I agree with Senator Sanders, a man of integrity. It is shameful that the U.S. administration and the European Union have been giving Israel billions of dollars and Euros for military operations in Gaza, allowing Netanyahu to demolish Gaza, kill thousands of innocent men, women and children, and refuse food and medical supplies to enter Gaza for thousands who are on the verge of starvation.
Sadly, America’s foreign policy has been pathetic, and in many countries there is a great deal of resentment, hatred and hostility towards the American government. Trillions of dollars have been paid by American taxpayers for Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan and now for the Israel-Palestine war.
Regarding Israel, historically the holocaust turned a favorable eye on the Jews. Thus Truman and Stalin made a decisive contribution to the recognition of the state of Israel. Historians claim that Stalin adopted a pro-Jewish foreign policy, probably thinking that the new Israel would have a socialist government and hasten the decline of British influence in the Middle East. Truman, perhaps, felt sorry for the Jews because of the holocaust atrocities, and recognized Israel despite opposition from senior officials in the State Department and from allies around the world who outlined to him that it would not be beneficial to U.S. interests. Since then, all the U.S. Presidents have continued to recognize and support Israel financially and militarily.
The question is: are all the University students worldwide wrong in demonstrating in support of the Palestine cause? Is it worth all the hatred and violence, the destruction, suffering and bloodshed of innocent Palestinian people in Gaza, just for a few square kilometers of arid land that Israel has already started taking from the Palestinians to build settlements? Would it not be wiser to establish a system of two independent states so as to bring peace and stability to the whole region!
All the students demonstrating in many American Universities are highly educated and intelligent, and have a right to protest against how the Palestinians are treated and demand that the Netanyahu government stop the carnage and destruction.
The US has become the laughing stock of the world for allowing Netanyahu to do whatever he wants in Gaza. Let us not forget what Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865), the 16th U.S. President said: Democracy is the government of the people by the people for the people. Unfortunately, there are many Charlatans in the government today who have nothing in common with Abraham Lincoln.
How would you feel if your neighbor tooks land from your backyard and builds a house for himself? This is exactly what Israel has been doing for years. It takes land from the West Bank and builds settlements.
Remember the American Independence from England in 1776, the British called the American revolutionaries REBELS and TERRORISTS!
On the positive note, the U.S. is still the land of opportunity and the American dream is alive and kicking. Thousands of intentional highly intelligent young men and women come to America to work hard and fulfill their dreams and aspirations in science, technology, engineering, medicine and finance. I was fortunate to come to America, and I am indebted to receive a scholarship and earned my PhD in Chemistry. It was also America that helped me acquire wealth and become financially independent.
On February 28, 2023, one of the worst European railway accidents happened in Greece. It shook the entire nation. A passenger train with 346 passengers and 10 crew on board, was traveling from Athens to Thessaloniki, collided head on with a freight train that was coming from the opposite direction on the same track few minutes before midnight. This resulted in a huge explosion that killed many passengers and caused chemical burns to the skin, lungs and larynx of many passengers and rescue personnel.
Such injuries could not have resulted from the mere collision of two trains; they were due to the explosion and resulting fire that broke out because of illegal, flammable substances on the train. The fire burned for 5 hours. Of the 346 passengers, 57 died, 180 were injured and 109 were spared. Most of the passengers were university students.
PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis and other Greek government officials immediately rushed to report that “the tragedy was primarily due to human error”! But no experts visited the site to determine the cause of the chemical burns, and determined the cause of death to be from the collision, without an autopsy of the dead, or an examination of the injured. The examining magistrate in the inquiry investigated the site of the collision nine months after it happened.
The authorities also ignored all international protocols for similar accidents, and in order to conceal the crucial evidence at the site of the train collision, they dumped human parts, remains and personal belongings of the victims of the train and then had the top layer of soil at the site dug up and discarded in an unknown location, and the entire area paved over. Within 3 days of the accident, the picture at the scene of the crime was completely altered, and it appeared as if the deadly accident had never happened. This was purposely done in order to conceal all evidence and prevent investigators from finding anything that would have brought the guilty parties and politicians to justice.
