Roof repairs continue

... meanwhile back at 208 Democracy Street the roof is being re-repaired amid accounts of chill winds, rain and lightning. Phone bills mount for calls to Greece (Skype at our end doesn't connect to anyone we call yet), images go back and forth by Broadband. We sit at the kitchen table peering at these and discussing by speaker phone the minutiae of what has and hasn't yet to be done. I said to Lin 'You know we keep thinking life will begin when the roof is done, when actually, getting the roof done is life...and the electrics, and the new fireplace and flue, and the floor, and the new window sills and the staircase and bannisters and, and, and...'

Clearly I shall have to force myself to go out to Corfu next week.

* * *
Time appears to be resolving the Corfu Knickers Crisis. Invasion has been called off and the state, while saying nothing, seems to be agreeing discreetly to drop the matter. That the knickers were hoisted under and not over a Greek courtesy flag weighs with the Court as does the fact that they were taken down so willingly.
* * *
The same may be said for the Corfu Frog Farm dispute. Achilles' apology for criminal assault has been accepted by the court. He's withdrawn his civil action for frog nuisance. Conditional peace exists between neighbours. The frogs sleep with the fishes. It rains and thunders in Corfu - though you wouldn't know it from the photos.
* * *
Dh is now settled near campus, attending lectures and starting a dissertation on the role of faith in the formation of local government in post-Saddam Iraq - a subject about which his insights will be unique, though historical, since fieldwork will be impossible. The various ritual of temporary residence and studentship have been completed - reporting to the police, starting a bank account, getting a SIM card, a printer scanner, registering for post-graduate credentials to use the library, the internet and to access study space and other campus privileges.

* * *
Athens News Agency: Prokopis Pavlopoulos inaugurated the annual conference of the Central Union of Municipalities and Communities of Greece (ΕΤΗΣΙΟ ΤΑΚΤΙΚΟ ΣΥΝΕΔΡΙΟ ΚΕΔΚΕ (ΚΑΣΤΡΟ ΚΥΛΛΗΝΗΣ, 14-16 ΝΟΕΜΒΡΙΟΥ 2007) KEDKE - the English Language version of the website has little yet) at Kyllini Castle in the Ilia Prefecture on Wednesday. He spoke of 'creating strong local administration at the service of the citizen, with firm resources and a development orientation that constitutes an active agency of local democracy and regional development.' On administrative reform, Pavlopoulos said 'the new administrative division of the country can only result from a wide dialogue with the local administration's collective representation bodies...this dialogue has already begun during our previous tenure and it is continuing on the basis of the creation of stronger and more effective local administration organisations.'

Yearning, burning and earning

Environment and Public Works Minister Giorgos Souflias to Parliament this week

Greece will not have a separate environment ministry for another two or three years. Greece is lagging way behind its other European Union partners with regard to its political agenda and its citizens’ awareness of environmental issues.

Theodota Nantsou, head of environmental policy for WWF Hellas:

Every environmental crisis, whether great or small, shows there is a pressing need to restructure the national system of environmental management and protection...The Environment and Public Works Ministry continues to refuse to provide any information regarding the distribution of public funds it is supposed to be making available for environmental protection through the Program for Environmental Protection and Sustainable Development (ETERPS), nor regarding the imposition of fines for crimes related to the environment. Until last year, the ministry’s political leadership fought hard to cut significant funds from the Third Community Support Framework earmarked for protected areas and threatened species. Meanwhile the lack of coordination between services and ministries, insufficient staff, lack of structures and infrastructures, not to mention corruption, show that Greece is unable in practice to deal with the accumulated environmental problems.

When I quote these individuals from Greece, including her Prime Minister who spoke on this on Thursday, I recognise, as should all who think they can watch this wicked problem from some position of moral safety, that these problems are inflamed - literally - by desire for Greek land that exists among Greek citizens but starts far beyond Greece, in internationally stirred yearning for Greece, in a global market for an idea of place that feeds on and desires to consume Greece. Every commodifying exercise, internal and external, every sexy landscape image in glossy spreads, the posters and pamphlets at conference stands and, of course, on the web, enlivens the market for matches and turns the gaze of the profiteer towards the temptations of dry tinder. Yearning leads to burning leads to earning. This is a problem for me, for everyone. If Greece finds solutions, the world finds solutions. Hurling imprecations at the corrupt may be personal therapy. It's not politics.

