Occupy protests inspires T-shirts, trademark bids (AP)

SAN FRANCISCO – The revolution will be trademarked and put on T-shirts if an increasing number of entrepreneurs succeed in their attempts to profit from the Occupy demonstrations.

A few T-shirts began to appear several days after the first protest began on Sept. 17 with a march through the streets of lower Manhattan.

Now, T-shirts, coffee mugs and other merchandise emblazoned with Occupy locations and slogans are being offered online and amid the camp sites that have sprung up in cities across the country. A number of merchandise vendors, clothing designers and others are making plans to market a wide-variety of goods for a wide-variety of reasons even as some protesters decry the business plans as directly counter to the demonstrations' goals.

In recent weeks, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has received a spate of applications from enterprising merchandisers, lawyer and others seeking to win exclusive commercial rights to such phrases as "We are the 99 percent," "Occupy" and "Occupy DC 2012."

Organizers of the protest centered in Manhattan's Zuccotti Park went so far as to file for a trademark of "Occupy Wall Street" after several other applications connected to the demonstrations were filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Wylie Stecklow, a lawyer representing the protesters, said the Oct. 24 filing was done to prevent profiteering from a movement many say is a protest of corporate greed.

"I would like to ensure that this isn't coopted for commercial purposes," Stecklow said. "The trademark can be used for noncommercial purposes."

Stecklow's application was one of three filed with the U.S. PTO seeking to trademark either "Occupy Wall Street" or "Occupy Wall St."

Vince Ferraro, a small businessman based in Arizona, applied to trademark "Occupy Wall Street" a few hours after Stecklow. Ferraro declined to discuss his plans if he wins the trademark.

"If I prevail," he said, "I believe there are opportunities in commerce not directly related to the movement."

Both Stecklow and Ferraro were beat to the trademark office by a Long Island couple who filed for "Occupy Wall St." on Oct. 16. Robert and Diane Maresca paid $975 for the application, which said they intended to put the phrase on a wide-variety of products.

They couldn't be reached for comment. But on Thursday, the couple withdrew their application, leaving Stecklow's clients and Ferraro as the only two competing to own "Occupy Wall Street."

USPTO lawyer Cynthia Lynch said that when the trademark office is confronted with similar applications, it gives priority to the first application received. However, she said the trademark office also takes into consideration whether the phrase was in wide use before the first application was filed.

Stecklow, the attorney for the protesters, says he believed his clients will prevail because they've been using the phrase "Occupy Wall Street" for months before the first application was filed.

The USPTO's Lynch declined to discuss specific applications and said it takes about three months for the office to make an initial determination.

"This rush to trademark was entirely expected and predictable because this is what everybody does," said Ron Coleman, a trademark attorney and author of a popular trademark blog. "The irony is too rich."

Coleman predicted the New York protesters would prevail because they've been using the phrase the longest. Nonetheless, he questioned how the trademark could be managed by a group claiming to be leaderless.

"Who has authority to speak on behalf of the trademark," Coleman asked.

In the meantime, several businesses and merchandise vendors aren't waiting for the trademark office.

Ray Agrinzone, a clothing designer, launched theoccupystore.com earlier this month. The site offers t-shirts, hoodies and even gift certificates.

Agrinzone said he intends to donate 10 percent of profits to the Occupy Wall Street organizers. He said he has lost money so far, but still plans donate about $100 over the weekend. He said he will propose to organizers that a section of Zuccotti Park be turned into a merchandise zone for the benefit of the movement.

He said he has received hateful tweets and email from people opposed to his store and plans to profit from the Occupy demonstrations.

"There's nothing wrong with turning a profit," Agrinzone said. "I don't think that's what this is all about."

Further, he said that fashion can help with the movement's goals.

"There is no better way to spread the message of revolution than through clothes," Agrinzone said.

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AP-GfK Poll: 37 percent of public back protests (AP)

WASHINGTON – More than one-third of the country supports the Wall Street protests, and even more — 58 percent — say they are furious about America's politics.

The number of angry people is growing as deep reservoirs of resentment grip the country, according to the latest Associated Press-GfK poll.

Some 37 percent of people back the protests that have spread from New York to cities across the country and abroad, one of the first snapshots of how the public views the "Occupy Wall Street" movement. A majority of those protest supporters are Democrats, but the anger about politics in general is much more widespread, the poll indicates.

