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Velas Tours
an incoming tour operator based in Greece with 34 years experience in both, tours and holidays
velastours.com
an incoming tour operator based in Greece with 34 years experience in both, tours and holidays
velastours.com
As the World ChurnsAs the World Churns By Bob Nicolaides At the request of the Right Honorable Stephen Harper, Prime Minister of Canada, Her Excellency the Right Honorable Michelle Jean, Governor General of Canada, paid an official visit to the Hellenic Republic after concluding visits to Slovenia and other Balkan nations, finally attending with the President of the International Olympic Committee Jacques Rogge and her husband, His Excellency Jean-Daniel Lafond the torch¢s lighting ceremony at Ancient Olympia. "I think it is serendipitous that this trip ends in Greece, considered the cradle of democracy and Olympism. It is there that the Olympic flame, the foremost symbol of solidarity and reconciliation between peoples, will be passed to us, in preparation for the upcoming Winter Games in Vancouver," she added… The lighting ceremony for the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics by the way, was held coincide with the Canadian officials¢ visit and from there, the flame began its journey, travelling to several towns and cities around Greece, before reaching the Panathenaic Stadium in the presence of the Canadian Governor General and the IOC President for the handover ceremony. The torch then is being flown to Canada for the relay…..In 1973, the late Vice President Spiro T. Agnew, accused of accepting bribes, pleaded no contest to one count of federal income tax evasion, and resigned his office. However, the strange factor in this saga is that immediately after his removal from office, the Government that was instrumental in bringing him down supplied him with the means of traveling to the Middle East to strike various deals with the Arabs that were convenient for it. If you wish to know what were these “means” that it supplied him with, I will tell you: Air Force 2…….And here come the latest neophyte politico of Hellenic extract in the Long Island scene: His name is George Demos, he is a young man raring to go, and he¢s aiming his sights at the US Congress. Lots of luck George, but be on the safe side and don¢t let the corruptors do any fund-raisers for you… The 8th International meeting of Archaeological Film of the Mediterranean area is to take place in Athens on May 11-16, 2010. The subject is Archaeology, Patrimony and Popular Art and Tradition. All kind of films- documentaries, fiction, animation, reporting, educational - produced after January 1, 2006 is accepted. The deadline for submissions is December 11. The event takes place every two years and is organized by the non-profit association AGON, in collaboration with the Greek magazine "Archaeology and Arts." Its aim is to make a positive contribution to the preservation of a common heritage and to a deeper understanding of those elements that have united people living around the Mediterranean Sea since antiquity. The High School of Kareas in Byronas of Athens participated in the NASA Aeronautics 2008-2009 Student Competition "Design of supersonic aircraft in 2020. The competition was open to high school and college students from all over the world who proposed ideas or design concepts for a commercial transport that can fly faster than the speed of sound over land or water. The schoolteacher of the two prizewinners was Dimitris Kazanis. The two Greek students won third prize with their Supersonic Flight Project….At the Frankfurt International Book Fair 2009, which took place from October 15 to 19, author Ioanna Karistiani greeted her loyal fans and Soti Triandafyllou presented her "Chinese boxes" from Suhrkamp Verlag. The same company recently published Yiannis Ritsos¢ book Monemvassia translated by Klaus Peter Wedekind, on the occasion of the centenary of the poet¢s birth. …. Athens is joining the 50th anniversary celebration of Gallic heroes known as Asterix, Obelix, Cacofonix, Dogmatix & Idefix, in the global debut of a new edition, featuring short stories of previously unseen material. Greece is considered, in terms of population size, the fourth best-selling market worldwide, for the Gauls¢ adventures. Translations of the original texts are available in 100 different languages and dialects, including Cretan, Pontic and Ancient Greek. The celebrations began at the Institut Français d'Athènes on October 22 and continue through November 5. Bye, Bye Birdie, which on Thursday, October 15 opened for its first Broadway resumption in the Roundabout production at the newly refurbished Henry Miller¢s Theater, has for years been a very popular show to revive in the United States. Like “Birdie” is a standby in high schools, where its appeal is practically guaranteed. It has a large number of teenage parts, most of them easy to sing and perform, and the plot, such as it is, is all about the generation gap. On progressive high school stages these days, it¢s not unheard of for the principal to take the role of the uptight Mr. MacAfee, who just doesn¢t understand what¢s wrong with kids today. But it¢s John Stamos who plays that role on Broadway, a guy with an overbearing mom. Not so offstage. He ends his Who's Who in the Playbill by saying "John dedicates this performance to his real 'mama.'" Sweet. Now having said that it is a sure thing for high schools, what about College kids. A bunch of them made it to the premiere and posed with him for some snapshots, and one young lady by the name of Alexandra Codella dared ask him why as a Greek doesn¢t try to date Jennifer Aniston. Reportedly, Stamos was unmoved by