Author Archives: Mark Rossiter

great gods

Posted on February 24, 2012 by Mark Rossiter

New Year’s Day: back in Thessaloniki, I opened the local bottle of red I had bought on the mountain, and drank it. Then I went out, tensing my shoulders in the sub-zero night, and found what seemed to be the … Continue reading →

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Falling Off The Edge

Posted on February 24, 2012 by Mark Rossiter

A book by Alex Perry, foreign correspondent with Time Magazine, published in 2008. It’s an account (sometimes self-promoting, but then considering the extremes to which he has gone in the service of his trade, it’s not hard to forgive him … Continue reading →

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old religion, new year

Posted on February 24, 2012 by Mark Rossiter

now the rain came pouring down; it was cold, my shoe was letting in water, and I had no place to stay. Regretting that I hadn’t taken the ferry back to the world, I sheltered in the doorway of one … Continue reading →

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built upon the rock

Posted on January 12, 2012 by Mark Rossiter

Equipped with my €30 visa from the religious authorities, I took the fast boat from Ouranoupolis to Dafni, the port of Mount Athos (though that makes it sound grander than it is – there are about six buildings). Since Athos, the … Continue reading →

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hard times in Greece, and how to survive them

Posted on January 3, 2012 by Mark Rossiter

The Guardian had a story about a guy in Patras who has been so hard hit by Greece’s current troubles that he could no longer support his ten children and had turned four of them in for care. Sad, yes, … Continue reading →

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Meteora

Posted on January 2, 2012 by Mark Rossiter

My first stop out of Athens was Meteora. This is a strange piece of geology: vast rock pinnacles rising out of the plain and flanking the local mountains. That would be enough to attract 21st century sightseers, but what augments … Continue reading →

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Crisis Economics

Posted on January 2, 2012 by Mark Rossiter

I just finished a book of this name by Nouriel Roubini (famous for predicting the 2008 crash) and Stephen Mihn. It’s hardly a work of art, and in places quite dreadfully written (how about this for a string of cliches: … Continue reading →

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Athens

Posted on December 27, 2011 by Mark Rossiter

Arriving in Europe, the same as always: cool grey light. This time, there’s a chill, too: coat and jumper are barely sufficient to be comfortable at night, and there’s a sprinkling of snow on the higher hilltops around Athens. The … Continue reading →

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Christmas cheer

Posted on December 27, 2011 by Mark Rossiter

apparently the pope has been complaining about the glitter of Christmas. Perhaps he’s just jealous. But have you seen his hat?

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government of the rich, by the rich, for the rich

Posted on December 27, 2011 by Mark Rossiter

On the plane to Athens I read The Big Short by Michael Lewis, an account of the sub-prime debacle. It lionises the few who bet against sub-prime and won big, in the process demonstrating that many of those on the … Continue reading →

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