How not to Pass Your Open Water Course + Similan Islands Dive, Thailand
How Not to Pass Your PADI Open Water Test
1 - Tell your instructor you will race him to the surface.
2 - Lie face-down and motionless whilst holding your breath.
3 - Loudly proclaim that safety stops are for "woosies".
4 - Show up with a set of tables based on your own algorithm "that's WAY better".
5 - Spit in your wetsuit and pee in your mask.
6 - Ask your instructor “which fin goes on which foot?”
7 - Tell your instructor there is no way you can lift a cylinder with 2000 pounds of air in it.
8 - When asked for your dive plan, hand over a bundle of travel brochures.
A Whale of a time - Similan Islands & Richelieu Rock Liveaboard
Article by Doug Olthof
Whale sharks are the true behemoths of the aquatic world - they can grow longer than a bus (up to 18 metres in length) yet feast on the smallest of organisms, plankton. However, finding these big fish is not always that easy. Only 9 places in the world, all located in tropical waters, are so far known to have predictable whale shark visits. Thailand is one of the few lucky countries that whale sharks predictably visit.
When arriving in an unfamiliar place it’s always relaxing to receive a warm welcome. As our liveaboard boat approached the southernmost of the Similan Islands, that warm welcome came by way of more than fifty dolphins jumping and playing in the dawn light, beckoning us forward and giving us a glimpse of the treasures we would discover around these stunning islands in Thailand’s Andaman Sea.
Situated off Thailand’s west coast to the northeast of Phuket lie Thailand’s world famous Similan Islands. These stunning granite isles, with their white sandy beaches and densely-forested yet rugged interiors would be ample enough reason on their own account to make the overnight liveaboard boat trip from Phuket. But what really make these islands special are the vast and varied reefs that lie off their shores. It is below the azure blue of these rich waters that you can experience another world, one filled with creatures so colourful, so beautiful and so bizarre that they defy belief.
These crown jewels of scuba diving in Thailand are often touted as one of the top ten dive sites in the world and can be accessed by speed-boat from either Phuket or Kaow Lak, but to truly experience the Similan Islands you must get aboard one of the many liveaboard boats operated out of Phuket. In this way you can take in the variety of diving experiences to be had, all the while becoming spiritually connected to the sea as your body quickly adjusts to the gentle rolling of the boat beneath your feet.
Our journey to the Similans began late in the evening at Ratsada pier in Phuket. As divers arrived to the boat from various locations, the friendly staff helped everyone aboard and quickly got to the task of setting up and organizing equipment. Every diver worth his or her salt knows that you check, double-check and buddy-check your own equipment, but having the staff there to set up and organize all that gear turned what could have been a chaotic scene - complete with wetsuits, regulators and bumping bodies - into a relaxing first evening on board. At about 11pm, after a delicious light meal, we got under way under the moon and stars. The crew lit firecrackers off the bow to ensure a safe journey as we motored into the night. Of course, there are those who were born to be at sea and there are those who need a bit of training. The first night was, for some, a little less than comfortable, while others, like myself, found the gentle rolling of the waves reminiscent of the cradle and were soon dreaming of underwater adventures to come.
By the next morning, with the joyful sight of such a large pod of dolphins, spirits were universally high. The sky was clear and the calm waters had taken on an almost impossibly bright and inviting shade of blue. As the divemaster briefed the divers on the first dive of the day (the “test” dive) the excitement on board became palpable. By just peering overboard you could see that the crystal clear waters were teeming with life. After the briefing and a thorough check of our equipment we were in the water and ready to begin our first dive. The first dive of a trip always begins with a few minutes of uncertainty as even experienced divers have to get used to the idea of being a fish again. But soon we were all back in our respective comfort zones and ready to start playing our roles as guests in an underwater utopia.
After a stunning introduction to the natural wonders that would captivate us for the days to come, we were rounded up by a crew member in a small inflatable motorboat and brought back to our temporary maritime abode. There we were helped out of the water, relieved of our equipment and, once dry, we found a wonderful meal waiting for us on the upper deck. The trip was punctuated by one delicious meal after the next. Different boats cater to different tastes, with some serving mostly Thai fare and others catering to the western palette, but they are all Thai boats and this is a country where eating is priority number one. This means there is never a shortage of good food on these boats; throughout the trip we were constantly and contently stuffed.
Thus the divers on board quickly fell into an idyllic routine. A stunning dive would be followed by a delicious meal. Divers would then disperse to pore over fish guide-books, take a nap in the climate-controlled cabins or compare stories of the wonders encountered below the waves. In the first three days we had seen several beautiful sea turtles, numerous big red octopus, bizarre frogfish, curious garden eels, befuddling ghost pipefish, lethargic leopard sharks, four massive and graceful manta rays and such an array of fish as to leave one breathless (well…not literally!).
But the biggest treat came for us on the final day of our voyage (and when I say biggest I mean that quite literally!)On the morning of our fifth day at sea we motored north out of the Similan Islands National Park towards the famous Richelieu Rock. After listening to the divemaster’s briefing we were donning our equipment when a diver on another boat excitedly babbled that there was a whale shark in the area. The adrenaline level onboard immediately shot through the roof. We could not wait to get into the water for the chance to witness the passage of this gentle, fragile giant, the largest of all the fishes - up close and personal. I stood at the back of the boat with my Buoyancy Control Device and tank strapped on, chomping at the bit. Then, suddenly, right in front of me I saw a shape. A very large shape.
W - w - w - whale shark !!!!
I immediately dived into the water. The rest of the divers followed suit and for a few divine minutes we swam beside one of the most beautiful products of nature’s limitless creativity. When the gentle giant dove below we got back on board yelping, babbling, high-fiving and smiling from ear to ear. Though I’m sure we would all have been very happy with the trip even if the whale shark had not appeared, we all knew then that this had been a special trip that we would all remember for the rest of our days. Whatever was to come of the rest of our dives that day, we were satisfied. But it wasn’t over yet.
We descended to Richelieu Rock and instantly knew why so many consider it to be the best dive site in Thailand. It is a massive feature that is every inch covered in life. The tiniest, most bizarre creatures such as harlequin shrimp, tiger cowries, sea horses and a multitude of beautiful nudibranches can be found alongside large dog-tooth tuna, giant trevally, cuttlefish and beautiful schools of laser-like fusiliers. The list goes on and on. But as we explored the rock that day we were in for yet another special treat. As we rounded a corner I turned around to see my dive buddy face-to-face with another whale shark, this one much larger than the last. Followed by its attendant cobias, remoras and a small school of trevally, this enormous creature circled back and forth past us for fully half an hour!
After making our safety stop and returning to the boat we sat speechless while the boat motored back towards Phuket. As the sun began to dip in the western sky our smiles remained fixed on our faces. We had truly discovered treasures beneath the sea. Treasures, in my opinion, more precious than gold and silver. And as the Similan Islands became specs on the horizon I scanned the sea for our dolphin friends in the hope of offering a little ‘thank you’ for their hospitality, but they were nowhere to be seen. Perhaps they were busy preparing to welcome their next group of guests to what I can only describe as ‘paradise’.
