As the World Churns0113

By Bob Nicolaides

Two of the teachers at Sandy Hook Elementary are of Hellenic descent and while one’s hours had her going to the school after the tragedy, the other, Anna Maria Jacobs who hails from the island of Nissyros was there and as the drama unfolded she was teaching 18 children of various classes in the library. When shots rang out, she hurried to hide the children in closets and locked the library door, not opening until police arrived, thereby saving 18 lives....

A small portion of the skeleton of the ancient king Philip II of Macedon, the father of Alexander the Great, is to be taken for testing to the Demokritos National Centre for Scientific Research, according to the Thessaloniki's Archaeological Museum.  The ancient king's remains were found inside a golden larnax, or casket, considered one of the most valuable objects of the ancient world, found inside the main chamber of grave II at the Vergina archaeological site in northern Greece. The aim of the transfer is the microscopic examination, analysis and photography of an unknown substance covering the bones, which has also been found in other Macedonian tombs. This is the first time this substance will be analyzed for its chemical and mineral composition, with the results expected to yield valuable information on the larnax corrosion processes and the ritual materials used during that period. The request for the transfer of the shards of bonds from the head of the Vergina digs has already been approved by the Central Archaeological Council…..Twenty centuries of history are on display at the exhibition "Words and Coins: From Ancient Greece to Byzantium" currently running at the Martin Bodmer Foundation in Geneva, organized jointly with Athens' Benaki Museum. The exhibition is enriched with material from the Numismatic Collection of the private public benefit foundation KIKPE (Welfare Foundation for Social and Cultural Affairs) on loan to the Benaki Museum. The exhibition invites visitors on a journey through space and time. The display features coins that portray twenty centuries of history, spanning the 5th century BC to the 15th century AD – from the development of democracy in Greece, to the glory and decline of Byzantium. The exhibition will run through March 17, 2013...... A brief but special ceremony was held at the Museum of Olympic Games History at the ancient Olympia archaeological site on Sunday (Dec 1) to unveil the artifacts that were stolen from the same museum last February, generating an international furor over lax security at the facility. Alternate Culture Minister Costas Tzavaras thanked the law enforcement authorities who recovered the priceless items. Several suspects, in Patras and Athens, were arrested and charged with the audacious early morning robbery at the museum…… Twenty-four high-born females whose lives span 500 years will be featured through their burial findings at a Museum of Cycladic Art exhibition running to April 10, 2013. Titled "Princesses of the Mediterranean at the Dawn of History," the show will feature artifacts such as jewellery, clothes and fragments of furniture from burials of princesses, aristocrats and priestesses dated to 1000 B.C.-500 B.C. and discovered in Greece, Cyprus and Italy. Specific burial sites include Athens, Oinopia (present Aegina), Eleutherna (in northwest Crete), Sindos (near Thessaloniki) and Tuscany in western Italy.

One of the many recipients of the Governor General’s Caring Canadian Award presented in person by the Governor General of Canada, the honorable David Johnston in Montreal, Quebec on Tuesday, November 27 was Menelaos Pavlides of Montreal and received the award for his long service in the Scouting movement, notably within Canada’s Greek Community… Former Florida Gov. Charlie Crist announced on Twitter that he's switching to the Democratic Party. The announcement Friday night fanned speculation that Crist would seek to regain his old job from Republican Gov. Rick Scott in 2014. The tweet included a photo of a smiling Crist and his wife Carole as he held up a Florida voter registration application. The Tampa Bay Times reports that Crist signed the papers changing his affiliation from independent to Democrat at a Christmas reception at the White House. President Barack Obama greeted the news with a fist bump.

Madame Tussauds has unveiled a new waxwork of Jennifer Aniston, complete with a replica of her massive eight-carat engagement ring. Aside from that, Adonis Tsilimparis is the guy who kissed Aniston at the age of 12 and said she was even then some kisser!. By the way, her mom has been in the hospital for over a month, but the former Friends actress still hasn’t found time to call or visit and see how she is feeling, according to a new report in Star magazine. As RadarOnline.com previously reported, Nancy Dow was admitted to Glendale Memorial Hospital and Health Center on Nov. 6 after breaking her shoulder in a nasty fall. During surgery, the 76-year-old suffered a stroke, her second in just over a year, and she’s said to be in a very fragile state. B ut she’s out of the hospital now and I’m sure Jen has visited her. Also let’s not discount that the same person is one of several movie & TV stars who have recorded a special video message demanding a new plan for gun law reform.

