Protagonists and antagonists.

01/06/1997 by Mary Smich Inside every adult lurks a graduation speaker dying to get out, some world-weary pundit eager to pontificate on life to young people who’d rather be Rollerblading. Most of us, alas, will never be invited to sow our words of wisdom among an audience of caps and gowns, but there’s no reason ….  Read More

Ο Ελληνάρας και ο Αγγλάρας. Οι λαοί εκλέγουν αυτούς που τους αξίζουν. Αυτούς που τους λένε γλυκά παραμύθια ή ηρωικές ιστορίες με δράκους και ναζί που κατατροπώνονται. Ανάλογα με τα βιώματα, την ιστορία και την κουλτούρα του κάθε λαού οι -άρες τους προσαρμόζουν το σαγηνευτικό ρεφραίν: Του Έλληνα μάγκα που θα τους χορέψει στο ταψί ….  Read More

On a Tuesday at the end of July ‘18 I was the on call cardiac surgeon. I had just come back from holiday a couple days earlier and was looking forward to a ‘quiet’ on call. My registrar called me at 19:00 and I heard the phrase dreaded by any on call cardiac surgeon: ‘We ….  Read More

Συστημένο από τον Καβάφη στους προύχοντες What are we waiting for, assembled in the forum?       The barbarians are due here today. Why isn’t anything going on in the senate?Why are the senators sitting there without legislating? Because the barbarians are coming today.What’s the point of senators making laws now?Once the barbarians are here, they’ll do ….  Read More

On a Friday afternoon, on call, I received a call from another hospital: A 42 year old asylum seeker from Africa. Wife and two pre school children left behind. A symptomatic subacute Type A dissection in the context of previous kidney transplant, immunosuppression and acute pneumonia. A virus pandemic framing everything. The perfect storm? Not ….  Read More