In contrast to the indifference and negligence of the Greek officials, the European Regulatory Authority for Railways (RAS) volunteered immediately to send experts to investigate the causes of the deadly collision, in conjunction with Greek investigators. However, the Greek Ministry of Transport refused the input of RAS to assist with qualified personnel. It is obvious that the minister feared that RAS would reveal the causes of the accident.
The European Commission has given Greece over 700,000 euros (760,000 U.S. dollars), from European taxpayers’ money, to modernize its railway network. An investigative report after the accident disclosed that there was complete absence of safety systems, unsuitable carriages, daily breakdowns and derailments, and the training program for railway workers was inadequate. It was determined that the 59-year old man who was working alone at the collision location on the night of the accident had no experience in the field, and had only been on the job 35 days. Railway employees had raised their concerns to the government about the safety of the trains; even two weeks before the deadly crash, a union letter calling for better safety and conditions had been sent to the government. One wonders where the European Commission money went. Corruption at its highest level!
It is shameful that the European Commission has given so much financial assistance to Greece to modernize its railway infrastructure, while the Greek government claims the legal power to deny RAS from investigating the fatal railway crime of February 28, 2023.
Kostas A. Karamanlis of the Karamanlis clan was Minister of Infrastructure and Transport in the cabinet of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis at the time of the accident. Ironically, a week before the horrific train accident, Karamanlis praised the excellent operation of the trains and was offended when asked about their safety. He misled the public, urging them to use the railway, knowing full well that the state of the railway system was archaic. After the accident, he resigned, but took no responsibility and said he owed no apology or explanation to the victims’ families. He also declared that he was entitled to retain his parliamentary immunity, and indeed he kept it, even though the law dictates that if there is suspicion of ministerial misconduct, immunity must be waived and the person must undergo a special court proceeding. Ironically, he was allowed to run for election again and was reelected. His behavior indicates that he only cares about power and has no remorse or conscience.
The citizens of Greece are very angry about the government’s claims as to the money it had spent to upgrade the railway system. They have read the experts’ report that revealed the complete absence of safety in the Greek railway system. The Greek people feel trapped in a system that is characterized by egregious corruption and deception. The problem is that the government controls the judiciary system and the mass media and has managed to delude the public into believing that the railway system is safe.
According to Maria Karystianou, a mother who lost her 19 year old daughter in the accident, some parents of the victims had met the Supreme Court Prosecutor in the case, Georgia Adeilini, after the crash, and had protested about the lack of safety and justice. Ms Adeilini advised them not to dwell on the event, but to come to peace with it, with the help of the church. This is unbelievable and inhuman! She still holds her position as Supreme Court Prosecutor. In a democratic society, a crime is tried in court. This crime was not, because politicians were involved. It was tried in parliament and the outcome was obvious. No one was found guilty and the accident was attributed to human error!
It seems that the Supreme Court Prosecutor was afraid to prosecute and sentence those responsible for the horrific crime because the culprits belong to the category of people who are untouchable. In other words, Greece has a judicial justice system similar to that of Ancient Rome. The people are divided into the Patricians (the ruling class) and the Plebeians (ordinary citizens), and only the Patricians can make and uphold the law.
Without reservation, one can say that the crime in Tempe is the result of years of financial dishonesty, corruption and a multitude of government actions to distort and conceal incriminating evidence.
On February 14, 2024, Maria Karystianou, the mother who lost her 19 year old daughter in the Tempe tragedy, addressed the European Parliament (watch the video in English), seeking justice, because one whole year after the accident on February 28, 2023, nothing has been done to prosecute those responsible for the Tempe crime.
PM Mitsotakis, however, proclaimed on the anniversary of the tragedy that “all responsible will be held accountable and the guilty will be punished”. His lies and hypocrisy are not only shameful but disgusting!
According to the latest report by an international transparency committee, Greece is one of the most corrupt countries in Europe. The country is plagued by poverty, crime, corruption, tax evasion, lack of transparency, incompetence, disorganization, lack of accountability, indifference, bribery, nepotism and lack of meritocracy. Therefore it is only to be expected that it placed second to last among the 27 countries in the Eurozone in 2023 based on Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per Capita.
One can only wonder why the European Union keeps Greece as a member, since it has nothing in common with the other members, especially the North European countries.
