flameThe Hellenic Society Prometheas

Τη γλώσσα μου έδωσαν Ελληνική

Το σπίτι φτωχικό στις αμμουδιές του Ομήρου.

Μονάχη έγνοια η γλώσσα μου στις αμμουδιές του Ομήρου.

www.Prometheas.org                                                  Οδυσσέας Ελύτης

Newsletter

November 2009

Prometheas Events

 

·        On Tuesday, October 27 2009, a General Assembly convened at St. George’s Founders Hall and held the elections for the new President and Board for the period October 2009 to October 2011.  The results of the elections are attached.

 

·        Friday, November 20, 2009 at 8:00 pm. “We and the Universe”, a lecture by Dr. Markos Georganopoulos at St. George Greek Orthodox Church, Founders Hall. The announcement of this event is attached.

Other Events

 

·        November 3, 12:00 (noon) – 1:00 pm: “A changeless faith for a changing world”, lecture by His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I at Georgetown University, Healy Building.  Opening remarks by James O’Donnell, Provost of Georgetown University and John Podesta, Founder and CEO of Center for American Progress.  RSVP required.  For more info call: 202-682-1611.

·        November 18, 7:00 p.m. “Between Byzantium and Venice: Icon Painting in Venetian Crete until the Age of El Greco”, a lecture by Anastasia Drandaki, Curator of the Byzantine collection at the Benaki Museum in Athens.  The event is sponsored by the Greek Embassy, The Onassis Foundation and the Smithsonian Resident Associates Program; it will take place at: S. Dillon Ripley Center, 1100 Jefferson Drive, SW, Washington DC; for reservations call: 202-633-3030

·        November 22 at 5:00 pm: A musical tribute to the Greek legends: Theodorakis, Hatzidakis, Ksarhakos, Plessas”.  For more info see below.

 

Website of the month

·        Humanities and the Classics: http://www.bu.edu/arion/ Examples of interesting articles:

o       http://www.bu.edu/arion/Volume%2016/16.3/Barolsky.html

o        http://www.bu.edu/arion/Volume%2017/17.1/Meineck.html

·        The Greeks (The Golden Age):

o       Click here: YouTube - (1/6) The Greeks (The Golden Age)

o       Click here: YouTube - (2/6) The Greeks (The Golden Age)

o       Click here: YouTube - (3/6) The Greeks (The Golden Age)

o       Click here: YouTube - (4/6) The Greeks (The Golden Age)

o       Click here: YouTube - (5/6) The Greeks (The Golden Age)

o       Click here: YouTube - (6/6) The Greeks (The Golden Age)

 

Books of the month

·        “Footsteps through Athina” by Angelyn Balodimas-Bartolomei published by Palo Albums Inc.

·        “The grand strategy of the Byzantine Empire” by Edward N. Luttwak, Belknap Press

 

News Articles

 

Greek team receives top prize in 3rd Olympiad of Astronomy and Astrophysics

The Greek mission that competed in the 3rd Olympiad of Astronomy and Astrophysics held in Tehran on Oct. 17-26 received the top prize for team work and two distinctions awarded to individual members. Competing in the event were 20 countries and from Europe, Asia and South America and roughly 100 students.

The honorary distinctions were awarded to Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH) Physics Department freshman Angelos Tsiaras and Brussels Greek School secondary education student Athanassios Mitrakis for their performance in all three phases of the competition, namely, theory, practical exercise, and night sky observation with a telescope. The Greek mission also comprised university student Giorgos Valogiannis and secondary education students Giorgos Lioutas and Orpheas Voutiras.

The heads of the Greek mission were AUTH Physics Department professor Yiannis Seiradakis and University of Thessaly lecturer Loukas Zacheilas.

The next Astronomy Olympiad will take place in Beijing in 2010 while Greece will be the host in 2013.    

 

SUNY at Stony Brook Launches Drive for Hellenic Studies Center

With sweet melodies of Modern Greek tunes sung by the renowned Gregory Maninakis, accompanied by the Microcosmos Ensemble, the State University of New York at Stony Brook set itself on a developmental path to establish an Interdisciplinary Center of Hellenic Studies (ICHS) on its sprawling Long Island campus. The special celebration took place in the evening of Sunday October 11, 2009 as the culmination of a concerted endeavor of several actors: the American Foundation for Greek Language and Culture (AFGLC), a primary sponsor; the University Administration represented by Professor of Pharmacology Stella Tsirka; and a number of dedicated members of the New York Greek American community.

Source: THE HELLENIC LINK, Inc.

