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The Hellenic Fest is a showcase for all things Greek: food, music, dancing and, of course, ouzo. The free festival, which is sponsored by Saint Spyridon Greek Orthodox Church, takes place on Thames and Brewer streets, noon to midnight today and noon to 6 p.m. tomorrow. Go to www.hellenicfest.org.

Come enjoy Greek Food, Pastry, Music, Dancing, Ouzo, Greek Beer and Wines, and shop at the Greek Marketplace!  July 20· 21· 22, 2007, Friday 4:00 pm to midnight, Saturday 12:00 pm to midnight, Sunday 12:00 pm to 6:00 pm, Thames and Brewer Streets in downtown Newport, Free Admission.

Every school pupil has had to wrap their mind around Pythagoras’ theorem, but many don’t know that the Greek philosopher also led one of the earliest vegetarian movements, outside the continent.

In the Roman poet Ovid’s work Metamorphoses, he quotes Pythagoras as saying >

“Human beings, stop desecrating your bodies with impious foodstuffs. There are crops, there are apples weighing down the branches and ripening grapes on the vines; there are flavoursome herbs and those that can be rendered mild and gentle over the flames and you do not lack flowing milk, or honey fragrant from the flowering thyme. The earth, prodigal of its wealth, supplies you with gentle sustenance and offers you food without, killing or shedding blood.”

Pythagoras’ elite circle of followers were allowed no possessions and had to maintain a vegetarian diet, too much to ask of the modern meat-eater.

But today vegetarianism is biting back and the revolution is gaining pace worldwide. Science has begun to bolster what vegetarians have been saying for decades, that a vegetarian diet is healthier than eating meat.

Last year a Nutrition Reviews found a vegetarian diet to be highly effective for weight loss. The review stated that vegetarians tend to be slimmer than meat-eaters and experience lower rates of heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and other life-threatening conditions linked to overweight and obesity.

4-9 pm on 7/21 and 11:30 am-7 pm, 7/22, Assumption Greek Orthodox Church, with food, dancing, church tours & marketplace. Music by Panopoulos Greek Orchestra both days. Free. Daily until 07/22/07.

Assumption Greek Orthodox Church is having its annual festival at its church grounds on Saturday, July 21 4pm to 9pm and Sunday, July 22 11:30am to 7:00pm. Come join us for great food, music, dancing and church tours. Our menu will include chicken and lamb dinners, gyros, sampler plates, Greek and Serbian pastries.

Deep rooted in the Christian faith and cultural traditions, our congregation encompasses a rich mixture of ethnicities including Greeks, Russians, Romanians, Armenians, Serbians, Slavics, Ethiopians and Albanians.

Assumption Church is located at 11 N. Seventh Street and E. Washington Avenue in Madison. Visit us at www.assumptionmadison.org or contact us at 608 241-1019 for more information.

The first kiss of the mythological character Psyche could well have been her last if frontline officers of the Television and Licensing Authority had their way.

Yet newly appointed Commissioner for Television and Entertainment Licensing Maisie Cheng Mei-sze vigorously defended them Friday, saying they had not made a mistake in telling an exhibitor at the Hong Kong Book Fair to remove a book on Greek mythology because the front cover had a picture of a 1798 painting of a nude Psyche receiving her first kiss from Cupid.

  The authority later relented and allowed the bookseller to keep it on the stand, but not before news of the temporary ban had gone around the world and Hong Kong had its world face reddened. The painting, by French painter Francois Gerard (1770-1873), is titled Psyche receiving the first kiss of Cupid and which now hangs in the Louvre in Paris.

In explaining their apparent disrespect for art, Cheng said that on Wednesday night, a day before the exhibition opened, the authority’s inspectors were invited by fair organizer Trade Development Council to visit the exhibition to give opinions to booksellers.

On seeing nakedness portrayed on the book cover and some inside pages, the officers told the Yuan-Liou (Hong Kong) Publishing Company to remove the book from the shelf as it may offend the sensitivities of some Hong Kong people. However, the authority relented the following day and informed the TDC which, in turn, informed the publisher.

“We discussed the book with the publishers and told them it may upset some members of the public … it did not mean the book cannot be sold,” Cheng said. “After our discussion, we thought there would be no problem.” Cheng said inspectors at the fair had to make quick decisions and had no time for consultation and research. “It is not easy to deal with marginal cases,” Cheng said.

She rejected claims the authority had made a mistake, but admitted there was room for improvement. Consequently, frontline staff will be given more training and the notification mechanism improved, she said. “The way the authority’s inspectors handle such matters can be improved, especially the communication between frontline staff and their supervisors,” Cheng said.

