Greeks brace for new general strike over austerity as EU leaders prepare to meet

(18 Oct 2012) ++ CORRECTION PLEASE NOTE CORRECTED SPELLING OF THE NAME IERODIMOS++ SHOTLIST 16 October 2012 1. Wide of Giorgos Ierodimos, 85-year-old pensioner, and his wife sitting at cafe 2. Medium of Ierodimos' hands picking up a bread ring, cutting it, handing over some to wife and eating some 3. Close-up of receipt reading 2.50 euros (3.27 US dollars) 4. SOUNDBITE (Greek) Giorgos Ierodimos, 85-year-old pensioner: "In general, we're going from bad to worse. Salaries are being reduced, pensions are being reduced, everything is getting more expensive, from food to healthcare to hospitals, medicines, everything. So how will people live? How will we live?" 5. Close-up of bread ring and empty coffee cup 6. Cutaway of Ierodimos' wife 7. SOUNDBITE (Greek) Giorgos Ierodimos, 85-year-old pensioner: "We've cut everything. Now it's only the necessities that we buy. We bought a bread ring for my wife to eat for lunch. A bread ring costing 40 cents. And a cauliflower to eat as a salad (laughs). I'm not ashamed to say it. Why should I be?" 8. Medium of Lerodimos and his wife at cafe 9. SOUNDBITE (Greek) Giorgos Ierodimos, 85-year-old pensioner: "The 730 euros (957 US dollars) isn't enough for anything. I pay 250 rent (327 US dollars), I have 450 left over (590 US dollars). What can you pay with that? If you factor in just the medication, because we're old people, we have health problems, just the medication." 17 October 2012 10. Medium of signs announcing 18 October general strike 11. People crossing street with parliament seen in background 12. ADEDY civil servant union general secretary, Ilias Iliopoulos, in office speaking with assistant 13. SOUNDBITE (Greek) Ilias Iliopoulos, ADEDY civil servant union general secretary: "How can people shoulder new measures, when approximately 70 percent of it is caught between poverty and destitution? It is absolutely impossible." 14. Close-up of sign reading (Greek) "Thursday, 18/10 General Strike" 15. SOUNDBITE (Greek) Ilias Iliopoulos, ADEDY civil servant union general secretary: "On the noteworthy day of the summit in Brussels, we want to tell the leaders of the European Union 'that's enough. We can't take any more.' This is not worthy of Europe. It is a policy of exploitation, of profiteers and loan sharks. And we no longer have the desire to serve this policy." 15. Theodore Krintas, managing director of Attica Wealth Management, at computer 16. SOUNDBITE (English) Theodore Krintas, managing director of Attica Wealth Management: "What leaders, what political leaders will say after the summit will give the markets a direction with respect to their discounting process that uncertainty is lower now, is decreasing and is continuously decreasing. So if the summit gives an announcement in general terms saying that although we haven't finished with the talks we're still backing what Greece is trying to do and the efforts that Greece is taking so far." 16 October 2012 17. Various of paramedics wearing fluorescent yellow vests demonstrating outside health ministry; 18. SOUNDBITE (Greek) Hristos Maltezos, alternate secretary of the paramedic workers union: "We've already received cuts of 40 percent. We can't take any more. We're just hoping to get what we're owed." 19. Paramedic motorcycle at right with demonstrators in background STORYLINE European Union leaders prepared to meet on Thursday as Greeks were bracing for another nationwide general strike. Greece has survived on international rescue loans since losing access to money markets in 2010. Unemployment is around 25 percent, the highest in decades. Clients are reminded: Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...