Category: GREECE

The story of the project

Check out video “Battle Island Crete” on Vimeo http://vimeo.com/76826883

PROJECT OVERVIEW:

The filmmaking team behind the feature-length documentary film ‘Battle Island Crete’ (Ashley Perry and Michael Dunbar) are seeking donations to assist with bringing the largely forgotten story of the ‘Battle of Crete’ to the screen.

Our aim is to reveal the harrowing events behind the courageous defence of the island undertaken by Allied forces, comprising Greek, Australian, New Zealand and British troops. In addition we seek to illuminate the valiant efforts and sacrifices made by the Cretan community, from local police, guerrilla fighters and civilians, in response to the massive Nazi German invasion that occurred during World War Two.

Upon completion, we intend submitting the film for competition in both local and international film festivals. We will also endeavour to sell the film into multiple television markets in Greece, Australia, New Zealand, Great Britain, Germany and the United States, as well as making it available for download via video-on-demand platforms.

We also intend creating a study guide to accompany the film. A document designed to provide supplementary material for secondary level students in relation to the failed military campaigns conducted by the Allies to defend mainland Greece and Crete from Nazi German and Fascist Italian invasion during the Second World War.

BATTLE OVERVIEW:

Upon Nazi Germany – assisted by Fascist Italian forces – successfully occupying mainland Greece in April 1941, preparations commenced in Athens to invade the strategically important island of Crete. The operation was given the codename Merkur (Mercury). It was conceived as a large-scale airborne assault. Elite Fallschirmjäger (paratrooper) units were assigned with the task of securing vitally important airfields situated across northern Crete.

On 20 May 1941, wave after wave of paratroopers descended from the skies above Crete. A fierce and bloody battle raged. A short time later, Allied forces commenced a fighting withdrawal from their positions, moving across mountainous terrain to the south of the island. By the beginning of June 1941, Crete had fallen to the enemy.

Those Allied soldiers unable or unwilling to abandon the island by sea were captured and became prisoners of war. The occupation of Crete was to be an incredibly traumatic and dangerous period for the local population and for many years during the occupation of the island by Nazi German forces they valiantly resisted their captors.

FILM OUTLINE:

The documentary film ‘Battle Island Crete’ will adopt a straightforward linear structure. It will examine the key moments of the battle as they transpired over the eleven days.

Our intention is to photograph the battlefield terrain as it exists today, and supplement this footage with archival films, photographs, maps, animation/graphics and (potentially) eyewitness testimony, while also overlaying a voice-over narration to guide the viewer through the details of the campaign.

In addition, we intend exploring the moments leading-up to the commencement of the invasion as well as the immediate period after the fall of Crete. The film will highlight the atmosphere and trauma of the battle as encountered by the military combatants, on both sides, and by the people of Crete.

We ask that you consider pledging your support to ‘Battle Island Crete’ in order to assist me in recovering the details and memories of this neglected campaign of the Second World War.

After more than 70 years the Australian Government has yet to issue a campaign medal to the veterans of the conflict in Greece and Crete.

Bravery – Resistance – Sacrifice
ΓΕΝΝΑΙΟΤΗΤΑ – ΑΝΤΙΣΤΑΣΗ – ΘΥΣΙΑ
How the funds will be used
CURRENT BUDGET:

The production budget is currently $17000 AUD. In order to travel to Crete to undertake filming a further $14000 AUD is required. Pledges derived from this ‘crowdfunding’ campaign will bolster the film’s budget to $31000 AUD & specifically go towards covering the following production & post-production expenses:

PRODUCTION COSTS:

$3500 – 2 x return airfares to Athens;
$2500 – Transportation to Crete (air or ferry), & rental car hire on Crete;
$4000 – Accommodation and living expenses on Crete;
$1500 – Travel, public liability, negative risk & equipment insurance;
$3500 – Camera hire; &
$1500 – Production contingency.

POST-PRODUCTION COSTS:

$9000 – Voice-over narration and final sound mix;
$2500 – Music score;
$2000 – Colour grade; &
$1000 – Printing and internet expenses.
Some of my other work
Examples of Ashley Perry’s short film/videographic work can be found here: http://vimeo.com/user1631907

These filmic vignettes relate to his postgraduate studies at RMIT University & his interest in critically examining the landscapes of Melbourne’s road network.

Risk and challenges
PRODUCTION CHALLENGES:

The key obstacle associated with successfully completing ‘Battle Island Crete’ is that a greater amount of time, beyond six weeks, is required to complete filming on Crete. This may require the need for additional crew to travel to Crete, or perhaps the need to employ local videographers to assist with second unit photography, in which case further funding for the film would be required.

The completion date for ‘Battle Island Crete’ is October 2014.

ΣΥΜΒΟΥΛΙΟ ΑΠΟΔΗΜΟΥ ΕΛΛΗΝΙΣΜΟΥ (ΣΑΕ)
WORLD COUNCIL OF HELLENES ABROAD (SAE)

Δρ. Όλγα Σαραντοπούλου – Γραμματέας ΣΑΕ
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Dr.Olga Sarantopoulos – Secretary World SAE

Vienna, October 14th, 2013

In a letter to the Honourable Prime Minister of Greece Mr.Andonis Samaras, Dr.Olga Sarantopoulos, Secretary of the World Council of Hellenes Abroad urged for compensation of the Greeks and Expatriate small savers, Greek government individual bondholders.
As noted by Ms. Sarantopoulos the issue involves about 15,000 Greek families in Greece and abroad, the majority are ordinary people, family men, who saved their lifetime savings in Greek government bonds in response to the call of the motherland. They are now in dire straits because of the decision to clip the public debt and subsequently the government bonds, and have suffered losses in the ranks of 75% of their savings. Many of them are on the brink of economic disaster. Fourteen of which have already committed suicide.

The Secretary of SAE emphasizes in her letter that the Greek State ignoring the opinions of experts, refused to protect individuals from the process of “clipping”, which was made by other European countries such as Iceland and even by the bankrupted Argentina. But compensated foreign major investors and those who had bought bonds with English law. And so, when in fact a decision-judgment of the European Court of EFTA dated 28th of January 2013, with an excellent rationale applies to the case of Greek individuals, claryfied, that it is not a discrimination towards foreign depositors (in Iceland), if they are not compensated.
With effect, the Greek State to appear insolvent to its citizens, to the Greeks abroad who trusted and supported the national reconstruction of the Greek economy.

As pointed out by Dr.Sarantopoulos, it was H.E. the Prime Minister of Greece, Mr. Andonis Samaras in his election speech at the Zappeion Building who promised the immediate restoration of injustice suffered by small bondholders. Besides, the program agreement between the three parties ND, PASOK, DHMAR provided rehabilitation of the individual bondholders. Also the Vice- President and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Greece Mr.Evangelos Venizelos underlined at the International Fair of Thessaloniki 2013 that there is a moral obligation to sort out the unfinished business with the small bondholders, and that this was never forgotten as a liability.

Dr.. Sarantopoulos called upon the Honourable Prime Minister to take the necessary steps to restore justice and based on what has already ruled the EU and the international authorities.

