From Dorset Echo: Buxton Monument in Weymouth damaged in vandal attack
Before the vandals damaged the monument
Wednesday, 29 November 2017
Weymouth: Thomas Fowell Buxton Monument, Vandalism
From Dorset Echo: Buxton Monument in Weymouth damaged in vandal attack
Pete Scott, Naturehawk Photography; Durdle Door Sunrise
A stunning photograph at Durdle Door
`Jurassic Burst...`
Sunrise through Durdle Door...
See:
Twitter - @NaturehawkPhoto
Weymouth and Portland: Low Scores for Social Mobility and Life Chances; State of the Nation Report 2017
Weymouth and Portland is one of worst areas in country for social mobility, Dorset Echo
The area comes at no. 322 out of 324 in England for social mobility prospects for someone from a disadvantaged background.
Social mobility is a stark postcode lottery. Too many in Britain are being left behind, Alan Milburn, The Guardian
Social mobility is a stark postcode lottery. Too many in Britain are being left behind, Alan Milburn, The Guardian
West Somerset
Newark and Sherwood
Weymouth and Portland
Social mobility in Great Britain: fifth state of the nation report, Social Mobility Commission, Gov.uk
Social mobility index: 2017 data
State of the nation 2017, Report, pdf, 178 pages
Monday, 27 November 2017
HRH The Prince of Wales at Damers School, Poundbury, Dorchester
Meeting the Junior Governors
Photos by JP
The school has 450 pupils, and the capacity for 600
Update, from MailOnline: 'Very happy indeed': Prince Charles says he's 'thrilled' to announce Harry and Meghan's engagement as he visits his model village in Dorchester
Update: Prince Charles visits Poundbury, Dorset Echo, Photo Gallery
Thessaloniki: Plans for a High Speed Train Link to reach a Chinese-built Port in Thessaloniki
On Chinese investment plans to be discussed with 16 East European and Balkan nations in Hungary: a high-speed train link between Belgrade and Budapest, to reach a Chinese-built port at Thessaloniki. BBC News 27 November, 2017, from 3.30 point.
Is the plan to use both Piraeus port and a new port at Thessaloniki?
Chinese premier arrives in Hungary for official visit, China-CEEC meeting
THE 6TH SUMMIT OF HEADS OF GOVERNMENT OF CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPEAN COUNTRIES AND CHINA - "Deepening economic, trade and financial cooperation for win-win development, This year, on the fifth anniversary of the formation of 16+1 cooperation, its highest forum, the China-CEEC Summit of Heads of Government will be held in Budapest, Hungary on November 27, 2017, chaired by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán".
Related (from Politico): China hits roadblocks in Central Europe, Tough competition laws and investment from the bloc slow Beijing’s infrastructure push.
From GB Times - EU probe threatens landmark China-Hungary rail project
From New York Times - Behind China’s $1 Trillion Plan to Shake Up the Economic Order
Update, Euronews - China looks to new Silk Road through Eastern Europe
US Ambassador Chastizes Privatization Of Thessaloniki Port! Observing Greece, Klaus Kastner
From Financial Times - EU sets collision course with China over ‘Silk Road’ rail project
'European officials told the Financial Times that the investigation was assessing the financial viability of the $2.89bn railway and looking into whether it had violated European Union laws stipulating that public tenders must be offered for large transport projects. “The commission services are assessing the compliance of the project with EU law. The dialogue with the national authorities is ongoing,” said a European Commission spokeswoman'.
Hungary-Serbia railway launched at China summit, EU Observer
From EuroIntelligence: "Work will start on the Hungary-Serbia leg of a high-speed rail link between Hungary and Greece, in which China is investing - we observe that the EU, by not investing in its periphery, opens it up to foreign investment which it then criticises".
Chinese Investment in Greece and Sino-Greek Relations, Greek Reporter
Updates:
Privatization of Thessaloniki Port postponed as Russian guarantor bank gets bailout, KTG
Kathimerini Report in Greek
Thessaloniki Port Sold to German Fund, Greek Reporter
Prague: Martinu's Epic of Gilgamesh ; Prague Philharmonic Choir/Czech Philharmonic/Honeck
"This live recording of a Prague concert last January is apparently the work’s first in the original English that Martinů set".
