15/02/2010
Μυστικές συμφωνίες ανάμεσα σε Ελληνικές κυβερνήσεις και τον αμερικανικό πιστωτικό όμιλο Goldman Sachs
Μυστικές συμφωνίες ανάμεσα σε ελληνικές κυβερνήσεις και τον αμερικανικό πιστωτικό όμιλο Goldman Sachs, αποκαλύπτει με πρωτοσέλιδο άρθρο της η εφημερίδα
Το ρόλο του Χρηματιστηρίου της Νέας Υόρκης στην τρέχουσα κρίση της ελληνικής, αλλά και συνολικά της ευρωπαϊκής οικονομίας, εξετάζει πρωτοσέλιδο εκτενές ρεπορτάζ της "New York Times".
Μεταξύ άλλων, τονίζεται ότι τακτικές της Wall Street, επιδεινώνουν την οικονομική κρίση, κλονίζουν την Ελλάδα και...
...υπονομεύουν το ευρώ, διευκολύνοντας τις ευρωπαϊκές κυβερνήσεις να κρύψουν τα διογκούμενα χρέη τους.
Οι τραπεζίτες της Wall Street, όπως επισημαίνεται, διευκόλυναν την Ελλάδα και άλλους να δανειστούν πέρα από τις δυνατότητές τους, με απόλυτα νόμιμες συμφωνίες.
Σύμφωνα με το δημοσίευμα, οι συμφωνίες στην περίπτωση της Ελλάδας, έφεραν ονομασίες εμπνευσμένες από την ελληνική μυθολογία, όπως Αίολος και Αριάδνη και στην ουσία αποτελούσαν "συγκαλυμμένα δάνεια" τα οποία όμως "δεν ήταν καταγεγραμμένα" ως τέτοια.
Στο ρεπορτάζ αναφέρεται ότι, το 2001, μετά την είσοδο της Ελλάδας στην ευρωζώνη, ο όμιλος Goldman Sachs είχε δανείσει στην ελληνική κυβέρνηση δισεκατομμύρια προκειμένου να ανταποκριθεί η Ελλάδα στις απαιτήσεις της ευρωζώνης, σε μια συμφωνία που είχε προωθηθεί ως "νομισματική συναλλαγή" και όχι ως δάνειο.
Σε αντάλλαγμα, η Ελλάδα παραιτήθηκε από δικαιώματα σε τέλη αεροδρομίων ή κέρδη από τυχερά παιχνίδια για τα επόμενα χρόνια.
Επίσης, υποστηρίζεται ότι μια "παρόμοια συμφωνία" φαίνεται να πρότεινε ο όμιλος Goldman Sachs στην Ελλάδα και τον περασμένο Νοέμβριο, λίγο πριν η Αθήνα βρεθεί στο επίκεντρο της παγκόσμιας οικονομικής ανησυχίας, πρόταση που όμως απερρίφθη από την ελληνική κυβέρνηση.
Μπορεί η Ελλάδα να μην εκμεταλλεύτηκε την πρόταση της Goldman Sachs το Νοέμβριο του 2009, όμως είχε καταβάλει στην τράπεζα 300 εκατομμύρια ευρώ ως αμοιβή για το διακανονισμό του 2001, σύμφωνα με τραπεζίτες που γνωρίζουν το θέμα.
Σε ευθύνες της Ελληνικής Στατιστικής Υπηρεσίας και συγκεκριμένα του πρώην επικεφαλής της Μανώλη Κοντοπυράκη, για τη δημοσιοποίηση "ψευδών στοιχείων" για την ελληνική οικονομία, κάνει λόγο το ρεπορτάζ της νεοϋορκέζικης εφημερίδας.
Στο δημοσίευμα φιλοξενούνται δηλώσεις του κ. Κοντοπυράκη ο οποίος, βρέθηκε στη Νέα Υόρκη "προκειμένου να δραπετεύσει από την Ελλάδα", και ο οποίος ισχυρίζεται ότι δεν φέρει καμία ευθύνη και ότι "το Υπουργείο Οικονομικών ασκούσε αθέμιτη πολιτική επιρροή στη Στατιστική Υπηρεσία".
Σύμφωνα με τον κ. Κοντοπυράκη, "η τεράστια απόκλιση των αριθμών σχετικά με το δημοσιονομικό έλλειμμα, από το αρχικά υπολογιζόμενο 3,7% του ΑΕΠ στο τωρινό 12,7% οφείλεται σε δύο παράγοντες: Την υπερβολική αισιοδοξία της προηγούμενης κυβέρνησης αφενός και αφετέρου την επιθυμία της τωρινής κυβέρνησης να επιρρίψει ευθύνες στους προκατόχους της και να εμφανίσει οποιαδήποτε οικονομική ανάκαμψη ως περισσότερο εντυπωσιακή.
Οι αξιωματούχοι δεν αντιλήφθηκαν τον αντίκτυπο που θα είχε το νέο νούμερο στις διεθνείς χρηματαγορές", υποστηρίζει ο κ. Κοντοπυράκης.
ΔΙΑΔΩΣΤΕ ΤΟ...
2/15/2010
Gay couple tells of love and fears for Valentine's Day
By Yang Wanli
Since Valentine's Day falls on the same day as Spring Festival this year, most young lovers will seize the chance for that scary first encounter with the future in-laws - but for Xiao Yi and Liu Xing, this remains an extravagant hope.
They both hold respectable jobs with good salaries. They are devoted to each other and rarely argue. They were born on the same day and wear the same sized shoes. And they are both men.
"We met four years ago in a chat room on danlan.org, and moved in together after one year on March 14. This is White Valentine's Day, popular in some Asian countries, and has now become our anniversary," Liu told METRO.
"He gave me a ring. Just like other couples, rings represent love and trust," Liu said with a smile to Xiao Yi, touching the platinum band on his left hand.
Liu currently works for danlan.org, a large Chinese gay website set up in 2000. The website has more than 80,000 views per day with at least a million registered users.
"Most people are prejudiced against gay people and believe online gay chat rooms are obscene and unhealthy. But actually, we are the same as normal couples - we also believe in love and monogamy," Xiao Yi said.
Xiao, 27, was born in Chongqing and spent four years in a Beijing college. He said he first discovered his sexuality as a child.
"I loved playing games with girls and was happy to be around boys," he said.
"I thought I was autistic and felt very lonely until I realized my gay friends were experiencing the same kinds of things. By chatting with them I learned that I was not ill, and I built up enough courage to accept it," he said.
For Xiao Yi and Liu Xing, falling in love with a man made their loves not only happier but also easier.
"We can swap our clothes and shoes, which saves loads of money," Liu joked. "Both of us are men and we have a lot in common, including our lifestyles and our way of thinking."
He said his gay lover could understand the great pressures of work and life.
"We share all things," Liu added.
Despite the apparent perfect situation, both men are anxious about telling their parents about their happy lives.
"I don't think our parents will accept it," Liu said. "If they can't, I might choose to marry a lesbian. That would satisfy the needs of my family and wouldn't destroy what we have."
When discussing the possibility of a child, Liu said they love children very much and would like to adopt a baby in the future.
"We have lots of dreams for the future. We want to marry like other couples, have a child, and be accepted by our families and society," Xiao said.
He told METRO they witnessed a wedding ceremony between two homosexual couples in Qianmen Street on Valentine's Day last year and really admired them.
"I have to go home for New Year's Eve, but I promised Xiao Yi I would be back for Valentine's Day," Liu said.
He added that they planned to travel in Thailand in the coming Tiger year.