[For much more information - and greater insight on this see American in Athens blog

[note re Hellenic Society for the Protection of Nature; EU eco-convictions and see also Yazan Badran on Global Voices]

* * * CORFU KNICKERS CRISIS ENTERS THIRD MONTH Letter to a Greek friend:

Dear X. Good to hear from you. ‘Hope your road is a long one. May there be many summer mornings when, with what pleasure, what joy, you enter harbours you're seeing for the first time'. You ask me when G's case will come to court. The case is in a queue. We have heard it will be heard after Christmas but we have also heard his lawyer say ‘it might just fade away’. What we have learned is that our Prime Minister has threatened – through diplomatic channels – to invade Corfu – should G. faces execution for his son’s deed. Our troops are already training for a parachute drop on Corfu (I am supposed to keep this secret but I know I can trust you). First a small commando team will try to rescue G by dressing up as Greek policemen and entering the jail with forged papers – and some money in brown envelopes. If that fails and shooting starts then an invasion fleet will bombard the island, take over the airport and march on Corfu town. I have said too much already .... Seriously though (I'd appreciate it if you'd stop laughing!) we now understand that this problem began because G, who is a fine carpenter, electrician and plumber, had done some services for the Mayor as a result of which he, of all the other foreign yachtsmen moored in the harbour, was allowed access to the electric supply that powers the street lights on the harbour wall. G could use power tools on his boat and have a TV and so on. For everyone else, except the fishermen for whom, under EU law, the harbour is designated, the only power supply is their own batteries. This applies to my boat and has never been a problem as my mooring is free. Brilliant arrangement! Everyone happy. But a Greek yachtsman arrived last summer and began complaining to the Mayor that one Englishman was getting free electricity. The Mayor now had a problem. In reality no-one who is not a fisherman should have electricity. See how complicated this gets! The Mayor is in a quandary. He hears the complaint but he is friendly with G and values his skills. They have a deal. However the new Greek yachtsman is a persistent complainant. The Mayor was saved by the incident of F’s girl friend’s panties (which I told you about in my last letter, mentioning that G as F's dad takes the rap for hauling up the knickers even tho' they were came down again quickly), because by this time some of the fishermen were asking why the yachtsmen even had lights on the harbour mole, let alone a connection like G’s to the actual power cable. The Greek yachtsman complained to the Mayor about F’s girl friend’s knickers raised beneath F’s Greek courtesy flag. The police were summoned. You heard what happened. They ordered the knickers down. The Mayor took away G’s electricity and told the Greek yachtsman that no-one - but no-one - who was not a fishermen could plug into the harbour supply. Indeed, at the height of the crisis, the mayor ordered all lights on the harbour wall to be turned off leaving the mole in darkness. What happened next? F’s girl friend was returning one night to his boat as she tried to step from the wall onto his boat in the dark she fell in the harbour and was left hanging by one leg with her head in the water. Luckily F heard her struggles and went to her rescue. She could have drowned and all laughter would have ceased. G told the Mayor about the accident. As a result the harbour lights were immediately switched on again. The Mayor could say to the fishermen that he must respect the safety of the people on the yachts, and he could say to the yachtsman who was complaining that now nobody - Greek or foreigner – has direct access to the electric supply, unless they are a fisherman. Personally I suspect the mayor will try to get G off now the political problem is solved. It depends on the attitude of the lawyers and the Mayor and the matter staying reasonably quiet (which was your argument.) Someone said the Greeks are especially good at intrigue. Because they are not powerful (like the USA, or like Britain used to be) they have had to rely more on cunning to maintain their integrity. This is why Ulysses is such a Greek hero. He’s my favourite person too, because he is such a fine sailor, likes good food and had a beautiful wife who was good at weaving. Herete. Simon (see also)

[Back to the future - 28 March 2009: See Friday, March 20, 2009 THE PIMPING OF PANOREA, abridged and translated by Maria Strani-Potts, as published in ISLAND Magazine, Summer/Autumn 2008. Translated from the Greek by the author, originally published as ο πούλημα της Πανωραίας, CorfuBooks.com, 2008]

