Benetton’s Playlife new stores April 2, 2007
Posted by grhomeboy in Fashion & Style.comments closed
Over 30 store openings and turnover forecast to grow by 30% in 2007.
PLAYLIFE: FOR EVERYONE LOOKING FOR SOMETHING NEW
Urban elegance with a sport feel; a new logo and a new style philosophy.
After the success of the first store to launch the new concept, on Corso Buenos Aires in Milan, the next openings in Italy will be in Rome and Modena, followed by Palermo and Naples. Outside Italy, the new concept will launch initially in Switzerland, Greece, Cyprus and Iran, for a total of over 30 new Playlife stores by the end of 2007. A major, fast-moving expansion programme to disseminate the new Playlife style concept, with 30% rise in turnover forecast in 2007.
The new-look Playlife concept store, inspired by U.S. university campuses, conveys the brand mood through a style of interior dιcor which gives each store an individual image. The furnishings are produced in compliance with the very latest European standards for raw-material recycling and production-technique eco-friendliness. Prints, cups and trophies, models of sail or rowing boats, wooden table lamps and tailor’s dummies emphasise a passion for the American college world.
Playlife’s new energy translates into a mixture of ideas and inspirations: sailing, tennis, golf, rugby or even membership of an exclusive sports club. In the store windows, the Playlife Academy oval announces a style that is, first and foremost, a way of life.
For further information > www.playlife.com
Greek population increases slightly in ’05 April 2, 2007
Posted by grhomeboy in Living.comments closed
The population of Greece was 11,082,751 people at the start of 2005 and is estimated to have risen to 11,103,929 by the middle of that year, the National Statistics Service (NSS) announced on Monday.
Based on the estimated population in mid 2005, the population was made up of 5,497,372 males and 5,606,557 females.
The annual rate of increase in 2005 was 3.8 per 1,000 head of population, which is equal to a 0.2 coefficient of natural increase. The natural increase arises from the difference between the birth rate index of 9.7 and the mortality index of 0.5 plus the net migration coefficient of 3.6. Thus, on December 31, 2005, the population is estimated to have risen to 11,125,179 people.
According to the NSS, the composition of the population has shifted to older age groups in recent years, so that the ageing index between 1994-2003 has shown a marked upward trend and in 2005 had reached 127 people aged over 65 for every 100 people aged 0-14 years.
An analysis of NSS demographic figures shows that the Gross Marriageability Index for 2005 increased to 5.5 marriages per 1,000 head population from 4.6 in 2004 and was 5.5 in 2003. At the start of the 1980s, the Gross Marriageability index was 7.3 marriages per 1,000 head population.
The fertility rate in Greece in 2005 decreased slightly, relative to previous years. The Gross Births Coefficient has tended to decrease between 1994-2003, falling from 9.8 births per 1,000 head of population in 1994 to 9.6 births per 1,000 head of population in 2004. It rose again to 9.7 births per 1,000 head of population in 2005.
The Gross Mortality Index has shown a small but steady increase, starting from 8.9 deaths per 1,000 head of population in 1981 and increasing to 9.5 deaths per 1,000 head of population in 2005. This slight increase is chiefly due to a larger number of deaths in the over-75 age group as the population ages.
Life expectancy at birth has increased for males from 75.1 years in 1994 to 76.8 years in 2005 and for females from 79.7 years in 1994 to 81.7 years in 2005.
Cyprus recognised as regional Medical Centre April 2, 2007
Posted by grhomeboy in Health & Fitness, Tourism.comments closed
Cyprus is gradually being recognized as an ideal location for becoming a regional Medical Centre, providing high quality medical care to the people of this rather turbulent and distressed part of the world, said Minister of Commerce, Industry and Tourism Antonis Michaelides.
Addressing the 2nd World Health Tourism Congress, in Limassol, Michaelides said the international scope and significance of the conference is reflected in the impressive delegates list, which includes over 100 providers of health tourism services and 120 corporate buyers from many countries.
The Minister said that Cyprus combines a number of important attributes as a destination for health tourism and has the potential to become a centre for health tourism in the near future. Our island, he noted, located at the crossroads of three continents, offers ideal climate both for treatment and recuperation and a high standard of services for medical tourism at cost effective rates. He added that the government, recognizing the importance of health tourism for Cyprus, has included the development of this sector in its strategic goals.
