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It is a fallacy to suggest that people who are against immigration are racists. There is a gap of unstated assumptions the size of the Grand Canyon is such a statement. Liberals in the U.S. make the same elementary mistake. However, it is crystal clear why the do so: once you call someone a racist, all logical discussion is over with and all that remains is ad hominem nonsense. In other words, the left has succeeded in dragging you into the bog where they prefer to do their fighting.
I am a liberal progressive democrat and in all honesty I must admit...I ain't too brite. Despite my dull mind, I rarely lose a political debate. The moment my conservative opponent makes an argument that's logical, well thought out, and unquestionably accurate...I just start screaming racist racist racist !!! .
Edit: Apologies. The "is" should be an "in" after "Grand Canyon."
You can actually edit your original comment any time...
Really? I am familiar with the much appreciated "edit" button, but it disappears after some time.
Next step???Tomorrow they announce that pansions of agricultural section are getting lower 30%...the montly pansion of these people is 300-400 euros...This and other like this are the measures that imf and european wants in order to <<<>>> no more favors please
Better off outside the Euro. Greeks need to deal with their quisling collaborationist government that sells them out to Eurosoviet and banker interests. Investment strategy: short ND/PASOK and long rope/torches.
The piece conveniently forgets to mention that the main cause of this, the wealth-destroying Euro, has made it infinitely worse.
Greece would be so much better off without it, but of course its political elite fears of missing out on a future tax-exempt non-elected Eurosoviet job.
Of course it's the euro...
Can't be anything to do with the complete failure of Greek politicians to keep their economic promises and maintain a remotely stable investment environment...
Like the Greek fiscal deficit forever (and the debt burden thereby created):
Like handing over a twelfth of the Greek budget to military chums & corrupt generals:
Like writing awful laws which make it impossible to compete with politically connected monopolists... like the deep licensing & regulation of every job... like failure to move pension ages with life expectancy... like failure to achieve gender equality... like failure to invest in quality education for all...
Greece, if it had better politics, could look much more like Northern Italy or Austria economically. The Greek political system has screwed up thoroughly, and it would have done so whatever the currency.
Go around and actually talk to the businesses that are scraping a profit in Greece despite the crisis. Ask them what their priorities are. Not one businessman/ women will complain about the euro (quite the opposite, which probably has something to do with this:
http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2012/01/weodata/weorept.aspx?pr.... ).
Rather, the hard working entrepreneurs trying to lift Greece to a more prosperous future, complain about the failure of the government to pay VAT returns on time. They complain about failure of government to pay for procurements on schedule. They complain about overwhelming government bureaucracy which is impossible to completely comply with at reasonable cost, with the legal risks and high insurance costs this creates, with the long backlogs in the courts, and with unreasonable fees and an impossibly complex network of tax exemptions (that corrupt competitors are happily raking in).
And they complain about the high costs of finance that stem from the government debt default and fiscal mess. And they complain about a completely unstable tax environment. And they complain about civil service inefficiency and tax increases which further divert more resources from the productive economy to privileged government insiders.
Greece has serious problems. Switching to an alternative currency might or might not be what the Greek people want in the long run - but it is the least of Greece's worries right now. There are far more urgent matters for the government to attend to.
Switching away from the Euro is the first thing they need to do. Agreed, its not the solution, but its a start. You cannot argue that the Euro benefitted Greeks in any way, other than them now being burdened with a massive debt that would not nearly have been as big as it would have been without it.
And whoever came up with this ridiculous plan to have a monetary union consisting of such widely divergent economies with such widely diversing attitudes towards corruption? It was a bad idea from the get to.
Given the macroeconomic instability under the dracma, EMU was probably the right thing for Greek business. Greece was a poor country (about 15% poorer than today in real GDP/ capita - where present numbers are depressed by an economy in crisis far below potential) before EMU.
Monetary union provided far more stable currency and far lower real corporate bond yields - making it possible for Greek businesses to invest and lift productivity. That is a real benefit which the euro provided (though far more so in Cyprus, Ireland & Spain). Greek business would have benefited far more from the euro if the Greek government hadn't crowded them out with massive inflation-fuelling deficits, and burdened them with unnecessary regulation.
And again, for government debt, Greece was in permanent financial crisis throughout the '80s and early '90s, with real yields on sovereign debt far higher than after EMU. The euro brought much cheaper debt refinance - which could and should have been used by Greece to reduce the burden of sovereign debt, and so to deliver higher quality of public services with a lower tax burden.
There are many benefits which were realised, and far more potential benefits which would have been available with better government. The euro should have been far better for Greece than it has been. On balance, it is probably still better than going back to unstable high inflation ("might be 24% next year; might be 12%...") and much higher real interest rates (i.e. the rich take an even bigger share of GDP).
Probably better to stick it out with the euro, and tackle the real political, tax, corruption and legal problems from which Greece suffers.
(And btw, what do you mean "diversing attitudes towards corruption"? I think that almost all human beings have the same attitude - we treat it with utter contempt. That goes for Greeks just as for the Dutch. It is the institutions and incentives that are all wrong...)
It have been years already since the crisis started hitting the news and this is one of the very few analysis that actually approach problems Greece has as well as how they relate to leaving euro. It is depressing to hear almost each broadcast and see almost each article on Greece mentioning leaving Euro as a solution.
Yes Greek people as uninformed as the rest of us i Europe are, think that leaving euro magically solves all the problems and money will flow as it did before and all will be well. Problems you list will have to be solved at some point though and instead of wasting time on leaving Euro maybe Greece (and its supporters in EU) should concentrate on reforms and supporting economy (which neither trika nor EU is doing right now).
Deciding your own economic policy, without depending to Brussels in time of crisis like these is a MAJOR asset.
Krurgman said it, Stiglitz said it, even idiotic Wall Street pundit said it. It take a 1st year student to understand that currency has nothing to do with this BUT at this point in time given this situation could easily help the primary sector bootstrap. A primary sector which nearly dead in Greece because of a number of reasons. This sector needs devaluation *BADLY*. All other sectors (the tertiary essentially non-existent in Greece) depend on this one, if you wanna have a healthy non-Dubai-like bubble economy.
Greeks, it was written a little earlier on by a reader, are not racists. They are, just like all other nations are. Most immigrants don't by far enjoy priviliges of the Greek majority and Greece fares much worse than western Europe in how the part of society made up of immigrants has become a full component in it. Greeks may not in their majority be explicitly racist, like for expample English yobs, but they are racist in the way they view the world and their position in it. Now that their standard of living is plummeting, they look for the obvious scapegoats. The problem is that Greeks suffer from an overgrown national ego. They have a lot of pride and a sense of uniqueness which oftentimes leads to bigotry. It starts at home and at school: they are taught to believe they are superior and destined to do grand things but which they obstracted from doing by a vague anti-Greek plot aimed to harm their beloved country (superiority and underdog complexes).
Where on earth do you get this junk about being taught in school they are superior? Can you name a single school book that does that?
Every nation is unique. On the contrary people have gone out of their way to help what was perceived as poor, desperate immigrants.
Yes, I can only agree. For, example, look at the attitude of Greeks toward Macedonia (yes, MACEDONIA, not any "FYROM"). They simply do not give the right of the different nation (and state) to call themselves as they wish. If, my meighbor want to call himself Hula-gula, it is not my business! And, please, do not repeat that this attitude is of the government(s). Unfortunately, it is broadly supported by the people. Also, look at the situation of the Slavic and Romanian -minorities in the northern Greece....
When you discuss with the Greeks (also abroad), they mostly want to blaim others (mostly America) for their recent misfortune. But, please, understand, the people do not like it. Especially, it makes very nervous the people from "Eastern" Europe, who did make much MORE sacrifices to be in EU, and who accepted without ANY problems deeper cuts in the wages (already much lower then Greece's) - example: Latvia and Estonia.
Keep smoking. Are you saying if Iran wants to call itself 'Republic of Europe', though it has no relation to it(like phony Macedonia has no relation to Macedonia-ancient name was Paeonia), and is much smaller both land and populationwise that real Europe(just like fake Macedonia is much smaller both landwise and populationwise than real Macedonia), never mind the historical connection, that we should use the terms 'european culture', 'european values' etc to refer to iranian ones? Sorry, that name is taken. Mind you you could have a composite name, by which you would be 'macedonian'-although you are not-, as long as you recognize that you are not the only ones, but no, your brainwashed leaders will not agree to even this. So, keep smoking and go troll somewhere else.
TONI 209... re Macedonia. This is a geographical description and the largest part of Macedonia belongs to Greece, part of it to Bulgaria and the rest to the FYROM. It is not a matter of a neighbour calling himself John or Mike as you may possibly understand because the name belongs to all three countries owning Macedonia region.This is the reason why not even the UN has recognised FYROM as Macedonia. If they so wish they can call their tiny country Tottenham or Enfield or Paddington. How about that. Where on earth have you seen Slavic and Romanian minorities in Greece unless you are out of your mind. The only minority we have are the turkish speaking greek moslems in the north with equal constitutional rights., This has gone too far with reviewers noting comments which have nothing to do with reality. In fact , some of them are completely out of their minds in an effort to describe Greeks as the worst creatures on two legs. Greeks domestic or abroad DO NOT blaim others but their political leadership and themselves for the present situation, yet another untrue comment. As a proud greek myself in this article I have read no much nonsense that makes me wonder what is the objective of many reviewers who choose to bullshit rather than write true and constructive comments.
I did not want to decide, whether the name "Macedonia" should belong to the Greek, Bulgarian or "FYROM" state. Despite numbers, all of them have the same rights. Could you imagine, the government in Skopje refuses to use the name "macedonia" for the Greek province? So, why Greeks want to prohibit to use that name to the Slavic people? That is the situation described as "words for words".
