kalamosbooks.com

From my expanding file of funny Hellenic Trivia here are is a site with some
weird and wonderful stories from Greece especially appropriate at Halloween :

http://gogreece.about.com/od/weirdgreece/#more

Just follow the links for funny stories from
“Weird Greece - Ghosts, Vampires, UFOS”

June Samaras
————————
A look at the odd side of Greece, with ancient and modern sites purported to be haunted, visited by UFOs, or infected with vampires.

A Cretan Tale of Vampires - Weird Greece - Vampires in Greece
A Cretan tale of vampires, encountered by Pashley during his travels in Crete

Exploring Offbeat Greece
Visit the eerie Nekromanteion, old haunt of Persephone and Pluto, and search for vampires on the island of Santorini.

Elounda’s Lagoon of Mermaids
Take a look at this peaceful lagoon, once the sad refuge of lepers, and possibly containing a lively mermaid.

Greek Farmer Claims UFO Landing
Popular with ordinary tourists, Greece may be drawing visitors from even farther away.

Frangokastello - Ghost Marchers of Daliani
Scroll down for a brief account of the “dew shadows” of Crete, ghost warriors said to appear on May 17th each year.

Evil Eye
Read about this ancient superstition which still survives into modern times as “Vaskania” - and what the Greeks do about it! From the Greek Spider.

Bizarre Phenomena at Ntavelis’ Cave
Just outside Athens, an unusual cave complex combines an ancient temple, a rumored NATO facility, an outlaw, and strange goings-on.

The Gates of Hades
A fun and fascinating account of the Gates of Hades, mysterious Devil’s Mountain, and more offbeat adventures in Greece.

Greek Accounts of the Vrykolakes
From the “Journal of American Folklore”, a 1941 article by D. Demetracopoulou Lee on the hungry spirit. Fascinating interviews with Greeks of the 1930s, when this superstition was still very much alive.

Kalikatzaroi
Read about the goblins of Christmas and how to avoid them… forget eggnog, bring on the holy water. From the Greek Spider.

UFOs Over Greece
This roundup includes a brief account of a Greek UFO sighting which was shown on Greek television.

Unlucky Tuesday
Forget Friday the Thirteenth - it turns out that Tuesday the Thirteenth is the day to worry about in Greece.

Hellenikon Pyramid
From the Greek Ministry of Culture, a mildly debunking look at one of the most unusual of the pyramids of Greece.

Who’s Making You Sneeze
In Greek superstition, there’s a person behind each sneeze. Find out who caused your last atchoo.

Voyage into the Levant
A truly gruesome first-hand account by Joseph Tournefort of a local attempt to rid a Greek village of a vykrolakes in 1701. From the Rare Article Archive.

Vrykolakas - An Exploration of Greece’s Vampires
Account of the vampire in Greek literature and folklore. By Inanna Arthen.

Greek Orthodox Churches Celebrating 100 years

http://www.sltrib.com/faith/ci_3140682

ONE HUNDRED YEARS AGO, the first Holy Trinity Church was consecrated in Utah, creating a gathering place for Salt Lake City’s Greek Orthodox community. Members of that community included the Demetiades family, top, photographed around 1913. While most of the first Greek immigrants were men, Maria Demetriades, third from left, came to the U.S. in 1898. She brought over the rest of her family; her mother is second from left. Salt Lake City’s Greek Town formed as more Greek immigrants arrived. The bustling center included Greek-owned businesses, including bakeries, drug stores and saloons. Politz Candy, at 300 S. State St., was a sweet spot in the city in 1915. Religion was an important aspect in the community. Below, the first priest presides over a Greek funeral in 1908.
11,691 Utahns who reported having Greek ancestry for 2000 Census
1.15 million Americans who reported having Greek ancestry for 2000 Census
1,000 Greek Orthodox families active in Greater Salt Lake area
100 Greek Orthodox families active in Price
150 Greek Orthodox families active in Ogden
35,000 Members

Greek Funeral 1908 with first priest (Greek Orthodox community)
of Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Denver, which includes parishes in Utah and 13 other states
1.5 million U.S. members of Greek Orthodox Church
6 million U.S. members of Eastern Orthodox Christianity (includes Greek Orthodox Church)
250 million Worldwide members of Eastern Orthodox Christianity

Sources: 2000 U.S. Census; Constantine Skedros; Greek Orthodox Church of Greater Salt Lake; Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Denver; Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America
By the numbers

Until 1054, Christianity consisted of one church, with two heads - one in Rome and one in Constantinople, modern-day Istanbul. Tensions between the Latin-speaking church of the Roman Empire in the west and the Greek-speaking church of the Byzantine Empire in the east caused the Great Schism, or disunion, which led to the separate groupings known as the Roman Catholic Church and Eastern Orthodoxy.

