Χειροκρότημα

Παρασκευή βράδυ, η ώρα είναι 22:16 και περιμένω να σταματήσει η βροχή να πάω στο σπίτι. Πάω να πετάξω τη σάκα μου, να αλλάξω τα ρούχα μου, να φορέσω εκείνη την παλιά στολή την ξεφτισμένη και σοβαρή και να πάω στην παράσταση.

Μόλις που θα προλάβω να βγω στη σκηνή. Εκεί θα βγάλω ένα ένα τα προσωπεία μου και θα τα ακουμπήσω κάτω. Και καθώς θα τα βγάζω, θα συρικνώνομαι και πριν πετάξω και το τελευταίο από πάνω μου - αυτό που η μνήμη πια το έχει ξεχάσει, θα εξαφανιστώ από τα μάτια του έκπληκτου κοινού.

Θα πάω στις ''άλλες πόλεις και θάλασσες'', εκεί που είναι πάντα άνοιξη και μεσημέρι. Θα τραβήξω για την αγορά πετώντας σαν ελεύθερο πουλί και θα περιηγηθώ στα πιο όμορφα μαγαζιά, θα χώσω τα χέρια μου στις πιο πολύχρωμες χάντρες, θα μυρίσω τα ομορφότερα αρώματα. Και εκεί που θα είμαι έτοιμος να παραδωθώ στο παντοτινό μεθύσι και έρωτα, θα πέσει το μάτι μου σε κάτι προσωπεία παραπεταμένα σε μια γωνιά. Όχι δεν πρέπει να τα αγοράσω, είναι φριχτά και παραμορφωμένα και αν τα φορέσω θα αναγκαστώ να πάω πίσω. Όμως θα ξέρω πως θα το κάνω τελικά, η θέλησή μου θα υποχωρήσει μπροστά στο ζεστό χειροκρότημα και τον ενθουσιασμό του κοινού όταν επιστρέψω στη σκηνή.

Τα γλυκούλια μου

Ο Ηρόδοτος λέει πως το θείο είναι φθονερόν και ταραχώδες. Δεν είναι πολύ ζουμπουρλίδικα τα αρχαία ελληνικούλια?

Amalia

This is the outcome of a story that shook the Greek blogsphere and society. It was decided by the majority of Greek bloggers to dedicate 1st of June in her memory and post the following in our blogs. You will find the same post in most greek blogs. For translation in other languages, please visit http://giatinamalia-blog.blogspot.com/


…"Every patient has the right to being respected and maintaining his dignity."(Greek law, article 47, L.2071/1992)

"Quacks should be the exception, you guys, not the norm…" (Amalia Kalyvinou , 1977-2007)

Since the age of 8, Amalia Kalyvinou started having pains. Despite her numerous visits to doctors and several admissions to hospitals, no-one managed to diagnose her in time with the benign neurinoma of her lower extremity, which was the actual diagnosis at that point. 17 years later, Amalia was told that the neurinoma had transformed by then into a malignant tumour.For the next 5 years, Amalia not only had to fight with the cancerous disease and amputation, but also with a corrupt Greek National Health System: it ignores (by choice) the ongoing patient-to-doctor bribery and insists on time-consuming bureaucratic methods and practices. Besides radiotherapy and chemotherapy, Amalia had to face the financial exploitation by doctors that stood opposite to rather than by her side. On top of her pain, she had to endure the greediness of private clinics and the exhaustingly long waiting queues of the health insurance system, in order to get legal approval for some ridiculously low financial compensation.

Amalia passed away on Friday, May the 25th, 2007. She was just 30 years old.

Before dying, she managed to document her experience and share it with us in her blog http://fakellaki.blogspot.com/. The promising literature graduate named in there each and every one of the doctors she had to bribe, praising at the same time the ones that honoured the Hippocratic Oath. Her testimony moved thousands of people that stood by her side all the way to the end."Amalia's main aim was to tell her story, so that she could awaken as many people and as many consciences as possible. She mainly wanted to show that there are ways to resist not only the self-regulation and authority of dishonest and heartless doctors, but also the bureaucrats of the Health System."(Dikaia Tsavari & Georgia Kalyvinou – Amalia's mother & sister)According to the Greek law, it is considered a major disciplinary offence for the doctors of the Greek National Health System to:"Accept bonus and especially any compensation or property grant, for any medical service provided.” Amalia Kalyvinou fought for things that are taken for granted in a modern European country. Unfortunately, this is not the case for Greece. Continuing Amalia’s effort where she left off, we protest in public and we demand:

* THE STATE TO TAKE IMMEDIATE ACTION TO STOP BRIBERY AND THE INEQUALITY BROUGHT IN THE TREATMENT OF PATIENTS.