Whilst in Thailand, why not check out one of Thailand's best three beach destinations
The "Colossus of Rhodes", one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World
The "Statue of Zeus at Olympia", one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World
The "Athena Parthenos", originally housed in the Parthenon
5th century
Mosaic portraits of members of the western and eastern imperial families and the bishop of Ravenna, commissioned by Galla Placidia in the Church of San Giovanni Evangelista, Ravenna (c. 425 C.E.). Destroyed by 1747.
Equestrian monument (the "Regisole") to Theodoric the Great, King of the Ostrogoths erected at Ravenna. Moved to Pavia in the Middle Ages, it stood before the cathedral. Destroyed by French troops under Napoleon, 1796.
6th century
The Buddhas of Bamyan, destroyed by the Taliban in 2001.
8th century
Many icons were destroyed during the reign of Leo III the Isaurian, including a famous image of Christ Chalkites on the Chalke Gate. Only a few icons from this period survive, saved outside of imperial control at St. Catherine's Monastery, in the Sinai.
11th century
The final portion of the Bayeux Tapestry was deliberately removed at some point, and is now lost.
14th century
Panels of the great Maest altarpiece of Duccio di Buoninsegna, painted for the Duomo of Siena and representing the Coronation of the Virgin, Virgin of the Assumption, Ascension of Christ, and Christ in Majesty, are missing and presumed lost.
The great Navicella mosaic of Giotto di Bondone on the porch of Old Saint Peter's Basilica was extensively reworked in the 17th century.
Giotto's allegorical fresco of the Commune of Florence portrayed as a seated judge with sceptre, flanked by figures of Fortitude, Prudence, Justice and Temperance, painted for the Palazzo del Podesta, now the Bargello, Florence. Described by Giorgio Vasari.
Giotto's frescoes (Stories of the Apostles) for the Giugni Chapel of the Basilica of Santa Croce, Florence.
A lost painting of the Virgin by Giotto was bequeathed by the poet Petrarch to Francesca da Carrara, lord of Padua, in 1370.
Fresco, Saint Margaret of Cortona bringing Suppolino back to Life, by Ambrogio Lorenzetti in the Church of Santa Margherita, Cortona. Destroyed mid - 17th century.
A lost portrait of Petrarch's Laura de Noves by Simone Martini is the subject of one of Petrarch's sonnets.
15th century
Virgin Enthroned with Saints and Angels (1402) by Lorenzo Monaco. Destroyed by fire in the Friedrichshain Flakturm following the capture of Berlin, May 1945.
Statue of Joshua in terra cotta carved by Donatello for the north tribune of the Duomo of Florence (c.1410). Disappeared in the 18th century.
Statue of Abundance (Dovizia) in stone carved by Donatello (1428). On a column placed first in the Baptistery of the Duomo, later in the Mercato Vecchio, Florence. Replaced in the 18th century, now lost.
Frescoes by Gentile da Fabriano and Pisanello in the Basilica of Saint John Lateran, Rome. Destroyed in reconstruction, 1647.
Fresco cycle of 300 images of Illustrious Men by Masolino da Panicale and Paolo Uccello (c. 1432) for the Palace of Cardinal Orsini in Rome. A watercolor copy by Leonardo da Besozzo survives.
The Sagra del Carmine, monochrome fresco for the cloister of Santa Maria del Carmine, Florence, by Masaccio (1425) representing the consecration of the church in 1422. Destroyed by 1600.
Fresco of the Confirmation of the Rules of the Carmelites by Filippo Lippi in the cloister of Santa Maria del Carmine, Florence. Destroyed by fire, 1771. A fragment uncovered in 1860 survives in place.
A Crucifix was painted by Fra Angelico for the Dominican church of Santa Maria Novella, Florence, in 1423.
School of Fra Angelico. Last Judgment (1456). Destroyed by fire in the Friedrichshain Flakturm following the capture of Berlin, May 1945.
Fresco of the Flagellation by Andrea del Castagno in the cloister of the Basilica of Santa Croce, Florence, destroyed in the 17th century.
Frescoes of the life of the Virgin (1450-1452) begun by Domenico Veneziano and completed by Andrea del Castagno in the church of Sant' Egidio (Santa Maria Nuova), Florence. Destroyed 1594.
Fresco cycle of the life of Santa Rosa, painted by Benozzo Gozzoli for the church of Santa Rosa, Viterbo. Destroyed by 1632 renovations to the church. Autograph and other drawings and a contemporary description survive.
Altarpiece with scenes from the life of Saint Nicholas by Antonello da Messina for the Confraternity of San Nicol della Montagna in Messina. Seen by Cavalcaselle in 1871. Destroyed in the 1908 Messina earthquake.
Virgin and Child in Glory with Saints John the Evangelist, Francis, Jerome and John the Baptist (c. 1496) by Ghirlandaio. Destroyed by fire in the Friedrichshain Flakturm following the capture of Berlin, May 1945.
Several original paintings on "pagan" subjects by Sandro Botticelli, who burned them in the Bonfire of the Vanities.
Portrait of Piero di Cosimo de' Medici (c. 1478) by Botticelli. Formerly Museo Civico Gaetano Filangieri, Naples. Destroyed in World War II. Photographs survive.
Frescoes on mythological themes, including the Forge of Vulcan, executed by Botticelli, Ghirlandaio, Filippino Lippi and Perugino for Lorenzo dei Medici in the great hall and external loggia of his villa at Spedaletto, near Volterra, 1487-90. Damaged by damp and finally destroyed by fire in the early nineteenth century.
Fresco of the Triumph of Trajan by Vincenzo Foppa, done for the Medici bank in the Via de' Bossi, Milan. A fragment survives in the Wallace Collection, London.
Altarpiece for the church of Santa Maria dei Battuti in Belluno (c. 1485) by Alvise Vivarini. Destroyed by fire in Berlin during World War II.
Frescoes, including a Baptism of Christ for the Belvedere Chapel of the Vatican (1488) by Andrea Mantegna. Destroyed under Pope Pius VI to permit construction of the Pio-Clementino Museum, 1780.
Mantegna's Lamentation of the People over the Dead Gattamelata, (1457-60) a fresco in the Palazzo Gattamelata, Padua. Destroyed by fire November 5, 1760.
Saint Catherine of Siena Altarpiece (Sacra Conversazione) by Giovanni Bellini in the Chapel of the Rosary of the Church of Santi Giovanni e Paolo, Venice. Destroyed by fire in 1867.
The Supper at Emmaus (c. 1494) by Giovanni Bellini. Painted for Giorgio Cornaro of Venice. Destroyed by fire in Vienna in the 18th c.
Fresco, Ascension with Christ in Glory (c.1478-80) by Melozzo da Forli for the choir of the Church of the Santi Apostoli in Rome. Destroyed in 1711 for the enlargement of the choir, 1711. Fragments survive in the Vatican and Quirinal.