"They've got reasons to be upset, they've got reasons to protest, but they're protesting against the wrong people," Jan Jarrell, 54, a retired school custodian from Leesville, S.C., says of the New York demonstrators. "They need to go to Washington, to Congress and the White House. They're the ones coming up with all the rules."

"Occupy Wall Street" has been called the liberal counterpoint to conservative-libertarian tea party, which injected a huge dose of enthusiasm into the Republican Party and helped it win the House and make gains in the Senate last fall.

While the troubled economy is at the root of anger at both government and business leaders, there's a key difference. Tea party activists generally argue that government is the problem, and they advocate for free markets. The Wall Street protesters generally say that government can provide some solutions and the free market has run amok.

Of the Americans who support the Wall Street protests, 64 percent in the poll are Democrats, while 22 percent are independents and just 14 percent are Republicans. The protest backers are more likely to approve of President Barack Obama and more likely to disapprove of Congress than are people who don't support the demonstrations.

More generally, many more Americans — 58 percent — say they are furious about the country's politics than did in January, when 49 percent said they felt that way. What's more, nearly nine in 10 say they are frustrated with politics and nearly the same say they are disappointed, findings that suggest people are deeply resentful of the political bickering over such basic government responsibilities as passing a federal budget and raising the nation's debt limit.

This wrath spreads across political lines, with about six in 10 Democrats, Republicans and independents saying politics makes them angry.

Fewer are hopeful about politics than when the year began, 47 percent down from 60 percent. Only 17 percent of respondents say they feel proud or inspired.

Since January, Congress and the White House have engaged in repeated standoffs over federal spending and the size of government as the economy has struggled to recover from recession.

In the past month, fury over all that has spilled into New York's financial district, and groups of mostly young people have camped out in a park.

The protesters cite the economic crisis as a key reason for their unhappiness. The unemployment rate hovers around 9 percent nationally. Many homeowners owe more than their homes are worth. Foreclosures are rampant. And many young people — the key demographic of the protesters — can't find jobs or live on their own.

"They all have college educations, and some have advanced degrees, and they're unemployed?" says Alice Dunlap, 63, a retired speech language pathologist from Alexandria, Va. She supports the protests because, she says, anger lingers at those who profited while the nation's economy tanked.

"We all got ripped off by Wall Street, and we continue to be ripped off by Wall Street," she says. "You can look at my portfolio, if you like."

The poll found that most protest supporters do not blame Obama for the economic crisis. Sixty-eight percent say former President George W. Bush deserves "almost all" or "a lot but not all" of the blame. Just 15 percent say Obama deserves that much blame. Nearly six in 10 protest supporters blame Republicans in Congress for the nation's economic problems, and 21 percent blame congressional Democrats.

Six in 10 protest supporters trust Democrats more than Republicans to create jobs.

Most people who support the protests — like most people who don't — actually report good financial situations in their own households.

Still, protest supporters express more intense concern than non-supporters about unemployment at the moment and rising consumer prices in the coming year.

Norton Shores, Mich., retiree Patsy Ellerbroek, 65, is among those who have little empathy for the Wall Street protesters.

"Everybody ought to own their own business before they start complaining," Ellerbroek says.

Eight years ago, she and her husband sold "The Fun Spot," a roller rink they owned for three decades. Now she's a member of neither political party, and she gets frustrated when she sees politicians like the Republican candidates for president being disrespectful. Or Obama "flying around the county on our taxpayer dollars, politicking."

"With all the politicians, it's like, the heck with the people who put them there. We need another Mr. Smith goes to Washington," she said.

The poll was conducted Oct. 13-17, 2011, by GfK Roper Public Affairs and Corporate Communications. It involved landline and cellphone interviews with 1,000 adults and had a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 4 percentage points. The poll included 384 respondents who said they were supporters of the Wall Street protests. Among that group, the error margin was 6.5 points.

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Online:

Poll results: http://www.ap-gfkpoll.com

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India protests swell as Anna Hazare fasts (Reuters)

By Arup Roychoudhury and Matthias Williams Arup Roychoudhury And Matthias Williams – Wed?Aug?17, 10:10?am?ET

NEW DELHI (Reuters) – Protests swelled across India Wednesday in support of a self-styled Gandhian anti-corruption campaigner fasting to the death in jail, with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's struggling government at a loss over how to end the standoff.

