“Opera of the Summer” / “Opera Lata” (15th September 2012) – Participation of the Press Office with the film “Diolkos”

September 15th, 2012,
From 15.30  to 01.00
Park around the Ujazdowski Castle

Open-air music and film evening

Summer Opera is an interdisciplinary outdoor event, entirely devoted to ‘the joy of music’ in a broad perspective: to create music, to listen to it, to understand it, to appreciate it and to dance on it.
Summer Opera is the follow-up of last year’s “Awakening of the summer” which was organized by the network of national institutes for culture and embassies in Warsaw: “EUNIC Warszawa” and CCA Zamek Ujazdowski and which brought 3000 persons to the castle on a warm midsummer night.
This year, once again, the gracious environment of the Castle will transform into a lively European boulevard and the keyword is ‘Opera’. Opera’ in the sense of a spectacular synthesis of arts; combining various elements, often surprising and sometimes disturbing, but always fascinating. The main role in the Summer Opera will be played by cinematography. 3 screens will show documentaries devoted to musicians, music and instruments. There will be animation- and feature films as well as music videos from several European countries and even a silent film. Feel like doing it? There will be a voice-workshop, lessons in Irish dancing, you can make music on what needs to be recycled and – of course – the opera brings also a music workshop for children and parents. Workshops are dedicated to everyone: those talented and those who cannot sing or play.
An Opera is not an Opera without a choir and an orchestra! Therefore on stage: Małe Instrumenty (Poland), Alfredo Costa Monteiro (Portugal) and Anthony Chorale (The Netherlands) and in the late hours: DJ Disco DJ Partizanti (Poland) and DJ PM Misha (Portugal).
For the hungry and thirsty the opera will serve Hungarian, Portuguese and Czech delights and more, more, more!
The opera brings thunder and lightning, but in case the weather is not in harmony with the opera, we will go inside. 
Workshops are open for everyone. No registration needed.
Detailed information on the websites of the organizers and on facebook.

Organizers:

EUNIC Warszawa (European Union National Institutes for Culture): Embassy of Greece – Press Office, Delegation Wallonie-Brussels (Embassy of Belgium), Embassy of Ireland, Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Austrian Cultural Forum, Czech Center, Danish Cultural Institute, Instituto Camões, Istituto Italiano di Cultura, Goethe Institute, Bulgarian Cultural Institute, Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia, Romanian Cultural Institute, the Hungarian Cultural Institute in Warsaw
and:
Center for Contemporary Art Ujazdowski Castle / KINO.LAB
Admission Free

The Press Office of the Greek Embassy invites you to the screening of the film “Diolkos”, at 18.30 in KINO.LAB.

A movie for the Diolkos of Corinth

1.500 years since the construction and use of the Corinthian Diolkos, the Technical Chamber of Greece in collaboration with the Society for the Study of Ancient Greek Technology, created a movie presenting one of the greatest innovations of technical civilization of Ancient Greece.
The 22 min. film, created with the use of 3D animations, represents one of the most important technological monuments of Greek civilization, Diolkos: an overland route for the transfer of ships between the Saronic and Corinthian gulfs along the Isthmus (Corinth), when there was no strait. The film offers many other technical details, but also extensive scenes of marine life in antiquity: gaming, visit at the Temple of Poseidon, fun time in a pub, the construction of Hydraulis (hydraulic, water music instrument) and an emotional confrontation.

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.

New era in Greek-Turkish relations

High Level Cooperation

Premier George Papandreou and Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan expressed their will to take important steps towards the improvement of Greek-Turkish relations, as the Turkish leader wrapped up an official visit to Athens on Saturday.
This was sealed with the opening session of the Greece-Turkey High Level Cooperation Council and the signing of 21 agreements.
George Papandreou met with the chiefs of Turkish media, while Erdogan with the chiefs of the Greek newspapers.
The Greek premier told Turkish journalists that Erdogan’s visit heralds a new era in Greek-Turkish relations, further adding that the two sides had better overcome their differences. He also touched on economic cooperation between Athens and Ankara.

