Daniel Day-Lewis and Paul Thomas Anderson in Athens February 5, 2008
Posted by grhomeboy in Movies Life, Movies Life Greek.Tags: Athens, Entertainment, Films, Greece, Movies
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Daniel Day-Lewis is oil tycoon Daniel Plainview in Paul Thomas Anderson’s drama ‘There Will Be Blood’.
The business of oil lies at the heart of “There Will Be Blood” Paul Thomas Anderson’s powerful drama starring Daniel Day-Lewis.
The director and lead actor are expected in Athens this month for the film’s Greek premiere. Organized by Audio Visual Enterprises, the Premiere Nights Athens Film Festival and Cerebral Palsy Greece, the event is scheduled to take place on February 14 at the Pallas Theater.
Proceeds from the premiere will benefit highly active Cerebral Palsy Greece, an association which enjoys a particularly strong bond with Day-Lewis.
Besides “black gold,” the film tells a story of greed, revenge and religion. In turn-of-the-century California, Daniel Plainview, a poor miner raising his only child, becomes an oil tycoon. The film has been nominated for eight Oscars later this month.
For tickets to the premiere > Cerebral Palsy Greece, 117 M. Geroulanou Street, Argyroupolis, Athens, tel 210 9622290; Pallas Theater, CityLink, 5 Voukourestiou Street, Athens, tel 210 3213100, by credit card tel 210 8108181 and www.ellthea.gr; Fnac (The Mall); Ster Cinemas, Ster Ilion: 67A Dimocratias Avenue, Ilion, Athens, daily from 4 p.m. to 8p.m., tel 237 1000 and Ster Aghios Eleftherios, 375 Acharnon Avenue, Athens.
Urban planning for children at the Athens Megaron February 5, 2008
Posted by grhomeboy in Architecture Exhibitions, Architecture Greece.Tags: Architecture Greece, Athens, Athens Concert Hall, Exhibitions, Greece
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An interactive project by artist Miquel Navarro > ‘Under the Moon II,’ in which youngsters are encouraged to design a city, aims to familiarize children with the complexity of urban life. Miquel Navarro’s installation is currently being showcased at the Athens Concert Hall. The exhibitions will run to March 23.
“What don’t you like about Athens?” Little hands rise into the air. A class of junior high school pupils sit cross-legged along with two trained professionals discussing architecture and city planning in their own youthful manner.
In the foyer of Athens Concert Hall, currently hosting Miquel Navarro’s “Under the Moon II”, the room quickly fills up with children’s voices. A little boy stands up – boisterously: “Traffic exhaust,” he exclaims. The rest of the class follows, expressing modern-day truths in from an endless list. “Extremely ugly blocks of flats,” “Narrow sidewalks,” “No space for cycling,” “Not enough gardens.”
Right next to the restless group, a 50-square-meter surface holding 500 metal objects (cubes, cylinders and pyramids of various sizes) awaits the children’s attention. Following interactive presentations of works by Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso and Constantin Brancusi, the Megaron Plus is again collaborating with the Pompidou Center in Paris, showcasing a traveling exhibition by Navarro. Urged by the French museum, the Spanish artist developed a toy sculpture in 1994, based on a previous work of his, “Under the Moon”, a ceramic view of the city of Valencia.
The installation’s aim is to familiarize children with the complexity of urban life. Navarro’s artwork-exhibition-game is a work in progress. It is the intervention by the children themselves that defines it and its temporary state, highlighting the countless shapes it may acquire, depending on the age, background, curiosity and interests of those who handle it.
Divided into groups, the children take over the urban planning of Navarro’s dream city. Naturally, swimming pools, playgrounds and amusement parks become the neighborhood’s most popular elements. At the same time, trees, parks and rivers acquire an equally popular status in this imaginary city. According to Vincent Poussou, head of the Pompidou Center’s educational programs, the installation is an example of a contemporary work of art in search of the public’s active participation. Besides bringing children closer to the notion of shape, structure and perspective, Navarro’s work places them at the center of a creative, artistic process.