"We have never traveled together before, so we will consider that trip as our honeymoon," he said.
According to statistics released by the Ministry of Health in 2006, there are an estimated five to 10 million homosexuals in the Chinese mainland, aged between 15 and 65. However, renowned sociologist Li Yinhe, put the figure much higher at between 36 and 48 million.
Professor Zhang Beichuan from Qingdao University and various other scholars, including Li Yinhe, have called on the government to recognize and legalize same-sex marriages in China. There has been no response from the government so far.
By Yang Wanli
Since Valentine's Day falls on the same day as Spring Festival this year, most young lovers will seize the chance for that scary first encounter with the future in-laws - but for Xiao Yi and Liu Xing, this remains an extravagant hope.
They both hold respectable jobs with good salaries. They are devoted to each other and rarely argue. They were born on the same day and wear the same sized shoes. And they are both men.
"We met four years ago in a chat room on danlan.org, and moved in together after one year on March 14. This is White Valentine's Day, popular in some Asian countries, and has now become our anniversary," Liu told METRO.
"He gave me a ring. Just like other couples, rings represent love and trust," Liu said with a smile to Xiao Yi, touching the platinum band on his left hand.
Liu currently works for danlan.org, a large Chinese gay website set up in 2000. The website has more than 80,000 views per day with at least a million registered users.
"Most people are prejudiced against gay people and believe online gay chat rooms are obscene and unhealthy. But actually, we are the same as normal couples - we also believe in love and monogamy," Xiao Yi said.
Xiao, 27, was born in Chongqing and spent four years in a Beijing college. He said he first discovered his sexuality as a child.
"I loved playing games with girls and was happy to be around boys," he said.
"I thought I was autistic and felt very lonely until I realized my gay friends were experiencing the same kinds of things. By chatting with them I learned that I was not ill, and I built up enough courage to accept it," he said.
For Xiao Yi and Liu Xing, falling in love with a man made their loves not only happier but also easier.
"We can swap our clothes and shoes, which saves loads of money," Liu joked. "Both of us are men and we have a lot in common, including our lifestyles and our way of thinking."
He said his gay lover could understand the great pressures of work and life.
"We share all things," Liu added.
Despite the apparent perfect situation, both men are anxious about telling their parents about their happy lives.
"I don't think our parents will accept it," Liu said. "If they can't, I might choose to marry a lesbian. That would satisfy the needs of my family and wouldn't destroy what we have."
When discussing the possibility of a child, Liu said they love children very much and would like to adopt a baby in the future.
"We have lots of dreams for the future. We want to marry like other couples, have a child, and be accepted by our families and society," Xiao said.
He told METRO they witnessed a wedding ceremony between two homosexual couples in Qianmen Street on Valentine's Day last year and really admired them.
"I have to go home for New Year's Eve, but I promised Xiao Yi I would be back for Valentine's Day," Liu said.
He added that they planned to travel in Thailand in the coming Tiger year.
"We have never traveled together before, so we will consider that trip as our honeymoon," he said.
According to statistics released by the Ministry of Health in 2006, there are an estimated five to 10 million homosexuals in the Chinese mainland, aged between 15 and 65. However, renowned sociologist Li Yinhe, put the figure much higher at between 36 and 48 million.
Professor Zhang Beichuan from Qingdao University and various other scholars, including Li Yinhe, have called on the government to recognize and legalize same-sex marriages in China. There has been no response from the government so far.
Chinese Contestant Enters Worldwide Gay Pageant
Ng Han Guan/Associated Press
Andrew Muyi, whose official pageant name is Xiaodai Muyi, posed for a portrait in Beijing last month.
By EDWARD WONG
Published: February 12, 2010
BEIJING — He is 25, Muslim and comes from a part of China recently known for deadly ethnic rioting. This weekend, he is competing for the title of Worldwide Mr. Gay.
As with all such endeavors in China, the journey has been long and winding.
The Chinese delegate at Worldwide Mr. Gay was supposed to have been the winner of Mr. Gay China, a pageant originally set for Jan. 15 in central Beijing. But at the last minute, the Chinese authorities shut down the show, saying the organizers did not have the right permits.
Nevertheless, 11 people — the three organizers and eight pageant participants — quietly got together in late January and voted to send one of the contestants to Norway. That turned out to be a man from the western region of Xinjiang known publicly only by his nickname, Xiao Dai, or his English name, Andrew. His official pageant name is Xiaodai Muyi, and he landed in Oslo on Tuesday, a day after getting a Norwegian visa.
“After the cancellation, we thought our attempt to educate the Chinese public had failed for now,” Ben Zhang, an organizer of Mr. Gay China, said Friday in a telephone interview. “By sending someone to Oslo, I guess we’re sending out a message to the world that still China is able to send a representative.”
According to the official pageant Web site, the finale takes place on Saturday.
Xiao Dai has been trying to maintain a low profile, and he could not be reached by telephone on Friday. “His schedule is very packed,” Mr. Zhang said.
The English-language edition of The Global Times, a state-run newspaper in China, published a short article on Xiao Dai on Friday, though it misspelled his name. Xiao Dai told the reporter in an earlier interview that he was the team leader of a gay group in Xinjiang, general manager of a local counseling group and chairman of a gay Web site.
“Organizing gay events in Xinjiang is much harder than in Beijing,” he said, according to the newspaper. “Because it is against religion.”
Global Times reported that Xiao Dai is from the largely Muslim Hui ethnic group, which is common in northwest China. Mr. Zhang confirmed that Xiao Dai is known to be Hui. But he has also represented himself at times as Han, the dominant ethnic group in China, Mr. Zhang said.
Ethnicity is a delicate issue in Xinjiang, where Uighurs, the largest Muslim group in the region, coexist uneasily with the Han.
China decriminalized homosexual sex in 1997, but many gay Chinese remain closeted. The authorities have blocked gay events, including several last summer in Shanghai during China’s first Gay Pride celebration.
After the Beijing pageant was canceled, “we were all sort of nervous, edgy and a little scared maybe,” Mr. Zhang said. But despite the irregularities, the organizers of Worldwide Mr. Gay showed enthusiasm for having a delegate from China, he added.
“The headquarters in Oslo was very insistent,” he said.
Because Xiao Dai got his visa only at the last minute, there is no photograph or profile of him on the pageant Web site, as there are for the other contestants. But there is a list of the 30 countries or territories that have sent delegates, and China is on it.
Ng Han Guan/Associated Press
Andrew Muyi, whose official pageant name is Xiaodai Muyi, posed for a portrait in Beijing last month.
By EDWARD WONG
Published: February 12, 2010
BEIJING — He is 25, Muslim and comes from a part of China recently known for deadly ethnic rioting. This weekend, he is competing for the title of Worldwide Mr. Gay.
As with all such endeavors in China, the journey has been long and winding.
The Chinese delegate at Worldwide Mr. Gay was supposed to have been the winner of Mr. Gay China, a pageant originally set for Jan. 15 in central Beijing. But at the last minute, the Chinese authorities shut down the show, saying the organizers did not have the right permits.
Nevertheless, 11 people — the three organizers and eight pageant participants — quietly got together in late January and voted to send one of the contestants to Norway. That turned out to be a man from the western region of Xinjiang known publicly only by his nickname, Xiao Dai, or his English name, Andrew. His official pageant name is Xiaodai Muyi, and he landed in Oslo on Tuesday, a day after getting a Norwegian visa.
“After the cancellation, we thought our attempt to educate the Chinese public had failed for now,” Ben Zhang, an organizer of Mr. Gay China, said Friday in a telephone interview. “By sending someone to Oslo, I guess we’re sending out a message to the world that still China is able to send a representative.”
