The QS website included six Greek Universities in its 2015/2016 World University Rankings.

These six Greek institutions ranked globally known table. Specifically, the National Technical University (NTUA) ranked 376th, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki ranked 461-470th, University of Crete 501-550, National and Kapodistrian University and the University of Patra were both placed between the 601st and the 650th position, while the Athens University of Economics and Business ranked above the 701st position.

Kathimerini reports that the National Technical University ranked 238th based on the "citations per facuty area" criteria.  Furthermore, the NTUA's engineering technology faculty ranked withing the world's top 100 of its kind, occupying 67th place.

To read more, please visit: Greek Reporter

Four revolutionary driverless busses have successfully completed their first trial runs in the Greek city of Trikala in central Greece; the first of five European cities to introduce the automated transportation. The driverless bus is due to become fully operational in October.

The initiative is the combined effort of the CityMobil2 Program, a multi-stakeholder project co-funded by the EU’s Seventh Framework Program for Research and Technological Development.

This small futuristic vehicle will make a 2.4 km route on a daily basis from Tuesday to Sunday, from 10:00 to 14:00 and then again from 16:00 to 20:00. The first six days of its operation (until September 17), the bus circulated the city of Trikala without carrying any passengers. Passengers were welcomed to join the experience starting on Friday September 18.

Built by French manufacturer Robosoft, the buses are electric, silent and non-polluting. They are 5 meters long, 1.5 meters wide, carry 10-12 people, and do not exceed 20 km/h. The vehicles are equipped with an advanced GPS and a laser mapping system for localization and movement control. Laser and ultrasound technologies are used to detect obstacles in front of and around the bus.

Similar automated road transport systems are expected to be implemented in a number of urban environments across Europe.

Sources: PappasPost & Greek Reporter & eKathimerini

The economic crisis in Greece has created widespread hunger, over 50 percent unemployment for Greek youth and extreme hardship, all in order to finance exponential profits for the banks. (This is a country that was once referred to as The Cradle of Western Civilization). I do not wish to imply that this is in any way acceptable.  I choose to tell this particular story at a time when the world is hearing only about devastating news and the attention-getting politics of the region.  Sometimes in times of tragedy, pockets of joy can be found.

It's August 2015.  I'm sitting on my coco-mat mattress - made of all natural rubber, coconut husk, and seaweed - in our tiny house in Tinos, Greece.  I'm watching Fifi, the carpenter, give instructions to his 20 year-old son.  Fifi, a native islander, is bushy-eyebrowed and gruff.  Out of nowhere he asks me to make him coffee.

I pick up the Bunsen burner from the tiled floor, find a box of matches in my purse, and go to the bathroom to fill up the stainless steel pot with water.  Fifi happily happily sips the coffee from a glass and lights his cigarette.

I'm so excited about the new white cabinets!  We already have a functional bathroom and soon will have a working kitchen in our 300 square-feet stone house overlooking the Mediterranen sea.

In June my Greek husband, George, and I sold our 1,850 square feet duplex apartment in an international co-housing community in Cambridge, Massachusetts, which we had helped build 17 years earlier.  The move entailed packing 6,800 pounds of accumilated stuff and putting it into storage in New Hampshire.

The Greek economic bank crisis dominated the news.  Geroge had taken $4,000 in one hundered dollar bills from the bank, slipping them into a money belt, in order to pay the workers.  The 60 Euro a day ATM limit was going to make it difficult for us to finish the house.

George, as eager as I was to start a new life, jumped at the idea of moving to his inherited property in the Cycladic Islands.  We had been married on this island, and our son had been baptized here.  After more than 30 years together, we finally could be impulsive and carefree.  We longed for a simpler way of life and hoped to find it in the fishing village of Panormos. 

To read more, please visit: The Huffington Post

---

Author Melissa Burch has worked as a filmmaker for CBS and the BBC, was featured in The New York Times, produced a national public television series, co-hosted a radio show on Voice America and has been a spiritual seeker for over thiry years.  Her forthcoming book, My Journey Through War And Peace, describes her adventures in war zones in Afghanistan and the Soviet Union and her peace efforts during the Cold War, as well as her inward spiritual journey.  To read more about Melissa, click HERE.

“Lake Vouliagmeni, on Athens's southern coast, is unique, with a massive cave system, white cliffs and warm waters – which under temperate conditions are also extremely clear – while the colors you see inside from the refraction of the light and the clear waters are really spectacular,” says Spyros Kollas, a professional diving instructor and enthusiast who has spent the past 16 years exploring the world beneath the waves.

In February, under his guidance, the 24-member InnerSpace Explorers Greece diving team – comprising mainly Kollas's students, from Greece, Switzerland, Sweden, Germany and Spain – started the exploring the mysterious lake in Vouliagmeni. The aim was for them to gain experience in how a proper diving expedition works, as well as to chart – for the first time ever – four small caves that lead into the lake's legendary main cave further in.

For some three months, members of the team conducted dives in teams of up to six people – breaking off into pairs – and took measurements, photographs and videos while also collecting other data. They would meet early in the morning to get themselves and all their gear to Vouliagmeni and start the dives. Each dive would last a maximum of 90 minutes – which was how long their oxygen and bodies could last – before packing everything up again and heading back home. It was an arduous and time-consuming process, but they had fun, they learned a lot and they all got hooked. Some team members with demanding jobs had to fit dives in around their busy schedules while others traveled from abroad, but all managed to overcome any kind of of obstacle in order to return to the water.

