Διάλεξη καθηγητή Θεοδόση Τάσιου για την αρχαία ελληνική τεχνολογία (Βαρσοβία, 27/3/2012)

Διάλεξη με θέμα «Εισαγωγή στην αρχαία ελληνική τεχνολογία» έδωσε στις 27 Μαρτίου στη Βαρσοβία ο καθηγητής του Εθνικού Μετσόβιου Πολυτεχνείου, Θεοδόσης Τάσιος.
Η διάλεξη διοργανώθηκε από τον Σύνδεσμο Ελλήνων Επιχειρηματιών στην Πολωνία «Ερμής», σε συνεργασία με το Τεχνικό Επιμελητήριο Ελλάδας, και πραγματοποιήθηκε στο Μουσείο Τεχνικής της Βαρσοβίας.
Στην εισαγωγή, ο καθηγητής υπογράμμισε ότι η τεχνολογία αποτελούσε σημαντικότατη πλευρά της ζωής των αρχαίων Ελλήνων, οι οποίοι “πίστευαν ότι η τεχνολογία ήταν δώρο των θεών”. 
Αναφέρθηκε στις εξαιρετικές τεχνικές ικανότητες των Αχαιών, ήδη από τους μυκηναϊκούς χρόνους (αποξήρανση Κωπαϊδας τον 4ο αι. π.Χ., μυκηναϊκοί θόλοι, μυκηναϊκά πλοία σε ολόκληρη την Μεσόγειο) και στην ριζική μεταβολή στην τεχνολογία που παρατηρείται γύρω στο 600 π.Χ. σε ελληνικές χώρες και κυρίως, στην Ιωνία, με την ανάπτυξη της επιστήμης και της γεωμετρίας (χάραξη από τον Ευπαλίνο της σήραγγας στη Σάμο, κατασκευή μουσικών οργάνων, μηχανοποίηση ανύψωσης φορτίων στα μεταλλουργεία Λαυρίου, ναυπήγηση «τριήρεων», πολεμικές μηχανές (καταπέλτης) κ.ά).
Περνώντας στην ελληνιστική εποχή, υποστήριξε ότι η αλεξανδρινή τεχνολογία αποτέλεσε την “κορύφωση της δισχιλιετούς ελληνικής τεχνολογίας” και περιέγραψε, μεταξύ άλλων, μηχανές του Κτησίβιου, όπως οι αντλίες-κοχλίες και το μουσικό όργανο «ύδραυλις», καθώς και επιτεύγματα του Αρχιμήδη σε πέντε επιστήμες, όπως οι μελέτες για την ευστάθεια των πλοίων και η κατά των Ρωμαίων άμυνα των Συρακουσών (με γερανούς).
Προβλήθηκε, στη συνέχεια, η βραβευμένη ταινία «Δίολκος», παραγωγής του Τεχνικού Επιμελητηρίου Ελλάδας, με δημιουργό και αφηγητή τον καθηγητή Τάσιο, η οποία αναπαριστά ένα εξαιρετικό μνημείο τεχνικού πολιτισμού της αρχαίας Ελλάδας, μία οδό από ξηράς για την μεταφορά πλοίων ανάμεσα στον Σαρωνικό και τον Κορινθιακό κόλπο.
Ακολούθησε συζήτηση με το κοινό, το οποίο αποτελούσαν καθηγητές του Τμήματος Ελληνικών Σπουδών και άλλων τμημάτων του Πανεπιστημίου Βαρσοβίας, μέλη του Συνδέσμου Ελλήνων Επιχειρηματιών, πολωνοί φιλέλληνες, ομογενείς κ.ά.
Στην διοργάνωση και την προβολή της εκδήλωσης συμμετείχε το Γραφείο Τύπου, το οποίο παρέστη στην διάλεξη.

