How George Karlaftis found his way to football between Greece and Indiana

Before 2014, George Karlaftis never had football on his radar.

Growing up in Athens, Greece, his sporting plate overflowed with swimming, soccer, tennis, basketball, track and field, judo and water polo, in which Karlaftis fast-tracked as a young teen. Karlaftis fit in every arena. He has a confluence of gifts -- size, speed, confidence and drive -- that allowed him to pick any athletic endeavor and excel. But Karlaftis ultimately pivoted away from all of those sports, and toward one that rarely, if ever, came up during his childhood.

"[Football] was perceived as very dangerous, barbaric," he recalled. "A little bit of fear tactics for us not to play."

His father, Matt, an accomplished athlete in Greece who competed in track and field at the University of Miami, hoped Karlaftis and his two brothers would never participate in football. Matt's only brush with the sport had led to a traumatic head injury and surgery.

"I was scared, I never really wanted to play growing up, you know, and [in Greece], it's not really an issue," Karlaftis said.

The Good Side of Greece supports Ukraine's Armed Forces

 

To make a donation to Ukraine's Armed forces follow the instructions on the website of the National Bank of Ukraine.

Ντούσαν Ίβκοβιτς: Πέθανε ο θρυλικός προπονητής και φιλέλληνας (video)

Έφυγε από τη ζωή ο προπονητής θρύλος του Ευρωπαϊκού μπάσκετ Ντούσαν Ίβκοβιτς σε ηλικία 77 ετών. Την είδηση γνωστοποίησε η Σερβική Ομοσπονδία Μπάσκετ.

Ο «σοφός» του ευρωπαϊκού μπάσκετ νοσηλευόταν τις τελευταίες μέρες στην εντατική νοσοκομείου του Βελιγραδίου και σήμερα το πρωί η καρδιά του σταμάτησε να χτυπά.

Ο «Ντούντα» γεννήθηκε το 1943 στο Βελιγράδι και εξελίχθηκε σε κορυφαίο προπονητή, αλλά και προσωπικότητα του παγκοσμίου μπάσκετ.

Θεωρούσε την Ελλάδα δεύτερη πατρίδα του και βοήθησε όσο ελάχιστοι το ελληνικό μπάσκετ να εξελιχθεί. Είχε καθίσει στον πάγκο του Άρη (1980-1982), του ΠΑΟΚ (1991-1993), του Πανιωνίου (1994-1996), της ΑΕΚ (1999-2001) και του Ολυμπιακού (1996-1999 και 2010-2012).

"All For Blue" volunteers clean up sea at sacred Greek island of Delos

Dozens of volunteers came together over the weekend in the Aegean island of Delos to clean the sea area of rubbish.

Members of the All For Blue non-profit organization recovered from the bottom of the sea more than a ton of plastic, metal, glass and other rubbish which were separated by type to be recycled.

All For Blue, founded in 2017 by Katerina Topouzoglou, has the mission of protecting the seas and oceans through education and experiential cleanup actions.

Afksendiyos Kalangos: the Greek heart surgeon who has operated on 15,000 children for free (video)

Greek media have given Dr. Afksendiyos Kalangos many names. They have called him “the doctor of the poor,” “a saint without a halo,” “the greek heart surgeon who saves children,” “the guardian angel,” and “the doctor with the golden hands.”

But the most accurate of all the epithets should be “the greek heart surgeon who operated on 15,000 children for free.”

 

Dr. Kalangos began his career as a cardiovascular surgeon at the Geneva Medical School Hospital in Switzerland in 1993. In 1998, the philanthropic doctor founded the “Coeurs Pour Tous” (Hearts for All) foundation, and in 2002 he founded the “Kalangos Institution” for which he also serves as Chairman.

In the past ten years, he has traveled all over the world along with his medical team, performing his “art of saving the lives of children” as a Greek journalist put it. He and his crack team have traveled to a total of 25 countries, performing pro bono heart surgery on fifteen thousand children.

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.

