Athens ''frappebabel''

It's Not All Bad News From Greece

Monday, January 30 2012 By Elina | Doric column | no comment

By Jeffrey Andreoni, Ameripean / Eurican Digital Journalist, an independent thinker, writer and social interrupter based in Athens.

Athens - Despite the crisis in Greece, there are a plethora of sustainable, ecological and ethical initiatives being offered throughout the country.

Already in Athens the alternative economy is starting to catch on. People who have had to sacrifice many of life's little pleasures because of financial constraints are discovering that you don't always need money to get what you need.

My partner and I were just shopping for a therapeutic massage on an alternative currency website. After some comparisons we found a professional masseur who would come to our house and give a one hour massage for the affordable price of 35 Ovolos.

Ovolos, which was a form of currency in ancient Greece, is a website that allows you to exchange goods and services without using Euros. In order to earn the Ovolos that I was spending I began giving lessons in Italian cuisine where I use recipes from the Italian blog Cooking with the Crisis, which provides inexpensive and simple recipes that are (coincidentally) quite popular at the moment. There is even an Athenian LETS system in the works at the moment.

So you can get lessons, repairs and services by using alternative currency or by joining a time bank, but what about food? Although there are some producers accepting the alternative currency (especially in Volos), to have the variety of the supermarket you might have to shell out... but how much?

One new website allows you to order dry goods directly from local farms without even leaving your house. You just do your shopping online via the e-bloko portal and the box gets delivered a few days later. If you need fruit and veg then there's biobox, which delivers hand selected organics to your door for considerably less than you'd pay at the grocery store.

With record unemployment not everyone has the cash to buy food, so fortunately for them there are still several options. The Unemployed Kitchen takes place every Tuesday night at eight o'clock. The organizers of the kitchen say that "The essence of the Unemployed Kitchen is to do things collectively, to chat and have fun, to come together and feel good with other people. Don't worry about speaking only a little Greek, language is not an issue!" I once went to help cook the meal and learned yet another inexpensive and tasty recipe in the process: fasolada. There is another collective kitchen specifically for immigrants every Saturday called el CHEf at the Steki Metanaston social center nearby.

Real Deomcracy Media Team

A photo of diners at the Steki Metanaston collective kitchen.

Whatever the problem, there's a solution -though not all of them are legal. In the northern Greek town of Veria, some of the cash strapped citizens were having their electricity cut due to the new property tax that was added onto their bills. An activist group decided something needed to be done and began reconnecting the electricity of the families that had been cut off.

It's not just electricity that's in short supply. Gasoline is an expense that is difficult to handle by yourself and many carpooling sites have appeared in recent years. Before the crisis carpooling was a rarity in Greece, but now people are changing their minds. Whether it's a daily commute to work or a five hour trek from Athens to Thessaloniki, chances are you will find a companion to travel with and share the expense. This has the added benefit of reducing traffic, which has long been a major issue.

If you don't have a car or don't like to drive there are still more options, especially in a city like Athens. Some cyclists have begun a weekly event not unlike Critical Mass where hundreds and sometimes thousands of riders set out on Friday evenings for Freeday. If that's too crowded for you then there are numerous other splinter groups listed on the Podilates.gr website, and if you are looking for a cheap and refreshing weekend getaway you can find groups of cyclists going on overnight camping trips to the countryside -even in winter!

Once it happened that the Freeday ride was going in the same direction that I was -which was especially convenient seeing as how Athens' roads are not particularly safe for pedestrians or cyclists (which was recently seen with the death of Theo Angelopoulos), so taking advantage of these cycling caravans can be better than cycling alone. It's almost like carpooling for bicycles!

Speaking of which, there was a 10% rise in tourism last year, perhaps this will eventually lead to a surge in ecotourism for Greece. There are already numerous adventure tourism operators offering such trips all over the country. In fact, if people continue to leave the cities (hopefully taking their cars with them) in favor of the countryside and the cyclists continue to reclaim the traffic packed streets then maybe Athens could become a better city for cycling.

Perhaps the crisis could have a deep and lasting ecological impact on Greece, making the cities less polluted, the agriculture more sustainable and the consumers a bit more savvy.

A crisis which has threatened to tear the country apart could in fact pull everyone together and make the situation just a bit more bearable and the cities more livable.