Churches within Eastern Orthodoxy took on the language and nationality of the countries they were in - spawning, for example, the Greek Orthodox Church, the Russian Orthodox Church and the Armenian Orthodox Church. All these churches share the same theology and recognize Patriarch Bartholomew, Archbishop of Constantinople, as their spiritual leader. Church members believe in apostolic succession and link Bartholomew to St. Andrew the Apostle, who established the church in Constantinople. His brother, St. Peter, established the church in Rome.

In Utah …
In Utah, Greek Orthodox Churches were established where community members resided and found work, or as expansion made necessary. The 20th century immigrants came in two waves. The first group came up until the early 1920s, when federal immigration restrictions were put into place. The second wave came starting in the 1960s, after the immigration policies were loosened.
Establishment of Greek Orthodox Churches in Utah
1905: The first Holy Trinity Church in Salt Lake City
1916: Assumption Greek Orthodox Church in Price
1925: The new Holy Trinity Church in Salt Lake City replaces first one
1962: Transfiguration Greek Orthodox Church in Ogden
1969: Prophet Elias Greek Orthodox Church in Holladay
1986: Holy Trinity Church is elevated

to Holy Trinity Cathedral
2004: Restoration begins at Holy Trinity Cathedral. To be completed in December.
Note: Prophet Elias and Holy Trinity are part of the same parish.

Point of view

“It was pretty hard to find a Greek lady. Because there were too many boys and less Greek girls. And then, the men who had businesses or had money, that’s who was the first choice.”
- George Adondakis, b. 1902

“I know of a time when I was going to school, they used to call me a ‘dirty Greek,’ and you know what happened to them? I beat the hell out of them.”
- Wilma Klekas, b. 1902

“In our family, we had a little red chair in the store. And one of us would sit on the little red chair - the smallest of us would sit on the red chair and hand up the candy to my dad when he’d sell it over the counter. . . . That’s where we all started, on that little red chair.”
- John Chipian, b. 1923

“I went to school at age five and then after that I go so I could interpret for my mother whenever, you know, the situation came up and the neighbors would come visit her because she was a marvelous cook and very hospitable. . . . You know, usually when your peers came to visit you, your children don’t stick around, but we had to because we served as interpreters.”
- Ellen V. Furgis, b. 1926

“My husband’s uncle came to my dad and he says, I got a boy for your daughter. . . . He seems a nice boy. Not far from our hometown. I say okay. . . . Well I was engaged with him. And my dad have a few friends and they told him. One of them . . . wants me to marry his brother. . . . Not because it was me but because the Greek ladies, they didn’t come. . . . Then my dad says, you’re not going to marry Tom. He says, you’re going to marry this fellow. And I says, if I’m not going to marry Tom, I’m not going to marry anybody. He says, no you’re going to get married to the other fellow, not Tom. So I got mad one day and I eloped.”
- Helen Ioannou Kannes, b. 1907

“And Greeks have a way about marriage. [To] them it is an important thing. Their philosophy is that out of the three main events in your life, birth, marriage, death, you only control one, which is marriage. . . . When my dad got married in 1913 he put an ad in the paper, the Bingham Bulletin, inviting the whole city . . . and, oh, he had about 40 lambs. He barbecued them all.”
- George Condas, b. 1914

Taken from 100 Years of Faith and Fervor: A History of the Greek Orthodox Church Community Of Greater Salt Lake City, Utah 1905-2005, by Constantine Skedros. The book will be available for purchase after Nov. 1 for $29.95. All proceeds benefit the Greek Orthodox Church of Greater Salt Lake. Copies can be purchased at the Greek Orthodox Church office at 279 S. 300 West in Salt Lake City, or orders can be placed by phone at 801-328-9681.

Giant souvlaki set to grab chunk of history

http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w_articles_politics_2606631_24/10/2005_62224

A Patras taverna owner will today attempt to set a new world record by making a gyros souvlaki (doner kebab) which will weigh some 1,850 kilos and will need 300 kilos of herbs and spices for added flavor.

On Friday, Costas Dasios began setting up the structure to roast the meat. It involves a 1.73-meter stainless steel skewer surrounded by 72 grills and powered by a 4-horsepower motor. A 2-ton natural gas tank will provide the fuel for the effort, which should see Dasios enter the Guinness Book of World Records.

