Author Topic: 10/03/23  (Read 1528 times)

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Online Maik

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10/03/23
« on: Friday, 10 March, 2023 @ 02:54:57 »
Today’s bank rates:
1 €UR = £0.9148 GBP
1 €UR = $1.0871 USD
£1 GBP = 1.0931 €UR
$1 USD = 0.9199 €UR

Based on Alpha Bank exchange rates, these are widely used by exchange agencies in Greece.
Other banks likely to offer a different rate which may be marginally higher or lower.
Banks and foreign exchange offices normally charge standard 2% commission.
You may get a better rate changing your holiday money in advance at e.g the
Post Office.
NB: some f-ex agencies advertise "No Commission".
Invariably, they deduct commission before they (don't) advertise the rate.
Foreign exchange offices are businesses, not charities.


Ten day weather forecast for Kefalonia:
This is an overall forecast, due to the mountainous terrain the weather can be very localised.
Updated forecast @
weather.com

Day, Date   Hi°/Lo°   Wind sp   Wet   Forecast
Fri 10/03   18°/13°   21 km/h   75%   Light rain probable
Sat 11/03   16°/12°   22 km/h   38%   Showers possible
Sun 12/03   17°/10°   22 km/h   49%   Showers possible
Mon 13/03   17°/10°   11 km/h   05%   Sunny
Tue 14/03   17°/12°   12 km/h   07%   Sun & cloud
Wed 15/03   16°/10°   21 km/h   82%   Rain and/or thunder probable
Thu 16/03   16°/10°   23 km/h   72%   Showers probable
Fri 17/03   17°/11°   15 km/h   05%   Sunny
Sat 18/03   17°/11°   11 km/h   03%   Mostly sunny
Sun 19/03   18°/12°   16 km/h   10%   Sun & cloud

frost.getmap.gr
No risk of frost

Online Maik

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Re: 10/03/23
« Reply #1 on: Friday, 10 March, 2023 @ 03:09:16 »
Quote
How a Montenegrin Gang Used Open-Source Intelligence to Kill

Hitmen working for a criminal group active in Montenegro and Serbia used open-source intelligence techniques, poring over apartment listing sites, satellite images, and tourist photos posted online, to track down and kill the leader of a rival clan as he hid out in Greece.
https://www.occrp.org/en/balkan-cocaine-wars/how-a-montenegrin-gang-used-open-source-intelligence-to-kill

Long read, only connection to Greece is that the victims were hiding out on Corfu. Might be of interest, though. If it is, this eKathimerini article may also be:

Police on brink of cracking 2020 Corfu double murder


Online Maik

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Re: 10/03/23
« Reply #2 on: Friday, 10 March, 2023 @ 03:15:01 »
Quote
WhatsApp could soon be illegal in the UK, boss warns

The UK’s upcoming Online Safety Bill could force the app to weaken the end-to-end encryption that currently secures messages on the service, said Will Cathcart, the head of WhatsApp at parent company Meta.

If the government forced the company to do weaken that security, WhatsApp would refuse, leaving open the possibility that the app would be banned entirely within the country, he confirmed.

End-to-end encryption secures messages by ensuring that only those sending and receiving them can read them, and even the services themselves do not have access. Technology companies and security experts say it is necessary to protect messages from hacking and other threats – but officials including those in the UK have argued that it should be weakened so that messages can be scanned for illegal content.

The Online Safety Bill was first introduced by Boris Johnson, and is currently on its way through parliament. It allows the government or regulator Ofcom to demand that apps scan messages for terrorist or child sexual abuse material, which would not be possible without weakening the encryption that currently protects all messages.
https://www.independent.co.uk/tech/whatsapp-uk-ban-online-safety-bill-update-b2297496.html

Online Maik

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Re: 10/03/23
« Reply #3 on: Friday, 10 March, 2023 @ 15:06:28 »
Quote
Ministry issues warning over mosquito-borne diseases

The Health Ministry has issued an announcement drawing the public’s attention to mosquitoes that transmit dengue fever and the Zika and Chikungunya viruses.

The ministry has sent a circular to all health authorities in the country to take emergency measures to combat mosquitoes, especially within environments with potential mosquito breeding sites (ponds, greenery etc).

They should also ensure that patients, visitors and employees of healthcare facilities are protected from mosquito bites – e.g. by placing mosquito nets on windows and doors, providing repellants and using air conditioners or fans.
https://www.ekathimerini.com/news/1206408/ministry-issues-warning-over-mosquito-borne-diseases/

Online Maik

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Re: 10/03/23
« Reply #4 on: Friday, 10 March, 2023 @ 15:12:41 »
Body of a 63 y-o Greek male recovered earlier today from the beach at Thines, near Kyllini.