Melding Stories | Every Given Night in Athens…

Sunday, January 22 2012 By Elina | Doric column | no comment

From Meld blog

As I was sailing the waves of www a couple of months ago, I came across the imposing image of a ”hungry baby” pasted somewhere on an Athenian wall. I was compelled to send a friend request to the street artist on FB and happily enough he responded immediately. From our initial conversations, I realized that STMTS, the young man of 18 years of age who is attending the School of Fine Arts in Athens is a very passionately creative and socially active human being. Needles to say, I asked him to invite me to his next action.

A couple of weeks later, the phone rings and what do you know, we were on! In utter excitement I called my friend “Ryme” to join me and film-shoot the action.

I arrived at 22pm at the metro station of Panepestimio, a winter Athenian night. As I exited, on my right I could hear the not very computing sound of drums and in astonishment I witnessed a group of nude African dancers from the waist up, probably part of some ethnic festival taking place in the city for the people to see. This city is always surprising… Across the street I finally meet STMTS and one of his collaborators, John. They came fully equipped: ladder, self-made glue, brushes in hand and Avanti popolo!

Image Courtesy of Ryme63/StateofMInd & Innoir

STMTS looked around and finally picked a dark, quiet spot to avoid messing around with the authorities. He explained to me that he was very much concerned with vandalism, and one of the reasons he did not use stencils, nor spray paint was to avoid hurting his already wounded city. Instead, his art is applied on cut out paper and, as any other poster, is easy to remove and leaves no traces behind. I was very moved and happily surprised to find out that –contrary to common belief- there is a part of the youth who really care and are still engaged in the well being of their city! I was about to witness the birth of an artwork made by an 18 year old socially conscious and responsible, sensitive person…a real artist.

The boys began their process by making their own glue and pasting their blown up image on the wall. As the first part of a baby face was coming to life, a security guard approached suspiciously and asked us what we were up to. “Just an urban art intervention,” we said. “Ok do you know you are right by the door of the Ministry of Labor?” he insisted…a fact that had escaped us, but nevertheless, intensified the ad hoc action and the conceptual aspect of it. Regardless of the warnings of the guard, the boys continued the posting. As they had proceeded to the center-piece of the face, a car came out of the ministry’s garage and 30 seconds later, a police team appeared.

Tension rose as one of the officers asked again aggressively what on earth we were doing. The young artist showed him his School ID and tried explaining calmly what a street intervention was as the law enforcement representative was now angrily protecting the establishment, screaming the familiar ”The law is the law!” “But we are not spraying, we are pasting! In the same way than these posters for strikes and manifestations that are posted right here, next to the Ministry door! Look, right here there is an “apergia” poster announcing the next strike!”, I showed him in protest and to our defense.

Image Courtesy of Ryme63/StateofMind & Innoir

The relentless policemen were getting impatient as they were chanting their mantra: “the law is the law” and they threatened to call in their superiors. By that point we were circling the police and begging to be understood. The younger officer seemed to have some compassion, but almost apologetically told us that the decision was not in his hands. Suddenly, an older gentleman who looked authoritative, came out of the Ministry watching the scene with a perplexed look. I, keeping my calm, explained to him our purpose, the situation and how important it was that the young Athenian artist was not vandalizing the city, but beautifying it with a meaningful, thought-provoking image that was carrying a very important social message and a dream for the future.

The gentleman from the Ministry took the police aside, talked to them gave him his own personal information and suddenly out of the blue, with the authorities okay, we were back in business! That was one of the magical and most hopeful moments of that evening, where two completely different generations joined together under the same cause. Thank you Athens!

Image Courtesy of Ryme63/StateofMind & Innoir

Half an hour later, “le baby” was born! A powerful, big and beautiful image of a baby with a pacifier carrying the universal nuclear symbol on it! A conceptual expression of deep, unsettling concern for the endangered future, not only of the city of Athens, but of the entire planet!

I will always carry this nocturnal experience in my mind and in my heart. I will always remember the hope it gave me, as I realized the fact that the new generations to come are and will always be finding their own ways to express themselves, with no support from the State and the public sector in its whole. I will remember that it all came to life from a deep desire of self-expression, far stronger in effect than the rebellious trio “sex, drugs and rock and roll” that has been the vehicle of many generations.

