Oops, we nearly forgot! World Tourism Day 2014 Greek Photo Competition: And the Winners are...

1st prize 
Pinelopi (Poppy) Athanasopoulou(USA)

Window to Heaven, Palamidi, Nafplion,  Greece

 

 2nd prize
Eleni Balatsas (Canada)

The Best of Navagio Beach, Zakynthos, Greece
(we call it the Colossus of Navagio...)

3rd prize
Rebecca Elia (USA)

Diamond Bliss, Skopelos, Greece

Congratulations to our prizewinners Poppy, Eleni, and Rebecca (2nd year in a row)!  

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The Prizes
The Donors

1st Prize

Poppy wins a very beautiful Greek inspired print of her choice from the workshop of Georgia Pistolis,  one of our very talented Global Greek artists, who lives and works in South Carolina in the USA but whose gorgeous artwork is largely inspired by her homeland- and ours - Greece!   

Poppy gets to choose one of the three beautiful prints shown below: 

Art by Georgia 
You too can purchase one of Georgia's wonderful Greek themed artworks by clicking here

2nd Prize 

Eleni wins an Apollo Pendant, a beautiful piece of solid sterling silver 925 bone shaped with authentic 'good luck eye" glass bead (mati) for herself or her pet from The Lovepaw Collection in the USA

Apollo from the Zeus Collection

Designed by one of our Global Greeks, and expertly Made in Greece by one of Greece's fine silversmiths , this beautiful piece of jewellery has been donated by Olympia Zacharakis of Miami, creator and founder of The Lovepaw Company, specialising in fine pieces for pets and/or their owners!

Olympia's Lovepaw Company photos can be found on Facebook  while her website  is being upgraded
  

3rd Prize

Rebecca  wins a copy of popular Hollywood actor, writer, traveller and adventurer Thaao Penghlis' latest book ‘Places, Journeys of My Days, My Lives.’ 

A veteran world traveller, with many tours through his (and ours) ancestral Greece, Egypt, and the Middle East, Thaao has also investigated some of the world’s most sacred sites and travelled through the jungles of the Amazon. In this, his latest book  published in July this year, which he has kindly donated as a prize, Thaao recalls some of these amazing and perilous journeys for his readers.  

You can win your own copy of Places by leaving a comment here 
or 

 You can buy your copy of Thaao's 'Places:The Journey of my Days, my Lives' on Amazon 

THANK YOU - ΕΥΧΑΡΙΣΤΟYΜΕ, 
to our Global Greeks
Georgia, Olympia, and Thaao 
for their generosity in donating these wonderful prizes for our winners 

and

a very big 

THANK YOU - ΕΥΧΑΡΙΣΤΟYΜΕ

to all of our friends who entered their photos 

and made this competition come alive with...Greece 

and their love for Greece! 

 You helped make this our most successful competition ever, 
with a record number of participants, 
a record number of magnificent photos and a 
record number of people who voted! 

All the photos were stunning, here they are in one collage and we will soon have a video of them for you to watch!  
In the meantime, if you want to check out the entire album on our Facebook page, please click here 
 

Greece is Greece's No 1 product.

It deserves to take its rightful place in the world...

right at the top! 

At Global Greek World, We ♥ Greece...and it shows! 

© GlobalGreekWorld 2014 All Rights Reserved

Καλά Χριστούγεννα - Καλή Χρονιά! Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Από το δικό μας σπίτι στο δικό σας

ταξιδεύει το παραδοσιακό και Ελληνικότατο καραβάκι, στολισμένο και φορτωμένο με ελπίδα και αγάπη,  για να ευχηθούμε σε όλους  

Καλά Χριστούγεννα & Καλή Χρονιά!

Να κάνουμε το 2015 τη χρονιά της Ανάπτυξης, 

τη χρονιά που θα αρχίσει η αλλαγή προς το καλύτερο για την Ελλάδα μας! Στο χέρι μας είναι!

Ας αρχίσουμε από σήμερα:

Φέτος στις γιορτές, επιμένουμε Ελληνικά! 

  
Greece's traditional Christmas symbol,
a boat loaded with love and hope, is on its way from our house to yours,
wishing  everyone in our Global Greek World 
 a very Merry Christmas and a 
Happy, Healthy, Peaceful and Successful New Year!

Let's make 2015 the year of Growth, the year that things will begin to change for the better as we, the people, continue to strive for the best for our beautiful Greece!  