The current record was set in Cyprus by Lebanese restaurateur Sami Eid, who in June cooked an 1,814-kilo gyros souvlaki made from some 2,150 chickens.

Dasios has set up his structure in Patras harbor and is due to start cooking the meat at 9 a.m. for around four hours. The souvlaki will be cut into portions weighing 100 grams.

http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/news/civ__3343277KathiLev&xml/&aspKath/civ.asp?fdate=18/10/2005

Malls embracing IT and books
Fnec-style megastores expected in Athens and Thessaloniki make publishing houses pensive

The new stores will have ‘products and services encompassing technology, music and books,’ say representatives.

OLGA SELLA

The entertainment/leisure products market in Greece is set to see dramatic changes according to plans announced recently at the Benaki Museum by Publicworld SA, a company in which Multirama computer stores has a 60 percent share and businessman Panos Germanos, the main shareholder of the Germanos electronics retailer, holds 40 percent.

The first place in Greece to see one of the new book and multimedia superstores is the region of Pylaia in Thessaloniki which, by the end of the month, will acquire the first Public store at the Mediterranean Cosmos Mall.

A second store, of 5,000 square meters, is to be opened in Athens next September in the building currently housing the Omega schools in Syntagma Square. “These are very modern, big stores where visitors will be able to experience the benefits of modern culture as they are presented via a combination of products and services comprising technology, music and books,” explained the company’s representatives.

At the presentation at the Benaki, organizers screened a virtual-reality view of the Pylaia store’s interior. It is separated into four sections: micro-electronics (computers, IT equipment, etc), image and sound (with two home theaters), music and film (CDs, DVDs, screening areas and listening stations) and books. Also at the Benaki, in a separate event, representatives of FNAC were meeting with Greek publishers.

The arrival of these stores in Greece has the publishing world somewhat divided as to what the role of books will be in them.

Yiannis Vavourakis, who is in charge of the book sections of the Public stores, said that “books will carry equal weight with the other areas and will cover one-fourth of the space. We are placing strong emphasis on children’s books — for which we have made a special area — on foreign-language books (mainly English to begin with), on art books and comics. But, books are a crossover product so they will also coexist with other sections.”

These large stores, where one can buy almost anything, have changed the way publishers also think of space. So far, the only bookstore in Greece to take up several levels of a building has been Eleftheroudakis, but as new trends are taking hold, other bookstores are now following the lead. Ianos, for example, is opening a new 1,600 sq.m. store on the corner of Stadiou and Georgiou Stavrou streets, while Papasotiriou just recently announced that it has found a large space on Korai Street for a new downtown Athens store.

Nikos Karantzas of Ianos described the new multimedia and bookstores as “technology supermarkets.” “I find these moves interesting, but peripheral,” he added. “What kind of landscape are we looking forward to? When someone goes to buy a computer, they are working in a different mind-set. I don’t think that seasoned readers will have anything to learn from these stores; maybe infrequent readers will. Readers want a completely different environment; one that respects them with well-informed and educated staff.”

The Music Library of Greece has acquired a valuable book collection as a donation from the celebrated scholar and poet Nanos Valaoritis.

The collection consists of approximately 10.000 volumes on subjects such as literature in the west worlds, arts and comperative literature. Nanos Valaoritis was for numerous years Professor of Comperative Literature in State University of California, San Francisco. Many first and rare editions are included the collection.

The Music Library of Greece “Lilian Voudouri” was created by the Friends of Music Society to meet the needs of all Greek music lovers. It makes available – for the first time in Greece – a large collection of information and study material on music to visitors, but also to distant users.

The collections of the library focus on these areas: Western Music, Greek art music from antiquity and the Byzantine period to the present, Greek folk music, including the Rebetika, traditional music from all parts of the world, and jazz.

The library provides the following services to its users:

the online catalogue of all its materials, also accessible from outside the Library via internet
workstations in the Reading room for reading, listening, and access to electronic resources, like CD-ROMs, databases, and the Internet
Educational and Research programmes (public lectures, orientation programmes, etc.)
the website, which can be entered by interested users from all parts of the world, and especially:
the online communication by means of the website (Ask a Librarian, Newsletter), as well as
the unique musicological information programmes (Notebook, Lists of works, etc.) of its website

The Library’s collections are increasing continuously and comprise at present approximately 98.000 titles, i. e., 59.000 printed books and scores, 9.000 sound recordings, video recordings, etc., 400 periodicals, 100 CD-ROMs, 30 databases, 1.370 rare manuscripts, 2.000 historical photographs in microforms, 1.800 programme (catalog only available in Greek) books, and microforms equivalent to a total of 22.500 volumes.

