Omilo Newsletter May 2010

7/27/2019 Omilo Newsletter May 2010

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ADDITIONAL TAX MEASURES

- The main VAT rate is increased by 2 percentage points to 23 percent. It had already been raised to

21 percent from 19 percent in March.

- Excise taxes on fuel, cigarettes and alcohol are increased by a further 10 percent.

- The government expects to generate additional revenues through another tax on highly profitable

companies, as well as new gambling and gaming licenses and more property taxes.

PRIVATE SECTOR

- The government said it will revise laws which currently bar companies from firing more than 2

percent of their total work force each month. A new minimum wage will be introduced, applying to

the young and the long-term unemployed.

PENSIONS

- The retirement age, currently 65 years for men and 60 years for women, will be linked to average

life expectancy.

- Minimum contribution period to qualify for full pension will be gradually increased to 40 years

from 37 years by 2015.

- Early retirement will be curtailed, with a view to banning any retirement below 60.- Pensions will be cut, to reflect a pensioner's average pay over the entire working life rather than

his or her final salary level.

On May 5th a general strike against the measures took place, with a lot of violence. Three young

Greeks lost their lives.

Difficult times are ahead. More strikes will come. Wish us good luck!

But lets continue with more positive news..

2. London 2012 tunes to the bouzoukiVirtuoso Yiannis Polykandriotis is preparing to make his Summer Olympics debut with 50 of his

students.

The sounds of the bouzouki are set to be heard at the

opening ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games. A

group of 50 bouzouki players, including children as young

as 10, will share the stage with other musicians during the

Games, lead by Yiannis Polykandriotis, a London based

bouzouki maestro who opened that citys most popular

bouzouki school more than 10 years ago.

Because the opening ceremonies of the Olympic Games is

watched by millions all over the world, Yiannis says he is

vigorously preparing for this day.

My students are second- and third-generation Greeks.

Many of them didnt even speak Greek when they came to

me. But they have learned through the music. We have

accomplished so much over the years and it will truly be a

great joy to show the world.

Here below the interview of the English Newspaper Athens News with Yiannis :

Athens News: Did you approach Olympic organizers?

Yiannis: Yes, I thought it would be a great idea for these children to play part in the Olympics. I

sent a letter to the organizers and they responded positively. We will have a meeting so they


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can see us perform. It is a once-in-a-lifetime chance, to see heir hard work recognized. It is also

very important for second- and third-generation Greeks to keep their culture and heritage

alive.

Athens News: How do you see the performance ?

Yiannis: I would like us to perform when the Greek team enters the stadium. Another idea is to

take Elton Johns recording of the song Candles in the Wind, and adapt it for bouzouki, if we get

permission for it. r the organizing committee can tell us what they would like us to perform.

Athens News: Will your students be ready in time ?

Yiannis: They have such a strong will and desire to succeed. They have a strong belief

in themselves that they can reach the sky, which for them is the Olympic Games

Book your tickets well in advance for this opening ceremony!

3. GREEK WINESthe product for the future?

There are 300 varieties of grape cultivated by more

than 150,000 farmers in Greece.

Greece produces some outstanding wines, thanks to

its climate rain doesnt disrupt

the harvesting and the endless sunshine allows for

maximum ripening.

With a little imagination, the future of the countrys

wines could be ros (rosy).

However, when we mention Greek wine, in Greece,

the first thing we think of is drinking cheap and bitter

house-wine at a seaside tavern.

And when you talk about Greek wine abroad, people

most of the times will only know retsina.

Today, the Greek wine industry faces strong competition from wines from South-America, Southern

Africa and Australia. Additionally, local grapes have no name recognition and many wine producers

are small, family-run businesses.

However, as the Greek industry develops and production and marketing improve, international

restaurants may well choose a Greek xinomavro from Paros or a white moschofilero from the

Peloponnese instead of a traditional Bordeaux and a California Riesling.Greece has about 130,000 hectares of vines and produces around 400 million liters a year, about 2,5

percent of production in the European Union. This places the

country among the top 15 global producers, fifth in Europe in

terms of area and sixth for wine production and makes the wine

sector one of the most profitable drink industries for the Greek

economy.

Over the past twenty years, the number of Greek wine producers

has increased, but 90% of the production remains that of table

wine

The worst-case scenario is that Greece risks disappearing of themap of wine-making countries, because of a lack of strategic

marketing.


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Lets hope producers look towards further development of organic wines, improvement of

marketing and promoting the Greek wines in the local and international market.

