The Spanish “Galeon Andalucia”, a replica of the 17th century Spanish galleons, sailed through the Corinth Canal on Monday.
The 51-meter-long travelling museum, created by Spain’s Nao Victoria Foundation, makes use of ancient seafaring techniques with very minimal modern technology and virtually no fuel.
The Galeon Andalucia is a project conceived and developed by Fundacin Nao Victoria, an entity which came into being to preserve the only replica of the vessel that gave name to the Foundation, the Nao Victoria. It was the first vessel to circumnavigate the world, commanded by Captain Juan Sebastian el Cano in the 16th Century.
Built to ‘reminisce’ the trade path of the Spanish Galleon era, the “Andalucia” is an exact replica of the 17th century galleon ships from Spain that plied the Manila-Acapulco trade route, while even the furniture and decor were specially designed to keep the 17th century feel of the ship.
The 51-meter galleon replica was built by the Nao Victoria Foundation to serve as a travelling exhibit of Spanish civilization and culture.
Galleon Andalucia is mainly made of oak wood. It has 6 decks and 3 masts which support the manoeuvring of its 7 sails. The ship relies heavily on wind power and ancient navigational techniques during its voyages.
On the upper deck is a pair of huge anchors perched on each side of the ship, with each anchor weighing 1,450 kilograms.
Perched on the main deck is the main mast and replica cannons lined along the sides of the galleon.
The captain’s steering wheel and other navigational equipment, such as the ship’s compass, are on the upper navigational deck.
While sailing, Galleon Andalucia can develop a speed of 5 knots (about 10 kilometers) per hour.
17th Century Spanish Vessel Replica Sails through Corinth Canal
Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations Visit Greece
The Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations will be visiting Greece from the 8th to 13th of February 2011, at the invitation of Prime Minister Papandreou.
The visit will start in Thessaloniki, where the Conference of Presidents will meet with the Mayor and Vice Mayor, tour sites of Jewish and archaeological interest, and dine with members of the Central Board of Jewish Communities in Greece, the Jewish Community of Thessaloniki, politicians, local officials and prominent members of the business community.
In Athens, the delegation with be received by the President of the Republic on Wednesday, the 9th of February. A conference will take place at the King George hotel on Thursday, the 10th of February, with the participation of the Prime Minister and the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, National Defence, Citizen Protection, Culture & Tourism and State. During their stay in Athens, the Conference of Presidents will also be received by the Speaker of the Hellenic Parliament and meet with other political and religious officials, including the Prefect of Attiki, the Mayor of Athens and the Jewish Community of Athens. Their itinerary also includes sightseeing in Athens and visits to sites of Jewish interest, and meetings have also been scheduled with the U.S. and Israeli Ambassadors to Athens.
The Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations visits a different country each year as part of their annual trip to Israel. This marks their first time visiting Greece. The delegation includes Presidents and Executive Directors of some 50 American organizations that are members of the Conference, as well as heads of European Jewish communities.
Greek-Australian Journalist Αrrested in Egypt
Four Australian journalists were arrested on Sunday in Cairo. One journalist is Greek-Australian Jason Koutsoukis (photo), who works for Fairfax media group and ABC television network.
The ABC Foreign Correspondent crew was handed over to the military by vigilantes after they were seen filming a donkey.
Blindfolded and handcuffed, the journalists were brought together with other Westerners to a military post where they had been interrogated. Their passports and mobile phones being confiscated.
“My eye sockets were filled with cotton wool, kept in place by bandages wrapped around my head. My hands were tied behind my back with insulated copper wire”, writes Jason Koutsoukis about his experience in news portal The Age.
“It’s odd just how disorienting sight deprivation can be, robbing you of a sense of direction and time” he stresses.
Koutsoukis expresses his concerns about the local journalists, ” we hear lots of horrible stories”, he notes.
The group was released after five hours.
Australian Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd condemned the attacks on Australian journalists.
Rudd said he told the Egyptian Foreign Minister that attacks on foreign and Egyptian reporters and other civilians were unacceptable.
American Philhellenists Featured on American Postage Stamps
A new series of postage stamps, dedicated to American Philhellenists is expected to circulate next April by the U.S. postal service. The decision was taken after an initiative of the “American Philhellenists Association, 1810-1840”. According to the president of the association, the new series of stamps will be dedicated to Americans who struggled and sacrificed themselves for Greece’s freedom. He also stated that the decision has already been approved and the stamps are expected to circulate on April 19th, the Day of Philhellenism and International Solidarity. The series includes the tomb of George Jarvis, the portrait of Dr. Samuel Gridley Howe, as well as the emblem of the “American Philhellenists Association, 1810-1840”.
Photo Exhibition at Ouzo Festival Depicts Immigrant Memories, Bayswater
An impressive photo exhibition titled “The Journey” was presented during “The Ouzo Festival”, organized by the Palesviaki Enosis Melbourne in Bayswater. The exhibition’s archive belongs to Vasilis Vasilas. He claims that “every photo is a memory of the immigrant”. He also notes that the exhibition, as well as his book “Journeys of Uncertainty and Hope” are based on his website www.syndesmos.net, where he has a photo archive of the Mytilenean immigrants in Australia. He has detected 750 compatriots of his, up to now. His efforts, which started in Sydney, will be continued in other states of Australia as well. According to Vasilis Vasilas, the majority of Mytileneans migrated to Australia after the Minor Asia catastrophe and the population exchange.
