Coming to Mexico, I am easily identifiable as a griego, which has never been confused – when said – with a gringo. I ask sometimes why do you call the yanquis – mexican spelling for yankees – “gringos”? (As if I knew the origin for this alternative term – I didn’t. I checked today, only to find out that the origin of yanquis is as uncertain as the origin of gringos that prompted this post)
Gracias & Ευχαριστούμε Alexandra y Despina
‘Ελα μαζί μου, σ’ αγαπώ. Στ’ όμορφο ακρογιάλι καρτερώ φεγγαράκι, ξαστεριά, κύμα και φωτιά. Και μετά: όποιος το πνεύμα του ποθεί να δυναμώσει να βγει απ’ το σέβας κι από την υποταγή. Menudo, amada sensación. Voces de aquellos que han desaparecido para nosotros como los muertos. Ojos de un azul de zafiro. Y ahora, iniciado, en el viaje a Itaca no mires atrás, son solo sombras la luz te está llamando, acuérdate la luz de Itaca.
A proposition for the status of academic freedom in the UK
The United Kingdom is in violation of the UNESCO recommendation concerning the Status of Higher-Education Teaching Personnel as evidenced by the many instances where university managers frame and sack their ideological opponents.
The recommendation can be read here
http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=13144&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html
Two recent examples from Universities, Warwick and Kent:
http://www.riveronline.co.uk/content/2014/02/27/prof-kicked-campus
My ignorance on Czechoslovakia
I have five fingers in each hand
and five fingers in my two feet
and I have five Czech friends.
Three are staunch anticommunists,
but two are nuanced in their politics.
These friends held me, gave me,
hosted me, confronted me and taught me,
like no one else ever did.
Two women and three men represent
the Czech soul and country to me.
And so,
I would like to now befriend a Slovak.
A whole year has passed by, a new one has started
2013 was the year of settling down in Mexico. Cheel and Myrsini have grown but still dislike it when I come to the computer. The only difference is they now play more with each other. Cheel is just over 4 and Myrsini is almost two and a half.
I now lead a laboratory that is working on a few questions and our presence in the web is
http://fanis.fisio.cinvestav.mx
2014 started with an employment tribunal hearing. A very partial discussion (based only on the first of six days) can be found in the following two places
and
This was a learning experience. Many valued colleagues supported me, our friendship deepened, my sphere of knowledge widened, and my emotions deepened.
I broke free from a strange type of slavery – where the masters had been managers at Queen Mary University of London.
I feel a free human being again. And joined twitter
My first steps in blogging…
Watch this space, which I start building today!
A cat said meow.
My daughters are asleep and a light breeze is refreshing.
fanismissirlis 