View of a high point in Athens. Smoke from the wildfires nearby blanket the city.

By Anastasia Economides

A thick, black cloud of smoke blankets the city tonight as wild forest fires continue to consume villages near the capital.  A total of 65 fires all over Greece have been reported to have started today, according to the Greek Fire Department. 

Greece is no stranger to wildfires, due to its hot, dry climate and strong winds during the summer.

The temperature in Athens dropped to 27 degrees Celsius this evening, from the usual 30, as the heavy smog blocked the sun all day.  Satellite photos show the smoke to have almost reached Crete.

 With reminisce of the 2007 wildfire disaster in Peloponnese, which killed over 70 people, the Greek government declared a state of emergency at noon Saturday.  Some fires at the outskirts of Athens have been blazing since the night before.

So far, there are no reported casualties.

Over 200 firefighters with 85 fire trucks and more than 50 water tanks, along with hundreds of volunteers are said to be battling the flames.

Officials are recommending minimal water usage at this time.

Evacuations

Fires are said to have started in Grammatiko last night, quickly spreading down towards Athens, consuming large villages such as Dionysos, Stamata, and Marathon.

As to how the situation is being handled, there are rising issues such as not having enough equipment, ground forces having difficulty approaching fires due to the rough terrain, water trucks not knowing where to refill for water, and planes and helicopters not flying at night because of lack of visibility.

All day, residents watching their homes burn reached out to news stations first to request help.

A mother from Rodopoli, a village about 25 miles away from Athens also drowning in flames, called one of the popular radio stations, Skai, asking for fire trucks to come and save her home. 

“Where are they, what are they doing?” she pleads.  She is told to leave the area immediately. 

Skai Media have been providing full coverage of the fires since this morning, putting aside their scheduled programming of the annual Superleague Soccer Championship.

Talks about how the fires started are likely to come about later on.   State officials are slowly acknowledging arson as the probable cause.  An investigation by the District Attorney of Athens has been ordered.

Helpless

Residents and customers at cafes in Athens can be found glued to televisions.  Many look on in silence, some with their hands over their mouths. 

“This has to be one of the biggest fires here in the last decade,” warned Constantine Parganas, 26, a longtime Athens resident who has witnessed ashes falling from the sky during the 2007 fires.  “It’s going to be a long night.”

I will be chronicling the start of the conference and the back-to-back morning sessions that focus on the disproportionate impact of prison and the criminal justice system on specific communities in New York City, mainly in the Bronx and Central Brooklyn, and how community-based strategies can promote healthy children, families and neighborhoods.

Read and watch the full coverage here.

Five minutes from now, the Rev. Al Sharpton is scheduled to lead a rally outside 133 64th St. in Manhattan, at the corner of Lexington Ave., the building where accused securities fraudster Bernie Madoff lives.

Madoff is out on $10 million bail but confined to his home. Sharpton and other critics contend that this is much more lenient treatment than minorities accused of crimes receive.

12:32 pm

Still no Sharpton. The crowd is small, maybe 15 people. Channel 4 and 7 newsvans are here.

12:35 pm

The police have set up barricades in the middle of 64th St., and people are gathering across the street from Madoff’s building.

12:40 pm

About 10 people have started marching in an oval inside the police-barricaded area, shouting “Hey hey, ho ho, Madoff has got to go” and “Justice for everyone.”

12:53 pm

The number of people marching and chanting has increased to about 27. They are mostly African-American, plus a few older white folks.

Hey! Sharpton’s here! He has joined the marchers.

12:58 pm

The chants are all about equal justice now. There are several photographers here, as well as curious well-dressed Upper East Siders who look like the economic downturn hasn’t hit them quite yet. Several cops are standing around looking placid.

1:02 pm

The marchers now number more than 30, and a few more white people have joined the ranks. Suddenly they’ve gone silent. Still marching, no chanting. OK, now a National Action Network spokesperson is explaining why they’re here.

