Locked in a cage, Tatiana tries to escape, killing one and injuring two in the process, and is shot dead. Sad that someone had to die, but if she hadn't been locked up in there for the amusement of humans it wouldn't have happened.
And why did they have to kill her? Were there no tranquilizer guns handy? At a zoo?
The story so far.
On my way home today, a skinny little man got on the bus and, with a small bow-like gesture, asked if he could sit beside me. I responded that indeed he could, and so he sat and gave me a shy smile, and I smiled back, and etsi started a conversation. It wasn't a terribly singular conversation, but it made an impression on me. So this, to the best of my memory (and slightly condensed), is how it went:
AHMET: Where are you from?
ME: Canada.
AHMET: Ah! Toronto!?
ME: No, Montreal.
AHMET: Ah, Montreal. I have a friend in Canada. But I thought that you were from France.
ME: Really, France? Why?
AHMET: (Shrugs and gestures - at my attire, I suppose.)
ME: So, where are you from?
AHMET: Pakistan.
ME: And how long have you been in Greece?
AHMET: Two years.
ME: And before that?
AHMET: Oh, many places... many places... Always moving nowadays, you know? People are always moving, here, there. How many days are you here for?
ME: I live here. Four years now.
AHMET: (Total shock and incredulity registering on his face.) Why??
ME: Well, my father is Greek.
AHMET: And your mother?
ME: Russian and Polish. (This seems to sit better with him.)
AHMET: And your name?
ME: Ranya. You?
AHMET: Different name, Ranya. Hello, I'm Ahmet. (We shake hands.)
ME: So, do you like it here?
AHMET: No. It's very bad country. Not friendly to foreigners at all...
ME: That's true...
AHMET: You like it?
ME: Well, it's got its good things and its bad things, you know? Like anywhere.
AHMET: Yes... good and bad... Job good?
ME: No, not really. I want to go to the islands, to a village. I think it'll be much nicer there, close to nature.
AHMET: Yes, probably much better... Funny to hear different opinion about Greece! I like to hear that... Interesting.
ME: What about you? Have you found a job here?
AHMET: No. Two years I'm looking now and I haven't found anything. Very bad for jobs here. I'm small man, you know? So it's hard for me to find...
ME: Yes, I imagine it's much more difficult for you here than for me...
AHMET: Yes, very difficult. Government very corrupt, police very bad. Worst country in Europe. And now they let these people die in fires... very bad, very bad.
ME: Yes. It's horrible... So, you want to leave, then?
AHMET: Yes, I want to go to Spain. I have friend there. And little sister in Holland. No problems.
ME: And your parents are still in Pakistan?
AHMET: Yes, and my other sister. Studying medical in Islamabad. In two years she'll be doctor. Very good for me, very good for my family.
ME: You must miss Pakistan. Do you ever think of going back?
AHMET: Yes, of course. But very bad country, too. Government changing every two years, very corrupt. And no jobs. But maybe, if god is kind and I make money in Spain, I can go back.
ME: What do you want to do in Spain?
AHMET: Open business, if god is kind. You know, like McDonalds?
ME: A fast food restaurant?
AHMET: Yes.
ME: Well good luck with that!
Ahmet seemed to find this very funny (I guess relying on luck for something, instead of god's kindness?) but alas it was my stop so I bid him farewell and went to get off. As I did, though, he called out, still smiling like it was a really good joke, "Good luck to you too!" And so we parted.
I wasn't going to editorialise, but allow me just one comment, please. Perhaps even more interesting than the conversation were the reactions of the Greeks and other immigrants on the bus:
The 20-something Greek cool guy, studied nonchalance, eyes continuously averted and headphones in, but he managed to make his way over to near where we were sitting, and kept leaning in to hear better.
The 50-something Greek man, openly staring, completely flabbergasted.
The 70-something Greek woman, openly distasteful, many shakes of the head and mouth turned down in distaste.
The 40-something Filipino woman, openly hostile, seemingly directed (from the angle of her glare) at Ahmed. Perhaps he was breaking some unwritten social rule by talking to me, a non-immigrant?
The 30-something African dude, completely impassive. In fact, he seemed to be the only person on the bus not at all phased by our talk.
And those were only the people within my line of sight.
And isn't it sad that just a simple, everyday conversation engendered such a strong reaction?
And also, it just occurred to me, why are people from less developed countries called 'immigrants', while we from the West are called 'expats'? Are we not immigrants, too?
What a sad reason to return to the blogging world, but I really feel the need to join Ellas devil and others in expressing how at a loss for words I am regarding the fires.
Or maybe I do have a word: enraged.
At whom is this rage directed? Politicians? Arsonists? I can't say. It's just kind of a blanket rage, I guess, the rage one feels when one sees something one loves being destroyed, and can do nothing to stop it.
So there's another word: impotence.
It's awful sitting here, watching the news in spurts for as long as I can take it, in a mournful, funereal silence, and not being able to DO anything. Anything to help. Anything to punish those responsible, either by their actions or by their lack thereof.