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2010: 34.000 Foreign Media News Items on Greek Crisis

The Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy (ELIAMEP) together with the Association of Greek Press Attaches hosted a conference on Foreign Media and Greece’s country image in the economic crisis on May 31. 
According to statistical figures presented, in 2010 only, foreign media from 28 countries reported on the Greek economic crisis publishing 34,000 news items, which represents 60% of the total amount of news items on Greece altogether for the year.
Britain was the country with the most copious reports on Greece in general and the London Financial Times was the newspaper, which covered the economic crisis more frequently and extensively, at a global level.
(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)

Foreign Media and Greece`s Country Image in the Economic Crisis

On May 31, the Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy (ELIAMEP) together with the Association of Greek Press Attaches is hosting a conference on Foreign Media and Greece’s country image in the economic crisis.
The event will be held at the premises of the Secretariat General of Information in Athens. The conference will be addressed by the General Director of the Greek Foundation for Economic and Industrial Research (IOBE) Yannis Stournaras, the General Director of the Greek-German Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Martin Knapp, journalist Maria Houkli, French media correspondent, Alexia Kefalas and Bodossakis Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow, George Tzogopoulos.
(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)

Tourism: challenges and priorities outlined by PM George Papandreou

Addressing the 19th General Assembly of the Association of Greek Tourism Enterprises (SETE) on 4th May, Prime Minister George Papandreou outlined the priorities, the goals and the successes of the government policy in tourism sector and the promotion of Greece abroad. Papandreou focused on the simplification of the licensing process in tourist investments, stressing that tourism should be one of the basic pillars for boosting the Greek economy.
“In the coming months there will be a licensing simplification in investments and facilitation of visa issuing for nationals of emerging economies such as China and Russia. […] There will also be a reduction in the prices of sea transport tickets, as well as in landing and take-off fees at several airports,” said Papandreou noting that the tourism industry has been reporting positive signs as what is being offered is quality service at good prices.
Referring to the enormous potential of Internet and social networking, Papandreou hailed the online promotion of Greece via the official site of Visit Greece, the newly launched my-greece.gr, and through social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Flickr and YouTube.
Prime Minister.GR: Tourism policy – Results (in Greek); YouTube: You in Greece Campaign [VIDEO]
(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)

Online petition to save department of Greek Studies at King`s College London

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA) A petition has been submitted in an effort to persuade King’s College London not to dismantle the department of Byzantine & Modern Greek Studies at the university.
“We would like to express our deep concerns over the projected dismemberment of the Department of Byzantine and Modern Greek Studies at King’s College London. […]

The great strength of King’s has always been that it is the only university in the UK to offer a combined programme in Byzantine and Modern Greek Studies, thus  emphasising the importance of continuity through the centuries,” reads the petition which may be found at:
http://www.petitiononline.com/sdbmgs10/petition.html
Foundation of the Hellenic World:  The Byzantine Empire &  
Modern Greek Studies Association: www.mgsa.org & European Society for Modern Greek Studies: www.eens.org

Conferences in Greece

Sound & Audiovisual Archives

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA) The International Association of Sound and Audiovisual Archives (IASA- 2009) conference “Towards the new kind of Archive? The Digital Philosophy in Audiovisual Archives” hosted by the Hellenic National Audiovisual Archive is taking place in Athens from September 20 to 25, at the Megaron Athens International Conference Centre.

The role of audiovisual archives in the new technological environment and how distinct the roles are of the various cultural heritage institutions, what methods and techniques will ensure the accountability and continuity of the audiovisual content, are some of the themes the conference participants will address.   The event will also celebrate the 40th anniversary since the establishment of IASA, which was envisioned as a medium for international co-operation between archives that preserve recorded sound and audiovisual documents. It now counts members from more than 60 countries representing a broad palette of audiovisual archives and personal interests.  IASA: Preliminary Conference Programme

Informatics in the Balkans

The 4^th Balkan Conference in Informatics (BCI 2009) is taking place in Thessaloniki from September 17 to 19. The aim of the conference is to provide a forum for discussion and dissemination of research achievements, to promote interaction and collaboration among scientists from the Balkans and beyond, as well as to encourage the involvement of young researchers from the region.