1:09 pm

The woman at the microphone, Tamika Mallory, spoke of a two-tiered justice system in the city and called it a blatant injustice. Sharpton spoke after her, echoing her comments. Here is an excerpt from his speech (not the greatest quality audio, partially due to the photographer’s camera next to me clicking incessantly):

1:15 pm

After a few more minutes of chanting, the protesters wrapped it up, applauding their own efforts. Members of the press, including me, descended on the group asking for interviews.

Michael Hardy, general counsel of the National Action Network, discusses the double standard of justice that led his group to organize today’s protest:

My predictions turned out to be wrong. There’s more red tape than expected, and frankly I’m confused by some of it. I’m also disappointed by my inability to bring some change to this situation, but at the same time, I think this is bigger than one person.

Just to recap, our building – a commercial building – is not legally required to recycle glass and metal items, including bottles and cans. However, we are legally required to recycle the following items:

• Corrugated Cardboard (flattened boxes)
• Office Paper
• Magazines, Catalogs, Phone Books
• Newspapers

Further information about the recycling laws in regard to commercial buildings can found here:

NYCWasteLe$$: Business Recycling

Recycling: It’s Not A Choice, It’s The Law. A Handbook for NYC Businesses (PDF)

Rules Governing the Recycling of Private Carter-Collected Waste (PDF)

So first thing is first – we should comply with the law and recycle paper. However, paper recycling is not happening at this school, and we are therefore effectively violating New York City law.

In conversations with Judith Watson, she noted my concerns, but also said that in order to move forward, the Graduate Council must pass a resolution stating the following:

1. Students are concerned about the environment and the need for recycling.

2. The J-school community notices recycling is not taking place at the J-School, and;

3. We urge the J-School and its landlord to adopt a recycling program.

The resolution would then be given to the landlord of our building. This all sounds great, but honestly, I’m not sure why we need a resolution in order to start complying with the law. I think the law takes precedence over a student council resolution.

Is it because the landlord is not complying? When I talked to the landlord of the building, he claimed that the building does paper recycling and he is aware that they are legally required to do so. (Also, if you believe that your building is not complying with paper recycling, the Department of Sanitation has a violation form on their website).

I don’t think it’s the landlord who is the cause of this situation though. Instead I think we are just collectively confused. Nobody knows where to put what, and frankly, that needs to change. We need to start recycling even if we’re not sure that the building does it. Yes, a resolution sounds fine and dandy, but we can start separating our trash without one.

• So here’s what I propose. Let’s start recyling paper, and let’s start in January. Confused about where to put paper? Let’s designate bins in the school that are for paper only. Print the sign below, and start hanging it up around the school above recycling bins. Let’s pick the big recycling bins, and perhaps keep it to one bin per room. Download the poster here: RECYCLE PAPER SIGN
• The Governance Council must pass the resolution. We can also voice our concerns to the landlord before the resolution is passed.
• I suggest that an environmental committee be formed within the school. Basically our goal should be to make sure we have a comprehensive recycling program in place before we graduate. This includes bottle and can recycling, as well as paper recycling. I’ll be happy to start it, and I welcome other concerned students to join. Please email me if you’re interested.

Anyway, with that, I wish all a happy holiday! See you in January…

Mother Ruby Graham, 77, is the coordinator, wearing a sea captain’s hat, and does most of the cooking. Her assistant, Sister Curtis, and volunteers Sister Meebam (wearing a magenta hat and blouse) and a retired military veteran (wearing an “I Love NY” shirt), help Mother Graham run the place.

It wasn’t easy taking photographs because of the dimly lit place with few fluorescent lights illuminating. Additionally, some of the the people who came to get a hot plate might have been convicts who were released from jail and immigrants according to Sister Meebam. So the ISO had to be increased, and the pictures came out brighter.

An elderly community sees its roles reverse as a young child hands them candy for a change

The holiday celebrates a miraculous victory, where a revolt led by religious Jewish rebels defeated a Syrian-Greek king and his allies, briefly reestablishing an independent Jewish state, before the Romans finally extinguished the ancient Judean state a century later. A tiny isle of victory in a stormy sea of persecutions.