A must-have recording, to set alongside this CD:
Epic of Gilgamesh, Melvyn Bragg, BBC Radio 4, In Our Time:A must-have recording, to set alongside this CD:
"He who saw the Deep" are the first words of the standard version of The Epic of Gilgamesh, the subject of this discussion between Melvyn Bragg and his guests. Gilgamesh is often said to be the oldest surviving great work of literature, with origins in the third millennium BC, and it passed through thousands of years on cuneiform tablets. Unlike epics of Greece and Rome, the intact story of Gilgamesh became lost to later generations until tablets were discovered by Hormuzd Rassam in 1853 near Mosul and later translated. Since then, many more tablets have been found and much of the text has been reassembled to convey the story of Gilgamesh, king of Uruk the sheepfold, and Enkidu who the gods created to stop Gilgamesh oppressing his people. Together they fight Humbaba, monstrous guardian of the Cedar Forest, and kill the Bull of Heaven, for which the gods make Enkidu mortally ill. Gilgamesh goes on a long journey as he tries unsuccessfully to learn how to live forever, learning about the Great Deluge on the way, but his remarkable building works guarantee that his fame will last long after his death.
With Andrew George, Professor of Babylonian at SOAS, University of London; Frances Reynolds
Shillito Fellow in Assyriology at the Oriental Institute, University of Oxford and Fellow of St Benet's Hall and Martin Worthington, Lecturer in Assyriology at the University of Cambridge
Producer: Simon Tillotson.
Sunday, 26 November 2017
Duncan Honeybourne, 40th Birthday concert: two piano concertos in Dorchester, Dorset Chamber Orchestra
Another memorable musical experience! The Dorset Chamber Orchestra conducted by Walter Brewster at St. Mary's Church, Dorchester, with Weymouth-born soloist Duncan Honeybourne.
Two great piano concertos, by Schumann and Adolf von Henselt, in the same programme.
I am constantly astounded by the quality and convenient accessibility of musical activity in Dorset and Dorchester in particular.
The excellent programme:
Overture ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream – Mendelssohn
Piano Concerto in A minor – Schumann
Variations on a theme by Haydn – Brahms
Piano Concerto in F minor – Henselt
Fascinating programme notes by Walter Brewster, about the background to his search for and rediscovery of the full score and parts of the Henselt piano concerto, heard last night for the first time in a century.
From programme note by Walter Brewster
Arthur Rubinstein: Chopin - Piano Concerto No. 1 in E minor, Op. 11, 'Romanze Larghetto'
Saturday, 25 November 2017
Greece: Gorgopotamos; 25 November, 1942, Themis Marinos
The 75th anniversary of the Harling Mission (Gorgopotamos Operation).
Themis Marinos, War Hero, at 100,
on his way to Gorgopotamos 75th Anniversary Dinner
Australia and the Brexit Trade Plan
From BBC News - Australia knocks UK Brexit trade plan
Australia no longer as optimistic as the Australian High Commissioner, H.E. The Hon. Alexander Downer AC, has been in recent months?
Brexit Britain's 'creeping irrelevance' to Australia hinted at in foreign policy blueprint, Telegraph
Time for another "NewImages" campaign? Not just yet...
Cheer up with Purcell's "Fairest Isle", from King Arthur - "Fairest isle, all isles excelling"
Fairest isle, all isles excelling,
Seat of pleasure and of love
Venus here will choose her dwelling,
And forsake her Cyprian grove.
Cupid from his fav'rite nation
Care and envy will remove;
Jealousy, that poisons passion,
And despair, that dies for love.
Gentle murmurs, sweet complaining,
Sighs that blow the fire of love
Soft repulses, kind disdaining,
Shall be all the pains you prove.
