LIFE & CULTURE
XpatAthens
Friday, 02 October 2015 07:20
Greek Crisis Turned Into A Board Game
Nikolai Diekerts, 28, and Julian Schärdel, 29, are friends and they share a common passion: board games. However, they are interested in finding new games that escape the mainstream board game market rules and promote their own ideas.
It appears that the economic crisis which struck Europe and particularly the southern countries, such as Greece in 2009, was a source of inspiration for the two German nationals. €uro crisis is a satirical board game about the economic and political developments in Europe over the last years.
According to the German newspaper Suddeutsche Zeitung, the two young men, along with three other friends, started participating in national board game championships four years ago, and they decided to create their own game, €urocrisis.
The game was first presented two years ago at a trade show in Essen, however, it has changed a lot since then, thanks to the advice and help that the creators received from several people. €uro Crisis is a tactical as well as a satirical game for 3-4 players who take on the roles of banks with the goal of enriching themselves at the expense of the struggling states.
To read more, please visit: Greek Reporter
Published in
Greece In The News
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Thursday, 01 October 2015 07:00
Let's Learn Some Greek!
One of the very first words that students of Modern Greek learn is ‘πίνω’ (= to drink). There are many good reasons for that: it’s a very common verb, it’s really easy to conjugate –at least in Present– and it helps to form full sentences in Greek even in the very early stages of learning, e.g. Κάθε πρωί πίνω καφέ με γάλα = Every morning I drink coffee with milk.
After a few classes, the students are introduced to another group of verbs ending in Present in –άω/–ώ. ‘Μιλάω or Μιλώ’ (= to speak) is a classic example of this group as students usually know from the beginning phrases such as ‘Μιλάς / Μιλάτε ελληνικά;’ (= Do you speak Greek?) or more commonly ‘Δε μιλάω ελληνικά!’ (= I don’t speak Greek!). When more examples of this group are needed, the verb ‘πεινάω or πεινώ’ (= to be hungry) makes its appearance in class. And chaos is on its way!
There is no doubt that ‘πίνω’ (peeno = to drink) and ‘πεινώ’ (peeno = to be hungry) are two of the most commonly confused words in Greek!
However, if you stress the wrong syllable, out of the blue the person/people you are talking to may burst out laughing! After introducing the students to these two verbs, teachers always expect phrases such as:
‘Δεν πεινώ κρασί’ (= I am not hungry wine) instead of ‘Δεν πίνω κρασί’ (= I don’t drink wine) or ‘Πίνω. Πάμε στην ταβέρνα;’ (= I drink. Shall we go to the tavern?) instead of the right ‘Πεινώ. Πάμε στην ταβέρνα;’ (= I am hungry. Shall we go to the tavern?)
So, let’s put an end to this confusion.Πίνω (peeno) = to drink
Present πίνω
Past Continuous έπινα
Past Simple ήπια
Future Simple θα πιω
Future Continuous θα πίνω
Present Perfect έχω πιει
Past Perfect είχα πιει
Future Perfect θα έχω πιει
Present Future Simple Past Simple
εγώ πίνω θα πιω ήπια
εσύ πίνεις θα πιεις ήπιες
αυτός/αυτή/αυτό πίνει θα πιει ήπιε
εμείς πίνουμε θα πιούμε ήπιαμε
εσείς πίνετε θα πιείτε ήπιατε
αυτοί/αυτές,/αυτά πίνουν(ε) θα πιουν ή θα πιούνε ήπιαν ή ήπιανε
Example sentences:
1. Η μητέρα μου πάντα πίνει ένα φλιτζάνι τσάι το απόγευμα. (My mother always drinks a cup of tea in the afternoon.)
1. Η μητέρα μου πάντα πίνει ένα φλιτζάνι τσάι το απόγευμα. (My mother always drinks a cup of tea in the afternoon.)
2. Τι θα πιείτε, παρακαλώ; or Θα πιείτε κάτι; (What will you drink, please? / Will you drink something? = this is what a waiter asks the customers in a restaurant) Strangely enough, when used for clothes, ‘πίνω’ means ‘to shrink’!
3. Δεν το πιστεύω! Το αγαπημένο μου μάλλινο πουλόβερ ήπιε στο πλύσιμο! (I can’t believe it! My favorite wool sweater shrank in the wash!)
