The Greek Riots

If you were too busy watching The Grammy's, you might have missed the Greek riots as their government came to an agreement on austerity. This isn't the first time that Greece has rioted:

Yes, I very much like riot footage. What's interesting to me though is the Riot Police. Greece has no money. How can they afford the riot police? What kind of compensation are these guys receiving if they are against their fellow countrymen? Austerity is the issue in Greece; don't these policemen have their own thoughts on this?

Personally, I'd love to beat down some Greeks to get rid of some of the pent up aggression. I'd be a mercenary, but I'm all in for the cause if I can wail on some defenseless people standing up for what they believe in.

So what would I want in return for my professionally delivered beatings?

For starters, I'll take a chicken souvlaki plate. Giving out beatings is tough work and you've got to make sure I've got the energy to bring the pain. I'd also love it if they sweetened the deal a little bit. How about some baklava? No deal is complete without incentives. If I meet my quotas and do a superlative job, I deserve a bonus. Some Tzatziki sauce would be wonderful.

In all honesty, I don't know how Greece is holding it together. I don't know how the EU is holding it together. I expect things to fall apart. Things should fall apart. You can't keep trying to support a house with wood because the wood will rot, and the house will fall.

Greece needs to go back to the drawing board and lay the foundation for a new economy, and the EU has to decide whether they want to support Greece or not. A broken bone will not heal if you keep putting it under stress. You need to relieve the stress with rest.

There's no relief in Greece.

Weed in Europe

Perhaps the reason that the Euro is lagging behind?

Greek Debt Bailout

Europe bailed out Greece, but it did not have its intended effect:

Euro-zone governments and the International Monetary Fund hoped that a €110 billion ($145.14 billion) rescue package for Greece would soothe investors' nerves over high sovereign-debt levels in Spain, Italy, Portugal and Ireland. Instead, it had the opposite effect, with fears of contagion rising throughout the day.

"The new stage of the crisis is cross-market contamination," says Claire Dissaux, head of global economics and strategy at Millennium Global Investments in London.

Investors are concerned that the three-year financial package won't fix Greece's longer-term funding problems. Investors are edgy about far-larger economies such as Spain and Italy.

There is a dark non-volcano related cloud over Europe right now.

While the volcanic ash looms over Europe, the airlines are finally being allowed to fly again. However there is some serious concern over the skeptic and hesitant decision to start flying. There is worry that not all the channels of safety have been tested and that there is a great deal of risk in flying so soon. We'll see what happens as the week goes on. Not only could the airlines be putting passengers at risk, they could also be doing severe damage to their airplanes.

When Can We Fly Again?

Millions of people are stranded in Europe waiting to fly home, but the airlines are still stranded. However, it seems that a few airports will be allowed to open with limited traffic:

Grounded

European Airlines and Airports are growing frustrated with the continued air ban:

The flight bans came amid fears that the ash - a mixture of glass, sand and rock particles - can seriously damage aircraft engines. Airlines are estimated to be losing some £130m ($200m) a day.
The two airline bodies, ACI Europe and AEA, said: "The eruption of the Icelandic volcano is not an unprecedented event and the procedures applied in other parts of the world for volcanic eruptions do not appear to require the kind of restrictions that are presently being imposed in Europe."

A few airlines have done tests:

Germany's two biggest airlines, Lufthansa and Air Berlin, also said they had carried out test flights without apparent damage, as did Air France.

While the airlines are losing an obscene amount of money because of the flight bans, it's important to keep its passengers safe. Perhaps there should be an independent group that tests the skies. It's about time they started flying again.

Europe is Clouded

This is a map of the airports closed because of issues caused by the volcano eruption in Iceland. It is not a matter of visibility but rather concern over the damage that the particles can cause to the planes.

Greek Bank Lifeline

What's Goin' Down? Europe Edition

Croatia has elected a new president that will hopefully lead a new period lacking in corruption and filled with prosperity:

The new president had this to say:

Gray-haired and bespectacled, Josipovic usually appears in light blue shirts and gray suits that underscore his laid back image. He says he decided to run because he ''couldn't bear the injustice that has been done to the people of Croatia for years.''

''I am aware of presidential responsibilities,'' he said once. ''With my own example, I want to inspire decisiveness, optimism and civic courage of Croatian people to change our society and make it a better one.''

I wish only the best for Croatia.

You heard me talk about racism in Italy through the lens of football. Well, let me share with you another story of racism in Italy.

Hundreds of African immigrants have been evacuated from a southern Italian town, authorities said on Sunday, following some of the worst racial violence in Italy since World War Two.

The evacuation followed three days of clashes in the southern Calabrian town of Rosarno, which began when some local residents began attacking immigrants who responded by rioting.

At least 53 people, including 18 policeman, were injured in the unrest in the town, located in Italy's southwestern toe.

Authorities moved more than 1,000 people, mostly illegal temporary workers from sub-Saharan Africa to immigrant centres around Italy in an operation that lasted from Saturday through to the early hours of Sunday.

Not just that, but it brought up dangerous comparisons:

Even workers with regular residence permits left the town to escape a climate that one political commentator compared to the 1960s Ku Klux Klan racial violence in the United States.

I think America has a generally positive view of Italy and I'm not saying we shouldn't. However, we should recognize that every country has its faults, some are very serious.