Hellenic-centric or simply self conscious?

Ο κρατικοδίαιτος και διαπλεκόμενος καθηγητής του Πανεπιστημίου Αθηνών
και μέλος του Δ.Σ. του διαβοήτου «εκσυγχρονιστικού» ΕΛΙΑΜΕΠ, Π.Κ.
Ιωακειμίδης, αισθάνεται «βαθιά μελαγχολία, λύπη και απογοήτευση»,
επειδή τα παιδιά της «Βουλής των Εφήβων» εκφράζουν... «ό,τι πιο
φοβικό, αναχρονιστικό, συντηρητικό, κοινότοπο, εσωστρεφές, πρωτόγονα
εθνικιστικό, σ΄ ορισμένες περιπτώσεις ρατσιστικό, ελληνοκεντρικό» [Εδώ
τού τελείωσαν τα επίθετα! 'Η, μάλλον, συνεχίζει: «Αποτελεί αποθέωση
του «ελληνικού εξαιρετισμού», του επικίνδυνου συνδρόμου που θέλει την
Ελλάδα ως μοναδική, ξεχωριστή χώρα της υφηλίου.»!]

Συμπεραίνει ως εκ τούτου ότι «ευθυνόμαστε όλοι εμείς που με τον έναν ή
τον άλλο τρόπο είμαστε στον χώρο της εκπαίδευσης», δηλαδή δεν ήρκεσε η
πλύση εγκεφάλου που κάνουν στο σχολείο με την προπαγάνδα των
ΛιακοΡεπούσηδων. Γι' αυτό προτείνει, εκτός από την σχολική προπαγάνδα,
και... εξωσχολική ένταξη των μαθητών σε «πολυπολιτισμικά» και
«αντιρατσιστικά» τάγματα εργασίας, προς φρονιματισμόν: «οι σχετικές
δαπάνες να διατεθούν προκειμένου ομάδες εφήβων να έλθουν σε επαφή και
να γνωρίσουν τον «σύγχρονο κόσμο», τον κόσμο μέσα στον οποίο θα
ζήσουν»!

http://www.tanea.gr/ColumnCategory.aspx?d=20080125&nid=7275576&sn=&spid=876

Έφηβοι σε ρόλο ενηλίκων
Του Π.Κ. Ιωακειμίδη

ΔΕΝ ΞΕΡΩ πόσο υπερήφανοι και αισιόδοξοι αισθάνονται οι πολιτικοί
ηγέτες ακούγοντας τον λόγο των μαθητών στη λεγόμενη Βουλή των Εφήβων.
Αλλά εγώ που προσπάθησα και φέτος να ακούσω κάποιες από τις ομιλίες
δεν αισθάνθηκα ούτε υπερήφανος ούτε αισιόδοξος. Αισθάνθηκα βαθιά
μελαγχολία, λύπη και απογοήτευση. Αν ο λόγος που εκφράσθηκε στη Βουλή
των Εφήβων θεωρηθεί αντιπροσωπευτικός «του σκέπτεσθαι» των
εφήβων/μαθητών, τότε έχουμε τεράστιο πρόβλημα, για την ύπαρξη του
οποίου βέβαια δεν ευθύνονται οι έφηβοι. Ευθυνόμαστε όλοι εμείς που με
τον έναν ή τον άλλο τρόπο είμαστε στον χώρο της εκπαίδευσης, όπως
ευθύνονται και πολλοί άλλοι. Πρώτα απ΄ όλα οφείλει να διερωτηθεί
κάποιος τι χρειάζεται και τι εξυπηρετεί αυτή η σύναξη που αποκαλείται
Βουλή των Εφήβων. Σε τι ακριβώς συμβάλλει, τι ακριβώς συνεισφέρει. Αν
θέλουμε να μάθουμε τις ανησυχίες, τις σκέψεις, τον προβληματισμό των
εφήβων υπάρχουν πολλοί, περισσότερο αποτελεσματικοί και
αντιπροσωπευτικοί τρόποι. Η σύναξη αυτή που περισσότερο αντιγράφει τα
παθογενή συμπτώματα της Βουλής των ενηλίκων φαίνεται να καλλιεργεί
ματαιοδοξίες, άστοχους ανταγωνισμούς και όλα τα συναφή. Καλλιεργεί
ενδεχομένως και την υποκρισία στη σχέση εφήβων και ενηλίκων. Γιατί
αδυνατώ να πιστέψω ότι πολιτικοί ηγέτες με ανοιχτό μυαλό και ορίζοντες
πράγματι «εντυπωσιάζονται και αισιοδοξούν»- όπως λένε- με όσα ακούν.
Γιατί δυστυχώς ο λόγος που εκφέρεται από τους εφήβους (προφανώς καθ΄
υπόδειξη ή συμβουλή από ενηλίκους) εκφράζει (με ελάχιστες εξαιρέσεις)
ό,τι πιο φοβικό, αναχρονιστικό, συντηρητικό, κοινότοπο, εσωστρεφές,
πρωτόγονα εθνικιστικό, σ΄ ορισμένες περιπτώσεις ρατσιστικό,
ελληνοκεντρικό. Αποτελεί αποθέωση του «ελληνικού εξαιρετισμού», του
επικίνδυνου συνδρόμου που θέλει την Ελλάδα ως μοναδική, ξεχωριστή χώρα
της υφηλίου. Και εκφράζεται με τρόπο πομπώδη, φορμαλιστικό, ξύλινο. Σε
ορισμένες περιπτώσεις έχεις την αίσθηση ότι δεν μιλούν έφηβοι με την
κανονική, ανθρώπινη γλώσσα της ηλικίας τους, αλλά καλοκουρδισμένες
μηχανές που εκτελούν το λογισμικό που έχουν συντάξει μεγαλύτεροι, ώστε
«η μπουρδολογία να επιβιώνει ως εθνική ιδεολογία» (Δ. Κ. Ψυχογιός, «Το
Βήμα», 22/1/2008). Νομίζω ότι αυτή η παρωδία που λέγεται Βουλή των
Εφήβων καλό είναι να καταργηθεί και οι σχετικές δαπάνες να διατεθούν
προκειμένου ομάδες εφήβων να έλθουν σε επαφή και να γνωρίσουν τον
«σύγχρονο κόσμο», τον κόσμο μέσα στον οποίο θα ζήσουν...

