Saturday, February 28, 2015

Into the Woods


Today is the final day for European Parliaments—including Greece’s—to approve the four-month extension deal (deferring predicted financial Armageddon) entered into between Greece and the Eurogroup.  If you don’t know what I’m talking about don’t worry.  No one does. 

You see, even the Greek party in power responsible for negotiating the deal is having trouble explaining what’s going on to its own party members.  So much so, that a day ago Greece’s Prime Minister wasn’t sure he had enough votes in his parliamentary coalition to agree to the lifeline deal, leading him to say that he might decide not to submit it to Parliament at all.  

And protestors are back on Athens streets tossing Molotov cocktails, burning cars, and shattering shop windows.




As for what the deal actually meant, well, Greece’s tieless Finance Minister, Yanis Varoufakis, called it a deliberately vaguely worded “fig leaf” document designed to give cover to European parliaments so they could approve an agreement actually “dispensing with Greece’s bailout deal”—something the member countries said they would not do.  He also said Greece’s “coffers are empty,” and that the folks now wearing the fig leaf should turn over the money Greece needs to help with its “relatively small cash problem.”

Like I said, who knows?

Frankly, I see two ways of enduring all this while preserving sanity.  

Option #1.  Keep a sense of humor…something American television and German television have found fit to do by poking fun at Minister Varoufakis.

John Oliver from HBO's "Last Week Tonight."

Germany's ZDF "Neo Magazin Royale."

Option #2:  Take off into the woods until things sort themselves out…hopefully by the Spring thaw. I’ve opted for option #2, as I don’t see what’s happening in Greece as much given to humor at the moment.  

All I can say is, things might look bleak but the sun will shine again.














And once again, thank you Barbara Zilly for the photos.


Jeff—Saturday

10 comments:

  1. You have to keep your humor about you or you'll quickly become a grouchy old curmudgeon. But you're right, there's not much humor in this situation. :-(

    As for the photographs, I can always depend upon Barbara to bring some class to your posts...

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    1. Sadly, EvKa, I agree with all your observations--especially the last. :) See you sooooooon.

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  2. People used to do nothing about politics. Now doing nothing is tinged with violent reactions that really get everyone in trouble.

    The trouble with taking for the woods is that it involves leaving one's house and risking being stoned.

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    1. Once again you're absolutely right, Charlotte. These days it is far better to stay in your house and get stoned.

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  3. Paul Krugman has an interesting take. He thinks the Greeks have won a significant amount of ground, and that it might help the rest of Europe also.
    http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/27/opinion/paul-krugman-what-greece-won.html?emc=edit_th_20150227&nl=todaysheadlines&nlid=55892540

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    1. As much as I respect and follow Paul Krugman, on the subject of Greece for some time now he's basically been espousing the current government's agenda and party line. Whether or not he's right will depend on whether those on whose opinions and perception of the facts he's relying are correct. Let's hope so.

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  4. I'm listening to the news, and they are talking about Greece as I type. One more time, I feel lost. So I'll just sit back and enjoy Barbara's pictures. Are the snow pictures on and around your farm? Lovely. I particularly like the white stone cottage-storage thingy. Good eye.

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    1. Yes, Lil, it's snow in and around my place--with a couple from outside the neighborhood...like Cape Sounion. :) The white stone cottage is what's called a "spring house" as that's where water from an underground spring comes out of the hillside before flowing into the pond. That's where water is captured for household use...since the late 1700s.

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  5. Let's see. I can quote Shelley: If winter's here can spring be far behind? Or be more original, about spring coming, your mouth to God's ear. :)

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  6. And in a less poetic vein, I'm wondering whether folks are misinterpreting Punxutawney Phil. Instead of predicting six more weeks of winter on February 2nd, I'm afraid he may have been predicting ten!

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