My grandfather (right) ponders the meaning of the holiday.

In terms of politics, the closest gentile holiday to Chanukah may be Cinco de Mayo, where the Mexican rebels defeated the occupying French forces at Puebla in 1862. Though the Mexicans won this battle, Napoleon III was able to control most of Mexico for another six years. So why the holiday? Because it provided enough inspiration to keep the Mexican spirit going for those six years. Eventually Mexico regained its independence.

In similar fashion, the Chanukah victory kept up the spirits of the Jewish people much longer than six years. For centuries, we recounted this miracle, praying that it would somehow repeat itself in our time. Today, we have an independent state. Not a perfect one, but it’s better living under someone else’s control.

Considering so many changes my grandfather has witnessed in his 87 years on this earth, what’s not to be thankful for? We can now observe the holiday without fear, often with kindness and support from our neighbors.

We still turn on the news, and all too often hear of illegal settlers, occupiers, and lobbyists. At least for this holiday, we brush off the negative coverage, and celebrate the very fact that we are still alive today to celebrate Chanukah. Having remained on this earth for this long, we hold strong the belief that the negative attacks will pass, that everything is for the best, and it’s all part of G-d’s plan.

My grandparents raised me, it was almost like having a second set of parents. From the perspective of a holocaust survivor and veteran, my life seems so much easier. My immediate goals are to succeed in mastering this constantly changing profession, to be an advocate while maintaining a balanced view, to think creatively, while still finding a way to bring the bread home.

The life of my grandparents seem so difficult compared to mine, but they’re rooting for me. So are the other elders of the Selfhelp apartments in Flushing. When I work, I never feel alone. I know that back in Queens, there is a community where I once lived, where my existence depended on their survival, and where my work ensures that their stories are never forgotten. This holiday is more than an Adam Sandler song, but I’d like to thank him, too.

  The crowd doing the wave at Madonna’s concert at MSG on October 6, 2008 – taken with an iPhone.

I neglected to mention that I saw Madonna in concert this past fall, at Madison Square Garden.

A friend of mine had a couple of extra tickets and my partner and I decided that when tickets for Madonna fall in your lap, you take them. Neither of us were motivated enough to go through the hassle of buying them ourselves but couldn’t resist an opportunity to see Madge live.

The show was a spectacle – as her shows usually are. Big video screens dominated the stage – both as set pieces and as a means to see her in the cavernous MSG arena. At times, it was hard not to look to the monitors instead of the actual live show right in front of me. Even with great seats, I’m not a big fan of this type of venue – it’s just too big.

But, as a cultural experience, I had a great time. It’s kind of the urban, gay version of those mega-churches you find in Texas. Everyone at the concert was a member of the cult of Madonna and wanted to see and hear her message to the world. Some of them young enough not to know a world without her. Others old enough to be attending with their teenage kids.

For me, seeing Madonna is a lot like Christmas. It’s always a lot of fun but it’s probably a lot more fun when you’re younger.

Breakfast: There’s a great spot on St. Louis Street called Petunia’s Restaurant. Located in a 19th century Creole townhouse, you’ll find a warm & cozy spot for brunch. I had their absolutely delicious French Toast – which I highly recommend. The service was terrific. They were friendly, fast and attentive to empty coffee cups. Get there early if you want to avoid a line out the door.

Lunch: Take a drive, stroll or bike ride down Magazine Street for nice selection of shopping and dining. When you get to State Street, stop and try some of Reginelli’s tasty pizzas and salads. They have other locations throughout the city but I love the vibe of this area. I felt like I was in the East Village. And the staff is mellow and polite. 

Dinner: When you’re looking for a more upscale option, I recommend a trip back to the French Quarter for Bayona. Give yourself some time to browse the extensive wine options. Their menu changes daily and my only criticism is one that applies to all the restaurants of New Orleans – not enough vegetarian options. But if you do fish, there’s always some delicious blackened something or other. Dinner for two will set you back at least $100 – depending on your appetizer and wine choices. This is the place to splurge.

Bon Appetit!