Greece’s Olympic Committee on Thursday warned that serious delays in the reforestation of Ancient Olympia five months after a swathe of destructive wildfires threaten to undermine the Olympic flame-lighting ceremony for the Beijing 2008 Games torch relay in March.

“Unless it drastically improves in the coming period, (Olympia’s) present image will constitute global defamation for Greece,” the Greek Olympic Committee (HOC) said in a statement.

The committee added that the memorial to French Baron Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the modern Olympics, is in a particularly “sad state” and accused government officials of negligence.

A 12-day inferno in August caused extensive damage to the Olympic Academy grove where Coubertin’s heart is buried, and also burned trees behind the Olympia archaeological museum and the slope of the ancient stadium where thousands attend the lighting ceremony for each Games every two years.

Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis had personally pledged in September that the Beijing Games ceremony on March 25 would be held “in a setting worthy of the history and symbolism of the site”.

But the Greek culture ministry which heads the reforestation works is currently in turmoil after its number two official, general secretary Christos Zachopoulos, tried to commit suicide last month over a blackmail case.

The case has strongly embarrassed the government which insists the incident was linked to Zachopoulos’ private life, but an investigation has begun into possible abuse of ministry powers over antiquities policy or fund management.

Copyright 2008 Associated Press.

Times call for a unified front of the Greek population so that the country moves forward. For the first time in the last 30-something years since the fall of the military junta, it is evident that none of the two major political parties offer viable or convincing solutions leading to progress.

It is not because their leaders are not qualified; far from that. Both New Democracy and PASOK leaders sport university degrees and have post-graduate studies at foreign universities.

The problem lies within the traditional courses that both leaders have taken with regards to resolving long-standing issues; both party leaders are unable to cope with corruption, nepotism and lack of economic growth. These are issues that along with unemployment, failing healthcare and dwindling education provision define the spinal cord of a nation’s ability to succeed.

The coming elections stand the first chance of defining a new front that will break away from tradition in how matters of national importance are tackled. It is an opportunity for the progressive amongst all parties to display their displeasure with the lacking effort of all governments since 1974.

As a Republic, Greece deserves a chance to show to the world that it is worthy of its glorious historical and cultural past. To do so, progressive minds need to be the frontrunners of a new political movement, unifying Greeks and pushing forward with a common goal. The glory of Greece has always been the ability of its people to succeed during tumultuous times.

We need to learn how to carry on these achievements and succeed both as a nation and as people, without first experiencing the sword of Damocles hanging ominously over our heads.

As with every major tragedy, the Greeks have to go one step further - take it beyond any previous point on record, postpone any action until the enemies are at the gates of the city.

For years, the alarms have been ringing that the environment is under severe danger due to accumulated natural and artificial damage. The chain of events is known: hot and dry climate, with little precipitation in the summer creates the perfect situation for fires to consume vegetation, forests and cultured land. Come September, the first rainfall - so much needed but so scarce in the summertime - sweeps away the burnt land that has few trees to retain the soil in place with their dead roots.

This winter the Greeks should expect a record amount of flooding, that will again become an emergency situation.

• The time is now to start planning for these supportive sacks of sand, the bulldozers and the trucks to carry them.
• The time is now to start evacuating the low-laying areas that are known to be prone to heavy overflowing of rivers.
• The time is now to educate the personnel responsible for these functions - there will be no time once the heavens open for their annual rendezvous with mother nature.

Once more, preparation is the key; just like the story of the ant and the cricket by Aesop, those that work hard in the middle of the summer preparing themselves for the hardships of winter shall be able to rest and reap the fruit of their hard work.

Last week’s destructive fires in Greece created a new type of internal refugee. The devastating fires left many Greeks without their living quarters: homes, stores, storage facilities & livestock - even small factories. The Greek Orthodox church and the Red Cross immediately reacted by providing food, shelter and hope to the many families affected by the ravaging fires.

Enter the Greek government, who under the forthcoming election pressure announced immediate monetary relief for those who will claim it - the keyword here being “claim”. These in charge of the national funds - money that belongs to all Hellenes - decided that the situation justifies an unprecedented handout, where little research is made into claims prior to giving out the coveted 3,000 euro relief payment to the claimants.

Just two days into this government-issued handout, there are serious issues already with the extreme amount of claimants who rushed to the banks to cash the free assistance ticket. Apparently, all it takes to claim the funds is any type of identification and a signed statement confirming that they have been a victim of destruction by the Greek fires.

No questions asked - all in the name of counter-bureaucracy.

There are reports that a large number of out-of-towners with accents that do not match these of the locals, foreign nationals, immigrants and Roma (”Gypsies”) have flooded the facilities allocated by the government, in order to claim the free money. The lack of any form of research into one’s claim sets a dangerous precedent to how calamities and emergencies are handled by the ruling government of that time.

Once again, it is clear that the absolute lack of a process, of a plan, of a design is going to prove itself costly to the government and the Greek population - the already heavily taxed Greek citizen who has seen their income dwindle since the early 2000’s and the introduction of the euro currency.

On September 16th, national elections in Greece will once again decide which major political party will run the government. It is imperative that no matter which party forms the government, there will be a national plan in place to deal with destructive calamities such as fires, earthquakes, floods, famine and disease that might strike Greece in the future.

Planning now will save us all a fortune later.

