Harvard University professor Kenneth Rogoff insists on Greece’s default on its debts, despite the bailout programme from the European Union and the International Monetary Fund, according to Bloomberg.
“Greece has quite a track record of default,” Rogoff said in a presentation in Oslo. “That is certainly something we may see in the future.”
Eurozone countries that face fiscal problems will probably have to restructure their debts, Rogoff said.
Harvard University Professor Rogoff: Greece will Default
Hope for Baldness Cure from Greek Professor at University of Pensylvania
A new study led by Greek George Cotsarelis (photo) of the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Medicine, has found that stem cells do play an unexpected role in explaining what happens in bald scalps, the “Journal of Clinical Investigation” reported.
Using cell samples from men undergoing hair transplants, researchers compared follicles from bald scalps and non-bald scalps. They found that bald areas had the same number of stem cells as normal scalps in the same person.
The findings offer: “a lot more hope that you could actually get hair to grow in a bald scalp,” said study co-author Dr. George Cotsarelis, chairman of the dermatology department at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine Cotsarelis.
“Previously we thought the stem cells were gone, and if that was the case it would be very difficult. But because they are present it should be possible to treat,” he said.
‘We asked: “ Are stem cells depleted in the bald scalp?”
‘We were surprised to find the number of stem cells was the same in the bald part of the scalp compared with other places but did find a difference in the abundance of a specific type of cell, thought to be a progenitor cell.
‘This implies that there is a problem in the activation of stem cells converting to progenitor cells in the bald scalp.’
Their discovery reported Jan. 4th, in the Journal of Clinical Investigation , might someday lead to new targets for treatment of baldness, which affects millions of people worldwide, they say.
“Now that we have identified the problem we can try to better understand how to get a stem cell to make and activate a progenitor cells. And then we should be able to develop new ways of treating baldness,” Cotsarelis said.
Dr Cotsarelis, a dermatologist whose work was part-funded by the U.S. government and by L’Oreal, said he would also like to investigate whether his findings equally apply to women and believes at treatment could be on the market within a decade.
New Zealand Plans Easier Student Visa Requirements
New Zealand’s Immigration Minister has said that overseas students wishing to study in New Zealand will have less red tape to deal with when obtaining a student visa.
New Zealand is a popular destination for foreign students as it can be a much cheaper option compared to other western countries such as the U.K., United States, Canada, or Australia.
Immigration Minister Jonathan Coleman recently stated that a new type of student visa will make it considerably easier for foreign students to enter the country.
Recent changes to immigration law have removed certain onerous requirements that student visa applicants had to go through to obtain entry, such as extensive police checks and medical examinations.
Now, interim visas can be issued while a student’s application is still being processed. In addition, background checks and medical examination renewals will only now need to be completed every three years instead of every two years.
“Interim visas mean students can still study here lawfully while their application is being processed, provided that they are lawfully in New Zealand when they apply,” Coleman said.
“They’ll still have to meet all our standard criteria, but the visa provides peace of mind for students and makes the enrolment process smoother for education providers,” he added.
The changes, due to take effect in time for the new school year in February 2011, will be good news to New Zealand educational institutions. The education export industry in New Zealand is a 2 billion dollar a year market.
Young Greek-American Writer Wins NaNoWriMo
Sophia Venetos, 22, of Lincolnwood, IL., recently wrote and entered a novel into a contest. Her young adult/coming of age novel is the official winner of the National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) contest. Sophia works as an editor, thus, writing is both her vocation and passion.
NaNoWriMo is a “fun, seat-of-your-pants approach to novel writing” and is billed as “30 days and nights of writing abandon.” For the annual contest, participants begin writing on November 1, ultimately completing a 50,000 word novel by midnight on November 30. For being selected, she received a Winner’s Certificate and an official “Winner” web badge.