Expressions with ‘πίνω’:
1. ‘πίνω το αίμα κάποιου’ (= to suck somebody’s blood) Δυστυχώς υπάρχουν ακόμα και σήμερα αφεντικά που πίνουν το αίμα των εργαζομένων τους. (Unfortunately, even today, there are bosses sucking the blood out of their employees.)
2. ‘να πιεις (κάποιον) στο ποτήρι’ (used to emphasize the beauty of a –usually young– person) Είδες την καινούργια κοπέλα του Πέτρου; Πανέμορφη! Να την πιεις στο ποτήρι! (Have you seen Peter’s new girlfriend? So pretty! She is stunningly beautiful!)
3. ‘πίνω νερό στο όνομα (κάποιου)’ (= to trust somebody blindly and show them great respect, to think highly of somebody) Δεν μπορεί να πιστέψει ότι η Μαρία έκλεψε τα χρήματα. Μέχρι χθες έπινε νερό στο όνομά της. (He can’t believe Mary stole the money. He always held her in the highest regard.)
4. ‘ήπια το αμίλητο νερό’ (= used for someone who in a given situation remains silent, they don’t say a word) Δεν έχεις πει κουβέντα σήμερα. Τι έγινε; Ήπιες το αμίλητο νερό; (You are so quiet today. What’s wrong? Did you drink the ‘unspoken water’*?)
* this expression derives from a custom called ‘Κλήδονας’, during the first phase of which single women fill up their pitchers with water from a spring and then, on their way back to the village, they have to remain silent, even though men tease them to make them speak.
Πεινάω or Πεινώ (peeno) = to be hungry
Present πεινάω / πεινώ
Past Continuous πεινούσα
Past Simple πείνασα
Future Simple θα πεινάσω
Future Continuous θα πεινάω
Present Perfect έχω πεινάσει
Past Perfect είχα πεινάσει
Future Perfect θα έχω πεινάσει
Present Future Simple Past Simple
εγώ πεινάω / πεινώ θα πεινάσω πείνασα
εσύ πεινάς θα πεινάσεις πείνασες
αυτός/αυτή/αυτό πεινάει / πεινά θα πεινάσει πείνασε
εμείς πεινάμε / πεινούμε θα πεινάσουμε πεινάσαμε
εσείς πεινάτε θα πεινάσετε πεινάσατε
αυτοί/αυτές/aυτά πεινάν(ε)/πεινούν(ε) θα πεινάσουν(ε) πείνασαν / πεινάσανε
Example sentences:
1. Τα παιδιά πεινάνε πολύ. Θα τους φτιάξω μία ομελέτα. (The children are very hungry. I will make them an omelet.) Keep in mind that the Past Simple form ‘πείνασα’ is very often used when referring to the present, e.g.
2. Πεινώ! = Πείνασα! Θα φάω γιαούρτι με μέλι και καρύδια! (I am hungry! I will have yogurt with honey and walnuts!)
Expressions with ‘πεινάω or πεινώ’:
1. πεινάω σαν λύκος [= I am (as) hungry as a wolf; the Greek equivalent of the English expression ‘(I am so hungry), I could eat a horse’] Πεινάω σαν λύκος! Δεν είναι έτοιμο ακόμη το φαγητό;! (I am so hungry, I could eat a horse! The food is not ready yet?!)
2. Των φρονίμων τα παιδιά, πριν πεινάσουν, μαγειρεύουν (= wise people’s children cook before they get hungry; wise people take precautions) Προσπαθώ να βάζω χρήματα στην άκρη για τα γεράματά μου. Όπως λέει και ο λαός: (I try to put aside money for my old age. As people say:) ‘Των φρονίμων τα παιδιά, πριν πεινάσουν, μαγειρεύουν’!
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Greek Language & Culture
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Wednesday, 30 September 2015 07:00
Chinese Community Newspaper Launches New Section In Greek
China Greece Times, a community newspaper in the Chinese language published in Greece since 2005, has launched a Greek-language section.
“Our readers used to be Chinese who live and work in Greece but also Chinese visitors to the country,” the paper’s editor-in-chief, Lydia Liang, tells Kathimerini. “However, as our two peoples had come so much closer over the past two years and the two governments are working closer together, we decided to expand to a Greek audience.”
The new edition forms a bridge of communication for many Greeks, mainly businessmen who are interested in expanding their activities to the Asian powerhouse.
“Many Greeks want to know more about the real China by reading Chinese news firsthand,” says Liang.
