SHOP SUBSCRIBE ARCHIVES SUPPORT OUR WORK SHARE ON FACEBOOK
Greece Is the Word
The Day’s Most Fascinating News Stories from Throughout the Greek Diaspora
Vol 4, 22 Sept 2020
The best-known images of Greece outside the country usually include white walls, blue trim, and the Ionian, Aegean, or Mediterranean Sea — but beauty and life are found everywhere in Greece!
1.
DO YOU WANT TO BE HAPPIER? ASK ARISTOTLE
We already know that this polymath was the first genuine scientist in history, that he invented the field of formal logic, and that he founded the Lyceum. Well, it turns out that he also knew a little something about what makes us happy.
2.
AND SPEAKING OF ARISTOTLE
Pappou passed his entrance exams and is off to Thessaloniki’s Aristotle University to study physics.
3.
A LIFE WELL LIVED
George Bizos died last week at the age of 92. If you don’t know what this Greek did while he was here, you should. (Hint: He and Nelson Mandela were close friends.)
4.
STONIE ON SPORTS
Catching Stonie making the wrong calls about sports is like catching Yanni without a mustache. Doesn’t happen often. (Stonie's got his first video version of "Thoughts and Hunches, Making Money in Bunches, and Sucker Punches" linked in this edition's column -- check it out!)
Here’s a sports question for you: Who is the greatest Greek athlete of all time?
5.
SHAKIN’ IN YOUR SANDALS
What must it have been like to be in Thera (now Santorini) during the Minoan eruption in 1613 BC? Well, pretty soon you’ll be able to experience it. Kind of.
And what must a day in the life of the chief builder of the Parthenon have been like?
6.
AGI (ANCIENT GREEKS’ INFLUENCE)
“From the beginning of the game, you meet Hermes, who gives you a prophecy and tells you that you're the one that's going to save all of the Greek gods and the Greek world….” - Scott Phillips (director of the new video game, Immortals Fenyx Rising )
Or you could always play another new AGI-filled game called Hades.
AGI is everywhere. Even in ridiculous AutoTrader commercials.
7.
FOR THE LOVE OF DOG
“The Greek appreciation for the dog, in fact, fully illustrates the well-known Greek love for life and cultural value of loyalty…. The Greek philosopher Plato famously claimed in Republic, Book II, 376b that the dog is a true philosopher.” We couldn’t agree more.
8.
PHILOTIMO
This edition’s Bravo Sou Award goes to these amazing Greek mechanics who traveled to the island of Evia after the recent flash floods there to help the locals. (To learn more about φιλότιμο (philotimo), watch the Washington OXI Day Foundation’s video attempt at defining it.)
And another Bravo Sou Award goes to the Metropolis of Chicago for giving us all a little more HOPE.
9.
HIGH-TECH OLIVE GROWING
“In Crete, olives are big business and an important part of the economy of Greece's largest and most populous island. There are 30 million olive trees on Crete, so the potential effects of smart farming are very far-reaching.”
Speaking of olives, here’s a little trivia for you: Where in the world is the oldest olive tree located, and how old is it?
10.
THE RESURRECTION OF A NEW YORK CITY CHURCH
“Construction resumed last month on the only house of worship destroyed on 9/11. As we reported last spring, the faithful have spent nearly 20 years struggling to rebuild St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church into a national shrine at Ground Zero.”
If you enjoyed this newsletter, please share it with your community (one way to do that would be to share it on Facebook) and/or support us on Patreon. And let us know what you think - we welcome any and all feedback! To read earlier editions, visit our Archives.
Opa!
Peter and the Greece Is the Word Crew