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"Lost" tourist in Sfakia - Updated: 09.05.2012 / / 21:45

During hiking - Search in progress

On its way is a company of police, fire brigade and local authorities in Chania to identify a woman from Austria, who lost orientation, during hiking in the area of ​​Sfakia, between Anopolis and Agios Ioannis.

According to the evidence so far from her innkeeper, it is an over 60 year old woman, indicating that she can not find her way back, but she is in good health. Immediately a company set up to search and rescue, with the participation of volunteers from the area.

From: [www.cretalive.gr]

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Danish Cimber Sterling files for bankruptcy, cancels flights - 3 May, 2012

Denmark's Cimber Sterling has filed for bankruptcy and has canceled all flights, according to a statement on the company’s website. The statement said the board “has decided to file for bankruptcy with the court in Sonderborg on Thursday.”

In August, Cyprus-based Mansvell Enterprises agreed to a capital injection of around DKK165 million ($31.8 million), giving Mansvell approximately 70.8% of the share capital and voting rights in the financially struggling airline.

"The board of directors and the management team have worked intensely to ensure a turnaround of the company for several months but unfortunately we did not succeed before we ran out of time," chief executive Jan Palmer said in a statement.

From: [atwonline.com]

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Greek Elections, a Trap! - 5 May, 2012

This Sunday's election seems to be a trap -- one that was originally set by the extreme left-wing and later taken on by newly-created anti-austerity parties. Austerity measures are known as bailout plans and understood by the average Greek to be imposed by the Troika (European Union, International Monetary Fund and the European Central Bank). This trap was set to snare socialist Pasok and conservative New Democracy -- the country's traditionally biggest parties and the main advocates of the Troika involvement.

Shocked by severe recession (-7 percent of GDP and over 20 percent of unemployment), Greeks seem to blame their woes on the harsh austerity measures imposed by the two Troika loans in less than 20 months. There is a strong sentiment that the solutions to the economic crisis are even harsher than the crisis itself.

People are tired, angry and broke because liquidity is squeezed. And because the structural problems that have generated the economic crisis in Greece are still present. People are not convinced about the medicine.

The elections seem to be about anti-austerity populism versus austerity discipline. This is a discipline very much promoted (seemingly) punitively by our European partners, especially those of the north.

The question, however, should not be who is right or wrong or who should be punished or who should not. The real question is how to create the appropriate structural policies and reforms to make the Greek economy productive and competitive.

This general environment pressured Greece to internal disarray, leading the country to early elections (a whole year and a half earlier), throwing it into a debate over the wrong issues -- austerity versus non-austerity, Troika versus non-Troika; ultimately falling in the trap of populism versus promoting a deeper understanding of how to achieve higher productivity.

The whole set of newly-created, anti-Troika parties stand strong chances of getting into the parliament. Together with the Greek Communist Party (KKE), they have nothing to lose by exploiting the populist rhetoric. Meanwhile, the country's two largest parties are struggling to avoid a possible a historical low on the night of May 6.

It's a high stakes game.

On May 7, it looks like we will have a coalition government.

Let's think about the risks. If Pasok and New Democracy capture less than 50 percent of the vote -- the new government will not have a strong mandate.

It's already been very difficult to govern through the crisis and put through zillions of austerity measures. Just imagine how hard it will be for the new government to govern with less than 50 percent of the popular vote. Any application and implementation of reforms will become even harder for society to accept, even though these reforms have all been signed and accepted months ago.

When Greeks go to the polls on Sunday, they will be reeling from one of the worst economic crisis in history that has cost them their jobs, pensions and is now denying them the power to plan for their future.

So what is the way out?

A coalition government should be created on the basis of a very clear communication of the trade offs and the necessary structural reforms that need to take place. That same government needs to offer to the Greek People a roadmap for getting out of the crisis.

Up to now, in Greece and across Europe, there was wishful thinking that the crisis will go away fast. However, the way we have handled it so far has only proved that the crisis will remain as long as we don't focus on the specific structural reforms that will increase our productivity and competitiveness.

This must be the role of the new government.

From: Huffington Post

On Friday evening:

Venizelos asks voters to choose stability, euro

PASOK leader appeals to PASOK faithful
Leader of the Greek Socialist party Evangelos Venizelos waves during a pre-election speech at the Syntagma square in Athens on Friday.

In his last appearance ahead of Sunday’s elections, socialist PASOK leader Evangelos Venizelos appealed to supporters to back his party to safeguard the country’s solvency as well as its future in the eurozone.

Addressing a crowd of around 3,000 supporters amid tight security -- a very small turnout compared to previous Socialist rallies -- Venizelos said voters should not walk away from the party despite any misgivings about the impact of austerity measures on their daily lives.

“Despite their reservations and their hesitations, we expect their vote on Sunday as it will keep the country on its feet,” Venizelos said.

The Socialist leader and former finance minister claimed that only a government with PASOK at the helm could guarantee stability. “Which government can pay salaries and pensions?” he asked.

In a dig at conservative New Democracy leader Antonis Samaras’s insistence on governing alone, Venizelos said he would not cooperate unconditionally with other parties. “PASOK will not become anyone’s lackey,” he said. “I will not take lessons in negotiation from a man who hid behind me,” he said, an apparent reference to the reluctance of Samaras to negotiate with foreign creditors.

The Socialist leader appeared to cast himself as the only one capable of helping Greece overcome its woes.