If you would be so kind to read some history then you would understand. Otherwise, it makes no sense to argue on something you are completely unaware of both historically and geographically. You at least admit that they are slavic people and you are right, they are slavs. Macedonians are those who originate from the region of Macedonia which geographically belongs to Greece, Bulgaria and Skopje. May I repeat that not even the UN has recognised them with such a name. You have the right to call them whatever you wish, why not Vikings or even Apache.
Oh yes, Greeks are arrogant and self enfatuated. They believe they deserve all these billions in subsidies and bail-outs. They beg for the world's pity and at the same time they detest the EU for trying to secure the dues from them and for asking them to improve their administration. All their nagging is for having to forget a life-style they enjoyed up to now. This life-style was thanks to generous EU subsidies and euro-rate loans.
Face it, Greece did not deserve to have a seat in prestigious international clubs sitting next to other advanced countries. It does not meet the standards and it ever did. Greece was invited only on geo-political grounds and thanks to history...
You really have no idea. Do you really think those billions went to 'the greeks'?
The Right-Wing Extremists' Popularity is the product of Greece huge crisis and recession. That should ring a bell to all Euro area and particularly to Germany : that if this happens in Greece tomorrow could happen in other countries. It might be the end of Europe.
Greece's unemployment is at 24 percent and rising, and above 50 percent for young people. The country's gross domestic product has dropped 25 percent since 2009, and an estimated 400,000 small businesses are at risk of closing in the coming months.
This is why Mr. Samaras asked more time, only two more years, to carry out a new $15 billion package of deeply unpopular austerity measures, including cuts to the public sector and pensions and new tax brackets.
Mr. Samaras said to Greeks: Keep the faith; better days lie ahead. "What I am telling you is, 'There is hope,' " he said. "That is all I can offer."
But his message to Europe was equally clear: Without its help, his promises may ring empty. "We are changing, but at the same time you have to help us, you have to help the situation," he said. The alternative, he added, could be "the end of Greece."
Europe must help Greece!
What is it, exactly, that prevents you from selling all your assets and giving the Greeks the proceeds?
It is very easy to be generous with other people's money, you know... but even then, you will run out of other people's money eventually - as history has demonstrated time and again; like right now...
Go ahead, lets see the EU-philes sell their assets to help. But no, they want us to fund it.
Europe would be so much better off without the Euro, without the Eurosoviet Union. All we need is trade and an economic community.
We do not want to pay for lazy Club Med countries. Period.
Why, then, does Greece still spend over 3% of GDP on the military? Why have retirement ages not been increased to Czech levels (70) for new retirees? Why is the government failing to pay VAT, export credits & tax returns on time?
If the Greek government did the minimum to defend the welfare of its people, I would be far more in favour of providing plenty of low interest credit. But as things are, it looks from the outside as though the government is totally corrupt, and hands both Greek money and EU money to their corporate backers, to civil servants and to the older generations (screw the youth).
It is Greek "democracy" which is failing - not European compassion for ordinary Greeks.
At least we didn't make 2 WW wars and get our debts slashed... like the Germans did.
Having lived in Greece for almost 33 years, but with an Anglo-Saxon and Scandinavian background, I swear that Greeks are not rascists, not by a long shot. They have been exposed to so many cultures, within their country and also abroad as seafarers, that their rule is to judge a man by how he acts, not by the colour of his skin.
That said, Greece indeed has been swamped by immigrants during the last 23 years, mostly due to its geographic location, but also due to the difficulty in policing the borders, especially the Aegean archipelagos. This period of time has coincided with an alarming rise in the crime rate. The police have often stressed the fact that most crimes in Greece are still committed by Greeks. Howewer, it is understandable that common Greek people connect the influx of immigrants with their houses being broken into, their cars being stolen and armed robbery in the streets. Some parts of Athens have become ghettos for immigrants, which has ruined the local business and real estate values.
So in steps Golden Dawn, helping old ladies go to the bank with a bodyguard, acting as vigilantes in crime-ridden neighborhoods and lo and behold, some people vote for them. Add the fact that the economic crisis has created an atmosphere of deep mistrust towards all the traditional political parties, of desperation particularly among the unemployed, and of frustration with the inefficiency of the Greek public sector in general. Golden Dawn is a populist party, with troops of muscled bullies to show they mean business. The only way to keep Golden Dawn from gaining more support is for the Greek politicians, and the public sector they control, to put their act together and create an efficient state with laws that are enforced, a judicial system that works, and a sense of fairness in the burdens imposed by the economic crisis.
The top rated comments here are telling.
It seems that humanity is doomed to repeat its grossest mistakes, and relive the worst horrors that it has inflicted upon itself. Immigrants aren't the cause of the economic pain that Greece is currently facing, but they are a very easy target. I get it; when there's only one loaf of bread and two people, human nature dictates that we will club the other to death and then scrabble on their corpse to get it.
The echoes of 1930s Germany ring very loud here. I'd strongly advise anyone encouraging the Golden Dawn to think about the German experience. Because, this has happened before - a fascist party gains popularity during extreme economic conditions by handing out bread, then pushes their agenda of extreme hate and vile discrimination.
But let this be clear. You are, and you will always be on the wrong side of history. When the history textbooks are written, you will be judged, and you will be ashamed.
And it's all the fault of the little EU-lings and despicable bankers and politicians who want to keep the wealth-destroying Euro alive at any price. These sociopaths are driving millions into poverty and unemployment in the name of their undemocratic 'project'.
No - the problem in Greece is Greek.
It is the Greek political establishment, which taxes heavily, always spends far more than it taxes, writes legislation to support corrupt corporate friends, wastes extraordinary amounts on the military, screws young people and businesses with unaffordable promises to older generations, etc which is destroying Greece.
If Greek politicians were less corrupt; if the Greek civil service were more efficient; if taxes, legislation & the courts allowed little businesses to compete; if the generals were put in their place... then Greece would be a much more egalitarian and prosperous place.
Funnily enough, no other eurozone country has Greece's problems - not even Spain, with its biggest ever bubble, financial sector implosion and two tier anti-youth labour market.
Focus your energies in achieving political change in Greece - for that is where the problem lies.
The EU and the Euro enabled them to borrow vastly more at lower rates, therefore the EU and Euro have greatly contributed to making the problem far bigger than it would have been without them. And not just in Greece either. Everywhere in Eurozone countries the middle class and poor are being subjected to cuts, austerity etc... to facilitate bailouts and guarantees to rich bankers.
The main blame belongs with the Brussels Kremlin.
The euro also enabled Greece to borrow the same amount at vastly lower rates, which would have brought down both finance costs and debt levels in Greece adding enormously to welfare, all the while allowing Dutch savers to get a higher return and bigger retirement income. Win-win.
The problem was not the euro, but rather that the Greek government chose to run massive and unsustainable deficits, to the detriment of other eurozone countries and against the interests of the Greek people.
Deficit limits must be strictly enforced during good times. It would seem that that has been remedied.
In the long run, Greece and Greek business still stand to enjoy far lower finance costs, while German & Dutch savers still stand to get better yields on their savings - more efficient capital allocation and greater prosperity all-round.
Beyond that, the euro also reduces transaction costs, reduces currency risks for small businesses, etc - driving up international trade. Greece still stands to benefit massively in the long run - especially if Bulgaria, Romania and Macedonia join (as all plan to).
Question: as a business, would you trust the Bank of Greece enough to take out investment loans in drachma? Would you sign long term contracts in Bank of Greece drachma? Would any of your trading partners accept drachma? Would drachma make it easier for you to invest or expand into neighbouring countries?
If not, then it's probably better to stick with the euro. Fix the institutions which ran their finances imprudently, rather than screw the entire economy yet further.
I don't know where "Brussels Kremlin" comes from. The EU is a very decentralised organisation, in which member states hold vetoes over practically anything that matters. The conditions attached to the Greek bailout are precisely that - terms which the Greek government voluntarily complies with, in order to receive cash from taxpayers in other countries. There's nothing oppressive in that - Europe is providing support, but demanding that Greece implement pro-growth reform and fiscal cuts in return.
If Greek people don't like what's happening, the Greek government holds the power to reform, deregulate, delegislate, liberalise, shift tax burdens, pay bills on time, shift spending priorities, cut unemployment (e.g. shift spending from pensions & military to employment & training subsidies) and end poverty. It is the Greek government that the Greek people must challenge.
you mean corruption, overregulation, inefficiency and few other 'little' Greek problems have nothing to do with this?
I do not mind of course that big international finance did not play a vital role - they did but main problem is within not without Greece so Euro or not Greece still has a problem. OTOH if we look at the other side - Germans and others will suffer greatly if Greece leaves Euro as it will be difficult to get their money back out of the mess that would result.
Considering the politicians want to introduce more regulations and inefficiency from the Brussels Kremlin (re: Rumpuy's latest 'centralize everything' budget plan) I'd say that the role of these things is rather limited. Not saying it doesn't have a role at all of course.
And no, neither Germany, nor the Netherlands would 'suffer greatly' if Greece left the Euro. In fact, Greece itself wouldn't suffer either. The suffering is happening precisely because the political elites desperately cling to this zombie currency.
So how do you explain that since the introduction of the wealth-destroying Euro that trade volumes of Eurozone countries have relatively declined versus the rest of the world? In other words, the Euro relatively depressed trade.
And as for 'greater prosperity all round', yes quite, we see it. Millions of people into unemployment and poverty, and increasingly so, and the little EU-landers want to double down on the madness. Unbelievable. Greater prosperity is only for bankers, corporations and politicians and the wealthy. The lower middle class and the poor have never profited from the Euro and they're the ones subjected to the 'austerity' and 'cuts'.