Η Παγκόσμια Ημέρα Ελληνικής Γλώσσας γιορτάζεται στις 9 Φεβρουαρίου, ημέρα του θανάτου του εθνικού ποιητή της Ελλάδας Διονυσίου Σολωμού (1798 – 1857 μ.Χ.). Γεννήθηκε στη Ζάκυνθο ως νόθος γιος του Νικολάου Σολωμού, ενός εύπορου ευγενή. Ο Διονύσιος θεωρείται μεγάλος Έλληνας ποιητής, ιδιαίτερα γνωστός για το ποίημά του ύμνος στην ελευθερία
Διονύσιος Σολωμός (1798-1857 μ.Χ)
Η ελληνική γλώσσα είναι ένας πλούτος ανεκτίμητης αξίας, είπε ο Έλληνας φιλόσοφος Σωκράτης (469-399 π.Χ.), μια από τις σημαντικότερες προσωπικότητες του ελληνικού και παγκόσμιου πολιτισμού.
Ο φιλόσοφος Σωκράτης (469-399 Π.Χ.)
Ας θυμηθούμε ότι πάνω από 150.000 αγγλικές λέξεις προέρχονται από την ελληνική γλώσσα.
Υπάρχουν 150,000 ελληνικές λέξεις στην Αγγλική γλώσσα.
Ας δείξουμε λοιπόν λίγη περηφάνια και σεβασμό για την ελληνική γλώσσα. Δυστυχώς, είναι λυπηρό να ακούς καθημερινά στα ελληνικά ΜΜΕ τους φλύαρους και γελοίους δημοσιογράφους (αναρωτιέμαι πού σπούδασαν δημοσιογραφία) και το πολιτικό κατεστημένο να χρησιμοποιούν αγγλικές λέξεις όπως: Lockdown, click away, social media, bullying, rapid test, self test, peak, extra large masks, bachelor party, debate, black Friday, shopping therapy, the mall, pet shop, outlet, SMS, tablet, top, delivery, take away, room service, voucher, power pass, fuel power, market pass, hot spots, fake news, and many more. Ντροπή τους!
The world Greek language day is celebrated on February 9, the day of the death of the national poet of Greece, Dionysios Solomos (1798 – 1857 A.D.). He was born in Zakynthos as the illegitimate son of Nicolaos Solomos, a wealthy noble. Dionysios is regarded as a great Greek poet, especially known for his poem hymn to liberty.
The Greek language is an immeasurable wealth, said the Greek philosopher Socrates (469-399 B.C.) one of the most important figures of Greek and world culture.
Let’s remember that over 150,000 English words are derived from the Greek language.
So let’s show some pride and respect for the Greek language. Unfortunately, it is deplorable to hear every day in the Greek media the chatty and ridiculous journalists (I wonder where they studied journalism) and the ignorant political establishment using English words like:
Lockdown, click away, social media, bullying, rapid test, self test, peak, extra large masks, bachelor party, debate, black Friday, shopping therapy, the mall, pet shop, outlet, SMS, tablet, top, delivery, take away, room service, voucher, power pass, fuel power, market pass, hot spots, fake news, and many more.
King Charles the 3rd doesn’t pay any inheritance taxes on his mother’s massive wealth. It appears that Feudalism is still in practice in the United Kingdom today!
Although it is said that death and taxes are inescapable for ordinary British citizens, according to The Economist, King Charles the 3rd is exempt from the 40% inheritance tax. The Crown Estate is valued at 34.3 billion U.S. dollars. Its holdings include Buckingham Palace, Kensington Palace, land and property in London and across the United Kingdom. King Charles also oversees more than $42 billion U.S. dollars in assets worldwide, and $500 million from his mother the Queen’s private wealth, including a home farm, jewels and art collection. These are all tax free. It is unbelievable and outrageous that this is still permitted by British law in the 21st century
Ο ΒΑΣΙΛΙΑΣ ΚΑΡΟΛΟΣ ΔΕΝ ΠΛΗΡΩΝΕΙ ΦΟΡΟ ΚΛΗΡΟΝΟΜΙΑΣ
Ο βασιλιάς Κάρολος ο 3ος δεν πληρώνει φόρο κληρονομιάς για τον τεράστιο πλούτο της μητέρας του. Φαίνεται ότι η φεουδαρχία εξακολουθεί να είναι στην πράξη στο Ηνωμένο Βασίλειο σήμερα!
