Earthquakes. Wobbling Still.....
Earthquake activity in Greece continues as usual. There were only two reports of note reported during May/June:-
25 June: Tremors - Largest 3.8 Richter Scale in the prefecture of Ioannina. The report locates the epicenter north of the city of Ioannina. Link to story.
27 June: 4.8 Richter Scale 6.31pm - near Alexandroupolis with an epicenter sub-sea reported between Alexandroupolis and Samothrace. The report indicated minor damage to buildings but said there were no injuries. Link to story.
Earthquakes are a common feature of life in Greece and rarely cause any damage. The problem is that the ones that do are unpredictable. However, at least one professor believes that there will be at least 4 major quakes in the future.
Story Link.
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Snippets...
Greek Island for sale.
Reports from the Chicago Sun-Times say that the Greek island of Scorpios, formerly owned by Aristotle Onasis and where he is buried, is strongly rumored to be on the market for something in the region of $356 million dollars.
Scorpios has an area of 2,965 acres. Lets see now, 356.000.000 / 2,965 - well, I never was top of the math's class, but I can tell you that I would have to sell the car......
Irish stamp swaps Crete and Cyprus...
Is this the best story since the publication of the recipe for draught Guinness - I seem to remember that the recipe - sought avidly by home brewers at the time - commenced with something like "Take 200 tons of..." - not really very helpful if your home vat is only a gallon demijohn!
However, keeping true to form, Ireland - as a last act before relinquishing it's EU presidency earlier this year, (or maybe as a Parthian shot) released a new stamp to mark the entry into the EU of 10 new states. To fit the enlarged EU map onto a postage stamp, (which is smaller than a postcard!), meant shifting Cyprus to fit it in. Although the shifted Cyprus apparently sits
in the geographical position (on the stamp) of Crete and looks the same, an Irish Post-Office spokeswoman reportedly said - "It's quite definitely Cyprus." (Note the accent...).
And if Cyprus is quite definitely Crete, what have they done with Crete? I could say, but having two Irish grannies (great and great-great) and also having kissed the Blarney Stone and sampled Guinness in Mooney's Bar on O'Connell St in Dublin, (not bad for an Englishman) who would believe me? Link to story.
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In the News...
More Greek Wine.... Please...
In the March 2004 CVNews, in the item 'Astratigos Village Life'... I said of Greek wine - "Meanwhile, if you think that Greek wines are rubbish you really are drinking the wrong bottles - every country makes cheap plonk - Greece produces some of the finest wines in the world".
Apparently the Greeks themselves may not all know that, and wine producers here are worried... Link to story.
Minoan Ship Replica Sails from Chania ...
The Bronze age Minoan replica ship featured in last Septembers' issue of the Cretan magazine 'Frappe' sailed for Athens in June. We have not heard of it recently..
Link to story.
Red Lights Mean STOP!
Jumping traffic lights is not uncommon in Greece. If you have ever stopped stopped at a red (traffic) light in Chania you may have a car play 'chicken' and noted that many motorcyclists appear to be totally colour-blind. The news for them may be bad..... Link to story.
The British Press are sometimes not good news...
If it were not so funny it might be serious! The headlines might well have been - "British Newspaper and TV Reporters Invade Athens Building Site" - since that it was what some of them apparently did in an attempt to test Olympic security before it had been applied - this is almost as embarrassing as the EU Cup defeat!! Link to story.
**Three days later (15th May) Reuters reported the arrest of three more British journalists at the same venue and also of three German journalists at the Hellenikon sports complex - maybe Olympic security is better tested after it has been applied - by experts.
The Greek public order minister, Georgios Voulgarakis, aired a few very well chosen words in his condemnation of the activities of the journalists concerned. As a Briton, I cannot help but wonder just where, indeed how the invasion of building sites falls into the realm of investigative journalism....
The really good news is...Greece Won the Cup!!
In case anyone out there does not already know, Greece are the European Football Cup winners 2004! And oh, (this from an unashamed Grecophile with a lifelong aversion to football) wasn't that just a magnificent achievement !? I was on my feet shouting with the rest of Greece as the final whistle blew. Kostas Karamanlis, the Prime Minister, and his wife joined the supporters for the final and even
the primate of the Greek Orthodox Church, Archbishop Christodoulos, sought divine intervention.... We all now know that he got it! And how! 'Yammas'..... Link to story.
What Now? Where will they stop? Everest perhaps...
Well no, to top off their run of, dare I say Olympian achievements, a Greek expedition, Hellas Everest, was reported to have put three of its members on the summit of the world's tallest mountain - the 8,850 metre Mount Everest - from the south side - on May 16th. Fifty one years after Edmund Hilary's expedition first conquered the peak. Link to Story.
Is that it?
Well, No.. Hellas Everest put another three members of the expedition on the summit just two days later!! From the north side. Everest. Both sides and two flags on the summit - the Greek National and the Olympic flag. Two days apart. Magnificent! Link to Story.
Is that it?
Not even nearly! But next month is nearly here - hopefully we will see you then..
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