“The real prize is the sense of accomplishment that you feel when you’ve finally reached 50,000 words,” Sophia shared. “Knowing that you were able to not only write a novel, but that you were able to stick with it for an entire month – I think that’s a reward in itself.” In 2009, more than 165,000 writers participated in the contest, with about 30,000 completing the task.
She called it a “grueling process.” “In terms of writing, I consider myself relatively creative, but this month was definitely a real test. . But it’s all worth it once you get to that special scene you’ve been waiting for. Then the sentences seem to write themselves, and before you know it, you’ve already passed your word count for the day.” According to the web site, the contest is structured in this way, as “the kamikaze approach forces you to lower your expectations, take risks, and write on the fly.”
The winner had heard about the contest when she noticed that NaNoWriMo was trending on Yahoo in October. She clicked through the link and found more information. “I didn’t have a plot or story in mind, so I just kind of winged it at first. Once I figured out the gist of what I was trying to do, I didn’t worry about how strong the writing was; I just did my best to get the words out of my mind and onto the page.”
The young writer also noted that the goal of the contest is to simply get writers in the habit of writing every day, and that at this stage, quantity rather than quality is emphasized. She says that 95% of it probably isn’t very good, however, “I can pride myself on the fact that there’s at least a little bit of magic within that other 5%. That’s my prize.”
Chicago’s Greektown to Serve Some Theatrical "Retsina"
Chicago playwright Barbara Georgans has recently revamped her musical, “Nobody Likes Retsina,” for a unique dinner theater experience in Chicago’s Greektown. The Greek-American writer, director and producer discussed her show, it’s evolution, and why you should see it.
Talk about Nobody Likes Retsina.
It’s a play I first wrote back in 1995. It’s gone through quite a few changes over the years, received new music and has been aged to perfection. It’s a collaboration with lyricist John Steinhagen and composer Philip Seward. Joan Mazzonelli, the former executive producer of Theatre Building Chicago, is directing this production.
The play has been staged a few times over the years, but this production will be unique. This new production, at the Parthenon Banquets, will take place in and around the audience. This dinner theater experience as well as the lighthearted story will make this a must-see in 2011.
Nobody Likes Retsina is loosely based on “the family folklore,” including some of the story behind the arranged marriages of my parents as well as a cousin. It’s the story of two Greek immigrant brothers during the Great Depression in Chicago, circa 1930. They try to marry off their daughters, bootleg Retsina, and it’s really bad Retsina. The brothers employ various schemes to get out of the Retsina business, and well, to get rich. Needless to say, none of their crazy schemes work. It’s a story that has elements of life in that era that many who lived through it can relate to – like being a daughter who is to be married off, being the child of immigrants and trying to be like everyone else.
Why present the play at The Parthenon?
I got to know Yanna Liakouras from The Parthenon from some volunteer work I did in the area. Someone from my musical workshop put a bug in my ear and said it should be produced at a Greek restaurant. I then thought of Yanna. I contacted Joan and Philip and told them of this idea, and they agreed. I came up with a very sketchy plan, and presented it to Yanna, and she said, “Let’s do it!” The Parthenon seemed the perfect place to stage this production. During the show, there is a small Aravonas during the first act and a Grand Aravonas during Act II. So the audience can semi-participate in the partying during the performance. The cast will perform throughout the banquet room, and get the audience involved, however the show is scripted; it’s not improvised. I’m very excited about doing the show at The Parthenon…it will be great fun!
Why should we see this play?
The story has universal appeal. It can be enjoyed by everyone, whether nine years-old or 109. It’s fun; it’s full of wonderful music and has a great story. You don’t even have to be Greek to like it!
Though the actual drink is an acquired taste, this production promises to be an instant favorite. The show, cosponsored by the Stockyards Theater Project, will run every Monday and Tuesday evening from February 28 to April 4 and includes dinner plus a glass of Retsina.
