Some of the most influential and prominent global industrialists will come together on June 14 & 15, in Athens, Greece, to discuss the rebuilding of Greece and how to attract large investments into the crisis-ridden country. Steve Forbes, Chairman & CEO of Forbes Media (USA) will be among the powerful entrepreneurs who will engage in round table discussions, expressing their ideas and professional opinions regarding how to improve investment opportunities in Greece and create more job opportunities.
The two-day summit will enable Greek government officials to sit down with global figures and discuss the possibilities for a new era of prosperity and economic growth. John Calamos, CEO of Calamos Investments (USA), who will be attending the timely summit is expecting the meeting to draw attention to setting priorities and generating constructive ideas for Greece. He commented,”I expect the Greek Power Summit will be a valuable opportunity for political, corporate and civic leaders to generate ideas that will lead Greece into its next era of prosperity and economic progress.” He also added, “I think the Greek Power Summit will be a powerful catalyst in helping Greece to overcome its current challenges and move on to a new Golden Age.”
The 1st Greek Power Summit, being organized by Honeystone Ltd, Cyprus & UK, the publishers of the Greek Rich List Magazine and the international Consultancy firm, IAC will also include an exclusive gala dinner attended by Nana Mouskouri (UNICEF Ambassador for Greece) and other internationally renowned Greeks from around the globe. Prime Minister, George Papandreou is also expected to accept an invitation to the summit and gala dinner, and deliver a keynote speech.
Day one of the summit will concentrate on discussions regarding large investments and creating employment in Greece, while day two, will be a day of speeches delivered by Steve Forbes and several prominent international Greek businessmen such as, John Calamos (mentioned earlier), Nick Lazares, Chairman & CEO of Admirals Bank (USA), George Koukis, Founder and Chairman of Temenos Group (Switzerland) and Michael Pagidas, President of the association of Chief Executive Officers (EASE).
For more information and seat reservations, contact: www.greekpowersummit.com or Ms Christina Akouri at: c.akouri@civitas.gr.
Greek Power Summit 2011- Helping Greece Rebuild
“Greece and the Mediterranean Diet: Innovative Actions-Optimum Practices” Conference, Koroni
A conference on “Greece and the Mediterranean Diet: Innovative Actions-Optimum Practices” will take place on June 3rd in the harbour town of Koroni, in the southern Peloponnese’s Messinia prefecture.
The conference will hold a three-day event, marking the recognition of the Mediterranean Diet by Unesco as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity following a joint initiative by Greece, Spain, Italy and Morocco last year.
According to UNESCO, the Mediterranean diet constitutes a set of skills, knowledge, practices and traditions ranging from the landscape to the table, including the crops, harvesting, fishing, conservation, processing, preparation and, particularly, consumption of food.
The Mediterranean diet is characterized by a nutritional model that has remained constant over time and space. It consists mainly of olive oil, cereals, fresh or dried fruit and vegetables, a moderate amount of fish, dairy and meat, and many condiments and spices, all accompanied by wine or infusions, always respecting beliefs of each community.
However, the Mediterranean diet (from the Greek diaita, or way of life) encompasses more than just food. It promotes social interaction, since communal meals are the cornerstone of social customs and festive events. It has given rise to a considerable body of knowledge, songs, maxims, tales and legends.
The system is rooted in respect for the territory and biodiversity, and ensures the conservation and development of traditional activities and crafts linked to fishing and farming in the Mediterranean communities. Soria in Spain, Koroni in Greece, Cilento in Italy and Chefchaouen in Morocco are examples.
Finance Minister Activates 10% Additional OTE Equity Stake Option
The Greek government will activate an option contained in an existing contract between the Greek state and Deutsche Telekom to sell an additional 10% equity stake in Hellenic Telecommunications Organization (OTE) to the German group, Finance Minister George Papaconstantinou told a Deutsche Telekom delegation during a meeting on Wednesday in Athens.
Under an agreement reached in 2008, the German telecoms group is obliged -if the Greek state requests it – to buy an additional 10% equity stake in OTE at a pre-agreed price.