Some of the known names in Greece :

Red Wine

Agiorgitiko: cultivated mainly in the Peloponnese

Karampraimis : found mainly on the island if Evia and throughout the Cycladic IslandsKotsifali : mainly cultivated on Crete

Mavrodapni : grown mainly in the Peloponnese and Ionian islands, it is often blended with the

Corinthian grape variety to produce sweet dessert wines

Xinomavro: the predominant grape variety in the Macedonian region. It has strong ageing potential

and can provide rich, full red wines

White Wine

Athiri: cultivated mainly in the Cyclades, the Dodecanese and on Crete, it is mainly used in the

production of dry white wines.

Daphni : cultivated in Crete

Moschofilero : cultivated in the Peloponnese, it derives from an old, local variety and is mainly

used for dry white wines

Roditis : a variety found throughout Greece which has an aroma considered mainly fruity with a

strong floral character

Savatiano: the most cultivated variety in Greece; it displays excellent heat resistance and has a

fruity aroma

The OMILO-team looks forward to see you all here in Greece and taste together one of those

fine, nice Greek wines! Yia-mas!

4. Letters, stories and experiences from OMILO studentsa new section for the Newsletter! Anybody wishing to participate in this section, you are very

welcome! Write down your Greek experiences, whether you are living in Greece/Cyprus or you are

spending your holidays there. Comedies, tragedies or just your thoughts about Greece , the Greek

language or culture why not share it with other

Greek students? You can write in English, German, French, Dutch, Spanish or Greek. (the

languages of our Omilo web-page).

(The stories will not be translated to Greek by OMILO.)

Susan Hoivik of Norway ([email protected] ), now living in the mountains of Cyprus, is the

Number 1 to start in this section! We hope many of you will follow. Enjoy her story!

FROM STORM TO SAFE HAVEN

It was a dark and stormy night in Kathmandu years of escalating warfare, low-flying helicopters,

bombs and gunfire, combined with shortages of everything from electricity to food had shattered

my nerves and my hopes for Nepal, the beloved country where I had lived and worked for over a

decade.

A chance email opens a new world: Youd love Cyprus, writes my ex-husband, on winter holiday

with his octogenarian mother. Cyprus? For many years Id thought vaguely of Greece, perhaps

Spain, as alternatives to snow-bound winters at my forest cabin in Norway, but there had never been

any urgency. Until now, with the war closing in.

Checking the Net whenever the electricity functions, I discover that not only does Cyprus boast the
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]


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warmest winters in the Mediterranean, it also abounds in properties for sale. Finally I find an agent

who understands my eccentric wish: a simple, quiet place with charm. No frills. No golf-course

expat ghetto, with swimming pool and disco. Between February and early April, we exchange over

50 friendly emails but what about properties? Wait till you get here, he advises.

Thursday/Friday: On standby and as the sole shuttle-bus passenger among 13 armed guards I reach

the airport as curfew falls on Nepals biggest-ever strike. Take-off is set for shortly after midnight,

but then the heavens open, submerging the runway under a meter of water. Time passes. Even if thewater abates, will we be allowed to take off, now that the curfew has taken effect?

Monday morning: it is springtime in the Cypriot hills. With breaks to raid the almond groves and

photograph the wildflowers, we turn off onto a local road. As we round a bend, I shout Stop! Red

tiled roofs dot the steep hillside, with the Troodos mountains as backdrop. A wild poppy flames

from a roadside vineyard. All is quiet.

This is it! ....Well, OK, Id better see the house first, I concede.

Down a narrow lane, then a series of uneven steps. The valley unfolds below us, trees marking the

course of a precious river in this dry land. A donkey is tethered under orange trees at the bottom of

the valley, while goats graze on the hills beyond. Behind blue gates is my Dream House, arenovated cottage in golden local sandstone. A tiny, almost abandoned village. Some 36 inhabitants,

most of them well over 65. Total peace and quiet in a place that time forgot. A new chance, a new

life. I have never looked back.

Susan Hoivik

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The springtime is indeed beautiful in Greece, with wildflowers everywhere. The weather has

been great since Easter, and we hope for the same during our course on the island of

ANDROS, starting on May 23rd. OMILO

looks forward to explore this new course

destination together with so many ex-participants. For those that did not choose to

come to ANDROS this year, we hope to see you

soon in another location of this beautiful

country!

Pollous xairetismous from the OMILO-

team.

OMILO, PO Box 61070, 15101 MAROUSSI, ATHENS

Tel. (0030)210-612.28.96

email: [email protected]
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]

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Omilo Newsletter May 2010