ΣΥΜΒΟΥΛΙΟ ΑΠΟΔΗΜΟΥ ΕΛΛΗΝΙΣΜΟΥ (ΣΑΕ)
WORLD COUNCIL OF HELLENES ABROAD (SAE)

Δρ. Όλγα Σαραντοπούλου – Γραμματέας ΣΑΕ

Βιέννη, 14η Οκτωβρίου 2013

​
​Την αποζημίωση των μικροαποταμιευτών ομολογιούχων ζητά
​η Γραμματέας του ΣΑΕ Δρ.Όλγα Σαραντοπούλου

Την αποζημίωση των μικροαποταμιευτών ομολογιούχων του Ελληνικού Δημοσίου, ζητά με επιστολή της προς τον Πρωθυπουργό της Ελλάδος κ.Αντώνη Σαμαρά, η Δρ. Όλγα Σαραντοπούλου, Γραμματέας του Παγκοσμίου Συμβουλίου Απόδημου Ελληνισμού ΣΑΕ.

Όπως επισημαίνει η κα Σαραντοπούλου, το ζήτημα αφορά περίπου 15.000 ελληνικές οικογένειες στην Ελλάδα και το εξωτερικό, στην πλειοψηφία τους απλούς ανθρώπους, αγωνιστές του καθημερινού βίου, οι οποίοι αποταμίευσαν τις οικονομίες μιας ζωής σε Ομόλογα του Ελληνικού Δημοσίου ανταποκρινόμενοι στο κάλεσμα της Πατρίδας. Σήμερα βρίσκονται σε δεινή θέση αφού μετά την απόφαση για το κούρεμα του δημοσίου χρέους, έχουν υποστεί απώλειες της τάξεις των 75% και πολλοί από αυτούς βρίσκονται στα πρόθυρα της οικονομικής καταστροφής. Δεκατέσσερις εκ των οποίων έχουν ήδη αυτοκτονήσει.

Η Γραμματέας του ΣΑΕ υπογραμμίζει στην επιστολή της ότι το Ελληνικό Κράτος αγνοώντας τις γνωμοδοτήσεις των ειδικών, αρνήθηκε να προστατεύσει τα φυσικά πρόσωπα από την διαδικασία του «κουρέματος», κάτι που έκαναν άλλες ευρωπαϊκές χώρες όπως η Ισλανδία αλλά και η πτωχευμένη Αργεντινή. Αποζημίωσε όμως τους ξένους μεγαλοεπενδυτές και εκείνους που είχαν αγοράσει ομόλογα με το αγγλικό δίκαιο. Kαί αυτό, οταν μάλιστα υπάρχει απόφαση-κρίση από το Ευρωπαϊκό Δικαστήριο EFTA της 28ης Ιανουαρίου 2013, με ένα εξαιρετικό σκεπτικό που αφορά και την περίπτωσή των Ελλήνων φυσικών προσώπων, ότι δεν αποτελεί δυσμενή διάκριση(discrimination) σε βάρος ξἐνων καταθετών που δεν αποζημιώθηκαν( στην περίπτωση της Ισλανδίας).
Με αποτέλεσμα όπως αναφέρει η Δρ.Σαραντοπούλου, το Ελληνικό Κράτος να εμφανίζεται αφερέγγυο προς τους πολίτες του, προς τους Έλληνες του εξωτερικού που το εμπιστεύτηκαν και στήριξαν την εθνική προσπάθεια ανασυγκρότησης της Ελληνικής Οικονομίας.

Όπως τονίζει η κα Σαραντοπούλου, ο Πρωθυπουργός της Ελλάδος κος Αντώνης Σαμαράς στην προεκλογική του ομιλἰα στο Ζάππειο Μέγαρο είχε υποσχεθεί την άμεση αποκατάσταση της αδικίας που υπέστησαν οι μικροομολογιούχοι. Ἀλλωστε και στην προγραμματική συμφωνία ΝΔ, ΠΑΣΟΚ, ΔΗΜΑΡ προβλεπόνταν η αποκατάσταση των ομολογιούχων φυσικών προσώπων. Ο Αντιπρόεδρος της Κυβέρνησης και Υπουργός Εξωτερικών κ.Ευάγγελος Βενιζέλος από το βήμα της ΔΕΘ 2013 αναγνώρισε οτι ᾽῾και ὀποιες εκκρεμότητες έχουμε με μικροομολογιούχους, έχουμε ηθική υποχρέωση να τις τακτοποιήσουμε και δεν το έχουμε ξεχάσει ποτέ αυτό ως υποχρέωση.῾῾

Η Δρ. Σαραντοπούλου απηύθυνε έκκληση στον Πρωθυπουργό της Ελλάδος οπως προβεί στις δέουσες ενέργειες ώστε να αποκατασταθεί το δίκαιο βάσει και όσων έχει ήδη αποφανθεί η ΕΕ και οι αρμόδιες διεθνείς αρχές.

Το βραβείο τής απονέμεται «για τη δεξιοτεχνία της στη μικρή φόρμα του σύγχρονου διηγήματος»

Στην καναδή πεζογράφο Αλις Μονρό απονέμεται το Βραβείο Νομπέλ Λογοτεχνίας 2013 όπως ανακοίνωσε το μεσημέρι της Πέμπτης 10 Οκτωβρίου στη Στοκχόλμη ο μόνιμος γραμματέας της Σουηδικής Ακαδημίας Πέτερ Ένγκλουντ.

Η αιτιολογία της απόφασης ήταν σύντομη. Το βραβείο τής απονέμεται «για τη δεξιοτεχνία της στη μικρή φόρμα του σύγχρονου διηγήματος».

«Σάστισα μόλις άκουσα τι είχα κερδίσει» είπε η Αλις Μονρό σε μια επίσης σύντομη συνέντευξή της στο καναδικό ειδησεογραφικό δίκτυο CBC, δηλώνοντας ταυτοχρόνως «ενθουσιασμένη» με τα ευχάριστα νέα που της μετέφερε τηλεφωνικώς μια από τις κόρες της.

«Πιθανότατα δεν θα συνεχίσω να γράφω» είχε πει η εφετινή νομπελίστρια στο περιθώριο μιας ακόμη βράβευσής της στο Τορόντο το περασμένο καλοκαίρι. Κάτι λιγότερο από έξι μήνες μετά η 82χρονη δημοφιλής διηγηματογράφος τιμήθηκε από τη Σουηδική Ακαδημία με την ύψιστη λογοτεχνική διάκριση.

«Μιλά για οικουμενικά αισθήματα καθημερινών ανθρώπων» είπε ο Πέτερ Ένγκλουντ στους δημοσιογράφους. «Eίναι μια συγγραφέας η οποία αποτυπώνει θαυμάσια την ανθρώπινη ύπαρξη» υπογράμμισε.

«Πιστεύετε ότι θα σταματήσει να γράφει, όπως ανακοίνωσε εφέτος;» τον ρώτησαν. «Το Βραβείο Νομπέλ είναι μεγάλη χαρά και τιμή αλλά αν αυτό θα την παρακινήσει να συνεχίσει το γράψιμο είναι δική της απόφαση», απάντησε ο γραμματέας της Σουηδικής Ακαδημίας.

Διηγηματογράφος πολυβραβευμένη η οποία καλλιεργεί συστηματικά και με συνέπεια τη μικρή φόρμα η Μονρό, σε συνέντευξή της στον βρετανικό «Guardian», πριν από μια δεκαετία και πλέον, ρωτήθηκε γιατί δεν έχει γράψει ποτέ μυθιστόρημα.

«Δεν μπορώ να το κάνω ακόμη» απάντησε «και, πιστέψτε με, προσπαθώ διαρκώς. Κάθε φορά που ολοκληρώνω μια συλλογή διηγημάτων σκέφτομαι ότι τώρα είναι η ώρα να καταπιαστώ με τη μεγάλη αφήγηση» συνέχισε.