“We have an agreement”

Twenty-one cooperation agreements in fields as diverse as technology and tourism were signed during the Turkey-Greece High Level Cooperation Council.
Ministers signed agreements boosting trade, investments and shipping and the two countries will hereby extend their cooperation in projects concerning infrastructure works and transnational transport networks.
Relations between the two countries in the field of immigration will be governed by a bilateral agreement which provides for readmission of illegal immigrant flows to Turkey and cooperation in the fight against organized crime, trafficking and civil protection.
Both sides agreed to improve tourism cooperation, aiming at increasing their market share in countries with economic potential such as China, as well as raising global awareness on matters of cultural heritage protection.

Special attention was given to education and synergies concerning research. Environment protection and joint ventures in energy projects including renewable energy sources and the existing Turkey- Greece-Italy gas pipeline were also sealed with respective deals.
In terms of strengthening bilateral ties,  a Joint Political Declaration on the establishment of the High Level Cooperation Council as well as a Protocol on regular political consultations between the two countries’ foreign ministries were signed.

Signing the Olympic Truce

Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan concluded on Saturday his landmark visit to Athens by signing the Olympic Truce initiative.

At a brief ceremony in front of the imposing Panathenaic Stadium, Erdogan referred to the “great honour in signing my name in this book; to put my signature for a world of peace.”
Papandreou said that Turkey’s support for the idea sends out a clear message “by Turkey and Greece to the world,” adding that Greece will actively support Istanbul’s bid to host the 2020 Olympic Games.
(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)

Latsis Awards in Geneva

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)  The awardees of the 2009 “Fondation Latsis Internationale” Prize are Zurich Federal Institute of Technology Professor Haralambos Anastasiou, Lausanne Polytechnic School Dr Elie Bou Zeid, Geneva University Dr Reto Schumacher and St.Gallen University Professor Frederic Thiesse.

The “Fondation Latsis Internationale” is a charitable organisation, established in 1975 by the Latsis family in Geneva.  The Foundation currently awards four University Prizes, worth 25,000 Swiss francs each, (awarded to the above mentioned scientists) as well as a National and a European Latsis Prize of 100,000 Swiss francs each.  The purpose of the “Fondation Latsis Internationale” award is to distinguish scientific work of particular excellence.During the award ceremony, Swiss architect Bernard Tschumi delivered a lecture on contemporary architecture. 

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 the formation and advancement of state-of-the-art industry-driven innovation clusters in knowledge-intensive and exports-oriented technology segments where Greece has the capacity to build a sustainable innovation ecosystem and worldwide competitive advantage and acts as a hub for all innovation actors, including industry, academia, research bodies, and others. Within the European Commission’s Regional Policy Inforegio, the Regiostars 2009 Awards for Regional Innovative Projects – to identify good practices in regional development and highlight original and innovative projects which could be attractive and inspiring to other regions – Corallia has been short-listed among the final classification (finalists) in the category “Research, Technological Development and Innovation.” The winners will be announced during the proceedings of the “Regions for Economic Change” Conference, on February 16. National Documentation Centre: Research, Technology and Innovation; Secretariat General of Information: About Greece- Scientific & Technological Research

2009: Year of Renewable Energy Sources

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)   “We want 2009 to be the year of renewable energy sources (RES),” Development Minister Costis Hatzidakis said yesterday after a Cabinet meeting. The recent legislative changes will speed up the increased use of RES by cutting red tape and introducing incentives, the development ministry said yesterday. Applications for some 42 gigawatts (GW) in RES development have been filed by investors and are awaiting approval by state bodies. In the near future, the ministry estimates that projects involving some 5 to 7 GW of wind parks and 2 GW of photovoltaic energy will be carried out.  An example of this is the launching of a solar energy (photovoltaic) park to be constructed by the company Intrakat on its own land near the facilities of is electromechanical constructions plant in the area of Giannouli, in the Larissa prefecture. For the construction of the park -in a total area of 4,000 square metres – several state-of-the-art solar power generators will be implemented. The joint use of a solar generators bank along with cutting edge Fuel Cells H2 technology will be used for the first time, at a cost effective formula. The construction works will commence in February of 2009 and the first primary measurements and results are expected to come out in late spring of this year. Kathimerini daily: Law change seen powering RES; Intrakat: Press Release (26.01.2009); Athens News Agency: PM chairs Cabinet meeting on energy  Ministry of Development: 4th National Report regarding the penetration level of renewable energy sources up to the year 2010; Hellenic Association of Photovoltaic Companies: The Greek PV Market: New PV law passed in January 2009; Secretariat General of Information – World Media on Greece – Science and the Environment: Renewable Energy Sources in Greece   Additional Information: Centre for Renewable Energy Sources; & Secretariat General of Information: About Brand Greece – Energy Policy of Greece 

