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Long late lunch with my friends from med school at Central (downtown athens) - it was a blast - however someone deleted most of the pictures from my cam (including a photoset with phaed) - I am investigating the suspects and will let you know soon who was it! ;-)
The new coffee shops of the upclass downtown mall were indeed a bit disappointing but the overall feeling was very festive!
Kim organized the most flawless surprise party for Chris - I am beyond impressed she managed to organize the masses without actually speaking greek and gathering the nicest crowd out there!
It was such a great night - if only I hadnt caught that annoying cold!
By DIANA RANSOM and JACLYNE BADAL
In the annual onslaught of jargon, we were introduced this year to a form of snooping called "pretexting." We heard economists and bond investors fret about the "inverted yield curve." In the new year, we can hope for headlines proclaiming the type of benign economic environment known as a "soft landing." But we could also hear far too much of "SMiShing," a new high-tech scam with a reason for its odd capitalization.
Here's the skinny on terms that got lots of play this year or could be big in 2007:
SMiShing: Beware of this practice, which is the sending of text messages that trick you into loading viruses on your cellphone. This year, some Australians received messages saying they'd be charged $2 daily for a dating service; their phones were infected when they tried to "unsubscribe."
Soft Landing: This refers to a period when economic growth slows but the country doesn't slide into a recession. The Federal Reserve is hoping to engineer a soft landing in 2007 by manipulating its interest-rate target, now 5.25%. Think of the Fed as Goldilocks. It wants an economy that's not too hot and not too cold, with growth perhaps at a 2% to 3% annual rate. Rapid growth usually sparks high inflation, and the Fed will raise interest rates to slow the economy. But if the economy seems headed toward recession, the Fed will lower rates to encourage spending.
Core Inflation: One of the key factors that Fed officials watch in deciding how to adjust interest rates is core inflation, or the rate of increase in consumer prices when volatile food and energy prices are removed from the picture. Lately, core inflation has been running around 2.2%, while the Fed's target is 1% to 2%. If that rate remains high, investors' hopes for rate cuts in early 2007 may be disappointed.
Roth 401(k): In this variation of the basic 401(k) retirement plan, employees contribute after-tax dollars and can later withdraw money tax-free. These plans, first offered this year, may make particular sense for younger workers who expect to face higher tax rates in the future.
Multiple Expansion: Many investors gauge whether a stock is cheap or expensive based on the price/earnings multiple, or the stock price divided by earnings per share. Some investing pros believe multiples will expand next year.
To put it another way, they believe that stock prices will rise more sharply than will company earnings. That would be a plus for investors since company earnings are generally expected to grow more slowly in 2007.
Fundamental Indexing: In this new method of designing stock-market indexes, stocks are weighted not by the usual benchmark -- the value of shares outstanding -- but rather by "fundamental" factors such as sales or dividends. Since standard indexes have big stakes in stocks that have already gone up in value, critics say they are vulnerable to speculative bubbles and other shocks.
Private Equity: Private-equity firms raise money from big investors such as pension funds and college endowments. They buy companies with the goal of eventually reselling the takeover targets for a profit. This year saw a rash of billion-dollar buyouts that took many big-name public companies out of regular investors' hands.
Health Savings Accounts: Some workers enrolled in high-deductible medical plans can divert part of their pay, before taxes, to these savings plans. Authorized by a 2003 law, but not widely available until this year, HSAs allow participants to use untaxed dollars to pay medical bills not covered by plans. Money that's not used initially accumulates for later health spending or even retirement.
Inverted Yield Curve: This unusual phenomenon occurs when long-term Treasury bonds yield less than short-term Treasurys. Usually, the opposite is true, because investors want extra compensation to tie up money for long periods of time. The curve has been inverted for much of 2006. In the past, an inverted curve has usually signaled an impending recession. But some economists say bond yields are low simply because investors are confident inflation is under control.
Formulary: A formulary is a list of prescription drugs covered by a particular health plan, including the Medicare Part D drug plans first available in 2006. Drugs may be grouped in different "tiers" that require varying co-pays; some plans will also cover unlisted drugs in return for higher co-pays.
Options Backdating: As an incentive for executives to improve their firms' performance and share price, companies routinely issue stock options, giving executives the right to buy shares later at the price of the stock on the date of the grant.
ETFs: Exchange-traded funds change hands all day long on an exchange, just like stocks -- which is very different from the once-a-day trading of ordinary mutual funds.
About 150 new ETFs were introduced in 2006, according to Chicago researcher Morningstar, and government regulators have been moving to speed the approval process for new offerings.
Pretexting: As part of an investigation of boardroom leaks, Hewlett-Packard engaged in this practice of calling telephone companies to obtain people's phone records, generally under the pretext of claiming to be those individuals. Following the scandal that erupted this year, H-P agreed to pay $14.5 million to settle civil charges, while criminal charges against former executives and others are still pending. Recently, Congress approved legislation that makes obtaining an individual's telephone records without prior approval a federal crime.
(article source: The WSJ - probably the best thing in the american news world!)
and talking about design - Fleria is a the greek flowerist that would have been the biggest hit in NYC! here you can see the line "faces"
There are few places in my city that have such a special place in my heart - one of them is 48 the restaurant - a temple of modern greek cuisine - but also a temple of contemporary design - having spend the last couple of months in NYC I really doubt if there are restaurants that have managed to make me feel like that.
Last night Antonis and Nadia took me out - it was flawless as always!
...busier and sexier than ever! So happy to finally spend some time with one of my closest friends..
Queen Elizabeth II's traditional Christmas speech will be available as a podcast this year for the first time. A download can be ordered in advance for free on the British monarchy's Web site, royal officials said Friday - it's another clear sign of where technology goes!
Christina just hold the first party of my stay celebrating her nameday!!
Awesome reunion of my elementary school friends!
after a night with Pavlos, Lara, Sol and Marina at Nobu.
Its dark and gloomy tonight-
next post from crispy Athens - next post from home.
See you all in January..
Ακόμα κι αν φύγεις
για το γύρο του κόσμου
θάσαι πάντα δικός μου
θάμαστε πάντα μαζί
Και δε θα μου λείπεις
γιατί θάναι η ψυχή μου
το τραγούδι της ερήμου
που θα σ`ακολουθεί
Τα ήσυχα βράδια
που η Αθήνα ανάβει
σα μεγάλο καράβι
που θάσαι μέσα κι εσύ
Και δε θα σου λείπω
γιατί θάναι η ψυχή μου
το τραγούδι της ερήμου
που θα σ`ακολουθεί
Τα ήσυχα βράδια
θα περνάει φωτισμένο
της ζωής μου το τρένο
που θάσαι μέσα εσύ
και δε θα μου λείπεις
γιατί θάναι η ψυχή μου
το τραγούδι της ερήμου
που θα σ`ακολουθεί
(from my mother's blog-and a post that I should have seen some time ago)
11:00am MoMA 
13:00pm Columbia Club
14:00pm Athens - Sparta at the Onassis Cultural Center 
15:00pm Rockefeller Center
15:30pm Goodbye - see you in 2007
This semester is over - and I have mixed feelings - I am happy not to have to study - but still I will miss my group of friends!
Anyway, last night we had a great dinner for 31 people in Nero (next to Pastis) - great night - as always.
I m counting the days to go back to Athens.