According to the official pageant Web site, the finale takes place on Saturday.
Xiao Dai has been trying to maintain a low profile, and he could not be reached by telephone on Friday. “His schedule is very packed,” Mr. Zhang said.
The English-language edition of The Global Times, a state-run newspaper in China, published a short article on Xiao Dai on Friday, though it misspelled his name. Xiao Dai told the reporter in an earlier interview that he was the team leader of a gay group in Xinjiang, general manager of a local counseling group and chairman of a gay Web site.
“Organizing gay events in Xinjiang is much harder than in Beijing,” he said, according to the newspaper. “Because it is against religion.”
Global Times reported that Xiao Dai is from the largely Muslim Hui ethnic group, which is common in northwest China. Mr. Zhang confirmed that Xiao Dai is known to be Hui. But he has also represented himself at times as Han, the dominant ethnic group in China, Mr. Zhang said.
Ethnicity is a delicate issue in Xinjiang, where Uighurs, the largest Muslim group in the region, coexist uneasily with the Han.
China decriminalized homosexual sex in 1997, but many gay Chinese remain closeted. The authorities have blocked gay events, including several last summer in Shanghai during China’s first Gay Pride celebration.
After the Beijing pageant was canceled, “we were all sort of nervous, edgy and a little scared maybe,” Mr. Zhang said. But despite the irregularities, the organizers of Worldwide Mr. Gay showed enthusiasm for having a delegate from China, he added.
“The headquarters in Oslo was very insistent,” he said.
Because Xiao Dai got his visa only at the last minute, there is no photograph or profile of him on the pageant Web site, as there are for the other contestants. But there is a list of the 30 countries or territories that have sent delegates, and China is on it.
Tibetans shun New Year celebrations for 2nd year
By ASHWINI BHATIA (AP) – 13 hours ago
DHARMSALA, India — Tibetans have decided against celebrating the Lunar New Year for a second year in remembrance of the suffering of people inside Tibet, the Dalai Lama said Sunday.
The Tibetan spiritual leader asked his followers not to lose hope, saying people in Tibet have shown great courage and sincerity in facing China's crackdown after uprisings in March 2008.
Tibetans in exile also called off New Year celebrations last year. The Lunar New Year holiday that began Saturday is the most important of the year in China.
"Tibetans are only observing religious ceremonies and not celebrating the New Year," the Dalai Lama told more than a thousand Tibetans in exile who dressed in traditional finery and greeted him at the Tsuglakhang temple.
The Dalai Lama led a prayer session, attended by senior Buddhist monks and Tibetan parliamentarians. Tibetans beat drums and cymbals during the two-hour ceremony on the terrace of the temple.
A group of young Tibetans, led by Tenzin Tsundue, a writer and political activist, waved Tibetan flags outside the temple and shouted "Free Tibet."
The Dalai Lama is scheduled to meet President Barack Obama in Washington next Thursday. China has urged Washington to cancel the meeting and says it could damage U.S.-China relations.
China accuses the Dalai Lama of pushing to free Tibet from Chinese rule, which he denies.
He has been living in the northern Indian town of Dharmsala since he fled Tibet 50 years ago when Chinese troops marched in.
China maintains that Tibet has been part of its territory for centuries, but many Tibetans say the region was functionally independent for much of its history.
Copyright © 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
By ASHWINI BHATIA (AP) – 13 hours ago
DHARMSALA, India — Tibetans have decided against celebrating the Lunar New Year for a second year in remembrance of the suffering of people inside Tibet, the Dalai Lama said Sunday.
The Tibetan spiritual leader asked his followers not to lose hope, saying people in Tibet have shown great courage and sincerity in facing China's crackdown after uprisings in March 2008.
Tibetans in exile also called off New Year celebrations last year. The Lunar New Year holiday that began Saturday is the most important of the year in China.
"Tibetans are only observing religious ceremonies and not celebrating the New Year," the Dalai Lama told more than a thousand Tibetans in exile who dressed in traditional finery and greeted him at the Tsuglakhang temple.
The Dalai Lama led a prayer session, attended by senior Buddhist monks and Tibetan parliamentarians. Tibetans beat drums and cymbals during the two-hour ceremony on the terrace of the temple.
A group of young Tibetans, led by Tenzin Tsundue, a writer and political activist, waved Tibetan flags outside the temple and shouted "Free Tibet."
The Dalai Lama is scheduled to meet President Barack Obama in Washington next Thursday. China has urged Washington to cancel the meeting and says it could damage U.S.-China relations.
China accuses the Dalai Lama of pushing to free Tibet from Chinese rule, which he denies.
He has been living in the northern Indian town of Dharmsala since he fled Tibet 50 years ago when Chinese troops marched in.
China maintains that Tibet has been part of its territory for centuries, but many Tibetans say the region was functionally independent for much of its history.
Copyright © 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
LHASA, Feb. 14 (Xinhua) -- Tens of thousands of Tibetans, dressed in traditional costumes, made pilgrimages to temples to pray for a peaceful and prosperous new year on Sunday, the first day of their traditional New Year.
The Year of the Iron Tiger in the Tibetan calendar began on Feb. 14 this year, exactly the same date as the Spring Festival, or Lunar New Year. The coincidence has happened 18 times since 1950, according to experts of astrology and Tibetan calendar calculations.
Two girls of the Tibetan ethnic group attend a celebration for the lunar New Year of the Tiger according to the Tibetan calendar, in Lhasa, capital of southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, Feb. 14, 2010. (Xinhua/Chogo)
Tibetan pilgrims thronged to temples in Lhasa, including Jokhang Temple, a spiritual center of Tibetan Buddhism, from the new year eve to late new year's day.
The number of pilgrims to Jokhang Temple alone amounted to more than 100,000, said Lama Dawa of the temple. With a history of more than 1,300 years, it was put on the World Cultural Heritage List in 2000.
Pilgrimage is the most important activity for Tibetan buddhism believers on the Tibetan New Year's Day.
Dancers perform at the Longwangtan Park for the lunar New Year of the Tiger according to the Tibetan calendar, in Lhasa, capital of southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, Feb. 14, 2010. (Xinhua/Gesang Dawa)
Dancho, a pilgrim from Xigaze, said, "I came here at 5 a.m. to pray for my parents and relatives and wish them a good new year."
"I want to pray for my parents and thank them for raising me up," said Kanmo Tsering, who came here with seven friends from Tibet's neighboring province of Gansu.
Like people of other ethnic groups in China, the Tibetans mark the holiday with fireworks, feasts and red couplets with rhymed phrases. They also patrol communities with torches to scare away devils and pray for good luck, while those in farming areas attend horse races and tug-of-wars.
The Tibetans enjoy a 10-day holiday for the new year, from Feb. 13 to 22.
The New Year's Day also coincides with the Valentine's Day. Many young Tibetans bought jewelry and flowers for their lovers or went to see films with them on the romantic day.
"The New Year's Day and the Valentine's Day fall on the same day this year. I need not only buy goods for the new year, but buy a gift for my girlfriend," said Cering.
Jigme, 18, bought roses for his girlfriend. Nyima, 32, and his wife Zhoigar, however, watched films as they spent each Valentine's Day in the cinema.
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The Year of the Iron Tiger in the Tibetan calendar began on Feb. 14 this year, exactly the same date as the Spring Festival, or Lunar New Year. The coincidence has happened 18 times since 1950, according to experts of astrology and Tibetan calendar calculations.