The Brussels Kremlin comes from the EU tendency to want to increasingly centralize everything and belittle everyone who doesn't want to agree to this.
As in 'how dare you oppose our grand plan, how dare you vote against it, you better vote again' mentality at display during national referendums. As in how people or countries that dare to disagree are treated, in the same way as constituent states were in the old Soviet Union where dissent was also frowned upon. And of course the unelected character of the leading politicians in EU. Dissidents were continuously belittled and ridiculed in the Soviet Union and every step along the way came the warnings 'total collapse without the Soviet Union' and 'the solution to every problem is more centralization and more Soviet'. You will find the same attitudes prevailing in Brussels, total contempt for national democracy and national sovereignty, in spite of all the facts.
And also, Brussels Kremlin is coming from the EU's insistence that 'more EU' and 'more centralization' and 'more central planning' will fix everything, if only national democracies were willing to effectively disband themselves. More central planning of course would not work, but that never stops them from proposing it.
Remember, the Soviet Duma was also elected, yet like the Euro Parliament it was not democratic because there was no 'Soviet people' like there is no 'EU people' or 'European people'. The common identity imposed from above is/was artificial in both cases.
Europe is the opposite of central planning. It is all about liberalisation, deregulation and removal of trade barriers through standardisation.
If you are merely a consumer in an EU or EAG country, you probably have a higher standard of living than you otherwise would, thanks to the EU's efforts at completely liberalising trade (to a far greater extent than any other country grouping).
And on precisely the metric you first propose (trade volumes), both the eurozone and wider EU have clearly made an enormous contribution. Since the foundation of the euro, eurozone and EU exports and imports have both grown far faster than America's, Japan's or Canada's.
How much of this is attributable to the euro, how much to the EU's liberal trade policies & trade agreements, and how much to organic changes in fundamentals, is unknown. But it seems fair to conclude that theoretical considerations of the euro (it ought to bolster trade volumes substantially) are well supported by the empirical data.
Take the long view - the EU has seen faster real GDP/ capita growth than the US in the past three decades. And that will probably continue.
If Greece wants to be part of it (what ever currency its people want), the priority has to be to mimic the most successful institutions on show - look to Irish labour laws & corporate tax, American universities, Scandinavian flexicurity & penal systems, out-do Dutch & Swiss drug liberalisation, beat Estonian online government, improve on the best legal systems, etc. Greece (as with most countries) has many important institutional changes to make, if it wants to fully participate in rising European prosperity (which, in the long run, is not in doubt).
Europe could probably help more (e.g. by demanding military cuts, with a more aggressive liberalisation campaign, etc - but that kind of thing isn't the done thing precisely because of the perceived need to respect national sovereignty in the shape of reform). But Greece really needs to help itself (rather than let politicians help themselves, as seems to be happening...).
* and note, rapid EU & eurozone export growth isn't just a long run trend. It's happening right now, even during recession.
In the year to June 2012, Greek exports are up 15% (just ahead of Latvia's 14% export growth, but more comfortably ahead of Slovakia's 10%, Portugal's 9%, Malta's 8% or the Netherlands' & Lithuania's 7%). Germany and the Czech Republic saw 5% annual export growth, while France and Italy saw 4% annual export growth.
In all of Europe, only Ireland and Finland saw exports fall (by 2% and 1% respectively - though in both cases imports fell faster).
Europe is benefiting from growing trade arbitrage - an important contributor to productivity and higher potential output. Once the crisis has passed (as recessions eventually do), that will quickly translate into substantially higher wages and incomes than would otherwise be the case (the post recession boom/ up-cycle will lift us higher).
While the US is experiencing slightly better growth right now (1.4% GDP per capita growth - about the same as Germany and slightly better than Austria, though the US situation is bolstered by an excessive fiscal deficit without austerity yet), the US is does not have export (goods & services) growth on anything like this level. The US is growing, but it is less integrated in world trade than Europe. That will probably have an impact on long run GDP/ capita growth rates (hopefully the US will join us - that is the purpose of current bilateral EU-US free trade negotiations, which the US is botching, understandably giving the backdrop of the presidential election).
The last thing the EU is about is the removal of trade barriers. Just ask African farmers about that one, if you can find some viable farmers left there with EU dumping surpluses at knockdown prices which undercut African farmers all the time. A despicable and racist policy designed to prop up inefficient French farmers.
And perpetual GDP growth is impossible, plus the financial system of the western world is unsustainable. Just imagine the moronic EU policy of trying to fix a debt crisis by piling on more debt. But feel free to cling on to the myth of perpetual GDP growth fuelled by perpetual population growth and perpetual government deficits and the unlimited availability of natural resources.
I agree entirely on agriculture. That's an area where the US, Japan and South Korea all rate even worse than the EU - but that's no excuse. CAP is a concession we keep making to the French in exchange for more free market reform and expansion of free trade. But it will have to be struck off eventually (along with removal of agricultural import tariffs).
Perpetual (though cyclical) GDP growth is a certainty - and a consequence of advancing technology, process innovation and rising productivity. We will have perpetual GDP growth, even with a falling population and diminishing natural resource consumption (as has been the case in much of Europe for over a decade).
Current consumption and natural resource exploitation patterns are indeed unsustainable. But today's trends (falling per-capita resource consumption, globally falling fertility rates, falling western populations, rising productivity, lengthening life expectancies, rising incomes) are entirely sustainable.
Let Europe's role in promoting free trade and development be in no doubt though.
In October 2010, a free trade agreement between the EU and South Korea went into effect - one which runs far deeper, removes more non-tariff barriers and applies to a wider range of products than that which the US agreed to.
In the year to June 2012, EU exports to South Korea are up over 20% - one of the biggest lifelines and contributors to growth during the latest phase of the crisis.
Right now, the European Commission is in intensive negotiations with Japan (EU+EEA+Japan = 38% of world GDP), towards something similar to what was achieved with South Korea. Japan's under enormous economic pressure right now, also has new liberal blood in government, and has agreed to an outline agreement stating negotiation objectives (it goes so far as to reform Japanese public procurement rules). The final agreement won't come into effect soon enough - but will hopefully be effective some time in 2014 (both Europe and Japan really need this, so all barriers can be overcome).
Note that Brazil, Chile and Argentina all trade more with the EU than with the US - thanks in no small part to the greater ease of trade. Also look at the EU's association agreements across the Mediterranean, Middle East and Central Europe - which incrementally seek to merge markets and allow open competition.
Try getting any of that through the US Congress.
The EU is one of the few real champions we have for free trade and liberty in this world - and it's slowly winning. That probably plays a small part in the faster GDP/ capita growth that Europe has enjoyed relative to the US (though the potential for productivity catch up to the world leader is also in important factor).
We need an Independent Justice Estate more than anything, more than money, more than the EU, more than anything... But I don't see it happening in my lifetime :-(
I probably agree with you: efficient, clean, transparent, rapid and completely accountable courts are one of the most important institutions for any free society.
Such high quality courts also make an enormous economic contribution - they avoid rent extraction, shut down corruption, defend reasonable business contracts, support business investment and defend citizens & consumers from genuine grievances & abuse.
Call for clarification: what is an "Independent Justice Estate".
It's what you've described. But what no one understand because the media doesn't say is that the Greek constitution is a pseudo-democracy. Probably the result of non-having a "French revolution" revolution in Greece had it's impact.
We don't have ANY sort of division of powers in Greece. The chief of "Arios Pagos" which is our top-tribunal is directly appointed by the government.
In the our Parliament we have 300 deputies. The party or coalition that holds the majority - through a really questionable voting law who helps by all possible and insane means the 1st party to gain more sits and achieve majority by it's own - always passes whatever law it needs to pass because... It's a majority. There's no separation between executive, judicial and legislative powers in Greece. They are all held by the government in office.
And that's a sot of policy: In order to do easy tasks, like appointing a professor to a university or giving him a job (I'm making simplified examples here), you need to get a signature from a minister. It's not enough having the Dean to choose what's happening to his university. Etc.
There is a hugely centralized power control system which helps any government that is in power do the right choices to perpetuate it's governance. They switch all chief executives in key-positions, etc.
You know that our new chief of taxing task force (SDOE) has no prior experience in related works? He was secretary at the office of Samaras (current prime minister) before he became our... Prime minister. So I wonder what could you expect from a such a "skilled" person, even if he had the good will, to do? He probably was put there in order to favor "friends of friends" more easily. But there was no competition for this position, it was directly appointed... Which says a lot!
These are things that are easy to find on the web but most voters don't know or don't care. If they know such cases they know them sporadically not specifically.
It's what you've described. But what no one understand because the media doesn't say is that the Greek constitution is a pseudo-democracy. Probably the result of non-having a "French revolution" revolution in Greece had it's impact.
We don't have ANY sort of division of powers in Greece. The chief of "Arios Pagos" which is our top-tribunal is directly appointed by the government.
In the our Parliament we have 300 deputies. The party or coalition that holds the majority - through a really questionable voting law who helps by all possible and insane means the 1st party to gain more sits and achieve majority by it's own - always passes whatever law it needs to pass because... It's a majority. There's no separation between executive, judicial and legislative powers in Greece. They are all held by the government in office.
And that's a sot of policy: In order to do easy tasks, like appointing a professor to a university or giving him a job (I'm making simplified examples here), you need to get a signature from a minister. It's not enough having the Dean to choose what's happening to his university. Etc.
There is a hugely centralized power control system which helps any government that is in power do the right choices to perpetuate it's governance. They switch all chief executives in key-positions, etc.