”The Cyprus government encourages investment in various sectors of the Cyprus economy and health tourism investments are particularly welcomed”, he pointed out.
Within this framework, he continued, the government has set up a one stop system for the speedy registration of companies in Cyprus.
In addition, it has recently established the Cyprus Investment Promotion Agency, which aims at attracting foreign investment and at facilitating such investment. The government also actively supports the Medical Services Promotion Board, which has been set up by the Cyprus Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and consists of a cluster of the largest private medical facilities in Cyprus.
An interministrial committee is currently examining the possibility of additional incentives in a concerted effort to promote further the development of health tourism, the minister noted.
He also referred to the establishment and operation of the Harvard School for the Environment and Public Health in association with the Cyprus International Institute which are carrying out serious research work in this extremely important fields for the benefit of the public.
The interest of the well-known Pittsburgh Medical Centre of the University of Pittsburgh to set up an operation in Cyprus, he added, is also noteworthy and for this matter, there are already discussions in progress between UPMC and the government to turn Cyprus into the «Mecca» of health in the region, as some of their officials have put it.
Michaelides concluded by saying that the Dubai Financial Group which is associated with the Marfin Popular Bank in Cyprus, through its President Soud Ba-alawy, has recently announced their strong interest in investing in the Health Care Sector of our economy.
President attends events of Messolonghi Exodus April 2, 2007
Posted by grhomeboy in Greece News.comments closed
President of the Republic Karolos Papoulias on Sunday attended events marking the 181th anniversary of the Messolonghi Exodus.
Also present was Cyprus’ Mayor of Morphou, currently under Turkish military control and occupation, who proclaimed Papoulias Honorary Citizen of Morphou.
In his address, President Papoulias made particular reference to the Cyprus issue. “This day gives us the courage of the great sacrifice of the fighters of ’21 of Messolonghi, to struggle for the liberation and reunification of Cyprus, to struggle for a stable and just solution to the Cyprus issue” said Papoulias, adding that “but until then, we will struggle united to achieve the great national target”.
Internet radio station seeks investors in Cyprus April 2, 2007
Posted by grhomeboy in Media Radio TV.comments closed
Spiceradio.net, the first exclusively Internet-based radio station, is looking for investors who want to join the venture and take advantage of the advertising and revenue potential.
Veteran radio producer Malcolm Morris, Managing Director of MGN Spice Radio & Media Co. in Paphos, said that a second web-based venture is also in the works and both should be broadcasting “very soon.” “We are establishing ourselves as a commercial venture and have lined up several advertisers,” Morris said, adding that the attraction for investors is the potential advertising revenue.
“We have two categories of investors, the short-term non-voting shares for investors who seek a quick exit, and the longer-term voting shares, which is where we expect our future partners to contribute in kind and experience, combined with our know-how,” he explained. Initially, Spiceradio.net is offering a total of 40,000 shares of both categories at CYP 1.50 each in order to raise some CYP 60,000. Minimum investment is for 200 shares.
“This investment represents less than two year’s worth of advertising revenue, which is why investors will be attracted to join us. We may even reach that target sooner.”
The technology has been brought in from the U.K., and Malcolm Morris together with his associate Geof May have already structured the broadcast schedule.
“The problem with some of the music channels is that they do not cater to any specific age groups. We will have an all-English channel with DJs and presenters promoting Cyprus hotels, restaurants and other attractions and services,” Morris said. Spiecradio.net has already been selling advertising space on the test site, while the second venture will look to attract dating, social and community services.
As regards the audience, he said that beyond the online links, listeners may also pick up Spiceradio.net through commercial contracts that are being discussed with hotels, bars and restaurants.
“Even the new technology is on our side as the latest craze in the U.K. and U.S. is to listen to the plethora of radio stations on the iPod or GPRS-enabled mobile phones,” Morris said. He can be contacted on 96 394935 or by email, malcolm.morris@yahoo.co.uk
Exhibition of pottery from Cyprus in Carpenter Library April 2, 2007
Posted by grhomeboy in Archaeology Cyprus, Hellenic Light Americas.comments closed
Undergraduate Curator mounts Exhibition of pottery from Cyprus in Carpenter Library
Jug. Cypro-Archaic I (700-600 BC). Gift of Mrs. Joseph M. Dohan. Bryn Mawr College Art and Archaeology Collection.