Let's start today:
Let's all Buy GREEK for Christmas this Year! 

Χρόνια Πολλά και Καλά!

At Global Greek World, We ♥ Greece...and it shows! 

© GlobalGreekWorld 2014 All Rights Reserved

20 Question Time... Global Greek Style: Conversation with Thaao Penghlis - Hollywood actor, writer and traveller!

His favourite Greek word is 'Matia mou'  
and the person who brings the Parthenon Marbles back to Greece 
would be his nomination for a Nobel Prize...

20 Question Time... Global Greek Style 

with one of our wonderfully accomplished and talented - and good looking - Global Greek Ambassadors in the World, 
Hollywood actor, writer, traveller

Thaao Penghlis
Emmy nominated star of so many of our favourite TV series,
Mission Impossible, Days of our Lives, 
Santa Barbara and General Hospital

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20 Question Time... Global Greek Style

Hellenism is…

The Classical age of Greece and the immortal work contributed to all aspects of life that escaped all human limits.

Did your Hellenism help get you where you are? How?

At first it was a hindrance but because it lay at my core, perseverance won out and surfaced at the right time and found its true path.

Being Greek: Best Part…

Passion.

Being Greek: Worst part…

Pride

Greeks who inspire(d) you…

Cavafy, 
Seferis, 

Melina Mercouri 
and 

the Greeks who freed us from the bloody Ottomans.

Greeks you like...

Those who fight corruption and Greed.

Greeks you don’t like…

The ones with deep pockets 
and 
cab drivers.

Your favourite Greek word…

Matia mou.

Your favourite Greek spot in the world…

Santorini and the Acropolis.

Your favourite Greek song…

Thalasaki mou.

Your favourite Greek meal… Who cooked it?

Moussaka. 

Me.

Your favourite Greek book…

Homer’s Odyssey.

Your happiest Greek memory …

Having succeeded in Hollywood and my father with tears in his eyes calling me “His Levendi.”

Your saddest Greek memory…

My parents dying in the same week.

Global Greeks at the Nobels  - Who would you nominate? Why?

The one who brings back the Parthenon Marbles.

You meet the Prime Minister of Greece on the beach this summer… What would you tell him?

Get rid of corruption 
and 
listen to the cries of the poor.

You are the Prime Minister of Greece …for a week!

What three things would you do first?

Start bringing back the tourists, by re-creating a huge ad campaign for Greece as the great hot spot of the world thereby helping the job market.

Expose those Greeks with deep pockets and have them use the money to feed the poor and support low rent housing.

Have the rich pay the taxes they have evaded for years with big fines and spread education.

You’re one of our several million Global Greeks who are Greece’s Ambassadors in the World. Public Diplomacy at its best!  Have you done something to help Greece today?

My book  ‘PLACES’ comes out this summer where I argue about the Parthenon Marbles and their rightful place and using my platform as an actor, to always elaborate the influence of my Greek heritage.

Who would you include in a ‘Global Greeks for Greece’ Dream Team?

The memory of Melina Mercouri and what she stood for. 
Elisabeth Fotiadou (Greek Consul in Los Angeles) 
and 
members of the rebellious youth that want to bring Greece into the 21^st Century.

And now for the best part… 
Create a picture of YOUR Greece … 
what would you put in it?

All the looted art that was stolen by the Germans, French and the English since the 19thC and house them in the new Archaeological Museum in Athens.


Get rid of those illegal immigrants who are changing the face of Greece and bringing their illegal forms of life back where they found them.

Clean up the drugs on the streets that have created so many crimes I never experienced in my youth.

Open schools for orphans to educate and nourish what is not at their disposal.

 Equality.
 

Thank you Thaao - It has been a real pleasure to talk to you! Good luck with the book sales!
Ευχαριστούμε πολύ!

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 More about Thaao 

We first spotted Thaao as the dark, good-looking and very flexible member of the newly remade Mission Impossible team, the debonair Nicholas Black who sported something rather unusual for Hollywood, a light Australian accent!

