European Justice Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom will visit the the Greek-Turkish border tomorrow. Starting on Tuesday, EU “Rapid Border Intervention Team” began to operate and are coordinated by Frontex. This is the first time that the “Rapid Border Intervention Team” (RABIT) mission has been used, after a request made by Greece on October 24th. The area of intervention is a 12.5km strip close to the Greek city of Orestiada, which has seen a spike in illegal immigration from Turkey in recent weeks. The goal of the EU mission, which includes 175 specialised border patrol officers, does not only aim to improve surveillance, but also to provide: “support activity according to onsite needs and the specialisation of the personnel,” explained Commissioner Malmstrom’s spokesperson, Michele Cercone. A meeting with the Turkish authorities has not been scheduled to take place during the visit. “At this time no contacts with Turkish officials are scheduled. This is a visit that will allow the commissioner to get an idea about the mission directly on the ground”, stated Cercone. According to Frontex, 90% of illegal entries into Europe take place through Greece. According to local authoritities, in the first half of 2010 there were 45,000 illegal entries.
EU Places Rapid Border Intervention Team on Greek-Turkish Border
Police Bomb Disposal Experts Seize 6 Parcel Bombs Headed to Embassies in Athens
Greek police bomb disposal experts on Thursday detonated a parcel bomb addressed to the French embassy in Athens. This occurred after being alerted by a courier service’s employees in the Kallithea district of Athens about a suspicious package.
Additionally the bomb experts also received calls from another courier service in Markopoulo about five more parcels addressed to embassies.
The first parcel was reported by the ACS courier office in Kallithea and the other five by the UPS courier service in Markopoulo. Another team of bomb disposal experts are on their way to the UPS service.
The suspect package was detonated with a controlled explosion and was found to have contained an explosive device hidden in a book. The device was in a package that had the return address as the Archbishop of Athens.
(source: ana-mpa)
Apogeumatini Newspaper Files for Bankruptcy
Apogeumatini newspaper owner Mr. Sarantopoulos filed for bankruptcy yesterday.
After having submitted the appropriate documents in court and declared bankruptcy, the chairman of the company Mr. Black, announced to its employees that the owners of the newspaper went to court. He notified them about the paper’s appropriate documents submission to stop its publication.
There is confusion and fear among the 130 workers, journalists, and administrative employees due that they might even not be compensated by the company.
Hellenic Australian Chamber of Commerce Awards Ceremony
Leading figures in the business world of the Greek Diaspora and more were honored by the Hellenic Australian Chamber of Commerce (HACCI). This is the Commerce’s first event after the merger with Hellenic Business Forum. It was held at the luxurious Park Hyatt Hotel.
The event was welcomed with messages by the Prime Minister of Victoria John Brumby, the leader of the opposition Ted Baillieu, the Mayor of Melbourne Robert Doyle and the Consul General of Greece Christos Salamanis.
HACCI President Nikos Mylonas spoke on the objectives of the organization. They are in collaboration with entrepreneurs of Greek origin with regard to the preservation and promotion of Greek culture.
He also announced that Laiki Bank and the Bank of Cyprus; represented by their directors Michalis Athanasiou and George Taktikos, will be sponsoring HACCI.
The award ceremony followed. The “Chris Chatzistavrou Award for the Greatest Achievement by a Greek Young Person Living Abroad” was awarded to designer Eleni Kontouris by famous chef George Kalombaris.
The award of “Outstanding Professional Performance” was awarded to Jim Vassiliadis by Bank of Cyprus Director George Taktikos.
The award for “Leading Business Performance” was awarded to Gregory Stampoulides and Nikos Athanassopoulos by Laiki Bank Director Michalis Athanasiou.
The “Spyros Stamoulis Award for Lifetime Achievements” was awarded to Nikos Andrianakos by Melina Stamoulis.