Ev'ry swain shall pay his duty,
Grateful ev'ry nymph shall prove;
And as these excel in beauty,
Those shall be renown'd for love.
******
Other Problems, Possible Solutions?
An Irish border solution offers a template for post-Brexit trade, FT Opinion piece, Niall Fitzgerald
******
Other Problems, Possible Solutions?
An Irish border solution offers a template for post-Brexit trade, FT Opinion piece, Niall Fitzgerald
Corfu, 1940 Bombardment; Greek-Italian War
ΒΟΜΒΑΡΔΙΣΜΟΣ ΤΗΣ ΚΕΡΚΥΡΑΣ ΚΑΤΑ ΤΟΝ ΕΛΛΗΝΟΪΤΑΛΙΚΟ ΠΟΛΕΜΟ
From YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OI4AGD6f7gQ&sns=em
Friday, 24 November 2017
The Art of Warren Curry; Corfu and Australia
"Warren has worked as a full time professional artist for over 30 years. His preferred medium is oil paints on canvas and the following gallery represents his traditional style of painting. Warren spends 3-5 months each year working in his studio in the village of Pelekas,Corfu. Many of his paintings from Corfu are featured in this gallery" - http://www.warrencurry.com/gallery.html
Warren's two homes - The Weekly times
Limited Edition Fine Art Prints
Abbey104 Radio Interview: Jenny Devitt's "Local World"
I had the great pleasure of being interviewed by Jenny Devitt at the Abbey104 radio studio in Sherborne last night, as her 'special guest' for her Thursday Local World programme, from 5-6pm.
I was much impressed by the professionalism of the station, and by the amount of detailed research carried out by Jenny in the weeks before the interview. I would like to thank her and those kind people who made an input, at her request. Jenny is a tremendous and highly-experienced producer-presenter, who knows how to put interviewees at their ease. Laughing with Sir David:
Jenny interviewing Sir David Attenborough
at Lyme Regis Museum
Related:
An old Cyder Scribes online interview from June 2014
Re-reading this, I am reminded how some projects have been put on the back-burner,
and others have captured my attention, for the time being at least.
See also, Marshwood Vale Magazine profile, October 2011
Related:
An old Cyder Scribes online interview from June 2014
Re-reading this, I am reminded how some projects have been put on the back-burner,
and others have captured my attention, for the time being at least.
See also, Marshwood Vale Magazine profile, October 2011
Thursday, 23 November 2017
Holloways of Dorset
From AtlasObscura - "These ancient sunken lanes were naturally tunneled into the soft ground by countless footsteps".
Thanks to William Barnes Society for this link
A previous posting, 10.10.2013
Posting on Robert Macfarlane
Wednesday, 22 November 2017
Save Epirus! Σώστε την ήπειρο, όχι στην χερσαία εξόρυξη πετρελαίων! Say No to Oil Exploration!
Message seen on Facebook:
Την Πέμπτη 23/11/17 και ωρα 18:00, στην Ελεούσα, στο παλιό Δημαρχειο πραγματοποιείται Δημοτικό Συμβούλιο, οπου προ ημερησιάς διάταξης θα τεθει το θέμα των σεισμικών ερευνών και πιθανών εξορυξεων υδρογονανθράκων των εταιρειών Repsol-Energean Oil. Καλούμε ολους τους δημότες του Δ. Ζίτσας καθώς και ολους τους κατοίκους των Ιωαννίνων και γενικότερα της Ηπείρου, έξω απο το κτίριο, σε συγκέντρωση διαμαρτυρίας.
Οι φωνές μας πρέπει να ακουστούν Πανηπειρωτικά αλλα και Πανελλαδικά!!! Οφείλουμε και πρέπει να προστατέψουμε την ΙΕΡΗ ΓΗ της Ηπείρου και να πουμε ενα ηχηρό ΟΧΙ στα σχέδια εκείνων που αποφασισαν για εμάς χωρίς εμάς!! Το οφείλουμε στον τόπο μας αλλά και στην ίδια μας τη ζωή!
