THE EXPANDING FAMILY OF HELLENISM Dr. Diane Touliatos-Miliotis At the introduction of this site, we welcome all Hellenes and PhilHellenes. What is para- mount in our endeavor is to acquaint the new members of Hellenism to our culture. The following listing will awe our minds as to the large numbers of people who are joining our culture through marriage. And it is precisely our responsibility to acknowledge such a large influx to our culture. In a recent visit to a Greek-American Elementary School, we made a significant observation. We wish to share this observation with you. Kindly, review the last names posted on the door of three classrooms. It is this diversification or variety or mix if you may, which makes the said influx privileged to knowing HELLENISM! FIFTH, SIXTH, SEVENTH & EIGHTH GRADES Stief, Moffit, Simpson, Morton, Koushinoff, Mac Kool, Bidwell, Flynn, Dubis, Strzelecki, Burch, Bohling, Mowery, Walters, Cole, Labout, Marcou, Simpson, Davis, Clemens, Xenos, Kanteres, Cassimatis, Tsoubanos, Makos. ANOTHER CLASSROOM WITH FIRST NAMES ONLY Jackie, Angie, Catherine, Erin, Katerina, Alexander, Victoria, Petra, Jordan, Deena, Blake, Amanda, Vangeli, Maria, Mikey, Katie. We welcome them all. They are people of the world and more especially, they share our common denominator; THE HELLENIC LEGACY! MISCELLANY With an investment of just $5 million, the sleeper hit My Big Fat Greek Wedding has grossed $180 million at the box office since April 2002. Greece takes over the rotating presidency of the EU in January 2003. The 2004 Olympics will be held in Athens for the first time since the modern revival of the Olympic Games in 1896. The Greek merchant fleet is the largest in the world (16 percent of all vessels). The principal Greek products exported to the United States are tobacco and petroleum products. U.S. exports to Greece consist mainly of agricultural products and machinery and telecommunications/electronic equipment. In 625 BC, metal coins were introduced in Greece. They replaced grain as the medium of exchange. Stamped with a likeness of an ear of wheat, the new coins were lighter and easier to transport than grain, and did not get moldy. About 12 million tourists visited Greece in 2001. The length of the Greece's coastline is estimated at 9,300 miles; America's coastline is estimated at 11,800 miles. The land area of Greece is slightly smaller than Alabama. The yo-yo is the second oldest known toy in the world (only the doll is older), and was born over 3,000 years ago in the days of ancient Greece. Ancient Greeks (500-336 BC) used sea sponges to pad their helmets and leg armor. The ancient Greeks and Romans were among the first cultivators of mushrooms. Greece won the 2002 European Baseball Championships (The Greeks swept every team and went undefeated with one no-hitter). It took Alexander the Great 13 years to conquer an empire spanning from Greece to India. Greece's national anthem has 158 verses; America's has 16 versus. The first known encyclopaedias date back to ancient Greece (500-323 BC). No It was not Britanica. It was Hellenica! A Hellenic Economic Picture From the World Bank's World Development Report 2000/2001 Table 1. Size of the economy Population 1999 11,ooo,ooo Surface area 1999 134,000 sq. miles Population Density 1999 82 per sq. mile GNP 1999 $124 Billion GNP Rank 1999 29th GNP Avg.Annual Growth Rate 98-99(%) 3,3 GNP Per Capita 1999 $11,770 GNP Per Capita Rank 1999 45 GNP Per Capita Avg. annual growth rate(%) 1998-99 3,1 GNP PPP 1999 $153.8 Billion GNP PPP Per Capita 1999 $14,595 GNP PPP Per Capita Rank 1999 50 ECONOMIC REPORT ON GREECE-YEAR 2000 A gradual drop in inflation and an increase in exports are predicted for the Greek economy in a HILFE economic analysts' firm report that was published recently. Specifically, the report mentions that Greece's accession into the EMU will lead to the true stability of consumer prices at a time when the value of the Euro is on the rise compared to the US dollar. A second factor affecting the course of consumer prices is the energy cost, particularly the cost of petrol. The average inflation rate in 2000 was at 3.1%, mainly due to the fuel price hikes and according to the report, the drop in the oil prices will bring inflation down to 2.3-2.5%. Also, the report mentions that the drop in the oil prices will have a positive effect on the state budget as well. Low Investment In Students The low percentage of its GNP that Greece invests in education is apparent once again in the OECD report. The rate of increase (even taking EU funds into account) is extremely slow. The average state investment is 5.1 percent while our country invests 3.5 percent. Japan comes close with 3.6 percent, whereas the most generous country is Sweden (with 6.8 percent of its GNP) followed by Norway with 6.6 percent. Consequently, the low investment per Greek student comes to 800 thousand drachmas at the primary level, whereas the average is 1.3 