Heading for a musical summer here in Athens May 2, 2007
Posted by grhomeboy in MusicLife LiveGigs.add a comment
The Fly Beeyond Festival will be held at the Athens’ OAKA Olympic Complex’s ‘Wall of the Nations’ in July
Avril Lavigne is scheduled to participate in the upcoming event, as well as the reunited James, Pink, Air, Tori Amos and the Rasmus.
A new festival, to be held at a new venue and featuring big names of the international music scene, is coming to further brighten the summer. The Fly Beeyond Festival promises to make its presence felt with three days of performances by Avril Lavigne, James, which has reunited, Air, Tori Amos, the Rasmus and Pink. Organizers Hot Beez, a company that belongs to the Le Spot Productions advertising group and is also organizing a George Michael concert, hopes the festival will become something of an institution and even rank with major international events.
That hope is also reflected in the fact that the organizers opted for the “Wall of the Nations,” the area surrounding the main Athens Olympic Complex, as the venue for the event.
It will be the first time since the 2004 Athens Olympics that this area will gain a cultural profile. Considering that it is one of the greatest Olympic works from an architectural viewpoint and that it has remained closed to the general public since the Games, it could be argued that the festival takes on even greater importance.
The Fly Beeyond Festival, which will be held July 17 to 19, has quality and musical variety. British band James’s regrouping is very good news. Tim Booth and his friends have given us some of the best songs of the contemporary British music scene, such as “Say Something,” “Getting Away with It,” “Sit Down,” “She’s a Star” and “Laid.” In 2001, singer Booth announced his departure from the band he had been fronting for 19 years in order to embark on a solo career. Some time ago, the act got together once more and launched a tour which will also bring them to Athens.
While James have played in the Greek capital before, it will be the first visit for 22-year-old Canadian star Avril Lavigne, the popular singer who has also made a couple of appearances on the big screen. The punk princess, as she likes to be called, wrote her first song when she was 12. She started recording her first album at 16. Her debut album, titled “Let Go,” was released in 2004 and met with enormous success, selling 4 million copies worldwide. Equally successful was “I’m Not Dead,” the latest album from Pink, the name that Alicia Moore chose to adopt because of the pink shades she likes to color her hair.
Tori Amos’s presence will give a special glow to the festival. An outstanding personality in contemporary female songwriting, Amos’s work contains some truly striking songs. A spiritual child of the great Kate Bush, the talented composer and pianist leaves no room for criticism of her work as commercial success is the last thing on her mind. Her live performances are always an unforgettable experience.
Popular France-based duet Air will come to Athens with a brand-new album titled “Pocket Symphony.” The band’s fifth studio album features, once more, experimentation along with traditional Japanese instruments among others, but also marks a turn toward a slower, more melodic and atmospheric sound.
Finland’s the Rasmus, who have been described as “the new HIM,” as well as female pop band Sugababes make up the rest of the program. There will, of course, be more participations later on, as Greek acts will be playing alongside the foreign ones, with announcements expected soon.
Tickets will be available in early May at Metropolis music stores, Village Cinemas and at www.ticketnet.gr.
Bluesman John Primer on stage in Athens May 2, 2007
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Bluesman John Primer is on stage at the Half Note Jazz Club today and tomorrow.
‘Kids dig the blues,’ says guitarist John Primer on modern challenges
Bluesman John Primer argues that «no one knows what the blues is; you can’t define it,» his Mississippi accent coming over in a recent interview. Primer has dedicated his life to what he calls «this profound, huge feeling called blues, the ‘grandfather’ of rock, as the ‘father’ is jazz.» The guitarist will be on stage at the Half Note Jazz Club until tomorrow with his bass, harmonica, keyboards and drums ensemble.
Having grown up with blues, gospel and spirituals, Primer borrowed a guitar at the age of 8 and started scratching away at it. In 1963 he went to Chicago, the mecca of the blues. «I was 17 years old and for the first time in my life, I realized just how popular the blues was.»
