Greece marks Revolution’s bicentennial: 1821 - 2021

Greece today celebrates 200 years since the start of its independence war with the Ottoman Empire with parades and ceremonies attended by foreign dignitaries, though the pandemic forced officials to scale back events.

"Today the nation celebrates," Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said as the Greek flag was solemnly raised over the Acropolis in Athens.

"Two centuries ago, a handful of determined fighters in and outside Greece raised the banner of independence... with the help of their allies, they fought heroically and won their freedom," he said, ahead of events planned all over Greece and among diaspora communities overseas.

Security was tight, with 4,000 police, drones and snipers set to be deployed in Athens, a police source said. Owing to the coronavirus pandemic, no spectators are allowed to attend aside from a small number of reporters.

Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, Britain's Prince Charles and French Defence Minister Florence Parly placed wreaths at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Greece's foremost military monument, ahead of the national parade.

Britain, France and Russia were instrumental in helping Greece attain its independence in 1830 after nearly a decade of warfare against overwhelming odds.

The good side of Greece radiates

Elona Angoli sewed 600 masks in Grevena. The Saabo family is doing the same in Trikala.

In every corner of Greece an "outbreak" of donations and volunteering and a strong mobilization in the battle against the coronavirus is manifesting.

Residents of Nea Filadelfeia donated more than 200 units of blood. In Agia Paraskevi, 114 units were collected. In Petrana and Kroko Kozanis, 15 and 21 units respectively.

A network of Emergency Seamstresses is created in 37 prefectures to arm the front line with 40,000 reusable masks. The volunteers of Covid-19 Response Greece design and manufacture more than 25,000 face shields. And they keep going.

Tom Hanks: “Greece is Good for the Soul”

Greece is a “haven” and a “healing place,” Hollywood actor Tom Hanks, who was recently granted honorary Greek citizenship, told reporters at the Golden Globes awards in California on Sunday.

“I’ve been around the world, to beautiful places … none of them tops Greece. The land, the sky, the water, it’s good for the soul; it’s a healing place. Particularly if you get into that fabulous, fabulous Greek schedule of sleeping until noon, staying up until 3 o’clock in the morning, and arguing in a taverna until 3 a.m. It’s just the best life one can have,” Hanks said in comments to the press after being presented with the Cecil B. DeMille by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association for his “outstanding contributions to the world of entertainment.”

“I’ve been Hellenic for the better part of 32 years,” said the 63-year-old acclaimed actor and filmmaker, highlighting his marriage to actress and producer Rita Wilson whose mother Dorothea was Greek.

Citizenship awarded to migrant fishermen who rescued Greeks from devastating July fires

Greece has awarded citizenship to three migrant fishermen - two Egyptians and an Albanian - who rescued Greeks from a devastating fire near Athens last July.

At a ceremony the Greek President, Prokopis Pavlopoulos, thanked the fishermen for showing "solidarity and humanity" by rescuing dozens of people.

"You are now European citizens too, and so you can teach all our partners who don't realise the values of Europe, to do what they ought to do," he said.

The wildfire killed at least 90 people.

Fanned by strong winds, the inferno engulfed part of the Attica Peninsula, with the resort town of Mati among the worst-hit areas. Eyewitnesses said that hundreds of people were forced into the sea as the flames approached, but others were trapped near the coast.

How you can help Greece

Friends, 

 

The devastating fires in Greece have claimed over 84 lives, with more than 100 still missing and hundreds hospitalized. Over 1,000 homes have been destroyed and fires are still raging.
 

Please help with what you can and please help spread the word.

 

Thank you very much,
'The good side of Greece'

 

 

Go Fund Me 'Greece Wildfire Relief Campaign' 

 

 https://www.gofundme.com/greecewildfirerelief

• This campaign is hosted by the Hellenic American Leadership Council (HALC) and Chicago Sister Cities International - Athens Committee.
• HALC works with registered, vetted nonprofits and other organizations that have a clear record of transparency, accountability and effectiveness. We are in the process of continuing our vetting but at the moment, 100% of funds raised will be directly distributed to the following vetted, approved organizations: 
• Hellenic Red Cross (Ελληνικός Ερυθρός Σταυρός)
• This organization is providing direct, urgent emergency relief to those affected, such as first aid, shelter, and more. 
• SOS Children's Village Greece (Παιδικά Χωριά SOS Ελλάδος)
• This organization provides support services to children. At least 23 children have been injured by the fires, some in critical condition. We will distribute funds directly for any medical care, feeding of displaced families, housing of displaced families or care for orphaned children.

