The two new videos under the titles Incredible History and Incredible Hospitality are directed by the well-known Cretan filmmaker Theodoris Papadoulakis. They are based on the cultural heritage and the hospitality of the Cretan people and are ambitious to win every Greek or foreign visitor.

The videos are already internationally displayed through the social media, the Region of Crete’s website, as well as the leading international travel broadcaster, Travel channel.

The concept of the videos is based on the Minoan civilization, Europe’s first civilization, on Cretans’ hospitality, as well as on the Cretan diet.

The Region of Crete pointed out that its vision is stable: “A united Crete, an island pattern and pole of attraction for tourism and investments.”
These two videos are the ticket for a trip to Greece and Crete, inviting the world to get to know the island’s history and hospitality.

George Archontakis from Crete is the only Greek neurosurgeon who entered Guiness World Records

The surgery was conducted in 2002 on a young student who loved to harpoon fish in the sea. The student had a serious accident with the harpoon that could have killed him if not for Archontakis’ skill. The man is in perfect health now and still harpooning.

The harpoon had penetrated the student’s neck and skull and had passed through his brain. He had gone to harpoon at Akrotiri, in Chania region, Crete and for an unknown reason the harpoon was released shortly before he dived. He wasn’t found until half a day later by another group of divers who took him to a hospital.

In order for the doctors, led by Archontakis, to take out the harpoon they even fire fighters to help to remove it. he iron object that had blessed the man so seriously.

After the operation, Archontakis became worldwide known and gave many interviews to media around the world, such as CNN. Eleven years have pasted since the day of the accident, and the young student still visits often the hospital of Chania for checkups and to give thanks.

Since then, the child no longer needed medicine and his condition was significantly improved. Commercial use of the milk, however ran into problems with Greek law and marketing.

An alternative solution came from her business mind: 18 months ago, she started making face and body care products, replacing the water with donkey milk and olive oil.

The beneficial effect of that milk has to do with the treatment of skin diseases (such as eczema, psoriasis and dry skin), the skin rebuilding and the dead cell removal as well as the coping with acne and wrinkles, she claims.

“The soaps are made with the cold process, while the temperature of the milk does not exceed 35 to 40 degrees, in order not to damage its beneficial properties. Specifically, this milk contains proteins fat, lactose, vitamins and casein, which makes it beneficial for the body,” she told the Greek news agency AMNA.

Commercial and consumer interest appeared soon and the soaps were quickly available on the shelves of selected stores in Santorini, Kastoria, Katerini, Trikala, Kalamata, Karditsa and Messinia. Manufactured without state or European subsidies, the results of this business activity were soon visible. The list was enriched with pilling of donkey milk, seaweeds and poppy seeds and with green clay face scrub.

“Only six units throughout Greece are working with donkey milk and in fact three of them started the last year. But the more they are the better, for the healthy competition and the cooperation for the promotion of cooperative products,” she said.

The donkey milk and olive oil products will be exhibited from May 17-19 at the Agroquality Festival 2013 in Athens, next to cornelian cherry liqueur from Imathia, traditional pasta with bulgur from Kilkis and many more traditional products from Central Macedonia and the whole country, such as olive oil, olives, wine, traditional pasta, herbs, renowned Greek cheeses, cold meats etc.

“The will is the lever that moves every effort, that realizes every thought. I want to give this message to my children that when we want something very much we can achieve it,” said 60-year-old father Spyridon.

Father Thodoris Arsenikos, the other priest, is an excellent violinist who also sings very well and participates in all the festivals on Sikinos. He learned to play the violin himself and on many winter nights he entertains the few residents of the island.

“At festivals and feasts all the residents gather together and I play with my violin many traditional songs. In addition, winters are hard on the island and so we have to find ways to pass our time and have fun. So we gather in houses or shops we eat and drink all together,” 53-year-old father Thodoris, who is also an experienced beekeeper, told ANAmpa.

Loukos was in the difficult position to organize the program in a very short period of time, because of governmental and ministerial blockages. “Better late than never,” he said and joked that next year they will announce the program after the festival is over.

Internationally known names will participate. Patti Smith, the American singer-songwriter, poet and visual artist, will appear at the Herodion Theater on June 22. The renowned Canadian singer and jazz pianist, Diana Krall will also make an appearance at the Herodion on July 1.

The great French choreographer, Maguy Marin, will appear with her group on June 22-23. Other sonorous foreign names, such as Robert Wilson and Thomas Ostermeier will also participate.

Emphasis will be given on the Greek participation. The conductor Theodoros Kouretzis will appear at the Herodion Theater with the orchestra Music Aeterna from Russia. Performances of the choreographer Dimitris Papaioannou and the director M. Marmarinos will be presented during the festival.

Six new Greek female directors will make their appearance. The 2013 festival will be devoted to the great theater director and actor Lefteris Vogiatzis, who recently passed away.

