[My sincere apologies but I am canceling DD live tonight. I am going out to celebrate my birthday. A day early but I always try and drag out the celebrations as long as possible. I will definitely organise another chat session in the near future. Possibly not on a Thursday!]
To celebrate reaching 1000 posts, I [...]

If I had a penny for every post, I’d have… ten pounds ! Oh well, never mind.
Yes. I’ve passed that magical 1000 post mark and to celebrate, I will opening up DD Live tomorrow, if you fancy popping over. It would be wonderful to see some of you old friends over there.
This is also [...]

Via PR-Inside

ATHENS, Greece (Associated Press)
Pakistani migrants marched through Athens Monday to protest alleged police violence against asylum-seekers in Greece. A human rights group said more than 3,000 people took part in the peaceful protest. Police had no estimate for the number of demonstrators.
The group, Stop the War Coalition, claimed that 15 immigrants were injured [...]

Via the Greek Helsinki Monitor and IFEX

The Greek Helsinki Monitor (GHM) condemns the 23 October 2008 assault on journalist Makis Nodaros, in his home town of Lechaina in Elia (Western Greece). The Elia regional correspondent for the Athens daily “Eleftherotypia”, the Patras daily “Imera”, the Patras television station Teletime, and the Patras radio station Radio [...]

I’ve gone down with a cold and feel rotten. The problem with working mainly with a computer is that you need to be able to see the screen and you can’t sneeze all over your keyboard every thirty seconds. If I could wrap myself up on the sofa with a big bowl of soup (I [...]

This week.
Two years ago.
It’s not funny.
Two posts.
It’s not funny.

I think it’s about time for another Open Thread.
What’s on your mind, people ?
How about the upcoming US election ?
The current financial mess ?
The weather ?
Have a rant. Ask a question. Post a joke. Anything goes, as long as you keep it clean and relatively polite. Comment Policy rules apply.

Via the Athens News

IT IS a sign of the times: a four-digit number scrawled on a marble offcut leaning against a wooden stake. In front of it lies a mixture of earth and rubble, the odd cigarette butt and an upturned censer - its incense long since burned out and, most likely, belonging to the [...]

I am promoting this article from the comments because it’s scandalous and we should know about it.

ATHENS, Oct 15 (Reuters) - Hundreds of illegal immigrants held in a detention centre on the Greek island of Lesbos have fallen ill after drinking contaminated water from rusty and mouldy pipes, police said on Wednesday.
Police said hospital staff [...]

Via Kathimerini

A group of lawyers working on a voluntary basis to help refugees and immigrants seeking legal status in Greece yesterday accused the police of having stopped processing asylum applications nearly a month ago.
“For the past 25 days, the Athens immigration unit has closed its doors and is refusing applications while a large number of [...]

I have good news. I have just started a new job. It’s one of those opportunities that does not happen very often and when it does you can hardly believe your luck. I am working from home, still tapping away on the keyboard but being paid for it. I won’t go into too many details [...]

Via the Athens News

THEY may need to hold their breath for another couple of years before the first facilities are built, but many wanting to be cremated upon death will at last be able to have their final wish carried out in this country after the Council of State approved a bill allowing cremation for [...]

Via the Greek Helsinki Monitor
PRESS RELEASE
7 October 2008
GHM leaves EU-sponsored INGO that disavows GHM for objecting to its tolerance of homophobia: “homosexuals are sick persons who require treatment and should not have rights!”
Greek Helsinki Monitor (GHM) considers unacceptable that an international Non-Governmental Organization, the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Network (EMHRN), funded by the EU and [...]

No. There is no racism in Greece and those of us who see it, hear it or read it are paranoid or worse. We are deliberately trying to make Greece look bad to the rest of the world.
So what’s this then ? Oh, a racist leaflet doing the rounds in Patras ?

Translation of [...]