For those in Greece:

• Ilioupoli 
• Address: Leof. Sofokli Venizelou 145, Ilioupoli 163 42 (Tel: 210 994 0279) 
• The Municipality of Ilioupoli is collecting medical and food supplies from 08:00 - 20:00 until Fri. 27 July

• Maroussi
• Address: 3-5 Agrafon, Maroussi (Tel: 694 498 7730)
• Workers from the Center for Disease Prevention and Control (KEELPNO) are working with the municipal authority of Rafina-Pikermi to collect basic medical supplies like gauze, iodine, antiseptic creams, diapers, baby wipes and non-perishable foodstuffs at its headquarters (3-5 Agrafon, Maroussi, tel 694.498.7730) in northern Athens.

• Nea Makri / Marathon
• Address: 104 Marathonos Avenue in Nea Makri
• The Municipality of Marathon is collecting bottled water, foodstuffs and other supplies at 104 Marathonos Avenue in Nea Makri, while the mayor of Megara in western Atttica has opened the town's community centers (KAPI) to take in people looking for shelter.

• Palaio Faliro
• Address: Nerou Square, Faliro Bay, Palaio Faliro (Tel: 210 481 9001)
• The Attica Regional Authority, meanwhile, issued an announcement saying that people or businesses wanting to make a donation can reach out to its logistics center (Nerou Square, Faliro Bay, Palio Faliro, tel 210.481.9001) or to their local municipal authority.

• Piraeus
• Address: Platia Korai, Piraeus (Tell: 210 413 0046)
• The Volunteer's Office of the Municipality of Piraeus (Γραφείο Εθελοντισμού του Δήμου Πειραιά) from 08:00 - 20:00 until Thu. 26 July is collecting medical and food supplies

• Psychico / Filothei
• Address: Stefanou Delta 15, 15454 Psychico (Tell: 210 679 8100) 
• Athens College - Psychico College is collecting gauze, Betadine, Fucidin, baby nappies, baby wipes, long-serving foods (biscuits, canned foods, long-life milk, juices, etc.) from 09:00 - 13:00 on Wed. 25 July, Thu. 26 July and Fri. 27 July

Lisa Campbell: the grandmother who took 2,000 refugees under her wing in Oinofyta

When Lisa Campbell arrived in Greece in November 2015 to help care for the flood of refugees she planned on staying for just a few weeks. She ended up running a refugee camp - until it was suddenly closed last month. What made an American Mormon grandmother of six leave behind her family and her job to deal with the chaos of Greece's refugee crisis?

Like most people in the US, I hadn't been aware of the scale of the refugee disaster until the pictures of three-year-old Alan Kurdi washed up on a beach started being shown on US news in 2015.

But it wasn't until I actually got here and saw for myself the piles of life jackets and the boats stacked on the beach that the magnitude of it really hit me.

I had taken a leave of absence from my job and planned to be in Greece for 45 days. My assumption was that I would find people who were housed, fed, and had basic services available.

That first morning on the island of Lesbos, I went out on my balcony and I could see nine boats coming across from Turkey already. You hear people say that the boats are overloaded, but to see 50 people get off of a boat that would be full with 10 is overwhelming. I can't tell you how many times people would get off the boat and literally kiss the ground. That grabs you.

Willow Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith clean up Greek beaches on Ionian cruise

Hollywood star Will Smith’s teenage daughter Willow posted photographs of her and her mother, Jada Pinkett Smith, cleaning up trash and debris from a beach on the Greek island of Antipaxi.

The Smiths are on a family cruise in the Ionian Sea and have visited Corfu as well as other islands in the area.

Willow has been posting photographs and comments of the experience, including a day spent cleaning beaches.

“Being so far away from what I perceive as a polluted metropolis, I couldn't stand seeing these beautiful beaches in Greece littered with trash,” wrote the 16-year-old.

June 8-11: Hydra island pays homage to Leonard Cohen

The Municipality of Hydra will name a street after Leonard Cohen, the famous Canadian singer, who used to have a house on the Greek islands in the Saronic Gulf.

Organizing a two-day event to commemorate the poet who loved the island,  the municipality will also reveal a stone bench that has been donated by the International Forum of the Friends of Leonard Cohen.

