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greekdude submitted:
The fact that I’m Greek makes it weird but here’s what this BBC article from 3 months ago says:
Figures from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) show that the average Greek worker toils away for 2,017 hours per year which is more than any other European country.
Out of the 34 members of the OECD, that is just two places behind the board leaders, South Korea.
Great find, greekdude. Here’s Derek Thompson’s response:
The answer is that what we consider “hardworking” (a proxy for productivity) isn’t the same as “working for a long period of time.” (E.G.: Monitoring a modern irrigation system is productive. Carrying a few gallons of water on your head for two miles from the nearest stream takes a long time.) In fact, the OECD’s richest, most productive, most hardworking countries have some of the shortest working hours. The bottom five, according to the OECD, are Denmark, France, Norway, Germany, and the Netherlands. All are richer per capita than Greece. All are technically “lazier” if you go by hours worked.
The missing key is productivity. Germans — armed with large and scaled-up firms, low corruption, state-of-the-art technologies, financing opportunities, and smart global supply chain management — get a lot more product out of each hour worked. So does the U.S. With the wealth that our productivity buys, Americans and Germans can afford things like leisure, or savings, or (in the case of the U.S.) lots and lots of stuff. Matt Yglesias put it simply, broadly, and truly: “Countries aren’t rich because their people work hard. When people are poor, that’s when they work hard.”
I knew that the response would be about productivity. Yes, Greeks work the most hours in the EU but the economy is unproductive. Why? Bureaucracy, high taxes, corruption, very limited innovation, huge public sector and I can keep going on… However, when it comes to a personal level, Greeks are right to feel they are the most hard-working (numbers say so). Then, it’s up to the government and the EU/IMF/ECB to take steps towards growth, and to the public sector to take risks, once survival is not at stake.
Greece.
“This is not €20”, an idea for the new Greek currency courtesy of art critic Stephen Collins.
More ideas here.
Spectators attend the Olympic Flame handover ceremony at the Athens’ all marble Panathenaic stadium on May 17, 2012. The Olympic torch handover ceremony was held Thursday in damp weather at the Panathenaic Stadium with Greece giving the flame to British officials ahead of the London 2012 Games. (via Photo from Getty Images)
The cauldron with the Olympic Flame is seen past flags of Greece, IOC and Great Britain atop the Acropolis in Athens on May 16, 2012. The flame will be handed over to the London olympics officials on May 17. (via Photo from Getty Images)
Greek election set for June 17, as public withdraws millions from banks
Greece put a senior judge in charge of an emergency government on Wednesday to lead it to new elections on June 17 and bankers sought to calm public fears after the president said political chaos risked causing panic and a run on deposits.
Greeks have been withdrawing hundreds of millions of dollars from banks in recent days as the prospect of the country being forced out of the European Union’s common currency zone seems ever more real – although there has so far been no sign of a run on bank branches in Athens.
High Priestess Ino Menegaki lights the Olympic flame at the Temple of Hera during the Lighting Ceremony of the Olympic Flame at Ancient Olympia on May 10, 2012 in Olympia, Greece. (via Photo from Getty Images)
Greek fire was an incendiary weapon used by the Byzantine Empire. The Byzantines typically used it in naval battles to great effect as it could continue burning while floating on water.
It provided a technological advantage, and was responsible for many key Byzantine military victories, most notably the salvation of Constantinople from two Arab sieges, thus securing the Empire’s survival.
The impression made by Greek fire on the west European Crusaders was such that the name was applied to any sort of incendiary weapon, including those used by Arabs, the Chinese, and theMongols. These, however, were different mixtures and not the Byzantine formula, which was a closely guarded state secret, a secret which has been lost. The composition of Greek fire remains a matter of speculation and debate, with proposals including naphtha, quicklime, sulphur, and niter. Byzantine use of incendiary mixtures was distinguished by the use of pressurized siphons to project the liquid onto the enemy.
Valtaki, Greece / Carl de Keyzer—Magnum
The full moon rises behind the Temple of Poseidon in Cape Sounion, southeast of Athens, Greece, while tourists watch on May 5. Saturday’s event is a “supermoon,” the closest and therefore the biggest and brightest full moon of the year. (via Dimitri Messinis / AP PhotoBlog - ‘Supermoon’ rises around the world)
The full moon rises behind the Temple of Poseidon in Cape Sounion, south east of Athens, Greece, while tourists watch, on Saturday, May 5, 2012. Saturday’s event is a “supermoon,” the closest and therefore the biggest and brightest full moon of the year. (via Photo from AP Photo)
Zeus help us.
As of 2012, Greece (Hellenic Republic) has mandatory military service (conscription) of 9 months for men between the ages of 18 and 45. Citizens discharged from active service are normally placed in the Reserve and are subject to periodic recall of 1–10 days at irregular intervals.
Universal conscription was introduced in Greece during the military reforms of 1909, although various forms of selective draft had been in place earlier. In more recent years, conscription was associated with the state of general mobilisation declared on July 20, 1974 due to the crisis in Cyprus (the mobilisation was formally ended on December 18, 2002).
The length of a tour has varied historically, between 12–36 months depending on various factors particular to the conscript, and the political situation. Although women are accepted into the Greek army on a voluntary basis, they are not required to enlist, as men are.
Soldiers receive no health insurance, but they are provided medical support during their army service, including hospitalization costs.
Καλό Νερό Μεσσηνίας by Eleanna Kounoupa (Melissa) on Flickr.