Greek Beautiful Minds

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)  President of the Hellenic Republic Karolos Papoulias honoured Dr. Constantinos Daskalakis, a 28-year-old postdoctoral researcher, who was recently awarded the 2008 Doctoral Dissertation Award from the Association of Computing Machinery (ACM) for his work “The Complexity of Computing a Nash Equilibrium.”  Daskalakis’s dissertation provides an algorithmic perspective on Game Theory and the concept of the Nash equilibrium. In fact, Daskalakis examines whether rational individuals can arrive at a state where no single one of them would be better off switching strategies unless others did so as well.  Such a state is called ‘Nash equilibrium’, in honour of the brilliant mathematician John Nash, who defined it, and is traditionally used in Game Theory. Daskalakis managed to show that in complex systems the Nash equilibrium is computationally unachievable in some cases, answering an algorithmic question that has been open since John Nash’s definition of the concept in the 1950s.  A graduate of the National Technical University of Athens with a degree in electrical and computer engineering, Daskalakis is an assistant professor in the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science department of Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and a member of MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory.

Journal of Modern Greek Studies

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)   Praised as “a magnificent scholarly journal” by Choice magazine, the Journal of Modern Greek Studies is a semi-annual publication devoted to all aspects of Modern Greek scholarship, published every May and October. Contributors include internationally acclaimed scholars in the fields of history, literature, anthropology, politics, Byzantine and modern Greece studies. The journal is edited by a board of scholars appointed by the Modern Greek Studies Association.  Modern Greek Studies cover the Greek world from the fall of the Byzantine Empire to the present. Interdisciplinary programmes pertaining to the language, literature, culture, history and politics of modern Greece have been established worldwide. Many of these programmes sponsor books, regular conferences, graduate fellowships, and translation prizes.

New Members at Parthenon Sculptures Reunification

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)   Switzerland and Finland are two new members of the International Association for the Reunification of the Parthenon Sculptures. This association, consisting of various national committees, has been formed with the objective of supporting the return of all the “surviving” Parthenon Sculptures in the New Acropolis Museum in Athens. The addition of the Finnish and the Swiss Committees brings the number of participants to 17, including countries like Germany, the USA and United Kingdom. The Chairman of the Association David Hill (Australia), underlined the fact that consistent expansion of the association membership – since it was formed in 2005 – is a powerful reminder of the widespread and growing support around the world for the reunification of the Parthenon Sculptures. More information: Marbles Reunited

A Guide to Quirky Athens

Times Online (30.1.2009): “”The Greek capital is the latest destination in our regular series that looks at the surprising side of business cities”  Since the Olympic Games returned to Athens in the year 2004, the Greek capital has become an increasingly popular destination for conferences. The International Congress and Convention Association rank the city as the 20th most popular in the world, with conference organisers drawn by newly modernised infrastructure, good hotels, rich history and a pleasant climate. The article discusses shopping, nightlife, travel, and accommodation options in the city which are “quirky” or off the beaten track. Information: Breathtaking Athens – The official city of Athens visitors’ website

Greek President at the International Association of Hydrogeologists

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)    Geology professor at Athens University Giorgos Stournaras has been appointed president of the International Association of Hydrogeologists (IAH). IAH is an international organisation for researches and professionals working in the field of groundwater resource planning, management and protection. Founded in 1956, the association now numbers more than 3,500 members in more than 135 countries. Giorgos Stournaras is a professor at the Faculty of Geology & Geoenvironment at Athens University and President of the Hellenic Committee of Hydrogeology.

Vatican Lends to Greece Parthenon Fragment

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)   The Vatican has given a fragment of the Parthenon’s frieze to Greece on a one-year loan, fulfilling a request by late Archbishop Christodoulos to Pope Benedict XVI, and it is on display at the New Acropolis Museum in Athens. “This gesture sets an example for others to follow and finally restore the unity of the Parthenon Marbles,” Culture Minister Michalis Liapis said. The Vatican fragment follows the repatriation of the “Palermo fragment”, another piece of the Parthenon marbles which had been kept at the Museum of Palermo in Italy and which was returned to the Hellenic Republic on the occasion of the Italian president’s official visit to Greece in September. Kathimerini daily: Vatican lends museum Parthenon fragment; Greek News Agenda: Italian President in Athens International Association for the Reunification of the Parthenon Sculptures: www.parthenoninternational.org; Secretariat General of Information: World Media on Greece – Acropolis and the Parthenon Marbles