“With the Greek Cinema in Australia-Behind the Projections” Book Presented in Sydney
The educational committee of AHEPA presented in Sydney, a book by Panagiotis Yiannoudis, titled “With the Greek Cinema in Australia- Behind the Projections” (Greek title: “Με τον Ελληνικό Κινηματογράφο στην Αυστραλία – Πίσω από τις προβολές”). In the book, the writer narrates everything he has experienced during his contact with the Greek cinema. He also traces important elements concerning the presence of the Greek cinema in Australia and his cooperation with Greek producers, directors and actors. The book was introduced by journalist, Themis Sofos. The AHEPA building in Rockdale, also hosted an exhibition of posters and photos, related to the Greek cinema in Australia.
Greece Sold EUR390mn Six-Month T-Bills
Greece sold EUR390mn of six-month treasury bills, during an auction of EUR300mn on Tuesday, according to a Greek debt agency report.
The total bids reached EUR1,363mn, with the yield dropping by 26 basis points compared to a previous January auction.
The sale was well covered with the bid-cover ratio at 4.54 versus 3.4 in the previous auction. Greece paid a yield of 4.64%, down from 4.90% in the January 11 auction, Greece΄s Public Debt Management Agency said.
Its head, Petros Christodoulou, said that 80% of the take-up came from foreign investors, according to Dow Jones Newswires.
“This is another positive signal for Greece’s ability to borrow from markets for a second month in a row,” Christodoulou told the news agency.
“It was a small amount on offer, so I don’t draw a major conclusion, but still the 80% uptake again by foreigners is encouraging,” Christodoulou added.
Fitch Expects Greek Real-Estate Prices To Decline By 15%
Fitch Ratings said that Greek real-estate prices are expected to decline 15% over the next two years as interest-rate increases make it harder for borrowers hit by austerity measures to keep up with mortgage payments, according to Bloomberg.
The proportion of loans not paid for more than three months rose to 2.7% in December from 0.9% a year earlier, they said.
“It seems likely that increased arrears will begin to result in increased defaults during the coming year,” Fitch analysts Aksel Etingu and Peter Dossett said in a report.
Greece’s house-price index has dropped by 4.3% since its 2008 peak, due to lower interest rates that have been helping homeowners make debt repayments.
Fitch expects the index to decline a further 15% over the next two years as the European interbank offered rate, or Euribor, drifts up, says Bloomberg.
Government efforts “to control and reduce public-sector debt are also expected to have a major effect on arrears levels,” the analysts wrote.
England Mandates Greek Ship Owners to Relocate
About 120,000 businessmen known as “non-dom”, live and develop their economic activity in Britain. They are under the threat of loosing their tax privileges, the most important of which is taxation for the income coming only from Britain. Brown’s government forced all foreign businessmen and the higly-paid working population, who have been living in Britain for more than 7 years, to pay the amount of 30,000 annually for each family member, for the income not to be checked.
Now, the Minister for Finance is willing to put an end to this situation and disgrace the above mentioned privileges. However, various reactions have been expressed due to the aggravating consequences of the reforms for the city of London and the whole economy alike. Despite the fact that Greek Maritime Bureaus in London offer jobs to many branches and sectors, the new strict fiscal measures “force”, according to a former report, a large number of foreign, and especially of Greek ship-owners to leave London and relocate their firms to other countries. This includes Greece and Switzerland.
Munich City Hall Hosts Greek & German Event Honoring 1960 Agreement
Hellenic – Bavarian friendship has a long history. Germans admire Greece as a land of great ideas, classical beauty and wonderful holidays, while Greeks appreciate the renowned “German virtures”.
This was stressed – among other things – by the Prime Minister of Bavria, Horst Seehofer in his message, during the formal event held in Munich City Hall. Greeks and Bavarians celebrated in a friendly atmosphere, the signing of the employment agreement between Greece and Germany dating back to the 30th of March 1960.
The event at the City Hall of the Bavarian capital was jointly organized on January 24th by the Metropolis of Germany, the Federal Immigrant Agency, the Federal Employment Agency, the Bavarian Government, the Caritas of the Roman Catholic Church, Innere Mission of the Evangelical Church and Greek Associations and Organizations in Munich.
Among Bavarian guests were the President of the Bavarian Constitutional Court, Karl Huber, the Deputy Speaker of the Bavarian Parliament, Reinhold Bocklet, the attaché of the German Government for immigration issues, Martin Neumayer, former Minister Ottmar Bernard, many members of the parliament, city councilors and academics.
The Greek side was represented by the Consul General, Andreas Psycharis, the President of the Greek Community, Spyros Xenakis, Presidents of Greek Associations, academics and many more prominent figures from the community of Munich.
A reception followed the event, whereby the musical group “Southern Melodies” (Noties Melodies in Greek) entertained the attendants with Greek songs and music, while delicacies from Munich restaurants were offered to the guests.