The Court of Pan, by Signorelli. Destroyed by fire in the Friedrichshain Flakturm following the capture of Berlin, May 1945.
Fresco of Madonna and Saints for the Tower of Citt di Castello (1474) by Signorelli. Destroyed by earthquake in 1789.
Adoration of the Magi fresco by Perugino for the convent of S. Giusto alla Mura.
The lower left panel of Van Eyck's Ghent Altarpiece, titled The Just Judges, was stolen in 1934 and is now lost.
Triptych of the Virgin and Child with Donor by Van Eyck (c. 1441). Painted for Nicholas van Maelbeke, provost of St. Martin Cathedral, Ypres. Removed from the cathedral and lost during the French occupation of The Netherlands, 1792-1815. A 1629 copy was acquired by the Bruges museum in 2007.
Crucifixion by Petrus Christus (attributed) (c. 1444). Formerly Dessau Museum. Destroyed by bombing in World War II.
The Justice of Trajan and the Justice of Herkenbald by Rogier van der Weyden. Painted for the 'Gulden Camere' (Golden Chamber) of the Brussels Town Hall. The first dated 1439. Destroyed in the French Bombardment of Brussels in 1695.
Descent from the Cross altarpiece by Jan Mabuse executed for the church of Middelburg. Destroyed by fire, 1568.
Tapestries of the Great History of Troy (c. 1475) for the Painted Chamber of the Palace of Westminster, London. Removed 1820 and sold for ten pounds sterling to a London merchant. Presumed destroyed.
16th century
The Trial of Saint Stephen by Vittore Carpaccio. A drawing for the modello survives in the Uffizi.
Virgin and Child Enthroned with Saints Faustinus and Jovita, patron saints of Brescia (the Averoldi Altarpiece) by Carpaccio. Formerly sacristy of S. Giovanni Evangelista, Brescia. Sold to the National Gallery London, lost in a shipwreck crossing the English Channel.
Assumption of the Virgin (c.1507-08) by Fra Bartolommeo. Destroyed by fire in the Friedrichshain Flakturn following the capture of Berlin, May 1945.
Medusa (before 1500, unfinished) by Leonardo da Vinci. In the collection of Cosimo I of Tuscany, 1553. Lost since the end of the 16th century.
Leda and the Swan (1508) by Leonardo da Vinci.
Battle of Anghiari by Leonardo da Vinci (Palazzo Vecchio)
Cartoon by Michelangelo of the battle of Cascina, Palazzo Vecchio, putatively destroyed by Bandinelli
A painting of Leda and the Swan (circa 1530) by Michelangelo. Given by the artist to his friend Antonio Mini who took it to France, where it disappeared.
A marble Cupid by Michelangelo, later owned by Isabella d'Este and Charles I of England. Destroyed in a fire at Whitehall Palace, London, 1698.
A marble Hercules by Michelangelo, his first free-standing statue (c. 1492-94). Installed in the Palazzo Strozzi, Florence, 1506, sent to France in the 16th century. Lost in the 18th century.
A bronze statue of David resting his foot on the severed head of Goliath, by Michelangelo.
Altarpiece of the Madonna and Child with St. Mary Magdalen and St. Lucy (Madonna of Albinea) by Antonio da Correggio.
Fresco of The Coronation of the Virgin for the church of San Giovanni Evangelista, Parma, by Correggio. Destroyed 1587. Fragments in National Gallery, London, other museums.
Portrait of a Young Man by Raphael. Confiscated by the Nazis, now lost .
Baronci altarpiece (the Crowning of Saint Nicholas of Tolentino) by Raphael. His first recorded commission, it was made for Andrea Baronci's chapel in the church of Sant'Agostino in Citta di Castello, near Urbino. Destroyed in an 18th c. earthquake. At least four fragments survive (Louvre, Capodimonte).
Saint Catherine of Alexandria by Raphael. Formerly owned by Thomas Howard, Earl of Arundel. Depicted in an engraving by Wenceslas Hollar. Presumed lost.
The Wedding of Neptune and Amphitrite, silver bowl by Cellini. Taken from the Chapter of the Basilica of Santa Barbara, Modena, by the French, 1796. Presumed lost.
Ascension of Mary altarpiece (The eller altar) by Drer. The central panel added to the collection of Elector Maximilian of Bavaria, later lost in a fire in 1729.
Cardinal Albrecht of Brandenburg, Archbishop of Mainz, Virgin and Child with Four Female Saints, and Madonna and Child with Infant Saint John by Cranach the Elder. Destroyed by fire in the Friedrichshain Flakturn following the capture of Berlin, May 1945.
Duke Henry of Saxony by Cranach the Elder. Destroyed by enemy action in Dresden, February 1945.
Market Day by Pieter Brueghel the Elder. Depicted in the 17th c. gallery of Cornelis van der Geest painted by Willem van Hoecht.
The Farmers Brawl by Breughel the Elder. Destroyed by enemy action in Dresden, February 1945.
Hans Holbein the Younger's Whitehall Mural of Henry VIII and family in Whitehall Palace, London, destroyed by fire in 1698.
The Family of Sir Thomas More by Holbein. Destroyed by fire at Kremsier Castle, the Moravian residence of Carl von Liechtenstein, archbishop of Olmutz, 1752.
The Goldsmith Hans von Zurich by Holbein. Copied by Lucas Vosterman. Engraved by Wenceslas Hollar. Presumed lost.
Various works of Titian (including his Battle of Spoleto, Battle of Cadore and Doge Gritti Praying to the Virgin), Tintoretto (his Coronation of Frederick Barbarossa, Excommunication of Barbarossa, and Last Judgment), Paolo Veronese (his Homage of Frederick Barbarossa), Gentile da Fabriano, Pisanello, Carpaccio (his Battle of Ancona), Alvise Vivarini (Otho Promising to Mediate Between Venice and Barbarossa),Guariento (his Paradise), Gentile Bellini (his Battle of Salvore and Presentation of the White Candle to the Pope) and Giovanni Bellini (his Presentation of the Eight Standards and Trumpets to the Doge) were lost in a fire at the Doge's Palace in Venice in 1577.
Portrait of Isabella dste in Red by Titian. A copy by Rubens is in the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna.
Martyrdom of St Peter (Titian, Santi Giovanni e Paolo) (fire).
Double Portrait of Emperor Charles V and his wife Isabella of Portugal by Titian. Destroyed in the Alcazar palace fire, Madrid, 1734. A copy by Rubens survives.
Penitent Magdalene by Titian. Painted for Philip II of Spain, 1561. Destroyed in a fire at Bath House, London, January 21, 1873.
Ixion and Tantalus by Titian. Destroyed in the Alcazar palace fire, Madrid, 1734.
Paintings of The Twelve Caesars, by Titian. Destroyed in the Alcazar palace fire, Madrid, 1734.