«Μερικές φορές βλέπω τα μυθιστορήματα που γράφουν άλλοι και διαπιστώνω ότι πολλά είναι σύντομα. Αν μπορώ να απλώσω ένα διήγημα σε 60 σελίδες, σίγουρα δεν θα είναι πολύ δύσκολο να γράψω και ένα σύντομο μυθιστόρημα. Αλλά δεν μου βγαίνει…»

Η Αλις Μονρό γεννήθηκε το 1931 και μεγάλωσε στο Οντάριο του Καναδά. Το 2009 τιμήθηκε με το βραβείο «Man Booker International» για το σύνολο του έργου της ενώ έχει διακριθεί, μεταξύ άλλων, τρεις φορές και με το «Governor General’s Literary Award», την υψηλότερη λογοτεχνική διάκριση της πατρίδας της.

Στα διηγήματά της διερευνά τις σχέσεις μεταξύ ανδρών και γυναικών, τις άφατες όψεις της καθημερινότητας στις μικρές πόλεις και τα παιχνίδια της μνήμης. Το 2012 εξέδωσε την 14η συλλογή διηγημάτων της υπό τον τίτλο «Dear Life» και δήλωσε επισήμως ότι θα είναι και η τελευταία.

Στην ελληνική γλώσσα κυκλοφορούν δυο βιβλία της: «Μ’ αγαπάει δεν μ’ αγαπάει» (2003) και «Πάρα πολλή ευτυχία» (2010) από τις εκδόσεις «Μεταίχμιο» (σε μετάφραση της Σοφίας Σκουλικάρη).

Διήγημά της με τον τίτλο «Η αρκούδα» περιλαμβάνεται και στον συλλογικό τόμο «Της αγάπης μου ο σπουργίτης πέταξε» (Libro, 2009) με τον χαρακτηριστικό υπότιτλο «Από τον Τσέχοφ στη Μονρό».

Είναι η 13η γυναίκα που τιμάται με το Βραβείο Νομπέλ από την ίδρυση του θεσμού – πράγμα που την παραξένεψε ιδιαιτέρως – αλλά η πρώτη Καναδή που φέρνει το Νομπέλ στη χώρα της.

Η Σουηδική Ακαδημία αναφέρει σε σχετικό σημείωμά της:

«Η Μονρό έχει αναγνωρισθεί για την καλοκουρδισμένη αφήγησή της που χαρακτηρίζεται από σαφήνεια και ψυχολογικό ρεαλισμό. Ορισμένοι κριτικοί την θεωρούν έναν καναδό Τσέχοφ.

Οι ιστορίες της τοποθετούνται συχνά στο περιβάλλον μικρών πόλεων όπου αγώνας για μια κοινωνικά αποδεκτή ύπαρξη συχνά έχει ως αποτέλεσμα την ένταση στις ανθρώπινες σχέσεις αλλά και ηθικά διλήμματα, προβλήματα που πηγάζουν από τα χάσματα των γενεών και τις συγκρουόμενες φιλοδοξίες ζωής.

Τα κείμενά της συχνά αναπαριστούν καθημερινά αλλά καθοριστικά γεγονότα, τρόπον τινά αποκαλύψεις, που ρίχνουν φως σε όσα συμβαίνουν γύρω και θέτουν αιφνιδίως υπαρξιακά ζητήματα».

Alice Munro was born on the 10th of July, 1931 in Wingham, which is in the Canadian province of Ontario. Her mother was a teacher, and her father was a fox farmer. After finishing high school, she began studying journalism and English at the University of Western Ontario, but broke off her studies when she got married in 1951. Together with her husband, she settled in Victoria, British Columbia, where the couple opened a bookstore. Munro started writing stories in her teens, but published her first book-length work in 1968, the story collection Dance of the Happy Shades, which received considerable attention in Canada. She had begun publishing in various magazines from the beginning of the 1950’s. In 1971 she published a collection of stories entitled Lives of Girls and Women, which critics have described as a Bildungsroman.

Munro is primarily known for her short stories and has published many collections over the years. Her works include Who Do You Think You Are? (1978), The Moons of Jupiter (1982), Runaway (2004), The View from Castle Rock (2006) and Too Much Happiness (2009). The collection Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage (2001) became the basis of the film Away from Her from 2006, directed by Sarah Polley. Her most recent collection is Dear Life (2012).

Munro is acclaimed for her finely tuned storytelling, which is characterized by clarity and psychological realism. Some critics consider her a Canadian Chekhov. Her stories are often set in small town environments, where the struggle for a socially acceptable existence often results in strained relationships and moral conflicts – problems that stem from generational differences and colliding life ambitions. Her texts often feature depictions of everyday but decisive events, epiphanies of a kind, that illuminate the surrounding story and let existential questions appear in a flash of lightning.

Alice Munro currently resides in Clinton, near her childhood home in southwestern Ontario.

Major works in English

Dance of the Happy Shades and Other Stories. – Toronto : Ryerson, 1968

Lives of Girls and Women. – Toronto : McGraw-Hill Ryerson, 1971

Something I’ve Been Meaning to Tell You : Thirteen Stories. – Toronto : McGraw-Hill Ryerson, 1974

Who Do You Think You Are? : Stories. – Toronto : Macmillan of Canada, 1978. – Note: also published as The Beggar Maid : Stories of Flo and Rose. – New York : Knopf, 1979

The Moons of Jupiter : Stories. – Toronto : Macmillan of Canada, 1982

The Progress of Love. – Toronto : McClelland and Stewart, 1986

Friend of My Youth : Stories. – Toronto : McClelland and Stewart, 1990

Open Secrets : Stories. – Toronto : McClelland and Stewart, 1994

The Love of a Good Woman : Stories. – Toronto : McClelland and Stewart, 1998

Queenie : A Story. – London : Profile Books/London Review of Books, 1999

Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage : Stories. – Toronto : McClelland and Stewart, 2001

Runaway : Stories. – Toronto : McClelland and Stewart, 2004

The View from Castle Rock : Stories. – Toronto : McClelland and Stewart, 2006

Away from Her. – New York : Vintage, 2007. – Note: contains the short story “The Bear Came Over The Mountain” which was later made into the motion picture Away from her

Too Much Happiness : Stories. – Toronto : McClelland and Stewart, 2009

Dear Life : Stories. – Toronto : McClelland and Stewart, 2012

Collected short stories

Selected Stories. – Toronto : McClelland and Stewart, 1996

No Love Lost. – Toronto : McClelland and Stewart, 2003

Vintage Munro. – New York : Vintage, 2004

Carried Away : A Selection of Stories. – New York : Knopf, 2006

Alice Munro’s Best : Selected Stories. – Toronto : McClelland and Stewart, 2008

ΒΙΒΛΙΑ ΤΗΣ ΣΤΑ ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΑ

Munro, Alice, 1931-. Πάρα πολλή ευτυχία / Άλις Μονρό · μετάφραση Σοφία Σκουλικάρη. – 1η έκδ. – Αθήνα : Μεταίχμιο, 2010. – 393σ. · 21×14εκ.

Γλώσσα πρωτοτύπου: αγγλικά
Τίτλος πρωτοτύπου: Too Much Happiness
ISBN 978-960-455-987-9 (Μαλακό εξώφυλλο) [Κυκλοφορεί]
€ 16,60 (Τελ. ενημ: 11/10/2013) · Η τιμή περιλαμβάνει Φ.Π.A. 6,5%.

