Author: Athanasios Koutoupas

New Provincial Governor in Alexandria
Egypt’s President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi appointed on Saturday 11 new provincial governors. The governors were appointed to the governorates of Alexandria, Suez, Gharbiya, Kafr El-Sheikh, Aswan, Port Said, Sharqiya, Minya, Giza, Qalyoubiya and Beni Suef. Below are brief descriptions of the appointees, five of whom are from police ranks, four from the Armed Forces and two are civil engineers:
1. Mohamed Ahmed Abdel-Zaher– Alexandria Governor:A civil engineer who served as the secretary-general for the governorates of Cairo and Alexandria.
2. Ahmed Helmi Fathi – Suez Governor:A former military general who served as governor of Marsa Matrouh in 2012 under former president Mohamed Morsi.
3. Al-Sayed Ibrahim – Kafr El-Sheikh Governor:A former police officer who held several posts within the Ministry of Interior.
4. Magdy Fouad Hegazy – Aswan Governor:A former military general who served as deputy defense minister and held different positions in civil state bodies.
5. Adel Mohamed Ibrahim – Port Said Governor:A former military officer who served as a security consultant for the Suez Canal Authority.
6. Khaled Mohamed Saied – Sharqiya Governor:A former military general who held different field posts in the Egyptian army.
7. Mohamed Kamal Saied Al-Dali – Giza Governor:A former police general who served as the head of the Giza Security Directorate.
8. Tarek Hassan Nasr – Minya Governor:A former police officer and former head of Upper Egypt’s Assiut Security Directorate.
9. Reda Farahat – Qalyoubiya Governor:A former police general.
10. Ahmed Deif Sakr – Gharbiya Governor: A former police general who served as the head of the security directorates of Upper Egypt’s Aswan and Luxor.
11. Sherif Mohamed Abdel-Aziz – Beni Suef Governor: A civil engineer who used to be the deputy head of the state-owned Arab Contractors Company.
(english.ahram.org.eg)
December 29, 2015
GOCMV offering new summer course on Hellenism

Transterritorial Hellenism is the next course being offered this summer at the Greek Community of Melbourne’s Greek Centre for Contemporary Culture.

Run in association with the School of Languages and Linguistics of La Trobe University, the course will explore issues in the modern construction of ethno national, civic, multiple and other identities.

The concept of Hellenism specifically is said to have evolved through various parts of the modern world, including Istanbul, Izmir, Thessaloniki, London, Nicosia, New York, and Melbourne.

The course will also explore the life of Greeks under Ottoman rule, and as students and scholars, victims of genocide, political exiles, guest workers, Europeans, and citizens of multi-cultural states, while also dissecting the influence of the Greek Orthodox Church, Greek irredentism, political conflict and modernisation on the formation of Greek identity.

Set to be an interesting six weeks, Transterrirtorial Hellenism will involve six hours of classes per week and is open to all.

Transterritorial Hellenism commences on 12 January, 2016 and ends 11 February, 2016 at the Greek Centre for Contemporary Culture, 168 Lonsdale St, Melbourne, VIC.

For more information, contact Dimitris Gonis via email [email protected]

(Πηγή: http://neoskosmos.com)

December 19, 2015
Archaeologists claim they cracked Phaistos Disk’s code

Archaeologist and coordinator of the program Erasmus of Crete Technological Institute Gareth Owens gives a different version of Phaistos Disk mystery.

He said that following new data found in his research the focus is no longer the “pregnant mother”, as originally estimated, but a “pregnant goddess” that takes shape in the face of Astarte, the goddess of love.

The goddess of love, the Minoan Astarte, seems to be the key figure that unlocks the mystery of the Phaistos Disk, according to Mr. Owens.

“There is no doubt that we are talking about a religious text. This is clear from a comparison made with other religious words from other inscriptions from the holy mountains of Crete. We have words that are exactly the same. I suspect that the Phaistos Disc is a hymn before Astarte, the goddess of love. Words such as those mentioned on the disk have been found on Minoan offerings and as with today’s offerings, people pray when they are troubled, because of health problems or personal reasons. Man doesn’t change, after all.”

He also said that he believes that one side of the Phaistos Disk is dedicated to the pregnant mother goddess and the other one to Minoan goddess Astarte.

http://en.protothema.gr

December 19, 2015
From Greece to Egypt on a Sailboat

By Tanya El Kashef

In July 2015, I took part in a sailing voyage from Athens to Hurghada with the purpose of delivering four sailboats to Egypt. A daring journey for a group made up of mostly novices, it took nineteen days of sailing through six Greek islands, the wrath of Meltemi winds, long late night sails and the Suez Canal; in the end, we slowly but surely made our way home to the Red Sea.

The idea was to spend my summer vacation doing something that would add value and experience, so when the opportunity to deliver four sailboats from Greece with Red Sea Sails came my way, I didn’t hesitate to take it on.

A budding project, Red Sea Sails intends to establish a sailing school, to provide sailboat charters and ultimately spark a sailing culture in a sea it believes is an ideal setting. While sailing is very new to the Red Sea – which currently have about ten sailboats in El Gouna and Hurghada combined – it is not an entirely new sport to Egypt and has had its popularity in places like Cairo, Alexandria and Ismailia. And although the days of elegant yacht clubs and their community of sailors are long gone, it is not uncommon to hear friends say that they have dabbled in the sport or that they used to go sailing with their grandfathers.

The feedback I received prior to the trip was a mix of nostalgic memories, intrigue and enthusiasm, and these sorts of reactions affirmed that an interest in sailing did exist and could possibly be fostered. However, it takes more than mere interest to become a well-rounded sailor – a fact I was soon to discover.

Read the rest of the article here

December 19, 2015