In the news

[Nina]

I had long wanted to start a thread where we could report stories that make the news in our countries, since there are people here from all over the world.
Not political issues of course, as those are always a source of arguments, but rather social or scientific or environmental issues that may not be heard by everyone.

I made up my mind to start the thread today, as most Greeks have spent the last 24 hours glued to our TV sets, watching the news on the forest fires that are burning down huge areas of the country, villages, animals, crops, and have taken the lives of more than 40 people, firefighters included.

Forest fires is not something new for Greece, most summers after a heatwave and when strong winds start blowing we have fires. But what is happening now is worst than ever. 42 people are reported dead to this time, but the number is expected to rise significantly. The images we see are of an inferno. It's shocking. The environmental damage alone is beyond estimation at the moment.

In case anyone is interested in more details, here's the AP report, the most up-to-date I found: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories...MPLATE=DEFAULT

[Ekphantos]

They are having the same problems in Silcily at the moment and in the Austrian newspapers they write that there a lot of the forest fires there are not natural but rather due to malicious arson. In Greece this seems to be not such a big problem, although apperntly there are also cases. I always wonder how people can do something like that, risiking the lifes of people for the sake of possible profit.

[drlog147]

more sad gun use in britain i believe this is the 3rd death of a minor in the last few days the latest being in liverpool
"When the leavers’ service was held a few weeks ago at Broad Square Primary School in Liverpool, 11-year-old Rhys Jones and his friends were told that a world of opportunities was waiting for them. They were urged to grab those opportunities with both hands.

But for Rhys they disappeared in a pub car park on Wednesday night when he was shot three times in the neck and left to die in his mother’s arms. Last night, a weeping Melanie Jones spoke of her bewilderment at her son’s killing.

“My baby was only 11. He didn’t deserve this,” she said. “He was shot in the back of his neck from behind, my baby. This should not happen, this should not be going on
This shouldn't happen...please help us
'He fired more shots. He never flinched'
Divided by aspiration but united by violence
Her husband, Stephen, 44, a retail manager with Tesco, added: “We are devastated, we have lost our world, the world has lost a good guy.”

[Nina]

They are having the same problems in Silcily at the moment and in the Austrian newspapers they write that there a lot of the forest fires there are not natural but rather due to malicious arson. In Greece this seems to be not such a big problem, although apperntly there are also cases. I always wonder how people can do something like that, risiking the lifes of people for the sake of possible profit.

Like I said, this is not the first time we've had forest fires. But unlike the previous times, and unlike what's happening in other countries, the scale of the disaster is such that it takes your breath away. Needless to say, this was an organised plan - and I can't think of a punishment harsh enough for the people who started it.

57 people have lost their lives in 3 days, and things are looking worse rather than better in some areas. I don't know how many villages have got burnt by now. In Athens it is difficult to breathe and the sunlight has a strange, brownish orange colour. The area of ancient Olympia, where the Olympic Games were first held is in danger now. It's devastating.

In the news reports there is a picture from a satellite, showing the extent of the fire as well as the smoke going as far as Northern Africa.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6964345.stm

[MrRottweiler]

Great idea Nina I had also been thinking of starting this kind of thread. Have you ever read the book called The Chronicles Of The Twentieth Centuary? Its a huge book with all the major news from 1900-1985 listed in calander order. (app) A very interesting read.

I've been reading about the forest fires in Greece and its heartbreaking because of the huge loss of life but also because of the habitats that have been destroyed. Arson is such a despicable crime and on this level I can't think of a harsh enough punishment either although I'm leaned towards that of the capital kind. They are sub-human and I pray the fires are brought under control without any further loss of life.


I read a short story of a group of villagers in China putting money together to incoulate the areas 20 stray cats so they would avoid being destroyed. This is only representative of the countries 200,000 stray cats.

[Ekphantos]

I checked the news every 15 min or so today to see whether they manage to save the site of ancient olympia. It would be a catastrophy if that got lost (I studied ancient greek and ancient history for some years, so maybe it's just me that's really upset about that). I read that some villagers complained that the firebrigades didn't care about their houses and rather tried to rescue the temples. I can't quite understand that, I would give up my house immediately if a building of historical importance (no matter what period) was in danger. And I think also for the locals it is important to safe it, as they strongly depend on tourism.
About the loss of lifes and trapped people: I wonder why people weren't warned earlier to be able to get away. From the direction the winds are going it should be at least possible to determine the general direction of the fire.
And I also don't understand why other European countries haven't send help much earlier, just in case... Probably money...

[Monique]

Ekphantos,
You're not alone. I'm devastated also (and studied ancient greek and history all the same). But try to understand those people, just normal, simple persons. Their house, and ground is sometimes all they have. In the villages you'll find a lot of old persons, it's been all their life!
And about the wind ... it changes all the time!
People who do this, be it for money or political reasons are EVIL
No punishment will ever bring back to life their victims or revbuild what has been destroyed. How anyone can do this is beyond my understanding!