“The best way to sensitize children to art is not to teach them what good art is but to allow them to take part in its creation,” said Poussou at a recent press conference at the Athens Concert Hall.
Athens Concert Hall, 1 Kokkali Street and Vasilissis Sofias Avenue, Athens, tel 210 7282333. “Under the Moon II,” runs to March 23. Admission is free of charge. School groups and individual visits can be arranged by telephone at 210 7282733.
Related Links > www.megaron.gr
Athens bid to boost greenery February 5, 2008
Posted by grhomeboy in Environment, Living.Tags: Athens, Environment, Greece, Living, News
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Athens Mayor Nikitas Kaklamanis yesterday announced a “greenery charter” that aims to increase the green surface area in the capital and penalize those who destroy trees and parks.
As a first step, some 25 hectares of land is to be expropriated for the creation of parks and green spaces, at a cost of 112.5 million euros. The ultimate aim is to boost the ratio of green space per citizen to 7.25 meters, as compared to 6.84 meters today, Kaklamanis said.
In order to achieve this, town-planning regulations will be amended to stipulate that one tree must be planted for every 200 square meters of land that is built upon.
As of May, authorities will begin imposing fines for the destruction of green areas, Kaklamanis added, without giving details of what would constitute an offense.
City Hall is establishing two new bodies to implement and oversee the new initiative: a planning service that will seek to create new green areas in the city and a monitoring service that will oversee and protect existing greenery.
Greek teens hooked on mobiles February 5, 2008
Posted by grhomeboy in Internet & Web, Lifestyle, Telecoms.Tags: Greece, Internet & Web, Lifestyle, News, Telecoms
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Almost all youngsters between the ages of 12 and 15 years of age own a mobile phone, with two in 10 using the phone for more than 15 minutes each day, according to the National Statistics Service (NSS).
NSS data gathered in 2007 showed that 86.8 percent of children aged 12 to 15 use a mobile phone and that 91.7 percent of use is on a daily basis.
The highest mobile phone penetration rate among children in the age group was in the Aegean Islands, followed by Attica and central Greece. The data was gathered as part of a study conducted by the statistics service on new technologies in Greece.
The survey also found that 95 percent of children in the 12-15 age group use a computer to access the Internet every day or at least once a week. The main reason they use the Internet is to play games and listen to music.
Late trains schedule to go ahead February 5, 2008
Posted by grhomeboy in Transport Air Sea Land.Tags: Athens Metro, Greece, News, Transport, Urban Transport
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The planned extension of the metro and electric railway (ISAP) timetables to run between midnight and 2 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays will go ahead despite workers’ protests against the initiative, Transport Minister Costis Hatzidakis said yesterday.
Meanwhile, the president of the metro drivers’ union, Christos Koukis, charged that the move would cost 300,00 euros per month to realize and said it would not benefit all Athenians.
Cab strike tomorrow February 5, 2008
Posted by grhomeboy in Transport Air Sea Land.Tags: Greece, News, Transport, Urban Transport
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Taxi drivers in Athens and the rest of Greece are due to stage a 24-hour strike tomorrow to demand the right to increase their fares.
The cabbies want to hike their prices by more than the rate of inflation as they feel they have been unfairly hit by the rising price of fuel. The Transport Ministry has not approved the fare increases yet.
Greece’s Archbishop elections on Thursday February 5, 2008
Posted by grhomeboy in Religion & Faith.Tags: Church of Greece, Greece, News, Orthodoxy, Religion & Faith
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Two of the favorites begin talks with supporters ahead of Thursday poll
Two of the candidates vying to become then next Archbishop of the Greek Orthodox Church had contact with supporters yesterday ahead of the Holy Synod vote on Thursday as one Bishop said he would not vote in the election. Efstathios, Bishop of Sparta, and Anthimos, Bishop of Thessaloniki, met with their respective supporters yesterday as reports emerged that Bishop Spyridonas of Lagadas said he was not well enough to attend Thursday’s meeting of the Holy Synod, prompting rumors on whether he had been put under pressure not to attend.
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