Ο Π. Κ. Ιωακειμίδης είναι καθηγητής του Πανεπιστημίου Αθηνών και μέλος
του Δ.Σ. του ΕΛΙΑΜΕΠ.

Turkey-Uncultured vandals desecrate ancient Greek monuments

Surfing with Google earth, and looking at photos of ancient Hellenic ruins, i happened to discover something terrible, and disgraceful to the Hellenic nation!
On the ancient ruins of the temple of Apollo in Asia Minor, there was the photo of the most hated Turkish leader (Kemal Attaturk) drown on the wall!
It is really sad to see the Hellenic government, trying to be friends with the Turks, wile they have no respect what so ever, about the ancient and holly temples of Hellenic antiquity!
Here is the disgraceful photo!

Bring an end to the hypocrisy of the United States of America vesrus Sovereign Nations outside North America

FREEDOM!

Today is a historic day and our forefathers speak through us. Our Forefathers made the treaties in good faith with the sacred Canupa and with the knowledge of the Great Spirit, They never honored the treaties, that is the reason we are here today...Garry Rowland, Wounded Knee


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Lakotah Unilateral Withdrawal from All Agreements and Treaties with the United States of America



We as the freedom loving Lakotah People are the predecessor sovereign of Dakota Territory as evidenced by the Treaties with the United States Government, including, but not limited to, the Treaty of 1851 and the Treaty of 1868 at Fort Laramie.

Lakotah, formally and unilaterally withdraws from all agreements and treaties imposed by the United States Government on the Lakotah People.

Lakotah , and the population therein, have waited for at least 155 years for the United States of America to adhere to the provisions of the above referenced treaties. The continuing violations of these treaties’ terms have resulted in the near annihilation of our people physically, spiritually, and culturally. Lakotah rejects United States Termination By Appropriation policy from 1871 to the present.

In addition, the evidence of gross violations of the above referenced treaties are listed herein. Lakotah encourages the United States of America, through its Government ,to enter into dialogue with Lakotah regarding the boundaries, the land and the resources therein. Please contact the Republic of Lakotah at (605) 867-1111 or info@republicoflakotah.com.

Should the United States and its subordinate governments choose not to act in good faith concerning the rebirth of our nation, we hereby advise the United States Government that Lakotah will begin to administer liens against real estate transactions within the five state area of Lakotah.

Lakotah, through its government, appointed the following representatives to withdraw from all the treaties with the United States of America based on the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties entered into force in 1980 and the

U.N. Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples 2007:

Thousands of prehistoric bear bones discovered in Macedonia, Greece

Greek archaeologists have uncovered more than 15,000 bones of fossilised cave bears on the Iridaias mountain in Macedonia, Greece which they hope will shed light on the extinction of other animals in the area, newspaper reports said Wednesday. According to a report in the daily Kathimerini newspaper, the bones belong to the Ursus ingressus cave bear that is believed to have made its way from northern Europe in search of a warmer climate about 40,000 years ago.

"By finding out what caused the disappearance of the Ursus ingressus we can find out what may also have caused the extinction of other animal types today," palaeontologist Evangelia Tsoukala was quoted by the newspaper as saying.

