the Bacas Bros. Cafe on Capitol Hill.
In 1919, Angelos Bacas opened the evocatively named P.O. Visible Lunch on North Capitol Street. The "P.O." came from its location near the main post office and the Government Printing Office; "Visible Lunch" referred to the glass-front cases that allowed customers to watch food being prepared in one of the city's first cafeterias.
It was part of a quainter, more relaxed Washington that was never forgotten by Homer Angelos Bacas, who died Sept. 9 of a stroke at 82.
An affable man with a ready quip and an inability to sit still -- "Do something, even if it's wrong," he liked to say -- Bacas recalled a city of long-vanished Jewish, Irish, Italian and Greek enclaves. He rode streetcars all over town for a nickel, and the public school system was one of the best in the country.
The first home he could remember was at Eighth and M streets SE in Washington, and one of his earliest memories was of aviator Charles Lindbergh as he emerged from the gates of the Washington Navy Yard across the street. For a year or two, Bacas's parents ran a hotel in Cumberland, Md., until a fire burned the mountaintop inn to the ground. The family then moved back to Washington.
As a young man, Bacas and his boyhood friend Bowie Kuhn, who later became the commissioner of Major League Baseball, helped operate the scoreboard during Washington Senators games at the old Griffith Stadium.
When Bacas graduated from Roosevelt High School, the principal summoned him and his father to a meeting, concerned that the teenager was getting in with the wrong crowd. The principal and Bacas's father decided to send him to Virginia Tech, far from the temptations of the city.
Father and son rode the train to Blacksburg, and once they got there, Bacas began to panic.
"What am I going to do for money?" he asked.
"Get a job," his father said, boarding the train back to Washington.
After two years of waiting tables and studying engineering at "VPI" -- Bacas insisted on using the old name of Virginia Polytechnic Institute -- he enlisted in the Navy during World War II. After the war, he returned to a bustling Washington and worked in the family's restaurants, becoming a skilled short-order cook. He would make breakfast for his family throughout his life.
In 1949, he married Estelle "Chickie" Mandris and began to look for a way to make his own way in the world. He began an extermination business, working primarily in restaurants, then in 1960 opened the Bacas Co. Real Estate, a Fairfax County brokerage firm that he ran until he retired four years ago. He focused on commercial properties and helped develop the Jermantown Square shopping center in Fairfax City.
As he and his wife raised their four daughters, they watched their community change from its early rural character -- his first neighbors raised horses and goats -- to a dense suburb.
The Bacases brought a touch of Greece to Athens Road every spring with a Greek Easter celebration for the extended family, complete with roasted lamb, eggs and all the traditional trimmings.
In 1972, Bacas and 22 of his relatives made a pilgrimage to Greece. They visited three of the four villages that his grandparents had come from, but as they approached the fourth -- his mother's home town -- she stopped and refused to go on. She preferred to remember the village she knew as a child, before time had wrought its inevitable change.
Six years ago, Bacas suffered a stroke that affected his speech, and his wife died in 2004. But until the end, he never lost his storytelling gift or his sunny view of life.
"My dad truly believed that everything he had was the best," said his eldest daughter, Diane Hoffman. "He was never jealous and never pined for what other people had."
For the past two years, he had a kitchen in his apartment at a retirement home. Each morning, he got up to make eggs for breakfast, just the way he had learned at the P.O. Visible Lunch so long ago.



MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU
Copyright © Demetrios the Traveler
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Brexians lair)



25/9/06

ΟΤΑΝ Ο ΕΛΥΤΗΣ ΜΙΛΟΥΣΕ

..........Είναι, το ξέρω, άτοπο ν' αναφέρεται κανείς σε προσωπικές περιπτώσεις. Και ακόμη πιο άτοπο να παινά το σπίτι του. Είναι όμως κάποτε απαραίτητο, στον βαθμό που αυτά βοηθούν να δούμε πιο καθαρά μια ορισμένη κατάσταση πραγμάτων. Και είναι σήμερα η περίπτωση. Μου εδόθηκε, αγαπητοί φίλοι, να γράφω σε μια γλώσσα που μιλιέται μόνο από μερικά εκατομμύρια ανθρώπων. Παρ' όλ' αυτά, μια γλώσσα που μιλιέται επί δυόμισι χιλιάδες χρόνια χωρίς διακοπή και μ' ελάχιστες διαφορές. Η παράλογη αυτή, φαινομενικά, διάσταση αντιστοιχεί και στην υλικοπνευματική οντότητα της χώρας μου. Που είναι μικρή σε έκταση χώρου και απέραντη σε έκταση χρόνου. Και το αναφέρω όχι διόλου για να υπερηφανευθώ, αλλά για να δείξω τις δυσκολίες που αντιμετωπίζει ένας ποιητής όταν χρησιμοποιεί για τα πιο αγαπημένα πράγματα τις ίδιες λέξεις που χρησιμοποιούσαν μια Σαπφώ ή ένας Πίνδαρος π.χ. ­ χωρίς ωστόσο να έχει το αντίκρισμα που είχαν εκείνοι πάνω στην έκταση της πολιτισμένης τότε ανθρωπότητας. Εάν η γλώσσα αποτελούσε απλώς ένα μέσον επικοινωνίας, πρόβλημα δεν θα υπήρχε. Συμβαίνει όμως ν' αποτελεί και εργαλείο μαγείας και φορέα ηθικών αξιών. Προσκτάται η γλώσσα στο μάκρος των αιώνων ένα ορισμένο ήθος. Και το ήθος αυτό γεννά υποχρεώσεις. Χωρίς να λησμονεί κανείς ότι στο μάκρος είκοσι πέντε αιώνων δεν υπήρξε ούτε ένας, επαναλαμβάνω ούτε ένας, που να μη γράφτηκε ποίηση στην ελληνική γλώσσα. Να τι είναι το μεγάλο βάρος παράδοσης που το όργανο αυτό σηκώνει. Το παρουσιάζει ανάγλυφα η νέα ελληνική ποίηση. .......


ΟΔΥΣΣΕΑΣ ΕΛΥΤΗΣ 1979



MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU
Copyright © Demetrios the Traveler
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Brexians lair)