Expats' Rights and Brexit; EU Nationals in UK; British Nationals in EU Member Statesr

From Financial Times - Millions of expats caught in Brexit no man’s land - Negotiating a deal to secure citizen rights faces numerous obstacles

Legally very complex unless completely reciprocal?

Government facing Brexit defeat in Lords over EU nationals, BBC

"The rights of EU nationals to remain in the UK after Brexit has been one of the most contentious issues during its parliamentary passage so far. In a letter sent to every peer, Ms Rudd said a guarantee of their right to stay, however "well-intentioned", would not help the hundreds of thousands of UK citizens living on the continent as it could leave them in potential limbo if reciprocal assurances were not given by the EU's 27 other member states".

Update

Lords defeat government over rights of EU citizens in UK. The Guardian

Theresa May defiantly insists her timetable for triggering Brexit will not be blown off course despite suffering her first Brexit Bill defeat, Telegraph

Formidable 85-page EEA UK Residency Application document

"EEA(PR)
Version 03/2016

Application for a document certifying permanent residence or permanent residence card under the EEA Regulations

This form is to be used for applications made on or after 18 March 2016
Who this form is for 

Use this application form if you wish to apply for a document certifying permanent residence (if you’re an EEA national) or permanent residence card (if you’re a non-EEA national) as confirmation of a right of permanent residence under the Immigration (European Economic Area) Regulations 2006 (‘the EEA Regulations’).

Any reference on this form to EEA nationals includes Swiss nationals. 

Eligibility 

You must normally have lived in the UK for a continuous period of five years as: • an EEA national ‘qualified person’ (worker, self-employed, self-sufficient, student or jobseeker), • a family member or extended family member* of an EEA national qualified person or permanent resident, • a former family member of an EEA national if you’ve retained your right of residence after the EEA national died or left the UK, or your/their marriage or civil partnership ended in divorce, annulment or dissolution, or • a family member of a British citizen who worked or was self-employed in another EEA state before returning to the UK (‘Surinder Singh’ cases). You can also qualify if you are: • an EEA national former worker or self-employed person who has ceased activity in the UK because you have retired, are permanently incapacitated, or you’re now working or self employed in another EEA state but still retain your residence in the UK, • the family member or extended family member* of an EEA national who has ceased activity, or • the family member or extended family member* of an EEA national former worker or self employed person who has died. 

*You can only apply as an extended family member if you’ve held valid residence documentation (registration certificate, residence card, or EEA family permit) throughout the relevant qualifying period". 

Update 1 March, Government defeated on Brexit bill, BBC -

Government suffers first defeat on Brexit bill as House of Lords votes to guarantee EU citizens' rights

Government vows to overturn EU citizens vote after Lords defeat, The Guardian

Brexicon: your guide to the language of leaving the EU - What you need to know on Article 50, the customs union and other issues facing the UK, Financial Times


Despite her assurances, Theresa May doesn’t care about EU-based expats, Guardian Opinion Piece, Giles Tremlett


Greek Woman Who Emigrated to Britain makes Touching Speech on Brexit (video), Greek Reporter


British expats in Spain count the Costa Brexit – video, The Guardian - "How do the largest community of British expats living in Spain feel about Brexit? When article 50 is triggered, the UK will begin negotiating its exit from the European Union – and expats’ rights to healthcare, pensions and their British citizenship all hang in the balance. Britons living in Orihuela Costa, Alicante – ‘effectively a British enclave’ – give their views".

Greece: Negotiations Continue

From Greek Reporter - Negotiations on Bailout Programme Review Resume in Athens

Euronews: Greek bailout talks restart

More from Euronews, new measures to come


Παραδοχή Τσακαλώτου για νέες επιβαρύνσεις των συνταξιούχων, Kathimerini -

"Από τις πλέον «εντυπωσιακές» στιγμές της σημερινής συνεδρίασης της Επιτροπής Οικονομικών Υποθέσεων στη Βουλή, ήταν η -για πρώτη φορά- δίχως περιστροφές αναφορά κορυφαίου κυβερνητικού στελέχους στους συνταξιούχους, ως κοινωνικής ομάδας που θα δεχθεί πλήγμα από τα σχεδιαζόμενα νέα μέτρα".


Bailout monitors said to resist offsetting measures, eKathimerini


Lenders' Objections to the Greek Government Counter-Measures, (Kathimerini, Greek)


Creditors Disagree With Greek Proposals for ‘Counter-Measures’, Greek Reporter


Creditors’ Teams Likely to Leave Greece Without Any Progress in Talks, Greek Reporter

Alan Dargin, Didgeridoo

(Cultural note: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people should be aware that this posting contains images and the name of a person who has passed away).

I was happily listening to this album, "Bloodwood", at the gym this afternoon:

I was admiring Alan Dargin's great talent and virtuosity, without realising that he is no longer with us. I've only just read that he died on 24 February, 2008 (13 July 1967 – 24 February 2008).


Master of the 'didge' and mentor to thousands, Sydney Morning Herald

Obituary, The Independent


From Wikipedia:

'Dargin was diagnosed with burst veins in his throat and was warned by doctors that continued playing of the didgeridoo to generate a "fast, complex and loud sound" in "his forceful style" could endanger his life'. Tragic.

Alan Dargin and Michael Atherton, YouTube

Storm Warning

BIS - Two Stories in One - Reconciliation
Alan Dargin, a video portrait


The Shaking of Yesterday 


Not to be confused with Ash Dargan

Tsoureki!

Freshly baked

Life Expectancy: Longevity in rich countries (The Economist)

From The Economist- 2030 forecast, a new study

Future life expectancy in 35 industrialised countries: projections with a Bayesian model ensemble, The Lancet

Yiannis Chaldoupis in London; Parakalamos-Kefi sto Londino

A new video with Yiannis Chaldoupis, YouTube, Published on Feb 19, 2017 - Kefi sto Londino

Beethoven's Darkest Work

Did Beethoven’s love for married aristocrat and a doomed son colour his darkest work? Vanessa Thorpe, The Observer

"In the summer of 1812, the 41-year-old composer had travelled to the Bohemian spa town of Teplitz overnight, following a probable love tryst in Prague. The next morning he wrote a letter to “My angel, my all, my own self”, asking: “Can you alter the fact that you are not entirely mine and I am not entirely yours?” The following evening he continued the letter and added a final page, using a phrase that has become his most famous: “Already in bed my thoughts go out to you, my immortal beloved.” Beethoven concluded: “I can either live wholly with you, or not at all.” 