million and Denmark is in first place with 2.3 million drachmas. There are, of course, worse cases than ours: in Mexico only 320 thousand drachmas are spent per student. The situation is no better at the secondary level, where Greece and Turkey are in competition for last place. We invest 900 thousand drachmas while our neighbors invest not even 1/3 of that amount, that is, 250 thousand drachmas. In third place with an average of 1.9 million drachmas is Sweden, with 3.15 million drachmas per junior-senior high school student. Highest level of students abroad There is another area - apart from traffic accidents - where Greeks lead the field: Student emigration. Foreign students in OECD countries number 1,300,000 of which Greeks are the most numerous, followed by the Japanese and Koreans. Almost half the Greeks who study abroad choose England (46 percent), followed by Italy (21 percent), Germany (15 percent), the U.S. (5 percent) and France (5 percent). Some Greek students (2,3 percent) choose to study in Turkey. In general, students in OECD member countries who study abroad prefer America (32 percent), England (16 percent), Germany (13 percent), France (11 percent), and Australia (8 percent). Teachers' schedules Teachers have it easy in Hungary, with only 583 teaching hours per year, whereas our teachers work more, specifically 780 hours per year. However, our teachers are very close to the average for the OECD countries (788 hours). The most hard-working are the New Zealanders, who exceed the average, with 985 hours per year. High school teachers teach an average of 700 hours per year, while the Greeks relax with only 629. The Koreans are the real gentlemen, though, with 502 (you can't say that only our teachers take long vacations) and the slaves to teaching are, once again, the New Zealanders (985 hours). As for university professors, the slaves are the Americans (943 hours), the most relaxed are the Finns (428 hours), while Greek professors spend - according to OECD data, at least - 629 hours in the lecture hall every year, close to the average (655 hours yearly). In the ratio of students per education, we find ourselves better off than the average: at the primary level there is one teacher per 15.2 students with the average ration of 13.6 students, and at the junior-senior high school level, one teacher per 11.5 students, when the average is 15.2 students. While Germany spends $817 per student annually and Greece $240, Turkey spends only $90. The Drachma and The Euro DRACHMA or DRACHMH is derived from "drassomai", really meaning as much as one can hold in one hand. Also, it was an Attic weight, a drachm, weighing about 66.5 grains. Also, it was a silver coin, worth 6 obols. It is indeed the world's oldest known currency. So much for history being wiped out in our beloved mother country!! 'So what is the price of this jacket?,' confused consumers are likely to ask. Shops holding sales are now obligated to display price tags indicating four different figures: the original price in drachmas and euros, as well as the sale price in both currencies. HOW many drachmas to the euro? 340.750. It's simple mathematics. Sales of special calculators that automatically exchange drachmas to euros, however, are likely to boom this year as Greeks begin to get acquainted with their new currency. This smart calculator, which costs about 3,000-3,500 drachmas (or 8.80-10.27 euros), can be found at most stationery and electronic goods stores. They had sold out at two out of three stationery stores in the central commercial district visited yesterday by the Athens News. January 3, was the first day that Greek transactions were conducted in Europe's single currency. Greece entered the euro-zone on January 1, joining 11 other countries (Italy, France, Germany, Holland, Finland, Luxembourg, Belgium, Spain, Austria, Portugal and Ireland). The euro will go into circulation in 14 months' time, at which time the drachma will be rendered a collectors item. The Athens News yesterday took to the streets of downtown Athens to ask people how they feel about switching from the drachma to the euro. The reactions were split according to age - the elderly appear to be more hesitant about this historic change and many fear it will be difficult for them to adjust. Others are sentimental. They said it will be difficult to part with the drachma and that it is a shame young children today will never know the Greek drachma. GREEK JOBLESS RATE vs. MORTALITY Greece has one of the highest rates of jobless people in the EU who remain unemployed for more than 12 months before they work again, according to 1999 figures in a report released by the European Commission yesterday. The Greek rate is 55 percent of all unemployed, only below Italy's 61 percent and Belgium's 57 percent, and below the EU average of 45 percent. Unemployment especially affects young people, with Greece sharing first place with Italy and Spain: One in