* THE NATIONAL HEALTH COMMITTEE TO BE MORE FLEXIBLE SO AS PATIENTS STOP FALLING VICTIMS TO TIME-CONSUMING BUREAUCRATIC PROCESSES.

* THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH TO ENSURE STRICTER CONTROL ON THE RELATION OF DRUG COMPANIES – MEDICAL SERVICE.

* FULL UTILISIZATION OF CURRENTLY ABANDONED HOSPITAL INFRASTRUCTURE. CONTINUOUS AND COMPLETE SCIENTIFIC TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT FOR DOCTORS AND NURSES.

* CREATION OF A NATION-WIDE ELECTRONIC MEDICAL RECORD SYSTEM, TO SPEED UP PROMPT DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENTLET’S END THE HYPOCRISY OF THE ONES THAT GOVERN, WHO PREFER TO ALLOW DOCTORS TO BE BRIBED BY THEIR PATIENTS, INSTEAD OF PROVIDING THEM WITH A DECENT SALARY.

* NO MORE BRIBERY*

NO MORE BUREAUCRACY*

NO MORE LIESWE DEMAND FREE AND EFFICACIOUS HEALTHCARE SERVICES FOR ALL.

Next time you’ll have to bribe a doctor, just don’t. Choose instead to make a donation. Amalia’s last wish was to contribute to the -under construction- Oncological Centre for Children. (Elpida foundation, tel no 0030210-7757153, email: info@elpida.org, Bank accounts: National bank of Greece, account no 080/480898-36, Alphabank account no 152-002-002-000-515. Please remember to quote that your donation is “for Amalia”)

Scum

They said in the news this morning that vandals made a big mess in the Midlands tram service by cutting the overhead cables. Since they can rely on the indigenous scum, they don't need terrorism to screw up the country.

Ποίημα

Αυτό το ποίημα το έγραψε ο αδερφός μου και του το ζήτησα να το βάλω εδώ αν και δεν του επιτρέπω να διαβάζει το blog μου. Με χαρά μου το έδωσε.

Θα έρθω σπίτι σου ξαφνικά,
Θα σε πάρω κοντά μου με τα πιο μακριά μου χέρια
Στη γειτονιά σου τους σκύλους μου θα λύσω
Τα αδέλφια σου
Τη μάνα σου θα προσυλητίσω
Και θα φύγουμε μακριά
Και να δούμε μπροστά μας χαλάσματα
Θα τα πηδήσουμε,
Εξεγέρσεις στην επαρχία, φωτιές σε εκκλησίες,
Δεν μας τρομάζουνε,
κι αν διψάσουμε
θα πιούμε από το αρχαίο νερό που έχω φυλάξει στο στέρνο μου.
Σε ορυχεία θα κοιμόμαστε,
Σε ηλιοβασιλέματα θα λουζόμαστε
Και σε όλους τους ανθρώπους θα διδάξουμε
Να σμίγουν τον έβενο με το ελεφαντόδοντο.

Lyrics

I bought red glasses and everything around me looks like a cinema movie
and I don't know how to live, I don't know how to love
I just watch my life
I bought a red pen, follow the coastline and write
songs of fire, songs of blaze
I just copy my life

Oh, how beautiful the sun and the morning are
and what a pain the friend who cries ''trip'' is
Oh, how beautiful the moon is when it comes out to see us
holding a light for the love's feast

I bought a red heart and wear a loose shirt
and I ask the people who know about love to tell me whom I should give love to
I bought red wings, have a good time and laugh
I touch the snow's body and the martlet's tail
I talk into God's ears.

Oh, how beautiful the sun and the morning are
and what a pain the friend who cries ''trip'' is
Oh, how beautiful the moon is when it comes out to see us
holding a lightfor the love's feast

S. Kraounakis
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The North Star will drive the clouds off
but before the sail cloth appears in the sea
I will become wave and fire to hug you, foreign land
and you, my fatherland, now lost and distant
you will become a cuddle and a wound at the same time
as soon as you wake up in this foreign land

Now I jump into life's feast
Now I jump into joy's celebration

My old moons, my new birds
drive the sun and the day off the mountain
so as to see me passing by like a lightning.

M. Hatzidakis/N. Gatsos

Αγάπη

Αγαπάν: αποδέχεσθαι. αγαπάν, το αρκείσθαι τινι και μηδέν πλέον επιζητείν

Λεξικό της Σούδας, 10 ος αιώνας μ.Χ.