Venus in Front of her Mirror by Titian. Lost from the Spanish royal collection in the 19th century. A copy by Rubens survives.
Apollo and Juno and Saturn Helps Religion to Overcome Heresy by Veronese. Painted c. 1580 for the Fondaco dei Tedeschi, Venice. Destroyed by fire in the Friedrichshain Flakturm, following the capture of Berlin, May 1945.
Fresco of God the Father and the Four Evangelists by Pontormo in the Capponi Chapel, Church of Santa Felicita, Florence. Destroyed in 18th century remodeling.
Last Judgement Cartoons, (Pontormo, San Lorenzo) covered over.
17th century
Equestrian bronze statue of Henry IV of France by Giovanni da Bologna. Presented to Marie de Medicis by Cosimo II of Tuscany in 1614. Melted for cannon during the French Revolution.
Time Saving Truth from Envy and Discord by Nicolas Poussin. Untraced since 1840.
The Martyrdom of Erasmus (c. 1630) by Poussin, destroyed February 1945 by enemy action in Dresden, Germany.
Penance, one of the seven Sacraments (1637-40) by Poussin, destroyed by fire at Belvoir Castle in 1816.
Queen Esther Approaching the Palace of Ahasuerus (1658) by Claude Lorrain. Destroyed in a fire at Fonthill Abbey, 1755.
Apollo Guarding the Herds of Admetus and Mercury Stealing Them by Claude Lorrain. Formerly at Holker Hall. Destroyed by fire in 1870.
Aeneas and the Sibyl of Cumae by Claude Lorrain (Liber Veritatis 183). One of four works commissioned by Prince Falconieri executed 1666-73.
Raising of the Cross, altarpiece by Peter Paul Rubens. Painted for the Church of Santa Croce in Gerusalemme, Rome (1601-02).
Judith Beheading Holofernes, by Rubens (c. 1609). Known only though the 1610 engraving by Cornelius Galle.
Madonna of the Rosary, by Rubens. Painted for the Royal Chapel of the Dominican Church, Brussels. Destroyed in the French bombardment of Brussels, 1695.
Virgin Adorned with Flowers by Saint Anne, by Rubens (1610). Painted for the Church of the Carmelite Friars, Brussels. Destroyed in the French bombardment of Brussels, 1695.
Saint Job Triptych by Rubens (1613). Painted for Saint Nicholas Church, Brussels. Destroyed in the French bombardment of Brussels, 1695.
Cambyses Appointing Otanes Judge, Judgment of Solomon, and Last Judgment, by Rubens. Decoration for the Magistrates' Hall, Brussels. Destroyed in the French bombardment of Brussels, 1695.
Neptune and Amphitrite by Rubens (c. 1615). Destroyed by fire in the Friedrichshain Flakturm, following the capture of Berlin, May 1945.
Nativity, Adoration of the Magi, and Pentecost, by Rubens. Painted for the Chapel of Coudenberg Palace, Brussels. Destroyed by fire, 1731.
Susannah and the Elders by Rubens (1617-18). Engraved 1620 by Lucas Vosterman.
Satyr, Nymph, Putti and Leopards by Rubens (1618). Now known only from engraving.
The Abduction of Proserpine by Rubens. Engraved before 1621 by Pieter Soutman. Destroyed by fire at Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire, February 5, 1861.
Crucifixion with Mary, St. John, Magdalen, by Rubens (1622). Destroyed by English Parliamentarians in the Queen's Chapel, Somerset House, London, 1643.
Portrait of Philip IV of Spain, by Rubens (1628). Destroyed by an incendiary attack at the Kunsthaus, Zurich, in 1985.
Diana and Nymphs Surprised by Satyrs by Rubens (c. 1635-38). Destroyed by fire in the Friedrichshain Flakturm, following the capture of Berlin, May 1945.
Equestrian Portrait of the Archduke Albert by Rubens.
Equestrian Portrait of Philip IV of Spain by Rubens. Destroyed in the Alcazar royal palace fire, Madrid, 1734. A copy is in the Uffizi Gallery.
The Continence of Scipio by Rubens. Destroyed by fire in the Western Exchange, Old Bond Street, London, March 1836.
The Lion Hunt by Rubens. Removed by Napoleon's agents from Schloss Schleissheim, near Munich, 1800 and sent ultimately to the Bordeaux Museum, where destroyed by fire, 1870.
Equestrian Portrait of the Duke of Buckingham by Rubens. Later owned by the Earl of Jersey at Osterley Park. Destroyed by fire in 1949.
Series of 39 ceiling paintings for the Jesuit Church in Antwerp, designed by Rubens, largely executed by Van Dyck. Destroyed by fire in 1718.
Vision of Saint Hubert by Rubens and Jan Brueghel the Elder. Destroyed by fire in the Friedrichshain Flakturm, following the capture of Berlin, May 1945.
Group Portrait of the Town Council of Brussels by Van Dyck. Destroyed in the bombardment of Brussels, 1695.
Christ Crowned with Thorns, Lamentation over Christ, Nymphs Surprised by Satyrs, and Saints John the Baptist and John the Evangelist by Van Dyck. Destroyed by fire in the Friedrichshain Flakturm, following the capture of Berlin, May 1945.
Birth of Christ by Gerrit van Honthorst. Destroyed in the car bombing of the Uffizi Gallery, Florence, May 1993.
Six Gold and Silver Smiths (The "Bankers of Amsterdam") by Thomas de Keyser (1627). One of 30 paintings destroyed by fire at the Musee de Beaux Arts, Strasbourg, August 13, 1947.
The Circumcision (1646) by Rembrandt.
Bentheim Castle with Christ and Disciples on the Road to Emmaus by Jacob van Ruisdael. Destroyed by fire at the Boijmans Museum, Rotterdam, 1864.
Large family portrait by Carel Fabritius. Destroyed by fire at the Boijmans Museum, Rotterdam, 1864.
Sleeping Man by Aelbert Cuyp. Destroyed by fire at the Boijmans Museum, Rotterdam, 1864.
A entleman washing his hands in a see-through room (half-door) with sculptures, artful and rare, by Vermeer, listed in the catalogue of the Dissius auction, Holland, 1696.
The Inspiration of Matthew first version by Caravaggio (~1601) (Destroyed by fire in the Friedrichshain Flakturm, following the capture of Berlin, May 1945.)
Christ on the Mount of Olives by Caravaggio (1605). From the collection of Vincenzo Giustiniani. Destroyed by fire in the Friedrichshain Flakturm, following the capture of Berlin, May 1945.
Fillide Melandroni (c.1597) by Caravaggio. Destroyed by fire in the Friedrichshain Flakturm, following the capture of Berlin, May 1945.
A portrait of Alof de Wignacourt by Caravaggio.
Saint John, Saint Francis, and a Resurrection, by Caravaggio, done for Santnna dei Lombardi, Naples. Destroyed in an earthquake, 1798.
