Greece: A Shocking Verdict (Strawberry Farm Migrant Shootings Case)

Kathimerini link

Update

Corfu Town: Living History

This building, Nikiforou Theotoki Street 16, Corfu Town, was once the home (on the first floor) of Miranda Zoula's English Language Teaching Institute, where I was employed as a teacher of English, 1967-1968. I know what this blogger means about 'teaching in paradise' for a year.

It's now a Living History Museum. I joked at the ticket desk that I should have a place there!

John William Waterhouse, Miranda, The Tempest

UK: As Others See Us; Perceptions of Britain and the British

Read the report (pdf) here

British Council

"Almost a quarter of respondents perceived British people to be ignorant of other cultures. Whether respondents had been to the UK or not did nothing to change their idea of Brits in that respect. We can therefore assume that there is a level of truth to this perception, so more work is needed to increase contact between British people and people from other countries to remedy that".

The Telegraph

Metro

The Independent

The worst of Britain

Drink too much alcohol (27% thought so)
Bad eating habits (23%)
Too nationalistic (22%)
Ignorant of other cultures (22%)
Intolerant towards people from other countries (20%)
Rude (17%)
Unfriendly (13%)
Complain too much (13%)
Too pessimistic (11%)
Lazy (10%)

Also relevant:

Triennial Review (pdf)

 Early 1950s publication

Cloudy Corfu Blues: Συννεφιασμένη Κέρκυρα (Sinefiasmeni Kerkyra)

Royal Clipper in Corfu: 'The Largest Full-Rigged Sailing Ship In The World'

Swedish-built five-mast cruise ship docked at Corfu, after sailing from Venice. Royal Clipper is the flagship of Star Clippers.

"Inspired by the legendary Tall Ship, Preussen, the new Royal Clipper has the proud distinction of being the largest and only five-masted sailing ship built since her predecessor was launched at the beginning of the last century. With her complement of 42 sails, Royal Clipper is a splendid sight to behold".

Fun above the figurehead

(This photo from Star Clipper Cruises)

Greece: Self-Employed Insurance Fund

To Vima Link

Ella's Corfu Sunset

Ella's sunset - a photo of her brother

Butrint Revisited; Explore Butrint

On Virgil and Butrint

 A cultural palimpsest

 Butrint capers

A surrealistic photo-shoot amongst the ruins

EXPLORE BUTRINT here

Overrated Travel and Holiday Destinations?

One viewpoint here

And the best island?

"Bermuda has been voted “Best Island in the Caribbean & Atlantic” for the 11th year according to Condé Nast Traveler’s 26th annual Readers’ Choice Awards, ranking the best cities, islands, cruise lines, airlines, hotels, and resorts in the world".

Six seconds of exercise

BBC Link James Gallagher

"Short six-second bursts of vigorous exercise have the potential to transform the health of elderly people, say researchers in Scotland.

A pilot study involving 12 pensioners showed going all-out in very short bursts, reduced blood pressure and improved general fitness over time".

Corfu: Returning from Albania By Sea

 Corfu

Albania, near Butrint

A high-speed chase.
Hellenic Coast Guard from Aghios Stefanos
 trying to intercept suspected smugglers  

Greece: Lake Pamvotis, Ioannina; Dead Fish

Link from Kathimerini

"Thousands of dead have surfaced in Lake Pamvotis in Ioannina, in Epirus, northwestern Greece".

Corfu: The Cat and the Peacock

Corfu Tamata (Votive Offerings); Tama

On Tamata (Wikipedia)

Greece: No Property Transactions if Property Tax Not Paid

Link from Kathimerini

Prokopis Hatzinikolaou:

"The Finance Ministry is blocking real estate transactions for owners who have not paid their property taxes in the last five years. Any transactions attempted without the ENFIA certificate, whose title comes from the Greek acronym for the Single Property Tax, will be deemed invalid".

Greek Legends: Were They True?

Link from BBC (Armand d'Angour)

"The culture and legends of ancient Greece have a remarkably long legacy in the modern language of education, politics, philosophy, art and science".

Greece: Tourist Arrivals, Tourist Spending

Link from Macropolis

Corfu: The Tourist Gaze (after Foucault and Urry); Photographs

"People gaze upon the world through a particular filter of ideas, skills, desires and expectations, framed by social class, gender, nationality, age and education" ( John Urry and Jonas Larsen, The Tourist Gaze 3.0, p 2) . The authors were referring to John Berger's "Ways of Seeing".

The romantic gaze? The anthropological gaze? The eye of power or the reverse gaze?

Religious Tourism from Russia

Vlaherena Monastery gift shop.

The commercializaton and "trinketization" of culture

Outside Palaiokastritsa Monastery

Saint Spyridon

The reciprocal or reverse gaze,
Lakones, 1950s
(Photographer uncredited)