A large part of the Greek press seems to focus on the usual finger-pointing; the media in Greece is severely polarized and more or less follow the hard-coded lines of a political party. However, a few publications see things with objectivity and open-mindness, featuring editorials that attempt to step outside the box and treat this disaster caused by the Greek fires as a direct result of the people’s overall apathy.

One such great editorial article is summarized below:

The worst thing is that we will probably not learn anything from this disaster. We will continue to search for arsonists or for anarchists as more fires burn forests and more people die.We will condemn arsonists, the system, our “criminal society” in order to shirk our responsibilities. But there is one thing we will certainly not be doing, and that is to assess the situation with level-headedness, to ascertain where there were mistakes and omissions and to correct them. And tomorrow should we – God forbid – face an even greater disaster, we will take the same shortcuts and adopt the same temporary solutions.A country that does not learn from its mistakes will simply progress from disaster to disaster. It will mock the meticulousness of our fellow citizens in Western Europe, who scrupulously analyze every incident and implement measures that we – in our Eastern-style apathy – feel are unnecessary.

“Get real, what can possibly happen?” is our constant refrain every time there are calls for preventive measures, whether these relate to safety belts in cars or fire-safety zones in forests.

Read the full article at Kathimerini daily newspaper.

The Greek citizens watched in dismay as the flames consumed forests, then storage facilities, homes and cars - eventually taking the lives of dozens of unsuspected Greeks. The Greek citizens asked the State to intervene with the fire brigades and water-dropping aircrafts. And the Greek citizens waved their hands up in the air shouting, “God help us!”

It’s truly not a pleasant sight watching history repeat itself. Aesop himself, in one of his famous fables, painted the picture of a man who fell overboard from a ship - or a trireme back in these days of ancient lore. The man raised his hands up in the air, shouting to goddess Athena for immediate assistance. The response of his fellow crew members who heard his desperate cries was, “Ask for Athena’s help, but move your arms too” - Συν Αθηνά και χείραν κίνει.

Today’s Greek citizens lack initiative, direction and motivation. They possess the stamina and the ethos but these elements - along with the famous Greek “filotimo” - are buried deeply under the load of a culture which dictates putting off action until the last minute and never raising an eyebrow over future matters. Clearly, while this laid back lifestyle prolongs the life itself overall, it does not work well with calamities, disasters or surprises that in today’s world are more common than in the era of Pericles.

Greeks need strong, visionary educators and fewer career politicians. They need to be shown the use of the basic tools, the modern life equivalents of the hammer and the anvil of the old times. Much like their ancestors, the Greeks enjoy and thrive on drama but fail to incorporate solutions into their daily routine. Deus ex machina was invented by the Greeks as the ultimate solution - the divine intervention - when the plot of the tragic play reached a high level of complexity. But today’s modern times require less spectacle and more participation; more initiative and less apprehension. The Greeks must wake up from this artificial stupor that they have allowed themselves to delve in, for decades upon decades since independence from the Ottoman Turks.

The Citizens’ Call is not a call upon the authorities, the State, the politicians - it is a call upon the Citizens themselves. One cannot insist on change from others, unless they are prepared to commit to that same ability of accepting change and embracing progress.

The lack of information technology standardization is costing Greek banks dearly, according to a post by Greek daily newspaper, Kathimerini. Fraudsters are able to utilize forged documents in order to secure loans from banks eager to lend money. The concept of the credit score is non-existent in Greece, where the use - and abuse - of credit is a new experience, that dates back as recently as the introduction of the euro. Loan-takers often default on loans and despite being harassed by private debt-collecting companies they are rarely ordered to pay back the loaned amount. Additionally, there is no education of, nor awareness by the public about the proper use of credit and credit lines. Many people live in debt stretching beyond their living means, hopping from credit line to credit line and maxing out their credit cards. This financial irresponsibility can be addressed and improved by a properly-written guide to financing, tailored to the Greek population’s mentality and cultural footprint.

Below is the article from Kathimerini:

Banks have lost more than 500,000 euros so far this year by issuing loans to fraudsters, according to police records seen by Sunday’s Kathimerini.

The loans have been granted to people who have produced forged tax declarations or have taken advantage of the tax office’s online system to inflate their salaries.

Officers told Kathimerini that it is relatively easy for criminals to forge tax documents and take advantage of banks.

Equally, according to the police, fraudsters have found ways to bypass security procedures to obtain identity cards and passports with other people’s details, which they then sell on the black market.

Criminals get past the system by paying drug addicts for their identity cards. They then use the cards to obtain other documents, such as birth certificates, which they can use to apply for passports.

Police said they have obtained vital information about the process following the recent arrest of a 56-year-old man who is due to stand trial soon.

The on-going forest fires in Greece, display in full colors one of the vices of the Greek race - lack of organization, and in particular:

• Lack of basic core level organization
• Lack of procedural understanding
• Lack of planning ahead of emergencies
• Lack of a unified approach to resolving emergencies

Is there any hope?

It is estimated that since August 24, more than 170 fires have spread across the country, with many people caught unaware by the rapid spread of the blazes.

Images such this one on the right are mere representations of a catastrophe, that has so far claimed tens of lives, scorched thousands of acres of land and destroyed homes and entire villages.

The real question remains:

Are Greeks willing to change their methods of preparation prior to a disaster - and how soon can this be achieved?