Patti's Blog - Advocate for Elders, People with Disabilities and Their Families

Epitafio Problems!

Excerpt from Typical Greek Life: (click for entire article)

So last night was the very important "Epitafio" at Church whereby Jesus' "tomb" is decorated with flowers in each Greek Orthodox Church around the world and then carried out into the streets while all the Greeks walk behind it holding candles. This is the night when Jesus died on the cross and is a serious time of mourning and should be respected.

Of course I did take it seriously in my heart, however there are comical moments in our culture that no matter how serious it is, you gotta just laugh and I like to share those moments, so sorry if you got offended!

It's time for the Greek Diaspora to stand up

From YouTube:

We're a national network of highly-trained advocates and community leaders who advance issues important to the Greek American community on the local, state and national level. We work for the greater good, here in the United States and abroad. Join us at http://www.hellenicleaders.com/signup

 

Plan B for Greece

Excerpt from The Wall Street Journal: (click for entire article)

Negotiations between creditors and debtors often turn into games of chicken—especially when debtors use the prospect of default to their advantage. That's certainly been true for Greece, but now the lines are being drawn a little differently.

To judge from the tenor of recent news, Athens and its private creditors are increasingly banking on the idea that Germany and the euro zone won't have the stomach for a messy default when some €14 billion in Greek debt comes due in March.

Greece: crisis takes toll on health

Excerpt from Associated Press: (click for entire article)

The Greek financial crisis has become a health hazard.

Economically vulnerable Greeks are losing health care access amid dwindling budgets, facing higher risks of HIV infection and sexually transmitted diseases, and in some cases, even dying, according to a study released online Monday by The Lancet, a British medical journal.

Citing data from the Greek government, the European Union and other sources, the authors of the report traced an alarming deterioration in health data in the past few years as Greece struggled through annual recessions that have pushed it closer to a default despite international bailout efforts. Greeks are struggling to cope with austerity measures that have triggered strikes and protests.

Greece: Olympic Host Failing on Disabilities

Excerpt from Human Rights Watch: (click for entire article)

Greece should take action to improve the rights of people with disabilities, Human Rights Watch said today. Greece is the host of the Special Olympics summer games, the world's largest sports organization for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, being held from June 25 through July 4, 2011.

In a joint letter on June 14, Human Rights Watch and the European Disability Forum urged Health Minister Andreas Loverdos to take immediate action to address abusive conditions for children and adults with intellectual disabilities at the Children's Care Center of Lechaina, including the use of cage beds and restraints to tie patients to their beds and routine sedation.

"If Greece is serious about the ideals of the Special Olympics, it should not ignore documented abuses of children and adults with disabilities right under its nose," said Shantha Rau Barriga, disability rights researcher and advocate at Human Rights Watch. "The government should end the use of cage beds, sedation and routine restraints in the Lechaina center."

Greece: Olympic Host Failing on Disabilities

Excerpt from Human Rights Watch: (click for entire article)

Greece should take action to improve the rights of people with disabilities, Human Rights Watch said today. Greece is the host of the Special Olympics summer games, the world's largest sports organization for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, being held from June 25 through July 4, 2011.

In a joint letter on June 14, Human Rights Watch and the European Disability Forum urged Health Minister Andreas Loverdos to take immediate action to address abusive conditions for children and adults with intellectual disabilities at the Children's Care Center of Lechaina, including the use of cage beds and restraints to tie patients to their beds and routine sedation.

7th Annual Greek Folk Dance Workshop/Retreat

From Tina Souphis:

Saturday, February 5, 2011

St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church

760 W. Wattles Road

Troy, MI 48098

Dance Instruction by the Dora Stratou Dance Theatre in Athens Greece

The workshop will begin at 10:00am and conclude at 3:00 pm. The registration fee is $30 per participant and it includes a light breakfast, lunch, snacks and a t-shirt. Registration form is attached.

Registration deadline is January 15, 2011

Please email tsouphis@twmi.rr.com for further information

Download Registration Form

Disabled Greeks protest crisis cuts in Athens

Excerpt from The Associated Press: (click for entire article)

Some 2,000 disabled people protested in central Athens on Friday against benefit cuts made by the government to lower the national debt load.

Blind or hearing-impaired people, as well as others in wheelchairs, gathered in the city's main Syntagma Square to demand that the government exempt the disabled from the cuts.

The protest, held on the United Nations' International Day of Persons with Disabilities, occurred amid a resurgence in union protests against Greece's austerity measures.

The Socialist government imposed wage and benefit cuts this year as Greece narrowly avoided bankruptcy thanks to bailout loans from European countries and the International Monetary Fund.

Homeless numbers rising in Athens as crisis bites

Excerpt from Kathimerini: (click for entire article)

The number of homeless people in Athens and other major cities has increased sharply over the past few months, as a rising number of Greeks and immigrants are laid off by employers struggling to make ends meet.

The number of people sleeping on streets, parks and in derelict buildings across Greece is believed to be significantly higher than last year when the Health Ministry registered 7,720 homeless people, less than half the estimate of 20,000 that was given by nongovernment organizations.

According to a nurse working at Klimaka, one of these NGOs operating in Athens, an increasing number of unemployed Greeks are seeking help. “Last week two sacked factory laborers, aged 35 and 45, came to us – they’d been looking for work for months,” Efi Stamatoyannopoulou told Kathimerini. Klimaka has also been approached by a middle-aged Greek cleaner who has been homeless for months and by a young man who is working part-time as a model while sleeping on park benches. An increasing number of immigrants are also seeking the help of Klimaka and other NGOs. One Bulgarian migrant, a former teacher who had sought the help of Klimaka after resorting to alcohol, was killed last month in a brawl with another homeless person over a sleeping spot in the city center.

US cities with Greek names

Excerpt from Greek Names: (click for entire article)

Have you ever thought how many US cities with Greek names exist? You will be surprised to know that they are more than hundred.

Statistics show that there are just 16 cities with the name Athens in the United States, as well as 26 American cities containing the Greek name Troy in their name.

We have put together a list of US cities with Greek names deriving mostly from the Greek mythology and history.