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3 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories Review: OSF director, actors restore 'Pericles' to life Ashland Police Reports 10 things to know for Monday Pulling strings for youth music education Exercise, socialize and stay happier Education Pulling strings for youth music education Bee college takes to the air Grizzlies shine at Eugene speech tourney Ashland High School named among best in the state High school Student of the Month: Jackson Richmond Environment The birdman of Bellview Controlled burn planned for Ashland watershed on Friday Mt. 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James Gillmore Leovy Death Notices Mary Ann (Schuler) Hill Shareable Bank of America is predicting a massive Tesla collapse Mars One attracts science fiction geeks and people who hate society This $1 million Mercedes is like an armored private jet for the road Sports Latest Stories CCC title in Raiders' sights Williams named first-team all-star Fantasy Sports: Talent at this position comes up a little short Owls stun No. 8 Raiders Blazers overcome Westbrook's triple-double, rally past Thunder High school Williams named first-team all-star Owls stun No. 8 Raiders Norvell goes from newbie to state favorite Grizz boys fend off Eagles, earn second straight win Malcolm's big night powers Ashland past N. Eugene Southern Oregon University CCC title in Raiders' sights Owls stun No. 8 Raiders Roles reversed for SOU-OIT matchup Raiders survive Raiders roll into CCC semis Voices Latest Stories Kent Bush: Minnie Minoso was famous for the right reasons Matthew T. Mangino: Bite-mark analysis — science or charlatanry Chris Honoré: The way Republicans roll redux Letters to the Editor, March 2 Herb Rothschild: What to do about ISIS? Editorial Our View: A growing concern Our View: A change of scenery Our View: Pot tax fairness Our View: Cellular dissonance Our View: Keep pot programs separate Letters Letters to the Editor, March 2 Letters to the Editor, Feb. 25 Letters to the Editor, Feb. 24 Feb. 20: Letters at length Feb. 18: Letters to the editor Guest opinions Guest Opinion: Growth carries risks Guest Opinion: Legal poisons in our waters Chris Honoré: Public schools: separate, still unequal Guest Opinion: Why so anxious to tax marijuana? Herb Rothschild Jr.: A good day for peace Columns Kent Bush: Minnie Minoso was famous for the right reasons Chris Honoré: The way Republicans roll redux Herb Rothschild: What to do about ISIS? Jeffrey Gillespie: Generation Y and the baby boomers Changes in latitude Chris Honore Council Corner Editor's Notes Jeffrey Gillespie Herb Rothschild Revels Latest Stories Community blog: Writers, submit HAPA plays the Historic Ashland Armory Listings for Varsity Theatre and Ashland Street Cinemas SOU presents 'She Stoops to Conquer' 'Mr. Turner' paints an intense portrait Theater 'She Stoops' rises on SOU stage Review: OSF keeps the comedy afloat in 'Much Ado' SOU presents 'She Stoops to Conquer' Ticket Availability SOU's 'The Glass Menagerie' is memory — and memorable Music Music on the Mountain: Ski area launching concert series Victor D. Infante: Just in time for Valentine’s Day, some favorite breakup songs The Farr Side: Smith dominates, Beck surprises at Grammys Visual Art Ashland's First Friday Art Walk showcases new exhibits by regional artists Movies Movie review: ‘Lazarus Effect’ should have been buried Movie review: Don’t ‘Focus’ on the problems and you’ll enjoy this Neill Blomkamp discusses his new film, ‘Chappie’ Quick Flicks: ‘Jupiter Ascending,’ ‘50 Shades of Grey’ Listings for Varsity Theatre and Ashland Street Cinemas Food and Drink Sammich does it Chicago-style Where do Ashland’s top chefs go to dine? Cruelest Month: Poetry Blog Lifestyle Latest Stories 'She Stoops' rises on SOU stage Paul Rogers: Looking for signs of new life David Murdock: An open letter to our friends up North about snow Gail Ciampa: Curried cauliflower soup gets creaminess from coconut HealthStyle: Marriage care and maintenance Aging Happens Inner Peace Column Inner Peace Blog Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obituaries Photos Videos Blogs Business Business Services NEWS NOW Review: OSF director, actors restore 'Pericles' to life ... Chris Honoré: The way Republicans roll redux ... Herb Rothschild: What to do about ISIS? ... Review: OSF director, actors restore 'Pericles' to life ... Chris Honoré: The way Republicans roll redux ... Herb Rothschild: What to do about ISIS? ... ANOTHER VIEW On the road to a Grecian spurn By Jeffrey Gillespie for the Tidings DailyTidings.com By Jeffrey Gillespie for the Tidings Posted Feb. 20, 2015 @ 12:01 am By Jeffrey Gillespie for the Tidings Posted Feb. 20, 2015 @ 12:01 am » Social News p bs:newslist StartDate="20121121" EndDate="p bs:datecalc Months="3"" DateSort="1" UseObjects="1" ObjectClass="81" Taxonomywords="2324,665" ExactTaxonomyMatch="1" Image="1" Count="4" --> Ordinary Americans are starting to feel vaguely optimistic about the economy again. Gas prices are down. Job creation is up. The markets are bullish. The storm has passed, for now. But a quick skip across the Atlantic and into Europe tells a different story. Many of America's closest European allies are under threat, and not just from outside their ranks. Greece, after five years of brutish anti-bankruptcy measures implemented by the European Union, has finally started to fight back. At the writing of this article, Europe and Greece are squaring off. To the (far) left is the newly elected government in Athens, the Marxist-Socialist Syriza Party, led by Alexis Tsipras. To the right, the richest countries in Europe, and, most importantly, Germany, the de facto economic enforcer for Brussels. At stake is whether Greece will continue to acquiesce to its agreements and pay up, or whether it will stop participating in the process and leave the Eurozone, returning to the drachma and causing unspecified harm to the world economy. Five years have passed since Greece reluctantly agreed to an austerity diet, and things have gone from bad to markedly worse. Unemployment is at nearly 26 percent. Greek debt is at 300 billion Euros, 175 percent of GDP. The people have realized that reliable payments to the international banks are only a solution for the banks. Significant blow-back has occurred against capitalist institutions, and less than a month ago, Syriza, or The Coalition of the Radical Left, was swept into power in a popular election.The Syriza government is far more focused on socialist ideology than they are on economics. As such, the party is more than willing to use the loaded gun of a departure from the Eurozone as leverage for a showdown. Currency balkanization in Europe is a dangerous thing. The European Union is still in recovery mode after the Great Recession. With Russia making land grabs in Ukraine, not to mention a rising threat from radical Islam, it is more important than ever that EU member countries show a united front. Germany has stated that it wants the Eurozone to remain intact. But there is a growing consensus that Berlin may, in fact, be willing to allow a breakup of the Eurozone in favor of preserving its own financial power. After all, when countries like Greece (or Spain, or Portugal) are in need of a bailout, it is Germany, as the largest economy in Europe, that must most expand state spending to cover those debts. Added to the financial problem is a far more nefarious historical one. Syriza does not have to look very far to be reminded of its tough history with Germany. Manolis Glezos, the oldest active member of the party, is now 92. A hero of the Left, he lived under the Nazis when they occupied Greece, and fought fiercely against them. Across Europe, and especially in the Hellenic Republic, there is a quiet sentiment that goes something like this: Germany has thrown us all into chaos once before. It does not have the moral authority to do so again, under the guise of economic stringency, or for any other reason. Up until now, Greece has offered to refrain from implementing their own economic program for six months under a European Central Bank agreement. However, Syriza has refused to abide by any of the rules of that extension, effectively telling Brussels that the Greeks are only interested in a longer timeline, without any conditions attached. Greece says it will not be intimidated into a bailout extension because the people have already rejected it at the ballot box. As of today, some small concessions appear to have been made on both sides, but a workable outcome remains elusive. One thing remains certain; under EU rules, when any one country in Europe sneezes, the rest are poised to catch a terrible cold. Jeffrey Gillespie's writing has appeared in the Santa Fean and Art Collector magazines, the Portland Mercury and Willamette Week. He lives in Ashland. By Jeffrey Gillespie for the Tidings DailyTidings.com By Jeffrey Gillespie for the Tidings Posted Feb. 20, 2015 @ 12:01 am » Comment or view comments /* $( document ).ready(function() { // Jquery mobile is trying to style the button and leaving a blank gry button on top of a white button $("#viafouracoms .vf-comment-controls li.vf-right").html(' Submit '); });*/ » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with DailyTidings.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Alerts Email alerts RSS feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. 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