A meeting of genius: Beethoven and Goethe, July 1812, Gramophone

Beethoven in Prague

Beethoven's Prague Connection

Plaque detail from Waymarking.com

Borodin Quartet plays Beethoven String Quartet Op.127 and 130

Beethoven String Quartet No 13 Op 130 in B flat major Alban Berg Quartet

Beethoven String Quartet No 14 Op 131 in C♯ minor Alban Berg Quartet

Beethoven String Quartet No 15 Op 132 in A minor Alban Berg Quartet

Beethoven - Große Fuge B-Dur Op. 133 - Alban Berg Quartett

Beethoven String Quartet No 16 Op 135 in F major Es muß sein! It must be Alban Berg Quartett

Beethoven - Grosse Fuge - Klemperer


See also: Healing Music

Therapeutic and Restorative Power of Art; Healing Music

"Fine art is good medicine", from Christie's

"Sydell Miller, Cleveland Clinic and the restorative power of art - With a collection of more than 6,000 works, Cleveland Clinic has long advocated ‘fine art is good medicine’. In May it will benefit from the sale of Mrs. Sydell Miller’s remarkable gift — including works by Chagall, Picasso and Lichtenstein"

Arts in Hospital, Dorset County Hospital -

"Arts in Hospital is a small, charitable organisation based at Dorset County Hospital. We aim to enhance the healing environment, raise patients' spirits and give pleasure to all who are concerned
wi​​​th their welfare. ​Our core objectives are to support patients and staff through therapeutic art projects that have medical and social benefit, engage the wider community on creative projects based on health and well-being outcomes like health promotion, programme temporary exhibitions/maintain a permanent collection of life affirming artwork shown throughout the hospital and satellite facilities to create a healing environment".


The healing power of demotic music, Neos Kosmos

Q. "There is an almost mystical, 'healing' purpose to this music. What kind of wounds would it heal today?"

Chris King:"I think the curative, calming, 'healing' function of this music could heal any number of spiritual or psychological injuries. It has been powerful medicine for thousands of years. For instance, the playing of the traditional mirologi at the beginning and at the end (especially the end) demonstrates the kind of awesome power of this music to those who listen deeply, who know what to listen for. When I hear a mirologi or a skaros played with the right touch, I feel an unwinding within myself, as if the bad kinks and knots and heartbreaks are rearranged, put in proper order, healed. But I don't think that this reaction is too rare: most people, if they allow themselves to be healed, will feel what the music has to offer".

Κίτσος Χαρισιάδης-Μοιρολόι αρβανίτικο (1928)

Skaros

Chris and Yiannis

On Yiannis Chaldoupis and music therapy - "He also plays the miroloi, the deep lament for the departed, with great intensity. Playing the miroloi is the ultimate kind of therapy" (from my interview with Yianni).

Η ζωή αρχίζει


To Meraki Deropolitisa

Rock Therapy, Johnny Burnette, Rock 'n' Roll Trio


Didgeridoo Sound Therapy and Sound Healing


Didgeridoo Sound Healing


Didgeridoo, Ritual Origins and Playing Techniques, Dirk Schellberg

Part 3 of this book is on "The Didgeridoo as a Therapeutic Instrument", on healing with a didgeridoo, and music therapy.


The Life Energy in Music, Dr. John Diamond


Jazz for the Gym


When all else fails: Didgeridoo healing in nature (YouTube)



The Epirot klarino, rock 'n' roll and honking saxophones, or the Australian Aboriginal didgeridoo?


Some may prefer listening to Mozart, Bach's cello sonatas, or Beethoven's last string quartets...

It could depend on the diagnosis, the individual, the culture and the condition. Or is it the nature of the instruments and the holistic effect of their sound vibrations?

Musical Education

"I put my ear to the wall and listened".

(D. Shostakovich, 1927)

The unborn baby absorbs the soundwaves,

The deepest notes of Shostakovitch,

Along with heartbeat, the body's sounds.

The pregnant cellist counts the time,

1,2,3,4. Four months more.

Wall of the womb, wall of the belly.

The cello rests tight against the stomach.

They practise each night, the String Quartet.

They practise each day, they pluck and bow.

How they resonate, reverberate,

The deepest notes of Shostakovitch.

The baby listens, with ear to wall.

******


Music may not cure, but it can console. A very sick friend wrote to me three weeks before he died:

"I listen to music a lot, especially requiems (Fauré's is one of my favourites), Mahler's symphonies and Stravinski's Rite of Spring (my favourite of all time)".

******

More specialised links, for those interested in exploring the topics:


Icons - "Some icons…can be used as 'projectors', which radiate the subtle energy that induces both physical and spiritual healing".


Mount Athos, the Vatopedi Icon, Panagia Pantanassa


Music and Alzheimers


Music Therapy For Dementia: Awakening Memories in Alzheimer’s Patients


The Power of Music - Henry Wakes Up! YouTube


A friend has reminded me of  William Congreve's lines from The Mourning Bride, 1697:

"Musick has Charms to sooth a savage Breast,
 To soften Rocks, or bend a knotted Oak".


Comment, The Uses and Functions (of music), by Bruno Nettl

The Study of Ethnomusicology: Thirty-Three Discussions, page 260


RESEARCH ON MUSIC AND HEALING IN ETHNOMUSICOLOGY AND MUSIC THERAPY May May Chiang, 2008 (pdf) - This thesis examines current developments in the research and discourse on music and healing

Dorset and East Devon Coast, UNESCO World Heritage Site; Corfu Old Town UNESCO World Heritage Site

Video

From the list

Another World Heritage site:

Corfu Old Town video

UNESCO might have tried to make these videos more interesting or exciting. What's your opinion of the commentaries/voice-overs???

Travelling on the Edge - Volcano Surfing in Nicaragua

TRAVELLING ON THE EDGE - "These days holidays can be beset by health and safety concerns. Not so in Nicaragua, as David Rennie discovered to his delight when he took his family surfing down an active volcano", The Economist 1843 magazine

Burton Bradstock Cliffs - One Day after Storm Doris

A risky place to sit.