Media Star Sophia Koikas’ Exclusive Interview with Greek Reporter
There isn’t a specific way to describe Sophia Koikas. She has worked as an actress, writer, director and also in other various crew positions. Recently she was working at the Los Angeles Greek Film Festival helping to promote Greek cinema in the States. Sophia Koikas is a multi- talented and very interesting person. We thought it would be a good chance to know her better now that she is completing her new feature film. In the interview she gave for the Greek Hollywood Reporter she talked to us about her work, the many famous people she has met so far and the reasons why Greece will always be a part of her.
You grew up in Detroit.Tell us about your childhood and about your choice of becoming an actress.
Yes, I was born in Detroit, Michigan. Both parents are from Corinth Greece. My father, who was a lot like the father in MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING always wanted only Greek music playing in the home. He never took us to an American movie theater. He took us a few times to Greek theater. We only went to Greek picnics and the Greek festivals every year which was in Greek Town in Detroit. Greek church on holidays. We weren’t allowed to go pass our own block to play. He started his family in his late 30’s so he was strict in old tradition. I day dreamed a lot as a kid. My games were role playing, escaping on a venture, which would be a block away. I remember actually writing a play about 3 cops and got 2 other girls to play in it in one of the girl’s playhouse her dad made for her in her back yard. Because we didn’t receive toys like the children today, it took me inside where I created stories but I didn’t know that when I grew up, that it is what I’d like to do also. In 6Th grade my teacher had a book that we could submit any writings and she told me to write. My high school English teacher wrote in one of my paper reviews, ”you could be a writer” and gave me extra books to read, but I never thought of it until I got into my early 20’s to write again. When I left home, I first auditioned to get into the American Academy of Dramatic Arts summer program in California and I was accepted. My dream was to meet Elton John and the go into acting at first. I met Elton within the first 3 months I was here in California.
Tell us about famous actors you had the chance to meet or work with.
The famous actors I had the chance to meet and work with were quite of few…although I have to mention, directors, singers and music really is a major influence and inspiration for me. My most inspiring actor though is Diane Venora. Besides becoming close friends, she inspires me the most personally, has so much life and passion in her. She is always teaching me and encourages me. She knows art, acting, music, dance, personality, psychology, archetypes, what a persons gifts are, she reminds me constantly to look up words and see where they came from. She just introduced me to YOLA, Youth orchestra Los Angeles and Gustavo Dudamel and I would love to one day buy instruments for these children because that is one thing I wish I had as a kid. I worked at the Hollywood bowl for 3 summers and I’d like to go back because classical music has been inspiring to me lately again in my writing. I love Laurence Olivier still, the passion he had from acting, choices he made, his makeup, his clothes and he is in one of my top 10 movies Whethering Heights. I really love Francis Ford Coppola too, he reminds me of family, he’s Italian from Detroit but raised in New York. I’ve met him and he told me his middle name is from the Ford hospital he was born in. I love his images, his story telling and on his new web page, he talks about how he is learning still on how to make movies, he’s so detailed and passionate. I met Clint Eastwood, he inspires me too because, he writes, acts, produces and I just found out he composes his own music for his movies…this is what I love about him. I met Sasha Alexander and I really love her insight in acting and directing and she is so professional. I met Alexander Payne at the Filmmakers alliance awards night for independent filmmakers and I didn’t know he was Greek until I’ve read it. Then I met him a few times more and I really loved About Schmidt and Sideways and how he is particular about his cast when he casts for his movies. I love DAVID LYNCH. I met him briefly at a meditation awareness concert, he was very kind. I only discovered him a few years ago though, even though I was a fan of Elephant Man, on my top 10 movie list but I didn’t know he directed this movie until someone told me that my writing reminded them of David Lynch so when I researched him, he became my first favorite now. I love how he uses dreams and images which I do too, and with bigger