As The World Churns

 

By Bob Nicolaides-bobn2919@gmail.com

 

A rare wooden coffin dating to the Archaic period (610-490/480 BC) was found during excavations to build the new Stavros Niarchos Cultural Centre in the Delta Falirou area south of Athens, the Central Archaeological Council said . The coffin was found during works in September 2013 and measures 1.61 metres in length by 0.77 m in width, with sides between 3 and 9 cm thick. Archaeologists said the wood was preserved because of the humidity and the lack of oxygen where it was found, including the presence of clay around it. The find belongs in an area where an Archaic-era cemetery has been found, and is currently in conservation to remove the earth around it. Besides its state of preservation, what they said was unusual was the fact it was carved out of a single piece of wood instead of the usual combination of pieces of wood. According to preliminary assessments, it is possible the coffin was reused, being carved first as a boat, for example.



Did you hear? Former NYC mayor and presidential aspirant Rudy Giuliani endorsed George Demos for Congress….There’s a new Consul General of Cyprus in New York replacing the ever so popular Koula Sophianou. His name is Vasilis Philippou. Wasn’t there a predecessor by the name of Philip Philippou once?



Stamos: Conhead?



Melina with Dassin

Milioti: Dying as 'Mother?'

The Greek Film Archive (Tainiothiki tis Ellados) paid tribute to Melina Mercouri twenty years after her death with ten movies by the late actress and two-time minister of culture. The tribute began on Thursday, March 6 with the film "Los pianos Mecanicos" (1965) by Juan Antonio Bardem and until March 12 the audience will be able to watch the film "He Who Must Die" (1957) by Jules Dassin and landmark films from the filmography of Melina during the 60s: "Never on Sunday",  "Phaedra", "The Victors", "10:30 p.m. summer" and the lesser-known "Gaily Gaily". The film shows will conclude with a screening of "Lilly's Story" (2002) by Roviros Manthoulis with tragic Melina & Dassin70s. The Archive  also held round-table discussions about Mercouri on March 6 and 8…What was that? Necessary Roughness actor John Stamos minus his hair? Yes, the artist appeared recently in an instagram picture in a red robe, gold chain and minus his lush locks-in other words, completely bold. Relax! Though John, 50, never explained what the mug was for, he nevertheless sent out a picture later with his full head of hair…The March 3 episode of How I met Your Mother starring Cristin Milioti in the role of the mother, one of the more seemingly outlandish theories may have been confirmed: The show’s titular mother is dying or perhaps has already died by the time Ted Mosby (playing Josh Radnor) starts telling this story to his kids….  Award-winning director Maria Iliou (Smyrna: The Destruction of a Cosmopolitan City; Alexandria) returns to New York City’s Quad Cinema with her new documentary film,  From Both Sides Of The Aegean, for a two-week run. Inspired by the belief that the moment has arrived, in Iliou’s words, “for us to recognize that the children and grandchildren of the Greek Orthodox and Muslim refugees can now tell their stories in common, that the moment has arrived to tell the whole story from both sides of the Aegean,” Iliou and Kitroeff focus on the descendants of the displaced populations and their cultures that were forcibly uprooted.  Kalliopi Georgiadou the daughter of Greek-Orthodox refugees originally from Cappadocia, and Husnu Karaman, the son of Muslims from Crete tell the stories of their families that were settled in Greece and Turkey respectively. Kalliopi and Husnu recount how their families retained the memory of their native lands in defiance of the nationalist logic of ethnic cleansing and displacement.

“Always On, Always Connected” was the moniker for SMW2014, which kicked off the last week in February in New York City. 600+ social networkers came together for the opening ceremony party at Highline Stages in the Meatpacking District with a Greek wine in one hand and a smart phone in the other, tweeting away. Social Media Week is a world-wide event that takes place in roughly 26 major cities every year with New York as the flagship and New Wines of Greece providing the social lubricant for this outgoing group of social media hounds. According to founder, Toby Daniels, SMW  is all about bringing people together from all industries to explore how social media and technology are impacting society, business and culture. …

Comedian Markos Seferlis kicks off his North American tour with lots of laughs through Laughter..Greek Style in April with appearances in  Chicago, IL at the Pickwick Theater  on 4/25,  New York on 4/26, Union City, NJ 4/27, and Philadelphian on 5/4…The special event in our town was the Greek Media Club’s co-hosting "1821," a celebration of Greek Independence Day Saturday March 22 at the National Hellenic Museum, 333 S. Halsted St. Appetizers were served and the Music treats came by way of the Global Sounds Entertainment. All proceeds will benefit the 501c3 Museum. As many as 200 engraved marble paperweights were given away at the door on a first-come basis. These unique gifts commemorate 1821, the year Greece gained her independence from the Ottoman Empire. Also, most people got to snap their shot with Strength N' Honor, Michael and Karen Cowleck, who were there with a third Spartan warrior dressed in authentic battle attire and with armor. The event co-hosts were the Hellenic Bar Association of Illinois, the National Hellenic Society, the Hellenic American Dental Society, the Hellenic Professional Society of Illinois, the 2014 Greek Parade committee-Enosis, the Pan-Arcadian Federation of America, the Museum and the GMC…..  Greek Music Journey 2014 is a tribute to the Nisiotika (folk songs of the Greek islands) and Rembetika (Greek blues) executed by the renowned artists Nasia Konitopoulou (Nisiotika) and Dimitris Kontogiannis  (Rebetika.) they will be accompanied by their musicians, including Michalis Gampierakis, violin, vocals and Nicolas Sarantis, bouzouki. The event takes place June 6, 2014 at 8:30pm, at The Kay Playhouse at Hunter College, (E. 68^th St. Bet. Park & Lexington Aves, NYC.) Aktina is the producer of this event…

Word of the month: Emphasis-Εμφασις