the suggestion, which as a Greek girl, Alexandra didn¢t overly appreciate but kept mum. Now the Aniston suggestion came from Alexandra¢s mom, Dr. Catherine Nicolaides-Codella, who happens to be daughter number one of yours truly, and who would love to see these two Hellenes get together……Millions of excited viewers have tuned in to ABC's "Dancing with the Stars" since its live three-night premiere event that started Monday, September 21st. A dance extravaganza, the cast includes 16 new stars, including Aaron, Mark Dascascos…. And Melina Kanakaredes¢ singing "Me and My Shadow"- in episode 4x08, Rocky Road of Providence- got everyone psyched. She¢s one really amazing singer alright……. The St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra with Yuri Temirkanov, the oldest music ensemble in Russia and one of the top orchestras in the world appeared at the Athens Concert Hall (Megaron) from October 21 to 23. The program at the Megaron included Rachmaninoff's three piano concerti and works by Tchaikovsky. Tribute to Miles Davis On the 50th anniversary of Miles Davis' masterpiece 'Kind of Blue' first release, a tribute to the late jazz legend was held on October 23 at Thessaloniki's Vellidion and on October 24 at the Athens Concert Hall. The legendary drummer Jimmy Cobb, the only surviving member from the original band, led a new band of excellent musicians. Is Jennifer Aniston a big ol¢ drunk? According to British magazine Now, the actress¢ friends have told her she needs to cut back on her boozing or check into rehab. “Jen¢s perspective is that it¢s better to have two or three glasses of red wine than to take a sleeping pill to get to sleep,” a source said. “The other day, she was tipsy and ranting at friends about Angelina Jolie, which they see as an unhealthy obsession of Jen¢s. “She¢s still bitterly competitive with Angelina and it¢s the subject that¢ll come up time and time again after she¢s had a few.” “The problem is that Jen¢s so tiny, just a few glasses can really knock her out,” the source added. “Her drinking is certainly not excessive by British standards.” That¢s British standards mind you, but in any way, she does have a quirk or two, one of them being that she¢s a nervous flyer. If I walk on to an airplane, I always have to go on with my right foot first and tap the outside of the plane,” she admits. “I have always done it. For luck! Aniston, 40, recently revealed that her dad didn¢t want her to act. “My dad did not want me to do this at all,” she said. “It wasn¢t that he didn¢t think I could, but he just thought that it was such an iffy thing. “I think there was a part of his discouragement that kind of fueled my drive in a way.” On a different level, some photo riled by a certain picture apparently riled Aniston — who divorced Pitt in 2005 after five years of marriage — because she thinks Jolie is trying to rub her nose in the fact she still hasn¢t managed to conceive. “Jen felt stabbed in the heart when she saw those photos,” a source close to the actress told American tabloid the National Enquirer. “It¢s no secret she wants to get pregnant and have a child of her own, and Angie is obviously very aware of this. “So, in Jen¢s mind, her decision to show off the kids in such a public way was probably done deliberately to make her jealous. Now Jen seems to have gotten the shock of her life when one night she got boozy and called her ex, Brad at home, but instead she got Angelina on the other end, who chewed her out…. Furthermore, Australian actress Naomi Watts, who starred in "The Ring," King Kong," and "Eastern Promises," is the actress who provides the best return for a film studio, according to a list by Forbes.com. With cash-strapped studios looking for return on their investments, Forbes.com compiled a list of the 10 actresses who provide the best bang for their buck. They found actresses who commanded the highest prices, like Angelina Jolie who topped Forbes' list of the best paid actresses after banking $27 million in a year, were outranked by those earning around $5 million and under for a film. Rounding out the 10 were Jennifer Aniston ($26 per $1) while films by Halle Berry, Cate Blanchett, Anne Hathaway, and Hilary Swank all made $23 for every dollar they earned. Forbes.com said it compiled its list by looking at the 100 biggest stars in Hollywood. To qualify each actress had to have starred in at least three movies in the past five years that opened in more than 500 theatres…Also, the comedy series 30 Rock has enjoyed a string of celebrity cameos including Jennifer Aniston, Whoopi Goldberg, Oprah Winfrey and Mary J. Blige. And now Tina Fey has got Timberlake in her sights because she is a big fan of his acting career. A certain picture apparently riled Aniston — who divorced Pitt in 2005 after five years of marriage — because she thinks Jolie is trying to rub her nose in the fact she still hasn¢t managed to conceive. “Jen felt stabbed in the heart when she saw those photos,” a source close to the actress told American tabloid the National Enquirer. “It¢s no secret she wants to get pregnant and have a child of her own, and Angie is obviously very aware of this. “So, in Jen¢s mind, her decision to show off the kids in such a public way was probably done deliberately to make her jealous. Now Jen seems to have gotten the shock of her life when one night she got boozy and called her ex, Brad at home, but instead she got Angelina on the other end, who chewed her out…. Actor Zach Galifianakis was 40 on October 1….