Τρίτη 19 Απριλίου 2011

April 19: Philhellenism and International Solidarity Day

April 19: Philhellenism and International Solidarity Day

Link to GREEK NEWS AGENDA

April 19: Philhellenism and International Solidarity Day

Posted: 19 Apr 2011 01:42 AM PDT

  • Philhellenism & Philhellenes
April 19, the date on which the poet and great Philhellene of the 19th century Lord Byron died, has been declared by the Hellenic Republic as Philhellenism and International Solidarity Day. To mark the occasion, a series of events will take place today across the country.

When in 1821, the Greeks rose against the Ottoman rule, waves of sympathy spread across Western Europe and the United States. Many foreign intellectuals and humanists, writers, poets, painters and wealthy philanthropists living abroad funded and supported the Greek Revolution, forming the movement of Philhellenism.

The best known philhellene was probably Lord Byron but there were several others such as the American physician Samuel Gridley Howe, the British historian Thomas Gordon, who wrote the first histories of the Revolution in English, and the French General Charles Fabvier who took up arms to join the Greek revolutionaries.

Philhellenism found expression in political publications, as well as in various forms of art, music and literature, from prose and poetry to theatre, opera and ballet.

The siege and fall of Messolonghi town in April 1826 captured worldwide attention and thus contributed significantly to the rise of Philhellenism in the West.

  • Philhellenes Stamps Collection
A collection of stamps dedicated to American Philhellenes is going to be published today by the United States Postal Service to honour the Americans who struggled and sacrificed themselves for the liberation of Greece. The stamp series, titled Association of American Philhellenes 1810-1840, will feature the grave of George Jarvis, the portrait of Dr. Samuel Gridley Howe, as well as the emblem of the American Philhellenes Society (APS).

The decision to issue the collection was initiated by the APS, an association established to identify Americans who, under the leadership of President James Monroe, supported or fought for the independence of Greece during the years 1810-1840.

The Embassy of Greece in Washington honoured US President James Monroe and the American Philhellenes by organizing a special event at the Arts Club of Washington, which served as Monroe's residency.

During the event, the book The American People's Support to the Greek War of Independence 1821 was presented – a copy of which was offered to US President Barack Obama by Prime Minister George Papandreou during his visit to Washington on March 2010.

Greek News Agenda: Philhellenes Stamps Collection

BoG Annual Report

Posted: 19 Apr 2011 03:05 AM PDT


Bank of Greece Governor George Provopoulos presented yesterday the Bank's annual report to the 78th meetings of its shareholders.

The Governor spoke of a crisis of the growth model and not of the Memorandum of Understanding and urged for a new model for Greece, one that implies a shift of focus from consumption to saving, investment and exports, from statism and the perpetuation of privileges to competition and business initiative.

BoG: Full Text of the Report (in Greek)

Invest In Greece Newsletter

Posted: 19 Apr 2011 01:42 AM PDT


Invest In Greece agency –the country's official Investment Promotion Agency committed to helping businesspeople discover the many opportunities in Greece, the gateway to Southeast Europe and the Eastern Mediterranean and to operate as a one-stop-shop for strategic investments– has issued its April 2011 newsletter.

The highlight of the issue is a presentation of the new one-day, one-stop shop service to start a business in Greece that has been launched by the ministry of Regional Development and Competitiveness. In addition, browsing in the issue, the reader may find, among other things, investment news -with special focus on the Peloponnese region- an analysis of the Greek real estate market, a report on 11th International Venture Capital and Private Equity Forum, which was held in Athens, on April 5-6.

Acropolis Marble Fragment Returned to Greece

Posted: 19 Apr 2011 01:46 AM PDT


In a special ceremony held on April 12, in the city of Leiden in The Netherlands, the Director of the Dutch National Museum of Antiquities, Wim Weijland officially handed over to Greece a small architectural fragment originating from the archaeological site of Acropolis that had been removed by a Dutch tourist, in 1955.

The architectural fragment, a corner piece of a capital or cornice, made of Pentelic marble, measuring 5 by 15 cm, was handed over to Maria Lagogianni, Head of the Museums, Exhibitions and Educational Programs Directorate of the Greek Culture and Tourism ministry.

The event, held in the presence of the Ambassador of Greece in the Netherlands, J. Economides, was attended by members of the diplomatic community, the Vice President of the Federation of Greek Communities in the Netherlands J. Koukoulis, representatives of the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science, the curator of classical antiquities, Ruurd Halbertsma, as well as many friends of the museum.

High Tech Students

Posted: 19 Apr 2011 01:42 AM PDT

  • Soda Can Satellite
A satellite the size of a soda can, weighing 350 gr. was the Greek participation in the Microsoft Partners in Learning European Forum held in Moscow on March 23-24, where it won third place.

The satellite was created by ten students of the 3rd Highschool of Mitilini on Lesvos island that named it Ikaromenippos (after Icarus, the Greek mythology hero who flew by means of artificial wings, and Menippos, the Ancient cynic philosopher).

Last August, the students had the opportunity to work with the European Space Agency in its Can-Sat Competition and travel to Norway, where they launched their miniature satellite that reached a height of 1,000 metres. Next, Icaromennippos will travel to Washington for Microsoft's Global Forum in autumn.

  • Smart Letterbox
Students of the 1st School Laboratory of Volos created in 2005 a smart letterbox that informs its owner whenever mail is received without him/her having to leave the house. Their patent, which features an inside-the-house unit to alert owners, won that year the school inventions competition by the National Youth Foundation.

Now, a company has bought the patent and will soon launch it in the market. According to its inventors, the device has low making cost, is disabled-friendly – as it uses both visual and sound signals, – and can be used both in apartment buildings and detached houses.

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