The young man seized every opportunity that came his way, playing with different bands at night and practicing during the day. In 1974 he exploded onto the Chicago blues scene, playing several gigs at one of the city’s most popular haunts, Teresa’s, while four years later the great Willie Dixon convinced him to team up with the Chicago Blues All Stars, among whom was the legendary Muddy Waters. «It was quite an experience playing with him,» says Primer. «Basically, I studied his music, his playing.» Muddy Waters passed away in 1983, and Primer went on to «study» at the side of another great musician, Magic Slim. A few years later, the guitarist from Mississippi began recording a series of albums, not as a side man, but as the headliner.
Playing blues today, in the age of hip-hop and rap, is a new challenge for artists such as Primer. «It means that you have to work very hard. But I’m happy. Young kids today, they dig the blues. Everyone think the blues is about being sad, but if you ask me, when I’m down and I play the blues, it lifts me right up,» he says.
An international photo festival in Thessaloniki May 2, 2007
Posted by grhomeboy in Arts ExhibitionsGreece, Arts Museums.add a comment
Held in Thessaloniki, the established, large event opened in an enriched, new version
It is the largest and most international event on photography held in this country. Since its establishment by Aris Georgiou almost two decades ago, the Thessaloniki-held Photosynkyria has been a growing, varied event consisting of multiple exhibitions and parallel events, a true festival on photography that has acquainted the Greek public with some of the biggest international names in the field and the history of photography.
This year’s Photosynkyria has been one of the most ambitious and international. Designed by Vangelis Ioakimidis, director of the Thessaloniki Museum of Photography, organizer of the event since the Museum’s foundation, it includes additional events that are breathing new life into the festival by turning it into a lively meeting ground and a useful network for photographers from all over the world. The broad range of “the 19th International Photographic Meeting”, the name of this year’s Photosynkyria, anticipates the Photo-Biennale, a larger event that will replace Photosynkyria and will be held on a two-year basis, alternating with another burgeoning event, the Biennale of Contemporary Art that is to be inaugurated in Thessaloniki at the end of the month. Apart from the various exhibitions that were held all over Thessaloniki and were based on the notion of “Time,” this year’s Photosynkyria also had the character of a workshop. In Portfolio Reviews, an important parallel event established for the first time this year, about 50 short-listed Greek and international photographers had the rare chance to discuss their work with 20 reviewers – all highly experienced and well-known personalities in the field, who were invited from around the world by the Museum of Photography. The remarks that both the reviewers and those reviewed made on the event ranged from positive to enthusiastic.
“It has gone very well. The level of the work is up and down, which is not surprising for an event which is taking place for the first time. Some of the photographers are very talented but not experienced in showing their work. I have seen around five people who are at a level to show their work in top exhibitions,” Fred Baldwin, director of the Houston-held Fotofest, said. Baldwin, an award-winning photographer who has worked as a freelance photo-reporter for some of the top US magazines, also commented on the excellent organization of the event and the hard work that has gone into it.
Krzysztof Candrowicz, director of the International Festival in Lodz and the European Photofestival Union, said the selection of photographers was very good and noted the event’s international aspect. “The Portfolio Reviews is helping photographers to gain international exposure,” said Issa Tuma, director of the International Photography Festival in Aleppo, Syria.
With almost 600 meetings taking place between photographers and reviewers, the Portfolio Reviews gives photographers important feedback on their work and, potentially, opens up new opportunities. For Greek photographers, this international exposure comes as a rare chance, yet the fact that the event also drew in international photographers shows that the event is not just of local importance. Juliana Beasley, an American photographer who learned of the event through the Internet, chose Photosynkyria over another international photo festival and was enthusiastic about the event.
