Portraits from the last day of the Thessaloniki Film Festival

Portraits from the last day of the Thessaloniki Film Festival, originally uploaded by Teacher Dude's BBQ.

50th Thessaloniki Film Festival 2009

Wigan Destroyed By Spurs

Words can't really describe how bad the defending is from Wigan, but give credit where credit's due, Tottenham took all 9 goals well.

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Mario Balotelli A Future Star?? Here's all you need to know

Name: Mario Barwuah Balotelli
Date of Birth: 12/08/1990
Age: 19
Height: 6ft 2in
Nationality: Italian Ghanaian
Position: Striker
Previous Club: Lumazzene
Club: FC Inter Milan
Apps: 44 Goals: 15
Shirt Number: 45

Mario Balotelli was born in Palermo in Italy, in 1990. His story is a complicated one as he is born of Ghanaian parents, but see's himself as a full blooded Italian, and pride's himself on one day playing for the Azzurri (Italian national team). Balotelli is already fully capped at Italian under 21 level, with 15 Appearances and 6 Goals.

Mario is a technically gifted player with great pace and is an excellent set piece taking. He has excellent awareness in and around the box, and rose to recognition by scoring two goals against Juventus in the Coppa Italia quarter-final. This talent has been recognized by Inter manager Jose Mourinho, who has already handed him 33 appearances, scoring 12 goals, in just a season and a half. He has already played up front with players such as Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Luis Figo and Julio Cruz, while currently partnering the likes of Samuel Eto'o, Diego Milito and David Suazo.

The downside to the 19 year is his temperament, which has consistently got himself into disciplinary problems, for club and country as well as referees and Jose Mourinho himself.

The youngsters temperament may have been induced by a degree of Racism he has suffered while playing in Italy, from supposed football fans. In any case these hollow "fans" are just idiots, and will struggle to curb the processes of the wonderkid. Sports giants Nike having already taken a shine to the youngster, become an official sponsor.

Despite the racism Mario Bolatelli continues to prides himself on being Italian with respect to being born by Ghanaian parents, and despite many calls from Ghanaian fans for him to play for the Black Stars, he has expressed his desire to play for the Azzurri on numerous occasions’. All I can say is once he graces the International stage, for either nation, with an improvement in his behaviour and attitude, he will be a world star, watch this space.

Greek police accused of beating 35 year old mother in front of her two year old child

I just came across a story that once gain confirms my belief that the police here in Greece are out of control subject to little or no oversight. In an appalling case reported in the Eleutherotypia newspaper's site (see here in Greek) a 35 year old Armenian woman was beaten, handcuffed and detained in front of her two year old child home on the home from a supermarket in Athens last Thursday.

According to the interview she gave to the newspaper the incident was triggered when the woman, who is married to a well - known Greek musician, was accused by plain clothes police in an unmarked car of insulting them. They then asked if she was from Romania and when she said that she was, in fact from Armenia demanded to know why she was in Greece. They then produced police ID and demanded she come with them to the local police station.

When she went to get the pushchair carrying her child they grabbed her, pushed her to the ground, kicking and punching her in the belief she was resisting arrest. The hapless mother was handcuffed and taken with her child to the Aghios Pantelimenos police department where she was kept for four hours.

The Aghios Pantelimenos district of Athens has been in the news on several occasions over the last year following clashes with the far right group, Chrysi Aygi and immigrants living in the area. Many foreign born shop owners have also accused the police of turning a blind eye to racist intimidation in the area.