I will always respect and expect more from the young artist who told me that drugs, sex and rock roll are not enough to make his heart beat fast, and that in order to face nihilism, stagnation and lack of purpose in our times you have got to be creative. And that once you commit to creativity, then magic and change starts happening…

Image Courtesy of Ryme63/StateofMind & Innoir

Thank you STMTS. Thank you Ryme, Innoir, Dawkinson, DJ Booker, Ioanna, and John for making this possible.

And thank you Athens for your Magic!

Text by Maria Dawkinson & Karenina

cafebabel.com wins 3rd prize from UN in Doha, Qatar

Monday, December 12 2011 By Elina | Doric column | no comment

Dear cafebabel.com friendly, faithful writers and translators,

Congratulations to you all!!

On 12 December we won third prize for the Intercultural Innovation Awards in Doha, Qatar at the occasion of the 4th United Nations Alliance of Civilizations Forum.

This prize was given by Princess Rym Ali of Jordan to cafebabel.com for our outstanding contribution to Intercultural journalism with our annual series of Europe on the ground projects, which some of you have participated in as writers and translators.

A 5000$ grant will be rewarded by the BMW group and the United Nations along with a one-year follow up for our project.

This is world wide recognition for cafebabel.com and the outstanding work we are all doing - whether it is thanks to you as volunteers across Europe or the team of professionals in Paris.

Congratulations again to all of you! We are doing a great job and this kind of award proves that we deserve it.

From Doha with love

Eyes of Many Truths...in Athens

Saturday, December 10 2011 By Elina | Ionic column | no comment

Photography Dimitris Zarkadas

Eyes of Many Truths

by Kalliopi Minioudaki, Ph.D.

“Community is what takes place always through others and for others.

It is not the space of the egos—subjects and substances that are at bottom immortal—but of the I’s, who are always others (or else are nothing).”

Jean-Luc Nancy

A message of love, or better yet, a powerful appeal for real human community, was recently sent from Athens through the eyes of children who “occupied” by proxy an Athenian wall—rather than Wall Street—on the cold afternoon of October 15.

Seventy-six posters featuring boys and girls aged 2-14 were pasted on a wall on Thessaloniki Street, in the historic center of Athens and opposite Technopolis—an emblem of the Athenian art scene—turning an ordinary wall into a public gallery, a cheerful archive of some of the city’s most innocent inhabitants.

An art event in and of itself, the wall-papering was part of the street realization of Eyes of Truth, a group action organized by the art platform MELD in response to and as part of the Inside Out Project of legendary street artist JR.

MESSAGE TO YOUNG GREEKS (and other Southern Europeans): ANTILOGOS TO “SHOULD I STAY OR SHOULD I GO”.

Tuesday, December 6 2011 By Elina | Corinthian column | one comment

Read this and then think again if you still want to leave the country.

Articles are numerous and everywhere in the media, so as the discussions between young Greeks who think seriously about leaving the country, as recession strangles a job market already crippled and so on..

Well, think again.

The first time I met Markus Stolz was at a meeting about Greek tourism. German-born and residing Athens for the last seven years, he talked about his Greek wine business, Elloinos.com and entrepreneurship. Back then, one of his comments skipped my mind like a stone across water. “I do not get it”, he said, “why you leave the country in order to become employees for someone else abroad, while when I get out in the street, I see plenty of opportunities to start something of your own”.

Let’s stick to that for a while.

Markus is an entrepreneur based in Greece. As such, he acknowledges the hard situation in Greece.

“The situation within Greece is complex, on the other hand I believe is now more than ever the opportunity to build something up because lots of people are leaving the country. Young educated people, with good ideas but they go abroad because they see no future here, so there is more empty space and the people who will be able to build something up, will become big players”.

Practically, Markus backs his idea on the fact that internet has changed everything. “The timing is perfect now. From your room you can start something; you do not need advertizing, telephone costs, renting rooms”.

The problem for Mr Elloinos, is that the attitude is far too heavily concentrated on facing and thinking about the obstacles. “Unfortunately, people spend too much time on thinking the problems they will face. I know it’s hard in Greece, probably harder than in other places with all the laws and regulations but is doable. Look, people have ideas and then, when they face the obstacles, they say, “oh no! You can’t do this in Greece, that’s not right”. But after a while you just need to start executing things and that goes for every business”.

