leonardcohenforum.com

We are not going to change the plans. A lot of donations were paid in cash in Dublin and at other happenings, and for many we have only the names but not the email addresses. We can't contact several hundred donors and ask for their opinion. We would get some hundred different suggestions, too. The bench project is progressing, and we have paid the basic public fees, material etc. costs already for the bench. The stones are ready, just waiting to be put together. We have also promised the community to donate the extra money to local projects that help in the best possible way local people in their urgent needs, but this will be done only after the bench is ready.

I know that there are so many today in the Mediterranean area who need help and support, but on the other hand there are many public and charity organizations that accept donations and also have effective ways to use the money, like Red Cross and Unicef, just to name two. It would be simplest if everybody made a direct donation to one of those.

I agree.... do it on your own !

Yes, we should stick to our original plan, we are not politicians.

I always enjoy reading Jarkko´s prudent and well-balanced statements.
There is no doubt he will carry forward the project in the most responsible way, probably in consultation with the other moderators.
That does not mean I would not appreciate Athnuachan´s argument, but that is a totally different affair and seems best done individually having not much connection to the leonardcohenforum.

This community contributed for a a specific project -- honoring a great artist. I am glad that the project is continued and have no doubt that many members of this forum individually are generous on behalf of many other causes.
I appreciate the planning and work put in by so many to eventually make the bench a reality.

Mabeanie1 wrote: However, it is a complex situation, not least because some of the money has already been spent. Presumably there have been fees to pay and there is also a pile of cut stone and other materials lying around somewhere.

A recipient charity would have to be agreed on - or suggested by Leonard.

Wendy

I appreciate your thoughtful response, Wendy.
Yes, it is complex.
Money has been spent and there is nothing, so far, to show for it.
All going according to plan, the seat would have been there before the refugee crisis erupted.
A lot has changed since.

My post was made having heard a particularly distressing eye witness account from a man returned from Kos. And no, Wybe, he's not a politician either, in fact he's a business man not used to showing his emotions, but he couldn't hole himself up in his comfortable hotel having seen hungry, desperate people nearby. He did what he could to help, and continues to do so since he came home.

It is not, of course, as some of the less thoughtful replies suggest, an either/or situation.
Hopefully, as Rike points out, most of us do the best we can with our own money.

Jarkko tells us " the bench project is progressing".
Glad to hear that, he is in a position to know,
You wouldn't know that from this neglected topic, mind you - no news until Oct., outlook uncertain then.

If the bench eventually gets built, fine.
But if it becomes a lost cause, or a question of throwing good money after bad, there are pressing needs for funds in the Greek islands.

And if the need arose, who better to suggest a recipient charity than Leonard?

Nikolas reports on facebook that the Major told him the works are going to start the next week!

unfortunately premature news, we will know more in October or November

It is a sad fact that Greeks are notoriously litigious (even more so than Americans!) I have heard of litigation over a single step.

The householder above the bench's location is quite wrong to imagine the bench would be detrimental to his amenities: at the moment people wanting to rest sit on the small steps next to where the bench is to go. People are sitting at the location anyway: they will just be more comfortable on the bench.

What's more, there is a wide path above and behind the bench's location, between the bench and the house. The bench doesn't abut the house in any way. Trees, and the bank, mean there is no view of the bench from his house.

hydriot wrote:It is a sad fact that Greeks are notoriously litigious (even more so than Americans!) I have heard of litigation over a single step.

The householder above the bench's location is quite wrong to imagine the bench would be detrimental to his amenities: at the moment people wanting to rest sit on the small steps next to where the bench is to go. People are sitting at the location anyway: they will just be more comfortable on the bench.

What's more, there is a wide path above and behind the bench's location, between the bench and the house. The bench doesn't abut the house in any way. Trees, and the bank, mean there is no view of the bench from his house.

So on the face of it , under any system based on rationality , there is no case against the bench.
Seems ironic in a country and island so severely hit by austerity that some people have money to spend just, at the end of the day, to make mischief

Here are some pictures of the location, showing that the bench cannot be seen from the house above, which is both at a higher level and with a wide path intervening. The location is completely screened from above by the foliage of young trees.

Residents already rest on the steps. How much more comfortable to have a proper bench!

From Dr. George Koukoudakis, the Mayor of Hydra:

[...] As we discussed in the presence of the Ambassador of Canada, a compromise that will make all the parties involved in the location of the bench should be reached. In that way there would be no negative comments for Hydra and Leonard Cohen.

As a result, I took the initiative to find a compromise. The result was that the bench location should move 60 meters towards the City. All the parties agreed so there will be no higher Court case.

This will also make sure that the bench will be constructed without any further delays and potential problems.

I am also happy to announce you that the unanimous decision of the Local Council to name a street of Hydra after Leonard Cohen has been approved by central authorities.

Best Regards,

George

Thanks for bringing us the good news, Jarkko!

Maarten

jarkko wrote:From Dr. George Koukoudakis, the Mayor of Hydra:

[...] As we discussed in the presence of the Ambassador of Canada, a compromise that will make all the parties involved in the location of the bench should be reached. In that way there would be no negative comments for Hydra and Leonard Cohen.

As a result, I took the initiative to find a compromise. The result was that the bench location should move 60 meters towards the City. All the parties agreed so there will be no higher Court case.

This will also make sure that the bench will be constructed without any further delays and potential problems.

I am also happy to announce you that the unanimous decision of the Local Council to name a street of Hydra after Leonard Cohen has been approved by central authorities.

Best Regards,

George

Good news! I always thought moving the bench site would be the best solution to the conflict.

Jon Grepstad

Good news. Thank you for the update.