Two girls of the Tibetan ethnic group attend a celebration for the lunar New Year of the Tiger according to the Tibetan calendar, in Lhasa, capital of southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, Feb. 14, 2010. (Xinhua/Chogo)
Tibetan pilgrims thronged to temples in Lhasa, including Jokhang Temple, a spiritual center of Tibetan Buddhism, from the new year eve to late new year's day.
The number of pilgrims to Jokhang Temple alone amounted to more than 100,000, said Lama Dawa of the temple. With a history of more than 1,300 years, it was put on the World Cultural Heritage List in 2000.
Pilgrimage is the most important activity for Tibetan buddhism believers on the Tibetan New Year's Day.
Dancers perform at the Longwangtan Park for the lunar New Year of the Tiger according to the Tibetan calendar, in Lhasa, capital of southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, Feb. 14, 2010. (Xinhua/Gesang Dawa)
Dancho, a pilgrim from Xigaze, said, "I came here at 5 a.m. to pray for my parents and relatives and wish them a good new year."
"I want to pray for my parents and thank them for raising me up," said Kanmo Tsering, who came here with seven friends from Tibet's neighboring province of Gansu.
Like people of other ethnic groups in China, the Tibetans mark the holiday with fireworks, feasts and red couplets with rhymed phrases. They also patrol communities with torches to scare away devils and pray for good luck, while those in farming areas attend horse races and tug-of-wars.
The Tibetans enjoy a 10-day holiday for the new year, from Feb. 13 to 22.
The New Year's Day also coincides with the Valentine's Day. Many young Tibetans bought jewelry and flowers for their lovers or went to see films with them on the romantic day.
"The New Year's Day and the Valentine's Day fall on the same day this year. I need not only buy goods for the new year, but buy a gift for my girlfriend," said Cering.
Jigme, 18, bought roses for his girlfriend. Nyima, 32, and his wife Zhoigar, however, watched films as they spent each Valentine's Day in the cinema.
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China urges US not to meet Dalai Lama
China has urged the United States to immediately withdraw its decision of a meeting between US President Barack Obama and the Dalai Lama. The Foreign Ministry on Friday repeated China's position on the Tibet issue.
The Foreign Ministry says the US should fully understand the high sensitivity of Tibet-related issues, and honor its commitment recognizing Tibet as part of China and opposing "Tibetan independence."
This is seen as an immediate reaction over Washington's announcement on Thursday. White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said the meeting between President Obama and the Dalai Lama is scheduled for February the 18th at the White House.
China has made repeated solemn representations with the US over Obama's possible meeting with the Dalai Lama.
Zhu Weiqun, Exec. Vice Minister of CPC United Front Work Dept., said, "If the US does not recognize that the Chinese government is the only legal government and Tibet is part of China, it will violate the international common rules and seriously undermine the political foundation of Sino-US relations to contact with the head of bogus government."
China warns that such talks will hurt already-strained ties. Beijing is also calling on Washington to refrain from offering the Dalai Lama any venue or convenience to engage in activities that are anti-China, attempt to split up the country, or undermine the stability of Tibet and interfere in China's internal affairs.
Editor: Liu Anqi | Source: CCTV.com
The Foreign Ministry says the US should fully understand the high sensitivity of Tibet-related issues, and honor its commitment recognizing Tibet as part of China and opposing "Tibetan independence."
This is seen as an immediate reaction over Washington's announcement on Thursday. White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said the meeting between President Obama and the Dalai Lama is scheduled for February the 18th at the White House.
China has made repeated solemn representations with the US over Obama's possible meeting with the Dalai Lama.
Zhu Weiqun, Exec. Vice Minister of CPC United Front Work Dept., said, "If the US does not recognize that the Chinese government is the only legal government and Tibet is part of China, it will violate the international common rules and seriously undermine the political foundation of Sino-US relations to contact with the head of bogus government."
China warns that such talks will hurt already-strained ties. Beijing is also calling on Washington to refrain from offering the Dalai Lama any venue or convenience to engage in activities that are anti-China, attempt to split up the country, or undermine the stability of Tibet and interfere in China's internal affairs.
Editor: Liu Anqi | Source: CCTV.com
U.S., China make effort to get along
By Paul Richter
February 14, 2010
Reporting from Washington - When Google threatened to pull out of China last month after hacker attacks on its networks, the Obama administration announced with some fanfare that it would lodge an official protest with Beijing.
"We want some answers," an indignant Robert Gibbs, the White House press secretary, said at the time.
Soon, however, talk about the diplomatic protest ceased. U.S. officials raised the issue with the Chinese in private, they said, but have never delivered the written diplomatic message.
This careful de-escalation was a prominent example of the way in which the two countries have quietly moved to limit the damage from a series of noisy conflicts this year.
Collisions over Taiwan, Tibet, Iran, Internet freedom and other issues have led to angry words and canceled meetings. Nonetheless, the leaders of the two countries appear intent on managing the clashes in hopes of maintaining the stability of a relationship each side sees as essential for economic as well as political reasons.
When the Obama administration announced Feb. 5 that it would sell $6.4 billion in arms to Taiwan, Beijing warned of "serious repercussions," slapped sanctions on U.S. businesses involved in the sale and canceled planned U.S.-Chinese military exchanges. China claims sovereignty over Taiwan and considers such sales as the arming of a potential adversary.
But, significantly, the Chinese stopped short of canceling the entire military exchange program, a more extreme step that they have taken in the past. Instead, they called off only scheduled meetings, leaving open the option of quickly restarting the program without much damage.
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton drew a furious reaction from Beijing on Jan. 21 when, in a speech on Internet freedom, she suggested in Cold War overtones that the Chinese and a few like-minded nations were erecting a new wall around their populations.
U.S. officials later said the speech wasn't a response to the Google furor and had long been planned. The address was rewritten repeatedly to tone down sections that the Chinese might find provocative, officials said.
The Chinese, too, sought to limit the fallout from the Internet issue. At first, Beijing denounced Clinton's speech as "information imperialism." But within days, China's foreign minister sought to portray the issue as a commercial one that could be negotiated between the two sides.
And Clinton, in an appearance after her meeting with Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi in London, acknowledged that there were several views on how actively the Chinese control their Internet. "Different people have . . . different impressions," she said.
U.S.-Chinese tensions are likely to flare again over President Obama hosting a White House visit by the Dalai Lama this week despite forceful objections by China. Beijing views any sign of U.S. support for the Tibetan spiritual leader as a challenge to its territorial integrity.
Obama, who was criticized by liberal and conservative human rights advocates for sidestepping a visit with the Dalai Lama last year when he visited China, is trying to carefully calibrate how to signal support for the Tibetan spiritual figure without going too far.
Officials say the meeting will be more formal than some previous presidential visits by the Dalai Lama. President Clinton once took enough time only to drop by while the Dalai Lama was visiting another office of the White House.
But the visit with Obama will probably fall short of an embrace like the one offered by former President George W. Bush, who escorted the exiled Tibetan to Capitol Hill to receive the Congressional Gold Medal.
Even so, the Chinese reaction is expected to be angry. Some experts have predicted that it will cause Chinese President Hu Jintao to cancel plans to attend a summit on nuclear security that is to be held in Washington this spring.
Despite overall signs of conciliation, U.S. officials say privately that they are concerned that China, emboldened by its growing economic and political power, appears to have become more aggressive on the world stage. In several areas, the administration feels a need to push back, officials say, acknowledging that this could damage the relationship.
"Chinese nationalism has to be managed," said a senior administration official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the subject.