four under-25s stays jobless for more than six months. Only 40 percent of Greek women are employed or seeking work, compared to an EU average of 52.6 percent; 71.6 percent of men are, the same as the EU average. Despite unemployment and the lowest per capita income, Greece has the highest average life expectancy free of disabilities: 63 years for men and 65 for women. GREEK MD PERFORMS LARGEST MULTI-TRANSPLANT A Greek surgeon has entered the Guinness World Record Book for having performed a simultaneous transplant of eight intestinal organs on a young Italian patient. Dr. Andreas Tzakis, a pioneer in intestinal transplants who heads the multi-organ transplantation unit at the University of Miami Medical School -where he also teaches-, referred to his methods during a conference held at the Evangelismos hospital in Athens. A PUZZLE IN A HELLENE'S PSYCHE- A guilt trip? In a recent visit to Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church in Saint Louis Missouri, we were impressed by the beauty of the glass stained windows adorning the Church. Upon close examination, we noticed one of the icons' dedication. We read the following inscription on the icon: "DEDICATED TO THOSE WHO MADE THE SUPREME SACRIFICE FOR HELLAS. BY GEORGE A. MERTIS". This inscription was unique in that all others simply showed the name of the donors with only: "DEDICATED TO:". What did the deceased want to say with this inscription? It is rather puzzling and one may wish to know what is considered a "supreme sucrifice for Hellas"? We traced and reached some of his relatives. One stated that this statement was "the ultimate tribute, a form of praise for one's country". But, a close friend of the deceased told us that: "He felt gulity for having immigrated to the US and as a consequence, he did not serve in the armed forces of Greece during World War II". Could this be Solon's syndrom of being paramount to die for one's country? For more on Solon and one's happiness in life, please see:"NEW ATHENS CITY AND ARTHUR KERRY(?!). TURQUOISE BLUE: A color that acts as an invisible shield against the evil spirits. In the Cyclades the dominant color, apart from white, is turquoise blue, a preference that harks back to the primeval notion that blue is able to ward off evil. The expanse of bright color was thought to form an invisible shield that evil spirits could not penetrate. On houses and jewelry Blue church domes, windows, doors, stripes round buildings, blue walls, stairs and fences ensured protection from evil. Turquoise-colored stones were used in jewelry, belts and weapons to shield people and beasts of burden from evil. Blue charms in the shape of eyes, and turquoise pebbles bound with gold and silver were given to children as amulets; scouts wore blue scarves. In the wall paintings of Santorini (circa 1700 BC) bracelets, amulets and necklaces are made of the gemstone, while the young have their shaven heads painted blue. Surprisingly, some traditional Chinese paintings also depict children whose heads are partly shaved in the same fashion, with the shaven parts also painted blue. Artists added turquoise in the belief that this would protect their heroes, although on special occasions (birthday parties, initiation ceremonies for adolescents), the shaven areas were daubed with blue (the face with white, and the lips and cheeks red, as actors do). From the fourth millennium BC, the ancient Egyptians procured turquoise from Sinai. It was also found in abundance in Turkestan, from which its name is derived, and it was known in Cyprus. The ancients believed that the most valuable stone was Scythian kyanite, which probably came from China. Nowadays, turquoise is mined in North America (California and Arizona), and South America (Mexico), Australia, South Africa and Siberia. Native Americans make famous works of art decorated with turquoise. Europe imports it chiefly from Isfahan in Iran, where the best variety comes from. The stone is opaque and extremely hard, but porous, so it is affected by cosmetic creams and perfumes, which turn it a greenish color. The ancient name for turquoise - "kyanite" - refers not only to the gemstone but also to the vitreous mass (self-generated or manufactured) and to the pigment. The self-generated form with streaks of gold (sapphire) was used chiefly in jewelry and to adorn weapons. Statues, such as the one of Zeus at Olympia, had inlaid turquoise eyes, depicting the ancient Greek gods and heroes as being blue-eyed. Artists got turquoise pigment from the ground stone mixed with other material, or a mixture of Cypriot gravel and sand. The third and most expensive pigment came from the indigo plant. Global dimensions Architectural elements such as the triglyphs of the Parthenon, and parts of villas in Pompeii and Rome were painted turquoise blue. In Omonia Square at 1 Dorou, and at 22 Stadiou friezes encircle restored buildings, as they do in the Cyclades, the Ionian Islands, Argo-Saronic