Global Greek Humour: You're in Greece Now, My Son....

An Australian decided to write a book about famous churches around the world. So he bought a plane ticket and took a trip to England thinking that he would start by working his way across Europe.

On his first day he was inside a church taking photographs when he noticed a golden telephone mounted on the wall with a sign that read "$10,000.00 per call".

The Australian, being intrigued, asked a priest who was strolling by what the telephone was used for.

The priest replied that it was a direct line to heaven and that for $10,000.00 you could talk to God.

The Australian thanked the priest and went on his way.

Next stop was in France. There, at a very large cathedral, he saw the same golden telephone with the same sign under it. He wondered if this was the same kind of telephone he saw in England and he asked a nearby nun what its purpose was.

She told him that it was a direct line to heaven and that for $10,000.00 he could talk to God.

"O.K., thank you," said the Australian.

He then travelled to Spain, Italy, Germany, Sweden and Czech Republic.

In every church he saw the same golden telephone with the same "$10,000.00 per call" sign under it. The Australian, upon leaving the Netherlands, decided to travel to Greece to see if Greeks had the same phone.

He arrived in Greece, and again, in the first church he entered, there was the same golden telephone, but this time the sign under it read, "40 cents per call."

The Australian was surprised so he asked the priest about the sign.

"Father, I've travelled all over Europe and I've seen this same golden telephone in many churches. I'm told that it is a direct line to Heaven, but in all of Europe the price was $10,000 per call.

Why is it so cheap here?"

The priest smiled and answered,

"You're in Greece now, my son - it's a local call."

Photo of the Day: Heaven or Hell, Take Your Pick!

Photo source: Unknown -Thanks to Veatriki P (Greece) for passing it on

Just to wish everyone in our Global Greek World a great weekend!

Oldie but goodie and often seen on T-Shirts that can be bought all around Greece! :))

Global Greek Humour: Greek Education Then... and Now!

'What kind of grades are these?!!!'
(Cartoon source and author unknown)

Same Question...Different Era!

A rather funny but sad commentary on the state of the Education system in Greece! (Thanks Eleni M, Greece)

Our question is, is it universally applicable and why has it got to this point?

From what one of our Global Greeks, Greek American Dr Alex Pattakos wrote in his latest Huffington Post article, titled No Person Left Behind, in which he discusses Health System Reform and Education Reform in the USA, it appears that what we call the abdication of responsibility of students/parents which is illustrated by the cartoon above, is indeed universally applicable and needs to change drastically if things are to improve.

Dr Pattakos wrote:

...the aims of education can never be achieved without personal responsibility on the parts of students/learners, parents, teachers, and other involved stakeholders, in addition to the collective responsibility of families, local/state jurisdictions, and other levels of community and society...

and went on to say

...In the education arena, a "teach me," ignorance, entitlement model has less chance of observable or sustainable success without a measurable dose of responsibility by those seeking access to and services from the "system."

Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/alex-pattakos/no-person-left-behind-the_b_268321.html

...

concluding that

...The education process, in the final analysis, is a two-way street. Minus some kind of brain implant like those depicted in science fiction, which is probably something that we would not want to see become reality, the true benefits of education derive as the "return on investment" that is made in yourself and in your future. And this kind of "ROI" can only occur when you become fully engaged and demonstrate that you are responsible for the investment.

Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/alex-pattakos/no-person-left-behind-the_b_268321.html

Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/alex-pattakos/no-person-left-behind-the_b_268321.html

We agree 100%! Why is it that the existing education system seems to destroy all drive, initiative and passion for learning? Is the ever-increasing pressure on students such that they no longer 'enjoy' the engagement that Dr Pattakos refers to?

What is to blame?