Storm Warning, Alan Dargin and Michael Atherton

Greek Language, Culture and Media; Ελληνική Γλώσσα, Πολιτισμός και Μέσα Μαζικής Επικοινωνίας

Information about a new book on YouTube

Nicoletta Tsitsanoudi - Mallidi, Asst. Professor of Greek Language and Linguistics, University of Ioannina.

Scheduled for Mar 6, 2017:

Οι εκδόσεις Gutenberg, η Σχολή Επιστημών Αγωγής, Π.Τ.Ν του Πανεπιστήμιο Ιωαννίνων και ο ΙΑΝΟS οργανώνουν εκδήλωση παρουσίασης του συλλογικού τόμου: Ελληνική Γλώσσα, Πολιτισμός και Μέσα Μαζικής Επικοινωνίας. Από την Αρχαιοελληνική Γραμματεία έως σήμερα που επιμελήθηκε η Νικολέττα Τσιτσανούδη – Μαλλίδη, Επίκ. Καθηγήτρια Γλωσσολογίας και Ελληνικής Γλώσσας του Πανεπιστημίου Ιωαννίνων.

Για το βιβλίο θα μιλήσουν οι:

Γεώργιος Δ. Καψάλης Πρύτανης Πανεπιστημίου Ιωαννίνων

Διονύσης Τσακνής Πρόεδρος ΕΡΤ Α.Ε.

Περικλής Πολίτης Αν. Καθηγητής Τμήματος ΜΜΕ του ΑΠΘ

Λίνα Ρόζη Επ. Καθηγήτρια Πανεπιστημίου Πατρών, Fellow CHS – GR, Harvard University

Γιάννης Μαμάης Διευθυντής Πολιτιστικού Προγράμματος 3ου Θερινού Πανεπιστημίου

και η επιμελήτρια του τόμου

Ο τόμος αποτελεί γέννημα των δύο Θερινών Πανεπιστημίων «Ελληνική Γλώσσα, Πολιτισμός και ΜΜΕ» που πραγματοποίησε το Πανεπιστήμιο Ιωαννίνων με την υποστήριξη του Κέντρου Ελληνικών Σπουδών του Πανεπιστημίου Harvard, του Γραφείου Ελλάδος του Ευρωπαϊκού Κοινοβουλίου, της Ευρωπαϊκής Επιτροπής και της Ένωσης Ευρωπαίων Δημοσιογράφων. Στο πρόγραμμα συμμετείχε επίσης η Ορθόδοξος Ακαδημία Κρήτης.

Το βιβλίο, που εντάσσεται στη Γλωσσολογική Βιβλιοθήκη των εκδόσεων Gutenberg και σχεδιάστηκε καλλιτεχνικά από τον κ. Γιάννη Μαμάη, περιλαμβάνει κείμενα για τη διδασκαλία και τις χρήσεις της ελληνικής γλώσσας σε σύγχρονα (δια/πολυπολιτισμικά) περιβάλλοντα, ενώ στο δεύτερο μέρος του δίδεται ιδιαίτερη έμφαση στη σύνδεση της ελληνικής γλώσσας με την επικοινωνία, από την εποχή του Ομήρου μέχρι σήμερα. Στην έκδοση έχουν ενσωματωθεί άρθρα για την εξουσία, την οικονομική κρίση και τις απεικονίσεις τους στα σύγχρονα ΜΜΕ. Σε αυτή συμμετέχουν καθηγητές από Ελληνικά ΑΕΙ καθώς και από τα Πανεπιστήμια του Harvard και του Rio De Janeiro.

Στo πλαίσιο της βιβλιοπαρουσίασης, στην οποία θα συμμετέχουν όλοι οι εμπλεκόμενοι φορείς, θα ανακοινωθεί και η διοργάνωση του 3ου Θερινού Πανεπιστημίου στο Γαύριο της Άνδρου, από 9 έως 16 Ιουλίου, με θέμα: «Η λογοκρισία απέναντι στον λόγο και την κρίση. Τα όρια του επιτρεπτού λόγου».

Ειδικότερα, το 3ο Θερινό Πανεπιστήμιο οργανώνεται από το Πανεπιστήμιο Ιωαννίνων και το Παιδαγωγικό Τμήμα Νηπιαγωγών της Σχολής Επιστημών Αγωγής και τελεί υπό την αιγίδα του Υπουργείου Παιδείας, Έρευνας και Θρησκευμάτων. Φέτος για δεύτερη χρονιά υποστηρίζεται από το Κέντρο Ελληνικών Σπουδών του Πανεπιστημίου Harvard (Ελλάδος). Το 3ο Θερινό Πανεπιστήμιο θα καλύψει τις θεματικές:

-Η λογοκρισία στον δημόσιο λόγο. Ιστορική αναδρομή και επίκαιρες προσεγγίσεις.

-Λογοκρισία και δημοσιογραφικός λόγος. Πολιτική λογοκρισία και επικοινωνία.

-Εξουσία και μηχανισμοί λογοκρισίας και επιβολής.

-Γλωσσική λογοκρισία και γλωσσικός σχεδιασμός.

-Η λογοκρισία στη μουσική, στο θέατρο, στη γελοιογραφία, στην ερωτική λογοτεχνία.

-Κριτικός γραμματισμός και Κριτική Ανάλυση Λόγου. Η καλλιέργεια της κριτικής σκέψης από την παιδική ηλικία.

Το πρόγραμμα προσφέρεται σε προπτυχιακούς και μεταπτυχιακούς φοιτητές, απόφοιτους, υποψήφιους διδάκτορες, ερευνητές, εκπαιδευτικούς και δημοσιογράφους.

Οι συμμετέχοντες θα επιλεγούν κατόπιν αξιολόγησης. Το 3ο Θερινό Πανεπιστήμιο περιλαμβάνει καθημερινές τετράωρες διαλέξεις, εργαστήρια, συναντήσεις ανταλλαγής ιδεών στο τέλος κάθε εργαστηρίου/διάλεξης, καθώς και πολιτιστικές δραστηριότητες και εκπαιδευτικές εκδρομές.

