Photographs of nature, places and objects that have caught my eye.

Φωτογραφίες απο την φύση, απο τόπους και αντικείμενα που μου χτύπησαν στο μάτι.

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Modern Slavery



Most of you, my friends, have probable heard at the news about the unrest, the demonstrations and the protests here in Athens and other cities in Greece.
Most of what you hear and see is probably true, although some facts might be really exaggerated. My blog was started to show you some of my photographs but I must make an exception today and share with you my opinion.
What is happening here, is that the people in the streets and squares of Athens are mostly those who are called to pay the price for the crimes of others. Those who are suffering most from the new measures are those the least responsible for the crisis. Years of inefficient, bad and corrupt management of the country have resulted in the amass of a huge national debt. The DE-industrialization of the country has resulted in a large number of unemployed, especially among the younger generation. Younger people, educated or not are fleeing the country in search of a job and a better life somewhere else.The continuing fall of the prices of agricultural products and the rising costs of farming, has resulted in the decline of agricultural produce.
Those governing us, for years now, were not taking any measures to make reforms earlier. The only way they could find to stay in power, was by getting loans from foreign countries and institutions, which loans were NEVER used for development or exploring new ways and finding new resources to improve the national income. They were spreading the money between themselves and those supporting them.
This was done, with the officials and richer countries in the European Union knowing that sometime this was going to happen. You can not get new loans to pay the doses for the old ones. It is common sense. But maybe they do not have the common sense. Or they were planning all this.
Voices from all around the world talking about measures which should have been taken decades ago, were censored and depressed. Maybe this was their plan. To bring the country just one step forward, closer to destruction.
People, like BobChapman, have been talking about this for years now. Nobody heard. They have been talking that Greece, as the weak link of the European Union is used as test field. Other countries will follow soon. Countries like Ireland, Portugal, Spain and Italy are just awaiting their turn. The Big Bankers who are the true masters of today’s economies and they govern the world according to what they think is good to them, have planned this long time ago.
After exploiting the resources and the peoples of the countries of the developing world, they have turned their attention elsewhere. The big corporations are looking our way, for new cheaper labor. For more earnings. For modern slavery.
The World Bank, the IMF, the Central European Bank new this was going to happen, if they had not planned this beforehand, and they allowed it.
And now government and media are trying to tell us how necessary are the measures to save the country and our economy. Or how to save them and their jobs, which are well payed and always profitable.
They are trying to terrorize and intimidate the people, repeating how bad things are going to get if the people do not agree and the representatives at the Parliament do not vote according to their wishes. To intimidate and terrorize the protesting people, the people who have seen their pensions cut, their jobs lost their earnings shrink, they are using hordes of those calling themselves “journalists”. An army of illiterate and ignorant people, working for the corporations controlling the newspapers and mass media, are spreading the terror by stressing the destructive results of a negative vote. They are never talking with facts. They are just repeating the opinions of their masters because they are not capable of having an opinion of their own. Opposing voices are suppressed and forbidden. Those who are struggling to survive, to live in dignity and pride must be thrown in the fire.
 
Earlier this afternoon, the ruling majority of the so called “Socialist” party voted and passed the new measures in the House of Parliament.
They put around the necks of all those who were living bellow poverty limits, the rope to be hanged.
When they are going to kick the stall under their feet, away, is only a matter of time.
The people of Greece will be living in a new age of slavery under the strong from now on.
We are awaiting to see which country and which people are going to be next.

Costas

Lost. Χαμένη.

This little cutie, is growing up at the "in house" small farm. It has been taken away from her mother to be used to growing alone and without milk, and she will be another mother next year to give her milk to the owner. For some reason it escaped its pen and got lost during the search for her mother. After a while, the owners pet dog came looking for her and led her back home.
Αυτή η μικρούλα μεγαλώνει στο σπίτι για να γίνει μια καινούρια οικόσιτη αίγα. Μόλις έχει απογαλακτιστεί. Δεν της αρέσει όμως που μεγαλώνει μακρια από την μάννα της και την κοπάνησε. Χαθηκε και λίγο αργότερα ήρθε ο σκύλος του αφεντικού και την οδήγησε πίσω.


Monday, June 27, 2011

Born free. Γεννημένες ελεύθερες.