“There are already businessmen who have found partners in China and expanded their activities, such as Coco-Mat with its mattresses, Vianex with pharmaceuticals and Boutaris wines,” notes journalist Giorgos Tzogopoulos, an expert on Greek-Chinese relations who is also one of the newspaper’s columnists and founder of the website www.chinaandgreece.com. “Language has always been an obstacle and with this initiative we are removing it.”
Tzogopoulos admits that the political uncertainty in Greece is making potential Chinese investors hesitate, but in the meantime, “they are waiting and are interested in making acquaintances in the Greek business community.”
To read more, please visit: Ekathimerini
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Local News
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Wednesday, 30 September 2015 07:00
The Necklace Of Goddess Athena
In Athens, The Gods Still Dwell Among The Mortals.
Phevos and his sister Daphne are time travelers from ancient Greece. Unaware of the reason their father has sent them to modern-day Athens, they settle down in this new world with the assistance of the two orphaned siblings. Soon, the four youngsters stumble upon vital information that can help them find their missing parents. When they discover a secret cave in the Acropolis foothills, a precious finding causes them to become involved in a conflict between two Gods, one if which becomes their protector and the other, their worst nemesis. Who will prevail when the rival Gods meet again and will the moral bystanders survive to tell the tale?
The Necklace Of Goddess Athena is written by Effrosyni Moschoudi. She was born and raised in Athens, Greece. As a child, she often sat alone in her granny's garden, scribbling rhymes about flowers, butterflies and ants. Through adolescence, she wrote dark poetry that suited her melancholic, romantic nature. She's passionate about books and movies and simply could not live without them. She lives in a quaint seaside town near Athens with her husband Andy and a naughty cat Felix.
Her debut novel, The Necklace of Goddess Athena, is a #1 Amazon bestseller. Her romance, The Ebb (book 1 in The Lady of the Pier trilogy), is an ABNA Q-Finalist.
Effrosyni is a proud member of the writer's groups; eNovel, Authors at Work, ASMSG and The Fantasy & SciFi Network.
Find out more about Effrosyni on her website here.
You can find out more about The Necklace of Goddess Athena on Amazon here.
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Books
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Tuesday, 29 September 2015 07:00
The Freedom Of Open Space In Athens
Open spaces in Greece and especially in its busy Athens capital, offer a unique feeling of freedom. “Openness” is very much a part of the Greek culture, history, lifestyle, entertainment and character. Here are some favourite parts of the city where you can really enjoy the freedom of open space, relax and have fun.
Enjoy gardens, parks and playgrounds
Lying in the most famous spots of Athens or tucked away in well-hidden areas, the lush gardens and parks of Athens adorn the city’s neighbourhoods and thanks to their scenic beauty they form oases in the hustle and bustle of the city centre. Whether you want to take a romantic stroll, relax or offer your children a pleasant environment to play, the gardens of Athens are definitely to be visited during your stay in the Greek capital!
Visit Athens National Garden, an oasis in the centre of the city with more than 500 different species of plants, trees, birds and animals; home to the Botanical Museum, a zoo, a pond, a playground, a children’s library, a traditional café as well as scattered ancient monuments and statues. Walk along Pedio Areos, the biggest park in Athens, recently fully restored, an ideal place for walking, relaxing or having fun! Don’t forget to visit Thissio Park, the south-westernmost part of the Ancient Agora archaeological site, a favourite spot of the locals and one of the most frequented city places.
Thanks to its rich morphology Athens has plenty of places where you can admire stunning panoramic views of the city. Romantic or not, let yourself be captivated by the Athenian cityscape as seen from above. Must “view” locations include Lycabettus Hill, Filopappou Hill, Kaisariani Monastery, Anafiotika in Plaka, Profitis Elias in Piraeus and Damari in Petroupoli.
To read more, please visit: Visit Greece
Published in
City Discovery
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Monday, 28 September 2015 07:00
Arcturos Offers Sanctuary To Bears That Cannot Go Home
The calls of great tits, coal tits and chaffinches are the only sounds that break the silence at the Arcturos Sanctuary, in a forest in Nymfaio, Western Macedonia.
Drops from last night’s rain are still dripping from the beech trees as the morning chill turns jackets into valuable allies for the caretakers of the forest’s 12 ursine residents. And now it’s breakfast time.
