There
has been a heated debate, recently fuelled by the unexpected decision of the
British Museum to loan to the Russian Hermitage Museum the statue of the river
god Ilissos.
The marble sculpture is one of the disputed Parthenon Marbles
pillaged by Thomas Bruce, the 7th Earl of Elgin. The media coverage
and the arguments put forward reminded me of a voice from the past, the voice
of an eye-witness:
“Mortal!”—’twas thus she (Minerva) spake—“that
blush of shame
Proclaims thee Briton, once a noble name;
First of the mighty, foremost
of the free,
Now honour’d less by
all, and least by me;
Chief of thy foes shall Pallas still be found.
Seek’st thou the cause of loathing?—look
around.
Lo! here, despite of war and
wasting fire,
I saw successive tyrannies
expire.
’Scaped from the ravage of the Turk and Goth,
Thy country sends a spoiler worse than both.
Survey this vacant, violated
fane;
Recount the relics torn that
yet remain:
These Cecrops placed, this Pericles
adorn’d,
That Adrian rear’d when
drooping Science mourn’d.
What more I owe let gratitude
attest—
Know, Alaric and Elgin did
the rest.
That all may learn from whence the plunderer
came,
The insulted wall sustains his hated name:
For Elgin’s fame thus grateful Pallas pleads,
Below, his name—above, behold his deeds!
Be ever hailed with equal
honour here
The Gothic monarch and the
Pictish peer:
arms gave the first his right, the last had
none,
But basely stole what less barbarians won.
So when the lion quits his
fell repast,
Next prowls the wolf, the
filthy jackal last;
Flesh, limbs, and blood the former make their
own,
The last poor brute securely gnaws the bone.
Yet still the gods are just,
and crimes are cross’d:
See here what Elgin won, and
what he lost!
Another name with his pollutes
my shrine:
Behold where Dian’s beams disdain to shine!
Some retribution still might
Pallas claim,
When Venus half avenged
Minerva’s shame.”
(The Curse of
Minerva- composed on 17th March 1811, in Athens,
by George Gordon Byron, aka Lord Byron)
It is probably worth watching a very short video made by Costas Gavras:
Away From
Our Classroom is a new
feature of our blog.
It is your page where you can share with the rest of us
your thoughts and ideas.
If you think that something – a piece of news, an
anecdote etc - is worth communicating to other people, please don’t hesitate to
contact us sending an email to bookworm_0812@yahoo.com
Film screening in cooperation with the War Museum of Greece and the
Scientific Association “Greek Alumni of American Universities”.
The
Hellenic American Union in cooperation with the War Museum of Greece and the
Scientific Association “Greek Alumni of American Universities” is honoring the
anniversary celebration of October 28, 1940, by organizing a screening tribute
featuring first presentations of the documentaries “Athens of War, Occupation
and Resistance” and “8th Division: The First Battle” produced by the War Museum
Film Archive.
The documentaries consist only of period newsreels and films, with no
additional subsequent footage. Themes covered include the declaration of war,
the occupation, the resistance, as well as the first battle fought by the 8th
Division of the Greek Army on October 28, 1940, in defense of the “territories
of the fatherland.” The event will be prefaced by the President of the Hellenic
American Union, Mr. Chris Spirou, and the Director of the War Museum Film
Archive, Mr. Ioannis Korodimos.
Information
Organizer
Hellenic American Union, War
Museum of Greece, Greek Alumni of American Universities
The first-ever animated-GIF magazine’s cover is a
reality. The weekly magazine “The New Yorker” has on its cover Christoph Niemann’s
Rainy Day.
"When I arrived in New York for the first time, it was
pouring,” the German artist Christoph Niemann says. “Maybe that’s why, to my
mind, there’s no place on earth where being stuck in traffic on a rainy day is
more beautiful.”
National Theatre Live
Tennessee Williams:
A Streetcar Named Desire
16 September 2014 - 21:00
16 SEPTEMBER 201400
NT Live
Live
transmission from the Young Vic
In collaboration
with the British Embassy & the British Council in
Athens
-Tennessee
Williams: A Streetcar Named Desire With Greek subtitles
As Blanche’s
fragile world crumbles, she turns to her sister Stella for solace – but her
downward spiral brings her face to face with the brutal, unforgiving Stanley
Kowalski. Visionary director Benedict Andrews returns to the
Young Vic following his Critics’ Circle Award-winning Three Sisters.