Raul Scacchi, Songs on Soundcloud
A really good selection of Raul's songs, concept albums, collaborations and settings
The Good Samaritan and The Nomad written and composed by Jim Potts (vocals here), arrangements and orchestration Raul Scacchi.
Songs from Neuromantics, a collaborative project, Raul Scacchi and Jim Potts.
The World's Her Oyster, from Failed Expectations, lyrics Jim Potts and Raul Scacchi.
Backstage, from Beyond, Necromantics, lyrics Raul Scacchi and Jim Potts
Jim and Raul (photo J. Gulland)
Sidney Nolan: The Greek Series; Hellenic Museum, Melbourne
"61 works currently on loan from the Estate of Lady Nolan, have never before been exhibited in Australia as a single body of work, making Sidney Nolan: The Greek Series a truly unique exhibition".
An article about the exhibition, by Dean Kalimniou, Diatribe.
Hellenic Museum, Melbourne
"In November 1955, two years after leaving Sydney, and hungry for inspiration after finishing the two iconic series, Ned Kelly and Burke and Wills, Sidney Nolan and his wife, writer Cynthia Reed, travelled from London to the Greek island of Hydra. Immersing himself in the timeless beauty of the Greek landscape and culture, Nolan started a new series of works exploring both the contemporary and mythological world. Staying with Australian friends, authors George Johnston and Charmian Clift, who were at the centre of a creative expatriate circle living on the island, Nolan had intended a brief visit before beginning a scholarship in Rome, however remained in Hydra until the following May".
Sidney Nolan: The Greek Series at the Hellenic Museum, Greek Reporter
Google, some of Nolan's Hydra images
From Sidney Nolan, Such is Life, a biography by Brian Adams, 1987
"The Greek language remained a mystery to Nolan and one of the few phrases he managed to master was the New Year greeting kali chronya, which he used incessantly. The locals put up with it until the following Easter, when finally an old sponge diver pointed out that 1956 was well advanced and it sounded foolish to be wishing everyone 'Happy New Year'."
See also, Warren Curry, another Australian artist with a love of Greece
See also, Warren Curry, another Australian artist with a love of Greece
Tuesday, 21 November 2017
Deep Ellum Blues; Dallas, Texas; Deep Elem
A wild place in the 1920's and 1930's!
Trailer from a film on Deep Ellum
Another video on Deep Ellum
The Georgia Crackers - The Georgia Black Bottom (1927)
Shelton Brothers - Deep Elem Blues
Jerry Lee Lewis - Deep Elem Blues
Grateful Dead - Deep Elem Blues (acoustic)
Black Bottom Blues/Deep Elem Blues, Bob Waltz
Buddy Jones, Rockin' Rollin' Mama (1939)
Monday, 20 November 2017
Zagori, Greece: From the Refuge to Drakolimni (Walk); Frances Annear; Exploring Papingo
Sample walk from Frances Annear's Exploring Papingo
The guide-book
Two of my own photos of Drakolomni (Dragon Lake):
Legends of Dragon Lale (Drakolimni) from my own book, The Ionian Islands and Epirus, A Cultural History, Signal Books, Oxford
To Kokoraki, The King's Singers; Traditional Greek Song
Good for Anglo-Greek relations!
Listen here (YouTube) - To Kokoraki - Greek traditional song (arr. Gordon Langford)
This was recorded live on the final night of The King's Singers UK Summer School, July 2017, in a performance for the participants at Royal Holloway, University of London.
Patrick Dunachie, countertenor
Timothy Wayne-Wright, countertenor
Julian Gregory, tenor
Christopher Bruerton, baritone
Christopher Gabbitas, baritone
Jonathan Howard, bass
Sunday, 19 November 2017
Alphonse "Bois Sec" Ardoin; Cajun Music
From Dust-to-Digital, Facebook, 15th November 2017 posting - Remembering accordionist Alphonse "Bois Sec" Ardoin, born in 1915 in Duralde, Louisiana
Dorset County Orchestra, Autumn Concert, Conductor and Soloist, Arturo Serna
Inside the music
This was an extraordinarily powerful experience, with the Dorset County Orchestra playing with passion, dynamism and obvious commitment, in the
Dorford Centre, Dorchester . Congratulations to
all the musicians!