Nativity with St. Francis and St. Lawrence by Caravaggio for the Oratorio of San Lorenzo, Palermo. Stolen in 1969, unrecovered.
The Conversion of Saint Paul altarpiece by Orazio Gentileschi, done for the basilica of San Paolo fuori le Mura, Rome. Destroyed by fire, 1823.
The Stoning of Saint Stephen altarpiece by Lavinia Fontana, done for the basilica of San Paolo fuori le Mura, Rome. Destroyed by fire, 1823.
Hercules and Omphale by Artemisia Gentileschi (1628), painted for Philip IV of Spain. Destroyed in the Alcazar palace fire, Madrid, 1734.
Bathsheba by Artemisia Gentileschi (1650-52). Destroyed by fire at Gosford House, Scotland, 1940.
La Buonavventura and Ciclo Vito by Bartolomeo Manfredi. Destroyed in the car bombing of the Uffizi Gallery, Florence, May 1993.
Danae by Annibale Carracci. Formerly Ellesmere collection, Bridgewater House, Westminster, London. Destroyed by enemy action in World War II, May 11, 1941.
Saint Gregory Praying for Souls in Purgatory (c.1600), altarpiece painted by Annibale Caracci for the church of San Gregorio Magno, Rome. Formerly Ellesmere collection, Bridgewater House, Westminster, London. Destroyed by enemy action in World War II, May 11, 1941.
Descent from the Cross by Ludovico Carracci. Formerly Ellesmere collection, Bridgewater House, Westminster, London. Destroyed by enemy action in World War II, May 11, 1941.
Bacchus and Ariadne by Guido Reni. Commissioned for Queen Henrietta Maria's house at Greenwich, 1637. Destroyed in France in the 17th century by the widow of Michel Particelli d'Hemery, who was scandalized by the female nudes it contained. A fragment with the head of Ariadne survives.
Immaculate Conception by Guido Reni. Formerly Cathedral of Seville, Spain, later in the Ellesmere collection, Bridgewater House, Westminster, London. Destroyed by enemy action in World War II, May 11, 1941.
Bust of Charles I by Bernini, in marble. Destroyed in the Whitehall Palace fire, London, 1698.
Crucified Christ by Bernini, in bronze. Formerly in the French royal collection. Destroyed in the French Revolution.
Expulsion of the Moors with Philip III (1627) by Velasquez. Destroyed in the Alcazar palace fire, Madrid, 1734.
Venus and Adonis by Velasquez. Destroyed in the Alcazar palace fire, Madrid, 1734.
Cupid and Psyche by Velasquez. Destroyed in the Alcazar palace fire, Madrid, 1734.
Apollo and Marsyas by Velasquez. Destroyed in the Alcazar palace fire, Madrid, 1734.
Two portraits of royal jesters, Francesco de Ochoa and Cardenas the Toreador, painted by Velasquez for the Buen Retiro Palace, Madrid.
Pelican with Bucket and Donkeys painted by Velasquez for the Palace of Buen Retiro, Madrid.
Saint Bonaventure Reveals the Crucifix to Saint Thomas Aquinas by Zurbarn. Destroyed by fire in the Friedrichshain Flakturm, following the capture of Berlin, May 1945.
Frescoes of The Labors of Hercules by Luca Giordano painted 1692-1702 for the Buen Retiro Palace of Charles II of Spain, Madrid. Destroyed in the 19th century.
William III Leading Troops at the Battle of the Boyne by Godfrey Kneller. Destroyed by fire in Grocers' Hall, London, September 22, 1965.
18th century
The Amber Room of the Catherine Palace in Russia was lost during World War II.
The Drawing Lesson and A Girl Reciting her Gospel by Jean-Baptiste-Simon Chardin.
Still Life with Copper Kettle, Bowl with Eggs (1724-25), by Chardin. Destroyed by fire in the Friedrichshain Flakturm, following the capture of Berlin, May 1945.
Decorations for the Chateau de la Muette: the Goddess Ki Mao Sao in the Kingdom of Mang in the country of Laos, by Watteau (engraved c. 1719). Demolished at the Revolution.
Spring (Printemps), one of a series of four paintings of the Seasons, painted by Watteau for the banker Pierre Crozat. Rediscovered 1964, destroyed by fire two years later. Autumn and Winter from the series remain unaccounted for.
Jay and Oriole Hung by the Feet by Jean-Baptiste Oudry. Exhibited at the Salon of 1751.
The original paintings of A Harlot's Progress (1731) by William Hogarth were destroyed in a fire at Fonthill Abbey in 1755, but the engravings (1732) survive.
Fresco of The Translation of the Holy House of Loreto by Gianbattista Tiepolo in the Church of the Scalzi, Venice. Destroyed by enemy action (Austrian shell), 1915.
Frescoes by Gianbattista and Giandomenico Tiepolo glorifying the Soderini family, Villa Soderini, Nervesa della Battaglia, in the Veneto (c.1754) were totally destroyed during an Italo-Austrian engagement in the First World War, June 15-19, 1918.
Ceiling frescoes of The Triumph of the Arts and Sciences, Apollo and Phaethon, Perseus and Andromeda, and Juno with Fortuna and Venus by Gianbattista Tiepolo in the Palazzo Archinto, Milan. Destroyed by bombardment in World War II.
Nativity, The Infant Jupiter, General James Oglethorpe and sixteen other works of Sir Joshua Reynolds were destroyed by fire at Belvoir Castle in 1816.
Gainsborough's whole-length of David Garrick leaning on a bust of Shakespeare, painted for the Stratford Shakespeare Jubilee (1766) was destroyed in a fire at Stratford-upon-Avon Town Hall in 1946.
The Woodman and his Dog in a Storm (1787) by Gainsborough. Destroyed by fire in 1810. A 1791 mezzotint by Pierre Simon exists.
The Destruction of Niobe's Children by Richard Wilson. Formerly National Gallery, London. Destroyed by enemy action in World War II, 1944.
Bust of the composer Gluck in marble by Jean-Antoine Houdon. Destroyed by fire at the Paris Opera, 1873. Terra cotta versions exist.
The Eidophusikon (1781) by Philip James de Loutherbourg.
Le Pelletier on his Death Bed (1793) by Jacques-Louis David.
19th Century
Don Antonio de Porcel (1806) by Goya. Destroyed in a fire in the Jockey Club, Buenos Aires, 1956.
A Vision of the Last Judgment (1808) by William Blake. Earlier versions and sketches survive, but the final version has not been seen since the cancellation of an 1810 exhibit it was to have been part of.
George Washington Seated, in Roman dress, marble sculpture by Canova, destroyed by fire in the North Carolina State House, Raleigh, 1831. The artist's plaster model survives.
Winter (1807-08), The Farewell (1818), The Harbor at Grifswald (c. 1820), Autumn Landscape with Brush Collector (1824), and Evening (1825), by Caspar David Friedrich. Destroyed in the Glaspalast (Munich) fire, 1931.
