2nd September: It has just been announced that the composer, Mikis Theodorakis, has died at the age of 96. Three days of national mourning have been declared. He is most famous for the music of the film, Zorba the Greek. His was a full life: imprisonment and exile during the dictatorship; a move from the Left to the Right in 1989; and some over-the-top anti-Zionism that degenerated into anti-Semitism. The Wiki entry is quite comprehensive. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikis_Theodorakis
Theodorakis died of natural causes but the much younger composer, Mad Clip (real name Panagiotis “Pete” Anastasopoulos), died on the road in the early hours of 2nd September. He was 34. He was a rapper or – as the Greek news said – “Τράπερ”. My opinion about rap is that it should be written with a silent “C”, so God knows what a “trapper” is. Anyway, the guy was speeding and hit a pole. Apparently, it took the rescue services over two hours to get him out of the car. Fortunately, no-one was travelling with him, and no other vehicle was involved.
Today I am going to walk to our village square to see if one of the grill shops has been shut down. A few days ago, www.voria.gr reported that three restaurants/bars had been hit with fines and closures for Covid violations, mainly for “standing” customers ie customers at the counter. If you sit outside, there are currently no restrictions, but to go inside you must have proof of vaccination and you must be seated. My local guy was fined €2,000 and closed down for a week. His customers were fined €300 each. Across the Thermaic Gulf, in Pieria, one proprietor was fined €5,000, shut down for a week, with his customers also fined the standard €300. Both shops in the square were open, so I am left wondering which shop along the sea front was closed. Finally, on the topic of eateries, there is a sushi restaurant for dogs in Thessaloniki. OK, not strictly true but it sounds better than the truth. There is a sushi restaurant in Kalamaria that has a sushi menu for dogs. Details here: https://www.iefimerida.gr/poli/thessaloniki-estiatorio-serbirei-soysi-gia-skyloys
On the Covid front battle lines are being drawn. Nearly 6,000 staff in state hospitals have been suspended without pay for refusing to be vaccinated. It wouldn’t be Greece if there weren’t protests. And it wouldn’t be Greece if the opposition didn’t politicize it.
As I mentioned in my last post, Greeks will be going to extraordinary lengths to game the system. Here is the first report I have seen: https://www.iefimerida.gr/ellada/i-ypallilos-enohi-plasta-pistopoiitika It involves a young woman who used someone else’s access codes to enter the health system’s site and obtain a certificate saying she was vaccinated. Expect more to come as Greeks use relatives to make false declarations on their behalf. In fact, the woman in question has issued over forty bogus certificates to friends and family. To date only one centre, located in Karditsa, is involved, but if this blows up and other health centres have been playing the same game…