Tag: Greece

National Archaeological Museum celebrates 150 years of its foundation

The National Archaeological Museum is celebrating 150 years of its foundation. The anniversary is on 3 October 2016 but various and interesting exhibitions will be held, however, throughout the year, as stated by the director, Maria Lagogiannis during the presentations of the impressive 2016 panorama.

Among the news that stood out was the proclamation, on 18 May (International Museum Day), as the honored museum for 2016 from the Greek section of ICOMOS (International Council of Museums), an honour that is due to its contribution to culture, and the nationwide character of its collections, representing universal values.

The new year is marked by old and new exhibitions that evolve, such as the “unseen Museum”, that today launched another exciting exhibit, which will remain in the Hall of the Altar for two months, it is the Attic red-figure calyx krater, an eminently banquet vase, dating between 390 and 385 b.C. and depicts Dionysus besides Victory, an unusual presence that probably symbolizes the happy life and the victory over death.

From the new exhibitions scheduled we singled out the “Open Museum”, which is centered on openness and dialogue with society, and the involvement of the Museum with the social partners.

“In response to the guests’ request, the museum opens its doors in the spaces behind the stage, in the maintenance workshops and archaeological research areas, where our staff is preparing all the exhibits you watch in brilliant exhibition halls,” said Maria Lagogiannis.

Also, special thematic presentations by archeologists and specially designed familiarization workshops by maintainers will be offered at regular dates throughout the course of 2016, enriching the museum experience and deepening the relationship with the guests.

Meanwhile, from January and throughout the year the museum will feature innovative actions in collaborations with educational institutions, art organizations, unions and social organizations such as the Association of Sculptors, School of Antiquities Conservation and Athens School of Art, Museum of Herakleidon, the Athens State Orchestra, the National Tokyo Western Art Museum, Metropolitan Museum in New York, the National Theatre, the School of Architecture of the NTUA, the National Gallery, the Library of the Hellenic Parliament and National Television.

The final action will join the festive atmosphere of the anniversary exhibition entitled “Odysseys”, which through the unique collections of the museum, that start from the Neolithic period and end in late antiquity will highlight the timeless struggle of human survival, development, acquisition of knowledge and happiness.

At the same time, great modern poets, Cavafy, Seferis, Elytis and Ritsos will hold the thread that will bridge the multiple symbolisms of Homer’s Odyssey and nowadays.

As reported by the Director, the museum in 2015 erved 103 research projects, Greek and international, innovative maintenance methods were applied, such as the analysis of the composition of the metal alloy of the Adolescent of Antikythera by spectroscopy X-ray Fluorescence (XRF) and physicochemical investigation of the sculptures of the Antikythera shipwreck with GPR.

(www.ellines.com)

January 12, 2016
3 Greeks among the brightest young entrepreneurs in the world

Forbes magazine published the list “30 under 30” for 2016, featuring 600 of the brightest young entrepreneurs, breakout talents and change agents in 20 different sectors. They were chosen from over 15,000 nominees overall. Forbes is clearly good at the guessing game of who’s about to be increasingly important each year. 3 Greeks are among the list in 3 different categories: Art-Style, Marketing & Advertising and manufacturing-industry.

See below who are the 3 Greeks features in the best “30 under 30”:

1. Athena Papadopoulos – 27 years old

Athena Papadopoulos is in the 23rd place in the list of the 30 brightest talents in the category Art & Style. She is an artist and sculptor. She was included in Bloomberg New Contemporaries, received considerable attention for a show installed in a hotel room during Frieze London in 2014, and landed a solo exhibition at the Zabludowicz Collection in London this past January.

2. Nick Cromydas – 29 years old

He is in the 6th place in the category Marketing & Advertising. Cromydas is the founder of New Coast Ventures, an Illinois-based digital innovation company.

3. Jeff Stefanis – 25 years old

Jeff Stefanis is in the 27th place in the category Manufacturing-industry. He is the cofounder of Riide. The electric bike, Riide, is specifically designed for “city-proud” millennials. The company recently won backing from the district’s Digital DC Tech Fund.

(www.ellines.com)

January 12, 2016
Here’s why the Greek Islands deserve this year’s Nobel Peace Prize

The accelerated war in and around Syria has displaced millions up million families, who take the treacherous journey across the high seas towards Europe, through Greece. The refugee crisis is at its worst than it has ever been in history. According to the UNHCR, the global refugee population was at an all-time high of 59.5 million at the end of 2014.