Paul Alivisatos named next president of the University of Chicago

The University of Chicago’s Board of Trustees has named Paul Alivisatos as the University’s 14th president.

An accomplished leader in higher education and a world-renowned scientist, Alivisatos, 61, is currently executive vice chancellor and provost at the University of California, Berkeley. He is also a professor and the Samsung Distinguished Chair in Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Research in the Department of Chemistry and the former director of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

Following an extensive international search, Alivisatos was elected president at a meeting of the University’s Board of Trustees on Feb. 25 and will assume his role on Sept. 1. He will succeed Robert J. Zimmer, who has served as president since 2006. Zimmer will transition into a new role as chancellor of the University on Sept. 1.

“Throughout his distinguished academic career, Paul has demonstrated the skills and imagination needed to be an inspirational leader, confront the challenges of our time and guide the University of Chicago during a period of enormous opportunity,” said Joseph Neubauer, MBA’65, chair of the University’s Board of Trustees, who led the search for a new president. “He has the vision to further elevate the University’s eminence, uphold its rich traditions and enduring values, and make an impact on higher education and the lives of University students, faculty and staff, as well as enrich the South Side community.”

How the ancient ore mines of Lavrio changed the course of Western history

When the allied Greek cities found themselves facing the invading Persian Army in 480 BC, it was an existential battle between East and West. Greece, representing all the values of the West, as we know it today, used its “wooden walls” – its ships – to face the Eastern invaders.

Many historians have dealt with the “what if” question: What would the history of humanity have looked like if the outcome of the Battle of Salamis had been different. However, history is not written with “what ifs.”

The priestess Aristonike, with her famous second oracle, pointed to the solution for the Athenians: According to Herodotus, she said, “The wooden wall will be a salvation for you and your children, it will remain impregnable.” It took Themistocles’ bright mind, however, to convince the Athenians that the “wooden wall” did not refer to the old Acropolis fortification, but their fleet.

At the time of the Battle of Salamis, democracy in Athens was less than 30 years old. A Persian victory would have had an immense cultural effect both in the West and around the world. It would have changed the course of history significantly.

To write this significant page in Greek history, more was needed than the self-abnegation of the participants and Themistocles’ brilliance. And that was luck.

One significant variable that proved decisive for the Greeks, defenders of the West against the Persians, was the discovery in 483 BC of a significant deposit of silver in Maroneia (today Kamariza, west of the town of Lavrio). Themistocles, through his “Naval Law,” convinced the Athenians to give up their share of the silver found (10 drachmas each, about half a month’s wages for a craftsman) to fund the construction of 200 triremes for a “national cause.” The 200 triremes were among the 378 fielded by all Greeks taking part in the Salamis naval battle.  

Without this “silver vein,” nothing would have been the same in this Athenian “Golden Age.” With the money from the Lavrio mines, Athens was saved.

Dimitri Neonakis: the pilot making wishes of Canadian children come true

Dimitri Neonakis, a Greek-Canadian from Messinia who lives and works in Nova Scotia, Canada, impresses all in the local community with his inspiring way of expressing his solidarity with his fellow citizens — especially the younger ones.

Following the terrorist attacks of April, 2020 in Nova Scotia, where 22 people tragically lost their lives, Neonakis wanted to find a unique way to express his solidarity with his community.

So he decided to begin creating figures in the sky with his airplane as a way to transmit symbols and messages of solidarity in the air. After these routes are depicted on a map, they show what he says are uplifting images of hope.

Following this unusual gesture, Neonakis decided to take a further step and introduce the "Dream Wings" initiative, which gives children with mobility issues and serious health conditions the opportunity to take a once-in-a-lifetime ride on his plane.

Giorgos Hatziparaskos: One of Greece's last authentic phyllo makers

At 86 years old, Giorgos Hatziparaskos is one of the last bakers in Greece making phyllo pastry by hand. With the help of his wife and son, he keeps the business going thanks to tourists visiting the Greek island of Crete.