The Archives of Greek Music form an important part of the library’s collections, consisting of a large number of printed books, scores, and sound recordings on Greek art music from antiquity and the Byzantine period to the present, as well as Greek folk music, including the Rebetika. It includes a number of Composer’s archives and other Special collections consisting of manuscripts and rare books.

Besides the musical material, the library’s collections include also a considerable number of books on Ancient Greek Art, the Theatre, Literature, Philosophy, and the Fine Arts in general.

Consumers in the European Union may use a pilot electronic program,
e-Dispute, to submit complaints and resolve differences with suppliers.

The system, which in Greece will be handled by consumer association EKPOIZO, will notify the supplying firm through e-mail with a view to
reaching resolution without litigation. The service will be free.

Aristarchos almost ready to set its sights on the universe
One of the 20 strongest telescopes in the world to begin operating on Mount Helmos

http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w_articles_ell_857751_15/10/2005_61930

The new observatory at the top of Mount Helmos, in the northern Peloponnese, at a height of 2,340 meters. It is due to start operating next summer, pending final tests.

By Yiannis Souliotis - Kathimerini

Greece is getting a window into the universe as construction of its first state-of-the-art telescope nears completion with capabilities similar to those of other leading installations of its kind in Hawaii and Chile.

Its official opening is expected next summer, after quality controls have been carried out and the results made available, likely within the next few days.

Situated at a height of 2,340 meters on the peak of Mount Helmos in the northern Peloponnese, about 150 kilometers west of Athens, the Aristarchos will, when fully operational, enable Greek astronomers to research major cosmological issues such as the theory of the expanding universe.

The Ritchey-Chretien telescope has a range of 8-12 billion light years, equivalent to three-quarters of the range of the universe. Greek astronomers will be able to explore the structure of the universe and its individual galaxies and look for answers to questions such as: Is there life on other planets?

Capabilities

The Aristarchos will automatically become part of Opticon, an international consortium of major telescopes set up to facilitate research within Europe, according to Christos Goudis, director of the National Observatory’s Astronomy and Astrophysics Institute, which is responsible for the telescope.

Next summer, the annual meeting of directors of Europe’s major telescopes to determine strategy for observational astronomy will be held in Kalavryta, on Mount Helmos, coinciding with the opening of Aristarchos.

Aristarchos’s reflector is 2.3 meters in diameter on an azimuth platform that can be moved horizontally and vertically to ensure greater precision in focusing and scanning. A secondary reflector unit allows for adjustment to several axes.

Already several features have been installed on the rear part of the base:

– Two scanners/CCD cameras for depicting the morphology of objects.

– A spectrograph built by the universities of Patras and Manchester, which can pinpoint gamma rays emitted when matter is absorbed in a black hole.

– A unique high analysis spectrograph, donated by the University of Manchester, able to detect phenomena such as hydrogen nebula in which stars are born, and planetary nebula exploded during the last stages in the life of a star. Both spectrographs analyze light at its own speed and determine the chemical composition, temperature, density and dynamic of the target.

Goudis said Helmos was chosen as the site for the telescope as it is one of the darkest regions of Europe.

High-quality reflection

The telescope is protected from light sources; on most days of the year it is above cloud level, ensuring a high-quality reflection. It is also close to a road network (8km from the Helmos ski center and 32km from Kalavryta). The building, the dome and auxiliary structure were built by the Athens National Observatory and the telescope itself by Carl Zeiss Jena.

After it opens, it will have a permanent security staff, but thanks to its microwave link with the Observatory on Mount Pendeli, north of Athens, astronomers will be able to use Aristarchos by remote control.

Procedures began in 1998 with the signing of a contract. Over the past seven years, Greek scientists have had to overcome a number of obstacles without much support from the state. Although most of the installations had been completed, the road linking the ski center with the peak was in such terrible condition that the three scientists who traveled the 8-kilometer route almost daily, described it as a “terror route.”

In the end, it took the personal intervention of Development Minister Dimitris Sioufas to open up the road. Sioufas, who is expected to visit the site this month, has promised substantial financial support for the Kalavryta Astronomy Institute (which is officially in charge of Aristarchos). In the next few days the site is expected to be linked to the power grid; until now it has been operating on generator power.

So far the cost of the project has totaled 5.87 million euros.

When completed, the telescope will help upgrade optical technology and the dissemination of scientific knowledge by providing training at the site, according to Goudis.