Αγγλόφωνη πεζογραφία (Καναδάς) – Διήγημα [DDC: 813]

Συλλογικό έργο. Της αγάπης μου ο σπουργίτης πέταξε : Διαδρομές αγάπης από τον Τσέχοφ στη Μάνρο / ανθολόγηση Τζέφρι Ευγενίδης · μετάφραση Άννα Παπασταύρου · κείμενα Συλλογικό έργο, Ισαάκ Μπάμπελ, Ντέιβιντ Μπεσμόζγκις, Χάρολντ Μπρόντκι, Ρέιμοντ Κάρβερ, Αντόν Πάβλοβιτς Τσέχωφ, Στούαρτ Ντάιμπεκ, Ντέμπορα Άιζενμπεργκ, Γουίλιαμ Φώκνερ, Ρίτσαρντ Φορντ, Ντέιβιντ Γκέιτς, Ντένις Τζόνσον, Μιράντα Τζουλάι, Μίλαν Κούντερα, Μπέρναρντ Μάλαμουντ, Γκι ντε Μοπασάν, Λόρι Μουρ, Άλις Μάνρο, Ρόμπερτ Μούζιλ, Βλαντιμίρ Ναμπόκοφ, Γκρέις Πέιλι, Μαίρη Ρόμπιζον, Τζορτζ Σόντερς, Γκίλμπερτ Σορεντίνο, Γουίλιαμ Τρέβορ. – 1η έκδ. – Αθήνα : Libro, 2009. – 672σ. · 21×14εκ. – (Ξένη Λογοτεχνία)

Γλώσσα πρωτοτύπου: αγγλικά
Τίτλος πρωτοτύπου: My Mistress’s Sparrow is Dead
ISBN 978-960-490-122-7 (Μαλακό εξώφυλλο) [Κυκλοφορεί]
€ 28,53 (Τελ. ενημ: 29/6/2009) · Η τιμή περιλαμβάνει Φ.Π.A. 6,5%.

Διηγήματα – Συλλογές [DDC: 808.8]

Munro, Alice, 1931-. Μ’ αγαπάει δεν μ’ αγαπάει / Άλις Μούνρο · μετάφραση Σοφία Σκουλικάρη. – 1η έκδ. – Αθήνα : Μεταίχμιο, 2003. – 443σ. · 21×14εκ. – (Λογοτεχνία · 53)

Γλώσσα πρωτοτύπου: αγγλικά
Τίτλος πρωτοτύπου: Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage
ISBN 960-375-516-8, ISBN-13 978-960-375-516-6 (Μαλακό εξώφυλλο) [Κυκλοφορεί]
€ 17,70 (Τελ. ενημ: 11/10/2013) · Η τιμή περιλαμβάνει Φ.Π.A. 6,5%.

Αγγλόφωνη πεζογραφία (Καναδάς) – Διήγημα [DDC: 813]

Biobibliographical notes
Alice Munro was born on the 10th of July, 1931 in Wingham, which is in the Canadian province of Ontario. Her mother was a teacher, and her father was a fox farmer. After finishing high school, she began studying journalism and English at the University of Western Ontario, but broke off her studies when she got married in 1951. Together with her husband, she settled in Victoria, British Columbia, where the couple opened a bookstore. Munro started writing stories in her teens, but published her first book-length work in 1968, the story collection Dance of the Happy Shades, which received considerable attention in Canada. She had begun publishing in various magazines from the beginning of the 1950’s. In 1971 she published a collection of stories entitled Lives of Girls and Women, which critics have described as a Bildungsroman.

Munro is primarily known for her short stories and has published many collections over the years. Her works include Who Do You Think You Are? (1978), The Moons of Jupiter (1982), Runaway (2004), The View from Castle Rock (2006) and Too Much Happiness (2009). The collection Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage (2001) became the basis of the film Away from Her from 2006, directed by Sarah Polley. Her most recent collection is Dear Life (2012).

Munro is acclaimed for her finely tuned storytelling, which is characterized by clarity and psychological realism. Some critics consider her a Canadian Chekhov. Her stories are often set in small town environments, where the struggle for a socially acceptable existence often results in strained relationships and moral conflicts – problems that stem from generational differences and colliding life ambitions. Her texts often feature depictions of everyday but decisive events, epiphanies of a kind, that illuminate the surrounding story and let existential questions appear in a flash of lightning.

Alice Munro currently resides in Clinton, near her childhood home in southwestern Ontario.

Major works in English

Dance of the Happy Shades and Other Stories. – Toronto : Ryerson, 1968

Lives of Girls and Women. – Toronto : McGraw-Hill Ryerson, 1971

Something I’ve Been Meaning to Tell You : Thirteen Stories. – Toronto : McGraw-Hill Ryerson, 1974

Who Do You Think You Are? : Stories. – Toronto : Macmillan of Canada, 1978. – Note: also published as The Beggar Maid : Stories of Flo and Rose. – New York : Knopf, 1979

The Moons of Jupiter : Stories. – Toronto : Macmillan of Canada, 1982

The Progress of Love. – Toronto : McClelland and Stewart, 1986

Friend of My Youth : Stories. – Toronto : McClelland and Stewart, 1990

Open Secrets : Stories. – Toronto : McClelland and Stewart, 1994

The Love of a Good Woman : Stories. – Toronto : McClelland and Stewart, 1998

Queenie : A Story. – London : Profile Books/London Review of Books, 1999

Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage : Stories. – Toronto : McClelland and Stewart, 2001

Runaway : Stories. – Toronto : McClelland and Stewart, 2004

The View from Castle Rock : Stories. – Toronto : McClelland and Stewart, 2006

Away from Her. – New York : Vintage, 2007. – Note: contains the short story “The Bear Came Over The Mountain” which was later made into the motion picture Away from her

Too Much Happiness : Stories. – Toronto : McClelland and Stewart, 2009

Dear Life : Stories. – Toronto : McClelland and Stewart, 2012

Collected short stories

Selected Stories. – Toronto : McClelland and Stewart, 1996

No Love Lost. – Toronto : McClelland and Stewart, 2003

Vintage Munro. – New York : Vintage, 2004

Carried Away : A Selection of Stories. – New York : Knopf, 2006

Alice Munro’s Best : Selected Stories. – Toronto : McClelland and Stewart, 2008

New Selected Stories. – London : Chatto & Windus, 2011

Works in French

Pour-qui te prendstu? : roman / traduit de l’anglais par Colette Tonge. – Montréal : Québec/Amérique, 1981. – Traduction de : Who Do You Think You Are?