Mountain Chapel in the Mist (1811), Monastery Graveyard in the Snow (1817-18), High Mountain Region (1824), and Northern Lights (1830-35) by Caspar David Friedrich.Destroyed by fire in the Friedrichshain Flakturm, following the capture of Berlin, May 1945.
The Mouth of the Thames (1807) by Joseph Mallord William Turner. Destroyed by enemy action in World War II.
Fish Market on the Sands (1830) by Turner. Formerly owned by Billy Rose. Destroyed by fire, 1956.
Aeneas Relating his Story to Dido (1850) by Turner.
Mississippi River Panorama (1840-46) by John Banvard. Promoted as a 'three-mile canvas', though it was only approximately half a mile (800 m) long. Banvard gave the panorama many showings, including one to Queen Victoria. It is thought to have been cut up into pieces towards the end of the 19th century.
Washington Crossing the Delaware (1849-50) (first version) by Emanuel Leutze. Destroyed in an air raid on Bremen, 1942.
Apotheosis of Napoleon I by Ingres. Ceiling painting for the Hotel de Ville, Paris. Destroyed by fire in the Paris Commune, 1871.
The Storming of the Bastille (1830) by Paul Delaroche. Painted for the Hotel de Ville, Paris. Destroyed by fire in the Paris Commune, 1871.
Justinian Drafting his Laws (1826) by Eugne Delacroix. Painted for the Council of State, Paris. Destroyed by fire in the Paris Commune, 1871. An 1855 photograph survives.
Peace Consoles Mankind and Brings Abundance (1852-54) by Delacroix. Painted for the Hall of Peace at the Hotel de Ville, Paris. Destroyed by fire in the Paris Commune, 1871.
The Jewish Captivity in Babylon by Jean-Francois Millet. Submitted for the Paris Salon, 1848. Painted over by the artist with a scene executed in Normandy in 1870-71.
The Stone-breakers, by Courbet, destroyed in transit from the Dresden Gallery in World War II.
The Return from the Conference (1863) by Courbet. Destroyed 1909 by its owner due to its anticlerical content.
Venus and Psyche (1864) by Courbet. Destroyed by enemy air action, Berlin, 1945.
Still Life: Vase with Five Sunflowers (1888) by Van Gogh. Formerly in the collection of Koyata Yamamoto, Japan. Destroyed by American air raids on Ashiya District, August 5-6, 1945.
The Painter on his Way to Work by Van Gogh. Formerly in the Kaiser-Friedrich Museum, Berlin. Destroyed by fire in World War II.
The Park at Arles with the Entrance Seen Through the Trees (1888) by Van Gogh. Destroyed by fire in World War II.
The Lovers: The Poet's Garden IV (1888) by Van Gogh. Declared degenerate and confiscated by the Nazis in 1937. Whereabouts unknown.
The New Jerusalem by George Inness was destroyed in the partial collapse of Madison Square Garden in 1880. Salvaged fragments survive, including Valley of the Olive Trees in the Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore.
The Apparition, a lost oil by James Tissot (1885). A mezzotint by the artist exists.
Henri Rousseau's portrait of French playwright Alfred Jarry (1895) was destroyed by the sitter, who disliked it.
Head of Sir Henry Irving by John Singer Sargent. Destroyed by the sitter, who disliked it.
Portrait of Thomas Eakins by William Merritt Chase (c. 1899). Presumed destroyed by the sitter.
Hen with Sapphire Pendant (1886), a Faberg egg.
Cherub with Chariot (1888), a Faberg egg.
Necessaire (1889), a Faberg egg.
Alexander III Portraits (1896), a Faberg egg.
Mauve (1898), a Faberg egg.
20th century
Empire Nephrite (1902), a Faberg egg.
Royal Danish (1903), a Faberg egg.
Alexander III Commemorative (1909), a Faberg egg.
Musik II (1898), Schubert at the Piano (1899), Golden Apple Tree (1903), Procession of the Dead (1903), Medicine, Philosophy, and Jurisprudence (1899-1907), Farm Garden with Crucifix (1911-12), Malcesine on Lake Garda (1913), Garden Path with Chickens (1916), Portrait of Wally (1916), The Friends (c. 1916-17), Leda (1917), Gastein (1917), all by Gustav Klimt. Destroyed by fire set by retreating German forces in 1945 at Schloss Immendorf, Austria.
Two paintings by Claude Monet, including a major study of Water Lilies, were destroyed in a fire that swept the Museum of Modern Art, New York, in April 1958.
Diego Rivera's mural Man at the Crossroads (1933) was destroyed and removed in 1934 because its content (including a portrait of Lenin) offended Nelson Rockefeller, who had commissioned the work. Rivera later recreated the work as Man, Controller of the Universe in the Palacio de Bellas Artes in Mexico City.
Joan Miro's large mural on panels, The Reaper, (1937) depicting a Catalan peasant, was created for the Spanish Republican pavilion of the 1937 Paris Exposition. Afterwards it was sent to Valencia and probably destroyed.
Works of Arshile Gorky were lost when his studio burned in 1946. In addition, 15 abstract paintings and drawings by Gorky were lost in a 1962 plane crash
Graham Sutherland's portrait of Winston Churchill (1954) was deliberately destroyed by Lady Churchill because she did not like it.
Some 20 works were created on camera and then deliberately destroyed by Pablo Picasso for the documentary Le Mystre Picasso (The Mystery of Picasso, 1956) .
On January 30, 1979, a Varig 707 freighter, registration PP-VLU, disappeared over the Pacific Ocean thirty minutes after departing Tokyo, Japan. The captain had previously been involved in another major accident, that of Varig Flight 820 in 1973. No wreckage or remains were ever located. The aircraft was carrying 153 paintings by the Japanese Brazilian artist Manabu Mabe, worth approximately $1.24 million US.
"Study after Velazquez III" (1950), Francis Bacon. Third in a series of portraits after Velzquez's Portrait of Pope Innocent X, 1650. All three were thought destroyed by the artist until the first two surfaced 1999.
"Untitled Wall Relief", by Craig Kauffman (1967), an acrylic lacquer on Plexiglas piece, fell off the wall and shattered on July 16, 2006 at the Pompidou Center of Paris
Untitled piece by Peter Alexander (1971), an 8 ft. x 5 in. molded polyester resin work, fell and shattered in April 2006 at the Pompidou Center of Paris
Anish Kapoor's wood and cement sculpture "Hole and Vessel" (1984) was discovered missing from its storage unit in 2004.
Richard Serra's 38-ton metal sculpture "Equal-Parallel/Guernica-Bengasi" (1986), formerly displayed at the Reina Sofia museum, was unable to be located in 2006
The "Goddess of Democracy" (1989) by students of the Central Academy of Fine Arts, was destroyed by The People's Liberation Army during the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989.
Rachel Whiteread's enormous sculpture "House" (1993) was destroyed by the London Borough of Tower Hamlets council on January 11, 1994.