Greece: Space Travelling Through Science

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)    Travelling through space and time, exploring oceans and active volcanoes, sightseeing around the planet billions of years ago, as well as other interactive experiences that bring science closer to society are available in research centres and museums all over Greece. Initiatives to communicate research and science to a wider public are increasing, in number and variety, in Greece and the other European countries. Some important scientific attractions that Greeks can enjoy are the GAIA Centre for Environmental Research and Education at the Goulandris Natural History Museum (www.gnhm.gr), the Digital Planetarium at the Eugenides Foundation (www.eugenfound.edu.gr), “Tholos” the new dome-shaped Virtual Reality “Theatre” of the Foundation of the Hellenic World (www.tholos254.gr), the Thessaloniki Science Centre and Technology Museum NOESIS (www.tmth.edu.gr) and the CretAquarium Thalassocosmos in Crete (www.cretaquarium.gr).

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 

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

Greece: “Fibre to the Home” Technology

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)    Economy and Finance Minister George Alogoskoufis and Transport and Communication Minister Kostas Hatzidakis discussed on July 30 the basic guidelines regarding the access of two million households and businesses to “Fibre to the Home” (FTTH) technology. FTTH is a network architecture that uses optical fibres to replace all or part of the usual copper local loop used for telecommunications. Past technologies, in order of an increasingly longer fibre loop, are fibre to the neighbourhood and to the building. The project is incorporated in the framework of the “Digital Strategy 2006-2013” and will help extend already existing digital structures and broadband network. On February 5, Hatzidakis said that Greece will invest €2.5 billion in fibre-networks, while the project will be implemented through the Public and Private Partnership. Fibre to the Home Council Europe: www.ftthcouncil.eu; see also: 3rd International Conference on Broadband Internet; Secretariat General for Information: About Brand Greece, Public and Private Partnerships in Greece 

Greece’s Television and Radio Frequency Charts

On July 24 2008, Greek Minister of State Theodoros Roussopoulos and Transport and Communications Minister Kostis Hatzidakis, held a press confrence for the presentation of the frequency chart for digital television tranmission and the frequency chart for analoque radio broadcasting in Greece. The digital broadcast trial period will be launched on November 1, 2008 with digital integration completed by 2015 at the latest, Roussopoulos said, adding that the EU is urging members to adopt digital technology by 2012. The digital frequencies chart is a serious attempt to put the broadcast sector in order, Roussopouloos said, stressing that consultations will be held with all interested parties before any joint ministerial decisions are issued setting the necessary preconditions. Read the transcript of the press conference in english  

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Business Park in Greece

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA) Technopolis Thessaloniki (www.technopolis.gr), inaugurated this month, is the first private Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Business Park in Greece, designed to host high tech enterprises sharing the spirit of the new economy. With a spirit of raising competitiveness, Technopolis Thessaloniki aims at delivering synergies among research intensive SMEs and research centres as well as European forums offering a liaison between local ICT industry, local authorities and international key stakeholders. Technopolis Thessaloniki represents the most coordinated, digitally literate cluster of SMEs in Greece, with an extrovert attitude open to innovation and entrepreneurship, forming the ideal market place for promotion of ICT services and an excellent opportunity for investments.

Greece: Defence – Security – Technology, Exhibition

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)   The exhibition “Athens International 2008: Defence-Security-Technology in SE Europe and the Middle East” is taking place at the Athens International Airport – Eleftherios Venizelos from May 15 to 18. The event is organised under the auspices of the Ministry of National Defence, which aims at becoming a vehicle for the strengthening of dialogue and peaceful co-operation in Southeastern Europe.