Turkish Nobel Laureate Orhan Pamuk's January 11th Lecture in Athens
Noted Turkish novelist Orhan Pamuk, the 2006 Nobel Prize Laureate in literature, will give a lecture at Athens Concert Hall (Megaron) on Jan. 11th. The lectures will be within the framework of the Megaron Plus Cultural Programme.
According to Pamuk: “The modern world can conquer a deeper self-awareness through literature which serves as a mirror that reflects its contradictions, deceptions and dead ends”.
The Nobel Laureate’s meeting with his fans in Greece was initially scheduled to take place last March but was cancelled for personal reasons.
(source: ana-mpa)
Paphos Mayor Calls for Cyprus Airways Boycott
Paphos Mayor Savvas Vergas has called on Paphos residents to boycott Cyprus Airways. This statement results after the airliner scrapped almost two thirds of its flights to the local airport. According to Famagusta Gazette reports, Vergas called people to stop flying with Cyprus Airways planes.
He announced that he has convened a meeting of the co-ordinating committe of parties and organisations in Paphos to discuss the issue. Cyprus Airways has announced that it will no longer fly from Paphos to Athens, Stansted, Birmignham and Manchester and Frankfurt in Germany. Cyprus Airways President George Mavrokostas regretted the statements made by the Mayor of Paphos. He added that the curtailment of flights from Paphos airport had been decided within the context of measures to avert an economic collapse of the national carrier because of lack of funds within the next few months.
2011 Marks 100 Years of Alexandros Papadiamantis' Death
100 years have gone by since the passing away of Alexandros Papadiamantis, who passed away on January 3rd 1911. Despite the passing of so many decades, his memory remains alive. Papadiamantis was born on the island of Skiathos, in the western part of the Aegean Sea. The island figured prominently in his work. His father was a priest and he grew up in absolute poverty. He moved to Athens as a young man to complete his high school studies. He later enrolled in the philosophy faculty of Athens University, but never completed his studies. He worked in Athens as a teacher of the Greek language, as a translator, journalist and writer. In 1908 some friends of Alexandros Papadiamantis celebrated his 25 years in literature, but he did not attend the event. The same year, economical and health problems forced him to return to his native island in later life, where he spent his final years.
New Gas Field Discovered Between Cyprus, Israel, Lebanon & Gaza Strip
Greek expert Helias Konofagos talked with Fileleftheros newspaper. He stated that Cyprus and Greece should make financial and technical planning concerning the gas fields situated in the boarder area of Cyprus. He added that Greece should not stay inert concerning what is happening in the south-east of the Mediterranean. A gigantic natural gas field that could yield millions of barrels of oil was recently discovered on the maritime border between Israel, Lebanon, the Gaza Strip, Cyprus, and Northern Cyprus. While it could be a military catastrophe, steps are being taken to divide the spoils. The largest section discovered so far, the Leviathan gas field is believed to possibly contain, alongside natural gas, 4.2 billion barrels of oil and 0,5 trillion m3 of natural gaz (the actual needs of Greece for the next 100 years). The imminent visit of Angela Merkel, Nicolas Sarkozy and Dmitry Medvedev in Cyprus is to plan the new energy map and new geopolitics strategy, which are about to be created. Greece should take part in this action, as well.
Greek Police in Search of Stolen Gold from Sofia Airport
Authorities declared today, that the investigation is continuing within the framework of an international cooperation in order to trace a portion of the large quantity of precious gold. The gold was stolen last October from Sofia Airport. The police searches are now underway on Greek territory.
At first the Bulgarian police arrested many people in a village near Bulgaria. They found about 200 kg. of the metal. However, nobody knows where the rest of the 800 kg. of gold is.
According to Bulgarian Authorities, the 800 kg. of gold and other precious metals were transferred to northern Greece and are hidden in a villa. Police are now stagging 6 people, both Bulgarian and Greek, but until now there is no effort to trade the gold.
The Hollywood-style robbery has been dubbed by the media as ” the robbery of the century” .