Yet officials say their goal is also to maintain what Hillary Clinton calls a "mature relationship" that allows the two sides to transact business on a number of fronts even while they tangle in other areas. The officials insist that the relationship is more stable than ever and that their approach to disputes follows the pattern set by predecessors, both Republican and Democrat.
Obama will be the fourth president in a row to meet with the Dalai Lama since 1990. And the arms sale is basically the culmination of a deal set in motion by the Bush administration. Obama delayed both the moves in hopes of starting out the U.S.-China relationship in 2009 on a good foot.
"Many of these tensions are not new, nor is the rough patch this relationship is entering," Winny Chen, a researcher at the Center for American Progress, a think tank with close ties to the administration, wrote in an online assessment this week. Each president since Ronald Reagan has faced periods of conflict with China, she said.
Douglas Paal, a former U.S. official now at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said he believes that Chinese leaders "have been careful not to do substantial damage to the relationship, while making louder noises to appease their domestic opinion." He predicted China would continue to resist efforts to impose new United Nations sanctions on Iran, probably abstaining from a Security Council vote after doing all it can to water down a punitive resolution.
Nevertheless, he said he believes that the two countries' relationship will be held together by economic interdependence and the need to work together on issues including the financial crisis, climate change and nonproliferation.
He predicted that Obama and Hu would end the year with productive meetings and that the relationship would look better in 2011.
"I can't believe the United States and China will be looking for a fight," Paal said.
paul.richter@latimes.com
Copyright © 2010, The Los Angeles Times
February 14, 2010
Reporting from Washington - When Google threatened to pull out of China last month after hacker attacks on its networks, the Obama administration announced with some fanfare that it would lodge an official protest with Beijing.
"We want some answers," an indignant Robert Gibbs, the White House press secretary, said at the time.
Soon, however, talk about the diplomatic protest ceased. U.S. officials raised the issue with the Chinese in private, they said, but have never delivered the written diplomatic message.
This careful de-escalation was a prominent example of the way in which the two countries have quietly moved to limit the damage from a series of noisy conflicts this year.
Collisions over Taiwan, Tibet, Iran, Internet freedom and other issues have led to angry words and canceled meetings. Nonetheless, the leaders of the two countries appear intent on managing the clashes in hopes of maintaining the stability of a relationship each side sees as essential for economic as well as political reasons.
When the Obama administration announced Feb. 5 that it would sell $6.4 billion in arms to Taiwan, Beijing warned of "serious repercussions," slapped sanctions on U.S. businesses involved in the sale and canceled planned U.S.-Chinese military exchanges. China claims sovereignty over Taiwan and considers such sales as the arming of a potential adversary.
But, significantly, the Chinese stopped short of canceling the entire military exchange program, a more extreme step that they have taken in the past. Instead, they called off only scheduled meetings, leaving open the option of quickly restarting the program without much damage.
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton drew a furious reaction from Beijing on Jan. 21 when, in a speech on Internet freedom, she suggested in Cold War overtones that the Chinese and a few like-minded nations were erecting a new wall around their populations.
U.S. officials later said the speech wasn't a response to the Google furor and had long been planned. The address was rewritten repeatedly to tone down sections that the Chinese might find provocative, officials said.
The Chinese, too, sought to limit the fallout from the Internet issue. At first, Beijing denounced Clinton's speech as "information imperialism." But within days, China's foreign minister sought to portray the issue as a commercial one that could be negotiated between the two sides.
And Clinton, in an appearance after her meeting with Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi in London, acknowledged that there were several views on how actively the Chinese control their Internet. "Different people have . . . different impressions," she said.
U.S.-Chinese tensions are likely to flare again over President Obama hosting a White House visit by the Dalai Lama this week despite forceful objections by China. Beijing views any sign of U.S. support for the Tibetan spiritual leader as a challenge to its territorial integrity.
Obama, who was criticized by liberal and conservative human rights advocates for sidestepping a visit with the Dalai Lama last year when he visited China, is trying to carefully calibrate how to signal support for the Tibetan spiritual figure without going too far.
Officials say the meeting will be more formal than some previous presidential visits by the Dalai Lama. President Clinton once took enough time only to drop by while the Dalai Lama was visiting another office of the White House.
But the visit with Obama will probably fall short of an embrace like the one offered by former President George W. Bush, who escorted the exiled Tibetan to Capitol Hill to receive the Congressional Gold Medal.
Even so, the Chinese reaction is expected to be angry. Some experts have predicted that it will cause Chinese President Hu Jintao to cancel plans to attend a summit on nuclear security that is to be held in Washington this spring.
Despite overall signs of conciliation, U.S. officials say privately that they are concerned that China, emboldened by its growing economic and political power, appears to have become more aggressive on the world stage. In several areas, the administration feels a need to push back, officials say, acknowledging that this could damage the relationship.
"Chinese nationalism has to be managed," said a senior administration official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the subject.
Yet officials say their goal is also to maintain what Hillary Clinton calls a "mature relationship" that allows the two sides to transact business on a number of fronts even while they tangle in other areas. The officials insist that the relationship is more stable than ever and that their approach to disputes follows the pattern set by predecessors, both Republican and Democrat.
Obama will be the fourth president in a row to meet with the Dalai Lama since 1990. And the arms sale is basically the culmination of a deal set in motion by the Bush administration. Obama delayed both the moves in hopes of starting out the U.S.-China relationship in 2009 on a good foot.
"Many of these tensions are not new, nor is the rough patch this relationship is entering," Winny Chen, a researcher at the Center for American Progress, a think tank with close ties to the administration, wrote in an online assessment this week. Each president since Ronald Reagan has faced periods of conflict with China, she said.
Douglas Paal, a former U.S. official now at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said he believes that Chinese leaders "have been careful not to do substantial damage to the relationship, while making louder noises to appease their domestic opinion." He predicted China would continue to resist efforts to impose new United Nations sanctions on Iran, probably abstaining from a Security Council vote after doing all it can to water down a punitive resolution.
Nevertheless, he said he believes that the two countries' relationship will be held together by economic interdependence and the need to work together on issues including the financial crisis, climate change and nonproliferation.
He predicted that Obama and Hu would end the year with productive meetings and that the relationship would look better in 2011.
"I can't believe the United States and China will be looking for a fight," Paal said.
paul.richter@latimes.com
Copyright © 2010, The Los Angeles Times
Χριστόφορος Κοτέντος
«Το ελληνικό "Next Top Model" είναι καλύτερο από το αμερικάνικο»
Είχε τύχει να γνωριστούμε από τα μέσα της δεκαετίας του '90, όταν έκανε τα πρώτα του βήματα στο χώρο. Από την παρθενική του εμφάνιση ως μοντέλο στις πασαρέλες του Μιλάνου μέχρι τη θέση του κριτή στο «Next Top Model»,o Χριστόφορος Κοτέντος πρόλαβε να γεμίσει το βιογραφικό του με μοναδικές εμπειρίες και εικόνες διεθνούς καταξίωσης που θα ζήλευαν όλοι σχεδόν οι Έλληνες συνάδελφοί του. Χριστόφορε, αυτή είναι η ζωή σου.