With Gillian
Anderson (The X-Files, The Fall) as Blanche DuBois, Ben
Foster (Lone Survivor, Kill Your Darlings) as Stanley and Vanessa
Kirby (BBC’s Great Expectations, Three Sisters at the Young Vic)
as Stella.
Director: Benedict
Andrews
Designer: Magda Willi
Costumes: Victoria Behr
Lighting Designer: Jon Clark
Music: Alex Baranowski
Cast: Clare
Burt, Lachele Carl, Branwell Donaghey, Otto Farrant,
Nicholas Gecks, Troy Glasgow, Stephanie Jacob, Corey Johnson, Claire Prempeh
Registration for the foreign language courses has started!
Registration for the new
school year (October 2014-May 2015) starts on Monday, 1st September at LS
Parnassos School premises, Themistokleous & Katakouzinou 2, near Kaningos
Square, evening hours (17:00-21:00). There are offered classes in English, French,
German, Italian and Spanish language for only 300 euros per year!
Also, there is our Art class where you can take painting lessons just for 200 euros per
year!
If you want to join and
learn along with us, you have to fill in a registration form and pay the fees
before classes begin. Because there are limited places available we operate on
a first come – first serve basis, so make sure that you apply asap!
For more information you
can call 2103804853 or 2103821507.
One more thing! If you
plan to take a course in English language but you are not very sure about your
level, you could attempt a placement test in order to get an idea about
the class you should enrol in.
Just click on the link
below and follow the instructions.
“I have been to all the
islands,,, facing some ancient sites I thought to myself: I cannot believe that here is recounted everything we read in Greek
mythology. Greek history is something all mankind must bow to. Maybe your
economy goes to hell, but that does not mean you’re helpless. Economic data is
constantly changing in Europe and America for all. What is not changing is the legacy, your identity. The Parthenon does
not leave Athens. It’s there to remind all that progress and prosperity may
return. I am now in England, for
example, I have gone nowhere. I am here to promote a movie and will leave. What’s
there to see, Buchingham Palace? I don’t care. As when I go to Germany, I am
not interested in the Berlin Wall, which is not a symbol of prosperity, but the
opposite. However, one cannot ignore
Delos, the Parthenon and Mycenae!”
Robin Williams on Greece, during an interview to
George Satsidis in London (December 2011)
Congratulations
to all our students of the Proficiency class on
their success in Michigan Proficiency Exams and the kpg exams! This year we
have an extra reason to celebrate because it is a 100% success. 9 out of 9 candidates passed successfully their ECPE
exams and 4 out of 4 candidates succeeded in the state certificate exams (C
level). Also - a late addition - one more successful candidate passed his ALCE exams!
It has just been announced
by the Ministry of Education that the results of the May 2014 exams are
available online. In order to access your results you will need to record your
own candidate number (written on your candidate card) and the first 3 letters
of your surname!
Horace Mann is
considered the father of democratic schooling. He believed that schools should
be provided by the state for the purpose of educating a collective democratic
citizenry. From the "Twelfth Annual Report of Horace Mann as Secretary of
Massachusetts State Board of Education," Mann (1848) wrote:
Without undervaluing any
other human agency, it may be safely affirmed that the Common School, improved
and energized, as it can easily be, may become the most effective and benignant
of all the forces of civilization. [...] [Education] gives each man the
independence and the means by which he can resist the selfishness of other men.
The spread of education, by enlarging the cultivated class or caste, will open
a wider area over which the social feelings will expand; and, if this education
should be universal and complete, it would do more than all things else to
obliterate factitious distinctions in society. (p. 3)
Though these words were written back in 1848, they sound more contemporary than ever; a warning or a reminder of our responsibilities towards future generations.
In a previous post we were presented with the idea of attending MOOCs as an excellent way to
practise English language skills. However, the Advanced fluency level demanded
by the majority of these courses was a deterrent for many of you. Fortunately,
the British Council is offering a MOOC aimed at non-native English speakers
(approximately at intermediate (B1) level). “Exploring English: language and
culture” looks at British culture and examines English in use so as to help you
improve your language skills. If you want to learn more details you can visit Futurelearn/Explore English language & culture
The course starts on 1st September and you can join for free. In order to register you should give your name and email. Will you take up the challenge?
Stunning locations where TV’s smash hit swords and sorcery show is filmed
There are actually very few people who haven’t heard about the Game of Thrones, the American fantasy-drama
television series, based on A Song of
Ice and Firenovels written by George
R. R. Martin. The story follows nine noble families who fight for control of
the mythical land of Westeros. But though the plot is set in a fictional world,
the locations where the series is filmed are real-life ones. From Northern
Ireland to Malta, Croatia, Morocco and Iceland the settings of ice and fire have
become popular places to visit with the cult programme’s fans.