With elections looming ahead, I am left with no one to vote for. There is no lesser of two evils here - both are equally bad. Not even, anymore, a small party I can trust and rely on to not make me cringe when they state their opposition. So politically, too, I am impotent.
And what of the victims of the fires? Those who have lost their livelihoods, homes and loved ones? Is no aid being organised for them? Will there be no international relief funds set up, as there have been for numerous others the world over who have experienced tragedy of late? Karamanlis has promised those affected 13,000 euros compensation. It's almost better to offer nothing at all, no? The amount is just insulting when your home, your crops, your family is gone. And on the other hand he's got a spare million lying around for those who provide information leading to the arrest of arsonists. What should our priorities be, really? Does the need for revenge, to make someone pay, surpass the needs of the victims? Here, too, I am impotent, unable to offer any comfort, help or words of support to those whose lives have been ruined.
I can't help thinking, too, of the irony of the blood tax, a term fittingly coined by teacher dude, that these fires will no doubt serve to pay.
Most of all, however, watching the ashes fall, I feel sad and devastated at the senseless loss of our beautiful land and forests, which neither we nor our grandchildren will see restored in our lifetimes, if ever. The rains are coming next week, or so they say, and while they may aid in quenching the thirst of the fires, they will also wash away the detritus left by them - nutrient rich ashes which, if allowed to soak into the soil undisturbed, would render it fertile again. If they are washed away, the land will become completely and permanently barren.
We can only hope for the best, hope without reason that the government will manage to pull itself together in the wake of the blazes and take measures to minimize the damage, start reforestation, and most of all do whatever it can to stop the land from being developed. Sadly, I fear that none of these things will come to pass, and that the half of Greece which has been burnt will be lost to us forever.
In the face of that possibility, I am truly left speechless.
UPDATE: The Hellenic Red Cross is accepting cash donations for the purchase of essential items for those in need. These can be deposited at the following bank:
Bank of Attica
23 Omirou Str, Athens – Greece, under the indication ‘Fires in Greece'
Bank account: 069/84298361
IBAN: GR54 0160 0690 0000 0008 4298 361
Swift Code: ATTIGRAA XXX
For details, visit www.redcross.gr/files/preliminary_emergency_appeal.pdf
Thanks to buruburu for the link.
So this is my new baby, everyone. Isn't he adorable? We have not decided on a name, yet... are torn between "Ziggy" and "Samba" (short for Sambucca) and can't decide because "Ziggy" is cooler, but harder to say, and "Samba" in Greek (so says my boyfriend anyway) sounds like a girl's name. So I said, pretend its name is "Sambas" cause anyway when we address it that will be said as "Samba"... but he didn't seem convinced...
Any ideas? Ziggy? Samba?
In other news...
I FINALLY FOUND A NEW JOB!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The work sounds a bit boring (mostly proofing, of medical texts moreover) but the environment seems lovely and the boss sane and nice, and at this point that's what I need before I go insane as well!
I turned in my resignation last Friday and have 2 weeks left in this &%$#% place before I can finally leave! Needless to say, I had a rather uncomfortable encounter with my boss but the deed is done and I can finally relax!
In other other news...
I AM GETTING A CAT!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
He is an absolute darling... was found left in a box on the street by a little girl who lives nearby and took him in. But her mom doesn't like cats and made her get rid of it. So she put him outside in the garden of a man who lives across the street from her, and who happens to be one of the guys who does audio recordings for my (ex!) company, and... the rest is history.
The only thing is, I'm starting to get the impression that the guy doesn't want to let the cat go (it quickly adopted him as its pet), and the little girl definitely doesn't want him to go, so now I kinda feel guilty! I mean, I'm supposed to be helping a stray cat find a home, and at first that was how it was presented to me, and now suddenly I feel like I'm ripping the cat out of the hearts and arms of people who already love him! However, I live around the corner and will give the girl my address so that she can stop by and visit him if she wants, and hopefully this will make everyone happy.
I went today and got litter box, carry case, food, etc, and will officially take him in today after work. Now I just have to find a name for him... and, more importantly, someone to look after him for 2 weeks in august (the little girl, maybe?). I can't wait to show him his new home!!!!!
That's all the news for now... next update... ?????
Thank you all for you kind words and support regarding the splog which has been stealing my content (original post). I have duly added the site to all the black lists that exist out there, and sent a notice to google adsense about it. After a lengthy wait, I received a reply, and have posted it in full below, so that if this happens to any of you you will know what to expect from them. Which is, as you can see, not much! Since my attorney is on vacation to Mars at the moment, and since my bank account cannot withstand any fees associated with the fact that I would be "liable to the alleged infringer for damages (including costs and attorneys' fees)' and given this is the States we're dealing with, who have a very odd idea of justice, and since I'm not sure whether I do have the right to request that my posts not be used (since I don't disallow it under the copyright, if linked back) THEN I figure I'm just going to have to live with it.
I hope that, after such a long time of not posting, the guy has got tired of stealing from me. I suppose I'll know shortly after posting this!