Not surprising really, since Thaao was born to Greek immigrant parents and raised in one of the furthest corners of our Global Greek World, Sydney, Australia. Thaao spent his early days as a young career diplomat, working with the immigration service to help Greek immigrants who were seeking Australian citizenship. He trained for three years to become involved in the Diplomatic Corps, but gradually realized that his whole life centered around Greek happenings, so he took a leave of absence to find his own identity and went to work for the UN in New York. There he met another Global Greek, teacher and director Milton Katselas who inspired him to pursue an acting career. Thaao quit his job at the UN, worked as an apprentice art dealer during the day and studied acting at night and when Milton  moved to Los Angeles to set up his studio and school at the Beverly Hills Playhouse, Thaao went too, appearing in many productions in Los Angeles and in New York and built up an impressive filmography over the coming years. 

The world got to know him in many TV roles - among the most notable as Nicholas Black in Mission Impossible, as Victor Cassadine on General Hospital and Count Anthony DiMera on Days Of Our Lives  -  roles which kept him on the popularity charts for many years. In 2014, his many fans got the chance to see Victor Cassadine again on General Hospital after 30 years, when he was finally called back by ABC.

In addition to his busy acting career, Thaao continues to be the traveller and adventurer he has always been. He has taken many tours through his ancestral Greece - the photo above is from a recent trip to the Meteora monastery -  and to one of his favourite spots - Mt. Sinai in Egypt. He has investigated some of the world’s most sacred sites, travelled through the jungles of the Amazon, and throughout the Middle East.  His book,
‘Places, Journeys of My Days, My Lives.’ published in July this year, recalls some of those perilous journeys for us.

One of his recent starring roles was in the film ‘TheGreen Story,’  about the life and  success story of another of our Global Greeks, Greek American Van Vlahakis and his mission to transform not only HIS life but also the lives of those around him, as the owner and CEO of Earth Friendly Products. He also continues to star in many stage and television shows as well as performing his one-man show called ‘Journeys' a great backdrop for his book.

Thaao has made his permanent home in the hills of Los Angeles, California. Like many of our Global Greeks, Thaao is equally at home in Australia, Greece or the USA and comfortable anywhere life takes him - a real citizen of the world.

Update 1 December 2014:
Delighted to announce that Thaao has generously offered us a couple of copies of his latest book 'Places: The Journey of My Days, My Lives' as prizes! To qualify for one of the copies which will be drawn on New Year's Eve, please leave a comment on this 20 Question Time...Global Greek Style Conversation with Thaao post. 
Oh and don't forget to 'like' Places: The Journey of My Days, My Lives by Thaao Penghlis and Global Greek World on Facebook too!

Ευχαριστούμε Πολύ, Thaao! 

 Buy Thaao's latest book 'Places:The Journey of my Days, my Lives' on Amazon 

About Thaao from his Official Website   

 Follow Thaao on Twitter 

Thaao on IMDB 

At Global Greek World, We ♥ Greece...and it shows! 

© GlobalGreekWorld 2014 - 2019
 All Rights Reserved

Save the Date: 1 December 2014 - New York Capital Link16th Annual Invest in Greece Forum

LAST CHANCE! You are cordially invited to attend the:

Monday, December 1, 2014 8:00 AM - 7:30 PM (Includes Luncheon, Networking, and Cocktail Reception) Venue: The Metropolitan Club

You can request 1x1 meetings upon registration Capital Link’s 16th Annual Invest in Greece Forum, “Investing for Growth” will take place at the Metropolitan Club in New York City on Monday, December 1, 2014. Greece has been going through a time of unprecedented difficulty and change, as the country restructures its economy and strives to embark on a period of renewed growth and stability. A lot of progress has been achieved, but there are still significant challenges ahead. Developments in Greece have far reaching implications for the European Union and the global economy. A delegation of government officials, public and private sector CEOs and executives from global investment banks will discuss the developments and reforms in the Greek economy. Also, the latest trends in the capital and stock markets with topics such as banking and finance, private equity and investing, energy, oil and gas exploration, infrastructure development, telecommunications, real estate, transportation and global shipping will be discussed. This Forum will provide the audience with a unique blend of informational, marketing and networking opportunities. This December marks the 16 year milestone of Capital Link’s commitment to raising awareness about Greece as an investment destination to a wider investor universe.   GREEK GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS

Mr. Constantine Skrekas 
Minister of Development & Competitiveness

Keynote Speaker at the Luncheon

Mr. Miltiadis Varvitsiotis  Minister of Shipping, Maritime Affairs & the Aegean
Closing Remarks

Mr. Christos Staikouras  Alternate Minister of Finance
Opening Remarks

Mr. Asimakis Papageorgiou  Deputy Minister of Environment, Energy & Climate Change
Speaker on Energy     WEBCAST REMARKS BY