budgets, I can really get even more detail. He allowed me to feel, my image I want to show, is OK. I don’t have to follow a book of rules. He inspires me the most. Also, I’ve discovered from the 70’s Aleyandro Jodorowsky of El Topo this past summer and he made me feel, wow, how he had the courage and images in his head and put it on film…some of it was out there but I was inspired by his ability. Another director is Werner Herzog..I’ve met him and I really enjoyed his Q&A about his style, gorilla which so far I’ve done too and for the same reasons as Aleyandro. His images put into film…he’s known for using whole villages of people as Aleyandro and I have another new idea for a screenplay that I plan to write and making notes now for a movie that will take place in Greece. I recently met Beth Henly, she wrote Crimes of the Heart so I was able to ask her about writing for the stage verse film and I loved her insight. I love Graham Beckle, I’m in his class right now and he is an amazing actor that can stand on his toes and makes decisions out of his own imagination. I love the writing of Dwight Yoakam and Bernie Taupin. I really like Dustin Hoffman, Judy Dench, I like the choices of Hilary Swank, I met her only once. I’ve worked with Deniro and love his choices. I love Daniel Day Lewis. I’ve met Penelope Spheeris at the Greek film festival and she put me in her movie and I loved watching her direct. My favorite actress are older Hollywood, Betty Davis, Monroe, Shirley Temple. What are your experiences so far from working in the Greek Film Festival? In what ways do you believe this film festival has helped promoting the Greek Cinema in the States? I loved the idea of a Greek film festival here in Los Angeles, I use to think, there are every kind of festival except Greek and they created theater! Then two months to late, I found out that one was created and I missed it but when I talked to Alexander Payne and he said to call Angeliki Giannakopoulos to get involved, I emailed her the next day and I’ve worked for them for the last 3 years. I am so stoked to be a part of this that I’ll do anything for her to help her. I’m beginning to feel the family and new comers making this grow. When I see some of the films it feels so ‘familiar’ to me. It’s in my DNA. I think it’s growing every year and every time I meet someone that is of Greek heritage, I let them know about it. I think it’s a great way to get Greek filmmakers exposure and I hope Greece bounces back make an effort to get their filmmakers out here.. I would also like to see American Greek filmmakers submit and get accepted too because Americans love these film festival here in Hollywood. Also, I find out that there are a lot of Greeks in the industry and would’ve never known if it wasn’t for this festival.. Good luck for 2011!
You have worked also in other various crew positions. What position do you prefer and why?
Working on sets with various positions makes me understand other positions and have appreciation but I really love the casting process because when I pick someone, I pick someone for the reason that they fit the image in my head…I love producing because I have control of the creativity but I don’t care for the paper work. I loved to direct so far only for my own writing because I understand what I wrote. I started out with acting but en stead of waiting, I just started to read and study and took control by doing the behind the camera. I would love to study and understand lighting because I have the ideas in my head on how I want it to look too. When the movie is finished shooting. I think I really love the editing process but I don’t edit but I sit with the editor. How difficult is it to be both a director and an actress in the same movie? When I direct and act on one project, the most difficult part is my appearance as the character. On a low budget, I make sure, all the actors are made to look their best, and I’m running around doing other stuff that I run out of time to have my hair done or make up done sometimes but with a bigger budget I can get others to do some of these things…sometimes because I try to use my friends who need more experience I find they may not take me to serious and I had to learn to be firmer and to use my voice. Once an actor walked off set because he was taking his direction from another person and when I let him walked, I just kept going. One thing I do is, I use my environment and I make it work…he came back. I never raised my voice though when my actors have a strong point of view too…I give them what they want although, there were some cases where I had to say, listen, right now, I’m not your friend, I’m your director.
Tell us a few things about the upcoming movies you directed “Disappearing Bakersfield” and “The Lady and the Taxi Driver”.