You know that our new chief of taxing task force (SDOE) has no prior experience in related works? He was secretary at the office of Samaras (current prime minister) before he became our... Prime minister. So I wonder what could you expect from a such a "skilled" person, even if he had the good will, to do? He probably was put there in order to favor "friends of friends" more easily. But there was no competition for this position, it was directly appointed... Which says a lot!
These are things that are easy to find on the web but most voters don't know or don't care. If they know such cases they know them sporadically not specifically.
On agriculture: Getting to be completely dependent on others is an idiotic idea, as Greece has found out, but also other countries like the US. And food is not something you can create in a snapshot. If you idiotically destroy your own agriculture, what do you do if in 5 years the countries you depend upon decide to increase prices 10 times? You will have neither the infrastructure, nor the skills required.
I wonder why political parties (and sometimes the public) look at immigrants as a problem when the economy is really bad, but never tend to point the finger at corrupt politicians who actually started the whole mess!
ELLIN for those who do not know a) Papadopoulos was a dictator, a simple colonel and in no way an ethnarch. He was sentenced to death five times (there is no execution in Greece) and life inprisonement where he died as hated as every bloodthirsty dictator. b)Nicos Dertilis was the commander of a tank who brought down the entrance to the Polytechnic killing innocent students. You want him out? c) where have you seen the crypto communism unless you either short sighted or blind. The communist party gets around 4% of votes. d) disgusting is your comment on our family structure in line with all your comments which show a rather retarded or disturbed reviewer. Family ties and structure are exceptionally strong and we are proud of this. d) A Papandreou was as greek as Tony Blair is british and it seems that apart from being ignorant you are trying to be stupid. He was voted based on 100% democratic principles whether right or wrong only history will tell.
Quite honestly , you must be out of your mind by commenting on facts that you do not seem to know. It is like me commenting on Scotland when I know nothing about political activities there. Likewise if you are fond of bloodhirsty dictators and weak tank commanders, they are yours, you can pray for them alongside with Hitler , Stalin and Pinochet.
Your title is reversing reality and should be GREEKS AS SCAPEGOATS
Welcome Turkey.For Europe it's best to welcome Turkey than to continue to pay for Greece.I used to go to Greece, but now no more. We must expel such a country who don't want to pay its own taxes and put it's money in Switzerland.
Yes!, welcome Turkey!, if you do immigrants will flow directly to your country,you will be minority in your country in a few years and saria law will be astablished, also we will get rid of them, because thanks to lisbon treaty they will have to take them back.
And you dont have to expell us, we want out!.
You should to go back to Greece again, it's a wonderful place!
So you could feel the Greek spirit and help them.
Yes, Greece has been blessed by the Gods with wonderful landscapes and a nice climate. Greeks are friendly as long as you bring them tourist money and as long as you praise them. If you are a poor immigrant in search of work or if you dare criticise their beloved country for its many shortfalls, then they change attitude and from being friendly, they become mean.
The poor immigrant should search for work where it's available and not in a country with 30% local unemployment rate. Why should the immigrant choose a poor country where no work is available ? Probably you are not aware of Dublin 2 agreement which has turned Greece into an immigrant junk yard. You fail to understand that they are completely illegal, one in three needs immediate medical treatment which is available at our expense, (practically not available in most countries of the EU) they have no reason to criticise a country that accepts them though being illegal. Hence they turn to crime and this does not bother any of the reviewers. Consequently your comment is more than childish being untrue and misleading. If any of you would bother to have a look at the scandalous fringe and care benefits given to all immigrants, you would be shocked. Most commentators seem to be orchestrated to comment without knowing what is what.
You seem to be unaware that the emblem of the third largest political party in Greece, the Golden Dawn , in no way resembles swastika but is a 100% greek design from antiquity called 'meandros', therefore your objective is probably to link this party with nazis etc which is in line with the extremist leftists who support and protect the 2.5 million legal and illegal or illegally legal immigrants which are unwanted by the majority of greeks; Greeks are suffering and not vice versa , whilst immigrants are given unthinkable privileges against starving or unemployed greeks.
By the way those who still support immigrants describing them as easy targets etc seem to be talking nonsense when racist attacks against greeks is a daily feature and stabbing of more than forty greeks to death in six months proven by immigrants is a simple excuse to defend ourselves. BECCAET for example is more than ignorant when he or she comments that Greece has a few immigrants. Greece has the highest percentage of immigrants in Europe (2.8 million at least against 10 million greek population) and it is obvious that such comments from ignorant reviewers are at least insulting if not on purpose.
You are confused. Condemning attacks on immigrants is simply a matter of justice, and does not imply support for immigration. That the handling of immigration in Greece needs stiffening up is a reasonable opinion, but any right thinking person who holds this opinion should also condemn attacks on immigrants. A crime is a crime, whether it is committed by a Greek on an immigrant, or the other way around.
Do not forget, many Greeks are now leaving for more prosperous countries where they expect to be protected from crime in the same way as the local citizens. The same standards of justice that provide this protection must also be upheld in Greece.
And the irony is I just finished reading about a Greek couple planning to emigrate to my country.
Using race as an identifier then resorting to violence is the oldest, nastiest game in the book. Hopefully most Greeks do not advocate going down that road, there are few quicker ways a nation can hasten it's own isolation and eventual destruction.
ALittleTime to Share: The greek immigrants now and in the past have gone to countries who needed their services, based on health controls, visa formalities and special numbers. You cannot compare the legal greek civilised immigrant (of today) with the three million illegal immigrants in Greece originating from Albania, , North - south - east - west Africa, the Eastern Block, Asia and you name it, coming to a country with a 30% unemployment with no single paper on them. They enter almost freely and if caught are given residence permit for a month but nobody bothers so they stay looking for a job which is not available hence the crime rate is in the red, whilst one to three is sick and needs medical care at the expense of the greek taxpayer. They sleep anywhere, live anywhere, have eaten all stray dogs, rats and cats in Athens and the government is doing practically nothing to protect the local population against this unbelievable influx of junk immigrants who just wander around looking for a wallet or a camera for which they kill the owner, as simple as that. For those who have any doubts, they are welcome to have a look at the misery of greeks who have to cope with a 30% immigrant garbage population who block our hospitals, schools, medical centres and social security offices. We are in despair and are really ashamed to read titles such as yours. Greece is worth respect and not shameful untrue comments as some reviewers enjoy.
What? Greeks do not and should not expect violence or willful suffering when they emigrate, nor should Turks or anyone else for that matter. I like you agree that immigration should be controlled, but it should not be controlled by street justice. Do it legally and enforce immigration laws in place via the police.
If you disagree with the condemnation of attacks on immigrants in Greece, how can you reconcile that with the broad acceptance (and lack of violence) against Greek immigrants to northern Europe and America?
I live in America, and I'll put it this way: Greek immigrants here are less educated, speak worse English, and are poorer than Iranian, Indian, Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Ethiopian, and many South American immigrants. They are by all metrics "less civilized." Ideally, Greeks wouldn't be allowed here in such large numbers, because of these very reasons -- uneducated Greek immigrants do not add to the economy in the same way educated Indians and Chinese immigrants do.
But I will always condemn violence, as will most Americans, which is why you don't see any anti-Greek violence (or any anti-immigrant violence of note for that matter) anywhere.
But grow up and stop with your idiotic drivel about Greeks' inherent superiority: it doesn't exist. Greece is the bottom of Europe, both geographically and figuratively. But people are people, and if they aren't prevented from immigrating they should be deported with basic respect, not with beatings.
@ hmunkey.... You quite correctly indicate that immigration should be controlled but this is not happening in Greece which is flooded with 2.5 - 3 mm illegal immigrants from all corners of the world. Greeks in many parts of Athens and Greece are a minority suffering constant attacks, robberies, killings to name but a few. Terror and fear is a daily feature whilst news on another greek being stabbed to death is routine news. You seem to be unaware that greek immigrants in Europe and America were and are not illegal neither are they uncontrollable, they have always been subjected to strict controls and you might better enquire into why Greece does not or cannot respond to the daily influx of immigrants. As for your comment on ""Greeks being less civilised, less educated etc may I direct you to have a look at University Institutions and key financial,medical, trading, banking positions around the globe and you will realise how untrue your comments are. It is surprising that an 'american' may write such negative comments which you know are in no way near what you claim. It is surprising that you find Greeks inferior in every respect even...poorer, less educated, less civilised etc. You cannot be american but an immigrant living in america. However it is rather unfair to write such comments evenmore for the editor to welcome misleading reviews when both parties know these being pure nonsense not to mention your dream about Greek superiority which you are the only one to see!!! This objective of this article with a totally misleading title more than evident.
Agreed. But that is assuming the state does its job and cracks down on crime. If it does not, someone else will. You cannot convince people that getting mugged and killed is normal and they should just accept their fate. Had they not voted for GD, the 'moderates' would have done nothing about people's security(they still do solve the issues). Incidentally, I am also vehemently opposed to new laws about 'racially induced crime'. I do not see as a defence in court 'yes, I beat him up, but not because he was white, black or yellow, but because he had the colors of an opposite team or because I did not like his face'. These are idiotic attempts.
The people who attack immigrants in Greece or turn a blind eye are cowards. They are attacking those least able to defend themselves; an easy target. Much easier than tackling the real problems...
Also, unless an individual is incredibly stupid, they can work out that a few immigrants (Greece has far less in number and proportion than many EU countries) running small shops or market stalls or doing the crappy jobs that Greeks don't (or didn't until recently) want to do, are not the cause of the economic problems Greece now suffers.
A Greek friend (working in London) told me that everyone in Greece knew that the way the country was operating (wide scale tax evasion, inefficient over bloated public sector, high government borrowing and over generous pensions and other benefits) was not sustainable, but as long as they were OK, they turned a blind eye, which enabled politicians to do the same.
