Winter Solstice, Pathetic Politicians, Greek derivation and a Sonnet to Sinusitis.

The Winter Solstice, or for those of you in the Southern Hemisphere, the Summer Solstice, occurred on Saturday 21^st December at 19.11, Lamia time, to be precise. I guess Lamia was nominated as being an approximate geographic centre of Greece.  At any rate, from now on we can take heart – our days are gradually beginning to lengthen.  

 This posting you’ll be glad to hear, has no travel tittle-tattle; we’ll have a break from breaks.

 First, our news. H is a canny customer and decided paying road tax for two cars was too much, so he surrendered to the tax office the registration plates of one car, effectively taking it off the road. Many have taken the same steps recently to save money.  Imagine, then, our surprise on hearing that Michael Liapis, a well-known politician of the Karamanlis dynasty, had been apprehended for: failing to halt at a stop sign, driving without insurance, and for having false number plates.  Now you would expect such a person to behave with more dignity – but the real irony is that he was Minister of Transport, no less, from 2004 to 2007! He recently declared an annual income of 109, 000 euros, so I guess he could afford the 1,300 euro road tax.  But the fact that he had his trial delayed while he went off on a luxury holiday to Asia was definitely a case of ……now what is that word the Greeks have for it ? ….ah, yes : hubris.

 By the way, another politician, Aleka Papriga, declared an income of 70, 612 euros, but a bank credit of 50 euros. Now I realize that Communists are not greatly into property and wealth, and Aleka has only this year given up her position as General Secretary of the Communist Party, a position she held since 1991. But doesn’t that sound as if either she’s having us on or is an exceptionally poor financial manager?

Next topic: derivations. I’ve always been interested in those terms we use in English which derive from Greek but where the senses generated in the two languages have diverged over time. H is equally interested in things linguistic and these are his findings. Today’s word is sycophant, adj.: a servile flatterer (the more usual sense in English) or a common informer (this one being more in line with what the Greek word conveys) – i.e. a snitch with an agenda!

 The derivation that is suggested is as follows:  In the ancient times, trading rights were carefully restricted and protected. This was true for trading in figs, an important Attican crop. Greeks have apparently always been ready to bend and stretch rules, so under-the-counter fig-trade did take place. The sycophant, then, was the one who rumbled an illicit fig-merchant, whether his claim was substantiated or not.

Finally, as you may know, I pen the odd poem from time to time – whenever something bothers me or touches me, that is, when something gets me or gets to me.

 For the past two weeks, rather than saying I have had sinusitis, I can say that it definitely held me in its relentless grip.  A life-long sufferer – a consultant once told me it was a question of bad design and poor choice of parents – I have not been through such a bad, prolonged bout before. My illness coincided with a period of test preparation I was doing with an ear, nose and throat surgeon. Try saying her specialization – otorhinolaryngology - when suffering from nasal congestion!

So it was inevitable that an opus was produced – it’s not for the faint-hearted and probably best read before ingesting copious quantities of Christmas fare! Anyway, since it is, as it were, right up your street, Aleka, this poem I dedicate to you!

A Sonnet to Sinusitis

The first foreboding symptom is when your throat begins to burn

 Then, like Charlie’s Chocolate Factory, the mucus machines begin to turn

 But when the sinus sluice-gates get inflamed and become plugged

That’s when you know that virus has finally got you slugged.

However you wish to describe them:

Enraged, inflamed or engulfed

Your sinuses front, maxillary and sphenoid

Are well and truly stuffed

You blow your nose with vigour,

Causing cavities to squeak

As the gunge spreads out to fill the space

Left by sputum vented through mouth and beak

It’s  thick, claggy and viscous

And may even be the colour of bile

  But mostly it’s diaphanous

 And absolutely vile.

And when this discharge, effluent, gob descends

 As it does from every cranny and recess,

It is, of course, essential to have

 Hankies within easy access.

You hack and cough to clear your pharynx

Then the virus decides to attack your larynx

 With control no longer over pitch rise and fall

 Your rasping sounds like an obscene phone-call.

So, have a happy festive time –

Avoid the twerking Miley Cyrus-

But most of all make it very clear

You want no virulent virus

 Have fun, drink lots of eggnog and punch

 And have a well-earned rest

And of all these great gifts you receive

Your health will be the best!

                     We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Joyous New Year !