Les lunes de Jupiter : nouvelles / traduit de l’anglais par Colette Tonge. – Paris : Albin Michel, 1989. – Traduction de : The Moons of Jupiter

Miles city, Montana / traduit de l’anglais par Florence Petry et Jean-Pierre Ricard. – Paris : Deuxtemps Tierce, 1991. – Traduction de : The Progress of Love

Amie de ma jeunesse : nouvelles / traduit de l’anglais par Marie-Odile Fortier-Masek. – Paris : Albin Michel, 1992. – Traduction de : Friend of my Youth

Secrets de Polichinelle : nouvelles / traduit de l’anglais (Canada) par Céline Schwaller-Balaÿ. – Paris : Rivages, 1995. – Traduction de : Open Secrets

L’amour d’une honnête femme : nouvelles / traduit de l’anglais (Canada) par Geneviève Doze. – Paris : Payot et Rivages, 2001. – Traduction de : The Love of a Good Woman

La danse des ombres heureuses : nouvelles/ traduit de l’anglais (Canada) par Geneviève Doze. – Paris : Payot et Rivages, 2002

Un demi-pamplemousse : nouvelles / traduit de l’anglais (Canada) par Michèle Causse. – Paris : Payot & Rivages, 2002

Un peu, beaucoup, pas du tout / traduit de l’anglais (Canada) par Geneviève Doze. – Paris : Payot et Rivages, 2004. – Traduction de : Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage

Loin d’elle / traduit de l’anglais (Canada) par Geneviève Doze. – Paris : Payot & Rivages, 2007

Fugitives / traduit de l’anglais (Canada) par Jacqueline Huet et Jean-Pierre Carasso. – Paris : Olivier. 2008. – Traduction de : Runaway

Du côté de Castle Rock / traduit de l’anglais (Canada) par Jacqueline Huet et Jean-Pierre Carasso. – Paris : Olivier, 2009. – Traduction de : The View from Castle Rock

Trop de bonheur / traduit de l’anglais (Canada) par Jacqueline Huet et Jean-Pierre Carasso. – Paris : Olivier. 2013. – Traduction de : Too Much Happiness

Works in Swedish

Tiggarflickan / översättning av Karin Benecke. – Stockholm : Norstedt, 1984. – Orig:s titel: The Beggar Maid

Jupiters månar : noveller / översättning av Karin Benecke. – Stockholm : Norstedt, 1985. – Orig:s titel: The Moons of Jupiter

Kärlekens vägar : noveller / översättning av Karin Benecke. – Stockholm : Norstedt, 1991. – Orig:s titel: The Progress of Love

Äpplen eller apelsiner : noveller / översättning av Karin Benecke. – Stockholm : Norstedt, 1993. – Orig:s titel: Friend of my Youth

Kärlek, vänskap, hat : noveller / översättning av Rose-Marie Nielsen. – Stockholm : Wahlström & Widstrand, 2003. – Orig:s titel: Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage

Nära hem / översättning: Karin Benecke. – Stockholm : Atlas, 2009. – Urval ur: Progress of Love; Moons of Jupiter; Friend of my Youth

För mycket lycka / översättning: Rose-Marie Nielsen. – Stockholm : Atlas, 2010. – Orig:s titel: Too Much Happiness

Brinnande livet / översättning: Rose-Marie Nielsen. – Stockholm : Atlas, 2013. – Orig:s titel: Dear life

Tiggarflickan / översättning : Karin Benecke. – Ny utg. – Stockholm : Atlas, 2013. – Orig:s titel: The Beggar Maid

Works in Spanish

Las lunas de Júpiter / traducción de Esperanza Pérez Moreno. – Barcelona : Versal, 1990. – Título original: The Moons of Jupiter

El progreso del amor / versión castellana de Flora Casas. – Madrid : Debate, 1990. – Título original: The Progress of Love

Amistad de juventud / traducción de Esperanza Pérez Moreno. – Barcelona : Versal, 1991. – Título original: Friend of My Youth

Secretos a voces / versión castellana de Flora Casas. – Madrid : Debate, 1996. – Título original: Open Secrets

El amor de una mujer generosa : relatos / traducción de Javier Alfaya Bula, José Hamad, Javier Alfaya McShane. – Madrid : Siglo XXI de España, 2002. – Título original: The Love of a Good Woman

Odio, amistad, noviazgo, amor, matrimonio / traducción de Marcelo Cohen. – Barcelona : RBA, 2003. – Título original: Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage

Escapada / traducción de Carmen Aguilar. – Barcelona : RBA, 2005. – Título original: Runaway

La vista desde Castle Rock / traducción de Isabel Ferrer y Carlos Milla. – Barcelona : RBA, 2008. – Título original: The View from Castle Rock

Demasiada felicidad / traducción de Flora Casas. – Barcelona : Lumen, 2010. – Título original: Too Much Happiness

La vida de las mujeres / traducción de Aurora Echevarría. – Barcelona : Lumen, 2011. – Título original: Lives of Girls and Women

Mi vida querida / traducción de Eugenia Vázquez Nacarino. – Barcelona : Lumen, 2013. – Título original: Dear Life

Works in German

Das Bettlermädchen : Geschichten von Flo und Rose / Aus dem Amerikan. übers. von Hildegard Petry. – Stuttgart : Klett-Cotta, 1981. – Originaltitel: Who Do You Think You Are?

Kleine Aussichten : ein Roman von Mädchen und Frauen / Aus dem Amerikan. übers. von Hildegard Petry. – Stuttgart : Klett-Cotta, 1983. – Originaltitel: Lives of Girls and Women

Die Jupitermonde : Erzählungen / Aus dem Amerikan. übers. von Manfred Ohl und Hans Sartorius. – Stuttgart : Klett-Cotta, 1986. – Originaltitel: The Moons of Jupiter

Der Mond über der Eisbahn : Liebesgeschichten / Aus dem Amerikan. übers. von Helga Huisgen. – Stuttgart : Klett-Cotta, 1989. – Originaltitel: The Progress of Love

Glaubst du, es war Liebe? : Erzählungen / Aus dem Engl. übers. von Karen Nölle-Fischer. – Stuttgart : Klett-Cotta, 1991. – Originaltitel: Friend of my Youth

Offene Geheimnisse : Erzählungen / Aus dem Engl. von Karen Nölle-Fischer. – Stuttgart : Klett-Cotta, 1996. – Originaltitel: Open Secrets

Die Liebe einer Frau : drei Erzählungen und ein kurzer Roman / Aus dem Engl. von Heidi Zerning. – Frankfurt am Main : S. Fischer, 2000. – Originaltitel: The Love of a Good Woman

Der Traum meiner Mutter : Erzählungen / Aus dem Engl. von Heidi Zerning. – Frankfurt am Main : S. Fischer, 2002

Himmel und Hölle : neun Erzählungen / Aus dem Engl. von Heidi Zerning. – Frankfurt am Main : S. Fischer, 2004. – Originaltitel: Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage

Tricks : acht Erzählungen / Aus dem Engl. von Heidi Zerning. – Frankfurt am Main : S. Fischer, 2006. – Originaltitel: Runaway

Wozu wollen Sie das wissen? : elf Erzählungen / Aus dem Engl. von Heidi Zerning. – Frankfurt am Main : S. Fischer, 2008. – Originaltitel: The View from Castle Rock

Der Bär kletterte über den Berg : drei Dreiecksgeschichten / Aus dem Engl. von Heidi Zerning. – Berlin : Wagenbach, 2008

Tanz der seligen Geister : fünfzehn Erzählungen / Aus dem Engl. von Heidi Zerning. – Zürich : Dörlemann, 2010. – Originaltitel: Dance of the Happy Shades

Zu viel Glück : zehn Erzählungen / Aus dem Engl. von Heidi Zerning. – Frankfurt am Main : S. Fischer, 2011. – Originaltitel: Too Much Happiness

Was ich dir schon immer sagen wollte : dreizehn Erzählungen / Aus dem Engl. von Heidi Zerning. – Zürich : Dörlemann, 2012. – Originaltitel: Something I’ve Been Meaning to Tell You

Critical studies (a selection)

Probable Fictions : Alice Munro’s Narrative Acts / edited by Louis K. MacKendrick. – Downsview, Ont. : ECW Press, 1983

Dahlie, Hallvard, Alice Munro and Her Works. – Toronto, Ont. : ECW Press, 1984

The Art of Alice Munro : Saying the Unsayable : Papers From the Waterloo Conference / edited by Judith Miller. – Waterloo, Ont. : University of Waterloo Press, 1984