This price will be 15 % higher than the average share price of the last twenty session on the Athens Stock Exchange (ASE).
(source: ana-mpa)
Citizens' Protection Minister States: "Greece Won't Become Storage Place for Illegal Immigrants"
Greece will not become a “storage place” for Europe’s illegal migrants, Greek Citizens’ Protection Minister Christos Papoutsis stressed Wednesday on Corfu. His statements were made at a regular meeting of the Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly Committee on Migration, Refugees and Population, now taking place.
“Only those migrants who have the right to international protection or right to asylum, and those who have legal work and residency permits, will remain in Greece. No one else,” Papoutsis said during the first day of the two-day meeting.
(source: ana-mpa)
Deputy Minister: Public Organizations Mergers In October
According to his statement, the new package of mergers and shutdowns will be announced in October, including about 80 organizations, while the 7,000 employees will be assessed by the Supreme Council for Civil Personnel Selection (ASEP).
(source: capital)
Greek Metropolitan of Toronto Sotirios: “We Don’t Ask for Help from Greece”
Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper along with Dimitris Sioutas a spokesman of the Canadian government, and also a Minister of Greek-Cypriot origin with a Deputy, attended a meeting in Kalavrita and Santa Laura. The meeting was held to discuss issues with the Greek Metropolitan of Toronto, Sotirios, who was a classmate of the Bishop of Kalavrita and Egialia Mr. Ambrosios, at the Theological Faculty of the University of Athens (1956- 1960).
With this decision, the Prime Minister of Canada wanted to honor the country’s Orthodox community in honor of Mr. Sotirios. Waiting for the arrival of the Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his wife, who was accompanied by George Papandreou, we spoke briefly with Mr. Sotirios.
“The last time I visited St. Laura,” he said, “was in 1976, and then I was a Bishop. I remember very little from that visit. Now, I am happy here. I see you smiling and I’m very happy about it. Despite the economic difficulties that Greece goes through, I do not see depression in your faces, I see beautiful people and I feel very pleasant. ”
Speaking of Canada, where he is a deacon, he observed that, “It is a famous place, sixty-eight times larger than Greece with a population of 33,000,000, of which the Orthodox are 1000.0000 and the Greek Orthodox are 350,000. We are well organized, we have 78 communities (parishes), 11 nursing homes, schools, and I have to say that we are going very well and our community is thriving. Always, however, there are some problems like “with mixed marriages, and also with the schools for the children, because Greek is not taught in our schools, and we should take measures in order for our children to learn our language.”
As far as that is concerned the Greek state doesn’t help you? we asked him. “The Greek State”, he replied, “is trying to help us, but this time we do not accept any help. The Metropolitan Council where I am chairman and more than 50 persons are involved have met recently and decided, after my suggestion, that we will not seek nor would accept any financial aid from the Greek state. Canada is much richer as a state compared to Greece.”
Takis Candilis: A Powerful Greek-French Director at Cannes
By Chloé Emmanouilidis
Takis Candilis, born in October 1954, has been a successful TV man, movie producer and TV program director for many years.
He is the son of Greek architect George Candilis. He was only 17 when he received financial support from CNC (the French Cinema Comity) for his first script. His first film, produced while he was graduating, was selected by many film festivals around the world, confirming his passion for movies.
In 1982, he directed and produced a film called “Transit”, starring Richard Bohringer. The movie was selected at the Cannes Film Festival. The same year “Transit” opened the festival ‘’Jeune Cinéma’’ at Hyères.
This year, Takis Candilis is part of the Cannes Film Festival. He is one of the very prominent jurors of the committee that includes Caroline Gruosi-Scheufele, actress Marisa Berenson, director Claude Lelouche, and Chief Editor of Premiè magazine. The committee rewards new talents with the “Espoirs Chopard” trophy. The President of the Jury was Robert De Nero.
Police Mobilized by Syntagma Square's Peaceful Protestors
A strong police contingent was mobilized late Tuesday night to enable Greek MPs and Parliament employees to leave the Parliament building. It was blocked off by protestors of the movement in downtown Athens on the seventh day of peaceful protests.