Pablo Picasso's painting The Painter was lost aboard Swissair Flight 111 when it crashed into the waters off Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada on September 2, 1998.
Richard Serra's Tilted Arc (1981) was dismantled and removed in 1989.
Hlio Oiticica's almost whole collection was destroyed on October 16, 2009 in a fire at his brother's house.
Works destroyed in the September 11, 2001 attacks
Many works of art were destroyed in the September 11, 2001 attacks when the World Trade Center buildings collapsed.
"Ideogram" (1967) stainless steel sculpture by James Rosati
"Cloud Fortress" (1975) a large, black granite piece by Japanese artist Masayuki Nagare, destroyed in the 9/11 rescue and recovery efforts.
"The World Trade Center Tapestry" a 20' x 35' tapestry by Joan Mir
"Sky Gate, New York" (1977-78) by Louise Nevelson
A memorial fountain for the victims of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing by Elyn Zimmerman
"World Trade Center Stabile" (1971) a 25' red steel sculpture by Alexander Calder. Approximately 30% of the sculpture was recovered.
Some 300 sculptures and drawings by Auguste Rodin, part of the Cantor Fitzgerald collection.
Needle Tower (1968) by Kenneth Snelson.
Recollection Pond, a tapestry by Romare Bearden.
Path Mural, by Germaine Keller.
Commuter Landscape, a large mural by Cynthia Mailman.
Fan Dancing with the Birds, a mural by Hunt Slonem.
The Entablature Series by Roy Lichtenstein
Approximately 40,000 negatives of photographs by Jacques Lowe documenting the presidency of John F. Kennedy.
The Sphere, an abstract sculpture by Fritz Koenig, survived the collapse but was seriously damaged, and now serves as a memorial.
Works destroyed in the Momart fire
Many works by Britartists in the Saatchi collection, as well as work by other artists in different collections, were destroyed in the Momart warehouse fire in Leyton, East London, on May 24, 2004.
Vertical Light by Patrick Heron (1957), and some 50 other paintings
Altair by Gillian Ayres (1989), and 17 other paintings
Craigie Horsfield's black and white photograph of Barcelona, Carrer Muntaner (1996)
Hell by Jake and Dinos Chapman, (1998 to 2000)
The Last Thing I Said To You Is Don't Leave Me Here ("The Hut") by Tracey Emin (1999)
Everyone I Have Ever Slept With 19631995 ("The Tent") by Tracey Emin
Mood Change One by Michael Craig-Martin
The Event by William Redgrave, a bronze triptych; about a third was salvaged by his son, Chris Redgrave.
Down Below, a sculpture by Sarah Lucas
Hedone's, a painting by Patrick Caulfield
Floater, by Gavin Turk
Sixteen paintings by Damien Hirst
Cyclops Cameo (1995), Opal (1996), and eight other works by Helen Chadwick
Nine works by Barry Flanagan
Clown, a gloss painting on wood and other works by Gary Hume
Afrobluff, and other works by Chris Ofili
Works by Paula Rego
Forty works by Adrian Heath
See also
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Lost artworks
Bombardment of Brussels
Lost work
Lost film
Nazi plunder
Rescuing Da Vinci
Vrouw Maria
References/external links
Lost Treasures of Europe:427 Photographs Henry Adams LaFarge (ed.), Pantheon (1946).
The Lost Museum. Glimpses of Vanished Originals Robert Adams, Viking Press (1980). ISBN 0-670-44107-4
Missing Masterpieces - Lost Works of Art, 1450-1900 Dr. Gert-Rudolf Flick, Merrell (January 2003). ISBN 1-85894-197-0
The eloquent and thorough post-war report, Works of Art in Italy. Losses and Survivals in the War, compiled by the British Committee on the Preservation and Restitution of Works of Art, London 1946, is an indispensable guide to the damage inflicted by wartime action throughout Italy between 1943 and 1945. It is posted online and also references other wartime articles on damage to works of art in Italy.
The authoritative source in English for paintings destroyed in the Friedrichshain Flakturm, Berlin, 1945 remains Christopher Norris, "The Disaster at Flakturm Friedrichshain; a Chronicle and List of Paintings," The Burlington Magazine, December 1952, Vol. XCIV, Number 597.
http://www.leonardoshorse.org/
"The Art Lost by Citigroup on 9/11" by Suzanne F. W. Lemakis
Public Art at the World Trade Center
Lost Art in the Towers
9/11 Attacks Destroy Cultural and Historical Artifacts
http://worldtradecenterart.blogspot.com/
The Britart fire
Lost Art (The National Museums in Berlin) on MuseumsWiki
Lost Art Masterpieces Destroyed in War in Flickr
Destroyed Works of Art and Architecture Group in Flickr
Congratulations Mr Tsipra (SYN)!! Congratulations Mr. Alavanos (Sy.RI.ZA)!!
You managed very well your civil war organisation. Probably your masked army was not only Greek University students and School joung teens pupils but also foreigners with special barbar disposition to distroy the Greek cities. Because I do not think that Greek joung people can hate so much their own cities to make them ashes. Indeed between them were recognised joung teens and foreigners.
Do you know what did you managed?
1. To distroy the Greek and Goverment reputation over all the world (this was your aim);
2. Distroy the Democratic sysmbol of Greece internationally;
3. A joung teen Alexis be killed accidentally;
4. 100s families whose shops are distroyed now remain more poor than before in this crisis periods;
5. You intensified the economical crisis in the country seen that European Central Banks because of luck of trust to the goverment they increased the interest rated to govermental credits needed to save our economy.
How things are really happen? What is the truth? Here are in short:
1. First the pacific demonstrator of SY.RI.ZA in Omonoia place Athens
at the end of the long file of people you could already recognise some masked people following.
2. Some hours later started the riots on the street from masked extreme anarchics and vandalisms simultaneously in various Greek cities (Athens, Thessaloniki, Patras, Volos, Larisaa, etc..). Among them you could recognise (as later made known by the police from arrested extremists) foreigners, some pupils and university students. Later from the 176 people arrested 100 were foreigners with agressive and violations insticts and 76 Greeks.
3. Lot of Albanians and other emmigrants with no job started stealing the distroyed shops following behind the masked anarchists.
4. A child Alexis has been kild; On purpose or accidentally his death was a justice case. SY.RI.ZA profited from this and using flying papers distributed at schools try to engage pupils to go into the streets and demonstrate against the police and goverment with stones and what ever they could find in memorial of Alexis murder as they say (not yet defined if was a murder or an accident). Pupils has no right to take the law in their hands and demonstrate in the streets.
5. Tsipras comes back from Mytilini where there started new riots on the streets during his presence there.
6. Commerciants took the law in their hands to protect their properties from the vandals fighting aagainst them and pushing them far from their properties.
So, we have three waves of psople acting these days: The masked anarchic vandals, the unmasked pupils, and the commerciants.