The goats living on the mountains of Crete. Living in this kind of harsh environment, they are not easy to be tamed. No fence can keep them inside. They are almost semi-wild. Sometimes, the shepherds are using their trained dogs to round them and catch them. In the post you can see this mother and her young going round the fence, as we were coming back from our visit to the mountain church.
Οι γίδες στα βουνά της Κρήτης, ζουν σε ημιάγρια κατάσταση. Φράχτες και μάντρες δεν μπορούν να τις περιορίσουν γιατί είναι μαθημένες να ζουν σ΄αυτό το άγριο περιβάλλον. Πολλές φορές οι βοσκοί χρησιμοποιούν τους ειδικά εκπαιδευμένους σκύλους τους για να τις μαζέψουν και να τις πιάσουν. Σ' αυτές της φωτογραφίας μπορείτε να δείτε μια μητέρα με το μικρό της να περνούν φράχτες και εμπόδια. Τις συναντήσαμε όπως γυρνάγαμε από το εκκλησάκι στις Μαδάρες.


Sunday, June 26, 2011

The hawks in Crete.(IIΙ) Τα γεράκια στην Κρήτη.(IIΙ)

A few more distant shots of the young hawk as it is hoping from one dry branch of the cypress top to the other, stretching and working his wings to make them stronger, ready to soar and conquer the skies.
Ακόμη μερικές μακρινές φωτογραφίες του νεαρού γερακιού, όπως μετακινείται από το ένα κλαδί στο άλλο και τεντώνει και δουλευει τα φτερά του και ετοιμάζεται να πετάξει κι αυτό ψηλά και να κατακτήσει τους ουρανούς.

Saturday, June 25, 2011

The hawks in Crete.(IΙ) Τα γεράκια στην Κρήτη.(IΙ)

This year, I managed to take some photographs of the hawks using my 70-300 zoom lens, while they were sitting on the branches of the cypresses. They are not of the best quality, as they were at some distance from me, but I can also tell, after looking at the photographs, that they were raising young birds, which they had just started learning how to fly.
Φέτος κατάφερα να τραβήξω μερικές φωτογραφίες των γερακιών με τον φακό των 70-300 χιλ. όσο αυτά βρισκόταν καθισμένα σε κάποιο από τα κλαδιά των κυπαρισιών. Δεν είναι και της καλύτερης ποιότητας οι φωτογραφίες, επειδή τα πουλιά ήταν σε κάποια απόσταση. Κοιτώντας όμκως τις φωτογραφίες, μπόρεσα να καταλάβω πως είχαν μικρά που είχαν αφίσει την φωλιά και μάθαιναν να πετούν.
This must be one of the young birds.
Αυτό πρέπει νάναι ένα από τα νεαρά πουλιά.
 On the top of the tree one of the magnificent parents.. and the offspring on a lower one.
Στο πιο ψηλό κλαδί ένας από τους υπέροχους γονείς και ο νεαρός απόγονος χαμηλώτερα.
 Parent flying away to bring food to the young.  The young moving to a higher branch below.

Ο γονιός πάει να ψάξει για φαγητό για την οικογένεια.. και ο νεαρός ανεβαίνει σε ψηλότερο κλαδί.

Friday, June 24, 2011

The hawks in Crete,(Ι) Τα γεράκια στην Κρήτη.(Ι)

I always love to sit at the balcony in the village or in the yard under it, and watch this view across the small valley from our house in the village in Crete. I am never tired of the view. Sometimes, when I look up at the skies, I can watch this magnificent pair, hovering and circling overhead, patrolling and protecting their area or having their eyes open in search of food. Sometimes, I am also watching their fights with other birds, crows mostly, who claim the same area. I know they are the same, as I have been watching them for the last ten years, whenever I go to Crete, and they never fail to show up. I also know that they must have their nest somewhere on those tall cypresses, but I do not want to go looking for it. I prefer to leave them alone in their kingdom.
Κάθε φορά που πάω στην Κρήτη, μ' αρέσει να κάθομαι με τις ώρες στο μπαλκόνι του παλιού μας σπιτιού ή στην αυλή από κάτω, και ν' απολαμβάνω την θέα απέναντι από την μικρή ρεματιά. Καμμιά φορά επίσης μ αρέσει να σηκώνω τα μάτια μου στον ουρανό και να παρακολουθώ αυτό το υπέροχο ζευγάρι να κάνει κύκλους από πάνω, να περιπολεί και να προστεταύει την περιοχή του. Και συχνά να δίνει μάχες για να την υπερασπιστεί. Συνήθως με τα κοράκια. Τα τελευταία δέκα χρόνια είναι πάντα εκεί. Και ξέρω πως έχουνε την φωλιά τους κάπου εκεί στα ψηλά κυπαρίσια, αλλά ποτέ δεν θέλησα να πάω να ψάξω να την βρώ. Προτιμώ να τ' αφίνω στην ησυχία τους. Στο βασίλειό τους.
PS. I am also admit that sometimes I am jealous of their freedom.
ΥΓ. Πρέπει επίσης να παραδεχτώ πως πολλές φορές ζήλεψα την ελευθερία τους.