Τhe Minister of Maritime Affairs, Islands and Fisheries, Giannis Diamantides is expected to meet with Greek- American Senator, Leonidas Raptakis and a group of ship-owners. They will meet regarding the program about the conversion of the Liberty Ship into a floating museum in Piraeus.
The ship which sailed to the Port of Piraeus in 2009, owned by the Ministry of Maritime Affairs, was transformed in Perama. The ship is currently managed by the “Friends of Liberty Association” and is one of the few salvaged Commercial Liberty Type vessels, contributing to the revival of the Greek Merchant Marines after World War II.
The ship was built in the U.S. during WWII and remained active for many years. After the end of the war, 100 Liberty ships were granted to Greek ship-owners by the States, contributing to the rise of Greek shipping.
Delegates Meet Concerning Liberty Ship's Transformation into Floating Museum, Pireaus
Grandchildren of Ellis Island Immigrants to Sing Tribute to their Ancestors at Gabby Awards
Emanuel Ayvas and George Psomas, two young professional entertainers, grew up hearing stories of their grandparents’ emigration from Greece to the United States through Ellis Island. At next month’s Gabby Awards ceremony, the pair will sing a tribute to all of our ancestors in the symbolic Registry Room, which their grandparents walked through to enter America.
Their song, entitled “The Journey,” written especially for the Gabby Awards, will talk about the journey from the shores of Greece to America to the present day.
“It is completely co-written by both of us and talks about the journey of those who came before us and how they have influenced our lives, and how they will continue their journey through us,” George said.
Ayvas and Psomas, both talented young performers, will sing the song together along with a string quarter for musical accompaniment.
Emanuel Ayvas graduated from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a degree in Music studying composition under Dr. Allen Anderson, and classical piano under Dr. Mayron Tsong. Emanuel is the frontman and composer/singer for the renowned Brooklyn-based rock orchestra Emanuel and the Fear. They have completed two records and plan to release their third this summer. They’ve been featured in the Guardian, Rolling Stone Magazine, and NME music to name a few, and have been touring for just over a year around The United States, Canada, and Europe.
George Psomas is a graduate of Muhlenberg College with a double major in Theatre and Business. He was in the original revival cast of “South Pacific” on Broadway at Lincoln Center, including the “Live from Lincoln Center” PBS Broadcast. George was also named the winner of “Broadway Idol” by the New York Musical Theatre Festival. His voice-over work includes the role of “Kevin” in the animated pilot “The Upstate Four” for the Cartoon Network and Bunko Studios, and he can also be seen in the December 2008 issue of Vogue Magazine in the photos “Romeo and Juliet” by photographer Annie Leibovitz. His website can be viewed here.
George and Emanuel look forward to singing “The Journey” and paying tribute to not only their grandparents but all those Greek American immigrants who left their homeland in search of better opportunities in America.
“I am honored to be a part of the Gabby Awards, especially as a performer, and I know that it will be an evening filled with people who are as honored as I am to be a Greek American,” George said. “I look forward to hearing their stories and celebrating their success.”
EU Rehn: Greece Must Take Steps In Coming Days; Debt 'Reprofile' Option
A “voluntary” extension of maturities on Greece’s sovereign debt might be considered once Athens has committed to new measures that are urgently needed in order to meet the fiscal targets tied to its E110 billion EMU-IMF aid package, Europe’s Economic and Monetary Affairs Commissioner Olli Rehn said Tuesday.
Speaking at a press conference following a day of meetings among the European Union’s 27 finance ministers, Rehn said:
“The Greek government has committed to taking further measures of fiscal consolidation in the coming days” to meet its budget deficit targets for 2011 and future years.
Once the new measures are taken, Rehn added, Eurozone finance ministers will also consider the possibility of additional aid for Greece.
It is an increasingly open secret among European officials that Greece will not regain access to capital markets next year, as originally hoped, and will thus need additional money to meet about E30 billion worth of debt repayments coming due.
There has been talk in recent days of a new bailout package worth as much as E60 billion, though that number has not been confirmed.
Rehn said a restructuring of Greek debt is not an option. However, a “re profiling,” or voluntarily extension of loan maturities held by private investors, could be examined, he said.
He added that the measures must have must have broad political support. “If it is possible for Portugal and Ireland, how come not in Greece,” said Rehn. Opposition parties in Ireland and Portugal agreed to support the terms of their country’s bailouts.
Eurogroup Chairman Jean-Claude Juncker, speaking at a press conference Monday evening, said it was “premature” to talk about fresh cash for Greece, “but that does not necessarily mean it is excluded.”
"Medea" Performance by Plato Students Scheduled Sunday, May 22nd at Stathakion Theatre, Astoria
A month after its phenomenal performance in Brooklyn, where the audience applauded and cried from the moving scenes of the ancient tragedy “Medea” by Euripides, will be performed again. It will be performed by the students of the School “Plato” this Sunday, May 22, at 4:30 p.m. at the Stathakion Theatre in Astoria. It will give the opportunity to Greeks in the area who missed the brilliant performance the first time, the chance to view it again.
Greek Billionaire Actor Alki David Weds Model Jennifer Stano
Billionaire, entrepreneur and actor Alki David, married model Jennifer Stano in New York last Saturday. The glamorous event was held in New York, where most of the bride’s friends and relatives live.