Αν και λέγεται ότι ο θάνατος και οι φόροι είναι αναπόφευκτα για τους απλούς Βρετανούς πολίτες, σύμφωνα με τον Economist, ο βασιλιάς Κάρολος ο 3ος απαλλάσσεται από τον φόρο κληρονομιάς. Η Βασιλική περιουσία εκτιμάται στα 34,3 δισεκατομμύρια αμερικανικά δολάρια και περιλαμβάνει τα Ανάκτορα του Μπάκιγχαμ, τα Ανάκτορα του Κένσινγκτον, γη και ακίνητα στο Λονδίνο και σε ολόκληρο το Ηνωμένο Βασίλειο. Ο βασιλιάς Κάρολος επίσης επιβλέπει περισσότερα από 42 δισεκατομμύρια αμερικανικά δολάρια σε περιουσιακά στοιχεία παγκοσμίως και 500 εκατομμύρια αμερικανικά δολάρια από τον ιδιωτικό πλούτο της μητέρας του Βασίλισσας, συμπεριλαμβανομένης μιας οικιακής φάρμας, κοσμημάτα και συλλογής έργων τέχνης. Όλα αυτά είναι αφορολόγητα. Είναι απίστευτο και εξωφρενικό ότι αυτό εξακολουθεί να επιτρέπεται από τη βρετανική νομοθεσία στον 21ο αιώνα!
Since the Liberals, under the leadership of Justin Trudeau, took over ten years ago, Canada has become a socialistic nation. Historically, Socialism has destroyed the entrepreneurial spirit in people, and wherever socialism has been implemented, it brought poverty to the general population.
The Canadian government prints money to cover all the costs of social services, with the result that the debt has reached uncharted territories, and the interest paid by Canadian taxpayers for the debt is unprecedented. The Canadian dollar has lost more than 35% of its value against the U.S. dollar since the Liberals came to power. Income taxes and other service taxes are very high, yet the government collects more than 50% of estate taxes.
New professional immigrants cannot practice their profession since their qualifications are not recognized by the government.
Housing is extremely expensive, both to rent and to buy, because there is a shortage, due to the fact that half a million immigrants are coming to Canada annually. A young family has to save for twenty years just to make a down payment to buy a house in Toronto or Vancouver.
Mass immigration has brought about high crime, corruption, overcrowding transportation and poor quality of education.
The so-called free health care is collapsing because the shortsighted government officials have not increased the number of medical and nursing students in Canadian Universities even though they knew that the baby boomers and the new immigrants would overload the system. One has to wonder who is behind the Healthcare system in the country! Patients have to wait in Emergency for more than 24 hours to see a doctor and for months to see a medical professional or have an operation. Yet Canada spends more for healthcare than all of the developed countries.
The country is run by monopolies and oligopolies in banking, telecommunications, housing, retail, and other services . Canadians pay more than Americans for food, alcohol, housing, transportation, cell phones, gasoline, airline tickets and banking services. All these factors have forced thousands of immigrants and other Canadians to leave the country.
My brother took the 3rd dose of Pfizer’s mRNA covid vaccine and a month later his hematocrit, red blood cells, and platelets plummeted precipitately, while his white blood cells skyrocketed. He was diagnosed with severe anemia and leukemia. He underwent the Erythropoietin treatment but it was not effective and he suffered immensely from the side effects of the medication and finally passed away. The New York Times reveals that Governments signed secret vaccine deals with Pfizer and Moderna to allow these Companies to have multibillion-dollar contracts, liability shields, patent ownership and leeway on delivery dates and pricing — and promised the Companies that this information would not be made public.
There is a growing movement for free access to the beaches in Greece which in many cases are commercialized by various entrepreneurs placing illegal sunbeds and umbrellas. Angry Greek bathers have started the TOWEL MOVEMENT, which is spreading throughout Greece. On many beaches there are no empty surfaces, so there is no free space for bathers who do not have or do not want to pay exorbitant prices for a sunbed, an umbrella or a drink. Governmental and judicial authorities responded to the growing movement for free beach access. Greece’s Supreme Court has ordered an investigation following allegations that many beaches are being illegally occupied by sunbeds and umbrellas. Free public access to beaches in Greece is protected by the Greek constitution.