islands and in the villages of Pangaios in Macedonia. The custom is international. In provincial Spain (in Don Quixote's La Mancha) buildings still have blue stripes and designs painted on them, while houses in Egypt and the Arab villages of Israel have blue walls. The same turquoise hue adorns the houses of Indians in Mexico, making a case for a universal culture. THE GREEKS DO NOT RISK CHANGING THEIR OCCUPATION The Europeans do not change occupation often and the Greeks are most hesitant in this area, according to a research conducted in 2001 by the European Statistics Agency Eurostat on the EU work force. In 2000, only 16.4% of the workers in the EU were in the same job for less than a year, while in Greece they were 9.6% compared to a 84.3% who held the same job for more than two years. According to the research, the main reason that makes people hesitant when it comes to changing jobs is the low education level. In Europe, 60.3% of the people ages 25-64 has a high school diploma, while Greece is below the EU average at 51.2% and Portugal at 19.2%. Unemployment among university graduates in the EU reaches 4.9%, while Greece has the second largest percentage (7.9%) following Spain's 11.2%, as opposed to Luxembourg where unemployment among university graduates is a merely 1.2%. GREEKS SPENDING MORE, National survey finds. Average family spends close to 500,000 per month or about US $1,300.00 The average Greek household's total expenditure was close to half a million drachmas a month last year, mainly covering food and transport costs, as well as public utility bills and rent, according to government statistics figures released yesterday. The numbers indicated that the general standard of living had risen significantly since the last similar survey was held in 1993-94. The lowest monthly income in the private sector for 1999 was around 200,000 drachmas, while the highest basic public sector salary was 434,400 drachmas - which is augmented by family and other benefits. A nationwide survey of 6,258 households conducted between November 1998 and October 1999 by the National Economy Ministry's National Statistics Service (ESYE) revealed an average expenditure of 471,339 drachmas - 83,916 drachmas more, in real prices, than the corresponding figure for 1994. ESYE said that just over 17 percent (82,000 drachmas) of the average Greek household's monthly expenditure was on food (mainly meat) and non-alcoholic drinks, while transport came second at 12.2 percent. Clothing costs reached 43,937 drachmas - 9.3 percent of the total - just below the 9.4 percent that was spent on hotels, restaurants and coffee shops. Rent, electricity, water and heating bills accounted for 10.1 percent of total spending. But 79.6 percent of Greek households said they either lived in their own home, or with relatives. Compared to 1994, there was an increase in spending on telecommunications - following the introduction of cellular phone networks - eating out, health and education. At the same time, living standards as defined by EU indices have improved since 1994. The ESYE survey showed an increase in ownership of color televisions, second homes, personal computers, cars, telephones and dishwashers. Apparently, all but 2.4 percent of Greek households contain a color TV set (from 13.8 percent in 1994), 33.4 percent are equipped with at least one mobile phone and 52.3 percent have a car (from 51.7 percent five years earlier). Meanwhile, a news conference yesterday marking today's World Day Against Poverty, the Greek Network for Fighting Poverty said that Greece placed 27th on a recent UN list of poverty levels in 139 countries. Speakers said that compared to the European average of seven percent, 10 percent of Greeks were in a state of permanent poverty (second only to Portugal in the EU) and one million Greeks had been poor for at least three continuous years. Greeks over 55 were twice as likely to be poor than other Europeans. By 2015, 21.4 percent of the population will be over 65. You have been listening to music by Yanni RETURN TO MAIN PAGE PLEASE! |
HOME Articles by: Dr. Touliatos Hellenism in Music: Lost Art and Culture Recovered Women Composers in Byzantium "The Evolution of Ancient Greek Music in Byzantium" "The Status of Byzantine Music Through The Twenty-First Century" by: Kostas Miliotis The Prevalence of the Hellenic Mind in Today's Americanism New Athens City & Arthur Kerry (!?) Two Articles Written on this by the SPTimes on Dec 31, 2000 An Anthology of Hellenic Tidbits (In Progress) Homecoming Epic-ATHENS Olympics 2004! An Apocalypse: the Greek Imprint in the English Language. Fascinating! Aphrodite's Cyprus. A Greek-American Dilema! "The Influence of Hellenism in Colombia. "Greece's Contribution to America's National Character"! Anti-Americanis m in Hellas: An Apologia! |
| The Nest of the Hellenic Mind AN ANTHOLOGY OF HELLENIC TIDBITS ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ |
