Olive Oil: Good Taste, Long Life

 (GREEK NEWS AGENDA)   Greek olive oil received complimentary reviews at the International Conference on excellence in olive oil (“Beyond Extra Virgin” , June 21-23) sponsored by the Culinary Institute of America, together with the University of California at Davis.   The event – the largest conference on olive-oil excellence ever held in North America – explored the best production practices, sensory qualities, and culinary possibilities for the olive oil.  The olive oil industry was represented by the Hellenic Foreign Trade Board and its “Kerasma” project, which selected varieties from the island of Crete and the Peloponnese for this occasion.  Within the framework of the conference, a special event titled “Olive Oil and the Healthy Greek Kitchen” was organised especially for the presentation of case studies associating Greek culinary insight with wellness.  Kerasma: Olive & Olive Oil; Greek News Agenda: Mediterranean Diet- Panel Discussion in New York & Academic Research on Nutrition; Greek Mediterranean Gastronomy: Greek Olives: A Culinary Continuum

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Mediterranean, Middle East & Islamic Studies

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)   The University of Peloponnese Centre for Mediterranean, Middle East and Islamic Studies aims at the the systematic documentation, study and analysis of the political, economic, social and cultural environment of the Mediterranean and Middle Eastern countries.  Its bi-monthly Middle East Bulletin on Mediterranean and Middle East Affairs provides timely and in-depth analysis of various themes. The Centre recently introduced the new electronic publication Middle East Flashpoint, an up-to-date analysis of current developments in the Middle East and the Islamic World.

Free Summer School in Greece

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA) Americans and Canadians of Greek origin, aged 17 to 23, will be meeting in Kalamata this July to take classes in Greek language, history, philosophy and culture. The summer school will also include field trips to archaeological sites, museums, and more.  Held annually since 2006 and organised by the University of Peloponnese, in Kalamata and the Pan-Messinian Federation of USA and Canada (www.pan-messinian.com), the aim of the summer programme is to enhance Hellenic education by “providing an immersion experience in contemporary Greek culture.”

Greece: A Pioneering experiment in Pylos

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)  Neutrinos are elementary particles that travel close to the speed of light, lack an electric charge, are able to pass through ordinary matter almost undisturbed and are thus extremely difficult to detect. Neutrino detectors are often built underground in order to isolate the detector from cosmic rays and other background radiation. The coast of Pylos, in the south western part of the Peloponnese, an ideal location for pioneer Neutrino experiments, since it’s geographical position is close to the greatest depth of the Mediterranean Sea (5200 m. at the area of the Hellenic Trench). Pylos is also home to the NESTOR Institute for Deep Sea Research, Technology and Neutrino Astroparticle Physics. The Institute is staffed by a scientific team from the Physics Department of the University of Athens, specialising in research and deployment of phenomena in deep water. A large underwater telescope, 10 times higher than the Eiffel Tower, is being constructed, and its purpose is to monitor and track neutrinos from outer space. It is one of four similar projects in the world. The sea water is important because it absorbs most of the light as well as other electromagnetic radiation, allowing only the ever elusive neutrinos to pass through. It is the great depth, combined with the close proximity to the shore that Pylos offers as its comparative advantages in competing with the two other European observatories – Antares, in France, and Nemo, in Italy. The prize will be the selected site for KM3Net, the future European infrastructure for neutrino telescopy. The 24th International Conference on Neutrino Physics and Astrophysics (NEUTRINO 2010) is scheduled to take place in Athens in January 2010. Secretariat General of Information: About Greece – Scientific & Technological Research; Ministry of Development- Secretariat General of Research & Technology: Supervised Bodies; National Observatory of Athens: www.noa.gr; Hellenic Centre for Marine Research: Institute of Oceanography

The Movie “Mama Mia” in Poland

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)   The movie “Mamma Mia!” on screens in Poland from August 29. The movie “Mamma Mia!” achieved the biggest opening ever for a movie musical in the United States  last month month. At $27.6 million, ‘Mamma Mia!’ beat out ‘Hairspray’ which opened with $27.5 million a few years ago. To create the enchanting – yet imaginary – island of Kalokairi, film shootings took place on the islands Skopelos, Skiathos and on Damouchari beach in Pelion area during August and September 2007. Most of the filming was done in Skopelos, were locations included Kastani beach, Agios Ioannis, Amaranto and Nisi Glisteri. Greece has always had a long and spectacular love affair with the international film making community. The need for new images in the film industry has led to a boom in optical effects and the quest for visually pristine locations. Greece has this visual wealth of natural landscapes to offer in regions like Macedonia, Epirus, Peloponnese, and of course the islands in the Aegean, the Sporades islands and the Ionian seas. Since 1974, the Greek Film Centre supports the production and promotion of Greek films and fosters the participation of Greek producers in foreign productions. in this context, the Hellenic Film Commission Office (www.hfco.gr) provides every possible service for filming in Greece. Skopelos Island: Skopelos Mamma Mia Blog Secretariat General of Information: World Media on Greece – Lifestyle 

French Special Editions on Ancient Greece

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)   Two French magazines that enjoy wide readership – “Le Nouvel Obrservateur” and “GEO” –  have published special issues on Greece. “GEO” special issue (GEO Histoire No9), titled “La Grece Antique” is about the Hellenic world as the inventor of the polis, democracy, theatre and philosophy. The focus is on Greek civilization, culture, mythology and on geographical areas rich in cultural heritage such as Crete, Cyclades and the Peloponnese. In the editorial by Jaen-Luc Marty it is suggested that the definitive “summer journey” is a journey to the history of Greece, a land once inhabited by gods and heroes. The special issue of  “Le nouvel Observateur” ( 18.6.2008 ) is dedicated to the century of Pericles, featuring articles on the status of women in Athens, the building of the Acropolis, the sophists, the invention of democracy and the education system. Clause Weill in the editorial notes that the shortcomings of our contemporary political system and the need to understand what has gone wrong was the inspiration behind this special on the century of Pericles, a century described as a “momentum of democracy”. Secretariat General of Information: World Media on Greece – Special Reports

Epidaurus is Now a UNESCO World Heritage Monument

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)  Epidaurus, a small, ancient Greek city in the Peloponnese is now a UNESCO World Heritage Monument. It was a small, ancient Greek city on an inlet of the Saronic Gulf, northeast Peloponnese. Reputed to be the birthplace of Apollo’s son, Asklepios, the Greek God of Medicine, Epidaurus was known for its sanctuary, as well as its theater with the wonderful acoustics. The Asclepieion at Epidaurus was the most celebrated healing center of the Classical world, the place where ill people went in the hope of being cured. The prosperity brought by the Asklepieion enabled Epidaurus to construct civic monuments such as the huge theater, renowned for its symmetry and beauty, which is used once again for hosting dramatic performances. Athens and Epidaurus Festival establishment  in 1955 placed ancient drama firmly centre stage and ever since, the theatre has been hosting performances every summer.

 

Visit Greece: The Mani Region

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)    The Mani region of the Peloponnese is characterised by grey rocky mountains. With fertile land scarce, blood-feuds were a way of life, so families constructed towers to use as refuges. In the Diros caves, once inhabited by Neolithic people, visitors are taken on a boat trip along the subterranean river through narrow tunnels and immense caverns filled with clusters of stalactites and stalagmites. “Mani: Travels in the Southern Peloponnese” by Patrick Leigh Fermor is part travelogue, part evocation of the past and a glorious fusion of imagination and history by one of the greatest of Greece’s philhellene writers. Fermor’s account of his journey through Mani peninsula, an inspiring and untouched region of the Peloponnese, unlocks the secrets of the local people and culture whose roots stretch back to Byzantium. Sir Patrick Michael Leigh Fermor, is a British author, scholar and soldier, who played a prominent role behind the lines in the Battle of Crete during World War II. He is considered as one of the world’s great travel writers. The Mani Peninsula attracts visitors for its magnificent castles, stunning scenery, and superb beaches. Mani is also known for unique culinary products and what is probably the world’s best extra-virgin olive oil. Webguide: www.maniguide.info

Exploring Greece

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)  Natacha Du Pont De Bie (“Super Mani,” The Guardian”, 8.3.2008) discovers Mani, a blissfully uncluttered and pristine corner of Greece: “Olive groves opaque with pollen, meadows carpeted with wild flowers, melting snow water gushing down mountain-sides before sinking into underground streams to reform as icy tendrils that curl about one’s feet on early morning swims from empty beaches. This is springtime in the Mani, the far-flung central peninsula of the Peloponnese…”  Secretariat General of Information: World Media on Greece – Food, Wine and Travel

International Architectural Competition

In an effort to address the urgent need to shelter the people who suffered the loss of their houses during the devastating fires of last summer in the Peloponnese, the Technical Chamber of Greece in collaboration with the Greek branch of the International Union of Architects Work Programme on architecture and renewable energy sources (ARES) have launched an international architectural competition.