Visit Cyprus > The crossroad of civilizations May 29, 2007
Posted by grhomeboy in Cyprus.Tags: Cyprus, Destinations, Travel
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Annual Greek Festival to be held in late July May 29, 2007
Posted by grhomeboy in Greek Diaspora Festivals.comments closed
Ocean City hosts its 18th annual Greek Festival on July 27, 28 and 29 at the Ocean City Convention Center.
The festival features food, homemade pastries, Greek music and a mini shopping area offering authentic Greek jewelry, music, gifts and more. There will be arts and craft projects for the kids, live folk dancing and raffles worth up to $5,000. In addition, the band Zephyros from Baltimore will provide live entertainment daily, beginning at 5 p.m.
Festival hours are Friday and Saturday from noon to 11 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 9 p.m. Admission is $2 from noon to 5 p.m. and $3 after 5 p.m. Children under 14 are free when accompanied by an adult. Free parking is available at the Convention Center.
The event is sponsored by St. George Greek Orthodox Church. Call 410-524-0990.
Greek Konstantinos Economidis qualifies at Roland Garros May 29, 2007
Posted by grhomeboy in Tennis Squash.comments closed
Australia’s Chris Guccione bowed out of the French Open after losing to Greek qualifier Konstantinos Economidis in four sets at Roland Garros on Tuesday.
Economidis fought back from a set down to win his first encounter with Guccione 6-7 (6-8) 6-4 6-4 6-1. Guccione led Economidis one set to love when the match became one of many suspended as rain disrupted play over the first two days.
While temperatures remained cool on Tuesday, Roland Garros was bathed in sunshine as Guccione and Economidis resumed their match at the start of the second set. The Australian saved break point in the fourth game, but Economidis broke his opponent in the tenth to take the set.
Economidis had Guccione in trouble when he won the next set and then broke the Australian twice to take a 5-1 lead in the fourth. He then served out the match to set up a second-round meeting with Tommy Robredo, who beat Sergio Roitman of Argentina 6-3 6-4 6-2.
Priceless Callas robe stolen from Greek exhibition May 29, 2007
Posted by grhomeboy in Arts Exhibitions Greece, Police & Crime.comments closed
A priceless robe worn by opera diva Maria Callas in performance has been stolen from an Athens exhibition, a police source said Tuesday.
The theft occurred Friday, as the Italian Cultural Center which had organized the exhibition was closed for three days during the Pentecost holiday. The police gave no further details.
Greece is organizing a series of events this year to honor Maria Callas, and stress her Greek background, including an international opera competition. The Italian Cultural Center had organized a two-week exhibition of Callas memorabilia, including robes, jewelry, and accessories.
Callas was born of Greek immigrants in the US and took Greek Nationality in 1966 at the age of 43, at the end of her relationship with Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis. She died 11 years later in Paris.
UPDATE > 30 May 2007
Police in Athens were yesterday examining surveillance camera footage to identify the thief who stole a valuable dress belonging to the late diva Maria Callas from the Italian Cultural Institute last Friday.
The dress was one of hundreds of personal belongings of the internationally acclaimed opera singer on display to mark the 30th anniversary of her death. “It was an exceptionally well-organized theft,” Institute director Melita Palestini said yesterday when the robbery was discovered following the center’s three-day closure for Pentecost.
According to Palestini, the location of the dress in a corner behind a column probably helped the thief remove it among the crowds attending the exhibition on Friday, the closing day. But cameras recorded the thief, a man in his 40s, police said. Police say that the thief may have removed the dress, valued at 100,000 euros, on behalf of a collector.
Greek Cultural Festival May 29, 2007
Posted by grhomeboy in Greek Diaspora Festivals.comments closed
The sixth annual Greek Cultural Festival will be held Friday, June 1st and Saturday, June 2nd at John Deere Commons in Moline. Friday hours are from 5:00-11:00 p.m. and Saturday, 11:00 a.m.-11:00 p.m.
One of the country’s hottest Greek Bands, The Kostas Kastanis Band from Louisville, Kentucky, will perform both Friday night and Saturday. Olympian Greek Dance Troupe from Chicago will be perform at 6:00 and 8:00 p.m. Friday evening and on Saturday at noon, 2:00, 4:00, 6:00 and 8:00.
The Wine Tasting event will be held on Saturday from 5:00 – 7:00 p.m at Johnny’s Metro on John Deere Commons. Hosted by Dimitri Wine and Spirits, Inc., the event will feature the finest Greek wines and hot and cold Greek appetizers will be served. Tickets can be purchased in advance or at the door. Cost for the Wine Tasting is $15 per person.