Singh, 78, who is widely criticized as out of touch, dismissed the fast by Anna Hazare as "totally misconceived," sparking outrage as lawmakers cried "shame."

"It is a wake-up call for all of us unless we put our house in order. The people of this country are becoming restless," said Arun Jaitley, a leader of the opposition Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party.

The squat and slight 74-year-old Hazare fasted as thousands of his followers gathered outside the jail, the latest development in a crisis that saw him arrested Tuesday and then refuse to leave jail after the government ordered his release.

Spurred by messages on social networking sites, such as on Twitter and Facebook, at least 15,000 thronged to one protest site in central Delhi alone, a Reuters reporter said.

"The government really doesn't know what it is doing," said Kuldip Nayar, a veteran political analyst. "It is bungling, mishandling. They do not know at all how wide and how deep the resentment is."

Hazare, who has struck a nerve with millions of Indians by demanding tougher laws against rampant corruption, had insisted he wants the right to return to a city park where he had originally planned to publicly fast, before he leaves jail.

The arrest and sudden about-turn to release him appeared to confirm a widespread feeling Singh's government is cornered, clumsy and too riddled with scandal to govern Asia's third-largest economy effectively.

A weak political opposition means that the government should still survive the crisis, but it could further dim the prospect for economic reforms that have already been held back by policy paralysis and a raft of corruption scandals.

"We don't have faith in our government," said Sujeet, a young software engineer from the IT city of Gurgaon, as he protested at tourist site of India Gate in the capital. "We are living in a democracy but only in letter, not in spirit."

Many of the crowd were young, with rucksacks on their backs, some with their faces painted. Others were older, decked out in outfits as worn by the bespectacled Hazare, with his trademark white cap and kurta, a long-time social activist who is often compared to independence leader Mahatma Gandhi.

In northeast Assam state, thousands of farmers, students and lawyers marched. In the financial capital of Mumbai, thousands of people carrying the Indian flag and wearing Gandhi caps chanted "I am Anna."

"I was forced to pay a bribe while getting my passport approved and I felt helpless," said student Rahul Acharya, 21. "This is the time all youngsters should join the movement so that the future would be corruption-free."

In the IT hub of Hyderabad, lawyers boycotted courts, students skipped class and hundreds took to the streets.

Across southern Andhra Pradesh state, a Congress party stronghold, thousands went on snap fasts, staged sit-ins, blocked roads and formed human chains.

Demonstrations are part of daily life in the towns and cities of India, a country of 1.2 billion people made up of a myriad of castes, religions and classes. But spontaneous and widespread protests are rare and the scale of this week's outpouring of public fury has taken the government by surprise.

"HIGH IDEALS"

Hazare became the unlikely thorn in the side of the Congress-led coalition when he went on hunger strike in April. He called off that fast after the government promised to introduce a bill creating an anti-corruption ombudsman.

The legislation was presented in early August, but activists slammed the draft version as toothless because the prime minister and judges were exempt from probes.

A stone-faced Singh was uncompromising, but offered little vision in a speech to parliament.

"I acknowledge that Anna Hazare may be inspired by high ideals," a stern-looking Singh said. "However, the path that he has chosen to impose a draft of the bill on parliament is totally misconceived and fraught with grave consequences for our parliamentary democracy.

"We must not create an environment in which our economic progress is hijacked by internal dissention."

Critics say Singh's government of mainly elderly politicians has no idea how to react to spontaneous protests, highlighting a generation gap as social networks galvanize thousands, including many of India's growing urban middle class, from Supreme Court lawyers to students.

The Congress party held an emergency meeting to discuss the crisis. But the absence of party chief Sonia Gandhi due to an undisclosed illness appeared to have further weakened the government decision-making.

Gandhi left control of the party in the hands of a quartet, including her 41-year-old son, Rahul, widely seen as a prime minister in waiting.

The arrest played into Hazare's hands. Many parties were sceptical about the fast and there has been criticism the activist was holding Indian parliamentary democracy hostage. But doubts about the protest were overshadowed by the arrest.