Normally I wouldn’t choose to sit so close to a symphony
orchestra - little more than a metre from the leader, Bärbel Glaser, and the soloist/conductor Arturo Serna (cello), but this proximity
provided total immersion in multi-phonic surround sound, with close-up views of
the brilliant and intense cello-playing in Joseph Haydn’s Cello Concerto No 2 in D major.
The sound was not too loud, the balance and instrumental
clarity felt just right (sitting two rows further back would have made little
difference, as there were only three semi-circular rows of seating available in
this contemporary church hall/auditorium, because of the room’s layout and the
space required by the orchestra).
Such a seating position might have diminished the overwhelming
impact of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 in C
minor (Opus 67), but it positively enhanced the excitement and drama of the
work. It was an unforgettable participatory musical experience, involving the
whole audience, as if we were all playing as members of the orchestra.
The programme opened with Carl Maria Von Weber’s overture to
Der Freischűtz.
An emperor couldn’t have asked for more.
Saturday, 18 November 2017
European Parliament, Draft Report on the inquiry on money laundering, tax avoidance and tax evasion
From the European Parliament (24 page pdf report)
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/cmsdata/122787/2017-06-30%20Draft%20report.pdf
Conclusions
The Committee of Inquiry into Money Laundering, Tax Evasion and Tax Avoidance -
136. Concludes that the underlying problem embedded in the Panama Papers is the moving of money between different jurisdictions, both offshore and onshore, and that as long as these practices are tolerated all other efforts will have only limited impact; 137. Finds that through the use of trusts, shell companies, tax havens and complex international financial structures, some multinational companies and high net worth individuals have successfully shielded their fortunes from, for example, the tax authorities and others with legitimate financial claims against them, thereby rendering themselves immune by positioning their wealth in a legislative vacuum; 138. Concludes that the lack of cooperation and coordination on different pieces of legislation with regard to tax evasion, tax avoidance and money laundering is a systemic problem; 139. Concludes that some Member States tend not to provide relevant information in the desired quantity and quality and in general do not seem to exert genuine efforts to crack down on tax avoidance and tax evasion; 140. Recalls that transparency and exchange of information are key instruments in fighting tax evasion, tax avoidance and money laundering; 141. Concludes that the EU legislation in force was not sufficient before the Panama Papers revelations and was not always enforced effectively, thus allowing intermediaries to formally fulfil their duties, such as CDD and other reporting obligations, while circumventing the spirit of the rules; notes that since then a number of reviews have been carried out, for example on the DAC and the AMLD, and that new legislative proposals have been presented, such as country-by-country reporting and the regulation of intermediaries; 142. Concludes in particular that there has been a significant gradual improvement in terms of having a register of UBOs with accessibility based on legitimate interest; underlines that the ongoing AMLD revision aims to enhance the powers of the EU FIUs and to facilitate their cooperation, but that the scope is still too limited and that there is a need to share financial information to tackle all economic crime, but also to trace the proceeds from fraud-linked activities; 143. Concludes that proper identification of UBOs remains a key obstacle to stopping illegal tax avoidance schemes and that the international nature of financial flows and company structures uncovered by the PANA Committee exacerbates this problem; 144. Stresses that the creativity of tax avoiders is faster than the formulation of legislation and that intermediaries and enablers tend to stay on the right side of the law through creative compliance; highlights in this regard the use of regulatory mismatches between countries as a key enabler of such practices; 145. Concludes that wealth management remains a largely unregulated profession and that binding international rules and standards should be established to better regulate and define this group; 146. Notes that taxes should be levied at the point and place of profit creation; concludes that the actions and financial constructions revealed in the Panama Papers successfully circumvent this basic principle and that a ded; 147. Concludes that this was made possible by insufficient implementation of legislation by the Member States and insufficient