11/12/14

[Maik]

Ceausescu’s children
When they were first exposed in 1989, Romania’s orphanages shocked the world. But what happened to the children left behind? Vişinel Balan, now 27, tells his story

http://www.theguardian.com/news/2014/dec/10/-sp-ceausescus-children

A long read and I won't describe it as pleasant

[Maik]

A tiger that had been living in “deplorable conditions” in Greece will arrive in San Diego Thursday and be shipped to the Lions, Tigers & Bears sanctuary in Alpine, its founder said.

Phevos and six other tigers were seized from an Italian traveling circus group in 2002. He was placed in the Trikala Zoo, outside of Athens, where his companion died in March, according to LTB founder Bobbi Brink. The female tiger, Athena, had an untreated open wound on her paw, according to LTB.

The man who placed the tigers at the zoo in Greece contacted LTB and said the conditions the felines were living in deteriorated conditions as Greece’s economy spun downhill, according to Brink.

http://fox5sandiego.com/2014/12/10/alpine-facility-to-rescue-tiger-from-greece/

[Maik]

Heard the Ministry of Rural Development and Food has established terms and conditions for financing municipal animal shelters. Maybe there will eventually be some progress on this.

[Maik]

TransferWise is making inroads as a foreign exchange service, with a twist: it doesn’t exchange any money. Instead, it pairs people who want to get rid of a currency with those who want to get hold of it.

If Alice in the UK sends £10 to Bob in Ireland and at the same time Charlie in Ireland sends €12 to Diane in the UK, then the money doesn’t cross any borders at all; Charlie just sends his money to Bob, and Alice sends hers to Diane. That lets the firm slim its fees down to a minimal level, charging less than £5 to send £1,000 overseas.

http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/dec/11/foreign-currency-exchange-banks-transferwise

The clever new way to beat bank fees

Banks charge huge hidden fees when you send money abroad. With TransferWise you save up to 90%. Problem solved, money saved.

https://transferwise.com/


For info only, not a recommendation, I haven't used it.

[Maik]

Jay Beatty, the little Celtic fan who became an internet hit when he was seen on social media sites cheering on his hero Georgios Samaras in the World Cup, has been invited to Greece to pick up a top sports award.

Jay - who has Down’s syndrome - travelled from his home in County Armagh, Northern Ireland to watch the striker as he played his final game for the club at the end of last season and Samaras was delighted to have him there cheering him on.

http://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/spfl/celtic-fan-jay-beatty-invited-to-greece-for-award-1-3631551

[Maik]

Heard archaeological work at Agios Athanasios, Ithaka, will continue with funding to the tune of 115,000 €.