Online Maik

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Re: 10/03/23
« Reply #5 on: Friday, 10 March, 2023 @ 15:27:09 »


Quote
The Crooked House: Britain's 'wonkiest pub' to be sold
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-64912966

Online Maik

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Re: 10/03/23
« Reply #6 on: Friday, 10 March, 2023 @ 15:35:34 »
Quote
Developers who destroyed historic Lancashire pub ordered to rebuild it
Punch Bowl Inn at Hurst Green, said to have been haunted by highwayman, must be reconstructed using materials from rubble

A group of property developers have been ordered to rebuild a Grade II-listed pub that they demolished without permission.

The historic Punch Bowl Inn at Hurst Green, Lancashire, needs to be rebuilt brick by brick within a year, a judge has ruled.
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/mar/10/developers-who-destroyed-historic-lancashire-pub-punch-bowl-inn-hurst-green-ordered-to-rebuild-it

Online Maik

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Re: 10/03/23
« Reply #7 on: Friday, 10 March, 2023 @ 16:04:44 »
Quote
DuckDuckGo launches DuckAssist: a new feature that generates natural language answers to search queries using Wikipedia

DuckAssist is the first in a series of AI-assisted private search and browser updates. It's free (with no sign-up required!) and available to try today in DuckDuckGo browsers and extensions.‌‌
https://www.spreadprivacy.com/duckassist-launch/

Online Maik

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Re: 10/03/23
« Reply #8 on: Friday, 10 March, 2023 @ 16:15:34 »
Quote
Shipwreck From the War of Independence Discovered Off Greece

A shipwreck believed to be connected to the Greek War of Independence in 1821-1829 was discovered off the coast of Halkidiki, northern Greece.

In its wooden hull two cannons and a one-and-a-half-meter-long rifle, called kariofili which was widely used by Greek revolutionaries, were also discovered.

The shipwreck is about 80 meters from the shore of the village of Furka and at a depth of four meters. The ship’s wooden hull is estimated to be 25 meters long and eight wide.
https://greekreporter.com/2023/03/10/shipwreck-war-independence-discovered-greece/

Online Maik

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Re: 10/03/23
« Reply #9 on: Friday, 10 March, 2023 @ 19:09:46 »
If you just can't get enough of Greece there's an Australian produced TV series that *might* be of interest, available until 31/03/23 on STV Player (Scottish TV): Greece With My Son.

Quote
Lyndey and Blair's Taste of Greece is an Australian television series first screened on SBS One in 2011. The series follows Lyndey Milan and her son Blair as they tour Greece. Before the series had screened, Blair Milan died from acute myeloid leukemia.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lyndey_and_Blair%27s_Taste_of_Greece

Online Maik

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Re: 10/03/23
« Reply #10 on: Friday, 10 March, 2023 @ 19:16:14 »
Sometime between now - 15 December, 2023, Google Street View cars will be on Kef updating previous photographs.

Online Maik

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Re: 10/03/23
« Reply #11 on: Friday, 10 March, 2023 @ 19:28:01 »
Quote
Rishi Sunak to give France almost £500 million for help 'stopping the boats'

Rishi Sunak has agreed to give France almost half a billion pounds to help achieve his aim of "stopping the boats", a deal Downing Street has hailed as "unprecedented".

The prime minister committed to sending Paris £478 million (€541 million) to fund a new detention centre in France and hundreds of extra French law enforcement officers.

One of the great prizes of Brexit was said to be the ability for Britain to control its borders, however an unintended consequence was it left a returns agreement within the EU which allowed countries to send migrants back to the country they'd left.

Illegal entry of the UK actually surged following Brexit, with more than 45,000 people succeeding in making the Channel crossing in 2022 - a record-breaking figure.
https://www.itv.com/news/2023-03-10/sunak-to-give-france-almost-500-million-for-help-stopping-the-boats

Online Maik

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Re: 10/03/23
« Reply #12 on: Friday, 10 March, 2023 @ 19:41:09 »
Quote
Fathers day card but no knighthood for my dad, UK PM Sunak quips

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Friday said that he would give his dad a Fathers' Day card but no knighthood, making light of controversy over the resignation honours' list of former Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

"For me a big success is remembering to get my dad a card on Fathers' Day, so that is probably about my limit of it," Sunak told reporters on a trip to Paris, when asked if he would ever give honours to his family members.
https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/fathers-day-card-no-knighthood-my-dad-uk-pm-sunak-quips-2023-03-10/?rpc=401&

Online Maik

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Re: 10/03/23
« Reply #13 on: Friday, 10 March, 2023 @ 20:48:43 »
Quote
Experts sound alarm over lurking kidney disease

Around 10% of Greece’s adult population suffers from some form of kidney disease, with 10% of that contingent having a serious problem that may have been averted at an earlier stage, the Hellenic Society of Nephrology (ENE) said on Thursday – World Kidney Day – urging greater awareness and more thorough preventive testing.

Sounding the alarm about chronic kidney illnesses that can go undetected until they enter an advanced stage, ENE said that “an individual may lose up to 90% of kidney function without showing any symptoms.”

According to the World Kidney Day Steering Committee, more than 850 million people live with kidney disease, with the overwhelming majority being unaware of their condition.
https://www.ekathimerini.com/news/1206355/experts-sound-alarm-over-lurking-kidney-disease/

Online Maik

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Re: 10/03/23
« Reply #14 on: Friday, 10 March, 2023 @ 20:50:49 »

Online Maik

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Re: 10/03/23
« Reply #15 on: Friday, 10 March, 2023 @ 21:02:04 »
Quote
Baby turtles found 'dehydrated and starving' after washing up on Cornwall beach

Three stranded juvenile loggerhead sea turtles are 'doing well' after washing up onto beaches in Cornwall.

The baby turtles are normally found in the Caribbean but it is thought storms washed them off course before cold currents carried them all the way to the UK.

They are now being cared for at Newquay’s Blue Reef Aquarium after being found in poor condition in Cornwall.

Staff at the aquarium are reminding the public that that any turtles washed up are not put back into the sea, as they will die as UK waters are too cold.
https://www.itv.com/news/westcountry/2023-03-09/baby-turtles-found-dehydrated-and-starving-after-washing-up-on-beach

Brief video in link

Online Maik

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Re: 10/03/23
« Reply #16 on: Friday, 10 March, 2023 @ 21:11:56 »

Online Maik

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Re: 10/03/23
« Reply #17 on: Friday, 10 March, 2023 @ 21:20:36 »
Quote
Giving the middle finger is a ‘God-given right’, Canadian judge rules

Dennis Galiatsatos dismissed a case against a man accused of harassing his neighbour in a Montreal suburb.

“To be abundantly clear, it is not a crime to give someone the finger,” he said in a ruling dated 24 February. “Flipping the proverbial bird is a God-given, charter-enshrined right that belongs to every red-blooded Canadian,” he added, referring to Canada’s charter of rights and freedoms.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/mar/10/giving-the-middle-finger-is-a-god-given-right-canada-canadian-judge-rules

Greek-Canadian judge...

Online Maik

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Re: 10/03/23
« Reply #18 on: Friday, 10 March, 2023 @ 21:27:38 »
Quote
Magistrates ‘incredibly disappointed’ as sentencing powers scaled back

Sentencing powers for magistrates have been scaled back less than a year after they were doubled in an effort to tackle the courts backlog.
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/mar/10/magistrates-incredibly-disappointed-as-sentencing-powers-scaled-back

Online Maik

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Re: 10/03/23
« Reply #19 on: Friday, 10 March, 2023 @ 21:31:58 »
Quote
How AI could replace travel agents
Chatbots can produce increasingly sophisticated holiday advice, but just how far can they go?

Would you accept holiday recommendations from a machine rather than a person? Your instinctive answer is likely to be no.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/news/chat-gpt-ai-could-replace-travel-agents/

Online Maik

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Re: 10/03/23
« Reply #20 on: Friday, 10 March, 2023 @ 21:49:16 »
Quote
Orthodox cleric's remarks on Greece train accident triggers public uproar

Remarks by a senior Orthodox Christian cleric about the victims of last week's fatal train accident in Greece has caused public uproar.

Ambrosios, the former metropolitan of Kalavryta and Aegialia, claimed that the accident was divine punishment for "severe sins committed" at the famed Patras carnival in January.

The daily Ta Nea on Thursday covered his remarks as "obscurantism and far-right views" that bred "hatred even for the victims of the greatest tragedy."

Private broadcaster SKAI TV also reported the comments, calling them an "unthinkable statement by a man of God."

CNN Greece, meanwhile, called attention to Ambrosios' "obscurantist views" and accused him of insulting the memories of the victims.
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/orthodox-clerics-remarks-on-greece-train-accident-triggers-public-uproar/2842087


Offline U4ea

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Re: 10/03/23
« Reply #21 on: Friday, 10 March, 2023 @ 22:16:41 »
Quote
How AI could replace travel agents
Chatbots can produce increasingly sophisticated holiday advice, but just how far can they go?

Would you accept holiday recommendations from a machine rather than a person? Your instinctive answer is likely to be no.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/news/chat-gpt-ai-could-replace-travel-agents/

Will the chariots be on commission li is some travel agent staff?.Just asking.😄😄

Online Maik

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Re: 10/03/23
« Reply #22 on: Saturday, 11 March, 2023 @ 00:28:58 »
They won't be earning much commission from me, U4ea  ;)