Yuan-Liou manager Chan Kwok- wah was less than enthusiastic about Cheng’s explanation. “The frontline staff should be trained to make professional judgments,” he said. “It is a waste of time if they have to keep referring to their supervisors and this could cause us to lose a business opportunity.” He said the TELA officers just flipped through the book “casually” before deciding it was not suitable for sale.

In a separate incident, a Taiwanese publisher was found to be selling comic books laced with what appeared to be child pornography. Cheng said the publisher had been told to stop selling such comics until they had been properly inspected. She said to date no book at the fair has been classified as obscene.

Wang Zhonglong, a deputy editor of the comic’s publisher, said policies with regard to such comics were different in Taiwan and he was unaware of local laws. He apologized for any offense caused and said they had been pulled from the book fair.

Friday evening the three-day festival got under way.

Every year children, parents and grandparents share in the preparations and the festivities, showcasing the family values and sense of community that is an integral part of Greek traditions.

Last night Father Angelo Pappas turned pork and chicken kabobs with other parish members and children worked side by side with their parents in the marketplace. All wore big smiles and encouraged lots of eating. Souvlaki, moussaka and gyros are just a sampling of the meals area folks enjoyed under sunny skies, and brought home for later.

For dessert there was galaktoboureko, a Greek custard-filled filo glazed in honey-based syrup, baklava and kourambiedes, the Greek wedding cookie, among others, lovingly made by many hands.

Dean Zottos of Epping, who helped lead the cooking efforts, said 12,000 pieces of pastry and 3,000 pounds of lamb were used and food preparation began over a month ago. But the festival is about more than food, it is a celebration of both the church community and the Portsmouth community.

The festival continues all weekend at St. Nicholas Church on Andrew Jarvis Drive, named after the first Greek Mayor of Portsmouth, with continuous food, pastries and shopping, children’s’ activities, dancing and church tours. Times are Saturday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. and Sunday 1:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Looking for some sun, surf and a little bit of culture?

The Greek Festival in Ocean City, taking place Friday through July 29 at the Ocean City Convention Center, is your way to get all three.

You can enjoy authentic Greek cuisine, live music and traditional folk dancing at the festival, then head out to the beach. Greek items from various vendors also will be on sale at the festival.

The Greek Festival is Friday through July 29 at the Ocean City Convention Center, 40th Street and the bay, Ocean City. The festival runs noon-11 p.m. Friday and Saturday and noon-9 p.m. July 29. Tickets are $2 before 5 p.m. and $3 after 5 p.m. Information: 410-524-0990 or www.ococean.com

Food made from family recipes, dance performances and Greek music will all be part of the 64th annual St. Spyridon Greek Orthodox Church Greek Festival at Deland Park Saturday and Sunday, July 28-29.

The festival is a fundraiser for the 100-year-old Greek church in Sheboygan and will run from noon to 10 p.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sunday. There will be a 10 a.m. church service on Sunday. Funds raised are used to run the church’s basic operations, said event organizer Christos Balassi.

The Greek festival is one big family party. The 40 Greek families that are members of St. Spyridon Church share family recipes by preparing food for the festival, Balassi said. On the menu will be souvlaki (marinated pork cooked over an open flame), flaming cheese called saganaki, Greek rotisserie chicken made with special seasonings, spinach pies, Greek fries, salads and gyros. Gyros are always popular and the group usually sells between 2,500 and 3,000 over the festival weekend; however, the souvlaki is becoming more popular and sold out last year.

New additions to this year’s menu include fruit cups made with honeydew, watermelon and grapes, and chicken tenders with French fries for the kids. Those with a sweet tooth can try Never-on-Sundaes, a vanilla ice cream dessert made with crumbles from baklava, walnuts and honey.

The festival will also offer music and an area where they will be selling products from Greece. These include T-shirts, hats, towels, key chains and religious icon statues in two sizes featuring the Virgin Mary and Christ Child.

The St. Spyridon Greek Orthodox Youth dance group will perform on Saturday and Sunday at 2 and 5 p.m. The church’s adult dance groups will perform following the youth group.

Tickets for a 50/50 raffle will be sold for $1 each or six for $5. The winner will be announced at 7 p.m. on Sunday. A disc jockey will play traditional and modern Greek music and Triple Play Fun Zone will be running children’s games.

64th Annual Greek Festival, Deland Park in Sheboygan, Saturday, July 28, noon to 10 p.m.; Sunday, July 29, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Entrance is free. Food and drinks range from $3 to $8.