Friday, October 30, 2015

#Greece's Former FinMin Yanis Varoufakis Strikes Again...FT Style!



The man they love to hate ...
 Yanis Varoufakis, Greece's Controversial Former FinMin strikes again! 

 We all know how much the Financial Times (FT) 'loves' Greece's controversial former FinMin Yanis Varoufakis, so it came as a bit of a surprise to see their 'interview' with him this morning. With the exception of Peter Spiegel, guess they realised that Yanis...sells!

When he was young he wanted to be a train driver and on a scale of 1-10 he rates satisfaction with his life at 11... not bad for a guy who has been vilified as much as he's been glorified in the last 10 months; a man declared by Business Insider as the most interesting guy on the planet in February this year! 

Judge for yourself, read the whole thing here on FT.com 

In fact it reminded us of our very own 20 Question Time... Global Greek Style Interview that we feature with some of our Global Greeks from time to time...  think it's time we asked Yanis to answer our questions too! After all he too is one of our Global Greeks!

At Global Greek World, We ♥ Greece...and it shows! 
© GlobalGreekWorld 2009-2017 All Rights Reserved

Wednesday, October 28, 2015

OXI Day: 28 October 1940 "Heroes fight like Greeks..."

 Heroes fight like Greeks...
Greek Armed Forces Poster celebrating OXI Day
28 October 1940

"Until now we used to say that the Greeks fight like heroes.
Now we shall say: The heroes fight like Greeks."
Sir Winston  Churchill - Prime Minister United Kingdom
(From a speech he delivered from the BBC in the first days of the  Greco-Italian war)

 

In 2011, Some of our most prominent Greek Americans decided it was time to get the story of Greece's heroism out to the world. This superb video, created by The Washington OXI Day Foundation, founded by Andrew Manatos, tells the story of Greece's heroism in adversity. Its strength against all odds and its pivotal role in the developments of the Second World war.
 
Historian Alexander Kitroeff, US Congressmen John Sarbanes and Gus Bilirakis, and Andrew Manatos himself, tell the wonderful story of OXI Day, exactly as it should be told...


Many know that Greece created democracy, 
but few know that it also saved it...
Until now.
 
 


The Washington Oxi Day Foundation is a nonprofit, 501c3 organization dedicated to informing American policymakers and the public about the profound role Greece played in bringing about the outcome of World War II and celebrating modern day heroes who exhibit the same courage as the Greeks did in continuing to fight to preserve and promote freedom and democracy around the world.

ΖΗΤΩ ΤΟ ΕΘΝΟΣ
ΖΗΤΩ Η ΕΛΛΑΣ


At Global Greek World, We ♥ Greece...and it shows! 
 © GlobalGreekWorld 2009-2015 All Rights Reserved

Wednesday, October 21, 2015

'Ode to Hellas' by Departing Canadian Ambassador Robert Peck


Greek and Canadian flags flying together outside the Presidential Mansion in Athens in honour of the Canadian PM's State visit to Greece in May of 2011

The Departing Canadian Ambassador Robert Peck's Farewell and Ode to Hellas below was published by Kathimerini this week, a particularly significant week for Canada. It was a week which saw the Liberals being elected to power after many years and Justin Trudeau, the son of legendary PM, Pierre Trudeau, become the Prime Minister in waiting...

  "For me, last week marked the end of more than eight years as a diplomat accredited on two different occasions to the Hellenic Republic, serving for the last four years as Canada’s ambassador.

From 2011 to 2015, with the support of my able embassy team, I have worked with six different prime ministers, a multiplicity of ministers representing six political parties, and have witnessed – and experienced at a very human level – the complex challenges facing this remarkable country.
Often drawing from the insights and experiences of my Greek-Canadian spouse, the daughter of immigrants to Canada in the 1960s, I have been motivated by the resilience of the Greek people, their inherent generosity and “filotimo,” despite the existential questions of everyday life. I have tried to be a faithful practitioner of the “human diplomacy” and “a l’ecoute des citoyens” practiced by former Canadian Governor General the Right Honorable Michaelle Jean, now secretary-general of La Francophonie, and a past collaborator.