However I should point out that the very expensive sunbeds and umbrellas on the Greek beaches are not yesterday’s phenomenon. There are even paid thugs who remove – even by force – any citizen who simply wants to spread his/her own towel. Anarchy and corruption have spread everywhere in the country and are rampant.
Η ΚΙΝΗΣΗ ΠΕΤΣΕΤΑΣ
Υπάρχει μια αυξανόμενη κίνηση για ελεύθερη πρόσβαση στις παραλίες στην Ελλάδα για τις οποίες σε πολλές περιπτώσεις υπάρχει το όργιο εμπορευματοποίησης από διάφορους επιχειρηματίες τοποθετώντας παράνομες ξαπλώστρες και ομπρέλες. Εξοργισμένοι Έλληνες λουόμενοι έχουν ξεκινήσει το ΚΙΝΗΜΑ ΠΕΤΣΕΤΑΣ, το οποίο εξαπλώνεται σε όλη τη χώρα. Σε πολλές παραλίες δεν υπάρχουν κενές επιφάνειες με αποτέλεσμα να μην υπάρχει ελεύθερος χώρος για λουόμενους που δεν έχουν ή δεν θέλουν να πληρώσουν εξωφρενικές τιμές για μια ξαπλώστρα, μια ομπρελα ή για ένα ποτό. Κυβερνητικές και δικαστικές αρχές ανταποκρίθηκαν στο αυξανόμενο κίνημα για ελεύθερη πρόσβαση στις παραλίες. Το Ανώτατο Δικαστήριο διέταξε έρευνα μετά από ισχυρισμούς ότι πολλές παραλίες καταλαμβάνονται παράνομα από ξαπλώστρες και ομπρέλες. Η ελεύθερη πρόσβαση του κοινού στις παραλίες στην Ελλάδα προστατεύεται από το ελληνικό σύνταγμα.
Ωστόσο, να επισημάνω ότι οι πανάκριβες ξαπλώστρες και ομπρέλες στις ελληνικές παραλίες δεν είναι χθεσινό φαινόμενο. Υπάρχουν ακόμη και πληρωμένοι τραμπούκοι που απομακρύνουν -έστω και με το ζόρι- όποιον πολίτη θέλει απλώς να απλώσει τη δική του πετσέτα. Η αναρχία και η διαφθορά έχουν εξαπλωθεί παντού στη χώρα και είναι ανεξέλεγκτη.
Για να μην τρελαθούμε βλέποντας τέτοιες τραγελαφικές εικόνες ας γελάσουμε λίγο με τους αείμνηστους Νίκο Σταυρίδη και Γιάννη Γκιωνάκη στη κινηματογραφική ταινία ΤΑ ΚΙΤΡΙΝΑ ΓΑΝΤΙΑ.
It is sad that people lost their life in such a way. Poverty and desperation led them to seek a better life in Europe. But this is not a solution because the developed countries cannot absorb millions of immigrants from Asia and Africa. It is therefore imperative that governments in developed countries stop being hypocritical and supporting corrupt dictators in underdeveloped countries, and the multinationals, who, driven by greed and profit, exploit the workers in these countries.
The developed countries need to help the underdeveloped ones to develop agriculture, fishing, raise livestock animals, technology and industry in order to promote jobs and raise the standard of living for their citizens so they don’t need to migrate. The problem of overpopulation must also be addressed, and birth control made mandatory to reduce the world population.
The Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu said
“Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach him how to fish and you feed him for a lifetime”
There is an alarming obesity epidemic. Statistics show that the number of obese people has increased globally by about 15 times in the past 60 years, and over 60% of obese people live in developed countries. Obesity is caused primarily by genetics, poor eating patterns and lack of activity. Specifically people should stay away from fatty and sugary foods, sugary beverages and from processed and fast foods. The large quantity of food that we consume daily also contributes greatly to obesity.
Christos P. Tsonis 