“''People come from Albania, they do not speak greek but they manage to build businesses. What I have witnessed often in Greece; people, have good ideas, they start to implement them and then, after few months, it ‘s like the enthusiasm is gone and the idea is never brought to life. They are great about discussing ideas but they hesitate and suddenly the whole thing falls apart.'' ” I am Greek devil’s advocate, so I ask to learn, is his experience talking or a wishful thinking.

- What if a young man comes right now and asks you?

-“My actual wine business, Elloinos, I started it two and a half years ago when I saw how many little of Greek wine was exported. I had no idea about and my knowledge was just wine. For the business side I had zero knowledge or connections, none at all. But I said this is something I want to do!

It took more than two years to earn income from it. And still trying to keep costs down, as low as possible, which is doable, a lot of energy, working 7 days, 18 hours per day and then you see, the first year was a bit frustrating because nothing was happening or very little but then it gets amplified. You see interest coming and the whole potential is still there. Now I am enjoying!”

“This is what I love about entrepreneurship; you sit down and write a business plan, one year, three years to five years. Totally not needed anymore, the business world is changing so quickly, if you had written a business plan five years ago, five years ago Twitter didn’t t even exist, Facebook was there just for students, the social network wasn’t there and now is changing so quickly so you can not plan any more, you can have a guideline sure and then you have to react. When I started, I did business with Germany and UK and this has evolved now. My largest market is America. Is currently my biggest importer and we are talking about good names in the best places. And of course at the beginning when I saw there was interest in the US, I was skeptical, my old business skill said, “US? I do not know anything about the US, is going to be hard” and then I said, listen to yourself, you just do it. You will find a way”.

“''At first, it’s hard because you spend a lot of time. You do not have income and you just do it but that‘s entrepreneurship, that’s how you build up a business, that’s the same for every country''”.

-Do you have any success story, an entrepreneur that you admire?

- “There are a lot of success stories especially in US and things have changed completely with the internet, just take for example the last three years, is just amazing. One thing I am debating, is the education system, I am not sure how useful it will be, because you do not need anymore the skills that you are taught at school or at university. You need different skills; you need to be able to tell a convincing story, to brand yourself. Traditionally, my father in law, he used to say, the safest work in the whole world is to work for banks and financial institutions. And this was true for many decades. But look now, the banks are bankrupt and let’s take Greece, do you want to work for a Greek bank now? Is the most unsafe job there is".

"Looking at it, the business world is just turning the turmoil, and it becomes the safest opportunity. So, the crisis is in Greece, yes, is very ugly and very hard but still amazing if you look in the skin of things that you are able being no one, to build something up within two or three years that brings you a steady income that leaves you all the potential and opportunity with little money and work. The opportunity is there for everyone and everyone can do it, you start a blog if you continue to do it and is quality work you put your name on it and a newspaper will come to you, the word starts spreading''.

Markus on Gary Vaynerchuk Wine & Web live radio show, in New York to talk about Greek wines and his passion about them (Gary Vaynerchuk might currently be the most influential wine person on a global basis).

-What do you see that we, young Greeks, do not see?

"''What you do not see is that the opportunity is there. In times of crisis, when you decide to start something up, you have low competition because other people are sleeping and other didn’t do it. So you start covering your part of the market, you put your name out to the product or the service you offer and people take your name and put it in your service or product, so you start building brand equity which is very, very important. Brand equity, can’ t be taken away cause I continue building on it so if someone else comes now to do the same as me is going to have much harder time because I am there''”.

"But people are afraid still of all the obstacles they will face; the entrepreneurship culture in Greece is very young and is not based within Greece. Many Greek entrepreneurs and I am talking about entrepreneurs and not businessmen who get their fathers business and build it up, but people who start something new, Greek entrepreneurs who start something go abroad, like easyJet (founded by Greek Cypriot entrepreneur Stelios Haji-Ioannou). Within the country there is no much noise about it, but what I am saying is exactly this: this is where the opportunity is, because even now the competition to start something whatever it is, is not very strong. If you start something “tech” in California, you have hundreds of people who start something similar; you have competition. In Greece, the people still hold back, it starts to change''.