The other thing that keeps floating around my head is the google motto "Don't be evil." humph. OK, splogs are not google's fault, but you'd think they'd be a bit more helpful in aiding normal people fight them! So I found some sites regarding the evil/not evil status of google, such as this one. Interesting reading indeed! As someone who held off using google as my search engine for a long time (they really do NOT give the best results, as far as I'm concerned, and I never like jumping on bandwagons) I finally switched because the services they offer (personalised home pages, google earth, etc.) are really so useful. Now I'm starting to wonder if I was a bit hasty!
And one last word to my splogger: if you ever do check your blog and see these posts, well. Ask yourself: is the money you make off of my work is enough to ease your guilty conscience? And even if it is you should know that, in these circles at least, and probably in real life as well, you will forever be known as a LOSER!
-------
FROM GOOGLE ADSENSE:
It is our policy to respond to notices of alleged infringement that comply with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (the text of which can be found at the U.S. Copyright Office website: http://www.copyright.gov/) and other applicable intellectual property laws. In this case, this means that if we receive proper notice of infringement, we will forward that notice to the responsible web site publisher.
To file a notice of infringement with us, you must provide a written communication (by fax or regular mail, not by email) that sets forth the items specified below. Please note that pursuant to that Act, you may be liable to the alleged infringer for damages (including costs and attorneys' fees) if you materially misrepresent that you own an item when you in fact do not. Accordingly, if you are not sure whether you have the right to request removal from our service, we suggest that you first contact an attorney.
To expedite our ability to process your request, please use the following format (including section numbers):
1. Identify in sufficient detail the copyrighted work that you believe has been infringed upon. For example, "The copyrighted work at issue is the text that appears on http://www.legal.com/legal_page.html."
2. Identify the material that you claim is infringing upon the copyrighted work listed in item #1 above. You must identify each page that allegedly contains infringing material by providing its URL.
3. Provide information reasonably sufficient to permit Google to contact you (email address is preferred).
4. Include the following statement: "I have a good faith belief that use of the copyrighted materials described above on the allegedly infringing web pages is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law."
5. Include the following statement: "I swear, under penalty of perjury, that the information in the notification is accurate and that I am the copyright owner or am authorized to act on behalf of the owner of an exclusive right that is allegedly infringed."
6. Sign the paper.
7. Send the written communication to the following address:
Google, Inc.
Attn: AdSense Support, DMCA complaints
1600 Amphitheatre Parkway
Mountain View CA 94043
OR Fax to:
(650) 618-8507, Attn: AdSense Support, DMCA complaints
Regards,
The Google AdSense Team
Original Message Follows:
------------------------
From: rkarafilly@gmail.com
Subject: Google AdSense DMCA Complaint
Date: Wed, 25 Apr 2007 15:00:04 -0700
Url: http://blogroot.net/
PropertyCode: ca-pub-7976427294976685
LanguageCode: en
Notes:
SPAM REPORT!!!! This site has been feeding off my blog, stealing all my posts, since March. It is a splog! It has no useful, original content of its own.
I am pissed off. Really. As far as I can tell, here's what's happened.
Some loser guy/gal (the photo is of a guy, but who knows if even that is real) has started a blog called the 'Root Blog Project" for the sole purpose of gaining advertising bucks. Too lazy to write his own posts, he is stealing (apparently at random) posts from other people, and posting them on his site, under his name. There is no backlink to the original authors of the posts, not even a reference to their names.
So basically at least eight of MY POSTS are up on his site, displayed within the context of the stars and stripes he has decided to decorate his sidebars with.
In the about section he claims:
"Hi! There is my blog.
My photo is here, please, write comments to this page, if you want contact me."
Yeah right. Note, he does not say anything to the effect of "I will be posting other people's work on this blog cause I am too much of a brain dead moron to think up anything of my own," to at least give people some idea that they are reading stolen work.
He also does not let you comment unless you have a worpress account you can log into, which I don't. But if someone does and wants to cuss him out on my behalf (he says to leave comments in the 'about' section - probably cause he doesn't bother to read the rest) please do!
This is the thief's address. (I'm not posting a direct link to it, cause I don't want to give him the satisfaction of having one more technocrati rating.) http://blogroot.net/
Go check it out and see if he's ripped off your stuff too.
And does anyone know if there's a way to shut him down? I've got a creative commons copyright up on my blog, so if that means I can get him in trouble I'd really like to.
The real irony would be if this post gets ripped off as well, and displayed on the blog which is stealing it!!!!
Update: SO sorry, I was mistaken about 1 thing. There IS a link back to the sourced posts, so clearly displayed that it took me ten minutes to find. At the very bottom of the articles (meaning you don't even see it unless you click the 'more' button at the bottom of the page) is the sentence: (get ready for it)...
originally from source.
Clicking on 'source' will take you back to the original article, so I guess he is not actually breaking any copyright laws since I allow people to use my work so long as they attribute me. I am now thinking of changing that, since the spirit of it has been abused - too bad for anyone who might have wanted to use it for good.