 

http://wk.kathimerini.gr/kathnews/images/dot_clear.gifΣυνέδριο για την ελληνική γλώσσα στη Λατινική Αμερική

Hμερομηνία :13-10-09

Η καταγραφή και η αξιολόγηση των μέχρι σήμερα δεδομένων της ελληνόγλωσσης εκπαίδευσης στη Λατινική Αμερική θα τεθούν στο επίκεντρο του συνεδρίου, που διοργανώνεται από τις 16 έως τις 18 Οκτωβρίου στο Μοντεβιδέο, της Ουρουγουάης.

Στόχος της διοργάνωσης, που προετοιμάζεται εδώ και καιρό από το Γραφείο του Συντονιστή Εκπαίδευσης Λατινικής Αμερικής, Γεωργίου Παππά, με έδρα το Μπουένος Άιρες, είναι να γίνει μία πρώτη ανταλλαγή απόψεων μεταξύ των ενδιαφερομένων φορέων και η χάραξη μιας κοινής πολιτικής για την προβολή και τη διάδοση της ελληνικής γλώσσας και του ελληνικού πολιτισμού στο νότιο τμήμα της αμερικανικής ηπείρου. Το συνέδριο στηρίζεται από το ΣΑΕ, Περιφέρεια Λ. Αμερικής και το Ίδρυμα «Μαρία Τσάκου».

Στις εργασίες του συνεδρίου θα λάβουν μέρος διακεκριμένοι ελληνιστές καθηγητές από πανεπιστήμια και ερευνητικά κέντρα χωρών της Λατινικής Αμερικής. Μεταξύ αυτών ο καθηγητής του πανεπιστημίου της Χιλής, Καστίλιο Ντιντιέρ Μιγουέλ, διευθυντής του μοναδικού Κέντρου Αρχαίων, Βυζαντινών και Νεοελληνικών Σπουδών στη Λατινική Αμερική, που φέρει το όνομα του Φώτιου Μαλέρου. Θα μιλήσουν, επίσης, η Λαμπρίνα Κολιούση, από το Εθνικό Αυτόνομο Πανεπιστήμιο του Μεξικού (UNAM), ο Συντονιστής ΣΑΕ Λατινικής Αμερικής, Νικηφόρος Νικολαϊδης, ο οποίος αποδίδει ιδιαίτερη σημασία στη διάδοση της ελληνικής γλώσσας, όπως και εκπρόσωποι διαφόρων φορέων που ασχολούνται με το αντικείμενο.

Από το Ίδρυμα «Μαρία Τσάκου», που στεγάζεται σε ένα πανέμορφο κτήριο στο κέντρο του Μοντεβιδέο, θα μιλήσουν οι Σοράγια Οχόβιετ και Γκουστάβο Φιγκαρόλα.

Μέσω του Ιδρύματος, που λειτουργεί πάνω από τρεις δεκαετίες, η ελληνική γλώσσα, η κλασσική και η σύγχρονη παιδεία μας βρήκαν στην Ουρουγουάη πρόσφορο έδαφος για να αναπτυχθούν, προσελκύοντας «πραγματικούς εραστές» του πολιτισμού μας, όλων των τάξεων και όλων των ηλικιών.

www.kathimerini.gr με πληροφορίες από ΑΠΕ - ΜΠΕ

 

The Spartathlon (ATHENS-SPARTA 246 km)

For twenty seven consecutive years, the Spartathlon athletes have followed the route John Foden and his team defined in 1982 when they experimented in running from Athens to Sparta. It is based on Herodotus' description of the Athenian 'Imerodromou' or messenger who arrived in Sparta the day after he departed from Athens and also on well known historical events of that time. It has, therefore, been considered the nearest route to that which Pheidippides must have followed.

Briefly, Miltiades' messenger started out of
Athens on the ancient Iera Odos, or "sacred road," up to Elefsis. From there he followed Skyronia Odos, a military road on the slopes of the Gerania mountains, and traveled through Isthmia, Examilia and Ancient Corinth. He went on to Ancient Nemea, thus avoiding the Epicratea of Argos, as it wasn't in alliance with Athens, and he continued along the mountains between Argolida and Arcadia. He climbed the Parthenio mountain (1200 meters), where he encountered the God Pan. Descending the mountain, he continued in the direction of historical Tegea, one of the locations mentioned by Herodotus in his account about Pheidippides. He proceeded south toward Sparta. Upon his arrival in Sparta, he completed 1140 "stadia," which equaled 246 kilometers.

 
The great historian of antiquity described the details of the battle many years later and mentioned the deeds of Pheidippides, an Athenian messenger, sent by his generals to
Sparta in order to secure help for the reinforcement of the scanty Athenian forces against the forthcoming Asiatic incursion.  According to Herodotus, Pheidippides arrived in Sparta on the next day of his departure" from Athens.
 