-And what about the inevitable fundraising chase; it feels like speaking a foreign language here.

-“Yes ok, that is certainly true but you need to focus on the product. Scale your idea to something that maybe is not perfect but it’s basic and easy and if the idea is implemented correctly and go out and put this on the market. You know “taxi beat”?”

Taxi beat is an application, made by a Greek company. Once you tap into the application and you can trace -according to your location-, all available cab drivers.

“A brilliant thing! How this came in the market? They could have looked for finance in order to get a product that would have been perfect from day one. Instead, they focused a lot on bringing the product on the street, to get the taxi drivers and their needs; they talked, listened to them. And they have a basic product ready and now they start to improve it. What I am saying is, do not get out with an idea where you need lots of finance in order to perfect it, rather keep it easy and simple and start something to work”.

Markus has a finance background. He has served in several financial institutions, including Commerzbank and as an Executive Director for Goldman Sachs in London.

I ask him as a German person how he see the Greek case-crisis.

“Listen, what has been very, very wrong, I am sad and annoyed. All that has been done is to charge the average person on the street, to charge the people of Greece. Text fights (referring to foreign publications) and now we are in a situation that people are depressed. Unemployment is rocked into roof, with all this measurement, what the Government do with all these taxes, is killing the whole economy. What should have been done first of all is to bring investments, you need somehow to give liquidity and keep the engines going. IMF and EU, now are coming up with the idea, “oh! We need investments in order to broad the economy”, but this should have happened a year ago”.

“The system in Greece has to change and it will change but it will take time. I have no doubt about that. People’s perception will change as well. But this again has nothing to do with building up a business in Greece because then again you can theoretically focus on all the problems; sure there are problems, so? Do something despite the problems. “I can’t do it because this might happen, this has happened to my 35 year old friend”, yes there are many tough stories, still, do your work, get something to go on, try it!”

“Now, romantically, let’s just dream for a second that you had young people start businesses on their own, many will not succeed, that’s always happening and has nothing to do with Greece, that’s in every business, but many will. Can you imagine how this will look like in five years, when you have 5-10% of them making the breakthrough, imagine what will do to the psychology in the country when you have success stories of people that are not afraid to do something, to runaway to work for someone else!”

“I know it is hard time, very hard, but there is something. Start small, work hard, build your name, brand your name and see what this can do for you. You build up your name in a way that people start trusting you, that people like your work and talk about it. That is the most important thing and powerful message in existence, that people recommend you and your work. Likely enough this has changed with the internet, 5-10 years ago, when the internet was very different. Now you can spread your message out to the world. You can concentrate people and business, you can go public, you can do it with your friends or completely strangers, people will listen and engage and this is the amazing thing. The engagement doesn’t t cost anything but work. In Greece is very doable”.

Now you! Get yourselves in gear

Eur@dioNantes, a European Radio station based in Nantes RECRUITS

Tuesday, November 29 2011 By Elina | Doric column | one comment

Eur@dioNantes is currently looking for high-level bilingual (in french) students in political science, journalism or European studies who are interested in European issues and who would like to get a formative experience in the world of New European Media.

The internship will start on the 27th of February 2012 in Nantes and run up until the 13th of July 2012 (documents have to be returned before the end of January 2012). The students get a monthly allowance of about 417 €.

How it works:

Greece and the Financial Crisis of the 21st Century

By Elina | Europe from overseas.. | one comment

An Opinion by Vassilios Damiras, Political and Defense Analyst, Chicago, U.S.A.

Greece faces the most severe financial crisis since her independence in 1832 from the then powerful Ottoman Empire.

The main cause for this complicated and serious problem is a corrupt socio-economic and political system. Greece has a huge public sector with an uncontrollable spending. Between the years 1981 to 1991, public-sector debt in Greece rose at about 5 percent per year, going from 39.3 of the GDP to 116.3 percent and climbed more in 2000s without ending in side. Of this total, 98.6 percent is been attributed to public sector. Much of this debt was taken under the Panhellenic Socialist Party-PASOK to support its redistribution policies. Throughout the 1980s approximately 75 percent of the total was spent domestically. Under this spending, PASOK strengthened the client state in Greece.