“We feed the bears in three different locations. Today’s menu includes apples, cherries, peaches and watermelons,” explains 25-year-old Vasilis Fourkiotis, tour guide and Arcturos caretaker with a degree in environmental sociology. Hailing from a family of stock breeders, Fourkiotis already has four years of experience in the field.
“The animals don’t all live together. They are separated so they can coexist in harmony, as they are naturally anti-social creatures,” says Fourkiotis.
“Moreover, in order for us to lessen the chances of the animals suffering anxiety due to the fact that they are to a certain degree confined, we religiously apply international protocol in respect to large predator management, which suggests that we enforce the animal husbandry principle of behavioral enrichment, providing the bears with environmental stimuli for their optimal psychological and physiological well-being,” he adds.
“In other words, we disperse the food all around the area the bears have access to encourage them to be active. Don’t forget that a bear can walk up to 40 kilometers in search of food,” says Fourkiotis.
Having eaten his watermelon, 15-year-old Manolis stands up on both feet and appears to wave. His brother, Kyrgiakos, continues to munch away at his own watermelon a few meters away, indifferent to our presence. When they were cubs, the two brothers were found by a person who took them in as pets. But when they tipped the scales at 250 kilograms and grew to 2 meters in height, they simply became unmanageable. When Arcturos was called in to help, the two bears were completely used to living with people. It would be impossible for them to live in their natural habitat now, which means they will have to live their whole lives in captivity. However, they could do far worse than the Arcturos Sanctuary, an area of some 50 acres offering food, guaranteed care and optimal living conditions.
“We keep the animals here in order to provide them with the best possible living conditions. However, a bear, just like any other wild animal, needs to live and die free in its natural environment,” explains Vangelis Despotakis, Fourkiotis’s co-worker.
“Here at the sanctuary we have three bears from circuses, five from a zoo, three orphans and one blind bear. Unfortunately, it is now impossible for these animals to live freely in nature. They think that humans are their source of food; that’s why they try to get close to us every chance they get. All the animals are neutered given that we do not want more bears living in captivity. In the wild, cubs stay with their mother and learn from her for a period of two to three years. Under the conditions of a shelter, however, this obviously doesn’t happen,” he adds.
The public seems to have a somewhat distorted view of the Arcturos organization’s role. For example, the NGO’s staff often receive calls from animal breeders, demanding that the organization get rid of bears in the mountains.
“The bears are not our property,” says Despotakis. “We exclusively support bears that can’t survive on their own. We do not interfere with those that live freely, nor do we breed bears in order to release them at a later date.”
The situation in regard to how people treat animals has without doubt improved in recent years. However, as a guide, Despotakis believes that his role is not limited to unlocking gates, showing people the animals and providing information.
“I believe that I am here for a purpose. That is to instill in the public a different philosophy on how we treat nature and animals. We should stop feeling sorry for creatures which have have suffered from a position of power. The protection of wildlife, despite its obvious benefits, should serve as a medium through which we can improve human life as well, by reorienting the meaning of animals for humanity. People should not have the kind of relationship with nature that sees them caring for the environment so long as they can benefit from it, and realize that animals and the natural environment have an innate importance to us as human beings,” he says.
To read more, please visit: Ekathimerini
by
Vassiliki Chrysostomidou
Published in
Travel Greece
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Monday, 28 September 2015 07:00
Could This Start-Up Save The Greek Economy?
A week-long start-up accelerator program kicked off mid-September in London with the aim of finding an idea that will make an immediate contribution to the crisis-worn Greek economy.
Six short-listed companies worked with mentors and investors, including Google executive Steve Vranakis and George Kartakis of Paypal-owned Braintree, to refine their ideas before competing in a Dragons Den-style event at the end of the week.
The ideas included a chemical formula to protect historical sites from graffiti, a scheme to recycle unused hotel toiletries, a Mastiha liqueur importer, an online education manager, a digital diary for booking civil weddings and an internet shop for items handmade by Greek businesses.
The accelerator challenge, which was run in partnership with Watershed Entrepreneurs, was organised by Reload Greece, a non-profit organisation that encourages entrepreneurship from Greek expats and others that will have a social and economic impact in Greece.
"As we are based in London, we are tapping into the diaspora, the global community who are connected with Greece," said co-founder Effie Kyrtata, a 25-year-old Athenian who moved to London seven years ago.
"We’ve seen a lot of people leave Greece and come to other countries – the brain drain, the lost generation – and lose contact with Greece. We want to create a bridge between Greece and the UK."