Classical and Near Eastern Archaeology majors often work with objects in Bryn Mawr’s Arts and Archaeology Collections, but Rebecca Hahn ’07 may be the first to curate an exhibition as part of her senior thesis.
The exhibition, Cypriot Pottery From the Ella Riegel Memorial Museum, presents about 80 pieces of pottery representative of more than 450 in the College’s collection of ceramics from the Mediterranean island of Cyprus, ranging in date from about 2500 to about 600 B.C.E. It is on display in the Kaiser Reading Room of Carpenter Library until April 13.
The exhibition draws on extensive research and cataloging done last summer by Ph.D. Candidate Nick Blackwell, who studied the Cypriot collection as a curatorial intern funded by a challenge grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Hahn worked under the supervision of Professor of Classical and Near Eastern Archaeology Jim Wright and Collections Registrar Tamara Johnston.
Hahn has organized the display into four cases. One case is presented chronologically, a second is organized by form, a third illustrates trading patterns by showing pieces both imported to and exported from Cyprus, and a fourth presents objects excavated from a single site, to give viewers an idea of the variety of objects that coexist in a given place. The exhibition is accompanied by a booklet, written by Hahn, that gives a chronology, as well as an overview of the types of Cypriot pottery and trends influenced by trade and cultural exchange.
“We can learn a lot about a culture from the pottery it leaves behind,” Hahn says. “What I find especially fascinating about Cypriot pottery is what it tells us about Cyprus’s relationships with its neighbors, especially Mycenae.” The location of Cyprus made it a site of exchange among peoples of Europe, Africa and Asia.
Hahn has been interested in the archaeology of Cyprus, she says, ever since she attended a field school there the summer after her sophomore year. The field school, at Atheniou, is operated by Davidson College and directed by Michael K. Toumazou, a Bryn Mawr Ph.D and a native of Cyprus.
Although this is her first experience curating an exhibition, Hahn says that she has often worked with objects from the College’s collections in archaeology courses and finds the experience invaluable. “It’s hard to learn about artifacts, especially pottery, from books, or even from looking at them in a Museum case,” she says. “Being able to handle them is really helpful.”
Related Links >
http://www.brynmawr.edu/collections/
Choose a part in the Golden Age of Pericles April 2, 2007
Posted by grhomeboy in Arts Exhibitions Greece, Arts Museums.comments closed
At the FHW, visitors can take a virtual tour of the Ancient Agora
Ever wonder if you could be a member of the Ancient Greek boule? Or what it would be like if you could make a speech in front of an Athenian audience in the age of Pericles? What did the inside of the Ancient Agora look like at the time?
An exhibition titled “The Ancient Agora” and a new multimedia production at the Foundation of the Hellenic World help the public understand the institutions and ideas that were developed in the Ancient Agora of Athens, which continue to influence society and politics to this day: Freedom, justice, education, equality, freedom of speech and civic participation were concepts which were developed in Classical Athens and prevailed throughout Europe during the Renaissance and the Age of Enlightenment, the American and French revolutions and the modern Greek state.
Visitors to the exhibition, which was inaugurated last week by Parliament Speaker Anna Psarouda-Benaki, may participate in a virtual tour of the agora, while at the Tholos 3-D dome, the foundation has created a virtual Agora based on a scientific study. According to the foundation’s Managing Director, Dimitris Efraimoglou, the goal of the exhibition is not to present the agora as a static location, but as a living institution that for the past 2,500 years has played an integral part in daily life.
Chronologically, the exhibition covers the Classical and Early Hellenistic periods, while also offering a wealth of information about other periods.
The interactive exhibition gives visitors the opportunity to zoom in on a particular area of interest, to play interactive games based on the concept of a common Athenian identity that emerged from the agora and even to deliver an oratory, which can also be recorded.
Foundation of the Hellenic World, 254 Pireos Street, Athens, tel 212 2540000. Visiting hours > Mon, Tue, Thur 9 a.m. – 2 p.m., Wed & Fri 9 a.m. – 9 p.m., Sun 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Related Links >
http://www.fhw.gr
http://www.ime.gr
http://www.hellenichistory.gr
http://www.hellenic-cosmos.gr
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