Author Topic: 15/01/23  (Read 1522 times)

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Online Maik

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15/01/23
« on: Sunday, 15 January, 2023 @ 06:05:22 »
Today’s bank rates:
1 €UR = £0.9135 GBP
1 €UR = $1.1095 USD
£1 GBP = 1.0947 €UR
$1 USD = 0.9013 €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
Sun 15/01   14°/10°   10 km/h   03%   Sunny
Mon 16/01   17°/13°   23 km/h   74%   Showers probable
Tue 17/01   17°/14°   30 km/h   78%   Light rain & winds probable
Wed 18/01   18°/14°   31 km/h   76%   Light rain & winds probable
Thu 19/01   18°/13°   34 km/h   66%   Thunderstorms & winds probable
Fri 20/01   16°/09°   30 km/h   81%   Thundershowers & winds probable
Sat 21/01   14°/09°   19 km/h   74%   Light rain probable
Sun 22/01   13°/09°   18 km/h   64%   Thundershowers probable
Mon 23/01   13°/09°   16 km/h   60%   Showers probable
Tue 24/01   14°/09°   13 km/h   52%   Showers probable

Online Maik

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Re: 15/01/23
« Reply #1 on: Sunday, 15 January, 2023 @ 06:07:39 »
- Poem from a Feral Cat -

I may never be a lap cat,
or one who comes when called.
I may resist the hand that tries to touch
and some may think I’m flawed.
I may prefer my freedom
to your warm and cozy house
I may reject a bowl of finest foods
for the chance to catch a mouse.
But the box you put out for me,
Feels safe and warm and dry.
And I raise my eyes to thank you
when I see you walking by.
I eat the food you give me
I listen to your voice
I may never be a lap cat
but thank you for offering me the choice.
One day I’ll see the winter,
one day I’ll feel the rain,
I may grow old not knowing
there is freedom from this pain
I know you’ve tried to help me
and although my days will end
I may never be a lap cat
but I know you are my friend


Credited to Melanie Nordberg

Online Maik

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Re: 15/01/23
« Reply #2 on: Sunday, 15 January, 2023 @ 06:10:29 »
Quote
Whitehall spending ‘tens of millions’ on Rees-Mogg’s bill to scrap EU laws
Opposition MPs call for government rethink on ‘reckless’ plans to rewrite almost 4,000 European regulations

Civil servants are estimated to be spending tens of millions of pounds establishing which laws and regulations could be scrapped under the government’s controversial retained EU laws bill.

The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) last week admitted it spent £600,000 on staffing costs alone in just two months as part of its review of the bill.

Ministers have now ordered other departments not to reveal details on what resources they have diverted, but analysis by the Observer suggests the final total for all government departments will be in the tens of millions.
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2023/jan/14/whitehall-spending-tens-of-millions-rees-mogg-bill-to-scrap-eu-laws

Online Maik

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Re: 15/01/23
« Reply #3 on: Sunday, 15 January, 2023 @ 14:43:08 »
Quote
Prince William And Princess Kate To Travel To Greece For Royal Funeral - Report

The Prince and Princess of Wales are set to travel to Athens on Monday to attend the Funeral of King Constantine II of Greece according to Greek media. While this will not be confirmed by Kensington Palace or Buckingham Palace, as the couple will attend in their private capacity, here is what we can expect from the visit.

The Prince and Princess of Wales are due to join a host of royals attending the funeral of King Constantine II. The funeral will take place at the Metropolitan Cathedral in Athens on Monday and will be followed by the Burial in the Royal Cemetery at Tatoi Palace.

Princess Anne and Prince Edward are also expected to be in attendance alongside William and Kate.
https://greekcitytimes.com/2023/01/15/prince-william-and-princess-kate-to-travel-to-greece-for-royal-funeral-report/

Online Maik

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Re: 15/01/23
« Reply #4 on: Sunday, 15 January, 2023 @ 16:07:01 »


Quote
Deer are overrunning the countryside – so what can be done about it?