Where have you been Mr. Tsipras all these days during the events? Mr. Tsipras was dissapeared. Because he was first somewere in the Polytechnic school in his head quarter to play the war captain (Alavanos was the war general) and guide strategically his barbar amy to make chaos and distroy the Greek cities. And he just also moved to Mytilini to move the joung people there as 2 days ago just started same anarchic events in Mytilini. And today Mr. Tsipras comes back, when now things are calmed down, to speak in the camera and support SYRIXA against the accuses received from LAOS and KKE that Mr. Alavanos "caresses the ears of the masked anarchic" (means that he supports these movements).
In all your speaches you both try to move joung people and now even students (as Mr. Alavanos did at the TV press) agasinst the goverment. And your wish was done. Today 1000s joung pupils of 15 years old stopped their lessons and make invasion in their schools and the Greek police offices. Are you outttt of yourrrrr mindddddd Mr. Alavanos and Tsipras!!!!!!!!! You are both monsters. Dangerous monsters for the Great Greek Democracy.
And you chose the good periods! Just after the Vatopedi scandal. To exterminate the Greek goverment, and create conditions for new elections. Certainly not for you. You are too small for that. Certainly to support PASOK for Mr. Papandreou. Is the only partei which did not react against you as did LAOS and Communists KKE.
And this barbar distructions and extreme anarchic behaviour is not the first time hapenned. Some years ago same hapenned but still the goverment is in its place. Last year you and PASOK asked your people to fire the whole Greece (Peloponese fires, etc..) in order to accuse, as you did, the Govemerment that can not do its job. Now you do the same.
World must know that Greek Democrasy is not easy to break. People like you try to distroy your own country for private benefits for your pockets. You must stop it.
I accuse you and Greek Press to be so stupid to transmit your wills and war messages to joung people. The death of Alexis Grigooropoulos is not due to a policeman. You are the moral responsible of this. The child was death from a broken trajectroy bullet and was God's will or was pre-written to die. Came his moment. Pitty for the child. You must be in the place of the accused policeman.
And the Press talking against the police, every body was telling his short and his long (Greek expression) accusing the police that they were barbars. Against whom?? Against the barbars?? When the police had a pathetic attitude (just watching) all the time you accused them that they do nothing to save the properties of innocent commerciants. But when they did something (shutting on the air, throughing gas capsules, shuting at the air, etc) you accused them as barbar. Have you the sense of logic?? What must polish then do? Some others said "Police should not be weapenned or not use chemical weapens (gas)". How then, according to you, they should arrest the barbars?? You expect that they should ask them gently "Please enter in the police truck to be arrested!!"? You created a unsecure situation for the whole Greek people who was watching news. They didn't know what 'to consider as correct and what not.
Why press is so negative against police? Why they call the vandals and anarchists simply demonstrators (diadilwtes) instead extreme anarchic vandals? They accuse continuesly barbar behaviour of the police against the demonstrators who are burning shops, throw molotof bombs and stones against them, breaking banks, distroying everything they can and have in front of them. Are you out of your mind Greek Press and TV? And what hapenned when a police guardian was fired entirely from a bomb molotof in Athens and another wounded from a stone thrown by a teen? Nothing hapenned. Police didn't react violently as pupils and student stupidly did. (Kounia pou sas kounagie esas kai tis rimades ideologies). You know why press behave as that? To make more readers of their press or have more audity of their TV programs. Some of them even support vanddalism as they telephonically interviewed in their TV program (yellow Press) Mr. Ksiros (a dangerous extremist who is actually in gail for several accuses) and also telephonically invited in interview a vandalist and caresse him with sympathy. Are you out of your mind Yellow Press? What money does. No morality. They need everything to make more vewbility of their program even if they confuse and make angry the Greek people with these their actions. They exagerated in everything.
All demonstrations now against police offices in all abroad countries are due to your stupidities said in your transmitions. That's why International Press gave so negative reports about Greece,the Greek events and the Greek Democracy. They say what you put in their mouths. Congratulations Greek Press!!! You have inconsciently contributed in succeeding the goals of these two gentlemen "the monsters generals of the anarchic autonoms" in our country.
This must be done known to all International Press.
Is not the uncapability of the Greek Goverment and of the Police to stop the anarchy. It was too much sudden and unexpected for everybody. Press managed to stop the police in doing their job (feared to be accused as barbars against the anarchists).
Now all Political Parties ask the Goverment to go. Yes this was their goal. Karamanlis and N.D must not go. Only the dangerous elements of our anti-politics must go and even dissapear from the political scene.
Scandal about Vatopedi does not exist in this sense. It was a theme which is going to be closed and it started during the PASOK govermental period. PASOK are the initiators. Siemens scandal is also started during PASOK goverment and discovered during Karamanlis N.D goverment. Some from goverment were accused but they are innocent in the Vatopedi "question". They only accepted to sign an exhange between gound and a lake for the eremites of Athos manastry as they convinced the ministers that they need the ground to build buldings to help and give spiritual support to Greek people. I do not accuse the ministers for that (see my blog about this subject http://www.gooblogg.com/index.php/2008/11/28/holy-mountain-at-athos-monastery-vatopedi-scandal-in-greece/).
Mr. Karamanlis didn't sale the Greek Telecom to Germans (who simply invested money under secure for Greece conditions) or didn't sale the Pereus port to China (who is ony rended with a good year income for the Greek people), or didn't sale Olympic Airways to foreigners as Olymic was a negative business and money loss for the goverment and needed external support as many other European Air companies (Air France, Italian Airway company etc..).
CONSEQUENTLY, all these so called by the anti-politics scandals in detriment of Mr. Karamanlis and his goverment ARE NOT SCANDALS. These are accuses of the un-moral politics who instead to collaborate positively with the giovernent to bring the country out of the economical crisis they create instead conditions in detriment of the welbeing of the Greek people in order to satisfy their political goals and their personal benefits.
BBC wrote that Greece has a easy-broken democracy. What about the UK police who killed an innocent Brasilian men during the anti-terror attacks? What about the scandal of strictly confidential data which has been difused out last year? And what about the political crisis in Italy and Mafia? What about the terror Basques in Spain killing inncovet people? What about the French vandalstic demonstrations of joung people last year? Are those stable democracies?
We can not speak therefore for an easy-broken Greek Democracy.
The morality is that so long goverments in Europe accept to have emmigrants in their countries without being able to offer them job and food, Europe will affront always this kind of riots and aggressions in the local national societies. A strong measure against this emmigrants invasion must be taken before is for Europe too late.
This report is destinate to the International Press and TV stations to know the truth.
<a href="http://www.gooblogg.com/" target="0">See more relative reports at my blog </a>
About the Author
Engineer in Automatic conytrol systems has wriitten lot of publications in software development on various topics, technical and scientific publications, and others. Actually i am managing some advanced technolofy websites based on video streaming, Google Maps Api applications (www.world-discovery.net), Contest Management Systems (CMS - www.worldiscoveries.com), etc..
Takeoff - Lao Airlines ATR72 Vientiane to Luang Prabang