Mr. Antonis Samaras  Prime Minister of the Hellenic Republic

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FORUM AGENDA
TOPICS (PANELS & PRESENTATIONS)
Greece, Europe & The Global Economy The Global Economy – Europe & Greece Current State & Outlook The Dawn of a New Era The Prime Minister’s Message: “A New Era of Opportunity for Greece” (VIA WEBCAST) The European Union Message (VIA WEBCAST) The Government Perspective The Restructuring of the Greek Economy – Achievements & Targets The Privatization Program Sector Panels – Opportunities & Challenges Telecommunications The Global Capital Markets & the Case for Greek Corporate Debt Energy Policy & Objectives	Energy Sector: Trends, Developments & Outlook Oil & Gas Exploration - Transforming the Regional Energy Dynamics Greece 10 Years Ahead – Strategy Update Hellinikon Project – A New Era for Greece Real Estate Investing & Infrastructure Putting Greece On The Global Investment Agenda – The International Investor Perspective Recent Developments in Venture Capital & Private Equity Investing Greek Banking: Sector Review & Prospects Greek Banking: Strategy for the Future & Outlook Greek Banking: Loan Restructuring as a Growth Opportunity Greece As A Global Shipping and Transportation Hub Annual Global Shipping Markets Roundtable The Global Shipping Markets – Opportunities & Challenges
PARTICIPATING GOVERNMENT ORGANIZATIONS
Alternate Minister of Finance of the Hellenic Republic Deputy Minister of Environment, Energy & Climate Change of the Hellenic Republic Minister of Development & Competitiveness of the Hellenic Republic Minister of Shipping, Maritime Affairs & the Aegean of the Hellenic Republic	Embassy of Greece to the United States Enterprise Greece European Commission Hellenic Republic Asset Development Fund (HRADF) Hellenic Financial Stability Fund (HFSF)
PARTICIPATING CORPORATIONS
International Financial Institutions Bank of America Merrill Lynch Blackstone BNP Paribas Calamos Investments Citi Deutsche Bank Goldman Sachs Eaglevale Partners Eurobank Group Ernest & Young Marathon Asset Management National Bank of Greece NYSE Euronext Piraeus Bank York Capital Management UBS AG Global Shipping Companies Danaos Corporation (NYSE:DAC) Dorian Gas Ltd. (NYSE:LPG) Euroseas Ltd. (NASDAQ:ESEA) Navios Maritime Holdings (NYSE:NM) Tsakos Energy Navigation Ltd. (NYSE:TNP)	Other Multinational Companies & Organizations International Monetary Fund (IMF) A.S. Papadimitriou & Partners Law Firm ELLAKTOR GROUP Grivalia Properties Hellenic Telecommunications Organization (OTE) Intralot S.A. Invel Real Estate Lamda Development Libra Group M.A. Angeliadis, Inc. Machas & Partners Law Firm McKinsey & Company Greece Mistras Group, Inc. NBG Pangaea REIC Noble Energy Inc. Oak Hill Advisors Public Power Corporation Reed Smith Media Bloomberg Radio & TV Institutional Investor Reuters Platts

Registration is by Invitation Only.

Invited Guests include:
Management of Top U.S. Corporations with an active interest or involvement with Greece & The Greater Region · Institutional Investors in Greek Equities & Fixed Income Securities ·  Portfolio Managers & Analysts · Commercial & Investment Bankers · Financial Advisors & Brokers · Financial Media & Press

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For more information and registration, please visit our website or contact: Eleni Bej, Director of Event Operations at ebej@capitallink.com or +1(212)661-7566 in NY

For sponsorship opportunities please contact: Nicolas Bornozis or Anny Zhu at greekforum@capitallink.com or +1 (212) 661-7566.  

CAPITAL LINK New York • London • Athens • Oslo Tel: 212.661.7566, email: forum@capitallink.com

www.capitallink.com  - www.capitallinkforum.com

20 Question Time... Global Greek Style: Conversation with Vicky Yiannoutsos

Hellenism for her is a  Greek life-force and she made it her mission to get Socrates Now to tour Downunder... which she did!  

20 Question Time... Global Greek Style 

with one of our very talented and accomplished Global Greek Ambassadors in the World, 

Film maker, director and acting coach

  Vicky Yiannoutsos
Auckland, New Zealand

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20 Question Time... Global Greek Style
Hellenism is…

 Greek life-force transmitted through language, food, music, story and dance, delivered in the spirit of  Zorba  - “to be alive is to take off your belt and look for trouble”.