Πληροφορίες στο email: nitsi@cc.uoi.grκαι στην ιστοσελίδα summerschool.ac.uoi.gr

Sweden: Increasing Cases of Suspected Espionage by Foreign Powers

Suspected foreign spies involved in intelligence gathering have been identified by Swedish Military Intelligence and Security

From Svenska Dagbladet: Must: Ökat spionage – har identifierat personer

A different story, not related:

SPIEGEL Exclusive - Documents Indicate Germany Spied on Foreign Journalists

The British Museum: Places of the Mind, British Watercolour Landscapes, 1850–1950

23 February – 27 August 2017

"Drawn from the British Museum’s rich collection, this is the first exhibition devoted to landscape drawings and watercolours by British artists in the Victorian and modern eras – two halves of very different centuries".

Another exhibition to see in the course of a forthcoming long weekend in London, together with Paul Nash  (closes 5 March) and America after the Fall: Painting in the 1930s (opens 25 February).

The English-Speaking World, A Possible Scenario or Nostalgic Nationalism?

From a speculative article in Foreign Affairs

A Future of the English-Speaking Peoples - Lie Back and Think of the Anglosphere, Edoardo Campanella and Marta Dassù , February 21, 2017

Some quotes:

“The Anglosphere’s time may have arrived…

This political community represents six percent of the world’s population, a quarter of global GDP, and 40 percent of total military spending. It boasts some of the highest GDP per capita in the world...

If the Anglosphere comes together as a political project, it could signal the emergence of a new model of globalization, centered on cultural homogeneity, with regional clusters converging around common cultural factors, and without a rigid underlying institutional structure like the European Union…

Nostalgic nationalism will likely reinforce tensions and frictions between regions that are culturally distant, especially when standards of living differ greatly. But it can bring culturally similar countries closer together. Indeed, nostalgic nationalism is already reshaping the global order, but it will not necessarily lead to outright isolationism or conflict. There is room for new forms of cooperation to flourish”.

Pammukale, Turkey, Aerial Photo of Theatre of Hierapolis

From Travel+Leisure, 12 Aerial Photos

Copyright AirPano LLC

Travel+Leisure introduction 

World Heritage Site, UNESCO

More information about Pammukale

Wiltshire: Nuclear bunker hiding a £1m cannabis farm

Down Wessex way... BBC News (not fake).

South-West England: A dolphin 'massacre' in our waters

From Plymouth Herald

"Wildlife groups have warned that the killing of dolphins in waters off Plymouth and the South West has become a 'massacre' - with over 100 found dead in just six weeks. Since Christmas, small trawlers operating in an area from Mevagissey in Cornwall to Plymouth have hauled dozens of dead and rotting dolphins. A total of 106 dolphins and porpoises have washed up on beaches and in the nets of fishing boats in just eight weeks according to Cornwall Wildlife Trust."


‘Massacre’ of dolphins in British seas, The Times

"Wildlife groups have warned that dolphins are being massacred in British waters. Half as many have died in the past two months as during the whole of last year. A total of 106 dolphins and porpoises have washed up on Cornwall’s beaches and in fishing boat nets in eight weeks, according to the Cornwall Wildlife Trust. The toll for last year was 205, while in the previous two years the numbers had been less than 100. Large trawlers are being blamed for the increase. French boats are said to be the worst offenders because they work in pairs. Trawlers compete with dolphins for fish, causing them to be caught up in nets and suffocated".


Dolphins are mysteriously washing up on Cornish beaches in greater numbers, 18 January, 2017, The Independent

"Marine experts are investigating after the number of dolphins being washed up on the Cornish coast increased six-fold in a year".

Ionian Islands Water Airports, Corfu, Paxos

Ionian water airports closer to takeoff, Kathimerini

"Following the issuing of operating licenses for the water airports on Corfu and Paxi, the licensing process for the Patra water aerodrome has advanced considerably".

2050: Which Countries Will Be Dominant Economically? The Future of the Anglosphere

According to LoveMoney.com.,. as they put it, in 30 slides - "Decline of the West: these countries will rule the world in 2050".


A Future of the English-Speaking Peoples, Lie Back and Think of the Anglosphere, Foreign Affairs

Some quotes:

“The Anglosphere’s time may have arrived…

This political community represents six percent of the world’s population, a quarter of global GDP, and 40 percent of total military spending. It boasts some of the highest GDP per capita in the world...

If the Anglosphere comes together as a political project, it could signal the emergence of a new model of globalization, centered on cultural homogeneity, with regional clusters converging around common cultural factors, and without a rigid underlying institutional structure like the European Union…

Nostalgic nationalism will likely reinforce tensions and frictions between regions that are culturally distant, especially when standards of living differ greatly. But it can bring culturally similar countries closer together. Indeed, nostalgic nationalism is already reshaping the global order, but it will not necessarily lead to outright isolationism or conflict. There is room for new forms of cooperation to flourish”.

Greece and the Lenders: Deeper Reforms, More Aid?

Greece, lenders agree to work out new reforms to unblock aid, Reuters


IMF chief Lagarde meets Merkel over Greek debt forgiveness, DW


Greece: the never-ending crisis, DW Video report (video from 8.25 point)


Mnuchin Comments Imply U.S. Wants IMF to Stick to Hard Line on Greece, Signaling view of Trump administration against a third bailout


Greece: Discussions on policies and debt need to take place before a program can be recommended to the IMF Board, Twitter, IMF Spokesperson


Dealing with Sovereign Debt—The IMF Perspective, IMF Direct


Hellenic Post is at risk of collapse, eKathimerini

Nikos Koundouros, Greek Film Director; Πέθανε ο σκηνοθέτης Νίκος Κούνδουρος

Nikos Koundouros has died, aged 90,

On Nikos Koundouros

Poundbury, Dorchester: New Community Hall Approved

NEW 300 SEAT COMMUNITY HALL FOR POUNDBURY APPROVED, Celebrating Poundbury

"The current configuration of the building is flexible so that it can be changed to suit the exact needs of the hall operator. Mr Murphy expressed that the Duchy of Cornwall intends to consult widely before final plans for the hall are confirmed. He added: “I would like to confirm that the Duchy of Cornwall intends to work with West Dorset District Council and consult widely with Poundbury residents and businesses in the Spring of 2017 in order to objectively assess the need and viability of a new community hall including the size, specification and location of the new facility. “This is because the new community facilities, both developed and in the pipeline, and the district council’s own audit of community facilities have raised some valid questions over the demand, operation and viability of such a facility.”