Martin, W. R., Alice Munro : Paradox and Parallel. – Edmonton, Alta. : University of Alberta Press, 1986

Blodgett, E. D., Alice Munro. – Boston : Twayne, 1988

Carrington, Ildikó de Papp, Controlling the Uncontrollable : The Fiction of Alice Munro. – DeKalb : Northern Illinois University Press, 1989

Rasporich, Beverly Jean, Dance of the Sexes : Art and Gender in the Fiction of Alice Munro. – Edmonton, Alta. : University of Alberta Press, 1990

Redekop, Magdalene, Mothers and Other Clowns : The Stories of Alice Munro. – London: Routledge, 1992

Carscallen, James, The Other Country : Patterns in the Writing of Alice Munro. – Toronto : ECW Press, 1993

Heble, Ajay, The Tumble of Reason : Alice Munro’s Discourse of Absence. – Toronto : University of Toronto Press, 1994

Howells, Coral Ann, Alice Munro. – Manchester : Manchester University Press, 1998

The Rest of the Story : Critical Essays on Alice Munro / edited by Robert Thacker. – Toronto : ECW Press, 1999

Munro, Sheila, Lives of Mothers & Daughters : Growing Up With Alice Munro. – Toronto : McClelland & Stewart, 2001

Thacker, Robert, Munro : Writing Her Lives : a Biography. – Toronto : Douglas Gibson, 2005

Mazur, Carol, Alice Munro : An Annotated Bibliography of Works and Criticism / compiled by Carol Mazur ; edited by Cathy Moulder. – Lanham, Md. : Scarecrow Press, 2007

Hooper, Brad, The Fiction of Alice Munro : An Appreciation. – Westport, Conn. : Praeger, 2008

Skagert, Ulrica, Possibility-Space and Its Imaginative Variations in Alice Munro’s Short Stories. – Stockholm : Stockholm University, 2008

Alice Munro / edited and with an introduction by Harold Bloom. – New York : Bloom’s Literary Criticism, 2009

Duncan, Isla, Alice Munro’s Narrative Art. – New York : Palgrave Macmillan, 2011

Alice Munro / Charles E. May, editor. – Ipswich, Mass. : Salem Press, 2013

The Swedish Academy

Source:greekirishsociety

The Greek-Irish Society was founded in 1977 with the aim of developing social and cultural relations between the people of Ireland and Greece. It also serves as a focal point for Irish people living and working in Greece, as well as for people of all nationalities living in Greece who are interested in finding out more about Ireland and its people.

A series of events is held from September to June, including table quizzes, walks, lectures, taverna nights, a family Christmas lunch, a New Year’s pita cutting, an annual tour. The highlight of the society’s year is the annual St Patrick’s Day Ball, held on or around March 17 at the Hotel Grande Bretagne in Athens.

The society publishes a monthly newsletter which contains not only information on the society’s activities but also details of events taking place in Athens and Greece of interest to our members.

The society is a non-profit making, non-sectarian, and non-political body. Anyone with an interest in Ireland is welcome to join. Membership runs from September to August each year and costs €20 for an individual and €25 for a family.

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NAME OF STATE

The Irish Constitution provides that the name of the State is Eire, or in the English language, Ireland. Normal practice is to restrict the user of the name Eire to texts in the Irish language and to use Ireland in all English language texts, with corresponding translations for texts in other languages. The Republic of Ireland Act of 1948 provides for the description of the State as the Republic of Ireland but this provision has not changed the usage Ireland as the name of the state in the English language.

Τhe etymology of the name Eire is uncertain and various theories have been advanced.There is no doubt, however, that it is of considerable antiquity. It first appears as Ιέρνη (Ierne) in Greek geographical writings which may be based on sources as early as the fifth century B.C IN Ptolemy;s Map (ca. 150 A.D.) the name appears as Ιουερνίχ (Iouernia) some such form was transliterated into Latin as Iuverna. The standard Latin form, Hibernia, first appears in the works of Caesar, who seems to have confused it with the Latin word hibernus (wintry). Eriu, the Old Irish form of Eire, was current in the earliest Irish literature. The modern English word Ireland derives from the Irish word Eire with the addition of Germanic word land.

In Irish mythology, Eriu was one of three divine eponyms for Ireland, together with Banda and Fodla. The idea of Ireland as a heroine re-appears as a common motif in later literature in both Irish and English.

 

FLAG

The national flag of Ireland is a tricolour of green, white and orange. The tricolour is rectangular in shape, the width being twice its depth. The three colours are of equal size, vertically disposed, and the green is displayed next to the staff.

The flag was first introduced by Thomas Francis Meagher during the revolutinary year of 1848 as an emblem of the Young Ireland movement, and it was often seen at meetings alonside the French tricolour.

The green represents the older Gaelic and Anglo-Norman element in the population,while the orange represents the Protestant plnter stock, supporters of William of Orange. The meaning of the white as well expressed by Meagher when he introduced the flag. ‘The white in the centre,’ he said ‘signifies a lasting truce between the ‘Orange’ and the ‘Green’ and I trust that beneath its folds the hands of the Irish Protestant and the Irish Catholic may be clasped in heroic brotherhood’

It was not until the Rising of 1916, when it was raised above the General Post Office in Dublin, that the tricolour came to be regarded as the national flag. It rapidly gained precedence over any which had existed before it, and its use as a national flag is enshrined in the Constitution of Ireland.

 

ARMS

The heraldic harp is invariably used by the government, its agencies and its representatives at home and abroad. It is engaraved on the seal matrix of the office of President as well as on the reverse of the coinage of the state. It is also emblazoned on the distinctive flag of the President of Ireland-a gold harp with silver strings on an azure field.

The model for the artistic representation of the heraldic harp is the fourteenth century harp now preserved in the Museum of Trinity College, Dublin, popularly known as the Brian Boru harp.

 

NATIONAL ANTHEM

The text of The Soldier’s Song (Amhran na bhFiann), consisting of three stanzas and a chorus, was written in 1907 by Peadar Kearney, who together with Patrick Heeney also composed the music. It was first published in the newspaper, Irish Freedom, in 1912. The chorus was formally adopted as the National Anthem in 1926, displacing the earlier Fenian anthem, God Save Ireland. A section of the National Anthem (consisting of the first four bars followed by the last five) is also the Presidential Salute.

Information supplied courtesy of the Embassy of Ireland, Athens. Issued by the Department of Foreign Affairs, Dublin.

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The members who signed the appeal for the founding of the society:

Yiannis Gioulis
Robert Smith
Mary Camarias
Tom Raftery
Nickolas Lambrinides
Mary Gioulis
Maureen Brown
John Daly
Margaret Daly
Pender Kamenos
Michalakis Kamenos
Jimmy Camarias
Penny Smith
Norman Power
Stella Power
Peter O’Leary
Barbara McConnell
Thanos Politis
Eamon Delaney

This Society was founded in 1977 and Registered under the Number. 167/81 decision of Polymeles Protodekion Athenon. In 30-1-1981

 

Pender Rhona & Kammenos Lakis

Back in 1977 I had been living in Greece for some years. I knew only one other Irish person here – my good friend Sandi Toomey – and I was feeling rather cut off from my roots. I felt sure that there must be other Irish people in Greece who, like myself, had integrated into Greek life but felt the need for an Irish dimension to this. With the arrival of Sean Ronan as the first Irish Ambassador I took the initiative to suggest to him that it would be a good idea to form some kind of association where Irish people and others interested in Ireland and things Irish could get together.Although the Embassy could not take an active part in this Ambassador Ronan helped me get in touch with people who he thought would be interested. Thus started the Greek Irish Society. Arter a few phone calls the first meeting was held in my home in Ampelokipi. The first person to cross the threshold was Peter O’Leary who I am happy to say, remains a member to this day. After this meeting the society gathered momentum. Through work, will, and good humour the Greek Irish Society finally became a state registered entity, helped on its way by the wonderful people who are all part of what it is today. They say any society is as strong as its members and based on the present evidence the future of the Greek Irish Society is assured as it continues to go from strength to strength.