“Every morning he puts on his wet suit, gets in his van, takes out his binoculars and looks out for boats. Every arrival that comes, he waits for the boat to get closer to land, he walks bravely into the ocean, and pulls the boats to shore,” Layma Murtaza shares the story of Thanassis, a Greek volunteer from Athen who is helping rescue the many refugees that arrive daily on the shores of Greece.

Murtaza is an Afghan-American researcher who is among the volunteers on the Green island of Lesvos (Lesbos) – who provide support to refugees.

“We’ve seen Thanassis do this twice,” she says. He wakes up every morning at 4:30am to meet the boats carrying the refugees. “We saw him last night at Pikpa and thanked him for his efforts. He told us, “I never get tired of doing it. I never get tired. I’m a human being and they are too.”

Pikpa is among the many local organisations in Greece working with refugees. They have an open, self-organised refugee camp in Mytilene, Lesvos, that helps provide resources, food and shelter to the refugees. It is largely run by volunteers from local Greek Islands. “There are many Greek locals that helping through volunteering at the camps, greeting boats arriving on shore, and providing housing to volunteers in addition to various other ways,” Murtaza says.

Community effort

In a fitting lesson to larger nations, who are shutting their doors to the asylum seekers, the Greeks are welcoming them with open arms.

“Taxi drivers are kind and understand the situation and have lots of love and care for the refugees. Even shop owners in Militini have created make shift signs in handwriting in the languages of Arabic and Farsi to guide the refugees.I think it’s a great relief for someone to know that they are welcome in the shop with that sign,” Murtaza adds.

From 31 December 2015 to 4 January 2016, the Greek Coast Guards rescued 596 refugees in 13 incidents that occurred in the sea regions of Lesvos, Chios, Agathonissi, Kos and Megisti, reports Greek Reporter, a local news website.

This despite the debt crisis this little European nation faced in mid-2015, that forced banks to shut shops and government had to impose capital controls. Greece’s financial problems are far from over. Unemployment remains rampant and fear of bankruptcy looms over their economy.

But, their own troubles have done little to deter their spirit of community and goodwill as they pour out in hundreds to offer assistance to the incoming refugees. “From what I understand through speaking to various locals, the reason the Greek islanders have sympathy is because many of their parents and grandparents were refugees and asylum seekers from past wars in history. It hits close to home and they try to help in any way that they can,” reasons Murtaza.

Efforts hailed internationally

The humanitarian work has not gone unnoticed, though. At least three online petitions have made an appeal to award the next Nobel Peace Prize to the citizens of the Greek Islands. One of these, specifically mentions Lesvos, saying, “It is always those who have little that give, those who have no means that help, those who look horror in the eye that hope. It is the people of Lesbos (sic) who have provided consistent care and tenderness in welcoming the refugees.”

This informal nomination to one of the most prestigious awards has been backed by over 150,000 people in the two months that they’ve been online.

Whether the Norwegian Nobel committee obliges to this growing public remains to be seen. In the meanwhile though, the people of Greece certainly have won the hearts of the many refugees escaping was and turmoil.

As Murtaza puts it, “It’s quite beautiful that despite the Greek economic crisis, people give and continue to give. I have learned that humanity lives on Lesvos.”

(www.catchnews.com, by Ruchi Kumar)

January 11, 2016
Greek University Students Win World Law Debate Competition

Two law students from the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA) claimed the first spot in one of the categories of the World Universities Debating Championships, January 3, in the city of Thessaloniki.

The victorious team composed by speakers Maria Rousi and Thodoris Dounias was competing in the English as a Foreign Language (EFL) category. After going through the qualifying rounds held between December 29 – 31, the NTUA students were among the four teams to go through to the final.

The topic of the final debate was the use of photographs in the ongoing refugee crisis, by various humanitarian campaigns. The NTUA students, as well as students from UKIM Skopje of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) had to debate in favor of permitting such photographs while students from the German FSU Jena and from Brawijaya University in Indonesia had to speak on prohibiting the photographs.

The annual competition that was held in Thessaloniki this year, included 1,200 students from 350 institutions hailing from 70 different countries, according to Huffington Post Greece.

Team A from Harvard Law School won the Open category (English as a First Language Competition), while team A from De La Salle University won the English as a Second Language (ESL) category. Michael Dunn Goekija won the Open Best speaker award.

(greece.greekreporter.com)

January 8, 2016