The fall out of 30 odd years of this unsustainable modus operandi is what is now hitting Greece. This Euro was not the cause of this, it merely exacerbated the situation as it enabled the Greek state to borrow more and under more favourable conditions. The Euro crisis is not a currency problem; it is a problem of sovereign debt of countries that are in the Eurozone.
The idea that Greece could solve all its problems by returning to the drachma is a false one. This ignores several facts:
- Greece (unlike Italy, the EU's 2nd biggest manufacturer behind Germany), does not have enough to export to make that a worthwhile strategy
- what would happen to all the euro denominated loans of companies and individuals when the value of their assets plummets? Millions of people in negative equity with their mortgages and companies going bankrupt as their Drachma income would be insufficient to pay their Euro loans perhaps?
- returning to the Drachma wouldn't do anything to tackle the causes of the problems like tax evasion, over generous pensions etc
Return to a local currency wont solve all problems, you are right,but leaving E.U, will solve many,and to leave E.U you have to print your own currency.
First of all Greece is the prime entry for illegal immigrants because of Turkey, they dont do anything to stop them from passing through their country for 2 reasons, the first is to blackmail E.U to give visa to turkish citizens,the second is in case of a sea accident they get to question greek SAR rights and greek sovereignity over the aegean sea, i did part of my service at the island of chios, it was common for turkish smugglers to bring vessels full of immigrants in Greek territory and then sinking them to force the greek coastguard to intervene and bring them on greek soil.
If we leave E.U we are no subject to the Lisbon treaty,there are 3 million immigrants in greece, one for every 3 citizens,we are not a ritch country,how are we supposed to feed and shelter them?,do you know that the straight dogs that were fed and sterilized by the city of Athens have vanished?,do you know that pakistanis eat them and sell their meat at the metaxourgeio ghetto?. And no im not a racist, i hate golden dawn, but those people are staying in Greece against their will, they want to go to Germany and England if we leave E.U they will be set free.
Other problems that we will solve is unemployment and cost of leaving, the cheap currency will make the country competitive bussiness will bloom and the currency will help to keep the cost of leaving down,also the ritch that fled the country will return and invest their money by buying their bussines back.
In Asia and in Australia, we see thousands of Greek immigrants. Many of them are very racist and seem to admire the Golden Dawn party. This behavior is very strange, given the amount of racism and anti-immigrant hype in Greece. The truth is that Greek economy is a victim of its own internal peculiarities:
- Tax evasion is huge.
- Income inequality is very high.
- The rich keep their money outside Greece.
- Consequently, they are effectively creating jobs elsewhere.
- Asian investment is low - racism is a huge factor.
- Paradoxically, Asian investment in Turkey is growing.
- The public sector is bloated and inefficient.
- Etc., etc.
P.S.: Portugal is another country with economic difficulties. However, because of their non-racist attitudes, they are attracting foreign investment. Most interestingly, one of the biggest investors there is Angola (an ex-colony)!!!
I may left Australia as a kid but i still have relatives at Sydney and Brisbane, my relatives employ many foreigners and they treat them equally so what you say is not true, they admire GD?, look at this http://usa.greekreporter.gr/?p=8457 does that look like admiration to you?.
The peculiarities as you call them are thanks to the government that uses a "capitalism for the poor, sosialism for the ritch system", when people got fed up with them and tried to kick them out, mrs.Merkel and mr. Schauble started saying that if we dont vote for them we will get kicked out of E.U.
Anyway all i want to say is that GD rised thanks to austerity policies emposed by E.U and by the lack of political will, next elections they will get more than 15% if the austerity continues, as it turns out if we stay in the E.U the only thing we will get is civil unrest or worse a civil war.
I have been living in Australia for 7 years, most of my friends are not Greek and also my wife is not Greek ( neither my ex wife ). I have met many Greeks here and I can tell you they are exemplary citizens. They maintain their culture while they are fully integrated. Additionally they are some of the most compassionate people you will find, and as they have memories of difficulties when they came here, they are the first to defend recent Asian arrivals against racism. I am not sure where you draw your impressions from, but I draw mine from my neighborhood in Brisbane where I have love all these years.
In America, Greek immigrants (recent ones, not 4th generation Greek Americans) are actually one of the least educated and poorest groups of people. From what I can tell, there are no real advantages to Greek immigration over Africans or South Americans, where by contrast Asian immigration is incredibly beneficial.
I'm guessing this is a more American thing, because when I lived in the UK this wasn't necessarily the case in the same way. In the US, Asians are incredibly educated (maybe a quirk of US immigration policy?) and majorities have advanced degrees. As a result, they have high incomes and pay quite a bit in taxes. And since most of our doctors are Indian, and almost no notable crime is caused by Asians, there's a broad trust toward them.
Regardless, people shouldn't be judged on race or nationality, but immigration policy should favor the educated over anyone else, save for refugees in some cases. Europe needs to figure this out and stop the widespread immigration of ideological and uneducate Muslim masses, and instead favor secular college graduates like America has done with Iranians and Pakistanis.
I would be interested in whether these are statistics or "statistics", as Greeks continue to higher education in an unusually high percentage ( source Wolfram Alpha).
Good to know that Greeks are not racist - that was my impression. On austerity, you know that is a very complex subject. Just like a household must live within the family budget, nations also must live within their means. I think that (based on my travels in Europe), many countries (including Greece) started living beyond their means. I often stay in an apartment in Glyfada (Athens). A few years ago, when I was parking my humble Honda Civic in the basement, I discovered that there were 22 Porsche cars in the underground parking. In central London, we do not see so many!!!
Good to know that things are cool in Brisbane. I guess your wife must be an Australian. I have not been there. However, I go to Melbourne, Sydney and Canberra often.
It would be practical for Greece to look at its problems without bringing up stories that date back to Homer and Aeschylus times. You have every reason to be proud of your history, but right now a little bit more focus should be put on current problems. The "enemy" is not Germany, EU, IMF or the poor immigrants, but the irresponsible politicians that have squandered public funds, usurped economic life and created cosy protected markets for themselves. No matter which way you look at it, the reality is that a deep adjustment is needed and it is going to be very painful. Taking it on the most vulnerable (immigrants) it's really not very dignified and I am sure that many Greeks themselves are appalled by the actions and the rise of the Golden Dawn.
"Taking it on the most vulnerable (immigrants) it's really not very dignified and I am sure that many Greeks themselves are appalled by the actions and the rise of the Golden Dawn."
For what it's worth, I can assure you that everyone in Greece is appalled, except for GD voters, that is about 7% of those who voted. GD is a widely discussed topic and the population is very worried about it.
Nazis also were a minority at one time in Germany and look what happened.
Germany was a powerful nation though; Greece is significantly weaker than Turkey (whose people it would be hypothetically killing), Israel (the previous victims of such actions), and virtually every liberal-minded country in the world.
The threat isn't that Greece will turn to radicalism and genocide, but rather that they will overuse scapegoats and forget what the actual problems facing them are -- costing responsible European taxpayers billions more.
The Economist presented a one sided view of the immigration problem in Europe. With 57 OIC nations, why aren't the "wealthier" Muslim nations like Saudi Arabia & Dubai granting asylum to their Muslim sisters & brothers? If Islam is a religion of "peace" and Mohammed the perfect man, why are its followers flocking to Europe & Western nations that are predominately Judeo-Christian? Africans & Egyptians are flooding into Israel which plans to build another wall (in addition to the one at the West Bank) to keep out illegal invaders. Global elitists, apologists, appeasers, leftists lack common sense. When a government gives hand-outs and freebies, they create a climate of resentment from the locals and entitlement from those who fail to fully integrate & respect the host country's religion & culture. Look around Athens at all the graffiti, debris, illegal drug trades, crime and see how anything short of detainment & deterrence is going to improve Greece & Europe. Perhaps Golden Dawn's intimidation tactics & police round-ups will deter another million or two from crossing into Greece illegally. Labeling Golden Dawn as a neo-nazi organization is race baiting and slanted journalism.
No, it's a neo-nazi organization. Please learn before you speak.
Actually it's a rising political party not an organization and they call themselves as nationalists. I can't understand why you don't recognize them the right to self-determination
I suppose you're not Greek, that's why you're saying this. Yes, it's a party. They do have the right to self-determination. The rest of us also have the right to see what they really stand for. Countless times they have made positive references to Nazi Germany and praised Hitler himself in their publications and meetings. They wear t-shirts with the SS symbol on them, as well as other nazi-related symbols. They have been regularly seen to use the Nazi salute and organize themselves as if they were indeed a military organization. Their central motto is that they want to "clean up the place". So please spare the "nationalist" and "self-determination" stuff. If they said they were communists would you accept it just because they said so? Golden Dawn calling themselves nationalists is only a trick to attract more people who would be apalled if they openly called themselves what they truly are: a racist neo-nazi opportunist gang whose MPs are mostly into the "protection-selling" business. They found a breach in the system and took advantage of it. Now they enjoy the legitimacy offered by their parliamentary costume.
I suppose you're not living in Greece, that's why you're saying this. Yes, they are political activists. But they were taught by the best. Syriza members were the first to teach this "activist" approach to politics by murdering 3 people because they committed the crime to go to work. If you were living in Greece, especially in the working class neighborhoods which are crime infested you would realize that the Golden Dawn is not a threat for the Greek people. The Muslims settlers are. Stop playing the nazi card. Enough with the propaganda. We live in the 21st century and the snake's nest nowadays is Islam in Europe. These are the modern "nazis".
Unfortunately for you I do live in Greece and am very much aware of the problems with immigrant-related criminality. You insist on a very narrow-minded approach connecting crime with religion by saying that the MUSLIM settlers are a threat to Greek people. I wonder how you can call muslims the new "nazis". I think everyone who reads your comment understands how inaccurate it is. It's not religion that makes people commit crimes. It's poverty and exclusion.
