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Greek Language and Culture January 2010 OMILO Newsletter

Dear OMILO friends, Thank you for the many New Years wishes. We are always very happy with every email, letter, card, phone call or visit of ex-students. If you would like to receive the Greek version of this Newsletter, please subscribe or contact us. After the Christmas break the OMILO team returned to the Maroussi school with charged batteries, all ready to offer the best we can for the 2010 courses and email lessons. New group courses started again in Maroussi from January and the first email lessons of 2010 are sent to the inboxes of the email learners! We now prepare everything necessary for the intensive courses which will start in Athens (March/April), Nafplion (Greek Easter), Island of Andros (May) and Island of Syros (summer). In case you need any information about one of our intensive courses, we are happy to answer your questions. What is happening in Greece in the meantime? In this Newsletter we write about : 1. Greece is NOT going bankrupt! 2. Environment friendly, ecological, renewable energy. 3. Travel Guide Ancient Athens on five Drachmas a Day

1. Greece is NOT going bankrupt!

There is much speculation in the foreign media about the risks of Greece not being able to handle its debt payments and going bankrupt..You probably heard about it! So what is going on? The economy is stuck under a burden of debt. Prime-minister Papandreou (whose PASOK-socialistic party won the elections in October 2009 see previous Newsletter) is undergoing the consequences of the previous government (conservative party ND) : after repeated warnings over the last 3 years from the European Commission to lower debt and budget deficit, ND seemed to have other things on their mind In the meantime, Greece has allowed its budget deficit to swell to 12.7 percent of economic output this year - four times the European Union limit of 3 percent. The government admits debt is also at the highest level in modern Greek history - at some three hundred billion euro. (Omilo prefers not to write all the zeros!). Greece, where the welfare level has risen as a result of money flowing from the EU, is now having difficulty repaying its debt. In December 2009, the international ratings agency Fitch has lowered Greeces credit rating. Greece's government debt was downgraded to the worst of the 16 nations that use the euro by Fitch Ratings .

So what will happen now? * EU Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said Greece faces ``very substantial fiscal and economic challenges'' and that it must take more measures to meet them. He said EU officials would watch the situation closely and was ready to help the government with a comprehensive plan for its economy. * EU finance ministers told Greece to make a new debt reduction plan in January so they can discuss setting a deadline for bringing the deficit under 3 percent. * Papandreou asked opposition leaders in Athens to hold rare joint talks on the economy to help address what he said was ``a crucial phase'' for the country. Athens is planning to overcome the crisis with a series of new reformist moves. Indeed Prime Minister Papandreous slogan either we change or we sink is more applicable than ever! His words We are not talking about just minor repairs. We will go for changes in every field. Many new regulations will hurt. We must all give up our comfort show a difficult year ahead for Greece. The conclusion : OMILO believes Greece wont go bankrupt! It seems the Greek government is willing to make an enormous effort to fix its economy! This might be also a great opportunity to finally get rid of corruption and bureaucracy... The Greek people are still optimistic, do not lose their humor and will survive! (They have experienced worse things in their history than just a credit crisis! ) But one thing is sure, whatever happens, Greece will be a beautiful country for ever, great place for holidays and having a population speaking that beautiful Greek language!

2. Environment friendly, ecological, renewable energy.

In a time of International Climate Change Conferences, everybody and every country should try to adjust to a more environmental friendly lifestyle. Many countries are doing a better job and are better organized than Greece, but slowly-slowly, also Greece is changing Here below some examples that keep us optimistic. ALTERNATIVE TO DUMPING RUBBLE. Over 5,5 million tons of construction waste is produced in Greece every year but only onethird ends up in designated sites which cannot cope with more. Rubble from demolished buildings, some of it toxic, is dumped into ravines, by roadsides and along coastlines or into one of the countrys 30 unused quarries. The existing law sets a target of 30 percent of construction waste to be recycled by 2012. According to the dean of Aristotle University, the problem has not been solved due to a lack of political will. A presidential decree issued in 2003 has not been enacted, while 10 recycling plants set up in 2006-07 are waiting for official approval that has been held up by various interest groups. But.there is at least one municipal council in Greece willing to embrace the idea of modern waste management. The municipal council of Trikala, in Central Greece, has taken the unanimous decision to convert the towns waste treatment plant into a waste residue landfill. TRIKALA : Where bicycles, e-services and renewable energy have become a way of life.