RESTIVE MIDDLE CLASS

The arrest, along with the brief detention of about 1,500 followers, shocked many in a country with strong memories of Gandhi's independence battles against colonial rule with fasts and non-violent protests.

Opposition figures likened the crackdown to the 1975 "Emergency" when then-prime minister Indira Gandhi arrested thousands of opposition members to stay in power.

The question for many is whether Hazare's movement will grow in the fast-urbanising nation whose increasingly assertive middle class is fed up with constant bribes.

The scandals, including a telecoms bribery scam that may have cost the government $39 billion, have dented investor confidence and distracted parliament just as the $1.6 trillion economy is being hit by inflation and higher interest rates.

(Additional reporting Annie Banerji, Rajesh Kumar Singh and Parivartan Sharma in New Delhi, Kaustubh Kulkarni in Mumbai, Biswajyoti Das in Guwahati; Writing by Alistair Scrutton; Editing by Paul de Bendern)

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China protests U.S. spy flights near its coast (Reuters)

BEIJING (Reuters) – China warned that recent U.S. surveillance flights near its coast have severely harmed mutual trust and were a major obstacle to better military ties between the two countries, state media reported Wednesday.

Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, vowed Monday to press ahead with surveillance flights near China despite opposition from Beijing, after an intercept by Chinese fighter jets of a U.S. spy plane on June 29.

"We demand that the U.S. respect China's sovereignty and security interests and take concrete measures to boost a healthy and stable development of military relations," the Global Times newspaper quoted the Ministry of National Defense as saying.

Xinhua news agency later quoted ministry spokesman Geng Yansheng as saying the reconnaissance missions "have severely undermined mutual trust and remained a major obstacle to the development of military ties.

There have been conflicting accounts of where the June 29 incident happened.

Taiwan's defense ministry said Monday that two Chinese fighter jets briefly crossed a line in the center of the Taiwan Strait that is considered an unofficial boundary between the airspace of both sides.

The fighter jets were attempting to intercept a U.S. U-2 reconnaissance plane, according to Asian media reports.

But the Pentagon said Wednesday the June 29 Chinese intercept did not take place in the center of the Taiwan Strait. One U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said it happened in international airspace over the East China Sea, north of Taiwan and the Taiwan Strait.

Regardless, relations between the U.S. and Chinese militaries have been rocky. China is unhappy with U.S. reconnaissance patrols near its coast and is suspicious of U.S. bases in South Korea and Japan.

China's rapid military buildup, including its growing aircraft carrier program, and its territorial disputes in the South China Sea have sparked concerns in the region.

The United States wants greater military transparency from Beijing over the military modernization and has warned about China's growing missile and cyber capabilities.

Self-ruled Taiwan, claimed by China as part of its sovereign territory, has been another major irritant in military relations. China has been furious about a 2010 package of U.S. arms sales to Taiwan worth up to $6.4 billion.

(Reporting by Ben Blanchard in Beijing and Phil Stewart in Washington; Editing by Ron Popeski and John O'Callaghan)

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Prince William, Kate face Quebec protests again (AP)

QUEBEC CITY – Prince William and Kate faced more protests by French-speaking separatists Sunday after arriving in Quebec City on a Canadian navy frigate that sailed down the picturesque St. Lawrence Seaway..

The newlyweds are on the fourth day of a nine-day trip to Canada in what is their first official overseas trip since their April 29 wedding.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge encountered small but vocal protests in Montreal, the French-speaking province's biggest city, on Saturday after being cheered by tens of thousands the previous day in Canada's largely English-speaking capital, Ottawa.

Prince William and Kate sang hymns as they took part in a bilingual interfaith prayer service on the deck of the HMCS Montreal which docked in Quebec City after an overnight trip from Montreal. They then headed ashore for a meeting with residents of La Maison Dauphine, a center that helps homeless youths.

Police were out in force in downtown Quebec City. More than 150 protesters, some wearing black and waving flags, demonstrated about two blocks from City Hall, where Prince William was due to make remarks.

A far larger crowd of supporters, chanting "Will and Kate." were allowed closer to City Hall and greeted the royal motorcade with loud cheers when it arrived.

The protesters chanted "RRQ," the initials of the anti-monarchist, separatist group, Reseau de Resistance du Quebecois, or Quebecker Resistance Network, which organized the protests in Montreal and Quebec City.