The wedding took place at Oheka Castle in Long Island. It is a huge gated manor that is also used as a hotel when not occupied by weddings or events. The couple rented out the entire place so their guests could stay the night. Joe Jonas, Joey Fatone and many other celebs have also held events at Oheka.
The ceremony was attended by 350 guests and seen by 167,203 virtual live attendees on Mr. David’s online community BattleCam.com as well as on Facebook. Alki and Jennifer are an online phenomenon with a massive following, as the pair often appears live on Mr. David’s BattleCam.com online Web community site. The wedding was filmed by NBC/ Universal for an upcoming unscripted television series.
The wedding dress was from Kleinfields and the rings were from David Yourman. The bridesmaids wore pink long dresses.
The invitation matched the reception colors and included a quote from the newly weds:
“When you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with someone, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible”
Alkiviades “Alki” David is a Greek digital media entrepreneur and actor currently living in Beverly Hills, California. He also owns a big stake of his family’s fortune which includes 30 Coca-cola bottling plants in Europe and Africa. He is notable for his early adoption of social media as a marketing vehicle, such as his owned and operated sites FilmOn and Battlecam. He had also appeared on TV and in cinema as an actor.
The couple will Honeymoon in Greece.
Radio Marathon Held to Raise Money for Greek Schools, Montreal
The radio marathon that took place last weekend and aimed at raising $150,000 dollars for the schools of Greater Montreal’s Greek community, turned out to be an enormous financial success with many willing participants. Money generated wil be donated to both the daily schools “Socrates” and “Demosthenes” and those which are open only on Saturdays (“Aristotle”, “Plato-Homer”, and “Saint Nicholas”). The appeal from the fundraising committee under the presidency of Orpheus Vosniadis was realized through radio stations CFMB and Radio–Centre Ville. The purpose of this action was to financially support the Greek schools of the area, the funding of which the Canadian government had a 40% decrease during the past years.
First Vice Chairman of the Inter-parliamentary Committee for Hellenes Abroad, federal MPs Thomas Mulcair and Greek Niki Ashton, Quebec Assembly member Gerry Sklavounos, Montreal city councilor Mary Deros and other important Greeks and citizens mentioned that there must be support for Greek schools by the community and also the governments of Greece, Canada and Quebec. The schools of the Greek community of Montreal face serious financial problems, but there is also a deficiency of Greek language teachers. That’s why they call for the Education Ministry of Greece to continue sending educational personnel.
Eurogroup Urges Greece to Speed Up Structural Reforms & Privatization Program
The Eurogroup urged Greece to speed up structural reforms and its privatizations program, and also called for opposition parties’ consensus on the Greek economic adjustment program, in statements by European Monetary and Economic Affairs commissioner Olli Rehn and Eurogroup president Jean-Claude Juncker. The delegates stated this after a meeting of the Euro area Finance Ministers in Brussels on Monday.
Rehn said a “very good discussion” took place on the extension of the repayment period for Greece’s 110 billion euros EU-IMF bailout loan to Greece.
Noting that Greece had achieved in 2010, an unprecedented reduction of its fiscal deficit, he said that an assessment report by the Troika experts (European Commission, European Central Bank and International Monetary Fund) on the implementation of the Memorandum in Greece was anticipated, adding that some gaps have been ascertained in the assessment with achievements of the fiscal targets and the privatizations program.
Juncker, in turn, said he was satisfied with Greece’s clear-cut commitments on the implementation of new extraordinary measures to attain the fiscal targets for 2011. “If Greece succeeds in meeting the fiscal targets for 2011, if it speeds up the privatizations program and if there is political consensus, things may not be easy, but they will be feasible,” he said.
(source: ana-mpa)
Greece Sells €1.625b 13-Week T-Bills
Greece has sold €1.625b of 13- week Treasury Bills in an auction on Tuesday, with uniform yield at 4.06% and maturity on August 19, 2011.
The amount auctioned was €1.25b, with bid-to-cover ratio at 3.3, according to the Public Debt Management Agency.
Today’s New York Times Includes Article on Dismal Greek Economy
The economic deadlock that many Greeks experience is referred to in today’s publication of the New York Times. Additionally the article noted the upward trend in suicides, homeless people and free feeding queues.
The Times presents personal stories of people financially ruined or facing huge problems surviving the economic crisis, giving a gloomy image for the future of Greece.
The article also noted the serious problem of unemployment and the work of the nonprofit organizations that contribute assistance. It was emphasized that many Greeks are withdrawing their deposits from Greek banks. Last year 40 billion Euros were removed from Greece. This year, the amount of withdrawal is expected to increase considerably.
As noted, Greece is again at the focus of economic developments and all estimates converge to an additional support of 60 billion Euros. There is an opinion that as a return, Greece will have to accelerate the reforms, particularly privatizations, and also take additional measures. A worrying factor is also the claim that there are analysts who believe that a social explosion is within reach. This holds true particularly among the private sector workers including approximately 1, 000,000 civil servants, who will lose their jobs, states the report.
NSW Literary Award Presented to Dr. Ian Johnson for Greek & Chinese Translations
Doctor Ian Johnson was awarded with the NSW Premier’s Literary Award in New South Wales for literary translations from ancient Greek and Chinese. The President of Community Relations Commission talked about Dr. Johnson’s contribution to ancient Greek translations. The award was presented by Greek-Australian Minister for Tourism George Souris.