Another addition to this year’s Photosynkyria is the Cedefop (European Center for the Development of Vocational Training) Award, which is given in collaboration with the Thessaloniki Museum of Photography to a selected photographer. The workshop-like, lively character of Photosynkyria was also underlined by another new section which focused on photojournalism and included slide show projections, discussion panels and master classes. Another event was the International Reflexions master classes, a series of seminars held in various parts of the world, this time in Thessaloniki.
The exhibition program has always been one of Photosynkyria’s biggest strengths. Including historical, archival material and contemporary photography, the exhibitions that were organized this year were, for their most part, singled out for the artistic value and rareness of the photographs that they presented.
The Andre Kertesz (1894-1985) exhibition, being held at the Thessaloniki Museum of Photography, curated by Vangelis Ioakimidis and organized in collaboration with the Jeu de Paume, is a display of the exquisite photographic finesse and talent that permeates the entire oeuvre of this great artist. Kertesz’s play with light and shadow and his ability to breathe life into inanimate objects makes a lasting impression.
A photograph by Kertesz is also included in “Entre Deux,” an exhibition curated by Petros Petropoulos at the Museum of Byzantine Culture. Drawn from the “Premiere Heure” collection, the photographs in the exhibition include precious photographs, including early daguerreotypes. Among the images shown is the first NASA photograph taken in orbit. Other beautiful images include work by Robert Frank, Andre Breton and Theodore Feininger. Considering the historical importance of most of the pictures, the inclusion of contemporary work by Wolfgang Tillmans or Nan Goldin seems misplaced.
Another highlight is an exhibition on the photographs that Spyros Meletzis took during the Greek resistance in the period 1942-1944. Curated by Nina Kassianou, an expert on the work of Meletzis, and Nicolas Sanchez Dura and held at the National Bank Cultural Foundation (MIET), the exhibition includes vintage images that were printed by Meletzis. The propagandistic-like photographs of the National Liberation Front (EAM) officials are among the most typical in the series.
Also at the MIET, an exhibition curated by Costis Antoniadis and drawn from the Nikos Politis collection presents children’s photographic portraits from 1880-1950. The exhibition is telling of changing notions of childhood.
In another unusual exhibition, photos from the United Photoreporters Agency Archive and the collection of Nikos Tolis capture important moments in the history of Greece from 1944-1964, all through images that include automobiles. Beautiful specimens of contemporary photography are included in “Images of a Territory,” a group exhibition curated by Marcelo Fortini, that includes the photographs that 14 artists took on Corsica. Curator Bia Papadopoulou has organized a group exhibition that focuses on the use of photography by artists who are painters or sculptors. Among the numerous solo exhibitions, “A Traveler’s Readings” by Diane Katsiaficas, the elegant, photographic portraits taken by Costis Ignatiadis of his artist friends, the poetic images of the Spanish photographer David Jimenez, the atmospheric spaces of Sarkissian Hair or the confrontational images of Manolis Baboussis each offer a different, interesting take on contemporary photography. They are all part of a successful and important event in the field of photography, a festival that is setting new goals and fosters the exchange of ideas and collaborations in the field.
Thessaloniki Photography Museum, tel 2310 556717, www.thmphoto.gr
Tax return filing begins May 2, 2007
Posted by grhomeboy in Business & Economy.add a comment
More than 3 million taxpayers begin submitting their annual tax returns tomorrow, for income earned in 2006.
Submissions kick off with tax registration numbers (AFM) whose last digit is 1 and are staggered through to June 1, the deadline for AFMs ending in 60, 70, 80, 90 and 00. These dates apply for submission at the tax office or through the post.
The tax for salary earners and pensioners is calculated above the tax-free ceiling of 11,000 euros, increased by 1,000 for one dependent child, 2,000 for two dependent children and by 10,000 for three children. The tax-free ceiling is increased by a further 1,000 for every child after the third. The ceiling for taxpayers living on islands with a population of less than 3,100 is 16,500 euros.
Some further facts taxpayers should bear in mind >
– Those who earned less than 6,000 euros from salaries or pensions last year are exempted from filing an income declaration (form E1), but are obliged to do so if during the year there was a change in their real assets, which are declared in form E9.