The Duchy’s Deputy Estate Director Ben Murphy confirmed a review will soon be under way on the potential for Crown Hall in the North East Quadrant, in light of other community facilities in the pipeline and concerns raised by many residents and stakeholders about over provision of facilities leading to “white elephants”, Celebrating Poundbury.


Community hall for Poundbury approved, Dorset Echo

"Mr Martin revealed that a consultation exercise was due to take place in Poundbury later in the year to seek to establish the local need. He said it was possible that, pending the outcome of the consultation, the obligation could be looked at again and the Duchy could offer to provide funding towards another community facility in the area if there was not adequate need for it.

Mr Martin said: "The Duchy themselves now accept that it need to look again at this particular obligation and intends to enter into a consultation exercise with Poundbury residents soon asking the very question: do you think that a 300-seat hall on Poundbury is the appropriate way forward or should we look at community the equivalent sum of money to supporting, say, the Maltings Theatre."

Cllr Robin Potter agreed that there may not be a need for the community hall on Poundbury. He said: "There is a swell of opinion that this hall is no longer required and will have an adverse effect on various other venues."

Greece: the creditors and the country’s woes

Shifting sands

Greece’s creditors are now the main impediment to solving the country’s woes, The Economist

Greece's creditors dash hopes for quick deal as debt inspectors prepare to return to Athens, Telegraph

After seven years of bailouts, Greeks sink yet deeper in poverty, Reuters

Weymouth: Best Beach in the UK (Trip Advisor)

The UK Top Ten

Weymouth came top -  "very dog friendly, ideal for dog-walking".

Not necessarily a recommendation for the majority of visitors and swimmers?

Weymouth Beach ban on dogs, BBC- "Rules banning dogs from Weymouth's beach for seven months of the year will remain in place, despite two petitions. Weymouth and Portland Borough Council extended the time dogs were not allowed on the beach from May until September to Easter until the end of October".

Weymouth Beach crowned the best in the UK - As the UK’s best rated beach, critics hailed it as ideal for dog walking and said its golden sands are photogenic, MailOnline.

Top 25 in Europe (Weymouth No. 9)

Top Ten in Greece

Top 25 in the world

Travellers Choice Awards has named Weymouth as the best beach in the UK - as Weymouth and Portland Borough Council leader Jeff Cant says he is 'determined' to improve the state of Weymouth, Dorset Echo

MSN/Mirror, Britain's best beach has been revealed


Visit Dorset


MailOnline, Weymouth Beach, Dorset, takes the title of the UK’s most desirable beach and wins ninth best spot in Europe


Photo of Weymouth Beach (Instagram and Dorset For You, Facebook)

Economic assessment of Weymouth Pavilion peninsula redevelopment says 250 jobs will be created at leisure zone. Dorset Echo


Weymouth and Portland Mayor Richard Kosior said parts of Weymouth are a 'washed-up, falling down eyesore', Dorset Echo


Resident Bob Underwood took a series of photos around Weymouth to show the state of the town and demand action be taken, Dorset Echo


Anger over yobs at Weymouth train station, Dorset Echo

When a Language Dies

From Smithsonian.com, Four Things That Happen When a Language Dies

The most profound piece of writing on the subject? David Malouf's short story, "The Only Speaker of His Tongue",  Antipodes, 1985:

 "He is, they tell me, the one surviving speaker of his tongue..."

"When I think of my tongue being no longer alive in the mouths of men, a chill goes over me that is deeper than my own death, since it is the gathered death of all my kind".

Brexit: Britain allays fears; Latvians living in the UK will have their rights guaranteed after the UK pulls out of the EU.; Estonians

From Euronews 

'Speaking on a visit to Riga, alongside Latvia’s Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics, Brexit Secretary David Davis said “they’ll have all the rights they have now...We want to see the most civilised and the most responsible arrangement possible. We want to see Latvian citizens in the UK have all the rights they have now continue into the future. And it’s not just the residence rights, that’s public services, it’s healthcare, it’s all the normal rights that we would give to our own citizens.”'

I assume that this is the hope and intention.

U.K. Will Need Low-Skilled EU Migrants After Brexit, Davis Says, Bloomberg

"During a visit to Estonia, Davis said it will take “years and years” to persuade British workers to do jobs in the hospitality industry or agriculture that are currently carried out by EU migrants, arguing the economy needs continued immigration to maintain its success".

David Davis: Estonia and the UK will remain close partners after Brexit, Gov.Uk

"I understand that the 15,000 Estonians currently living in the UK want certainty about their rights once the UK leaves the EU. And while Estonians’ existing rights are not affected the British government wants to get a deal done to secure long term rights quickly that protects the rights of all EU citizens living in the UK, and British citizens living in the EU. Indeed we would have liked to have come to such an agreement already, and have been clear it will be an absolute priority once formal negotiations begin".

David Davis WILL NOT ‘shut the door on low-skilled European Union migrants’ after Brexit, Express

We will need EU migrants for years, admits Davis, MSN/Sky News


Brexit Secretary David Davis says UK will stay open to migrants after leaving EU, The Independent


Other Brexit issues (check the sources!):


European Union (Notification Of Withdrawal) Bill, Explanatory Notes, UK Parliament

"The power that is provided by clause 1(1) applies to withdrawal from the EU. This includes the European Atomic Energy Community (‘Euratom’), as the European Union (Amendment) Act 2008 sets out that the term "EU" includes (as the context permits or requires) Euratom (section 3(2))".

EU rules out post-Brexit 'hard border' with Northern Ireland, EU Observer

Bank of England to ‘up its game’ in overseeing euro clearing, FT

"The Bank of England has warned against pulling euro clearing away from London because of “currency nationalism”... Sir Jon earlier delivered a robust rebuttal to those in the eurozone who want to strip the UK of its role as a hub for euro-denominated clearing after it leaves the EU".


EU THREAT TO PENSIONS: Mass migration blamed for £30 billion a YEAR 'economic catastrophe', Express


Trump team looks to bypass WTO dispute system, FT


Britain's Brexit Negotiating Cards. Euro Guido


Despite campaign promises leaked EU parliament document reveals Britain likely remain in the CFP after Brexit. Dorset Echo


John Major attacks government over approach to Brexit, The Guardian

Dorset: Call for residents to take part in the NHS Dorset CCG Clinical Services Review

From Dorset Echo - "Call for residents to take part in the NHS Dorset CCG Clinical Services Review consultation and protect health services"

After long and careful consideration of the options and issues, I posted my questionnaire today. I've had my say, I hope many more people will take the trouble to fill in and return the questionnaire by post, or to complete it online. The deadline is Tuesday 28th February, 2017.

