08/02/14

[Maik]

Local coast guard in action again, in the early hours of this morning transferring from Vathi to Sami a 57 year old local in need of urgent medical attention.

[Maik]

How Japan’s ‘BBC’ is rewriting its role in the Second World War

Naoki Hyakuta says Japan was lured into the Second World War by America while liberating Asia from white colonialism.

He denies war crimes such as the 1937 Nanjing massacre, when Japanese troops killed thousands of Chinese civilians. Such views are common among revisionists in Japan. Mr Hyakuta, however, sits on the board of the nation’s public service broadcaster.

NHK has annual revenue of more than $6bn (£3.7bn), putting it close to the BBC. Like the British broadcaster, it is obliged to be impartial and aloof from the political fray.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/how-japans-bbc-is-rewriting-its-role-in-second-world-war-9115827.html

[Maik]

Just heard that representatives of TUI have visited Paliki and have no plans to cancel or reduce bookings to Kefalonia this summer.

[jeanskala]

Excellent news! 

Please tell all your Kefalonian friends and neighbours, who are really worrying about the effects of the current situation on bookings for the on-coming season.

[Maik]

From one of the usual 'good sources' but might be as well waiting for confirmation from a reputable news site (not that e.g. the BBC or the Telegraph always get things right). In which case it'll probably be on the Greek media p.d.q. To be honest, I think the tour companies will respond to bookings: if bookings for Kef dry up I'd think they'll try to shrink capacity.

It's all very well for Samaras, et al, to say Kefalonia is a safe tourist destination, which overall it is, but our Greek god can't guarantee there won't be an even more devasting 'quake during tourist season. Though I'd hope we've had our biggies for a long while.

[Maik]

Bit of a commotion last night about the Greek Olympic team wearing rainbow gloves in support of the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) community, here's one headline as it appears on Google search:



Turns out to be nothing of the sort, the gloves are in the Olympic colours and are part of the official Sochi Olmypic merchandise. Here's the headline now:


http://eu.greekreporter.com/2014/02/07/an-olympic-mix-up-greece-stands-up-for-gay-rights-in-sochi-with-rainbow-gloves/

[JimW]

Hi Maik,
Re: The rewriting of history, apparently the Japanese Prime Minister has been packing the board of the Nippon broadcasting company with his own people and insisting on these changes. The journalists have been striking about it. It is apparently tied up with the conflict with China over some small Islands in the South China Sea.
Hope you are all safe, we will be back earthquakes or not.
Jim

[Maik]

Good to hear the 'quakes haven't put you off, Jim! I think the Kef regulars will be here, just the casual bookers it might deter. Thankfully the UK media don't seem to have given it much attention.

Oops, there's a little wobble!

Scary piccie in the link below:

Two people were killed when a falling boulder derailed a tourist train in the southern French Alps, local officials and firefighters say.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-26098700

[Maik]

Immigration minister resigns for employing illegal immigrant
Prime minister accepts resignation of Mark Harper, who launched government's 'go home' campaign last year

http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/feb/08/immigration-minister-resigns-illegal-immigrant-mark-harper

[BeeTee]

There is a friendly football match in support of the earthquake victims at Keramies on Wednesday 12th February starting at 13:00.

http://kefaloniapress.gr/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=46872&Itemid=38