enforcement by the Commission; 148. Notes that the Commission is not sufficiently equipped in terms of resources to ensure full enforcement of EU legislation against money laundering, tax evasion and tax avoidance; 149. Concludes that FIUs are key instruments to fight money laundering; observes, however, the differing structures across the EU and the fact that they are not sufficiently equipped with personnel to cope with their tasks, including examining the increasing number of STRs driven by new legislation, and that they can deal only with a fraction of the problem; 150. Concludes that sanctions are not always applied or deterrent enough in relevant cases; 151. Concludes that on the basis of the PANA Committee findings, several cases of maladministration of EU legislation can be identified, namely regarding the DAC, the AMLD and the list of third countries with strategic deficiencies in their anti-money laundering regimes; 152. Regrets the lack of cooperation of certain EU institutions with the PANA Committee; believes that this constitutes a breach of the principle of sincere cooperation; 153. Concludes that the closed and secretive nature of the Council’s Code of Conduct Group on Business Taxation is detrimental to the effective and expeditious formulation, adoption and implementation of vital anti-tax evasion legislation within the EU; underlines, therefore, the need for improved accountability and transparency regarding the actions, statements and positions of the Member States engaged in the group; 154. Deeply regrets that a high number of stakeholders have refused to meet with PANA delegations, or refused to appear before the PANA Committee, or did not answer questions in a satisfactory manner; PE604.514v01-00 24/24 PR\1124430EN.docx EN 155. Concludes, therefore, that a number of questions remain unanswered in order to fully ascertain the scale of this issue and the methods employed in these schemes.
Friday, 17 November 2017
Mark Allen, A Publishing Life; Mark Allen Group
Mark Allen, chairman of Mark Allen Group, answers questions about his life in publishing, from InPublishing, 9 November 2017.
"Like a sculptor I have carved
my life, but never thought
the stone could be so hard".
From "Illumination", an early poem by Mark Allen, written long before the beginning of his career in publishing.
Updates:
The irresistible rise of UK’s Mark Allen Group, from Flashes and Flames, 9 August, 2018
Mark Allen takes a dive for charity
William Barnes and the Greek Language; Lord Byron's Familiar Greek Dialogues
When reading the Dorset dialect poems of William Barnes, we tend to forget his immense knowledge of philology and foreign languages, including Greek.
From An Outline of English Speech-craft, 1878:
From A philological grammar: grounded upon English, and formed from a comparison of more than sixty languages. Being an introduction to the science of grammar and a help to grammars of all languages, especially English, Latin and Greek, 1854:
William Barnes saw his rural poems as belonging to the tradition of the Greek bucolic poets
like Theocritus and Moschus.
From the Appendix to Childe Harold's Pilgrimage, Canto II:
Familiar Dialogues:
Dorchester, Dorset: Archaeological Digs and Excavation Works
What is happening? Statement from West Dorset District Council, Dorset For You
"The Dorchester retail proposals for the town centre is underway, with the masterplan being drafted. Each element of the masterplan is being carefully considered and appraised.
We value and respect Dorchester’s history and heritage. While looking to the future, we would also seek to protect Dorchester’s history.
Following discussions with archaeology experts, West Dorset District Council has commissioned some excavation work on the Fairfield Car park site. This will further explore any archaeological interest that may exist there. The excavations, carried out by archaeological firm ‘Context One’ will involve carrying out excavations to sample the site.
Where will it happen?
The trenches will be located at four sites in the car park. These sites have been chosen with the advice of the County Archaeologist to compliment the previous 7 sites dug in 2009. We have arranged the dig in order to minimise the impact on parking and the Dorchester market.
A mechanical excavator will dig below the surface, and any layer of archaeology underneath will then be hand dug. Any archaeological interest will then be recorded and potentially taken for review. The results of this will inform future work on the site.
When will it happen?
Barriers will be in place from Monday 20 November at the sites, across Fairfield long stay car park. The excavation works will be starting on Tuesday 21 November. We expect the work – including re-surfacing the trenches – to take up to 3 working days per site, over the course of about 3 weeks".