I have also (just) read the letter from Valerie Groves to the Dorset Echo, headlined "Trip is not acceptable". She raises some important points, which must be of concern to many residents living in Weymouth and the west of Dorset.

NHS misplaced half a million patient documents BBC News - "The company, NHS Shared Business Services, has expressed regret for the failings, which occurred between 2011 and 2016 in the East Midlands, the South West and north-east London".


NHS accused of covering up huge data loss that put thousands at risk, The Guardian


More than 22,000 documents missing from Dorset and Devon CCGs, Dorset Echo

Councillors discuss NHS Dorset CCG Clinical Services Review, Dorset Echo

Hospital cuts planned in most of England, BBC

Hospital cuts planned in most of England

Also, BBC TV News report, Joanna Gosling, Daily Politics, at 11am today, 21 February 2017 - "Most hospitals in England face cuts or the scaling back of services under local reform plans" - from full closures to centralising of services and moving of treatments. Is the funding and capacity there? 

Marine Microplastics; Dr Ceri Lewis; Microplastics in Crabs and Copepods

A fascinating and important community lecture last night, at the Thomas Hardye School.

Many members of the audience must have been thinking -is it safe to eat seafood like mussels, oysters, crabs and other crustaceans? Oyster-growers and farmers must be getting nervous about the growing evidence from scientific research into filter-feeders like oysters and mussels, which ingest micro-plastic particles. Fish which are gutted are probably safer to eat (if they don't have a high concentration of mercury).

Dr Lewis, Senior Lecturer in Marine Biology at Exeter University, explained that mussels accumulate plastics (often sticky) quickly; crabs eat mussels (and the micro-plastics, which they also breathe in through their combs).

Humans are at one end of the food chain: Dr Lewis is a specialist in zooplankton and copepods.

Research paper (pdf):

Uptake and retention of microplastics by the shore crab Carcinus maenas

Plastic products: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle!

Some tips: avoid products containing polyethylene micro-plastic beads; cotton buds with plastic stems; use compostable (corn starch) refuse bags


Plastic pellets found littering 73% of UK shoreline searched in latest citizen science survey, Marine Conservation Society

Plastic 'nurdles' found littering UK beaches, BBC News

Harmful plastic pellets found on three quarters of British beaches, Telegraph

Many species of marine life, including seabirds, are injured by plastic products such as polyester fibres, nylon fishing nets etc.

There is a high concentration of plastic waste in the Mediterranean sea.

The era of single-use plastic bottles must end if we want to save our oceans

Dr. Ceri Lewis, Researcher in Focus

Greek Coastguard, Lesvos, 4.1 miles; Lesbos, 4.1 miles from Turkish Coast; Video; Refugees, Fact Sheet

Watch video. NYT Op Docs

Also on Vimeo

"A coast guard captain on a small Greek island is suddenly charged with saving thousands of refugees from drowning at sea, by Daphne Matziaraki".

The print story, September 28, 2016, NYT

"When I returned home to Greece last fall to make a film about the refugee crisis, I discovered a situation I had never imagined possible. The turquoise sea that surrounds the beautiful Greek island of Lesbos, just 4.1 miles from the Turkish coast, is these days a deadly gantlet, choked with terrified adults and small children on flimsy, dangerous boats. I had never seen people escaping war before, and neither had the island’s residents. I couldn’t believe there was no support for these families to safely escape whatever conflict had caused them to flee. The scene was haunting".

Thanks to Nina-Maria for the link above.


Favorite Destinations Of Emigrating Greeks from Observing Greece


Fact Sheet: The Refugee / Migration Crisis and Greece, Greek News Agenda


Fact Sheet (pdf)

"Mary. Don't You Weep", Augusta, Georgia in 1929: A group of farm workers singing the spiritual, "Mary, Don't You Weep."

"Thanks to the University of South Carolina for preserving this rare footage" - From Dust-to-Digital, Facebook


Leadbelly,  Goodnight Irene

Also from Dust-to-Digital

GREEK RHAPSODY – INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC FROM GREECE 1905-1956

152-page hardcover book with two CDs featuring 42 Greek instrumental recordings made between 1905 and 1956. This compilation offers, for the first time, a unique panorama of the instruments and styles of the Greek music from the first half of the 20th century. Publication Date: June 11, 2013

About the author/compiler: Tony Klein is a British musician, researcher, and writer, based in Sweden. He has played and researched Greek music for 40 years, and studied with, among others, the veteran Stelios Keromitis. In 2005, in collaboration with collector Charles Howard, he produced and annotated the CD Mortika – Rare Vintage Recordings from a Greek Underworld.

Tracklist


DISC A
1. G. Gretsis & S. Stamos – Greek Rhapsody
2. George Deligeorge – Lemneiko-Zeibekiko
3. Instrumental Trio – Vlachico Sirto
4. Spyros Peristeris – To Mistirio
5. Markos Vamvakaris – Taxim Serf
6. Solo Laterna – Kazapiko
7. Spyros Peristeris – Tatavliano Hasapiko
8. A. Kostis – Dertlidikos Horos
9. Spyros Peristeris – Soultani Zeibekiko
10. Spyros Peristeris – Guzel-Zeibekiko
11. Spyros Peristeris – Hasapiko Laternas
12. Andonis Amiralis “Papatzis” – Hasapiko Politiko Argo
13. Spyros Peristeris – O Meraklis
14. M. Hiotis-D. Gongos ’’Bagianderas’’ – To Perasma
15. Kyria Koula – Zeibekikos Horos
16. Spyros Peristeris – Taxim Minore
17. Frangiskos Zouridakis – Syriano Hasapiko
18. Ierotheos Skizas Mandolinata – Karotsieris Hasapiko
19. Spyros Peristeris – Pireotiko Taximi
20. Spyros Peristeris – Romvia (Tatavliano Hasapiko)
21. Giannis Stamatiou & P. Vasileiou – Glykies Pennies