Cultural exchanges had a special place to underscore our solidarity and the human face of bilateral relations at this difficult time: the spectacular success in Canada of the exhibition “The Greeks: From Agamemnon to Alexander The Great,” Cirque de Soleil’s Greek debut, music by philhellene pianist Alain Lefevre, Diana Krall at the Herod Atticus, and the Greek National Opera’s tribute to opera legend Teresa Stratas. Legendary international singer Nana Mouskouri and laiko icon Mary Linda both performed in Canada for philanthropic causes, a hospital partnership in support of children with cancer and Greek language instruction in three Canadian cities. The Vorres Museum and the Canadian Institute in Greece (CIG) are vibrant symbols of longstanding cultural ties.
I have drawn inspiration from the selflessness of average Greek men and women who work under the radar, achieving small miracles every day with limited means in support of the elderly, the hungry and the chronically ill. And these experiences have challenged me to reflect on my own moral compass.
I also have been proud to support the efforts of those who embrace diversity in Greece, so that all can be treated with equality, regardless of differences of religion, sexuality or race.


Even when there were differences of opinion and frank talk, as Canada’s ambassador I have been treated invariably with courtesy and respect, the ultimate compliment to my country, and always in the spirit of partnership central to Canada-Greece relations.

As a diplomat I have been challenged to promote meaningful dialogue between governments past and present and other key stakeholders regarding a major Canadian investment in the mining sector. Diplomacy obviously has its limitations but I nevertheless remain hopeful that time, circumstance and win-win opportunities will lead to positive outcomes.

During my tenure I have been gratified to see Canada become one of the largest foreign investors in Greece, even at a difficult time. In all candor I can claim no real credit for these fortuitous developments; however, this Canadian engagement is a source of considerable pride and validation of the untapped potential I have often championed.

I am confident Eldorado Gold, Fairfax and PSP Investments can contribute to long-term economic growth and prosperity in support of Greece’s future. Further successes by these signature Canadian investors already present in Greece will send a clear message internationally.
The eventual ratification by European Union member-states, including Greece, of the Canada-EU Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) will provide an important catalyst to bilateral trade and investment.

The future path for Greece will be far from easy. It is time, however, to move beyond the many missed opportunities I have witnessed during my mandate, including the return of seaplanes to Greece, a certain catalyst for high-end tourism and a metaphor for transformation in the sector.
Greece no doubt faces a long and difficult path ahead. The country is at an historic crossroads. I have experienced at the grassroots level a growing weariness and disillusionment across the generational divide. Far too many Greeks seek new hope and opportunity only beyond the borders of their country. This has to change.

But the glass remains at least half full, not half empty, for this friend of Greece, although my own resolve has sometimes been tested. Canada’s new Chancery in Athens, inaugurated earlier this year and designed by celebrated architectural firm Tombazis and Associates, provides a new, modern platform for 21st-century diplomacy. Canada and Greece should aspire to be more ambitious in their bilateral relations. We are joined by close people-to-people ties, dynamic cultural/educational links and a growing Canadian investment presence. This is my parting wish as our two countries mark 75 years of diplomatic ties in 2017. 

And, for me personally, a commitment that this is not a goodbye: “Ce n’est qu’un au revoir.”


Thank you Ambassador! 
We wish you well. 
As part of our Global Greek family, 
 we're sure you will continue to do your best for Greece, wherever you are. 
Ευχαριστούμε!

At Global Greek World, We ♥ Greece...and it shows! 
© GlobalGreekWorld 2009-2015 All Rights Reserved

Sunday, October 18, 2015

Happy 95th Birthday #MelinaMercouri - with a Google Doodle Tribute highlighting her #ParthenonSculptures Campaign! Did we inspire Google? We hope so!



Today's Google Doodle Tribute to Greece's amazing Melina Mercouri and her campaign for the Return of the Parthenon Sculptures
Ευχαριστούμε!
Thank you Google! 

We were thrilled to wake up to this Google Doodle today and honoured that we may well have played a small part in bringing it about when we wrote to Google suggesting something similar for the 20th anniversary of her death.

They didn't do it then but they've done it now to celebrate the 95th Anniversary of her birth and her campaign for the Return of the Parthenon Sculptures to Greece. 

Did we inspire Google? We hope so!

Here is a copy of our email

To: Google
From: Global Greek World
Date: 18 February 2014 

We were reading through the Google lists and saw that the public can submit proposals for Doodles... so here goes. 

On 6th March it will be 20 years since Melina Mercouri,  Greece's famous actress and Minister of Culture died... 

Melina Mercouri is the one who started up the campaign for the repatriation of the Parthenon Sculptures stolen by Elgin, and the creation of the new Acropolis Museum in Athens to house them. Melina even had provision made to keep one hall for them until they return. This hall has white plaster copies of the stolen artefacts to highlight the difference with the originals at the British Museum.


Since George Clooney has now stepped into the fray and the debate on the side of Greece, it might make a fantastic doodle...a Parthenon doodle, with the Parthenon Sculptures, Melina, Jules Dassin,  George Clooney, the New Acropolis Museum and the Acropolis hill...