How it All started
 
Spartathlon is the event that brings this deed to attention today by drawing a legend out of the depths of history.
The idea for its creation is belongs to John Foden, a British RAF Wing Commander.  As a lover of
Greece and student of ancient Greek history, Foden stopped his reading of Herodotus' narration regarding Pheidippides, puzzled and wondering if a modern man could cover the distance from Athens to Sparta, i.e. 250 kms, within 36 hours.  He thought that the only way to find out was to try to run the historical course since he himself was a long-distance runner. 
Thus, he and four other colleagues from the RAF came to
Athens in the autumn of 1982 and planned the run as closely as possible to Herodotus' description.  On 8th October they started their adventure to see whether their speculations could be verified.
 
On 9th October, the next day, John Foden arrived in
Sparta in front of the statue of Leonidas having run for 36 hours.  His colleague, John Scholten, had arrived half an hour earlier and finally, John McCarthy got to the finish line in less than 40 hours.
The British team proved Herodotus was right!  A man is really able to cover 250 km in two days.
When John Foden and his colleagues first arrived in
Athens, they were warmly welcomed and supported by members of the British community and Greek friends.

After the success of the first attempt, the pioneer of this event began to envision the establishment of a foot race that would bring long distance runners from all over the world to
Greece for a race following in the tracks of the ancient runner.  The results are now widely known.
Undoubtedly the historical context of the race, closely connected to the Olympic idea and consequently with compete unselfishness, appealed to the imagination and caused unprecedented excitement amongst a great number of long distance runners throughout the world.  Their response was, justifiably, immediate and catalytic. 
The 1st International Spartathlon was organized in 1983 with the participation of 45 runners from 11 countries as well as
Greece. This year there were 380 participants/runners from 33 countries, indeed a record in Spartathlon's history.
 
The success and participation were decisive for the future and the development of the race.  Thus, in 1984, the "International Spartathlon Association"  (I.S.A.) was created. 
Since then, the I.S.A. has organized the race every last weekend of September as, according to Herodotus' account, Pheidippides' mission to
Sparta was made at that time of the year.  The revival of a page of ancient Greek history is established now as one of the most famous sporting events worldwide.  Great runners come to Athens from Australia and Japan, Canada and the USA, including, of course, most European countries.  All of them are attracted to the uniqueness and difficulty of the race as well as the modesty and respect of the athletic ideals imposed by a race known as  "mythic".
In addition, beyond its athletic aspect, Spartathlon has become a powerful tribute from which real messages of friendship and peace can be sent to the peoples of the earth without political or racial discrimination.  A tribute where
Greece is also promoted crowned by its unparalleled hospitality and natural beauties.  Thus hundreds of runners who have participated in Spartathlon carry home their images and experiences from Greece, and are our best ambassadors abroad.
 
 
Congratulations to all the athletes and we hope to see them again next year.

Spartathlon 2009

Τερματίσαντες /Finishers

A/A     No         Ωρα/ time             Όνομα/Name   Επώνυμο /Surname                Εθνικότητα/Nationality          Φύλλο/Sex

1      312       23:48:24      SEKIYA RYOICHI                          JAPANESE                   A / M

2      249      24:31:45       CHRISTOFFERSEN   LARS         DANISH                        A / M

3      222      25:09:38      BERGE  JON                                    NORWEGIAN              A / M

4      302      25:43:61      MATSUSHITA  TAKEHIRO          JAPANESE                   A / M

5      137       26:06:49     LANTINK  JAN                                DUTCH                          A / M

6       71       26:19:56      DR  MARKUS THALMANN           AUSTRIAN                   A / M

7      241      26:20:45      GUDIN IVAN                                    ITALIAN                       A / M

8     177       26:54:37      REICHELT MARIO                         GERMAN                      A / M

9     295      27:13:38       SAKAI  YUJI                                     JAPANESE                   A / M

10    289     27:16:10      LINDVAI  SLAVOMIR                    SLOVAKIAN                 A / M

11     154     27:24:45      HINZE  STEFAN                              GERMAN                      A / M

12    95        27:24:45      CSERPAK JOZSEF                         HUNGARIAN               A / M

13    380      27:24:45      LUKAS JENS                                   GERMAN                     A / M

14    330      27:39:49      SUMIE INAGAKI                           JAPANESE                   Θ / F

15     52       28:01:33      DIMITRIOS PETROLIAGIS         GREEK                          Α/ M

16   325     28:26:34       MASANAO  ANDO                         JAPANESE                   Α/ M

17   371     28:36:56        ANTONIO  TALLARITA                ITALIAN                       Α/ M

18   335     28:41:21       KAZUHIRO KAWAMURA            JAPANESE                    Α/ M

19   359     28:47:16       MAKOTO  SUZUKI                        JAPANESE                    Α/ M

20   224    29:10:43        KONRAD ROZYCKI                     POLISH                          Α/ M