Disc B
1. Spyros Peristeris – Beykos Hasapiko
2. Spyros Peristeris – Keflflidiko Minore
3. Spyros Peristeris – Boutzalio
4. Ag. Tombouli – Raftaki
5. Havagies Bezou-Stipa – Kardia Ap’agapi Orfani
6. Solo Laterna – Zeibekiko
7. Apostolos Papadiamandis & Konstandinos Kalamaras – I Hira
8. Spyros Peristeris – Sevdali
9. Diodia Kyriakati – Karsilamas Mytilineikos
10. Spyros Peristeris – Dertilidiko
11. Lambros Leondaridis – Karsilamas
12. Ioannis Papaioannou – Serviko Hasapiko
13. Spyros Peristeris – Minore Tou Teke
14. Ierotheos Skizas Mandolinata – Vlahiko Hasapiko
15. Markos Vamvakaris – Taxim Zeibekiko
16. D. Arapakis – Memetis
17. Manolis Hiotis – Giouzel Taxim
18. Alexis Zoumbas – Arvanitiko
19. Lukianos Cavadias – Hasapiko Kavvadia
20. Spyros Peristeris – Mistirio Zeibekiko
21. Ioannis Halikias – Minore Tou Teke

President Trump, "Last Night in Sweden"; No Fear

Studies in Fear and No-Fear

Political Video, New York Times

Ten Meter Tower, video, MAXIMILIEN VAN AERTRYCK and AXEL DANIELSON  (NYT)


*****

The changing headlines:

Donald Trump appears to invent Sweden terror attack during Florida rally speech, The Independent


Donald Trump is right, there was a recent attack in Sweden. By neo-Nazis on a refugee centre - US President could have been referring to largely underreported 'politically motivated' incident in Gothenburg, The Independent


Donald Trump's Sweden comment referred to 'rising crime', White House says, The Guardian


Mr Trump confirmed that Fox News had been the inspiration for his comments, The Independent.


Donald Trump admits ‘Sweden attack’ comments were based on debunked 'Fox News' report, MSN/ The Independent


Wall Street Journal - "Trump Is Right: Sweden’s Embrace of Refugees Isn’t Working, The country has accepted 275,000 asylum-seekers, many without passports—leading to riots and crime".

JIMMIE ÅKESSON and MATTIAS KARLSSON, Feb. 22, 2017  - "When President Trump last week raised Sweden’s problematic experience with open-door immigration, skeptics were quick to dismiss his claims. Two days later an immigrant suburb of Stockholm was racked by another riot. No one was seriously injured, though the crowd burned cars and hurled stones at police officers"


Svenksa Dagbladet - SD i Wall Street Journal: ”Vill göra Sverige säkert igen”

"Donald Trump har rätt: Sveriges välkomnande av flyktingar har lett till upplopp och kriminalitet. Så skriver SD-ledarna Jimmie Åkesson och Mattias Karlsson i tidningen Wall Street Journal i en debattartikel med få källhänvisningar"


Accused of 'smearing' Sweden - SD: Trams att säga att vi smutskastar Sverige

Sverigedemokraterna får kritik för att svartmåla Sverige efter att SD-topparna Jimmie Åkesson och Mattias Karlsson skrivit en debattartikel i Wall Street Journal. Nu slår Karlsson tillbaka: – Som oppositionsparti ska man kunna peka på problem utan att bli anklagad för att skada Sverige, säger han till SvD


Swedish suburb becomes a part of the Trump media circus, The Guardian


Viktigt för Trump att Sverige havererar. Jenny Nordberg, SvD

"Idén om att Sverige skulle vara på väg att helt haverera fungerar utmärkt för Trump: Sverige har länge varit ett skällsord för den amerikanska extremhögern och Fox News. Inte nog med att svenskar är naiva socialister, med en felaktig samhällskonstruktion: Ingen får ha vapen, män tvingas bete sig som kvinnor, och alla är latmaskar i ett orealistiskt välfärdssamhälle. Sverige håller dessutom nu på att helt förstöra sitt eget luftslott på grund av flyktingar, som Trump ser som potentiella terrorister".

"Sweden has long been a term of abuse for the US extreme right and Fox News...Sweden's alleged decadence is simply a great story - for both Trump and the Sweden Democrats".


BBC 1, Sunday Politics, 26 February 2016, BBC iPlayer

Includes Sweden MP Laila Naraghi and Douglas Murray of the Henry Jackson Society


Swedish policeman pins violent crime on migrants, The Sunday Times

Modern Greek Literature, Translation Prize; 2017 MGSA Constantinides Memorial Translation Prize

"The MGSA is pleased to announce the 2017 Constantinides Memorial Translation Prize Competition for original, new translations into English of a literary work published in Modern Greek. A prize of $500 will be awarded for a piece of Modern Greek literature (poetry, prose, theatre) translated into English. We welcome work by scholars of Modern Greek and other fields and languages as well as creative writers, students, and anyone knowledgeable of Greek and English engaged in the work of translation". Modern Greek Studies Association.

NHS Health Check: Which local services are under threat? BBC

"You may not know it, but over the past year local NHS leaders across England have been meeting to draw up plans to overhaul the health service".

Revealed: NHS faces GP recruitment crisis as 40% of doctors approach retirement - inews

"An i investigation into blueprints for the NHS around the country reveals scant planning as almost 40 per cent of GPs approach retirement...Nursing recruits plummet 23% - A similar issue is also looming in nursing, with the number of recruits plummeting by 23 per cent due to the removal of the Government’s bursary scheme and applications from the European Union plunging by 90 per cent due to Brexit. It comes a week after the Royal College of Midwives reported a similar recruitment issue with the number of new recruits failing to match the number of midwives due for retirement".

Read more at: https://inews.co.uk/nhs/revealed-nhs-gp-recruitment-crisis-40-approach-retirement/


The full list of the 24 A&E units marked for closure, inews

Read more at: https://inews.co.uk/nhs/full-list-24-aes-marked-closure/


NHS ‘must avoid hiring cheaper nurses to fill gaps’

Read more at: https://inews.co.uk/nhs/nhs-must-avoid-hiring-cheaper-nurses-fill-gaps/

10 million GP appointments are lost every year to no shows

Read more at: https://inews.co.uk/essentials/news/health/10-million-gp-appointments-lost-every-year-no-shows/


NHS cuts 15,000 beds in six years: One in ten have been axed - equivalent to closing 24 hospitals, report reveals, MailOnline

BBC TV, Hospital, Episode 6- In this episode, surgeons are forced to use unconventional methods to get their operations completed against the odds.