Experts have been carrying out digs since the early 1990s and believe the fossilised remains to be the first cousin of the brown bear currently found in the region.

ILLEGAL MIGRATION STRAINING TURKEY’S TIES WITH GREECE, EU

By Gareth Jenkins

Thursday, December 13, 2007

The December 10 sinking of an overcrowded boat carrying illegal migrants from Turkey to Greece has highlighted Turkey’s increasing importance as a transit point for illegal migrants seeking to gain entry to the countries of the EU. The issue has begun to strain Turkey’s relations both with the EU and, particularly, with Greece.

In the early hours of December 10 more than 70 illegal migrants are believed to have drowned when the 50-foot boat in which they were traveling capsized in heavy weather shortly after setting out from the fishing port of Sigicak, just outside the city of Izmir on Turkey’s Aegean coast. The boat was likely heading for one of the Greek islands, probably Chios. Only six of the estimated 80 people on board were rescued. So far, more than 50 bodies have been recovered.

The EU insists that Ankara must do more to stem the flow of illegal immigrants through Turkey into Europe, not least because of fears that, if Turkey is ever granted full membership, the subsequent relaxation of border controls would result in it becoming a platform for a massive influx of illegal immigrants into the rich countries of Western Europe. However, EU pressure has caused considerable resentment on the Turkish side, which insists that it is doing its best with limited resources to tackle what is essentially not its problem.

Much of the Turkish anger has been directed at Greece. On October 5, 2007, the Turkish General Staff (TGS) posted a statement on its website claiming that, instead of taking those on board into custody in Greece, the Greek security forces were increasingly towing boats carrying illegal immigrants that they had intercepted in Greek territorial waters into Turkish territorial waters and abandoning them. According to the statement, the Greek security forces had towed back into Turkish territorial waters and abandoned 3,047 illegal immigrants in the first nine months of 2007 alone, compared with 1,633 in all of 2006.

Turkish authorities claim that they already detain and deport around 100,000 illegal immigrants each year, most of them in transit from their countries of origin to Europe. No figures are available for the number of migrants who successfully find their way across Turkey and into the EU, but Turkish authorities admit that they are probably only catching a small proportion. A recently released report by the Turkish Police’s Department for the Struggle Against Trafficking and Organized Crime estimated that the Turkish end of the operation is worth at least $7 billion a year and that many of the organizations involved are also engaged in trafficking narcotics.

Turkish journalists quoted unidentified police sources as saying that interrogations of detained migrants suggested that there were considerable variations in the prices charged, starting at $2,000-5,000 for being smuggled into Europe by land and $4,000-5,000 by sea. The prices rose steeply for more distant destinations, with the UK costing $8,000-10,000.

The police sources said that there were three main trafficking routes. Migrants from Africa usually traveled by sea, hidden in containers on ships arriving at the ports of Istanbul, Izmir, and Mersin. Migrants from Arab countries mostly traveled by land across Turkey’s border with Syria. While migrants from Asian countries, such as Bangladesh, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Iran, gathered in Iran and were then smuggled across the country’s porous border with Turkey in trucks and buses. Once inside Turkey, the migrants were typically hidden in cheap hotels or warehouses until the transportation became available for the next stage in the journey. There were collection points in the province of Hatay, which borders Syria, and in Van and Agri, both of which are close to Turkey’s border with Iran. However, the main collection points were in Istanbul, mostly in poorer areas and the shantytowns that surround Turkey’s largest city. The police said that, although some of the migrants were then smuggled into Greece and Bulgaria inside containers on the back of trucks, most were subsequently transported to a port, either on the Sea of Marmara or the Aegean coast, where they were loaded onto small boats.


The length of the trafficking routes has often made it difficult for the various branches of the security apparatus to coordinate their activities. In Turkey, responsibility for domestic security is divided between the National Police, which is responsible for urban areas, and the Gendarmerie, which is responsible for rural areas, while the coast guard and the Turkish navy share responsibility for the security of the Turkish coast. In addition, the involvement of militant Islamist and Kurdish groups, such as the Kurdistan Workers’ Party – either to smuggle their own personnel or as a fund-raising exercise – has meant that other elements are often involved, including the National Intelligence Organization (MIT) and the intelligence branches of the regular armed forces.

The Turkish Interior Minister has recently drawn up what it terms an “Integrated Border Manager Project,” which will seek to integrate the activities of all elements of the state apparatus involved in border security under a single coordinating body known as the “Border Security General Directorate.” The project is expected to be implemented in 2008. However, the Turkish security apparatus has a long history of turf wars, mutual suspicions, and a failure to share intelligence. It is currently unclear whether the Integrated Border Manager Project will have a significant impact on reducing the flow of illegal migrants into Europe.