Hellenic Technology Clusters

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)   In today’s competitive world, cross-industry synergies have become a necessary core competency, making clusters of enterprises increasingly important. Corallia – Hellenic Technology Clusters Initiative (www.corallia.org) is a novel cluster initiative that facilitates innovation clusters to be formed in a way that can help Greece become an “added-value services” market player. Corallia supports the development of highly-specialized clusters in knowledge-intensive thematic areas that can drive and sustain economic growth. It brings together people, companies and technologies in order to create an ecosystem where innovation can flourish. Corallia aims at establishing and developing innovation clusters in carefully selected sectors where Greece can attain a worldwide competitive advantage. In collaboration with the Hellenic Semiconductor Industry Association, Corallia has helped to emerge and strengthen the first Hellenic innovation cluster in the area of Microelectronics and Embedded Systems. The cluster’s reference point is the Microelectronics Innovation Center, which acts as a representing facility for more than 30 organizations and 650 employees throughout Greece. Corallia: Hellenic Technology Clusters Initiative  – Press Kit mi-Cluster: Microelectronics & Embedded Systems; mi-Cluster company members: Success Stories National Documentation Centre: Research, Technology and Innovation; Secretariat General of Information: About Greece- Scientific & Technological Research 

The Greek Idea

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)   Maria Koundoura: The Greek Idea: The Formation of National and Transnational Identities, I. B. Tauris, 2007  How do those living in diaspora form their own national and transnational identity? The Greek Idea offers a new critical paradigm from which to explore these identities. Drawing upon postcolonial theory, Maria Koundoura addresses and analyzes the cultural material that produced Greece’s representation as both Europe’s origin and “other”.  The long association of Greece and English Literature began with English travellers’ “discovery” of Greece in the late-eighteenth century and the reinforcement of the myth which placed Greece as the location of Western culture. Koundoura maps what this representation signifies for Greeks, both national and diasporic. In doing so she touches on England, Greece, the United States, Australia and twentieth century diaspora cultures.  Reading Greece: A Comprehensive Guide & Hellenic Authors’ Society & National Book Centre; Modern Greek Studies Association, US 

Studying Greek Politics / A New Webside

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)  The Greek Politics Specialist Group (GPSG) of the UK’s Political Studies Association (PSA) has just launched its new website at: www.gpsg.org.uk  The GPSG is an independent, international, non-profit network of political and social scientists with an interest in Greece. The Group has a strong record of promoting the study of Greek government and politics through events and grants.  The GPSG will be organising panels at the 59th annual conference of the PSA (Manchester, April 2009) and will be proposing a panel on institutional reform at the 2009 international conference at Yale University (“The Challenge of Reform in Greece, 1974-2009: Assessment and Prospects”).  The Greek Politics Specialist Group website: Current Projects; Working Papers & Thematic Bibliographies; PSA Conference Panels

Mediterranean Documentary Film Festival in Greece

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)  The 11th Mediterranean Documentary Festival will be hosted from September 6 to 9 at the Lavrion Technological Cultural Park. The festival is organized by the Association of Greek Film Directors and Producers. This year, the festival screens 26 movies from Greece, Italy, France, Israel, Egypt, Spain, Turkey, Portugal and Palestine. In addition to the traditional sections of work, immigration, political documentary film, people and places, there will also be an eco section, thus inaugurating a collaboration with the eco festival EcoFilms. The festivall kicks off with “Cairo” (1991) in memory of the late Egyptian director Youssef Chahine. The festival will also screen “The band’s visit” by Eran Kolirin, a joint production by Egypt and Israel followed by a discussion moderated by Kolirin on behalf of the Greek Film Critics Association. This year’s parallel events include a concert by Thanos Mikroutsikos and an exhibition featuring film posters. The Mediterranean Documentary Festival is not based on competition and therefore includes movies which are selected on the basis of the mark they have left in their time.