“The telescope will boost scientific sectors such as the construction of specialized sensing and imaging instruments. CCD cameras now on the market were originally built to meet the needs of astronomy,” he said.

Thanks to the Municipality of Kalavryta and the efforts of its mayor, Thanassis Papadopoulos, this “people’s observatory” will allow ordinary people a look into outer space.

We are pleased to announce the latest addition to the Window to Greek
Culture section of the University of MIchigan Modern Greek Program
website,

“TV Across the Aegean: The Greek Love Affair with a Turkish Serial,”
by Penelope Papailias.

This article can be found by going to
http://www.lsa.umich.edu/modgreek/window/

In her essay, anthropologist Penelope Papailias writes about this
summer’s smash hit on Greek television: the rebroadcast of a Turkish
serial about the love affair between a Greek man and a Turkish woman.
She argues that the show’s popularity brought into relief just how
rarely, even in the age of global media, Greek viewers come into
contact with Turkish media products. The serial offered Greek viewers a
novel opportunity to see the world through Turkish eyes: to peek into
Turkish homes, to overhear their conversations, to glimpse their,
perhaps unexpected, nostalgias, insecurities, and desires, and, above
all, to find out how they imagine and remember “us Greeks.”

Penelope Papailias, who has a Ph.D. in cultural anthropology from U-M,
currently teaches at the University of Thessaly. Her study of popular
historical practice in Greece, Genres of Recollection: Archival Poetics
and Modern Greece, was published in March 2005.

http://www.emediawire.com/releases/2005/9/prweb283196.htm

Crete’s Culinary Sanctuaries Announces Olive Harvest Tours

Crete’s Culinary Sanctuaries organizes tours in Crete, Greece, that cover culture, nature, organic agriculture and cuisine. CCS now offers winter tours from November to January.

(PRWEB) September 11, 2005 — Crete’s Culinary Sanctuaries organizes tours in Crete, Greece, that cover culture, nature, organic agriculture and cuisine. CCS now offers winter tours from November to January.

“The olive harvest season is a wonderful time of year to be in Crete,” said Nikki Rose, CCS founder. This trip is for people who want to see the real side of Crete, participate in the exciting harvest activities and learn a lot about olive oil. Olives have been cultivated in Crete for over 4,000 years, so there’s a lot of ground to cover, including valuable healthy cooking techniques.

CCS programs are tailored to small groups and presented exclusively by resident experts. Crete’s renowned healthy cuisine and organic gardening, including the production of olive oil, cheese and wine are intertwined with visits to historic sites and botanic hikes. Optional outdoor activities can also be enjoyed – from cycling along the country roads to paragliding over the valley.

“Our visiting friends join us in villages they may never find on their own and get to know residents who are delighted to share their knowledge about culture and cuisine,” said Rose. By building a network of family farms and small businesses, CCS created the strength in numbers people need to share their knowledge and continue their work in disappearing traditional trades.

Crete has a fascinating past, but that’s just one part of the picture today.

“Any place we visit, whether it be New York or Nepal, is more memorable when we spend time with local people. That’s the connection we make in Crete, while sharing valuable cultural, culinary and gardening information with our visiting friends,” said Rose. Agriculture and culture are strongly linked in Crete, as you’ll soon discover!

Nikki Rose is a Greek-American, professional chef and writer (primarily for Slow Food), living in Crete. Her articles focus on culture, food, farming and environmental issues. She is also working on a book and documentary that mirrors CCS programs. Rose has designed cultural-culinary preservation seminars since 1997, featuring prominent chefs from the diplomatic sector, culinary schools and fine dining establishments from around the world. 15 members of the CCS network are featured in Television New Zealand’s “Taste Takes Off” culinary travel show, to be aired in November.

Kostas Bouyouris, co-designer of the CCS project, is a noted agronomist and founding member of the Mediterranean Association for Soil Health, based in Crete. Bouyouris has worked for over a decade on innovative projects to expand sustainable organic agriculture in Greece. His programs link organic farmers directly to restaurant kitchens and create an essential bridge between agriculture and tourism. MedASH organizes many community projects, including training young farmers and organizing children’s gardens. Bouyouris was a guest speaker at Slow Food’s Terra Madre conference in October 2004.

CCS programs have been featured in National Geographic Adventure, Islands Magazine, Lonely Planet, The Guardian (UK), Slow Food, and Greek Circle Magazine, among others. Their programs are certified by major conservation and sustainable travel (ecotourism) organizations and approved by the American Culinary Federation for continuing education credits.