November 23rd: International Day to End Impunity

Monday, November 21 2011 By Elina | Corinthian column | no comment

by Natali Lekka, freelance translator, writer and a member of the Association of European Journalists. She tweets @natalilekka

In a recent IFEX Strategy conference in Beirut, the International Freedom of Expression Exchange (IFEX) declared November 23 as the International Day to End Impunity ; a call to action to demand justice for all those journalists who have been killed in the line of duty for reporting the truth. The date marks the anniversary of the single deadliest attack on journalists in recent history: the 2009 Maguindanao massacre in the Philippines.

The statistics are staggering. More than 500 journalists have been killed in the past 10 years and in nine out of ten cases their killers have gone free. Most of these cases remain unsolved up to this day. According to an Impunity Index for 2011 published by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), Iraq remains the deadliest country for journalists with 92 unsolved murder cases having taken place in the past 10 years. The Philippines and Somalia follow closely after that.

Impunity was a topic thoroughly

Indignants in Paris dance syrtaki

Thursday, November 17 2011 By Elina | Doric column | one comment

Indignés PAS résignés à la Défense - Syrtaki -... by octopusmike

The ''harakiri'' move of George Papandreou that saved the game for Greece

Monday, November 14 2011 By Giorgos | Corinthian column | one comment

by Georgios Kokkolis, political scientist

Whether or not George Papandreou’s decision over a Greek referendum was correct or not, is certainly a matter that will torture the historian of the future. Is Papandreou an exceptional mind or a dangerous idiot?

Whatever the answer to the question is, fear not that one thing is certain: that Papandreou touched such a sensitive string that by no means was to be touched. This risky decision over the referendum, however, reshaped both the Greek and the European political environment.

Referendum for new crisis

By Elina | Corinthian column | no comment

By Darko Kazankov in Skopje, B.Sc.Economist

Greece shocked Europe and the world with the statement of Prime Minister George Papandreou of Greece to organize a referendum on the credit line of 8 billion euros from the EU that halving the debt of indebted Greece. This announcement caused shock, disbelief, panic of European politicians.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy, left shock and wonder after the announcement of a referendum by George Papandreou on the latest anti-crisis plan. Le MOND Paris writes that Prime Minister of Greece, Papandreou was the victim of an internal rebellion in the ruling PASOK party. Nobody knows how Greece will live without assistance until the organization of the referendum, if he be held at.

Grundtvig Workshop: This is charming and lovable Europe!

Monday, October 31 2011 By Elina | Corinthian column | one comment

On 1998, Depeche Mode were singing, ''it’s only when I lose myself in someone else that I find myself”

This is what happened last week when I had to pass an entire week with 13 Europeans exploring backpack journalism and creative writing in Unesco City of Design, Graz, Austria.

Not only did I had to spend seven entire days with these guys, share ideas and techniques but foremost, pass my free time, hung out with them and share with monastic discipline three daily meals in the auspices of European Grundtvig Workshop.

And the song goes There is a thousand reasons why I shouldn‘t spend my time with you, For every reason not to be here, I can think of two…

One can read at the page of the European Commission, “Launched in 2000, the Grundtvig programme focuses on the teaching and study needs of learners taking adult education and ‘alternative’ education courses.

Yes, but there is more to that. Much more.

A good start.

Taking the train from Vienna to Graz, I had to traverse northeast Austria, passing almost a breath distance from Eastern Europe and the Balkans.

Travelling abeam Europe with the train, time to think, contemplate, away from home. I am already in a good mood.

Walking along Mur, the Grazian river, I took some deep breaths of cold air and remembered my student life in the north of Europe, the carefree moments of being in a place where I am not supposed to be. Back to the hotel, meeting point at 19:50 for our first get together dinner. Miss Denmark, Miss Slovenia, two Czechs “demoiselles”, Mr England and Mr Latvia were there. Self discovery just begun. First tales from home. I had my honors; Greece is in the world agenda.

Next morning, working sessions begun at Karina’s floor, at the premises of the association, a typical Austrian house in the woods that gives the impression it has just escaped from a fairy tale. Brainstorming and writing, 13:00 sharp time to lunch. It is undisputable that eating with someone is supposed to be a sort of intimate and highly social moment of sharing and behaving. Cultures unfold, perplexity mechanisms put into practice, savoir vivre in all its spending, at least for the first day. Then, I was among friends.