 

Yiannis & Mary Gioulis

My late husband, Yiannis, and I joined the fledgling Society in the late seventies. Over the years we both served a number of terms on the Committee. Yiannis was elected President shortly after the Society was made official. In subsequent years, because of his love of and interest in Ireland, he was an active and committed member of the GIS. He designed our letter heading which shows a combination of the Greek Key design and an ancient Celtic design. He also designed the Society’s seal which shows, as well as the Irish harp, Athena’s owl, seated on an olive branch. Yiannis was always very happy mixing with people in the Society and we both enjoyed the cultural and social events together. I think he went out of his way to make people feel comfortable, especially newcomers. Very sadly, this much-loved husband, father and friend died in 1993 at the age of only forty-six. We all continue to miss him very much.

 

Peter O’Leary

Teacher, singer, composer and poet comes from Galway, Ireland. He studied singing in London and Athens where he has given many recitals. In 1983 he won a place at the Montalvo Center for the Arts, Saratoga, California where he composed six settings of poems by W. B. Yeats and one from his own book of poems called “Tides of the Heart”. These he recorded in 1983 for R.T.E. (Irish Television and Radio).

 

Norman & Stella Power

Norman is a founding member of the Society and past President.He is the keeper of the Archives for the Society.Prior to his recent retirement, Norman was Vice President for Academic Affairs at the American College of Greece. Norman has taught courses in literature at the American College of Greece, The University of Athens, The British Council and at Smith College in the United States. He has also lectured for the Society.

 

Barbara McConnell-Zotou

Originally from Dublin, I came to Athens in the summer of 1977 to work at the Embassy of Ireland which had just been accredited to Greece. Working at the Embassy enabled me to get to know members of the Irish community who had settled here and who were anxious to get together socially.
In the beginning a small group of us used to meet for taverna evenings which quickly graduated to grand dinners and parties in one another’s homes. It was at such an event that we decided that we should form a society and organise not only social events but cultural and sports on a regular basis.
The hard-core members formed a committee and I was one of those and was a continuous committee member for 7 years running. We were a relatively small group of about 20 people in those days and I can remember some wonderful events like a weekend spent in Aghia Marina, Aegina when a boatload of us descended on the island and had a wonderful few days of song, fun and adventure. Other very enjoyable events I recall were a series of Irish play-readings performed by Society members which were very enlightening as to the latent talent that lay untapped!
Getting to grips with the legalities involved in the formation of the society meant a lot of hard work and lengthy regular committee meetings. Our committee meetings often turned into banquets and in particular I remember the warm and wonderful hospitality of Stella and Norman Power, Norman being President at the time. It took months to draw up the Constitution and have it registered but it was all worth it and we have come a long way since those days!!
Returning to myself; I married my husband,(Spyros Zotos) in the early ’80s. We had met up in London, where he was at college and I was working for the Irish Tourist Board. We have one daughter, Niki, who is in her 2nd year of studies at University College Dublin. I continue to work at the Embassy and am very much involved in Irish community activities. The Society has been a great help to new arrivals to find friends and make contacts when they come to Athens. For those of us who have been here for many years it has been a way of seeing one another regularly and thus deep friendships have formed between fellow members.

 

Robert & Penny Smith

Robert and Penny Smith came to Greece on March 17th 1969 for two years and are still here. They were involved in the founding the Greek Irish Society together with the first Irish Ambassador to Greece, Sean Ronan and other worthies some of whom we have sadly lost but many others still here and very active in the Society.
Robert’s career is in the Shipping business but his great love is old cars. This illness started as a child on a farm in Co Meath when he learned to drive a Fordson Major at the age of 6 and was given an old Armstrong Siddeley car by a friend of his father when he was 13 on condition that he did it up and gave it back whenever the owner wanted it.
He is now Vice President and President of the Technical Committee of PHILPA (Friends of Old Cars) the Greek Antique Car Club and spends too much of his time with this activity. Penny and Robert are lucky enough to be able to rally their old cars all over Greece and have done some events in other parts of Europe.

 

Source: thenationalherald

The Third annual commemoration of the Greece’s resounding “NO-OXI” to the forces of fascism on October 28, 1940 and the celebration of the courage of those who fight to preserve and promote freedom and democracy around the world will be presented by The Washington Oxi Day Foundation October 23-25 in Washington, DC.

The gathering, which will be attended by people from across the country and around the world, culminates in a Black Tie Dinner and Presentation of Oxi Day Awards the evening of October 24.

The recipients include Kenyan journalist and anti-corruption crusader John Githongo, introduced via video by pop music icon Bono, and Cuban dissident and leader of the Women in White organization, Berta Soler.

The keynote speaker will be noted financier Jim Chanos.

Source: iefimerida

Iσχυρή σεισμική δόνηση ταρακούνησε το απόγευμα του Σαββάτου το νομό Χανίων, ενώ ο εγκέλαδος έγινε αισθητός σε όλο το λεκανοπέδιο Αττικής.

Οι πρώτες εκτιμήσεις κάνουν λόγο για μέγεθος 6,2 βαθμών, ενώ το Γεωδυναμικό Ινστιτούτο του αστεροσκοπείου Αθηνών ανακοίνωσε ότι η δόνηση σημειώθηκε δυτικά του νομού Χανίων με εστιακό βάθος 12 χλμ.

Το Ευρωμεσογειακό Ινστιτούτο κάνει λόγο για σεισμό 6 βαθμών σε απόσταση 60 χλμ από τα Χανιά, ενώ ανησυχητική είναι η διάρκεια του σεισμού που υπολογίζεται κοντά στα δέκα δευτερόλεπτα.

Ο σεισμός έγινε αισθητός σε ολόκληρη την Πελοπόννησο -από τη Σπάρτη μέχρι και την Πάτρα- όπως και στην Αττική.

Σύμφωνα με το «Flashnews.gr» (με ειδήσεις από την Κρήτη) η δόνηση ήταν μεγάλης διάρκειας και έχουν σημειωθεί υλικές ζημιές σε σπίτια και καταστήματα.

Source: Hellenic News Of America

“The Loukoumi book series has long been a friend to children, opening their eyes to the world around them. This time, it provides comfort and assurance to kids who are frightened and bewildered by bullying. A worthy subject. We at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital are honored to be beneficiaries of such a noble project.”

-Marlo Thomas, National Outreach Director
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital

NEW YORK: Have you ever been bullied about your name? Has your child come home from school complaining about an interaction with a schoolyard bully? Bullying plagues students in schools around the world, and now Oscar Winners Morgan Freeman, Olympia Dukakis and Oscar Nominee Nia Vardalos lead an all-star cast in the audio narration of the new book, Loukoumi And The Schoolyard Bully by Nick Katsoris (November 2013: Dream Day Press), which teaches kids that bullying is not cool. Proceeds from the book benefit St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

In Loukoumi And The Schoolyard Bully, Loukoumi is about to have a baby brother. When her friends discuss what to name him, schoolyard bully, Igor the alligator, ridicules Loukoumi’s name, which Loukoumi explains means “sweet” in Greek and is a type of jelly candy with powdered sugar on top. During the course of the day, through several common interactions, Igor realizes that he and Loukoumi are more alike than he thought. In the end, he learns that bullying is not cool, and although Loukoumi’s name is different, everyone is really all the same.