– Taxpayers wishing to submit their declarations in electronic form must apply at www.taxisnet.gr in order to obtain a username and password at least five days before their final submission date.
– The deadline for electronic submission is extended by 10 working days.
– The statement may be submitted either in person or by a proxy of the taxpayer with a special authorization.
– Taxpayers declaring rent income must also file form E2.
– Form E9 must be submitted along with E1, if there was any change in a taxpayer’s real assets in 2006, or in their family situation, such as divorce, the end of the dependency of children or death.
Efforts to make things easier by filing tax forms electronically occasionally appear to backfire.
Taxpayers who submitted their E1 form first, and then E9 separately, were surprised to find the following message on their computer screens: “You cannot submit E9 electronically because you have already submitted E1.”
Unfortunately, instructions regarding the sequence in which forms should be submitted are nowhere to be found on the taxisnet site.
We should all act like brothers and sisters May 2, 2007
Posted by grhomeboy in Education.add a comment
Three schoolgirls from Greece win distinctions in a United Nations writing competition related to human rights and poverty
The following essay by Marina Spyrou, from the European School in Brussels, as well as those by Lynn Amende Abhulimen, of Nigerian origin, from the 4th Senior High School of Ilion, and Fotini Dervissi, from the Experimental School of Thessaloniki, were among 31 entrants who gained distinctions in a recent UN writing competition on human rights and poverty.
“My father told me that he read in the newspaper that 8 million poor children die each year because they get sick and have no healthcare, 150 million children suffer because they don’t have enough food, and 100 million children live on the street.
“All this shows that poverty is a very serious problem and that all the nations of the Earth should combine their efforts in order to change this. I think that the solution can come with education, training, help from the rich people and the richer countries. I also think that we should all act like brothers and sisters in a world of peace.”
The competition, which was jointly organized by the UN Information Center, High Commission for Human Rights and Economic and Social Affairs Department on the occasion of World Human Rights Day, attracted entries from some 700 pupils around the world aged 8-18. As well as those mentioned at the beginning of this article, another 16 entries won prizes.
World Human Rights Day is celebrated on December 10, the day when the Declaration of Human Rights was signed in 1948. Last year the theme of Human Rights Day was human rights and poverty.
The prizes and distinctions were announced in mid-April. The essays were judged on their style, originality and how well they answered the question. Entrants had to choose an article from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and use a real-life example to illustrate how the violation of this right is a consequence of living in poverty, or to illustrate how the violation of this right can cause poverty, and to make their own suggestions as to how to avoid those problems.
Free island lodgings for volunteer doctors May 2, 2007
Posted by grhomeboy in Health & Fitness.add a comment
There is a shortage of doctors on Greek islands every summer but the Health Ministry said yesterday that it had hit on an idea which may solve the problem, it will offer free accommodation to any visiting doctors who are willing to help out during their vacations.
Deputy Health Minister Thanassis Yiannopoulos told daily Kathimerini that doctors who sign up for the scheme will be asked to be on call “once or twice” a week to deal with emergencies. In return, the doctors will be given a place to stay on the islands.
Medical services on islands that are popular with tourists come under a heavy strain in the summer as regular personnel are not enough to cope with the increased number of patients. Yiannopoulos also said that some doctors had already expressed interest in taking up the offer.
And who wouldn’t Mr Yiannopoulos? Free, paid vacations on a Greek island is everyone’s dream!
Porn DVDs seized in Rhodes May 2, 2007
Posted by grhomeboy in Media Radio & TV.add a comment
Almost 1,000 pornographic DVDs were seized on the island of Rhodes on Monday as local authorities acted on instructions from the Supreme Court to confiscate any adult films that are sold with newspapers.
Police on the Dodecanese island seized a total of 952 DVDs and said they would continue to confiscate such material from kiosks.
grhomeboy
