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Cisse announced that he is done playing soccer Thanks for the memories Djibrilare

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The first goal was beautiful!! http://youtube.com/watch?v=xTIDzF3_1Zc

Next up: the bougatses aka Berg's favorite team. A win vs them and the playoffs are pretty much in the bag.

Who would have though when Cisse left that we would have lucky enough to find a replacement as good as BERG! What a player man! He is so complete as a footballer and makes everyone around him so much better!

Much is assumed here which is incorrect. Should Greece declare bankruptcy, default on loans and go back to its own currency, the entire rest of the world will NOT treat us as a pariah, refuse all trade with us, etc. That has been historically proven in case after case. Eventually, the grocer prefers to have a customer who barters than to have no customer at all. The problem with Greeks is that they want to euro. There will be continual crises if Greece stays in a currency supplied - at cost - by foreign entities at their own pleasure. With their own currency, at least domestic salaries will be paid and the economy will pick up. With it, also tax revenue for the government. This is a no-brainer. We need our own currency and our old markets back for our old products. What we don't need is the EU's constraints in fiscal policy and trading.

Bouldozers have been in Filadelfia the past few days. Things are looking promising.

good points, you could add that the ratings agencies gave triple 'a' ratings to these toxic loans, either knowing they were toxic or just sheer incompetence, these same agencies faced zero consequences for their actions and when they downgrade countries we are all supposed to listen to them as though they are the experts.

Gyros, we almost already are the North Korea of Europe. 25% reduction in GDP thanks to the EU's policies/medicine is not exactly an economic miracle. They helped organise and gave us the 1st bailout deal. Didn't work. Then a 2nd, which also hasn't worked. Give it time and there will be talk of a 3rd deal, although I suspect the EU is hanging on in the hope of a change of government so that they have someone more malleable to deal with. Ultimately, they want what they want and don't care how they get it. If you want a Greek government that just does exactly what the EU says, then why even have governments anymore ... which incidentally the EU would love. The EU is not interested and does not care if Greece has unemployment of 99% as long as they get their money. Which is all well and good, except the EU has become this schizophrenic entity. The entire purpose and reason for the existence of the EU was to unify Europe. Instead, their policies since 2008 are doing the opposite. They are not playing the game for the benefit of Europe but generally for the benefit of the financial elite. And now, that Greece is pushing back and saying there needs to be a better way, they get all pissy. I can understand their point of view, why should they listen to a people who are fat, lazy and lying thieves ? The audacity! And yes, that is how a lot of the shallow media portrays Greece. The EU is becoming a tyrant, and you can see the results all over Europe. As to what the best strategy is to get the best possible deal for Greece, I actually think Greece is doing the best thing. The end game hasn't been decided yet. Our options are comply and face at least 20+ years of the same or worse than now, or fight back. I'd rather die standing up than on my knees.

Fine, so we pay back the IMF the $2 billion. We just don't have to pay back the other $300 or so billion to the other creditors ;)

Greece got away with this payment and they just managed it. The repayment schedule however in the upcoming months is eye watering. There is zero chance of making the payments without additional liquidity from the EU. I can see a 3rd bailout agreement as a distinct possibility. It will mean the EU won't have to worry about Greece for a couple of years and they get to kick the can down the road once again. I did like Varoufakis statement that he wished we never entered into using the Euro although he did also say that trying to exit would be catastrophic. Having said that, catastrophic for whom ? The Greek people ? They don't have much to lose anyway and are emptying their bank accounts anyway. I still believe that going back to our own currency is the only real long term structural solution but Germany and the EU would go into hyper drive mode to make life as difficult as possible for Greece. That is the really scary reality in my eyes. If Greece left the Euro and managed to succeed it would be bad news for the EU and they certainty don't want that.