Also, I would like you to tell me when Syriza members murdered anyone. This is the biggest lie, an absolute fabrication and I really wonder who told you that. If you insist, then let us know when and where these "murders" occured. Please! I am very impatient to see how you could back up this terrible lie.
Furthermore, I am surprised to hear you say that GD is not a threat to Greek people. GD is a nazi party, and that's as far as it goes. Let everyone decide how dangerous this is for the people. Those who have the slightest idea of history instantly know the answer. You accuse me of propaganda, but I only stated some of GD's facts which can be verified by anyone. Photos, videos and extracts from their publications have been all over the media for months now. No propaganda here, just plain truth. Still, it's pretty funny to hear such an accusation from somebody using the nickname "The Propagandist".
If you are a GD voter, then I don't hope to change your mind, because I know its voters only rely on dubious (and militant) information sources which twist the facts to their convenience, even fabricate "facts" from scratch. If you're not a GD voter, then I suggest you take a closer look to the facts and check your sources better.
I watched video of GD goons assaulting an Israeli Journalist, surely he wasn't 'the problem'. Would I, a New Yorker with darker skin, need to worry if I were a tourist walking the streets of Athens that I may be targeted by some armband wearing, shaved headed ape?
Yes, they are neo-nazis. Go down that path at your own peril, I'm pretty sure this time around the rest of the world will not sit idly by and watch another racist, fascist state sprout take root in Europe.
I understand the greeks on this one. If Europe doesn't want to help them, why should they help others.
But does Greeks have to harass and kill ethnic minorities because it is not willing or able to help them.And it is disingenuous to suggest that Europe does not want to help Greece.
What 'ethnic minorities' are harassed and killed? Did you have a few drinks too many before posting here?
No one asked the Greeks if they want all those Muslims settlers in their country. I see no reason why they should tolerate their racist attacks. We don't want to have the same fate as our ancestors had in Ottoman Empire where Christian Armenians,Greeks and Assyrians were hunted down by Muslims. If the North European countries love so much "multiculturalism" they can amend the Dublin Regulation and accept all these "refugees". It's fine with us.
No-one asked them? Have they really never had a general election?
Yes, and the party elected(to avoid another even worse alternative) had promised to do the exact opposite of what it did...
Out of curiosity I want to know this: Why do all right wing parties have a fascination with Swastikas in Europe. You can still be a right or extreme right winger without showing an association with a failed brand - in other words HITLER. HITLER was not a pan-european in a true philosophical sense, then why cling on to his symbols.
They were not his symbols. The swastika is an ancient symbol used in various cultures (notably Greece). It was Hitler who exploited it and twisted its significance.
Ok, but having a modern day obsession with swastikas for anyone outside places like Hindu India, which were largely isolated from WWII, is clearly associated with Nazismand anyone saying otherwise is being disingenuous.
Greeks have lived there for thousands of years, haven't even colonized anyone, but now they must accept a tidal wave of diversity to tear apart their culture and nation. Why? Because it would be racist not to accept it. No one tells Japan to accept mass immigration because of what the Japanese did to the Ainu. Anti-racist is just a code word for anti-white. It seems that the Greeks no longer care about the opinions of those who are anti-white and anti-Greek.
Greeks were in antiquity a seaferrying nation with a lot of overseas collonies. They passed on their own values to other nations wherever they settled.
|Greeks have lived there for thousands of years, haven't even colonized anyone
What in the world are you talking about? Greece essentially invaded and conquered the entire region, and went through the Middle East and North Africa seeking more territory and vassal states.
Not that's it's relevant in any way, but your argument is literally the worst one you could possibly make in favor of Greece. It would be akin to saying the same about the equivalent superpower of the 19th century -- Britain.
This is a very old story.
"The Ancient Greeks practiced a scapegoating rite in which a cripple or beggar or criminal (the pharmakos) was cast out of the community, either in response to a natural disaster (such as a plague, famine or an invasion) or in response to a calendrical crisis (such as the end of the year). The scholia refer to the pharmakos being killed, but many scholars reject this, and argue that the earliest evidence (the fragments of the iambic satirist Hipponax) only show the pharmakos being stoned, beaten and driven from the community."
http://www.uark.edu/campus-resources/dlevine/Oxford12.html ("VII. Did they DIE!? 1. The final fate of the scapegoat was not very Bambi like. A. Scholars debate if the scapegoat was killed or not. i. Ovid says that they were killed, Callimachus says that they were not. ii. If not killed, the scapegoat was put into an undesirable situation, which without aide from other would result in death.")
Some Greeks use immigrants as scapegoats. Other Greeks use Germans as scapegoats. Few Greeks face up to reality.
TDmR4iDgsT, quite extraordinary how Greece with a total of 2% of Europe's GDP is the scapegoat for the deep recession in the euro zone!
This is who small children operate if caught doing something naughty:
Tactic No 1- Blame someone else.
Tactic No 2 - if evidence against you is overwhelming, find someone else doing something wrong and use that as the justification for your own wrongdoing.
Bottom Line: Denial of any responsibility, no chance of any lasting remedy.
Perfect example for tactic No 2: NikosCChangez68
Actually I think NikosChangez68's comment was quite witty and funny. The same goes for TDmR4iDgsT's comment.
Unfortunately, they are both right. Both the Greeks and we other Europeans are looking for scapegoats, instead of facing up the situation and introduce the right painful policies.
What's that exactly? That we're too poor of a country to do what we need to? That we don't get our 'debts' slashed like Germans did 3 times in the last century? Or that we must pay taxes to corrupted German companies that doesn't want to face justice like Siemens? :-)
There are more than one views. Greece has it's flaws and there are many, but there is not a single country in the EU able to judge Greece. Not one.
double comment removed.
Well, the overwhelming majority does face up to reality and has a clear picture of who should get the blame and that is the people who have been at the helm for the last 35 years. The problem is that we do not yet have a better replacement in part because of the laws and controls these people have passed; in any case this is what we desperately need to overcome.
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National Golf Links of America
10 Golf Courses Dad Would Love To Visit
The top clubs in the country are both expensive AND exclusive. You'd be a hero if you could get Dad on the green at any one of them. We've found one way to slip Dad through the gates of a very private club; maybe you can find another!

subset: commoncrawl


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NH House passes bill allowing bars to remain open until 2 a.m.
Under House Bill 575, if a local ordinance prohibits closing times later than 1 a.m., the local ordinance prevails.
But supporters of the bill said that allowing an extra hour of liquor sales aligns the closing hours in New Hampshire with surrounding states, will prevent young people from driving further from other states perhaps under the influence of alcohol and will generate more rooms and meals tax revenue.
Under the bill, business owners who violate the state law banning the sale of alcohol to underage or inebriated people will not be allowed to remain open for the extra hour of operation. That penalty would remain in effect for three years.
The bill had been recommended for passage on an 11-8 vote of the House Commerce and Consumer Affairs Committee. Those who opposed it said it sends a wrong message to the state's youth.
According to the committee minority, "New Hampshire is first in the nation in alcohol use by 12 to 20 year olds (34 percent) and third in the nation in binge drinking (22 percent)."
"Are you ever out driving at one in the morning? Are your children or your grandchildren?" asked Heden.
"If you are out there at 1 or 2 driving, are you thinking about drunk drivers?" said Heden.
She said "law enforcement, ambulance attendees, nurses, our college" all oppose the bill.
"Do we want to make their jobs more difficult?" she asked.
But Rep. Emily Sandblade R-Manchester, people it's easy for people to drive to Massachusetts to drink alcohol for an extra hour.
As a small state, it is a short drive to a neighboring state, Sandblade said.
"Size matters," she said. "This state's size and geography works against the goal of limiting underage consumption.
"And our earlier closing hours aren't buying us any special protection."
She said the current 1 a.m. closing time "is probably responsible for a higher rate of accidents" as people drive a further distance home after a night out."


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This distinguished men's ring is a Shane Co. exclusive. Nine round diamonds, at approximately .36 carat total weight, follow a horizontal pattern in this bold 14 karat white gold design. Each diamond has been hand-selected for sparkle and brilliance.Item Number: 41048249
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US D529042 S1 Abstract available in Claims(1)
Description The FIGURE is a front view of an icon for a portion of a display screen showing our new design. The broken line showing of the display screen is for illustrative purposes only and forms no part of the claimed design. Rotate |


text: 110 min | PG13 Transferring its setting from Chicago to sunny California, and adding a dash of disco to the ersatz '50s score, producer Allan Carr and director Randal Kleiser turned this long–running Broadway smash into the biggest blockbuster of 1978. 1950s teens Danny (John Travolta) and Australian transfer Sandy (Olivia Newton–John) spend their "Summer Nights&rsdquo; falling in love, but once fall comes, it's back to Rydell High and its cliques. GREASE became the highest–grossing film of 1978, the highest–grossing movie musical ever, and the third most popular film of the new blockbuster '70s. A newly restored copy of the film brings the T–Birds and Pink Ladies back to the big screen as a sing–a–long on Honolulu's biggest movie screen TITAN XC.


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Student Success Center
Frost Campus 314-977-3484 Monday - Friday: 8:30am-5pm |
Welcome, students and family, to the Student Success Center! The Student Success Center is the primary resource for success, providing academic support and career services for past, current, and future Billikens.
We are located on the third floor of the Busch Student Center and the first floor of the School of Nursing. Stop by or make an appointment online to start your journey to success!
Retention & Academic Success
Offering writing, tutoring, academic coaching, supplemental instruction, University 101 first-year course and MAP-Works transition assessment.