[Nina]

Let me add a few details, so that we can be fair. The site in Olympia has been saved, and to a large extent that was due to those same people who lost their homes and land and animals there. The fire protection system from 2004 was a joke, it failed almost immediately. I for one give full credit to those people who may not have studied the history but they have lived with it and carry the responsibility of preserving the 3000 years old monuments.

Ekphantos was right about the cases of people trapped, they should have been warned earlier. But the authorities are not well organised I'm afraid, and the results are destructive. Many of the people who have died (the number has officially risen to 60 btw, and there are more people missing) were fire fighters, professionals or volunteers. Some were evacuating their villages and got trapped in fire when the wind changed. In one case, the driver of a car couldn't see ahead because of the heavy smoke and fell in a precipice. There was a woman with her mother, her two children and two more kids she was looking after, she was found holding them in her arms.
Monique is right, the wind changes fast in a burning area and is unpredictable.

It is a fact that the destruction is the work of arsonists. Yesterday there was a fire right next to Athens. When it started, the Fire Department received 6 phone calls for other fires in or near Athens within 6 minutes. They were all hoax, the intention was to delay and confuse the authorities. There is a video that was presented in the news today, taken with a mobile phone, showing 2 people in the area of that fire, doing sth and then leaving and you can see the fire starting minutes later.
How anyone can do this is sth I cannot get through my head. It's a crime, and a sin. The capital punishment was abolished in Greece in 1972 and I am happy about that, so life imprisonment will be the punishment if the culprits are caught. But right now I'm so angry, I'm thinking I hope they burn in hell.

*Newsflash: Two people were arrested with arson devices just a while ago, they obviously intended to burn Attiki, the area where Athens is. There are 150 patrol groups in Attiki now, I sure hope this measure works.
* I just heard more than 100 suspects have been arrested for the arsons. I'd like to see just one tried and punished, for a change!

Meanwhile, there are two new fires now, on the islands of Kefalonia and Kerkyra (Corfu).

[Nina]

There are basically no news about the fires in Greece. They keep burning, the country is still in a state of emergency, 60 people have died in one of the deadliest fires in the world. The archaeological site in Olympia was saved, but the hill through which the athletes came to the stadium has been burnt.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories...MPLATE=DEFAULT

On top of that, on the island of Kefalonia which was burning yesterday, there was an earthquake this morning, 5,1R. I don't know what to say...

[Valderie]

Nina I'm so sorry to hear the very sad news. We have been holidaying in Greece for many years and in fact are flying to the Pelion area on Friday for a week's holiday. The Greek people are so welcoming and giving, I 'can't imagine how horrific it must be for those living in these areas, and I do hope that these fires can be controlled very soon.

[abextra]

I've seen these fires in the news, it's awfully sad... I'm so sorry for your beautiful country, Nina, and all the people who have suffered from the fire...

I hope at least you, your home and friends are safe!

[samasnookerfan]

Those fires sound terrible! My Dad lived in Greece for 6 months, and is always talking about how kind and friendly the Greeks were towards him.
I hope everything recovers OK, in time.

This isn't really major news, but it will have a big affect on the nature and people locally. Very near to where I live they are planning to put a Wind Farm. I would love to see more Green energy put into practise, but i'll tell you one thing, Wind Turbines are not the answer!
There are quite a few staggering facts about them, that I think as many people as possible should know about them.
The Welsh Assembly, (I call them Twp, meaning stupid in Welsh, i'm not a fluent speaker but know a few phrases) proposed to put a Wind Farm near us. They were planned to be massive, first of all they were going to be 400ft high! And each turbine (quite a few were proposed) would need a concrete base the size of an olypic swimming pool!
If they covered the whole of Britain with them, they would only produce 5% of the electricity this country currently uses.
In 2004 the botanist, proffessor David Bellamy came up and there was a march across the mountain, in protest and he said Tidal Power would be far more efficient. Anyway I won't ramble on for too long, but look at this site http://www.socme.org/objectives.htm and if you agree please sign the petition!
In the end it's about money, and nothing to do with clean energy.
Everything seems quiet at the moment, but maybe they will spring another attack unexpectedly, and as many names as possible are needed!

[Nina]

Thanks for the info on wind farms samasnookerfan. And thanks for the kind words regarding the situation in Greece everyone.

The firefighters and aircraft from the other countries that offered help has finally been used today, so things are looking better as far as the fires are concerned. But more than 27 villages have been completely destroyed and of course the priority now is to help the people who have lost everything. The response from civilians is touching, and the State have promised help too.

A little detail concerning Olympia: the museum opened for the public today, but the visitors fled in the morning, as there was an earthquake of 5R!

The wildfires crisis is expected to play a decisive role in the general elections scheduled for Sept. 16. As I promised not to get political at all when I started this thread, I will stop reporting now.
Thanks for the concern everyone.