Syria debate - David Cameron's speech

You can watch live David Cameron's speech regarding Syria debate, at the House of Commons here

Modern war tactics

As US troops get ready for a possible military intervention in Syria, it is worthwhile to keep an eye on the asymmetries of modern war tactics. At the same time pro-Syrian hackers brought down the website of the New York Times, and crippled that of Twitter, causing it to appear incorrectly.

By bringing down high profile U.S. websites the Syrian Electronic Army (SEA) can surely affect how the U.S. response is perceived, both domestically and overseas.

Source: MIT Technology Review

'US fixing intelligence around Syria as unsure who's behind chemical attack'

I hope it is absolutely clear that military intervention in Syria is a very dangerous game and there must be an absolute certainty and proof before any action, even when this action is characterized as limited. What happens when the Syrians fight back? Could this be a beginning of chain events?

Technology and the Minoans

If technology is the making, modification, usage and knowledge of tools, machines techniques, crafts, systems and methods in order to solve a problem, as Wikipedia explains the term, then Minoans were pretty much beyond their own era.

It is true that before Arthur Evans, other archaeologists have only scratched the surface. The ancient Minoan civilization (27^th Century BCE – 15^th Century BCE), free from outside influences, have been a pioneer civilization that first understood the true meaning of technology. Evidence on ancient Minoans makes us understand much better that many areas have been using thousands of years ago advanced building materials such as sun dried bricks that most houses were made from, timber and stone and clay, all native building materials and transformed them in a magnificent way.

The excavated remaining suggest that usual homes were “Villas” with compounds used as storage facilities, Alibaba size storage jars, halls and full of artistic figures and decorations. Thin semi transparent alabaster has been used in the windows, which allowed light into the rooms.

Europe’s first precision main road has been established near Knossos. Also other masterpieces of urban design can be found in Knossos. Grand houses with hinged doors, drainage systems, flushed toilets and floors covered with limestone. Limestone today is used in many building projects around the world. The Kingdom itself was three times the size of the Buckingham palace.

The Minoans were the first civilization to use underground clay pipes for sanitation and water supply – 1500 years before the Romans. 

The drainage and the water supply was bringing clean water, taking out waste water and storm sewerage canals for flow off of excessive rain. In order to transport water they used channels, clay pipes and aqueducts.

Not just the palace but ordinary houses were heated with sophisticated holocaust systems, where heat was conducted with the use of the heated chamber under the floor, the earliest known to exist in the history of the world.

In order to use stone Minoans prepared stonework from any type of stone. Even the well known painted columns in the site of Knossos were designed in an alternative way, unlike any other Greek and Roman columns tapered at the top. Light wells allowed into upper and lower rooms.

And these are just few of the in house innovations and achievements of the Minoan civilization of Crete. You can check out this video bellow to find out more about the importance of the Minoan civilization.

The Euro crisis

I am pushing my self to believe that Greek policy makers will meet the challenges with which the country is confronted. We are in a point of time where in our country, the strategic alternatives are much worse than the given course. It is impossible though for me to understand the premature optimism that I receive from many friends here, in a point of time where the future of our country is still at stake. And this lack of understanding optimism from my side, is because of the total reluctance to tackle unemployment.

I also think that the vast majority of the Greek citizens, sick and tired from the financial turbulence is still having hard time to understand what "kratos" is as a political entity, what is the meaning of the Constitution and why there is a need for drastic Constitutional reform, and our "responsibilities to oversight" as knowledgeable citizens who are the genuine stakeholders of the political entity that is called Greece.

The previous months I have tried to understand how other countries went through their own crisis, and managed to walk out even stronger and more successful. I have studied too much information and listened in person top officials that went through likewise situations. I have heard many opinions across the Atlantic and tried to catch up the full picture.

I strongly believe in a strong United Europe because that was the vision of my generation. To be able to survive global economic or political competition. A United Europe that combines Financial Strength with Social Justice and equal opportunities.

I have finally concluded that the basic model for the unemployment reduction and economic boost without any prejudice, should be a German model. I am talking for Agenda 2010. Agenda 2010 has been introduced from Gerhard Schroeder the years between 2003-2005.

Chancellor Schroeder introduced a set of crystal clear liberal measures, for the reduction of useless and excessive costs, tax reductions, a more flexible labor market, drastic cuts in employers payments, total structural reorganization for the Labor office, Social Insurance reforms. At the same time the welfare state through the reform guaranteed that people have a right to protection in situations that pose a threat to their existence.

What were the results of implementing Agenda 2010 in the German economy? Among many other competitive advantages, unemployment reduction even bellow the unemployment prior the economic boom, and an increase of the number of workforce, even bypassing the problem of the aging population.   

At this point, we are each and everyone of us responsible for the future of this country, don't have any doubt about that. It is well known from previous crises in other high income countries, that there is a considerable time gap between the painful decisions to implement the reforms and the advantages that show up in a later stage.

For the time being Greece is indeed in dire straits......