Saint Louis University's online database, for on-campus positions, internships, and/or full-time employment.
Medical Center Academic Advising
Offering students on the Medical Center campus academic support and opportunities, with knowledge about curriculum requirements, policies and procedures.
Contact Us
Meet the dedicated staff, advisors, and counselors available as you work to achieve your goals at SLU.
Career Services
Assisting students and alumni in exploring and pursuing meaningful careers over a lifetime.
Disability Services
Students, faculty and staff are welcome to obtain information regarding services available, procedures, documentation, and best practices.
Make an appointment for career services, academic advising, disability services, tutoring, writing, and academic coaching.
Major Exploration Advising
Providing students with the knowledge, support, and timeframe needed to consider academic and vocational options.


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Directed by:
Robert Zemeckis
Michael J. Fox,
Lea Thompson,
Crispin Glover,
Christopher Lloyd,
Billy Zane,
Thomas F. Wilson,
George 'Buck' Flower,
Norman Alden,
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George DiCenzo,
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- Bravus II 12D Powered Wireless Subwoofer
More information for Bravus II 12D Powered Wireless Subwoofer
Let's face it; there are times when size does matter. If you've got a big room and desire deep, loud, accurate bass coupled with your musical, you've just hit pay dirt. The dual 12" drivers and 650 watts of digital power in the Bravus 12D will electrify your room with expansive bass that must be heard and felt to believe. Prepare yourself to be moved - quite literally.
Key Features include:
- Wireless Connection to your AV Receiver via the Zona Home Audio Link
- USB power jack for easy wireless connection
- Single down-firing active 12" aluminum driver
- Dual side-firing 12"aluminum passive radiators
- 650 watt class D amplifier
- USB power jack for easy wireless connection
- Small internally braced 3/4" HDF sealed enclosure
- Virtually vibration-free cabinet
- TEN YEAR WARRANTY (two years on the amplifier)
- FREE SHIPPING - a $65 value*
- FREE lifetime technical support
All that plus a timeless design that seamlessly integrates with your décor.
Bravus by Aperion – subwoofers designed from the ground up for maximum performance, sonic quality and value.
*Free shipping value is based on ground shipping costs from Portland, OR to New York, NY. Individual rates vary.
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Single Active & Dual 12" Passive High-Excursion Custom Aluminum Drivers
We designed Bravus with three custom aluminum drivers for efficient high-performance. One part rigid precision, one part low bass extension - shake well with a healthy helping of linearity, and you're left with three drivers to take your music and movies to new depths. Aluminum offers the perfect blend of strength and mass to keep the Class D digital amp operating efficiently. Couple this with a heavy duty rubber surround and a precision motor structure and you get bass that is deep and linear. To make things even better, we packed three drivers in a small gorgeous enclosure so your Bravus 12" sub offers the performance of a larger sub but takes up less space.
650 Watt Class D Amplifier
All of the Bravus II subwoofers use an efficient high power class D amplifier with a high current switching power supply. This allows maximum performance output and deep bass authority while maintaining the musical accuracy and detail you expect from Aperion Audio.
Detachable Power Cord w/ Switchable Voltage
We make it easy to upgrade your cord or take your subwoofer on the road. No matter if you're in Los Angeles or Lisbon, you can easily switch between 110V and 220V power. Just plug in the correct cord, switch the voltage and enjoy. One caveat, though -- We're not responsible for international noise ordinances, so tread carefully and bring bribe money.
Line Level Inputs
Every Aperion subwoofer comes standard with an LFE line level input that connects to any receiver's subwoofer pre-out. Or, if you don't have a sub-out connection, use the left and right low level inputs with the low level outputs from your pre-amp or receiver.
High Level Inputs
Hook your new subwoofer up to any receiver or amplifier! If you don't have a sub-out connection on your receiver, you can use the left and right speaker outputs to make setup a snap.
Internally Braced 1" HDF Sealed Enclosure
Powerful bass needs a sturdy cabinet. Every Bravus 12D subwoofer is built out of strong 1" HDF and internally braced to reduce cabinet vibration to nearly nothing.
Timeless Design & Furniture-Grade Finish
Each of our Bravus subwoofers features a timeless design aesthetic and is beautifully finished in high gloss piano black lacquer, allowing them to effortlessly blend into your decor. This first-rate cabinetry unites the acoustic qualities of only the most expensive subwoofers with a furniture-grade finish so handsome your coffee table will be jealous.
Leveling Floor Spikes and Footers
Included with each Bravus subwoofer is a set of metal floor spikes with footers and a set of rubber feet. Use the metal spikes on carpet for tighter bass by decoupling the sub from the floor. If you have hard floors, use the footers with your metal spikes or use the included rubber feet to improve bass response and protect your surfaces from scratches or dents.
Acoustically Transparent Grille
Nothing stands between you and your sound. We designed a sonically invisible grille that not only looks great, but also protects your precious woofers from curious fingers, claws or snouts.
Download the Bravus Subwoofer Manual
Weight | 54.0 lbs |
Finish | Gloss Black |
Frequency Response | -3dB, 23Hz - 200Hz -- -6dB, 19Hz - 200Hz |
Sample Rate | Zona HAL: 16-bit depth and 48 KHz sampling |
Latency | Low, at 18 ms |
Wireless Band | 2.4 GHz |
Amplifier Power | 650W RMS |
Woofer | 12", high-excursion aluminum driver with dual 12" passive radiators |
Driver Configuration | Single Driver with Dual Passive Radiators |
Enclosure Type | Sealed and Internally Braced, 1" HDF |
Dimensions | 17" H x 15.5" W x 15.5" D (with feet attached) |


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Espo Line Autographed Bruins Puck
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General Information About Thyroid Cancer
Incidence and Mortality
Estimated new cases and deaths from thyroid cancer in the United States in 2015:[1]
- New cases: 62,450.
- Deaths: 1,950.
Carcinoma of the thyroid gland is an uncommon cancer but is the most common malignancy of the endocrine system.[2] Differentiated tumors (papillary or follicular) are highly treatable and usually curable. Poorly differentiated tumors (medullary or anaplastic) are much less common, are aggressive, metastasize early, and have a much poorer prognosis. Thyroid cancer affects women more often than men and usually occurs in people between the ages of 25 and 65 years. The incidence of this malignancy has been increasing over the last decade. Thyroid cancer commonly presents as a cold nodule. The overall incidence of cancer in a cold nodule is 12% to 15%, but it is higher in people younger than 40 years and in people with calcifications present on preoperative ultrasonography.[3,4]
Risk Factors
Patients with a history of radiation administered in infancy and childhood for benign conditions of the head and neck, such as enlarged thymus, acne, or tonsillar or adenoidal enlargement, have an increased risk of cancer as well as other abnormalities of the thyroid gland. In this group of patients, malignancies of the thyroid gland first appear beginning as early as 5 years following radiation and may appear 20 or more years later.[5] Radiation exposure as a consequence of nuclear fallout has also been associated with a high risk of thyroid cancer, especially in children.[6-8] Other risk factors for the development of thyroid cancer include the following:[9]
- A history of goiter.
- Family history of thyroid disease.
- Female gender.
- Asian race.
Prognostic Factors
The prognosis for differentiated carcinoma is better for patients younger than 40 years without extracapsular extension or vascular invasion.[10-14] Age appears to be the single most important prognostic factor.[12] The prognostic significance of lymph node status is controversial. One retrospective surgical series of 931 previously untreated patients with differentiated thyroid cancer found that female gender, multifocality, and regional node involvement are favorable prognostic factors.[15] Adverse factors included age older than 45 years, follicular histology, primary tumor larger than 4 cm (T2–T3), extrathyroid extension (T4), and distant metastases.[15,16] Other studies, however, have shown that regional lymph node involvement had no effect [17,18] or even an adverse effect on survival.[13,14,19] Use of sentinel lymph node biopsy may aid in identifying patients with occult metastases who might benefit from central neck dissection.[20]
Risk factors and survivorship
Diffuse, intense immunostaining for vascular endothelial growth factor in patients with papillary cancer has been associated with a high rate of local recurrence and distant metastases.[21] An elevated serum thyroglobulin level correlates strongly with recurrent tumor when found in patients with differentiated thyroid cancer during postoperative evaluations.[22,23] Serum thyroglobulin levels are most sensitive when patients are hypothyroid and have elevated serum thyroid-stimulating hormone levels.[24] Expression of the tumor suppressor gene p53 has also been associated with an adverse prognosis for patients with thyroid cancer.[25]
Low-risk factors
Patients considered at low risk by the age, metastases, extent, and size (AMES) risk criteria include women younger than 50 years and men younger than 40 years without evidence of distant metastases. Also included in the low-risk group are older patients with primary tumors smaller than 5 cm and papillary cancer without evidence of gross extrathyroid invasion or follicular cancer without either major capsular invasion or blood vessel invasion.[11] Using these criteria, a retrospective study of 1,019 patients showed that the 20-year survival rate is 98% for low-risk patients and 50% for high-risk patients.[11] The 10-year overall relative survival rates for patients in the United States are 93% for papillary cancer, 85% for follicular cancer, 75% for medullary cancer, and 14% for undifferentiated/anaplastic cancer.[2]
The thyroid gland may occasionally be the site of other primary tumors, including sarcomas, lymphomas, epidermoid carcinomas, and teratomas and may be the site of metastasis from other cancers, particularly of the lung, breast, and kidney.
Related Summaries
Other PDQ summaries containing information related to thyroid cancer include the following:
- Genetics of Medullary Thyroid Cancer
- Unusual Cancers of Childhood (childhood cancer of the thyroid)
- American Cancer Society: Cancer Facts and Figures 2015. Atlanta, Ga: American Cancer Society, 2015. Available online. Last accessed April 1, 2015.