In Greece, which is how this post started, we have the phenomenon of those who go abroad excelling in their chosen fields...it can't be by chance that there are so many notable Greeks in fields like medicine, science and finance outside Greece, a lot of whom have come through the Greek education system but have gone to the top of their field once they went abroad! Despite that, and here is the irony, when some of these very same top-of-their-field experts try to get back into the system and give back some of their knowledge and experience to their homeland, the 'system' chews them up and spits them out! Dr George Papanicolaou, the creator of the lifesaving Pap test was one of these experts who came back to Greece with knowledge to share and determination to turn his vision to reality but ended up going back to the USA! Why does this happen?

Tell us what you think...

Dr Alex Pattakos is, as we said above, one of our Global Greeks and we have had a link to his very interesting article on the 25th Anniversary in our sidebar since the day we started this blog, because of it's relevance to all of us. A professor of public policy and management, a mental health therapist, the author of several books, a columnist with The Hellenic Herald and a regular contributor to the Huffington Post, Alex is known Dr Meaning in the USA. We will tell you more about him and his very valuable work in a later post. Stay tuned!

The Global Greek Lifestyle - Greeks Know How to Enjoy Life! (From Mathew - USA - Thanks!)

Kalyves Beach - Crete

A boat docked in a tiny Greek village on a Greek Island.

An American tourist complimented the Greek fisherman on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took him to catch them.

"Not very long," answered the Greek.

"But then, why didn't you stay out longer and catch more?" asked the American.

The Greek explained that his small catch was sufficient to meet his needs and those of his family.

Kalyves Beach - Crete

The American asked, "But what do you do with the rest of your time?"

"I sleep late, fish a little, swim a little, read , play with my children, and take a siesta with my wife. In the evenings I go into the village to see my friends, we socialize, play tavli, have a coffee, have a drink, eat , dance a little, play the bouzouki, and sing a few songs. I have a full life ."

Kalyves Beach - Crete

  
The American interrupted, "I have an MBA from Harvard and I can help you.
You should start by fishing longer every day. You can then sell the extra fish you catch. With the revenue, you can buy a bigger boat. With the extra money the larger boat will bring, you can buy a second one and a third one and so on until you have an entire fleet of trawlers. Instead of selling your fish to a middleman, you can negotiate directly with the processing plants and maybe even open your own plant. You can then leave this little village and move to Athens , Los Angeles or even New York City !

From there you can direct your huge enterprise."

"How long would that take?" asked the Greek.

"Twenty, perhaps twenty-five years," replied the American.

"And after that? Afterwards?"

"That's when it gets really interesting," answered the American, laughing..
"When your business gets really big, you can start selling stocks and make millions!"

"Millions? Really? And after that?"

"After that you'll be able to retire! live in a tiny village near the coast, sleep late, catch a few fish, read, siesta , and spend your evenings socializing, eating, drinking, dancing and playing the bouzouki with your friends... and spend quality time with your loved ones!"


" But my friend, that's exactly what I am doing now..." the Greek replied....

Kalyves Beach - Crete

...And the moral of the story? A little simplistic perhaps, but the essence is just that!!! LIVE!

Let's enjoy our lives and get the real meaning out of the one life we have.
Take time to enjoy the small things, put together they make up the bigger picture so make the most of it ! :)

Pictures are ours, taken at Kalyves, one of these same small and lovely coastal villages near Hania in Crete...

Take time to laugh...How (we) Greeks do Business...

Con talks to his son George.

CON (father): "I want you to marry a girl of my choice."
GEORGE (son): "I will choose my own bride!!"
CON (father): "But the girl is Bill Gates' daughter.."
GEORGE (son): "Well, in that case... okay."

Next CON approaches Bill Gates.

CON (father): "I have a husband for your daughter.... "
Bill Gates: "But my daughter is too young to marry!!"
CON (father): "But this young man is a vice-president of the World Bank."
Bill Gates: "Ah! in that case... okay."


Finally CON goes to see the president of the World Bank.

CON: "I have a young man to be recommended as a vice-president."
President: "But I already have more vice-presidents than I need!"
CON: "But this young man is Bill Gates' son-in-law."
President: 'Ah, in that case... okay."

And that, my friends, is how (we) Greeks do business!!!
Thanks Eleanna!