Karine Polwart - A Pocket of Wind Resistance; On Collaboration and Cooperation; Man's Dominion
Wind Resistance No. 1, YouTube
Karine Polwart with Pippa Murphy - Lark in the Clear Air
Now Westlin' Winds
Tyrannic Man's Dominion
BBC The World Tonight, 16 November 2017. from 38.55 point
Now Westlin Winds, Dick Gaughan and others
Thursday, 16 November 2017
Review of Dorset NHS hospital shake-up needed
Councillors urge review of Dorset NHS hospital shake-up, BBC News
'Dorset County Council's health scrutiny committee voted to "refer the matter of the Clinical Services Review to the Secretary of State for Health, pending further consideration by the Joint Committee by 15 December".
Committee chairman Bill Pipe said: "The referral is being made as we have concerns about travel times, reductions in hospital bed provision, reduction in Accident and Emergency services at Poole Hospital and that an insufficient Equalities Impact Assessment has been carried out.
"Members also felt that there has been a lack of integration with the ambulance service and there wasn't a clear financial plan in place."'
Campaigners prepare to take Dorset CCG to judicial review over alleged unlawful decisions, Dorset Echo
Toxic Air Pollution Levels Across Europe; European Air Quality Index; Monitoring Stations
From Mailonline - How toxic is YOUR air? Interactive map reveals deadly pollution levels across Europe in real-time
Air Quality Index
Wednesday, 15 November 2017
Greece: Deadly floods
The day after we left Athens - Greece: Deadly floods hit Mandra, Nea Peramos and Megara, BBC News
More bad weather forecast as toll rises to 14, eKathimerini
Video
Drone footage, Euronews
At least 15 dead in flash floods on Greek coast (Video), Cyprus Mail
More on the tragedy, KathimeriniΤΣ:
«Οι επιστήμονες που ασχολούνται με τα υδατικά συστήματα και τη συμπεριφορά τους θεωρούν ότι η ένταση του φαινομένου εξηγεί μέρος μόνον της χθεσινής καταστροφής. «Οι περιοχές αυτές αντιμετωπίζουν μεγάλο πρόβλημα λόγω της παράνομης, άναρχης αστικοποίησής τους. Ολόκληρες πόλεις έχουν χτιστεί στους πρόποδες των βουνών χωρίς καμία αντιπλημμυρική προστασία», εκτιμά η Μαρία Μιμίκου, ομότιμη καθηγήτρια στο ΕΜΠ και ιδρύτρια του Κέντρου Υδρολογικής Πληροφορίας. «Στη Δυτική Αττική υπάρχουν πάρα πολλά ρέματα, τα οποία έχουν καλυφθεί ή μπαζωθεί στα κατώτερα τμήματά τους και έχουν χτιστεί παράνομα. Μάλιστα, τα τελευταία χρόνια απενοχοποιούμε την πρακτική αυτή, νομιμοποιώντας τα παράνομα κτίσματα. Ετσι, σε συνδυασμό με την αποψίλωση του όρους Πατέρας, σε μια πολύ ισχυρή καταιγίδα κατεβαίνουν οι χείμαρροι και περνούν μέσα από τα σπίτια, όπως συνέβη και στη Νέα Πέραμο. Ακόμα ένα πρόβλημα είναι ο κακός σχεδιασμός των όποιων έργων υποδομής υπάρχουν».
Two Portraits in Athens - An Old Philhellene
Back in Dorset.
My daughter took these two photos in Athens a few days ago. I have already posted them separately, but I still think they say a lot about my love of Greece, Ancient and Modern. I can live with these!
"Portraits of an old Philhellene"
For the family - thanks Nina
One more for good luck, with George Seferis:
Tuesday, 14 November 2017
Greece; Athens: Folk Musical Instruments Museum
A selection of instruments and images from the Museum of Greek Folk Musical Instruments
Good to see Grigoris Kapsalis playing on one of the videos!
Could the bouzouki on the left (with eight tuning keys)
really date from the end of the 19th century?