The entrance to the Parliament building was blocked for several hours by protestors who converged in central Syntagma Square in growing numbers, to demonstrate against harsh austerity measures.
(source: ana-mpa)
Pontifical Commissioner of Calabria Father Skordinos Loses Battle Against Cancer, Italy
After a ongoing battle against cancer, Archimandrite Father Antonios Skordinos, Pontifical Commissioner of Calabria and Clerical Supervisor of St. Paul’s Orthodox Church, Reggio, passed away in the early hours of June 1st, at the age of 62.
Father Antonios, who was one of the closest partners of Metropolite Gennadios of Italy and Melite, was born in Athens. He studied Philosophy and Theology. While working in the Italian Army, he also completed his Master’s in Patrology and Ecclesiastic History. After having retired with the rank of Major General, he joined the clergy of the Metropole of Italy to serve, under the supervision of Metropolite Gennadios, the big plan of the Regeneration of Greek Orthodoxy in the Great Greece (Magna Græcia).
In 2008, Metropolite Gennadios hired Father Antonios as the first Pontifical Commissioner of Calabria. The funeral service of Father Antonios will take place on Ascension Thursday, after the mass, led by the Metropolite Gennadios of Italy and Melite.
John Vlahakis Takes a Bite out of Green
To say that John Vlahakis is passionate about the environment is an understatement. The founder and president of Earth Friendly Products, manufacturer of the top-selling ECOS “green” laundry detergent and many other 100% natural cleansers, authored a book called Green Bites: Ecologic Musings from the Front. This ode to all things green educates without being preachy. We recently spoke to John about writing a book and being green.
Why did you decide to write the book?
Several reasons. I always wanted to write a book. I thought it might be a good tie in, something I’d do for the business. It became more than that– it became personal. I started a blog, The Earthy Report, in early 2009, which helped with the discipline of writing. I had an idea for a book to interview people making an impact environmentally, but trying to arrange schedules is difficult. So I began to talk about issues that were important for me. I wanted the book to be more than just another green book, not preachy or negative. There’s so much negativity, people get turned off. There are so many things I found that were positive and I wanted to accentuate the positive. In the green business, people tend to get insulated and so you look for a way to reach people. Most will say that all they do is recycle cans and they’re not in tune to the issues. I wanted to get people’s attention. The idea was to write smaller vignettes rather than long chapters so people didn’t get bored. People tell me that they love it, and are learning things they didn’t know about. That’s what I wanted. They walked away with something. I changed a perception.
How long did it take to write?
One year to write, from when I started, then to book design and layout. Then I held off publishing it until the spring to coincide with a natural product industry trade show in Anaheim. It was released in March.
If there was one thing people could take away from this book, what should it be?
I hope there is something that caught their interest that made them change something in their life. It could be as insignificant as unplugging things in the house, or deciding that the next car they buy will be a hybrid, or changing to CFL bulbs, or get involved locally. I hope people would gain a new, different perspective on the environment and taking care of it.
What’s something easy people can do to “be green?”
Find a way to cut down driving. Do you really need to shop as much? It’s a conscientious choice. I’m a big fan of Amazon.com, so I don’t have to go to the store to buy stuff. There’s still some transportation involved to get it to me, but I don’t waste time going from store to store. People could move closer to where they work. We could invest in the towns we live in so we can shop locally and support local merchants. It can cost more, but you’re saving on gas, time. Shop locally when you can vs. driving long distances. When you go to buy your next vehicle, buy a hybrid or something that gets over 40 mpg.
Look at how you eat. Do not eat genetically-modified (GMO) foods. Consumers need to ask grocers to carry non-GMO foods. Only Whole Foods is pushing that, and will be 100% non-GMO in the next year. This will push farmers to go back to a natural-based seed. It’s better for us and better for the planet.
We can collect rain water in a barrel and use it to water flowers. This would dramatically cut down your water bill!
What’s next for you?
Running the business as usual and taking care of family. I look for ways to mix it up, making it more interesting. Not sure what’s next, just promoting the book.