“The crisis is a war. We need a general with the ability to win battles,” he said.

Venizelos stressed that the country’s fate in the eurozone was at stake. “On Sunday it will be decided whether we stay in Europe and in the eurozone or whether we condemn the country to bankruptcy and its people to massive poverty,” he said.

He repeated his party’s plan for easing the fiscal adjustment demanded by foreign creditors, pledging to spread spending cuts over three years rather than two, a plan he insisted was more realistic than ND’s pledge to cut taxes and restore low-level pensions.

Representatives of Greece’s foreign creditors are to return to Athens in June for talks with the new government on some 11 billion euros in extra cuts for the next two years.

Venizelos lashed out at a crop of smaller anti-bailout parties, on the left and right, for suggesting an exit from Greece’s debt deal, accusing them of offering “false promises.” He also condemned the rise of the extreme right, declaring, “We say no to Nazi sympathizers and nostalgists for the junta in Parliament,” referring to Greece’s military dictatorship.

From: Kathimerini

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An Aegean island in Thailand - 30 April, 2012

Small courtyards brightened up with pots of flowers, cobblestone alleys with whitened borders and the deep blue of the Aegean on domed roofs and wooden window sills, are no longer the privilege of visitors to the Greek islands alone but also of those to Thailand’s popular coastal resort of Cha-am, where the Thai’s love of Greece is not just expressed in post cards and posters, but in a replica of neighborhoods of one southern Aegean island in particular.

Santorini Park, a giant theme park modeled on the popular island destination, is due to open on May 5 on an expanse of 6 hectares, complete with models of traditional Cycladic houses, alleys and climbing bougainvillaea. The designers of Santorini Park, however, have not allowed reality to restrict them and have also their own twee brushstrokes to the phantasmagoria, including ancient-style statuary and pop-art features, as well as artificial waterfalls and fountains.

More than a series of sets for the perfect photo-ops of a “Grecian holiday,” Santorini Park promises to be a shopper’s paradise, bringing together 140 stores carrying top brands in apparel, footwear, accessories, artwork and more, as well as plenty of family entertainment and food options.

Besides dozens of restaurants, cafes and sweet shops, Santorini Park has a 40-meter windmill, a bell tower and an Italian-style carousel, and is surrounded by greenery.

The company behind Santorini Park is Pena Group, a southeast Asian leader in retail centers. The cost of the two-year project ran to 12.2 million euros.

Local authorities on Santorini were not, however, contacted or consulted on the construction of the park, neither by Thai authorities nor by Pena Group.

The residents and municipal authorities of the island found out about Santorini Park through the press, while there are differing opinions in regards to the impact the development may have on the island.

Some argue that although Santorini Park is half a world away, it will generate tourism interest in the island through indirect advertising. Others believe that Santorini has more to lose than to gain from the development.

The mayor of Santorini, Nikolaos Zoros, is of the latter opinion.

“Sure, the name of Santorini will be heard on the other side of the world, but the whole esthetic aspect is very serious,” Zoros told Kathimerini, adding: “I am always somewhat guarded about things that are not originals, but copies, and so in this case also I would prefer to see what it looks like before stating an opinion. What is certain is that the choice of Santorini as a model shows a preference and a love for our island and our country that is very welcome at this difficult period.”

From: Kathimerini

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Comment: You, or some of your naturalist friends may be interested by the book FLOWERS OF GREECE written by Tristan Lafranchis and George Sfikas.

This 2 volume field guide published in May 2009 is beautifully and generously illustrated with 3,500 colour photos.

Text and photo are on the same double-page and describe more than 78% of Greek plants (more are found on the DVD). Descriptions emphasize the distinctive features, the most important being in italic. Large general groups have been divided into smaller units in order to assist identification. Information on the habitats, the location in Greece and the flowering time are also given.

The DVD-rom offers the chance to present more than 13,000 photos, giving justice to the wonderful diversity of Greek flora and the large range of variation of many plants. Several slide-shows are presented to introduce the reader to several of the Greek " botanical paradises ".

It has been extremely well reviewed:

" .. a miraculously concise, well-organised and authoritative field guide, which will become an absolutely indispensable companion for anyone visiting Greece for flowers in the future.... this is a tremendous and eagerly anticipated production"

PROF.JOHN RICHARDS , March 2010.

Volume 1 : 432 pages, details on 2,000 species, more than 1,700 colour photos

Volume 2 : 446 pages, details on 2,200 species, more than 1,800 colour photos

+ DVD-rom for Windows including more than 13,000 photos


Please feel free to ask us for more details (we can send you several pages in PDF)

Best wishes

Tristan Lafranchis
Email: lafranch at otenet.gr

We have also written and published Butterflies of Europe told as " by far the best guide to European butterflies"

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One hundred million Russians ready to visit Greece - 25 April, 2012

Russian tourists visiting Greece this year are set to increase by a considerable 30 to 40 percent compared to 2011, the general director of the Thessaloniki Tourism Organization, Nikos Sapountzis, told a Greek-Russian economic forum in the Macedonian city on Tuesday.

Sapountzis added that data collected by the Greek Embassy in Moscow, the Greek National Tourism Organization and visa centers show a 19 percent annual increase in visas issued.

Representatives of a business mission from St Petersburg said Greece could become the top destination for Russians if obstacles such as the visa requirement are overcome.

"One hundred million Russians are ready to visit Greece,» said Sergey Fedorov, board member of the St Petersburg Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

From: Kathimerini