The following photos have recently been published on the Daily Mail:
The beech tree lined road is known as the Dark Hedges to locals near
Stanocum in County Antrim, Northern Ireland.
But to fans of
Game of Thrones it will be more recognisable as the Kings Road and the Dark
Hedges of Armoy.
The Stangford
Castle Ward Estate and the Castle Ward tower stands proudly in County Down,
Northern Ireland.
In
Game of Thrones the castle towers are transformed into Winterfell, where the
head of House Stark rules over his people.
The limestone
Azure Window, in Gozo, Malta, was used for filming in the first season.
The archway
provided the backdrop for Daenerys and Khal Drogo’s wedding in season one of
Game of Thrones.
The Minceta
Tower and fortification is a UNESCO World Heritage site on the Dalmatian Coast
in Dubrovnik.
The House of
the Undying, the site of the season two finale, was the real-life Minceta
Tower.
The Ounila
River and the red citadel of Ait-Ben-Haddou in Morocco impressed the Game of
Thrones producers.
It provided
the setting for the fictional city of Yunkai, featured in the third season of the Game of Thrones.
For the icy
scenes, programme makers favoured the Hverfjall volcano in the Lake Myvatin
region of Northern Iceland.
It is also
recognisable as the Beyond the Wall area, the large area of Westeros in the hit
show.
April
Fools' Day or All Fools' Day, is a notable day celebrated in
many countries on April 1. The day is
marked by hoaxes and jokes. There are many theories concerning its origin but
the most prevailing one is that April 1 was counted the first day of the year
in France. When King Charles IX changed that to January 1, some people stayed
with April 1. Those who did were called "April Fools" and were
taunted by their neighbours.
1957: The
respected BBC news show Panorama announced that thanks to a very mild winter,
Swiss farmers were enjoying a spaghetti crop. It accompanied this announcement
with a video of Swiss peasants pulling spaghetti down from trees. Huge numbers
of viewers were taken in. Many called the BBC wanting to know how they could
grow their own spaghetti tree. To this the BBC diplomatically replied, "Place
some spaghetti in a tin of tomato sauce and hope for the best".
#8: The Left-Handed Whopper
1998: Burger King published a full page
advertisement in USA Today announcing the introduction of a new item to
their menu: a "Left-Handed Whopper" specially designed for the 32
million left-handed Americans. According to the advertisement, the new whopper
included the same ingredients as the original Whopper (lettuce, tomato, hamburger,
etc.), but all the condiments were rotated 180 degrees for their left-handed
customers. The following day Burger King issued a follow-up release revealing
that although the Left-Handed Whopper was a hoax, thousands of customers had gone
into restaurants to ask for the new sandwich. Also, according to the press
release, "many others asked for their own 'right handed' version.
#11: UFO Lands in London
1989: On
March 31, 1989 thousands of drivers outside London looked up in the air to see
a flying saucer descending on their city. Many of them stopped to watch the
strange craft in the air. The saucer finally landed in a field where local
people immediately called the police to warn them of an alien invasion. Soon
the police arrived on the scene, and one brave officer approached the craft. When
a door opened, and a small, silver-suited figure emerged, the policeman ran in
the opposite direction. The saucer turned out to be a hot-air balloon that had
been specially built to look like a UFO by Richard Branson, the 36-year-old
chairman of Virgin Records. The stunt combined his passion for ballooning with
his love of pranks. His plan was to land the craft in London's Hyde Park on
April 1.
#12: Flying Penguins
2008: The BBC
announced that camera crews filming near the Antarctic for its natural history
series Miracles of Evolution had filmed penguins flying in the air. It
even offered a video clip of these flying penguins, which became
one of the most viewed videos on the internet. Presenter Terry Jones explained
that these penguins took to the air and flew thousands of miles to the
rainforests of South America. A follow-up video explained
how the BBC created
the special effects of the flying penguins.
It has just been
announced by the Ministry of Education that the Exams for A (A1 & A2), B (B1 & B2) and C (C1
& C2) levels of KPG will take place on the 10th & 11thMay 2014. You can register from Tuesday, 4 March to
Friday, 14 March. As for the exam fees, you should pay 60 euros for A
level, 80 euros for B level exams & 100 euros for C level exams.