Police set up barriers to keep the protesters away from City Hall, but the demonstrators brought a pickup truck with audio equipment and speakers so their chants could be heard. They carried signs reading "Pay your own way" and "The monarchy, it's over."

The visit touches a sensitive nerve among French-speaking separatists because Prince William and Kate later Sunday afternoon were to visit the Citadelle, a fortified residence at the foot of the Plains of Abraham, the site of the pivotal 1759 battle in which British forces defeated the French to seal the conquest of New France.

Vocal yet vastly outnumbered protesters failed to cause any disruption to the royal couple's events in Montreal on Saturday, other than aggravating some of the pair's supporters.

About 35 protesters, including members of the Quebecker Resistance Network, stood outside Sainte-Justine University Hospital Centre in Montreal. They were outnumbered about 10 to one by William and Kate supporters gathered outside the children's hospital where the newlyweds visited cancer patients and the hospital's neonatal care facility.

The protesters were drumming and booing as the royal couple's motorcade pulled up to the hospital. William was whisked into the hospital as Kate stepped out of the car and smiled at the crowd before going in.

The demonstrations were a rare moment of criticism aimed at the young royals, who have for the most part been welcomed with open arms by Canadians eager to see the glamorous newlyweds.

After leaving the hospital, the royal couple headed to the Institut de Tourisme et D'Hotellerie du Quebec, where they were met again by a handful of protesters dominated by about 150 supporters.

Once inside, Kate and William donned aprons and took part in a cooking workshop at the facility, which is a government agency that conducts training and research in the hotel, tourism and food service industries.

Wearing white cooking jackets, the pair got into the pots and pans to whip up some authentic Quebec fare, including Charlevoix lamb and a lobster souffle. The couple also dined with Quebec Premier Jean Charest and his wife Michele.

A 2009 visit by Prince William's father, Prince Charles, to Montreal was disrupted by more than 200 separatist protesters. The protesters sat in the street, blocking the prince's way into a ceremony planned at an armory, and threw eggs at the soldiers who were accompanying him and his wife, the Duchess of Cornwall. The couple were forced to enter the building through a back door and missed an elaborate welcoming ceremony that had been planned.

In 1990, Canada Day celebrations were disrupted briefly by protesters from Quebec who booed and turned their back on Queen Elizabeth.

Protesters were angry that Canada still has ties to the monarchy. Queen Elizabeth II is still the country's figurative head of state and new Canadian citizens still pledge allegiance to the Queen during their swearing-in ceremony. Others said they were angry that taxpayer money is being used to pay for the royal tour.

However, support for the separatists among Quebeckers has been on the decline in recent years as the 80-percent French-speaking province has enjoyed plenty of autonomy even without quitting Canada.

"As far as I'm concerned they're welcome here anytime. These young people need a chance. If their ancestors messed up, they need a chance to be forgiven," said John Harbour, 58, a French-Canadian master mariner, who was among dozens of onlookers hoping for a glimpse of the royal couple at the Quebec City waterfront.

The royal couple were to fly later Sunday to Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. They leave Canada for a three-day trip to California on July 8.

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Associated Press Writer Rob Gillies in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, contributed to this story.

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Greece backs austerity despite violent protests (AP)

By ELENA BECATOROS and DEREK GATOPOULOS, Associated Press Elena Becatoros And Derek Gatopoulos, Associated Press – 1?hr?15?mins?ago

ATHENS, Greece – Greece approved more austerity measures needed to avert default next month, in a vote Wednesday that calmed markets but triggered a second day of riots that left dozens injured and the capital blanketed with tear gas.

The passage of the bill was a decisive step for the country to get the next batch of bailout loans from international creditors and was met with a huge sigh of relief in markets and by Greece's partners in the eurozone. A Greek default could potentially trigger a banking crisis, particularly in Europe, and turmoil in global markets.

Another bill has to be passed Thursday for the government to secure the money.

The bill to cut spending and raise taxes by euro28 billion ($40 billion) over five years, and raise euro50 billion ($71 billion) in privatizations over the same period of time, has provoked widespread outrage, coming after a year of deep cuts that have seen public sector salaries and pensions cut and unemployment rise to above 16 percent.