- Hundahl SA, Fleming ID, Fremgen AM, et al.: A National Cancer Data Base report on 53,856 cases of thyroid carcinoma treated in the U.S., 1985-1995 [see comments] Cancer 83 (12): 2638-48, 1998. [PUBMED Abstract]
- Tennvall J, Biörklund A, Möller T, et al.: Is the EORTC prognostic index of thyroid cancer valid in differentiated thyroid carcinoma? Retrospective multivariate analysis of differentiated thyroid carcinoma with long follow-up. Cancer 57 (7): 1405-14, 1986. [PUBMED Abstract]
- Khoo ML, Asa SL, Witterick IJ, et al.: Thyroid calcification and its association with thyroid carcinoma. Head Neck 24 (7): 651-5, 2002. [PUBMED Abstract]
- Carling T, Udelsman R: Thyroid tumors. In: DeVita VT Jr, Lawrence TS, Rosenberg SA: Cancer: Principles and Practice of Oncology. 9th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2011, pp 1457-72.
- Pacini F, Vorontsova T, Molinaro E, et al.: Prevalence of thyroid autoantibodies in children and adolescents from Belarus exposed to the Chernobyl radioactive fallout. Lancet 352 (9130): 763-6, 1998. [PUBMED Abstract]
- Cardis E, Kesminiene A, Ivanov V, et al.: Risk of thyroid cancer after exposure to 131I in childhood. J Natl Cancer Inst 97 (10): 724-32, 2005. [PUBMED Abstract]
- Tronko MD, Howe GR, Bogdanova TI, et al.: A cohort study of thyroid cancer and other thyroid diseases after the chornobyl accident: thyroid cancer in Ukraine detected during first screening. J Natl Cancer Inst 98 (13): 897-903, 2006. [PUBMED Abstract]
- Iribarren C, Haselkorn T, Tekawa IS, et al.: Cohort study of thyroid cancer in a San Francisco Bay area population. Int J Cancer 93 (5): 745-50, 2001. [PUBMED Abstract]
- Grant CS, Hay ID, Gough IR, et al.: Local recurrence in papillary thyroid carcinoma: is extent of surgical resection important? Surgery 104 (6): 954-62, 1988. [PUBMED Abstract]
- Sanders LE, Cady B: Differentiated thyroid cancer: reexamination of risk groups and outcome of treatment. Arch Surg 133 (4): 419-25, 1998. [PUBMED Abstract]
- Mazzaferri EL: Treating differentiated thyroid carcinoma: where do we draw the line? Mayo Clin Proc 66 (1): 105-11, 1991. [PUBMED Abstract]
- Staunton MD: Thyroid cancer: a multivariate analysis on influence of treatment on long-term survival. Eur J Surg Oncol 20 (6): 613-21, 1994. [PUBMED Abstract]
- Mazzaferri EL, Jhiang SM: Long-term impact of initial surgical and medical therapy on papillary and follicular thyroid cancer. Am J Med 97 (5): 418-28, 1994. [PUBMED Abstract]
- Shah JP, Loree TR, Dharker D, et al.: Prognostic factors in differentiated carcinoma of the thyroid gland. Am J Surg 164 (6): 658-61, 1992. [PUBMED Abstract]
- Andersen PE, Kinsella J, Loree TR, et al.: Differentiated carcinoma of the thyroid with extrathyroidal extension. Am J Surg 170 (5): 467-70, 1995. [PUBMED Abstract]
- Coburn MC, Wanebo HJ: Prognostic factors and management considerations in patients with cervical metastases of thyroid cancer. Am J Surg 164 (6): 671-6, 1992. [PUBMED Abstract]
- Voutilainen PE, Multanen MM, Leppäniemi AK, et al.: Prognosis after lymph node recurrence in papillary thyroid carcinoma depends on age. Thyroid 11 (10): 953-7, 2001. [PUBMED Abstract]
- Sellers M, Beenken S, Blankenship A, et al.: Prognostic significance of cervical lymph node metastases in differentiated thyroid cancer. Am J Surg 164 (6): 578-81, 1992. [PUBMED Abstract]
- Cunningham DK, Yao KA, Turner RR, et al.: Sentinel lymph node biopsy for papillary thyroid cancer: 12 years of experience at a single institution. Ann Surg Oncol 17 (11): 2970-5, 2010. [PUBMED Abstract]
- Lennard CM, Patel A, Wilson J, et al.: Intensity of vascular endothelial growth factor expression is associated with increased risk of recurrence and decreased disease-free survival in papillary thyroid cancer. Surgery 129 (5): 552-8, 2001. [PUBMED Abstract]
- van Herle AJ, van Herle KA: Thyroglobulin in benign and malignant thyroid disease. In: Falk SA: Thyroid Disease: Endocrinology, Surgery, Nuclear Medicine, and Radiotherapy. Philadelphia, Pa: Lippincott-Raven, 1997, pp 601-618.
- Ruiz-Garcia J, Ruiz de Almodóvar JM, Olea N, et al.: Thyroglobulin level as a predictive factor of tumoral recurrence in differentiated thyroid cancer. J Nucl Med 32 (3): 395-8, 1991. [PUBMED Abstract]
- Duren M, Siperstein AE, Shen W, et al.: Value of stimulated serum thyroglobulin levels for detecting persistent or recurrent differentiated thyroid cancer in high- and low-risk patients. Surgery 126 (1): 13-9, 1999. [PUBMED Abstract]
- Godballe C, Asschenfeldt P, Jørgensen KE, et al.: Prognostic factors in papillary and follicular thyroid carcinomas: p53 expression is a significant indicator of prognosis. Laryngoscope 108 (2): 243-9, 1998. [PUBMED Abstract]


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WATCH: Steven Fogarty Interview
U r all right its not like we have to win this game season is over unless we go 15-2 lol and that aint happening so sit him til after break please make one smart move jesus
I heard last night on NHL live that Tavares might not make it to Brooklyn. I'm not sure what that means. Maybe they heard some rumors that Tavares might be so disgusted with the Islanders that he wants out. First of all he's signed through the 2017-18 season and i've never heard him say he wants out of Long Island. I'd love to see Tavares stay with the Islanders until the end of his career but you never know. If Tavares ever demanded a trade before his contract expires i'll bet 29 teams would be lining up and trying to aquire him. That possible trade would be a blockbuster similar to the Lindros trade. Lets just hope that doesn't happen.
Evan Roberts on WFAN was just complaining that his show has put in calls to the Islanders to have guests come on, and he specifically mentioned Tavares, and the Islanders don't return their phone calls. Roberts should know that the Isles have an exclusive contract with Radio Hoftstra and that all team information is widely available to anyone living within a quarter mile radius of the Coliseum.
Why take a chance for 1 game? if he is truly ready, he should be doing heavy duty conditioning so he is fired up after the Olympics. I could see if it was a playoff gaem but.........
i agree. very stupid to have him play Saturday. it is always best to be conservative and rest with any brain injury. He should probably take time off from getting hit until next season or at least until after the Olympic break.
Good news but no point in making a one game return here. Take the extra time and make 10000% sure he is OK.
Wouldn't it be better to just have him sit Saturday and come back after the Olympics just to be on the safe side at this point? One game won't make a difference at this point in the season for us


text: Education News -- Colleges and universities that are struggling to soften the financial blow brought on by cuts in state funding might be looking at an old, but suddenly new again, revenue stream: oil. Several institutions of higher education have recently hosted representatives of oil and natural gas mining companies who are exploring whether the land under their campus could be viable for exploitation by the new 'fracking' method of pulling natural resources from below the surface.Jeffery Stone, an environmental science professor at the Indiana State University, recently witnessed such an experiment. An oil company's seismic shaker trucked rolled slowly over the campus street sending out pulses every eight seconds trying to map out any oil reserves hiding below the grass and concrete.Indiana isn't Read the Full Article


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The process of buying a new Jeep car or truck can seem overwhelming if you don't know where to begin. Edmunds.com can get you started on the right track with a convenient directory of Jeep car dealerships in and around Schodack Landing, New York. Compare online price quotes on the new or used car, truck, SUV, minivan, or wagon of your choice to locate the best deals. Edmunds.com makes it easy to find trusted Jeep car dealers in Schodack Landing, saving car buyers time and money on what will be an important purchase.
"I was very apprehensive about going to a car dealer as you always here stories about high pressure sales and I knew what I could afford. I knew my cre"... Read more Review by: bemery1


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It is a lot better picture being sent than the same priced ones at local Mart stores ( Almost looks like HD, T.V.'s not ). I put them in the kids rooms and kept the controls and the kids (young 4-6 yrs old) can use them by themselves. Great deal for me i'm going to buy a couple spare for later.
I didn't want to spend alot of money for a DVD player, and I didn't. It plays fine, but the trying to back up or do much of anything other than 'pause', is difficult to manage; the control is not 'user friendly'. It causes me alot of frustration, so when I use it, I determine to not have to do anything except pause.
This was a gift for my grandson, as far as I know it works just fine and he likes it so I am happy with the purchase!
I purchased the DVD player for a friend, who doesn't have a computer. From day 1, he was complaining that the player wouldn't play certain DVDs, and it would freeze toward the end of others. I traded him another DVD player, and he hasn't had a problem since. However, now, I'm having problems with this DVD player. It stated out not playing certain DVDs (as it had with my friend.) Now, in addition to freezing and inability to play certain DVDs, it won't show any color.
No problems hooking it up. Simple and easy to use.
I watched movies and listened to them. I wanted to hear video and use my television. This is exactly what I got from this product. The chance to be entertained at less time and do other choices as well. This is a great product for others who want to watch videos.
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