This town with 75,000 inhabitants is one of the worlds 21 smartest : 12,000 subscribers to the City Halls free wireless Internet service, drivers actually stop at pedestrian crossings and there are special parking places for bicycles around town. Cycling is made easy by the fact that Trikala is on flat land, set on the Lithaios River, and the towns wide sidewalks. New technology is used for welfare services. About 200 people have been supplied with instruments that measure their blood pressure or blood sugar levels and transmit the results online to their doctors. Also the state Regulatory Energy Authority (RAE) approved plans for a Photovoltaic unit on the roof of the towns First Technical High School. Our goal is not to produce energy, but to make young people familiar with green energy, said the mayor. We want students at this school to learn about renewable energy sources and perhaps choose a career in this field, he said. Trikala City Hall is the headquarters of the nationwide Network of Towns with Rivers and the corresponding European Network. Anybody thinking to move to Greece? Maybe Trikala could be a nice place to live! WINDFARM DEBATES Most of you have experienced how windy Greece can get, especially on the islands in summer! Greece therefore is an ideal country to produce wind energy. Unfortunately, the wind energy debate in Greece frequently involves battles between small communities in areas dependent on tourism, and private firms planning to build windfarms on these islands. Two islands frequently in the news with these issues are for example Serifos and Kythira. Outlining his new governments policy in Parliament, now Prime Minister George Papandreou said rocky islets in the Aegean would be used to site renewable energy installations. According to the National Tourism Organisation, Greece has about 6,000 islands, all but 227 of them uninhabited. One such rocky outcrop is the 9-square-kilometer Saronic island of Aghios Georgios, which is under the administrative jurisdiction of the Island of Hydra. No one lives on that island. It has no vegetation, no water, and only a couple of narrow strips of beach backed by cliffs. Experts say the islands orientation is ideal to make the most of the prevailing winds, and it is only 10-12 miles from the Saronic coastline. (close to Athens) An underwater power cable to the mainland would only have to travel 12 miles to Lavrio. However, some environmentalists warn that the positioning of windfarms should be the subject of wider investigation as to the best possible solutions. Also, environmental scientists believe flat country such as Thessaly is more suitable than either mountains or islands, which have sensitive habitats and are often on the routes of migrating birds. The positive thing is that many discussions are taking place during the last year, trying to find the best possible solution. One day Wind Energy will be used extensively in Greece. MODEL ECO-VILLAGES.

Anavra, a village at an altitude of 1,000 meters on the western slopes of Mount Othrys in the Central region of Magnesia, was burned down in 1943 and has suffered two earthquakes, in 1956 and 1980. Today, it could well serve as a model for politicians seeking to promote green growth based on eco-friendly practices. Organic livestock farming has produced a high standard of living and made Anavra the rare example of a village with a growing population. Needless to say, unemployment is zero. But the green economy doesnt stop there. Almost everything is recycled and there are plans for a central heating and hot water system for the entire village, with the help of a small hydroelectric project. Near the village, at Alogorachi, there is also a wind park with 20 huge turbines. After you cross the 16th century Papoutsidiko Bridge at a superb spot with plane trees, head for the Goura Park, which has picnic areas. Follow the signs to the source of the Enipeas river. A paved path begins there and winds along the banks of the river, mostly downhill, for about 2 kilometers in a beautiful green setting with tall plane trees, old water mills and small bridges. You will soon come to the Kanatoula Plateau, where the old water-powered facility for processing wool has been converted into an information centre. Those seeking more demanding walks can take the trails leading to Mount Kouri. Anavra also has three climbing faces created by the Greek Mountaineering Club (EOS) of Almyros (tel 2422022409). You will find several tavernas in Anavra, with excellent organic meats, but no accommodation as of yet, so plan a day visit. To reach Anavra from Athens, take the highway to Lamia and then follow the road of Karditsa. A few kilometers before Domokos, you will see a sign for Anavra pointing to the right. From there, it is 22 kilometers. For more information, log on to www.anavra-goura.gr.

3. Ancient Athens on Five Drachmas a Day

Welcome to Ancient Athens! For those thinking of visiting Athens soon, this guidebook might be fun to have! Author:Philip Matyszak Publisher: Thames & Hudson This guide is a humorous travel guide, containing the information a visitor to ancient Athens would need if he (and given the times, it would be only a he!!) arrived in the city at the height of its classical greatness, in the 5th century BC. This guide writes about all aspects of public and private Athenian life, informing you where its good to eat, drink and meet a philosopher. Philip Matyszak, the same author of the bestselling Ancient Rome on Five Denarii a Day , clearly knows his material not surprising considering that he teaches about Ancient Rome at Cambridge University. Like all guidebooks, it starts with a getting there section, taking tourists to Termopylae, Marathon,etc He also stops at Delphi, offering tips on how to approach the oracle. For those planning to arrive by boat (advisable considering the terrible state of the roads at the time, and the farmers blockades of today), tips are given in the second chapter, with descriptions of Piraeus. (not much has changed there over the years!!) In chapter 3 the visitors can read all they need to know about Athens the worlds first democracy : Learn what to see and

where to go, what to eat and what to avoid in the city of Perikles. Meet Socrates, Phidias and others among the greatest philosophers, writers and artists who ever lived. Encounter ordinary Athenians in the marketplace, in the assembly and on their country farms. The author leaves the best until last no guide would be complete without a detailed description of the Acropolis and its monuments. (Anybody visiting centre Athens, please do not forget to visit the splendid New Acropolis Museum, opposite to the Acropolis. The museum cafeteria also has the cheapest cappucino in town!). But Ancient Athens was not only art, intellect and politics. This handbook also plunges into the fun side of Athenian life, ..whatever he describes, still exists today! Just go for it! ----------------------------------------------------------------------With this happy note and ancient glory, we wish you a nice start of the year and hope you will decide to visit many beautiful places in Greece soon! Greece needs it tourists as well as Greek Language students! Best regards from Athens The OMILO team

OMILO, PO Box 61070, 15101 MAROUSSI, ATHENS Tel. (0030)210-612.28.96 email: info@omilo.com