While deputies voted, stun grenades echoed across the square outside the Parliament building and acrid clouds of tear gas hung in the streets. The violence continued sporadically after the vote and smoke was billowing from beneath the Finance Ministry.

Authorities and emergency services said 31 police and 15 protesters were injured and transferred to hospitals, while 30 people were detained, and 11 arrested.

Volunteer doctors said they had treated about 40 people, most with facial injuries and breathing problems, at a makeshift treatment site at a metro station next to parliament. Protesters were seen leaving the site with bandaged heads.

Head medical volunteer Flegas Stagos said more seriously wounded protesters were put onto the metro with volunteers so they could receive treatment away from the tear gas.

The European Union and International Monetary Fund have demanded both bills pass before it releases a euro12 billion installment of the country's euro110 billion ($157 billion) bailout fund. Without it, Greece was facing defaulting on its debts by the middle of next month.

Even with the installment, Greece is still in financial trouble and has been in talks with its international creditors for a second bailout, which Prime Minister George Papandreou has said will be roughly the same size as the first.

"We must avoid the country's collapse with every effort," Papandreou said before the vote. "Outside, many are protesting. Some are truly suffering, others are losing they privileges. It is their democratic right. But they and no one else must never suffer the consequences and for their families of a collapse. We must do everything so that there is no freeze in payments."

The Greek vote was greeted positively in Europe's capitals, which have been fretting about the impact of a potential Greek default both on their banking systems and on the future of the euro currency itself.

"That's really good news," German Chancellor Angela Merkel said when told of the outcome of the vote on her way out of an economic forum in Berlin. Germany is Greece's biggest creditor.

EU leaders hailed the vote as an act of "national responsibility" and urged Greek lawmakers to follow up with another positive vote Thursday.

In a joint statement, the heads of the EU commission and council, Jose Manuel Barroso and Herman Van Rompuy, said Greece had taken "a vital step back — from the very grave scenario of default" and urged a second positive vote on Thursday to allow the next batch of money to be disbursed.

"It would also allow for work to proceed rapidly on a second package of financial assistance, enabling the country to move forward and restoring hope to the Greek people," they said.

Equally, relief was the main response in markets. Soon after the vote, the euro was trading at a fairly elevated level around the $1.44 mark while stock markets around the world were posting big gains. In Greece, the main Athens stock market closed up 0.5 percent at 1,264, while the country's borrowing costs eased some 80 basis points from a morning high, with the yield on 10-year bonds settling at the still high 16.55 percent.

"The fact that the Greek parliament has passed the government's medium-term fiscal plan clearly reduces the chances of a near-term disaster," said Ben May, European economist at Capital Economics.

Even if Greece gets more bailout funds, many economists think the country will end up defaulting on its debts in some form or another. Implementing the measures is not going to be made any easier if the widespread opposition continues.

"This is bad, the country will be sold for a piece of bread," said Dimitris Kostopoulos, a 48-year-old insurer. "There were many other more appropriate alternatives to this. Parliament has once again betrayed us."

In the run-up to the vote, violence engulfed the square outside for the second day, while services across the country ground to a halt in the last day of a 48-hour general strike. Riot police fired volleys of tear gas at swarms of young men hurling rocks and other debris as well as setting fire to trash containers.

Protesters threw flares and orange and green smoke bombs, and a few sprayed fire extinguishers at police, who picked up rocks and tossed them back. Heavy clouds of tear gas wafted over the chaotic scene.

The unpopular package of spending cuts and tax hikes passed by 155 votes to 138, with five opposition deputies voted "present" — a ballot which backs neither side.

A sole deputy from the governing socialists, Panayotis Kouroublis, dissented over government plans to sell a further stake in Greece's state electricity company and was quickly expelled from the parliamentary group by Papandreou.

In a dramatic vote, socialist deputy Alexandros Athanassiadis, who had previously vowed to vote against the bill, overturned his decision at the last minute and backed the package, saying he had been swayed by the prime minister's comments in parliament.

A conservative deputy broke ranks with her party's line to also vote in favor, bolstering the government's majority of five seats in the 300-member parliament.

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Christopher Torchia, Demetris Nellas and Menelaos Hadjicostis in Athens and Geir Moulson in Berlin contributed.

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