Η αδελφή του θέλει να γίνει φωτογράφος και τον βάζει να ποζάρει συνεχώς, για να φτιάξει ένα book με σκοπό να το παρουσιάσει σε πρακτορείο μόδας. Το book αυτό φτάνει στα χέρια της ιδιοκτήτριας της Agence, Αντιγόνης Δέλλιου. Βλέπει τον Χριστόφορο και ενθουσιάζεται. «Ποιος είναι αυτός στις φωτογραφίες;» ρωτάει. «Ο αδελφός μου» της απαντάει. «Πες του να έρθει εδώ αμέσως». Εκείνος πηγαίνει διστακτικά, καθώς μέχρι τότε δεν του είχε περάσει ποτέ από το μυαλό να γίνει μοντέλο. Η Δέλλιου διακρίνει ότι ο νεαρός λεπτοκαμωμένος άντρας με τα πυρόξανθα μαλλιά και το κατάλευκο δέρμα μπορεί να διαπρέψει στις πασαρέλες του εξωτερικού, την ίδια στιγμή που στην Ελλάδα κυριαρχεί το πρότυπο του μυώδη μελαχρινού – βλέπε Παπαδάκης, Γιαννιώτης, Πανταζής κ.λπ. Οι φωτογραφίες του Χριστόφορου ταξιδεύουν στο Μιλάνο και μέσα σε μια νύχτα έχει option για τέσσερις οίκους μόδας, ανάμεσά τους ο Ferre και ο Romeo Gigli. Στην ιταλική εβδομάδα μόδας θεωρείται η ανακάλυψη της σεζόν και επιλέγεται από τον Gianni Versace, τον Gianfranco Ferre και τη Vivienne Westwood. «Δεν με ενδιέφερε το μόντελινγκ, το έβλεπα ως χόμπι. Ασχολήθηκα για δύο χρόνια και μετά τα παράτησα. Στα 22 μου είχα ήδη φτιάξει το πρώτο μου ατελιέ στο Κολωνάκι και ήθελα να ασχοληθώ με αυτό. Δεν μπορούσα να ταξιδεύω και η φυσιογνωμία μου δεν ήταν “εμπορική” στην Ελλάδα. Mε ζητούσαν τότε από το Λονδίνο και το Μιλάνο».
Την ίδια στιγμή πηγαίνει σε μια σχολή για να διευρύνει τις γνώσεις του πάνω στο πατρόν και τη ραφή. Συνεχίζει τις σπουδές του στο Λονδίνο, αλλά δεν τις ολοκληρώνει ποτέ. Το όνομά του στην Ελλάδα αρχίζει να ξεχωρίζει. Λίγο καιρό αργότερα, ο Νίκος Σταθούλης προτείνει στον Χριστόφορο να κάνει μια έκθεση, όπου θα παρουσιάζονται ως έργα τέχνης οι δημιουργίες του στην γκαλερί DownTown στου Ψυρρή. Ο Χριστόφορος σχεδιάζει δώδεκα ρούχα, ανάμεσά τους ένα φόρεμα από Swarovski. «Δεν είχε ξαναγίνει κάτι τέτοιο. Δεν υπήρχε ύφασμα, παρά μόνο μικροί κρίκοι που δημιουργούσαν ένα δίχτυ από κρύσταλλα. Όταν ολοκληρώθηκε, αναρωτιόμουν ποια γυναίκα θα μπορούσε να το φορέσει και η μόνη Ελληνίδα που μου ερχόταν στο μυαλό ήταν η Άννα Βίσση. Έρχομαι σε επαφή μαζί της, βλέπει το φόρεμα και της αρέσει πολύ». Εκείνη την εποχή η Άννα ετοιμάζεται να τραγουδήσει στα Αστέρια. Το δοκιμάζουν στην πίστα και το αποτέλεσμα κάτω από τα δυνατά φώτα είναι ακόμα πιο εντυπωσιακό. Οι φωτογραφίες της Ελληνίδας σταρ με το φόρεμα του Κοτέντου δημοσιεύονται παντού και ο νεαρός σχεδιαστής γίνεται το talk of the town.
Τον Αύγουστο ο Χριστόφορος δέχεται πρόταση να συμμετέχει στην εγχώρια εκδοχή του «Next Top Model». Μαζί του περνάνε από δοκιμαστικό πολλοί διάσημοι εκπρόσωποι από το χώρο της μόδας. «Δέχτηκα να το κάνω γιατί ήταν μια καλή ευκαιρία να ειπωθούν κάποια πράγματα με το όνομά τους, χωρίς να με απασχολεί αν θα δημιουργήσω αντιδράσεις. Είναι μια ωραία εμπειρία για μένα». «Γνωρίζω τη Βίκυ Καγιά από τα 14 της. Ήταν πάντα ένα πολύ ευχάριστο κορίτσι, πάντα έξω καρδιά, πολύ θετική και με τεράστιο ταλέντο σε ό,τι καταπιανόταν. Το όνειρό της ήταν να ασχοληθεί με τη δημοσιογραφία. Θεωρώ πως ό,τι έχει καταφέρει στην τηλεόραση της αξίζει πραγματικά. Από μικρή ήταν πολύ ώριμη, δεν είχε ψωνιστεί καθόλου και δεν θεωρούσε ότι έκανε κάτι που τη διαφοροποιούσε από τον υπόλοιπο κόσμο. Ήταν μια υποδειγματική επαγγελματίας. Με το που τέλειωνε η δουλειά, έβαζε τη φόρμα της και έβλεπε τηλεόραση στο σπίτι της... Την Τζένη Μπαλατσινού δεν την είχα γνωρίσει μέσα στη δουλειά, παρά μόνο κοινωνικά, αφού είχε κάνει οικογένεια και είχε ανοίξει τα Beautyworks. Είναι συγκλονιστικός άνθρωπος η Τζένη και μου αρέσει πολύ ο τρόπος που σκέφτεται και ο τρόπος που μιλά στα κορίτσια. Ίσως επειδή είναι και μητέρα, ο λόγος της είναι περισσότερο συμβουλευτικός. Εγώ πάλι είμαι πάρα πολύ αυθόρμητος στις αντιδράσεις μου κατά τη διάρκεια των γυρισμάτων. Φέρομαι στα κορίτσια όχι ως υποψήφιες, αλλά σαν να είναι ήδη μέσα στη δουλειά».
«Το ελληνικό "Next Top Model" είναι καλύτερο από το αμερικάνικο»
Είχε τύχει να γνωριστούμε από τα μέσα της δεκαετίας του '90, όταν έκανε τα πρώτα του βήματα στο χώρο. Από την παρθενική του εμφάνιση ως μοντέλο στις πασαρέλες του Μιλάνου μέχρι τη θέση του κριτή στο «Next Top Model»,o Χριστόφορος Κοτέντος πρόλαβε να γεμίσει το βιογραφικό του με μοναδικές εμπειρίες και εικόνες διεθνούς καταξίωσης που θα ζήλευαν όλοι σχεδόν οι Έλληνες συνάδελφοί του. Χριστόφορε, αυτή είναι η ζωή σου.