The street where Cohen had his house will receive his name.

A music concert by a local group dedicated to the works is scheduled for Saturday, June 10th 2017, at the port of the island.

On the same weekend, June 8/9-11 2017, there is Meetup scheduled on Hydra with Cohenites from all over the world.

Leonard Cohen bought the 19th century village house in summer 1960 for 1,500 US Dollar using some money inherited by his grand mother. He said once, “this was the smartest decision of my life.”

Ο εγκάρδιος αποχαιρετισμός του Φιλέλληνα Βρετανού Πρέσβη Τζων Κίττμερ

Αγαπητοί μου φίλες και φίλοι,

Τα τελευταία 32 χρόνια ταξιδεύω στην πατρίδα σας. Το κάθε βήμα που έκανα, η κάθε κουβέντα που είχα με σας, ο καθένας από σάς που γνώρισα, το κάθε τι που έμαθα καθ’οδόν – ολ’ αυτά υπήρξαν για μένα μια απερίγραπτη χαρά και προνόμιο.

Αυτά τα τέσσερα τελευταία χρόνια, υπηρέτησα ως Πρέσβης της Αυτής Βρετανικής Μεγαλειότητας στην Ελληνική Δημοκρατία. Πρόκειται για έναν μεγαλοπρεπή τίτλο και δεν αισθανόμουν πάντα άξιος να τον φέρω. Αλλά ξέρω πλέον ότι η μεγαλοπρέπειά του κρύβει πολλά μικρά και απλά πράγματα. Και θα τον θυμάμαι με μεγάλη χαρά ως το τέλος της ζωής μου.

Ήταν μεγάλη τιμή για μένα να υπηρετώ τη Βασίλισσά μου και την πατρίδα μου σε μια χώρα που, από τα παιδικά μου χρόνια, αγαπάω και θαυμάζω.

Leonard Cohen's Legacy: The Hydra Home That Inspired His Music (photos & videos)

Leonard Cohen passed away at the age of 82 on November 10, leaving behind not only his musical legacy but his beloved home on the Greek island of Hydra. Since his death, fans have been flocking to pay their respects to the house that inspired some of his most significant works.

The cosmopolitan writer and singer lived and traveled the world during his life. He kept a house in the Westmount suburb of Montreal, the city where he grew up, but it was his Hydra home that was closest to his heart.

Remembering the "OXI" Day - 28 October 1940 (video)

 

Austria Sends Medicine For The Uninsured

An assistance caravan with medicine and paramedical material arrived from Austria to the Elpis Hospital in Athens. The medicine is for the uninsured, who lost their health care insurance along with their jobs. “We have received five tons of medicine so far,” the Director of the Elpis Hospital, Theodoros Giannaros, said.

Canadian Students Paint Thessaloniki School

Students from Toronto, Canada, visited Greece and went to Toumba, which is a quarter of east side Thessaloniki, in the framework of the partnership of the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program of the Anatolia College in Thessaloniki with its equivalent of the Upper Canada College (UCC, Toronto, Canada) and the students of the 18th Lyceum.

Alice Kober: Unsung heroine who helped decode Linear B

Linear B is an ancient European Bronze Age script, dating back 3,500 years. When a British architect finally cracked it in the 1950s, he was hailed as a genius - but he may never have succeeded had it not been for a woman on the other side of the Atlantic.

Coding on Crete: An Interview with Java Specialist Heinz Kabutz

Dr. Heinz Kabutz is well known for his Java Specialists' Newsletter, initiated in November 2000, in which he displays his acute grasp of the intricacies of the Java platform for an estimated 70,000 readers. He is also well known for his work as a consultant and for workshops and training sessions at his home on the island of Crete where he has lived since 2006—and where he is known to curl up on the beach with his laptop to hack away, in between dips in the Mediterranean Sea.

Marcie Mayer: the philhellene behind the Hamada Acorn Initiative (video)

Environmental activist and entrepreneur Marcie Mayer, gives a passionate talk about Hamada Acorn Initiative, a project that aims to restore acorn as an important product for the local economy of Kea.

"Greece in Boom": An Austrian documentarist asks how Greeks are faring

«Unemployment, poverty, riots, bankruptcy: In the eyes of Europeans, Greece is collapsing. But, what is real life like out there, in the olive groves, on the islands and in the tavernas, in Spring 2012?”