Something beautiful is happening inside of me

Long walks, chats, a visit to the local free Radio, drinks at the local Irish pub after the work, the hot red wine, all moments that created more intimacy and contributed to get to know each other. The stories from home, personal narratives. Now, I get what Czechs feel about Russians when they expect them still to speak Russian, refusing to communicate in english, “a thing left from the days of the Occupation”, or what is the situation with the Austrian youth, the difficulties that one can meet several resemblances with the naughty European south (shhhh, we do not talk about it). Thank you Juris for reminding that Latvia’s capital, Riga, is also situated by the sea and that his home town is struggling to find its way between religion and ethnography all by “Preserving Centuries” of history.

My mind is already back in Athens, at the demonstrations, the riots, the uncertain future, the yet to come. Taking my distances from home, made me realize where I belong, my priorities and what I want from life, and all that, just by having the chance to share, expose and explain what I do back, home.

A mosaic of idiosyncrasies

And the time of the intercultural dinner, all the laughs, introduction to new flavors, tastes and drinks, the story behind the traditional dishes and the question that freezes the atmosphere, “do you think we will ever become the United States of Europe?” “Not, unless we get to know each other”!

IN VINO VERITAS

Last talks

And the I-hate-goodbyes-last night, a promise project for Japan and the last moment, outside the hotel room, share the dominant thoughts of this week’s, or was it of the previous?

Letting get deep into methexis

Beyond any romance, I believe the essence of Europe is hidden somewhere here, European Union, offers a wonderful chance to spend useful time, to live with other nationalities that we will probably face the same destiny and have the chance to work, project and live together. Journalists operate through distance. I am glad to indulge into methexis.

And what if distance passes through methexis?

And so the end begins.

We say that real trip starts with landing at home, when you have the chance to see your own home with a fresh look.

The song of this trip.

Shut the gates and sunset

After that you can't get out

You can see the bigger picture

Find out what it’s all about

You're open to the skyline

You won't want to go back home

In a garden full of angels

You will never be alone

But oh! the road is long

The stones that you are walking on

Have gone

This is for Karina, thank you for letting this happen, charming Helena, airy Ida, funky Sara, mild Nikola, timid Galya, smiley Katarina, fast moving Joao, easygoing Alin, our oh-so-Brittish Thomas, traditional Juris and last but not least, Jorge, my Spanish comrade-in-arms!

Greeks punching and throwing eggs against the politicians, during the national holiday

Friday, October 28 2011 By Elina | Corinthian column | one comment

Celebrations of the ''Ohi Day'' in Greece have been halted due to the huge riots which are taking place all voer the country because of the austerity measures. Greek citizens in almost all Greek cities have stopped the annual parades in commemoration of the 'Ohi' Day, which is a national day in the country.

The President of the Republic, was forced to leave and cancel the military parade.

Event: do not cry for Romiosyne* ...or maybe you should?

Saturday, October 15 2011 By Elina | Corinthian column | one comment

''Do not cry for Romiosyne or... maybe you should?

Cafebabel Greece, the greek team of cafebabel.com, organises three meetings regarding the Greek national identity.

Are we Greeks, Romioi, or Hellenes?

Athens or Constantinople?

West or East?

From the debt crisis to the identity crisis.

With a glass of wine and good friends, we climb to the loft of the Black Duck cafe to examine the identity of modern Greeks and we try to understand the psychology of a people that old that refuses to grow up.

Tuesday, October 18: Greek aesthetic proposal and politics - dialogue with the West

Tuesday, October 25: The psychology of modern Greeks

Tuesday, November 1: Solving the Gordian Knot - our national ''suspenses''

This Saturday (15th October) Athens Group Action: “Eyes of Truth”

Wednesday, October 12 2011 By Elina | Ionic column | no comment

Athens Group Action: “Eyes of Truth,” is a parallel event to TEDxAcademy, participates in JR’s TED Prize Wish: the Inside Out Project

When TED Prize winner, JR, announced his wish to turn the world “Inside Out,” inviting people around the globe to share a photo portrait along with a statement about what they stand for, MELD decided to participate.

