Scenes that evoke the Third World

There are certain things that unmistakably remind you that, no matter how far this country has come, it still partly belongs to the Third World. These may be "small" things - things we barely notice, perhaps because we've grown too accustomed to them.

For a long time, I've been observing the disgraceful practices of various work crews that ruthlessly destroy roads and sidewalks across many neighborhoods in Attica and the city center, acting on behalf of different companies. The lack of professionalism is staggering. You can easily stumble into an open hole, marked only by a rolled-up piece of red-striped tape carelessly left behind - resembling trash unless you happen to be particularly alert. Even the most basic safety standards are ignored. The patches they leave behind are the very definition of dangerous and sloppy workmanship. Every time one of these crews completes its...