NHS: LORD SAATCHI says the Government must set up a Royal Commission into its future, MailOnline


Centre for Policy Studies report (Maurice Saatchi) -pdf

"Regardless of one’s perspective on the NHS – the pessimistic view that it is in, or on the brink of, crisis; a belief that the system is performing adequately but faces looming longterm challenges; or the optimistic position that the NHS will continue providing worldclass healthcare if just left to its own devices by meddling politicians – a Royal Commission is the potential game-changer to meet and sustain it for decades to come. Whereas piecemeal reforms may end up overwhelmed by the system’s wider problems, or last only the lifetime of an individual government, a Royal Commission is an opportunity to find common ground on some of the most serious problems the NHS is facing today, as well as the challenges and opportunities still ahead".

As long as it's not yet another PR/consultancy-designed CCG-style "public consultation document"!


Thousands of doctors trained in Europe 'may quit UK after Brexit', The Guardian -BMA warns of impending ‘disaster’ as its research shows 40% of doctors who qualified in EEA may leave because they feel less welcome

 

The Pitt Rivers Museum, a pioneer of ‘visual repatriation’ – returning photographs to communities

From Oxford Today, Olivia Gordon - By way of anthropology: Museum’s photos go on an extraordinary journey home

Greece/IMF: No more pension cuts!

Greece’s Labour minister tells Lagarde “No further pension cuts” via FT and KTG

"Greek Minister of Labour, Social Security and Social Solidarity, Effie Achtsioglou, sent an open letter to Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, Christine Lagarde, about the state of pensions in Greece",

Britain- sliding towards Scoxit? Tony Blair's New Movement and Mission

From The Economist

"For a country of 5m people...to go it alone would be a gamble. Yet Scots may conclude that remaining in the Brexit-bound union would be riskier still".

Tony Blair, Open Britain, some reactions (Guido Fawkes...)

Ex-PM Blair says Brits should 'rise up' against Brexit, EU Observer

Tony Blair: debilitated Labour is facilitating a disastrous Brexit, The Guardian

Blair Urges Brexit Opponents to Rise Up and Fight to Stay in EU, Bloomberg

Ham-theatrics? MailOnline

Labour MPs challenge Tony Blair over Brexit speech, The Guardian

EU Withdrawal ~ The Three Knights Opinion

British overseas territories set out their Brexit priorities - Representatives of 10 territories try to ensure they are not overlooked in talks

"Bermuda, the most populous of the overseas territories, said its priority was free movement with the EU. “The travel is the most important thing because many Bermudians travel a lot,” said Mr Dunkley. The island’s financial sector would be less affected, he argued, given it already had equivalency status under the EU’s Solvency II directive"

The Greek Project, Study Tours

First time I've seen this advertisement

It looks like like a good initiative

2017 Study Tours

Feedback welcome

Dorchester: Damers School prepares for move in March; Community Hall , Poundbury; Maltings Arts Project, Brewery Square

From Dorset Echo - Damers School, Dorchester, School is moving to Poundbury in March


Plans for community hall at Poundbury to go before committee
"The report to be considered by councillors states: "The representations attracted by this application suggest an emerging view from residents of Poundbury that this particular obligation needs revisiting and should perhaps be commuted to a financial contribution to support the Maltings Arts project at Brewery Square. "The Duchy of Cornwall is also inclined towards a review, but, in the meantime, needs to establish a fallback should it eventually find itself in a position where it needs to satisfy the original obligation. "And this is urgent; the lack of a fallback is delaying other permissions and threatens the essential continuity of development that underpins Poundbury’s critical contribution to the Partnership’s five-year housing land supply."

Bermuda: Some Secluded Spots

"My Own Private Island: 5 of Bermuda’s Most Secluded Spots"

Bermuda's Ethiopian Orthodox Church

"The Debra Ganet Immanuel Cathedral — which means Immanuel Cathedral Of Paradise — is located in St George’s and features an interior full of painted icons by Abba Gebre Hiwot Wolde Samuel".
http://www.pravmir.com/photosvideo-ethiopian-orthodox-church-icons/

Chesil Beach Uncovered

"Imagine waking up one day seeing tonnes of pebbles on Chesil have disappeared overnight, leaving behind a vast sandy beach. The morning of Feb.16, 2014 after the "record storms", was exactly such a day." Chesil Beach Watch

Video

Photos are also available at 

http://tinyurl.com/chesiluncovered and

http://tinyurl.com/chesiluncovered2

http://youtu.be/-clEdZlRTME

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-clEdZlRTME&feature=youtu.be

Hugh Tracey, Jimmie Rodgers and the Kipsigis Song, Chemirocha; Amanda Petrusich, NYT

"THE MAGNIFICENT CROSS-CULTURAL RECORDINGS OF KENYA’S KIPSIGIS TRIBE"

An article by Amanda Petrusich, New York Times (thanks to Charmagne for the link).

I acquired many Jimmie Rodgers 78rpm records on safari in Kenya, back in the 1970s.

See also https://corfublues.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/sounds-of-africa-mbira-thumb-piano.html (2013)

Also, from my posting of 11 October,m 2010:

I bought about ten Jimmie Rodgers Regal Zonophone 78s in upcountry Kenya (at the Bhogal Brothers shops in Kitale and Eldoret) in the mid '70s. He was incredibly popular in Africa: "Hello Chemirocha!" was a Kipsigi song of welcome, a field recording captured by Hugh Tracey.

Dorchester Prison homes, revised plan approved

From BBC News - Revised Dorchester Prison homes plan approved

'West Dorset District Council's local plan requires developments to include 35% affordable housing but the authority backed City and Country by saying the scheme could not "financially support any affordable housing" because of the "high costs associated with developing this congested brown field site in a conservation area".'

Dorset Walk, Affpuddle, Moreton, Throop Heath, Bryantspuddle

Between Hope and Despair

The 'Forgiveness' Window

The suicide of Judas Iscariot, with 30 pieces of silver, St Nicholas's, Moreton

Judas window allowed into church

Judas window installed at Dorset church 14 years after artist's death, The Guardian

Affpuddle- Dead Woman's Stone (SY 89 SW; 82209164), shown by O.S., "cannot be traced in heathland now devastated by tanks". The same stone?

The Debenham Bladen Estate