MELD invited six Greek photographers, including Adamantios Kafetzis, Alexandros Voutsas, Ioanna Ralli, Ryme63/StateOfMind, Stavros Makris and Yiannis Chiotopoulos to donate their time to create face-toface portraits of children from privileged and un-privileged social backgrounds living in Athens.

These portraits will be posted as diptychs in public spaces in central Athens on October 15, 2011 as a parallel event as part of TEDxAcademy, which took place on October 10, 2011.

Check out: The City of Absences ...in today's Istanbul

Monday, October 10 2011 By Elina | Ionic column | one comment

for those you will be in Athens from 11-15 October, do not miss Alexandros Massavetas photo exhibition!!

In “The City of Absences”, Alex Massavetas links the lively, raucous present of Istanbul’s historic quarters with their past and the history of their original inhabitants. At the same time, he bypasses the feelings of nostalgia and melancholy and gives himself to the magic of modern Istanbul, to the joy of discovery, lets himself feel affection for the worlds he discovers and agony for their end approaching. The end, this time round, will be in the form of an “Urban Rehabilitation Programme”. This exhibition borrows its title from Alex’s book, a travelogue of Istanbul’s lost cosmopolitanism.

Visual memories of

From university student to politician

Wednesday, September 28 2011 By Elina | Corinthian column | one comment

What are you waiting for your dream to come true?

Friday the 16th of September Liv Holm Andersen’s dream came true:

She was elected for the national Parliament of Denmark for the social-liberal center party “Radikale Venstre”, which gained 17 of 179 seats in the party’s best elections since 1973:

“I’m really happy that my hard work in these 3 weeks of campaigning but also preparing the campaign for the past 2 years paid off and now I’m just looking very much forward to start working to achieve some of the goals that are part of my mission for being in politics, like for instance battling exclusion and poverty and stopping discrimination within the Danish society”, says Liv.

Federalism as a moral and rational necessity

Tuesday, September 20 2011 By Elina | Doric column | no comment

by Sarantis Michalopoulos, President of JEF-Greece

Many analysts believe that the unfolding euro debt crisis has put the EU in a historic crossroads, which can result in a productive outcome or on the contrary, in a collapse with unpredictable consequences for the rest of the world on a multidimensional level.

Birgitta Jónsdóttir talks about poetry, freedom of online information and her work with the Icelandic Modern Media Initiative

Thursday, September 15 2011 By Elina | Corinthian column | no comment

by Natali Lekka, freelance translator, writer and a member of the Association of European Journalists. She tweets @natalilekka

Poet, writer, artist, editor, publisher, activist, internet pioneer and a Member of the Parliament of Althing – the Icelandic Parliament, Birgitta Jónsdóttir’s multifaceted personality and uncurbed enthusiasm often makes headlines for her commitment to international projects that keep on beating the drum for political transformation and freedom of information. I met her in Athens, this year, at a workshop on ‘Media Policies and Regulation for Media Freedom and Independence” that had been co-organized by the Greek section of the Association of European Journalists and the Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy.

Poet, artist and publisher

Athenian bicyclists about to make a break through?

Wednesday, August 17 2011 By Elina | Corinthian column | 2 comments

by Ulrick Borch

In Athens, a new map for bicycle routes has just seen light of day at the technical university. Upon request from the ministry of the environment, urban planner Thanos Vlastos has designed a map that aims to improve the infrastructure for daily bicycle commuters. Yet, the success of the project depends on how successful it will be in building up political support and in securing funding in the midst of the financial crisis.

In an office at the institute of typography in the campus of the National Technical University of Athens transport engineer and urban planner Thanos Vlastos is a busy man. As he oversees the university from a 3^rd floor office in a building situated on a hill high above campus two people who seem to be a colleague and a student have come by to ask questions, and in the background the phone is ringing regularly. A strong wind blows through the office and makes the bundles of maps and papers on his desk flutter. The walls are decorated by a calendar with pictures of Frida Kahlo and a kitsch portrait of Nietzsche that matches Thanos Vlastos’s grand mustache. Calmly behind his desk and fully concentrated Thanos Vlastos readily answers questions and explains his work for the ministry of the environment, energy, and climate change.