A few of my current projects are all current. I just got a short called Gabriel and Lilly into the LA Comedy film festival. My male lead is Greek too, Gabriel Kalomos. The one called The Lady and the Taxi Driver is in production for 5 years now! But so was Eraser head by David Lynch. It started with an editor that was able to work one day out of the week but got busy with his music videos. Then it went to another editor who got another job and then to another one who couldn’t find the logged footage so NOW, I have Mallory Yarnell who has done a great job but I haven’t seen the final footage yet. I worked with the other editor side by side but Mallory has taken it under her wings now. I have a wonderful actress Sally Wells Cook in it and another Greek actor Tony Pertesis playing a Greek man on his way to his own wedding and his car breaks down, he was so funny and many other actors I used from my acting class. My most current one and the ‘baby’ is Disappearing Bakersfield. I wrote it in 2001 for a friend of mine, Otto Felix with the intention for him to star and direct but as life happened, when I was finally able to produce it,he passed away in 08. He was a big influence for it. He taught physically challenged performers and I had a few actors from his class casted too. One of them passed away, a petite male, blind and on a wheel chair. Buck Owens another, inspiring performer that I’ve met agreed to do a cameo but he passed away and one of the actress in a wheel chair and a tiny person, moved to Florida…it’s been a long journey for this one. When my dad passed away last year, it seemed like the doors all of a sudden opened up for it to be made. My editor for this one is John Schaller and we have our first draft done but may need more money for sound design. I found some good actors who really wanted to work like Stephen Amos, Piper Coolidge, lewin, the Morgan family of Molly, Bonnie, and their dad Gary, Amelia Pawlak, Flo Lawrence, Toni Griffin etc. It’s a dark quirky story…Originally I wrote my character as a Latina because everyone asks me if I am. When I met Nia Vardalos at a Q&A, I told her after hearing her speak on her journey, I said, I’m going home and I’m making my character Greek. And she said, ‘good!’So my lead is a Greek girl trying to get home to Bakersfield California from Arizona to live with her dad again and how she gets caught up in a vortex.
When you don’t work, what are the things you enjoy doing?
When I’m not working, I’m writing! I have 3 more scripts that I started by writing down my ideas. I love going to the movies, I dislike clubs. I’m starting to go to classical concerts again too. I like to workout and want to start classes in Krav Maga soon, I’m booked to take Mime classes this weekend..I love to eat at raw restaurants. One of my dreams is to swim with Dolphins…I saw the Cove and it broke my heart. I love dog sitting, love animals and one day I’ll love to create a home for older dogs that aren’t just ready to go to heaven by providing a place where people can take them because it’s to expensive or they just can’t put them down when it gets close to that time and they don’t want to take the easy way out from the care it takes for them. I love puppies and old dogs and kitties too!
Tell us about your relationship with Greece and what are the things you like from our country.
When my dad passed away, it made me think of Greece more..like I wish he was one of those dads that took us there every year. But whenever I hear Greek music, especially with bouzouki and clarinet, I cry. It makes me feel what a gift he gave me, the heritage of that culture and all the stuff kids get of toys, etc, I don’t care anymore. I plan to buy a bouzouki, I’m writing a story that I want to film there. Someone told me when I was small, when God made the world and he was done, he through the rest of the stones to where Greece is today, I feel it’s an amazing history…I’ve been there twice yet but haven’t explored the islands yet. I want to study more when I catch up with what I have to do…I love the movie Zorba the Greek, that’s what I like about them, when it gets painful, they turn to dance and music. I love the food, belly dancing and how they dance.
What are your future plans?
My plans to come are to complete Disappearing Bakersfield. I’ve written it in a way, that it could be a continuing story for a TV series. I’m writing 3 more screenplays, the next one in line that I want to finish is called MY SWEET BONITA! It’s about a dog. I plan to continue to write, study and learn more. I want to create a little community of artist that work well together and it’s about the story. I want to get more involved with bring music to kids and to help animals…and go to Greece again!
Greece Falls 12 Ranks in New "Doing Business Index" by World Bank
Greece has once again followed a familiar pattern as it lost ground on the latest “Doing Business Index”, published by the World Bank.
According to the report, which is set to be formally released today and which assesses how easy it is to do business in 183 countries, Greece slipped 12 places to position number 109 – ranking below countries such as Ethiopia and Papua New Guinea.
Rankings are based on a series of indexes covering business environments in each country and the time and money needed to set up an enterprise. Greece fell in six out of the nine indexes for business environment, it remained unchanged in two, and improved its position in one index.
More analytically, Greece’s rankings fell in start-up of an enterprise (149 from 146 last year), assets recording (153 from 107), access to credit (89 from 87), investor protection (154 from 153), cross-border trade (84 from 81) and termination of operations (49 from 43). It remained unchanged in building permits (51) and tax payment (74), while it improved in contract implementation (88 from 89).