Greek prime minister to visit Russia for talks on tanks and pipeline

The Associated Press

ATHENS, Greece: Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis is due in Moscow on Monday for an official visit focused on expanding energy and military cooperation between Russia and NATO member Greece.

The three-day trip will include talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin amid ongoing negotiations for Greece to buy more than 400 Russian tanks.

Defense officials have announced few details of the possible deal, but state television and other Greek media said the government plans to spend €1.2 billion (US$1.7 billion) on buying BMP-3M infantry fighting vehicles.

The negotiations will take place amid fresh strain between Moscow and NATO countries after Russia suspended participation this week in the Conventional Forces in Europe arms control treaty.

Greece remains keen to keep pace in military development with regional rival Turkey. It has added Russian weapons to its arsenal to diversify its armed forces, including the S-300 surface-to-air missile system.

On Friday, Karamanlis rejected suggestions he was trying to appease Moscow with the tank deal after supporting a pipeline project that would compete with Russian suppliers and eventually transport natural gas from Azerbaijan to Italy.

Greek and Turkish leaders inaugurated a section of that pipeline last month.

"There is no deal under the table, over the table, or on the side of the table," Karamanlis said. "Our defense cooperation with Russia goes back many years ... This (deal) is in the interest of the country as well as the treasury because cost is also a factor."

He added: "We have broad energy cooperation with Russia which is going very well."

Greece imports Russian natural gas and in March Putin signed a deal in Athens to promote construction of a 280-kilometer (175-mile) Russian oil pipeline from Bulgaria's Black Sea port of Burgas to Alexandroupolis, in northern Greece.

Putin has visited Greece three times since 2005 and developed a close relationship with Karamanlis.

During devastating wildfires in Greece this summer, Karamanlis called on Putin for urgent assistance. Russian sent firefighting planes and helicopters to help Greek firefighters.

Canada, Greece and Romania have best privacy records, global report says

LONDON - Individual privacy is best protected in Canada but is under threat in the United States and the European Union as governments introduce sweeping surveillance and information-gathering measures in the name of security and border control, an international rights group said in a report released Saturday.

Canada, Greece and Romania had the best privacy records of 47 countries surveyed by London-based watchdog Privacy International. Malaysia, Russia and China were ranked worst.

Both Britain and the United States fell into the lowest-performing group of "endemic surveillance societies."

"The general trend is that privacy is being extinguished in country after country," said Simon Davies, director of Privacy International. "Even those countries where we expected ongoing strong privacy protection, like Germany and Canada, are sinking into the mire.

"I'm afraid that Canada has kind of lost the plot a plot a little bit this year and hence its move downwards," Davies told the Canadian Press in comments about Canada.

He cites the C-I-A's accessing the banking records of Canadians through the SWIFT banking information system, the Canadian no-fly list, and the Toronto Transit Commission's installation of security cameras as examples of the erosion of privacy rights.

He also decried the increasing number of programs involving the United States, which he said unfortunately has no federal privacy law.

"What's happening, is that Canadian information, sensitive information, is flowing across the border in increasing volumes," Davies said.

"Frankly, that's the sort of situation where government should put pressure on the U.S. government to protect that information legally," he said, "But it's not doing so."

The report came two days after Privacy Commissioner Jennifer Stoddart warned in a release that 2008 will be "another challenging one for privacy in Canada."

"Heightened national security concerns, the growing business appetite for personal information and technological advances are all potent - and growing - threats to privacy rights," Stoddart said.

In the United States, President George W. Bush's administration has come under fire from civil liberties groups for its domestic wiretapping program, which allows monitoring - without a warrant - of international phone calls and e-mails involving people suspected of having terrorist links.

"The last five years has seen a litany of surveillance initiatives," Davies said.

He said little had changed since the Democrats took control of Congress a year ago.

"We would expect the cancellation of some programs, the review of others, but this hasn't occurred," Davies said.

Britain was criticized for its plans for national identity cards, a lack of government accountability and the world's largest network of surveillance cameras.

Davies said the loss earlier this year of computer disks containing personal information and bank details on 25 million people in Britain highlighted the risks centralizing information on huge government databases.

The report said privacy protection was worsening across western Europe, although it was improving in the former Communist states of eastern Europe.

It said concern about terrorism, immigration and border security was driving the spread of identity and fingerprinting systems, often without regard to individual privacy.

The report said the trends "have been fuelled by the emergency of a profitable surveillance industry dominated by global IT companies and the creation of numerous international treaties that frequently operate outside judicial or democratic processes."

The survey considers a range of factors including legal protection of privacy, enforcement, data sharing, the use of biometrics and prevalence of CCTV cameras.