…..Did you know that the actor who portrayed-or at least lent his voice-the role of King Leonidas in the pic 300, Tyler Neitzel is half a Hellene?: Yes. His mother is Greek and his father German, which somehow associates him with another successful Greek-German American in the entertainment business, Tina Fey….. The National Theatre of Greece is set to re-open its main stage doors with a Dimitris Papaioannou work. Papaioannou is an avant-garde stage director, choreographer and visual artist who drew international media attention and praise with his creative direction at the Opening Ceremony of the Athens 2004 Olympic Games. His latest work "Nowhere" explores the physical space of the theatre stage itself using special mechanisms which change the scene constantly, creating the image of a "non-place." The opening for Papaionnou¢s work served a double purpose since the National Theatre opened, presenting its public with its fully renovated historic Ziller building, following eight years of absence…..Hellasfm is presenting at the Hellenic Cultural center in Astoria the movie Eêåéíïò êé Åêåéíïò (This One and That one) by Martha Tompoulidou through Sunday November 15, 2009". …..The Centre of Applied Industrial Design (CAID) - Societas, Scientia et Ars hosted the 4th International Science Film Festival in Athens, from October 21 through to 29. Those interested in science films had the opportunity to watch over 160 films from various countries and numerous scientific fields, portraying cutting edge pioneering research. At the end of the Festival, an international jury selected 7 films for awards. A special screening of the awarded films took place at the Benaki Museum, on October 29….. Hollywood¢s merriest, most colorful musical, Singing in the Rain is on in Athens from October 21 to 25, with Tim Flavin performing Gene Kelly¢s memorable moves on the stage of the Badminton Theatre…. A couple of days ago I got an invitation from my friend Justine Frangouli –Argyris, inviting me to the launching of her newest book in Greek, ÃéÜ ÔÞí Aãáðç ôþí Áëëùí (or as it is dubbed in English, Eleven Weddings and a Sacrifice) which is being held in the KG Ballroom of the King George Palace Hotel, in Athens, Now the invitation read that John and Margo Catsimatidis, you know who they are, (right?) and Psychogios Publications are the ones who invite me-not that they¢re going to pay for my airfare and all-which all they¢ve got to do is just transport me in their private jet like they do for the Argyris family-mom-dad & son-but obviously this is done with end objective that, just maybe the priest that holds Orthodoxy camp keeps a close watch on her, just in case Justine decides on another expose against the priest about whom Spyridon¢s bio revolved around and you know how the adage goes, you keep your friends close and your enemies closer. Returning to the book¢s launching, Eleni Gika is the journalist who presented the book along with Parliamentarians Kostas Skandalakis and Giorgos Nikitiadis, with the likes of Despina Emmanuilidi-Lyvitsi and Dr. Vivi Kopsida-Vrettou…..An international architectural design competition that called for young architects from all over the world to design an affordable student housing complex in Kerameikos and Metaxourgeio- in the historic centre of Athens took place in June. The contest, named UPTO35 (named after the age limit of eligible architects), received 245 proposals from 41 countries. The aim of the competition is to encourage creativity among the next generation of designers while supporting architectural research and the implementation of contemporary architecture projects in Greece. The competition seeks to elicit designs which explore new ideas on urbanism and rethink existing housing models for communities. Five teams have been shortlisted by the Jury Committee: Japan (two entries), the United States, The Netherlands, and Greece. Voting for the eventual winner will include text messaging from the public. The final winner, whose project will be developed by OLIAROS (contest sponsor), will be determined in January 2010 by the votes of the seven members of the jury plus the one vote deriving from the public and will receive a cash award and commission. To see all the designs, visit www.bustler.net….. Dimitrios Tsounis and Manolis Vlatakis from the High School of Kareas in Byronas of Athens participated in the NASA Aeronautics 2008-2009 Student Competition "Design of supersonic aircraft in 2020. The competition was open to high school and college students from all over the world who proposed ideas or design concepts for a commercial transport that can fly faster than the speed of sound over land or water. The schoolteacher of the two prizewinners was Dimitris Kazanis.The two Greek students won third prize with their Supersonic Flight Project….At the Frankfurt International Book Fair 2009, which took place from October 15 to 19, author Ioanna Karistiani greeted her loyal fans and Soti Triandafyllou presented her "Chinese boxes" from Suhrkamp Verlag. The same company recently published Yiannis Ritsos¢ book Monemvassia translated by Klaus Peter Wedekind, on the occasion of the centenary of the poet¢s birth. Stini Yiamas is the name of a watering hole on Ditmars Boulevard in Astoria, where lots of other Greek restaurants are located, say like Halsted Street in Chicago¢s Greektown. The other restaurants where you can enjoy some of the best dishes this side of the Atlantic, are Taverna Kyklades, Oceano¢s and Loukoumi…..Kellari restaurant is now at the number three stage. Meaning that the creator of the popular upscale dining spot in Manhattan, Stavros Aktipis who owns two of them in the same borough, one on East 44th Street and one on 20th, have another peer, this one in the heart of Washington DC……Yianni Papastafanou heads the musical group that vibrates Ethos UN restaurant every Friday night 10 pm until the wee hours….
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