In Greece 15 procedures were needed for business start-up, up from 5.6 on average in the OECD, while the time needed was 19 days, up from 13.8 percent in the OECD, cost was 20.7 percent of per capita income from 5.3 percent in the OECD and minimum capital was 22.3 percent of per capital income, from 15.3 percent in the OECD.
Greek Tycoon’s Son Dies in Namibia Auto Accident
Walvis Bay real estate tycoon John Savva’s son died early Monday morning in a road accident. The accident happened between Walvis Bay and Swakopmund.
Thirty-one-year-old Yianni Savva was travelling from Swakopmund to Walvis Bay at approximately 4:20 when he lost control of the vehicle and overturned.
It is suspected that Savva who died on the spot, dozed off while driving and lost control of his BWM. His next of kin have been informed.
His father is a prominent Walvis Bay businessmen. He owns the Atlantic Hotel in Walvis Bay and the Afrodite Beach Development between Walvis Bay and Swakopmund among other flourishing business enterprises.
German Media Sites Greece’s Border Intervention Request
German papers are refererencing the active intervention team of FRONTEX at the Greek boarders.
German press published some days ago the news that the Commission answered positively to the Greek request for the protection of the boarders from the illegal immigrants by the forces of FRONTEX team.
“Greece asks for help to protect the boarders from the illegal immigrants “ is written at the web page of the German paper Die Zelt. It underlines that: “The Commission speaks for a dramatic change due to the fact that the illegal immigrants coming to Greece rises and is possible to create a humanitarian crisis at the Greek Turkish boarders for where 90% of illegal immigrants find their way to Europe.”
Greece estimates that the country can’t afford dealing with the illegal immigrants and therefore asked for the FRONTEX force to intervene.
It is the first time in history that Greece as a member of EU, asks for the help of the FRONTEX force since its creation in 2007.
The newspaper refers to older investigations and complaints of the human rights protection organization PRO ASYL concerning the living conditions of the refuges in Greece and for the systematic return to Turkey.
Bobostitcha Cemetary in Albania Continues Burning Stefanas
The memorial service in Bobostitcha that has taken place for years in order for the great battle given by Greece to prevent the forces of Axis to access to be honored, as stated by the Greek Foreign Minister representative Gregory Delavekouras. He was responding to questions that have been posed for the burning of stephanas at the cemetery, a very “worrying and reprehensible phenomenon”.
“It is an unacceptable phenomenon and only represents some people who lack the ability to understand not only the new relations framework between Greece and Albania, but also the symbolism of the battle to prevent the Axis forces”, a representative said.
As for the intergovernmental agreement for cemeteries, the Greek and Albania governments have expressed their satisfaction and only need to conclude its application, as pre agreed, the representative added.
New Archaeology & Archaeometry Program at University of Cyprus
A very important research program budgeted at 4.6 million euros for Archaeology and Archaeometry, with the code name “NARNIA” will be the largest funded program ever approved to Cyprus by the European Union. The program is planned to jump start on December 1st by the Archaeological Research Unit (CIA) of the University of Cyprus.
The goal of this project is to train young researchers in the study of ancient materials through a combination of traditional archaeological methods and modern analytical techniques of physical and chemical analysis or laboratory study. The program will last 4 years and will be coordinated by Basilikh Kassianidou who is an Associate Professor of the Department of History and Archaeology at the University of Cyprus. Working along with her on the project will be Professor Demetrios Michaelides, Director and Professor George Papasavvas; both are Associates of the Archaeology Research Unit.
The idea for the program came from Maria Dikomitou who is a graduate of the Department of History and Archaeology at the University of Cyprus and a PhD candidate at the University of London.
For the implementation of the project, twenty new jobs will be created specifically for young researchers. Cyprus will be at the forefront of research developments around the world in the field of Archaeology and Archaeological Sciences. Through the program 16 three-year fellowships for young scientists to carry out doctoral research on topics related to ancient materials and ancient technology will be provided. Additionally 3 year grants for conducting post doctoral research will be allotted.