The first phase of the project was completed a few weeks ago with the mapping of the first of the four small caves.

“It has a length of 70 meters from the entrance, a width of 30 meters, and a height, from the top to the bottom, of 40 meters, exceptionally clear waters and no stalagmites or stalactites. It is stunning,” says Kollas.

The team's discoveries will not remain secret for long as a recent partnership between InnerSpace Explorers Greece and Dutch firm Reef Interactive, which specilizes in 3D imaging, has resulted in the first 3D interactive dive map app, which allows users to take a virtual dive into this particular part of Lake Vouliagmeni, receiving information such as the temperature of the water, the depth and the kinds of rocks found there.

The next phase of the operation, which consists of mapping the antechamber of the lake's main cave, will start in early 2016.

To read more, please visit: ekathimerini

by

Maria Athanasiou

St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church was the only house of worship destoryed by the September 11th attack in New York.  From the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America: 

"On September 11th 2001, the barbaric attack not only destroyed the majestic Twin Towers but also the tiny yet historic St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, located south of the second tower of the World Trade Centre.  In the aftermath of its destruction, very little survived: two icons, one of St. Dionysios of Zakynthos and the other of the Zoodochos Pege, along with a few liturgical items, a book and some candles.

Within days, the Archbishop travelled personally to Ground Zero, setting foot on the site where the Church of St. Nicholas stood, in order to conduct a memorial service for the victims of those who perished in the attacks and to offer prayers for the families in mourning."

The New York Times, profiled the long road to rebuilding the church:

"Construction has begun in earnest on the St. Nicholas National Shrine, a Greek Orthodox church and the nondenominational bereavement center, designed by Santiago Calatrava, which will overlook the memorial..."

To read more, please visit: Greek Current

Just days ahead of the snap elections that has called Greek voters to the polls for a second time this year on Sunday September 20th, 2015, the latest opinion polls suggest that the result is still neck and neck between the two major parties Syriza and New Democracy. The outgoing Syriza party holds a faint lead which leader Alexis Tsipras had hoped to convert into a stronger ruling majority.

According to the Interior Ministry, Sunday’s snap elections will cost taxpayers 33.2 million euros, which is substantially less than the 51.1 million euros spent on the early elections in January, but more than the 26.7 million that the referendum cost in July. According to the ministry, of the 33.2 million euros to be paid for Sunday’s vote, some 27 million euros will be spent on wages.

A8inea, a free daily newsletter that supplies Athenians with their dose of news just in time for their lunch break, has prepared an interesting infographic of some facts and figures relative to recent elections in Greece. Take a look HERE!

Sources: eKathimerini, Euronews, A8inea

The Greek islands were announced as this year’s best in the world at the annual Condé Nast Traveller Readers’ Travel Awards held in London.

For the 18th year, the readers of the luxury travel magazine voted for their most favorite travel companies, airlines, destinations, spas and hotels worldwide.

The Greek islands received the votes of Condé Nast Traveller readers and ranked first in the “Favorite Islands” category.

“The islands of Greece, as a tourist destination, won yet another international award”, the Greek Tourism Ministry said in an announcement.

To read Conde Nast's top 20 world islands, please visit: Greek Travel Pages

Have you ever heard of a Greek Goddess dip?  The Greek element to this recipe comes from using dill instead of watercress.  Use it as a dip at parties for vegetables or even to dip chips in.  What's more, it's gluten free.  Great for summer and winter.

Preparation takes 5 mins, and it can serve 4-6 people.

• ½ cup packed fresh dill
• ½ cup packed fresh mint
• ½ cup packed fresh parsley
• ⅓ cup packed fresh basil
•  2 garlic cloves, chopped
•  2 scallions, white and green parts, sliced
•  1 ½ tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
•  Pinch salt, more to taste
•  ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
•  ½ cup crumbled feta cheese
•  ½ cup Greek yogurt
•  ¼ cup mayonnaise, optional
•  Raw chopped vegetables or pita chips, for serving

To read how to prepare, please visit: New York Times

A vivious campaign of negative publicity in both international and national media, capital controls, the July 5th referendum, the refugee crisis and the seven months of negotiations with the lenders did not deter foreign tourists coming to Greece, breaking another record of arrivals.

Last year visitors to Greece reached a record 24 million. This year’s projected figures indicate that visitor numbers may exceed  25 million as figures suggest so far.

In the first half of 2015, there was a 21 percent increase in tourist arrivals and revenues rose by 8 percent compared to last year. Revenues from tourism will reach 17 percent of the Greek economy this year, one percentage point higher than the previous year.

To read more, please visit: Apokoronanews

Ryanair has announced improvements to its flight times on the Athens–Santorini route, aiming to offer a much more comfortable experience to Greeks and visitors from abroad.

The airline’s winter schedule will offer two daily flights from Athens to Santorini, a morning flight at 7am and an evening flight at 6:25pm (instead of the current 10:35pm flight).

To read more, please visit: Greek Travel Pages.