Η αδελφή του θέλει να γίνει φωτογράφος και τον βάζει να ποζάρει συνεχώς, για να φτιάξει ένα book με σκοπό να το παρουσιάσει σε πρακτορείο μόδας. Το book αυτό φτάνει στα χέρια της ιδιοκτήτριας της Agence, Αντιγόνης Δέλλιου. Βλέπει τον Χριστόφορο και ενθουσιάζεται. «Ποιος είναι αυτός στις φωτογραφίες;» ρωτάει. «Ο αδελφός μου» της απαντάει. «Πες του να έρθει εδώ αμέσως». Εκείνος πηγαίνει διστακτικά, καθώς μέχρι τότε δεν του είχε περάσει ποτέ από το μυαλό να γίνει μοντέλο. Η Δέλλιου διακρίνει ότι ο νεαρός λεπτοκαμωμένος άντρας με τα πυρόξανθα μαλλιά και το κατάλευκο δέρμα μπορεί να διαπρέψει στις πασαρέλες του εξωτερικού, την ίδια στιγμή που στην Ελλάδα κυριαρχεί το πρότυπο του μυώδη μελαχρινού – βλέπε Παπαδάκης, Γιαννιώτης, Πανταζής κ.λπ. Οι φωτογραφίες του Χριστόφορου ταξιδεύουν στο Μιλάνο και μέσα σε μια νύχτα έχει option για τέσσερις οίκους μόδας, ανάμεσά τους ο Ferre και ο Romeo Gigli. Στην ιταλική εβδομάδα μόδας θεωρείται η ανακάλυψη της σεζόν και επιλέγεται από τον Gianni Versace, τον Gianfranco Ferre και τη Vivienne Westwood. «Δεν με ενδιέφερε το μόντελινγκ, το έβλεπα ως χόμπι. Ασχολήθηκα για δύο χρόνια και μετά τα παράτησα. Στα 22 μου είχα ήδη φτιάξει το πρώτο μου ατελιέ στο Κολωνάκι και ήθελα να ασχοληθώ με αυτό. Δεν μπορούσα να ταξιδεύω και η φυσιογνωμία μου δεν ήταν “εμπορική” στην Ελλάδα. Mε ζητούσαν τότε από το Λονδίνο και το Μιλάνο».
Την ίδια στιγμή πηγαίνει σε μια σχολή για να διευρύνει τις γνώσεις του πάνω στο πατρόν και τη ραφή. Συνεχίζει τις σπουδές του στο Λονδίνο, αλλά δεν τις ολοκληρώνει ποτέ. Το όνομά του στην Ελλάδα αρχίζει να ξεχωρίζει. Λίγο καιρό αργότερα, ο Νίκος Σταθούλης προτείνει στον Χριστόφορο να κάνει μια έκθεση, όπου θα παρουσιάζονται ως έργα τέχνης οι δημιουργίες του στην γκαλερί DownTown στου Ψυρρή. Ο Χριστόφορος σχεδιάζει δώδεκα ρούχα, ανάμεσά τους ένα φόρεμα από Swarovski. «Δεν είχε ξαναγίνει κάτι τέτοιο. Δεν υπήρχε ύφασμα, παρά μόνο μικροί κρίκοι που δημιουργούσαν ένα δίχτυ από κρύσταλλα. Όταν ολοκληρώθηκε, αναρωτιόμουν ποια γυναίκα θα μπορούσε να το φορέσει και η μόνη Ελληνίδα που μου ερχόταν στο μυαλό ήταν η Άννα Βίσση. Έρχομαι σε επαφή μαζί της, βλέπει το φόρεμα και της αρέσει πολύ». Εκείνη την εποχή η Άννα ετοιμάζεται να τραγουδήσει στα Αστέρια. Το δοκιμάζουν στην πίστα και το αποτέλεσμα κάτω από τα δυνατά φώτα είναι ακόμα πιο εντυπωσιακό. Οι φωτογραφίες της Ελληνίδας σταρ με το φόρεμα του Κοτέντου δημοσιεύονται παντού και ο νεαρός σχεδιαστής γίνεται το talk of the town.
Τον Αύγουστο ο Χριστόφορος δέχεται πρόταση να συμμετέχει στην εγχώρια εκδοχή του «Next Top Model». Μαζί του περνάνε από δοκιμαστικό πολλοί διάσημοι εκπρόσωποι από το χώρο της μόδας. «Δέχτηκα να το κάνω γιατί ήταν μια καλή ευκαιρία να ειπωθούν κάποια πράγματα με το όνομά τους, χωρίς να με απασχολεί αν θα δημιουργήσω αντιδράσεις. Είναι μια ωραία εμπειρία για μένα». «Γνωρίζω τη Βίκυ Καγιά από τα 14 της. Ήταν πάντα ένα πολύ ευχάριστο κορίτσι, πάντα έξω καρδιά, πολύ θετική και με τεράστιο ταλέντο σε ό,τι καταπιανόταν. Το όνειρό της ήταν να ασχοληθεί με τη δημοσιογραφία. Θεωρώ πως ό,τι έχει καταφέρει στην τηλεόραση της αξίζει πραγματικά. Από μικρή ήταν πολύ ώριμη, δεν είχε ψωνιστεί καθόλου και δεν θεωρούσε ότι έκανε κάτι που τη διαφοροποιούσε από τον υπόλοιπο κόσμο. Ήταν μια υποδειγματική επαγγελματίας. Με το που τέλειωνε η δουλειά, έβαζε τη φόρμα της και έβλεπε τηλεόραση στο σπίτι της... Την Τζένη Μπαλατσινού δεν την είχα γνωρίσει μέσα στη δουλειά, παρά μόνο κοινωνικά, αφού είχε κάνει οικογένεια και είχε ανοίξει τα Beautyworks. Είναι συγκλονιστικός άνθρωπος η Τζένη και μου αρέσει πολύ ο τρόπος που σκέφτεται και ο τρόπος που μιλά στα κορίτσια. Ίσως επειδή είναι και μητέρα, ο λόγος της είναι περισσότερο συμβουλευτικός. Εγώ πάλι είμαι πάρα πολύ αυθόρμητος στις αντιδράσεις μου κατά τη διάρκεια των γυρισμάτων. Φέρομαι στα κορίτσια όχι ως υποψήφιες, αλλά σαν να είναι ήδη μέσα στη δουλειά».
«Ριφιφί» στο αθλητικό αρχείο της ΕΡΤ
Δευτέρα, 15 Φεβρουαρίου 2010
«Ριφιφί» στο αθλητικό αρχείο της ΕΡΤ
Ενα μεγάλο και αισθητό ρεύμα κάνει το «δίπορτο» που είχε αφήσει ανοικτό ο Χρήστος Παναγόπουλος, όταν αποχώρησε πριν από 5 χρόνια από τον όμιλο ΣΚΑΪ – Καθημερινή για να αναλάβει πρόεδρος και διευθύνων σύμβουλος της ΕΡΤ AΕ.
Σήμερα επιστρέφει δριμύτερος στα παλιά του «λημέρια» ως μιντιακός «Μεσσίας» και τηλεοπτικός αναμορφωτής της ενημερωτικής ζώνης του τηλεοπτικού ΣΚΑΪ, αφού προηγουμένως είχε συντηρήσει «αγαστές» τις σχέσεις του με το συγκρότημα του Ν. Φαλήρου.
Στο πλαίσιο αυτό το πρώην αφεντικό της δημόσιας τηλεόρασης είχε φροντίσει να βάλει την υπογραφή του σε συμφωνίες παραχώρησης αρχειακού υλικού, για τις οποίες ομάδα βουλευτών ετοιμάζει ερώτηση προς τον υπ. Πολιτισμού, Π. Γερουλάνο, η οποία θα κατατεθεί το αμέσως επόμενο διάστημα.
Πρόκειται για την πενταετή σύμβαση μεταξύ ΕΡΤ και ΣΚΑΪ, με εισήγηση των Χρ. Παναγόπουλου και Κώστα Κέκη (εντεταλμένος σύμβουλος), και την έγκριση του προηγούμενου ΔΣ για την πώληση σε προνομιακή τιμή (98.000 ευρώ με δήθεν έκπτωση 15%!) 115 λεπτών μέρους του ψηφιακού αρχείου της δημόσιας τηλεόρασης από παλιούς και δημοφιλείς αγώνες ποδοσφαίρου και μπάσκετ.