How about it? Have we inspired you?

Please consider it!

http://globalgreekworld.blogspot.gr/p/the-parthenon-sculptures.html

http://globalgreekworld.blogspot.gr/2014/02/thanks-for-your-help-george-clooney.html


Thanks so much! 
Global Greek World


Link to the Google Doodle Page

At Global Greek World, We ♥ Greece...and it shows! 
© GlobalGreekWorld 2009-2017 All Rights Reserved

Tuesday, October 13, 2015

Endless days of a Greek summer... Guest Post by Mary Axiotis


Today we are inaugurating a new segment on our blog, Guest Posts, posts written by our readers! Many thanks to our first guest blogger, Mary Axiotis from the USA, for this lovely nostalgic contribution!


 Elinda Beach, Chios

A beautiful day today – mid 80’s – clear blue sky – a slight breeze.  It’s beautiful to sit outside for a change. 
           
 This weather reminds me of Greece.  When I look at the willow tree which covers most of my back yard, I imagine that the Aegean Sea is behind it; and when the wind picks up, I close my eyes and see the waves hitting the pebbled shore, the small white caps crashing into one another. 
            
 I miss vacationing in Greece this summer.  I really miss it. 
             
 St Luke, Chios

There are so many things to do there.  If the house feels that it’s suffocating you, you can go for a walk, visit a church, walk on the boardwalk, sit at a café for hours and nurse an iced coffee.  Go to the beach, spend the day in the water, lie under the hot, scorching sun, or under a beach umbrella.  Watch the jet skis, leisure boats and fishing boats come and go.  Watch the young children play in the water, running in and out, the fun they have splashing each other.  Or lie down on the sand, close your eyes, and listen.  Listen to the sounds around you.  Even with your eyes closed you can recognize the sounds, you can hear the heat simmering, the birds fluttering their wings inside the tree branches, taking cover from the heat.  Listen to the cicadas that never stop.  Sometimes, their sound is so strong that you don’t hear anything else around you.  You don’t see them; even with your eyes open you can’t, because they are hidden in the trees, the evergreens, the acacia trees, the willows, the walnut trees. 
             
Then someone, a young child, kicks some sand on you while he runs into the water.  You open up your eyes and dust yourself off.  Or if the sand is wet and can’t dust it off, you decide to go in the water and in the process cool yourself off too.  The water feels cool on your hot skin.  You swim a few strokes, but it also feels good to stand in there, or float.  You can see the bottom.  The water is so clear, you see the minnows swim between your legs; sometimes you see a school of them.  If you kick your legs they’ll swim away breaking the school and gather again a few inches away from you. 
            
Some of the stones in the water are slippery.  You walk carefully, so you won’t slip and end up plunging into the water.  But if that happens it feels good.  Your body temperature drops.  It’s not as hot as it was before you got in.  You feel refreshed, rejuvenated, and finally you decide to get out of the water, and lie in the sun to dry off.  An hour or so later you repeat the process.  And the day goes by.  It ends.  You spent a day at the beach, you did something you enjoy.  It’s time to go home.  Take a shower, eat, rest.  Repeat, again tomorrow.  Because you know that tomorrow will be as beautiful, hot and sunny as it was today.   
 Chalkidiki

You’ll have endless days like this; endless days of a Greek summer...

Mary Axiotis
Mary was born in Greece but has lived in Michigan and Canada for 41 years combined. A freelance writer and photographer, she has travelled extensively - to Europe, Mexico, Canada and throughout the US.  She has written 2 short children’s stories looking for a publisher, and is currently working on a spy novel taking place in Greece in the ‘60’s.  She wrote under her pen name as Mary Rose-Sellers for www.Helium.com, and www.associatedcontent.com



Mary started her Greek food blog http://greekfusioncuisine.blogspot.com writing about Greek food and recipes that were either her mother’s or ones she creates herself.  She enjoys photography, and taking pictures of flowers and nature.  In April of 2009 one of her pictures was published in the Ultimate Gardener book sold nationwide.  In her free time, Mary also likes scrapbooking, embroidering, reading and playing with her little white shih tzu, Nappy and occasionally updating his blog: www.shihtzuadventures.blogspot.com. She is also researching her parent’s story since there was so much history in their lives.  Additionally, Mary is the coordinator of a book club with the local newcomers club. 


You can follow Mary on Twitter @MaryRoseSellers, on Pinterest: maryro55, on Instagram @maryro55, or like her Greek Fusion Cuisine Facebook page.



At Global Greek World, We ♥ Greece...and it shows! 
© GlobalGreekWorld 2009-2015 All Rights Reserved

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