Menu items will include a traditional Greek salad, Classic Gyros, Shishkebabs and a combo plate will include Spanakopita (spinach baked in filo dough), Tiropita (butter basted filo dough filled with a Feta cheese mixture) and pita bread with either gyros meat or a shishkebab.
For pastries, attendees can enjoy traditional homemade baklava and chocolate baklava (baked layers of filo dough filled with chopped nuts and honey syrup), Koulourakia (vanilla cookie), Paximadia (crescent shaped “biscotti” cookie). Loukoumathes (donuts topped with honey and cinnamon) and Frappe (iced Greek coffee) will also be sold as well as Ouzo cake, which is a yellow cake topped off with an Ouzo based syrup.
Other activities will include a Cultural Tent, Children’s area which includes inflatable games, face painting, and crafts. A Greek import market and souvenir tent will also be part of the festivities.
Admission price for the Greek Cultural Festival is $3 per person. Children 12 and under, free. For more information, please contact the Assumption Greek Orthodox Church, East Moline, IL at 309-792-2912.
Destruction of cultural heritage in occupied Cyprus May 29, 2007
Posted by grhomeboy in Cyprus Occupied.comments closed
The continuous destruction of Cyprus’ culture heritage in the northern Turkish military controlled and occupied areas is the focus of two articles in prestigious reviews, one presenting news from the Roman Catholic Church and the other issued by the Onassis Foundation.
In the monthly “30Days in the church and in the world” journal, of former Italian Prime Minister Giulio Andreotti published in six languages, Italian journalist Giovanni Ricciardi presents a chronicle of the 1974 Turkish military invasion in the Republic of Cyprus and its repercussions up to the recent past.
The largest part of the report describes the condition of Christian churches in occupied Cyprus and the destruction of other important cultural heritage sites. The article refers to a registration programme underway at the Museum of the Holy Monastery of Kykkos under Charalambos Chotzakoglou, Professor of History of Byzantine Art at the University of Athens, to illegal trafficking of antiquities and efforts to repatriate Cypriot treasures.
Ricciardi also notes the destruction of non-Orthodox churches in the occupied areas, belonging to Maronites, Armenians and Catholics and stresses that if Turkey wants to join the European Union, it has to allow the repair and restoration of holy sites as a gesture of goodwill.
The Scholarship Association of the Onassis Foundation magazine “Alpha Omega – ΑΩ”, distributed to thousands of academics worldwide, refers to a lecture by Chotzakoglou, at the Foundation.
The Greek professor presented the results of the registration programme of Christian churches in the occupied areas and using photographic material, it chronicles the registration of the Christian monuments, the improper use of the churches and their conversion into barns, mosques and hotels.
It stresses the religious dimension of the issue, saying that the victims of this cultural destruction are not only Greek Orthodox churches in Cyprus but also churches at the Jerusalem Partiarchate, Mount Sinai and the Roman Catholic church, as well as churches belonging to Maronites and Armenians. Furthermore, he refers to efforts to make the issue known worldwide, organise photo exhibitions and publish a special edition with the help of Cyprus government departments and Euro MPs.
According to church records, about 500 churches have been destroyed or pillaged. The Church has already recovered, through a lengthy legal battle in the USA, priceless frescoes that were stolen from the occupied areas. Other efforts are underway to repatriate various religious relics.
Cyprus to host Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2008 May 29, 2007
Posted by grhomeboy in Music Life, Music Life Greek.comments closed
Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation, CyBC, has won the bid to host the Junior Eurovision next year, it was announced yesterday.
The Steering Group of the Junior Eurovision announced yesterday that it had accepted the Cyprus offer to host the 2008 song contest, choosing Cyprus from four countries that had put in an offer. The location for Junior Eurovision 2008 will be Limassol, but the venue itself has not yet been announced. Cyprus has been participating in the contest since 2003.
The final choice for 2008 was between Ukraine and Cyprus. “We received some high-quality proposals for next year’s 6th Junior Eurovision Song Contest and after long consideration, the Steering Group decided to award the honour of hosting next year’s competition to CyBC,” said Steve Deconink-de Boeck, the President of the Steering Committee.
Junior Eurovision takes place in December, and unlike the Eurovision, it doesn’t have to take place in the country that wins the contest. This is to minimise pressure on the young contestants aged between eight and 15. This year, the 5th Junior Eurovision will take place in Rotterdam.
Last year, only 15 countries competed in the competition and since 2005 four countries have withdrawn. The largest number that ever participated was 23. The European Broadcasting Union has promised that the contest will continue until 2007, but has not made any promises for 2008, despite having chosen a host country. This year, 18 countries will take part, including debuts from Armenia, Bulgaria, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Lithuania.
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