The book includes an audio download of the story narrated by Nia Vardalos, Oscar nominated screenwriter and star of My Big Fat Greek Wedding, and author of the bestselling book Instant Mom. Oscar winner Morgan Freeman voices the role of the schoolyard bully, Igor the alligator. Other character voices, reprising their roles from past Loukoumi audio books, include Oscar winner Olympia Dukakis as Marika the monkey, Grammy Winner Gloria Gaynor as Fistiki the Cat, Days of Our Lives star John Aniston as Loukoumi’s Daddy, Tony Nominee Constantine Maroulis as Gus the bear, Actor Frank Dicopoulos as Dean the dog and CBS News anchor Alexis Christoforous as Loukoumi.

Also appearing in the book is the new character of Oinkerella the pig, which was inspired by Caila Tsamutalis, the 10 year-old winner of the Loukoumi Illuatration Contest. Sponsored by Katsoris, the contest called on young illustrators to draw a new character to be featured in Loukoumi And The Schoolyard Bully. Ten finalists were chosen and the winner was selected by a combination of Facebook voting and a celebrity judging panel including Celebrity Chef Cat Cora, Alexis Christoforous, Frank Dicopoulos, and FOX News anchor Ernie Anastos.

About the Author:

Loukoumi And The Schoolyard Bully is Nick Katsoris’ sixth book in the Loukoumi series. Other titles include the iParenting Media award-winning: Loukoumi, Growing up with Loukoumi, Loukoumi’s Good Deeds, Loukoumi’s Gift and Loukoumi’s Celebrity Cookbook. The Cookbook features favorite childhood recipes by over 50 celebrities including Beyonce, Jennifer Aniston, Oprah Winfrey, Taylor Swift, Justin Timberlake, Nicole Kidman, Reese Witherspoon, George Stephanopoulos, Betty White, several Disney Channel stars, and many others. The Cookbook reached #1 on the Amazon.com children’s cookbook list in January 2012 and received several awards including two World Cookbook Awards, The Mom’s Choice Award for Excellence and The Family Choice Award. The Loukoumi books have also been translated into Greek and plans are underway for a Greek-language Cookbook edition this November.

Based on the themes in his books, Katsoris sponsors several programs including the Growing Up With Loukoumi Dream Day contest, which grants kids the opportunity to spend the day in their dream careers. He also sponsors Make a Difference with Loukoumi Day, based on his book Loukoumi’s Good Deeds (narrated on CD by Jennifer Aniston and John Aniston), which rallies 20,000 kids each October to do a good deed on national Make a Difference Day. In addition, the winner of the Loukoumi’s Celebrity Cookbook recipe contest, Grace LaFountain, cooked her favorite childhood recipe with celebrity chef Cat Cora at Cat’s restaurant, Kouzzina, on the BoardWalk in Walt Disney World during the 2012 Epcot Food and Wine Festival.

Katsoris is a New York attorney and president of the Hellenic Times Scholarship Fund, which has awarded over 850 scholarships totaling over $2 million. Nick is also a board member of Chefs for Humanity, has worked on a Loukoumi literacy awareness program with the National Ladies Philoptochos Society, and is a member of Kiwanis International, where he was the keynote speaker at their 2013 international convention’s Faith and Humor breakfast in Vancouver, Canada. Nick is also author of the legal thriller Crimes of Fire. He currently resides in Eastchester, New York, with his wife, Voula, a real estate attorney, and their children, Dean and Julia.

About St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital:

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is the global leader in finding cures and saving children from cancer and other deadly diseases. St. Jude freely shares discoveries made and every child saved at St. Jude means doctors and scientists can use that knowledge to save thousands more children around the world. Unlike any other hospital, St. Jude relies on funding from the general public. As a result, families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food. For more information, please visit stjude.org.

About Nia Vardalos:
Nia Vardalos is the Academy Award and Golden Globe nominated actress and writer of My Big Fat Greek Wedding. An alumnus of The Second City comedy theater, she also starred in and wrote Connie and Carla and I Hate Valentine’s Day, starred in My Life In Ruins, and co-wrote Larry Crowne with Tom Hanks. Born and raised in Canada, Vardalos now resides in Los Angeles with her husband, their daughter, and many pets and is currently working on balancing her acting and writing career with motherhood and adoption advocacy.

About Morgan Freeman:

Morgan Freeman is an actor, film director, and narrator. Freeman has received Academy Award nominations for his performances in Street Smart, Driving Miss Daisy, The Shawshank Redemption and Invictus and won in 2005 for Million Dollar Baby. He has also won a Golden Globe Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award. Freeman has appeared in many other box office hits, including Unforgiven, Glory, Seven, Deep Impact, The Sum of All Fears, Bruce Almighty, Kiss the Girls, Along Came a Spider, The Dark Knight trilogy, and March of the Penguins.

Source: MykonosGuy

Meet Clara, Lea and Abraham– three of the 275 survivors of the Jewish community of Zakynthos who were hidden from the Nazis. Our set photographer and the newest member of the “No Man is an Island” team, Roy Schweiger, met them today and began preliminary interviews in Tel Aviv.

As we continue to raise funds for our short film about the survival of the Jewish community of the Greek Island of Zakynthos during the Holocaust, we’ve come into first contact with living, breathing Jewish survivors from the time– Clara, Lea and Abraham– who were 16, 8 and 10 years old respectively during the Nazi occupation when they were hidden.

Living in Tel Aviv and speaking only Greek and Hebrew, the three will be amongst many survivors the Steven Priovolos and I will tape during a visit to Israel in December to hear their stories about their lives in hiding in Zakynthos during the dark years of the Nazi occupation.

No Man is an Island will be a dramatic short, with actors, a definitive story based on a beautiful script written by Mia Christou and the actual footage of these survivors will not be used in the actual film. Their testimonies, however, will be included in bonus footage for educational purposes and for presentation on our website.

Please consider a donation to the No Man is an Island film project. Your donation is tax-deductible and will support an amazing story of humanity’s victory over hatred when the residents of a Greek Island stared Hitler’s tyranny and terror in the face and defied it point blank.

At a time when Greek ideals and the credibility of Greece itself is questioned due to the rise of unnatural and un-Greek new-Nazis– stories like No Man is an Island must make the headlines, instead of the vile and hate of those who disparage Greece. Help us.

Police question Elias Chacour, head of Melkite Greek Catholic Church in Israel, over lewd acts he allegedly committed five years ago

Elias Chacour, the archbishop of Akko, Haifa, Nazareth and all of Galilee of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church is suspected of sexually harassing a woman who works in the community he heads, Ynet learned on Wednesday.

Earlier this week Chacour was questioned under caution for a number of hours.

He was released on bail under restricting conditions.

According to the police, the incident in question took place some five years ago and they are not aware of any others.

The woman filed the compliant some two years ago, but due to the suspect’s status, various law enforcement agencies had to give their authorization before an investigation was launched.

Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein approved the investigation against Chacour, which is headed by Israel Police’s National Fraud Unit.

The archbishop reportedly cooperated with the investigators but has denied the allegations.

The investigators, however, found the complainant’s version to be credible.