Did your Hellenism help get you where you are? How?

My Hellenism informs me emotionally, aesthetically, and creatively, affecting the way I think, feel and function in the world. It not only helped get me where I am, it fundamentally designed it.

Being Greek: Best Part….

being born into, informed by and deeply connected to the most complex nation in the world which birthed western civilisation

Being Greek: Worst part….

being born into, informed by and deeply connected to the most complex nation in the world which birthed western civilisation

Greeks who inspire(d) you…

Socrates, 

Kazantsakis, 

Kavafy, 

Mercouri, 

Callas, 

Mouskouri

Greeks you like…

genuine and sincere Hellenes who strive to connect with the complexities of being Greek, and the inherent struggle we all share.

Greeks you don’t like…

insincere poseurs who strut their stuff intent on proving they’re someone they’re not.

Your favourite Greek word…

kefi

Your favourite Greek spot in the world…

Kastos

Your favourite Greek song…

Strose to Stroma sou yia Dyo. 
Embodies all my childhood memories.

Your favourite Greek meal… Who cooked it?

Avgolemono. 

Everytime I go home, my mother makes it for me. 

It represents security, love, family. 

In turn, I like to cook it for my close friends.

Your favourite Greek book…

Zorba the Greek, 
the poetry of Kavafy

Your happiest Greek memory….

The first 6 months I spent in Greece as a young girl, staying on Kastos (my dad’s birthplace) and travelling around the rest of Greece. 

A light switched on. 

Nothing was to ever to be the same again!!

Your saddest Greek memory…

Locking up the family home on Kastos and taking my aunty Olga to the mainland.

Global Greeks at the Nobels  - Who would you nominate? Why?

Yannis Simonides

John Psathas

For their current day contribution to the Arts

You meet the Prime Minister of Greece on the beach this summer…What would you tell him?

You’re fired!!

You are the Prime Minister of Greece… for a week!

What three things would you do first? 

I’d fire the EU, declare national bankruptcy and re-introduce the  drachma. Then I’d introduce a minimum livable wage for all adults, with free health care, and begin funding businesses and communities developing sustainable living opportunities. I’d return the marbles. (see below for more)

You’re one of our several million Global Greeks who are Greece’s Ambassadors in the World. Public Diplomacy at its best!  Have you done something to help Greece today?

An email was sent this morning to the Greek community in Australia towards bringing the wonderful Yannis Simonides with Socrates Now to the Antipodes in 2014. Fingers crossed (GGW note: it worked, Yannis Simonides toured New Zealand and Australia with Socrates Now earlier this year, the cover shot is from the promotion!)

Who would you include in a ‘Global Greeks for Greece’ Dream Team?

The Global Greeks for Greece Think Tank (see below) would be made up of international Greeks top in their fields. Economists, Businessmen, Artists, IT experts, Visionaries etc whose modus operandum is growth, not greed.

And now for the best part… 
Create a picture of YOUR Greece … what would you put in it?

As above, I’d remove the ridiculous notion that the people of Greece can pay the country’s debt and go back to the drachma. 
Then I’d create a national fast broadband system, give every rate paying household an IPad, and set up a global online Pledge Greece fund as a central agency receiving contributions from Greeks living out of Greece. 
From that fund a Global Greeks for Greece think tank (see above) would consult with central agencies (not controlled by the government or the church) in Greece to invest in creativity, innovation and sustainable living operations with a long-term vision to heal and re-build a new Greece. I reckon the 9 million odd Greeks out of Greece would come on board such an online revolution!!  
In fact, I know they would. 
PledgeGreece -  
I pledge the first 1000 drachma!!!

Thank you Vicky - let's start working on it! 
Great Talking to you!
Ευχαριστούμε πολύ!

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Talented and multi-awarded Greek New Zealand filmmaker Vicky Yiannoutsos was born and grew up in New Zealand.  Since first visiting Greece as a young girl with her parents, Vicky has identified the myth of Demeter and Persephone as a metaphor for the migrant experience and she went on to make a film that depicted it beautifully...

More about Vicky Yiannoutsos

At Global Greek World, We ♥ Greece...and it shows!

 © GlobalGreekWorld 2014 All Rights Reserved