Bob Costas appeared to bring politics into the NFL broadcast booth on Sunday night, saying better gun control could have prevented the horrific murder-suicide committed by Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Jovan Belcher. Costas delivered his nationally televised message by paraphrasing part of a column written by Jason Whitlock on FoxSports.com. In the column, Whitlock writes: "What I believe is, if he didn’t possess/own a gun, he and Kasandra Perkins would both be alive today." The comment however created a raucous, which prompted Costas to explain that he wasn’t against the second amendment…

If you were in Athens between November 27 and December 1^st, you could’ve relished some exotic delicacies courtesy of Chef Jean-Charles Métayer at the Athenaeum’s Premiere Room where a gastronomical feast was held and viewpoints and views were discussed amid camaraderie. The five epicurean delights sampled during the tasting session shared the stage with some of the most eclectic wines from the Antonopoulos Vines. The five dishes offered were Shrimp Consommé Shiso and Jerusalem artichokes mousse,(offered with Sauvignon white)  Chtenia and mushroom crêpes, Sabayon in fragrant paprika paired with Rose Adoli Earth, Braised Peskandritsa in chestnuts, powdered Arabica coffee and legume paired with Anax, a Chardonnay, Lamb shank confis, Froth of Moussaka and crunchy potatoes paired with Yerondoklima Rematias, a Merlot, and Chocolate surprise Guanaja mousse and almond ice cream to go with Mavrodafni Patras. The price of the dinner was only €55 per person…The Quintessentially Lifestyle of the St George Lycabettus Boutique Hotel in Athens became much more quintessential with the Grand Opening of on Thursday, November 29^th of its all-day bar-restaurant, La Suite Lounge at its top floor. Overlooking the Acropolis and a good part of Athens, the event comprised this winter’s exclusively elegant event which was hosted by Quintessentially Lifestyle and the St. George Lycabettus Boutique Hotel. The event was a cocktail party during which vodka 18.95, the only Greek-produced vodka was introduced to guests along with breathtaking views and many surprises. …My friend and erudite restaurant critic John Mariani writes in his newsletter: For a decade now, Diane Kochilas has been the diva of Greek cooking, straddling both Greece and NYC, and forever poking her nose into Greek cooks' kitchens and her fingers into their cooking pots. The result has been 15 book up till now. The Country Cooking of Greece is her masterpiece, a volume so thorough, so affectionate, so engaging, that it is unlikely to be surpassed for years or decades to come. No recipe takes more than half a page or a page, the ingredients are almost wholly available, and her husband Vassilis Stenos' photographs will cause hunger pangs page after page. Something so simply as pistachio-crusted feta saganaki, which takes about five minutes to make, is a wonder of flavor. She prepares moussaka with sweet potatoes; pasta with yogurt and caramelized onions from Kassos is a treasure of comfort food, and her seafood recipes can be made by anyone with the freshest fish. This is my pick for the Best Cookbook of 2012. (Chronicle Books $50.)… MenuPages, the most comprehensive mobile and web provider of up-to-date restaurant menu content, today announced its availability for restaurants in Queens, the second-most populous borough in New York City. The expansion to Queens comes by popular demand: nearly one million New Yorkers already take advantage of MenuPages' listings for restaurants in Manhattan and Brooklyn every month, and fans of the service have requested that the same accurate menu content and user reviews be available in Queens. Queens' legendary food scene goes far beyond the borough's storied Greek diners. From M Wells Dinette's creative, audacious food and the pre-eminent Greek seafood at Taverna Kyclades to delicious Sichuan at Spicy & Tasty and incredible Thai at Sripraphai, MenuPages users can find something to suit the most sophisticated palate or adventurous eater.