Greece’s Cultural Affairs Deputy Minister, Costas Tzavaras, attended the press conference and said: “George Loukos, with his capability, managed to overcome the difficulties.” He added that the ministry made efforts so that the grant amount would not be limited.

More details for the Athens & Epidaurus Festival can be found at www.greekfestival.gr

It will be staged by the Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs, Culture and Sports, the General Secretariat of Culture, the Directorate of Letters, in collaboration with Helexpo, the Hellenic Federation of Publishers and Booksellers and the Municipality of Thessaloniki.

Guest country of honor for the year 2013 will be the United Kingdom and guests of honor will be authors Irvin Yalom, Jonathan Coe and Victoria Hislop, to mention a few.

Greeks of honor will be the creator from Thessaloniki Dimitris N. Maronitis, theatrical writer Akis Dimou and songwriter, Dionysis Savvopoulos.

There will be a tribute to the great Greek poet Constantine P. Cavafy, commemorating 150 years since his birth. A special tribute of the commemoration of the 1,700 years of the Edict of Milan’s signing, concerning respect towards other cultures and religious tolerance.

At least 30 foreign countries are expected to participate in the Thessaloniki Book Fair 2013, upgrading its international character, while Greek publishers’ participation will be universal. In the 2013 anniversary exhibition, 220 events and presentations of new publications will be included.

The 10th Thessaloniki Book Fair is funded by the National Strategic Reference Framework (NSRF).

The institution of the Thessaloniki Book Fair has established a dynamic presence the last 10 years and signals the passage to maturity by creating strong co-operations with the involved parties and by opening windows of extroversion in Greece as well as abroad, as reported on the Thessaloniki Book Fair website.

Turkish Airlines, in cooperation with the travel agency MidEast International tours, who celebrated 30 years of operation, invited tourist agents to Greece in an effort to stimulate the new season.

The General Manager of Turkish Airlines in Greece, Gulay Ozturk, stressed the weight given by the company to the Greek destinations, while the Attica Prefect Yiannis Sgouros, noted the value of the Greek tourist product.

In the framework of the initiatives taken by Turkish Airlines to promote tourism in Greece, the company organized this FAM trip in order for the travel agents to get to know the country’s beauties and then to promote the Greek tourist product in their countries. Turkish Airlines has brought travel agents from India, Korea, China, Turkey and Canada.

For the women who belong to the high-risk group, a simple blood test is carried out and its analysis shows whether a woman has a specific gene that predisposes to breast cancer. The test detects whether a woman is a BRCA1 and BRCA2 carrier.

This specific blood test is done at the Democritus research center. It can also be carried out by a private mastologist. In this case, the test is analyzed by an authorized private company and the results are sent to the doctor.

The cost for the first family member ranges from 2,500 to 3,000 euros. There’s also another test which does not require a blood sample, but saliva, at a much lower price (200-300 euros) which does not detect the high-risk genes 100%, but approximately 70%. Before a patient takes this test, she is informed by her doctor that it is not as effective as the blood test.

The test is appropriate for women who have a strong family history, for example a relative (first or second degree) who had breast cancer at a young age.

The case of Angelina Jolie who lost her mother to breast cancer at the age of 56 is typical. For this reason Jolie regularly practiced self examination and palpation of her breast every month.

The competition’s purpose was to encourage the students to use their creativity in order to design Google’s logo. The subject of the 2013 competition was My Greece and doodle reflects what young pupils think of Greece.

At the same time, Google strongly promotes Greek tourism by combining the beginning of summer with Greece, projecting the sun and the sea.

The title of young Asterios’ drawing is My Greece, Sun and Sea. The basic features of the winning doodle also includes the Greek flag. Through his children’s eyes, Asterios added a small boat on the sea and two seagulls on the sky. This is Greece for him – and many around the world, especially with tourism season getting into full swing and hopes of better times for Greece.

The voting was held from April 15 to May 7. The ceremony of the final winner’s announcement took place on May 13. The winner will be enjoying for 24 hours the number one position at the first page of the largest search engine, on May 14.

She said the book is “a story of life and love, success and failure, betrayal and vindication,” and it is being featured in the newspaper Proto Thema.

Among her subjects was former prime minister Costas Karamanlis, the former New Democracy Conservative leader who reportedly told her that, “his happiest moment would be when his tenure come to an end.” He was abruptly defeated in the 2009 elections by then PASOK Socialist leader George Papandreou.

About another New Democracy stalwart and former Athens Mayor, Dora Bacoyanni, she wrote:  “She is a person who has not venerated me and she used to show this. I have heard her to describe me as brash and shameless.”

Referring to current PASOK leader Evangelos Venizelos before he took over the party last year, she said: “Venizelos wanted to wait until the last minute before the Olympic Games in order to pass a new law that would define all the changes and would provide penalties for the offenders. I told him and the Prime Minister that his idea is unacceptable. He insisted using his arrogant style, without even looking at me. He told (former Premier) Costas Simitis: ‘my plan is the best.;”