A population explosion has seen around two million animals roaming the UK, destroying precious woodland and depriving farmers of crops...
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/food-and-drink/features/deer-overrunning-countryside-what-can-done/

Online Maik

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Re: 15/01/23
« Reply #5 on: Sunday, 15 January, 2023 @ 16:32:09 »


Quote
Baby seals spotted in record numbers on Norfolk coast
This year’s figure of 3,796 pup births is almost double the count during the winter of 2019-20

A record number of baby seals have been spotted on a five-mile stretch of coast in Norfolk.

A total of 3,796 seal pups have been born so far this winter, while 1,169 adults have been spotted by volunteers.
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/jan/15/baby-seals-spotted-in-record-numbers-on-norfolk-coast



Online Maik

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Re: 15/01/23
« Reply #6 on: Sunday, 15 January, 2023 @ 16:34:46 »
Quote
Greece’s Minimum Wage Will Be Raised, Just Before Elections

The minimum wage in Greece that was held down for years under austerity measures attached to international bailouts will be raised again, this time just ahead of national elections coming sometime in the spring.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ New Democracy government undercut major rival SYRIZA’s promise to raise the wage to 800 euros ($867) if elected,  the Conservatives said considering making it 780 euros on April 1.
https://www.thenationalherald.com/greeces-minimum-wage-will-be-raised-just-before-elections/


Online Maik

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Re: 15/01/23
« Reply #7 on: Sunday, 15 January, 2023 @ 19:28:51 »
Quote
In 2022, Greece Saw Record 31 Million Tourists Arrive at Airports

Falling just a little short of setting a record in revenues spent by tourists in 2022 during the waning COVID-19 pandemic, Greece did get another record for the sector, with more than 31 million airport arrivals.

That surpassed the previous benchmark set in 2019, before the Coronavirus struck in March, 2020 and essentially shut down most international air traffic and brought lockdowns and slowdowns just about halting travel.

The data came from the management firm operator Fraport, which operates regional airports across he country since they were privatized, key to bringing tourists to regions other than the major cities.
https://www.thenationalherald.com/in-2022-greece-saw-record-31-million-tourists-arrive-at-airports/


Online Maik

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Re: 15/01/23
« Reply #8 on: Sunday, 15 January, 2023 @ 19:42:23 »
During the Karaiskakis Mavrommatiou - Doxa Ambelou football match in Karditsa, central Greece, earlier today a 20 y-o player suffered a suspected heart attack and collapsed after about 15 minutes of kick-off. Following first aid on the pitch he was transferred by ambulance to the Health Center of Mouzaki and then to the hospital of Karditsa but doctors were unable to save his life.

Online Maik

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Re: 15/01/23
« Reply #9 on: Sunday, 15 January, 2023 @ 19:56:13 »
Quote
Government to announce law banning ‘conversion therapy’

The government is finally set to announce a new law banning so-called conversion therapy.

ITV News understands that the ban - due to be announced this week - will outlaw attempts to change a person’s sexuality and also attempts to change someone’s gender identity.

The government had previously said that trans conversion therapy would be excluded from a ban.

It’s understood that Downing Street has been surprised by the level of cross-party support - including from within the Conservative Party - for a total ban.
https://www.itv.com/news/2023-01-15/government-to-announce-law-banning-conversion-therapy

Online Maik

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Re: 15/01/23
« Reply #10 on: Sunday, 15 January, 2023 @ 20:02:07 »
Quote
Keir Starmer says 16 is too young to change gender amid ‘concern’ over Scottish law

It comes as the UK Government considers whether to block a Scottish Bill that would allow people to self-identify as a different gender.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/keir-starmer-gender-law-scotland-b2262650.html

Online Maik

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Re: 15/01/23
« Reply #11 on: Sunday, 15 January, 2023 @ 20:08:37 »
Quote
TikTok slapped with $5.4 million fine over cookie opt-out feature

France's data protection authority (CNIL) has fined TikTok UK and TikTok Ireland €5,000,000 for making it difficult for users of the platform to refuse cookies and for not sufficiently informing them about their purpose.

This design behavior was deemed a violation of Article 82 of France's data protection laws (DPA), a national regulation that conforms with the GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) framework enforced throughout Europe.

The €5 million fine was determined by the severity of the violations, including the number of impacted individuals, which include children, and the number of times CNIL had to repeat its warnings to TikTok on the need to adhere to France's Data Protection Act.

It's worth noting that aggressive data collection strategies are common among major online platforms, which CNIL recently penalized with heavy fines, including Apple receiving an $8.5M fine, Facebook $68M, and Google $170M.
https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/tiktok-slapped-with-54-million-fine-over-cookie-opt-out-feature/

Online Maik

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Re: 15/01/23
« Reply #12 on: Sunday, 15 January, 2023 @ 20:17:01 »
Quote
Half of environmental claims about products are full of crap, says EU

Around half of environmental claims made about advertised products are "vague, misleading or unfounded information about products' environmental characteristics," says research from the European Commission.

Of hundreds of claims assessed in 2020, 53 per cent were not entirely accurate, according to a draft document seen by the Financial Times. "Climate-related claims have been shown to be particularly prone to being unclear and ambiguous and to mislead consumers, amounting to greenwashing," the draft reportedly said.

Packaging waste and the repairability of laptops and phones are set to be within scope of the new rules in a move aimed at reducing their environmental impact in the EU.
https://www.theregister.com/2023/01/13/environmental_claims_eu/

Hm, not sure "full of crap" are the actual words used by the EU but that's probably a reasonable translation.

Online Maik

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Re: 15/01/23
« Reply #13 on: Sunday, 15 January, 2023 @ 21:00:17 »
A couple of years old but apparently this guy (originally) from Kef was on Greece's Got Talent:


https://youtu.be/furW_49UPBs?t=1


« Last Edit: Sunday, 15 January, 2023 @ 21:01:55 by Maik »

Online Maik

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Re: 15/01/23
« Reply #14 on: Sunday, 15 January, 2023 @ 22:00:19 »
Quote
Driverless cars could make traffic 85pc worse, government report finds

Department for Transport says congestion will be twice as bad as current levels if self-driving cars become commonplace
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/01/15/driverless-cars-could-make-traffic-85pc-worse-government-report/

Online Maik

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Re: 15/01/23
« Reply #15 on: Sunday, 15 January, 2023 @ 22:05:32 »
Quote
Boris Johnson has raked in £2.6m in earnings, donations and gifts in past year
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/boris-johnson-money-donations-earnings-b2262679.html

Offline TonyD

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Re: 15/01/23
« Reply #16 on: Sunday, 15 January, 2023 @ 23:40:13 »

Quote
Deer are overrunning the countryside – so what can be done about it?

I guess a referendum's out of the question?


Online Maik

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Re: 15/01/23
« Reply #17 on: Monday, 16 January, 2023 @ 01:03:45 »
I guess a referendum's out of the question?

Could they hold a pencil in their hooves?  :hmm:


Online Maik

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Re: 15/01/23
« Reply #18 on: Monday, 16 January, 2023 @ 01:06:04 »
Quote
Tragedy as body found in Cork house may have lain dead in bed for 20 years

Gardai investigating the grim discovery in Mallow, Co Cork, on Friday found butter in the fridge dating back to 2001.
https://www.irishmirror.ie/news/irish-news/tragedy-body-found-cork-house-28957896


Offline TonyD

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Re: 15/01/23
« Reply #19 on: Monday, 16 January, 2023 @ 11:59:16 »
I guess a referendum's out of the question?

Could they hold a pencil in their hooves?  :hmm:

Well, 51% of the sheep managed to...I'll get my coat