Το υλικό αυτό, το οποίο αρχικά διεκδικούσε ο όμιλος Αλαφούζου για 7 χρόνια, χρησιμοποίησε ο ΣΚΑΪ για τις ανάγκες των εκπομπών «Για πάντα πρωταθλητές» και «Χρυσή ενδεκάδα». Το πλέον περίεργο, όμως, στη συμφωνία -που, σημειωτέον, υπεγράφη… ντάλα καλοκαίρι τον Αύγουστο του 2009- είναι ότι στο περιεχόμενό της, με εντολή προέδρου και έγκριση του ΔΣ, είχε οριστεί η ευτελής ρήτρα των 9.000 ευρώ για τη δυνατότητα παραγωγής DVD/βιβλίων εκ μέρους του ΣΚΑΪ, ο οποίος και εκμεταλλεύθηκε εμπορικά το συγκεκριμένο υλικό.
Οσοι γνωρίζουν τους όρους με τους οποίους διακινούνται στην αγορά τα δικαιώματα οπτικού υλικού -πόσω μάλλον όταν πρόκειται για αποκλειστικά στιγμιότυπα ιστορικής σημασίας- κάνουν λόγο για τίμημα εξόχως χαμηλό, πέραν των ερωτηματικών που προκύπτουν για τη μη αξιοποίηση του συγκεκριμένου αρχείου από την ίδια την ΕΡΤ, σε μια περίοδο που η διοίκησή της είχε επενδύσει αδρά στο αθλητικό προϊόν με την αγορά των τηλεοπτικών δικαιωμάτων μεγάλων ΠΑΕ.
Ενα ακόμα επεισόδιο του… σίριαλ που πυροδότησε η θητεία Παναγόπουλου στην ΕΡΤ θα «παιχθεί» αύριο, στην προγραμματισμένη εκδίκαση των ασφαλιστικών δικαιωμάτων που κατέθεσε η Forthnet και η NetMed Hellas για τα τηλεοπτικά δικαιώματα της Σούπερ Λίγκας.
Οι δύο εταιρείες εγκαλούν την ΕΡΤ για την πρακτική της να μεταδίδει χωρίς άδεια και δίχως να καταβάλλει χρήματα τα στιγμιότυπα των 14 ομάδων της SuperLeague, τα δικαιώματα των οποίων αγόρασε ο όμιλος Forthnet αντί 36,5 εκατ. ευρώ, ενώ το αντίστοιχο κόστος για τον ΣΚΑΪ ανέρχεται σε 7 εκ. ευρώ.
Την περίοδο της έντονης τριβής η Forthnet είχε αφήσει υπονοούμενα για τον «τροφοδότη» των στιγμιότυπων στο Ραδιομέγαρο – άλλη μια υπόνοια περί ανοικτού καναλιού της Παναγοπουλικής ΕΡΤ με το Ν. Φάληρο.
ΠΗΓΗ: Έθνος
«Ριφιφί» στο αθλητικό αρχείο της ΕΡΤ
Ενα μεγάλο και αισθητό ρεύμα κάνει το «δίπορτο» που είχε αφήσει ανοικτό ο Χρήστος Παναγόπουλος, όταν αποχώρησε πριν από 5 χρόνια από τον όμιλο ΣΚΑΪ – Καθημερινή για να αναλάβει πρόεδρος και διευθύνων σύμβουλος της ΕΡΤ AΕ.
Σήμερα επιστρέφει δριμύτερος στα παλιά του «λημέρια» ως μιντιακός «Μεσσίας» και τηλεοπτικός αναμορφωτής της ενημερωτικής ζώνης του τηλεοπτικού ΣΚΑΪ, αφού προηγουμένως είχε συντηρήσει «αγαστές» τις σχέσεις του με το συγκρότημα του Ν. Φαλήρου.
Στο πλαίσιο αυτό το πρώην αφεντικό της δημόσιας τηλεόρασης είχε φροντίσει να βάλει την υπογραφή του σε συμφωνίες παραχώρησης αρχειακού υλικού, για τις οποίες ομάδα βουλευτών ετοιμάζει ερώτηση προς τον υπ. Πολιτισμού, Π. Γερουλάνο, η οποία θα κατατεθεί το αμέσως επόμενο διάστημα.
Πρόκειται για την πενταετή σύμβαση μεταξύ ΕΡΤ και ΣΚΑΪ, με εισήγηση των Χρ. Παναγόπουλου και Κώστα Κέκη (εντεταλμένος σύμβουλος), και την έγκριση του προηγούμενου ΔΣ για την πώληση σε προνομιακή τιμή (98.000 ευρώ με δήθεν έκπτωση 15%!) 115 λεπτών μέρους του ψηφιακού αρχείου της δημόσιας τηλεόρασης από παλιούς και δημοφιλείς αγώνες ποδοσφαίρου και μπάσκετ.
Το υλικό αυτό, το οποίο αρχικά διεκδικούσε ο όμιλος Αλαφούζου για 7 χρόνια, χρησιμοποίησε ο ΣΚΑΪ για τις ανάγκες των εκπομπών «Για πάντα πρωταθλητές» και «Χρυσή ενδεκάδα». Το πλέον περίεργο, όμως, στη συμφωνία -που, σημειωτέον, υπεγράφη… ντάλα καλοκαίρι τον Αύγουστο του 2009- είναι ότι στο περιεχόμενό της, με εντολή προέδρου και έγκριση του ΔΣ, είχε οριστεί η ευτελής ρήτρα των 9.000 ευρώ για τη δυνατότητα παραγωγής DVD/βιβλίων εκ μέρους του ΣΚΑΪ, ο οποίος και εκμεταλλεύθηκε εμπορικά το συγκεκριμένο υλικό.
Οσοι γνωρίζουν τους όρους με τους οποίους διακινούνται στην αγορά τα δικαιώματα οπτικού υλικού -πόσω μάλλον όταν πρόκειται για αποκλειστικά στιγμιότυπα ιστορικής σημασίας- κάνουν λόγο για τίμημα εξόχως χαμηλό, πέραν των ερωτηματικών που προκύπτουν για τη μη αξιοποίηση του συγκεκριμένου αρχείου από την ίδια την ΕΡΤ, σε μια περίοδο που η διοίκησή της είχε επενδύσει αδρά στο αθλητικό προϊόν με την αγορά των τηλεοπτικών δικαιωμάτων μεγάλων ΠΑΕ.
Ενα ακόμα επεισόδιο του… σίριαλ που πυροδότησε η θητεία Παναγόπουλου στην ΕΡΤ θα «παιχθεί» αύριο, στην προγραμματισμένη εκδίκαση των ασφαλιστικών δικαιωμάτων που κατέθεσε η Forthnet και η NetMed Hellas για τα τηλεοπτικά δικαιώματα της Σούπερ Λίγκας.
Οι δύο εταιρείες εγκαλούν την ΕΡΤ για την πρακτική της να μεταδίδει χωρίς άδεια και δίχως να καταβάλλει χρήματα τα στιγμιότυπα των 14 ομάδων της SuperLeague, τα δικαιώματα των οποίων αγόρασε ο όμιλος Forthnet αντί 36,5 εκατ. ευρώ, ενώ το αντίστοιχο κόστος για τον ΣΚΑΪ ανέρχεται σε 7 εκ. ευρώ.
Την περίοδο της έντονης τριβής η Forthnet είχε αφήσει υπονοούμενα για τον «τροφοδότη» των στιγμιότυπων στο Ραδιομέγαρο – άλλη μια υπόνοια περί ανοικτού καναλιού της Παναγοπουλικής ΕΡΤ με το Ν. Φάληρο.
ΠΗΓΗ: Έθνος
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