Blood and geography

Party for 75th Donors

I've been approached by a researcher from my own university and interviewed about blood. R is exploring relationships between blood and identity among blood donors who, like me, are O rhesus positive - the commonest type. We met and chatted in Starbucks, Colmore Row, for several hours. Seeing R's website I'm intrigued to see where this research will go and look forward to further involvement in her Phd. I'm up to 83 donations now. It feels easy, even enjoyable, and I've been doing it for so long and have become so accustomed to the process, I don't think about who gets my blood or the significance of the process of giving and receiving it. I'm thinking about it now and chatting to a researcher about this is a lot more interesting than the forced-choice phone MORI poll in which, by chance, I'd participated earlier in the day on my attitude to Information Technology. One felt like an exchange, the other like a donation - though MORI will give £20 to a charity of my choice in return for my participation. I chose RoadPeace. I realise now that a most significant event which I hardly remember because it was handled undramatically, at a dramatic time, was that Lin, who is Rhesus B negative, got a small jab at the time of Richard's birth, which prevented her creating antibodies that could, depending on our daughter's blood group, have been fatal to her when she was born four years later. A life threatening problem has now, through pre-natal data collection and minor intervention, become, to all intents and purposes, a non-problem. A fine example of the 'banality of good' * * * Had tea with Z this afternoon, at her house, where a guest room is ready for Dh. Our Iraki friend arrives at Heathrow soon. Friends, including Kate from CARA, will meet him at the airport and drive him to Birmingham. Z's away that day and so gave me spare keys and a briefing on turning on heating, rooms, cupboards, the shower and so on, before she returns later in the evening. This week I'll tighten up arrangements for Dh's arrival at the university the following day. He's survived daunting paperwork to get to the UK, and will now need to steer his wife and children here, while starting his Phd and finding campus accommodation for his family. * * * As well as Oscar, we have now got a tabby cat called Flea living here - a tiger in the house. She arrived temporarily a three months ago and looks as if she's decided to stay. She and Oscar co-exist by maintaining diplomatic distance. [CLICK on the picture of the cat and get ready to go 'Awwww!!' Then note the colour of the eyes. Definitely Greek, though whenever I think cat I think of Christopher Smart's cat Jeffry from Jubilate Agno - links there with Axion Esti. Richard's recent picture of Flea] An exchange with a Greek friend - CORFU KNICKERS CRISIS:

I get so much pleasure - and amusement - whenever I revisit your photos. I don't understand enough Greek to get all the humour but it feels infectious. We are recently returned from Corfu to enjoy some good rain, grey sky and chilly weather, and will return after Christmas. There was an 'incident' about which I wanted to ask your opinion, A young man called F has a sailing boat moored in xxx Harbour which he is fitting out. One day last month he hoisted his girl friend's knickers on the same halliard as his Greek courtesy flag (which foreign yachts always fly in Greek waters). 4 big policemen arrived in a 4 X 4 and asked his dad - living on another English yacht close by - if he knew who had done this crime. G said 'it's my son's boat'. Because F was under 21 his father is responsible for his son's actions and so he has been charged with a crime and must appear in court, probably in January 08. Do you know what is the best thing he should say in his and his son's defence? The pants were after all 'under' not 'above' the Greek flag and as soon as the police insisted the knickers - very very small ones - were immediately lowered. I know how important the Greek flag is to many Greeks but it is very difficult for British people to understand the meaning of the flag in Greek culture. I wondered if G could show your photo to the Judge (:)) Yours enjoyably, Simon

Reply:

hahahahaha! F is my personal hero! I fancy him! Go F go! That's what I would do if I were him! Much more things in life are more important than a 'patrida' and the love (sexual or emotional) for a woman is one of them! If F thinks his girlfriend is more important than any flag then he did all right hoisting her panties on that halliard! Go F! woohoo! stupid flags and what they represent! It is a tricky situation. Policemen in Greece are ummm... brutal, narrow minded, dumb and racists. If he (his father G) makes it to the court he should plead guilty and ask for forgiveness. The judge will not be harsh on him. Since that incident didn't make it to the news and there is no publicity to the matter it will be ok. The public opinion in Greece is against english tourists. But G can squeez himself through if he says something like 'F was drunk' or 'we just had it washed and we hoisted it up that sail to dry it'. I am not good at legal advice though! Mind me not! and yes he can show my foto to the judge. Hell, he can use my real name if he wants! But I don't know if this will help him! I hope it turns out good for G (and F)! Poor boy! hahahahahaha! knickers!

Reply:

Dear X. Your laughter is a breath of fresh air, Freedom!! Thanks for your mix of humour, sympathy and wise advice. Of course I won't show your photo - unless G faces death (:)) English people never get drunk, blasted, plastered, blotto, intoxicated, dipso, high, hammered, juiced up, pickled, legless or zonked, so the judge will not accept that excuse. 'We just had it washed ....' hahahahahahahahahahaha! That would be cheeky! I guess G could argue that when asked to take down the girl's knickers they were pulled down v.quickly. Do you think that would wash with the Judge? I just remembered that when those eccentric British plane spotters were in a bad place their Greek lawyer got them clemency when it was discovered there were also Greeks who indulged in the weird hobby of plane spotting (επισήμανση αεροπλάνων?). Much respect, Simon

Postscript to the above letter:

Friend. I am excited by this lecture about a play by Nikos Kazantzakis that I did not know about. As we left Venice for Greece on the ferry last February we met a man in leathers - a philosopher - on a motorbike travelling to Corfu. His name was Kapodistrias. I did not then know this name or what it meant. And then I read about the first governor of free Greece and his assassination. Then I read Kazantzakis after you had told me how you respected this writer but I did not know that in 1944 he had written a tragedy called Capodistria about the last few days in his hero's life, which said much about the paradox and tensions of modern Greek politics. Herete. Simon

The British are relaxed about their flag