To read more, please visit: The Telegraph
Published in
Greece In The News
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Friday, 25 September 2015 16:41
Supermoon Lunar Eclipse Visible From Athens
Just before sunrise on September 28, 2015 the rare and spectacular natural phenomenon of a total lunar eclipse will be visible from Athens. According to the Eugenides Foundation, the phenomenon will be completed in the following phases:
1) Partial phase of the eclipse begins at 4:07 am on Monday 28/9, when the moon enters gradually into the earth’s shadow.
2) Total eclipse phase, which is calculated to begin at 5:11 am, during which the entire moon will enter the earth's shadow.
3) Maximum eclipse will occur at 5:47 am, while the end of the total phase at 6:23 am.
You will be able to observe this entire natural phenomenon from Athens! Just make sure that your location is not impeded by hills and / or tall buildings so that you are able to watch the total lunar eclipse before the moon is lost beyond the western horizon.
This double natural phenomenon has been observed 5 times since 1900 - in 1910, 1928, 1946, 1964 and 1982 - and will again be observed in 2033.
Source: AthensVoice
Translated By: XpatAthens
Published in
Local News
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Thursday, 24 September 2015 07:00
Syntagma Metro Archeological Collection
It has often been said, that you can’t dig a hole in Athens
without finding something of archaeological value. This was certainly the case when they created the underground Metro system. Thousands of artefacts dating back millennia were uncovered, all adding to the overall knowledge of Athens in the past. Some of these finds were transferred to already existing museums. At Syntagma Station though, they went one step further.
Syntagma Metro Station is the central station where all lines connect. The Syntagma Metro Station Archaeological Collection can be found at the top floor of the station complex.
There are cases exhibiting artefacts such as weaving loomes and clay amphorae from all the periods of settlement in Athens. You can find neolithic, classical Greek, Roman and Byzantine exhibits all within one metro station.
The Archeological Collection is free to look around. Theoretically, if you have passed the barriers for access to the metro, you should have a validated metro ticket (tickets cost €1.20).
To read more, please visit: Dave's Travel Pages
Published in
City Discovery
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Thursday, 24 September 2015 07:00
Greek Employment Grew By 1.2% In Second Quarter Of 2015
Employment growth in Eurozone accelerated marginally for the second straight quarter in the three months ended June, figures from Eurostat showed Tuesday.
Employment rose a seasonally adjusted 0.3 percent in the second quarter, following a 0.2 percent climb in the previous quarter. In the fourth quarter last year, employment edged up 0.1 percent.
On an annual basis, employment growth held steady at 0.8 percent in the three-month period to June.
Greek employment grew by 1.2 pct in the second quarter of 2015, compared with the first quarter of the year, Eurostat said on Tuesday.
According to a latest report, Greece along with Portugal (+1.3%) recorded the highest percentage increase in employment in the April-June period, followed by Ireland and Spain (0.9% each) and Estonia (0.8%). Employment fell in Finland (-0.3%), the UK (-0.2%), Bulgaria and Lithuania (-0.1% each).
The number of employed people grew 0.3% in the Eurozone and 0.2% in the EU-28 totaling 228.8 million men and women of which 151 million in the Eurozone in the second quarter of 2015, compared with the previous quarter. Employment rose 0.8% in the Eurozone and 0.9% in the EU compared with the second quarter of 2014.
To read more, please visit: Apokoronews
Employment rose a seasonally adjusted 0.3 percent in the second quarter, following a 0.2 percent climb in the previous quarter. In the fourth quarter last year, employment edged up 0.1 percent.
On an annual basis, employment growth held steady at 0.8 percent in the three-month period to June.
Greek employment grew by 1.2 pct in the second quarter of 2015, compared with the first quarter of the year, Eurostat said on Tuesday.
According to a latest report, Greece along with Portugal (+1.3%) recorded the highest percentage increase in employment in the April-June period, followed by Ireland and Spain (0.9% each) and Estonia (0.8%). Employment fell in Finland (-0.3%), the UK (-0.2%), Bulgaria and Lithuania (-0.1% each).
The number of employed people grew 0.3% in the Eurozone and 0.2% in the EU-28 totaling 228.8 million men and women of which 151 million in the Eurozone in the second quarter of 2015, compared with the previous quarter. Employment rose 0.8% in the Eurozone and 0.9% in the EU compared with the second quarter of 2014.
To read more, please visit: Apokoronews
Published in
Greece In The News
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