Stefanos Tsitsipas is celebrating his 23rd birthday with a spot in the quarter-finals of the National Bank Open on Thursday.
The Greek star defeated Tokyo Olympics singles silver medalist Karen Khachanov 6-3, 6-2 to reach the last eight in Toronto for the second time.
The crowd at the Aviva Centre sang “Happy Birthday” to the winner after he completed the match, and tournament officials presented the 2018 finalist with a cake.
Stefanos Tsitsipas receives a birthday cake to mark his 23rd birthday at the Canadian Open (Credit: AP)
“Casper is a player that has been developing very good recently. He had an amazing clay-court season,” Tsitsipas said.
“He’s someone that serves very well, has a very good serve-and-first-ball pattern that works really well for him. I think he’s probably one of the best players out there to have the serve and first ball inside the three first shots that he hits.
“It’s definitely something that I’m going to have to pay attention to, and apply more pressure towards that.”
Cyprus’ latest tourist attraction, the Museum of Underwater Sculpture of Ayia Napa (Musan), features a collection of 130 sculptures in a newly created Marine Protected Area.
The works at the museum, located in the resort town of Ayia Napa, range from botanical to figurative, including more than 90 sculptures by Jason deCaires Taylor, a British artist known for his site-specific creations that turn into artificial coral reefs.
Photograph: Costas Constantinou/Musan.
With more than 1,000 sculptures installed around the world, including the Great Barrier Reef, deCaires Taylor specifically works with a type of cement that enables coral growth.
The site of the museum is in a marine protected area in Pernera, on the south-eastern coast of Cyprus and was selected specifically in order to emphasise its protected status. The works are installed all the way down to about 10 metres and spread out across more than 167 metres of sand.
Photographs: Jason deCaires Taylor/Musan.
Musan’s sculptures are made of sea materials, including stones, rocks and shells, and are meant to live harmoniously among the marine life. The museum has stated its intent to enrich the biodiversity of the area to allow the sculptures to turn into coral reefs and eventually an “underwater forest.”
Tourism is also a goal for the Cyprus government, which has backed the establishment of the museum. In 2014, the Ayia Napa municipal council proposed the idea and work began on Musan three years later. According to the Cyprus Mail, the cost of the museum has reached €1 million.
Visitors can dive or snorkel Musan for free, although reservations must be made ahead of time. The surrounding area will also have diving centres and schools for visitors.
If you’re looking to make a dish that will have your family and friends craving for more, without spending endless hours in the kitchen, then we might have just the thing for you!
Lamb-chops, also known as paidakia for those of us from Greece, are one of the most traditional and beloved dishes for family gatherings. However, the long preparation time may serve as a bit of a deterrent in our attempt to cook it.
Well, that’s no longer an excuse as we have provided for you an easy and fail-proof method of making the most delicious lemon-garlic lamb chops that your loved ones have ever tasted! All you’ll need is:
8 lamb chops (1-2 per person)
2 table spoons of pure olive oil
3-4 tablespoons of pure lemon juice (about one whole lemon)
2-3 tablespoons of dried oregano
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 teaspoons of thyme leaves
4 crushed cloves of garlic
1 teaspoon of salt, pepper
Photo: Simply Delicious Food.
HOW TO MAKE:
Pre-heat a pan on strong fire (about 200 degrees)
Marinate the chops with the lemon juice and olive oil, then slowly add garlic, oregano, thyme and red pepper flakes
Put the chops in the pan, let them sit, then flip them over after about 2-3 minutes (or until they reach that gold colour)
Flip them over to the other side and let them cook until the fat has caramelized and gone crispy
Remove and serve with lemon on the side
And that’s it. That’s all you’ll need to enjoy some delicious lamb-chops and serve them up to your family and friends. Enjoy!
Every year, August 15 holds special significance for all Greeks and that is due to a celebration that serves as the high point of their summer holidays.
On this day, the Christian Orthodox religion celebrates the Dormition of the Virgin Mary who, as Jesus Christ himself, was resurrected to live on forever in heaven.
This day has been hailed as “the Easter of summer” in Greece and the message of hope and victory over death itself has gone on to inspire many people from across the world.
Here are some of the most popular festivities and traditions that take place all around Greece during the August 15th national holiday – also known as ‘Dekapentavgoustos.’
1. In Patmos, which is also known as the isle of the Apocalypse, is where most of the devout followers of the religion gather to take place in the procession of the Epitaph, a tradition that has its roots from the Byzantine era.
2. In Tinos, hundreds of faithful or even simple bystanders gather to pray at the church of the Megalochari. The most popular tradition that is associated with this day says that all those who have received the blessing of the Mother of Christ in their lives will go up the many stairs that lead to the church on their knees.
3. In the village of Siatista of Kozani, this day marks the tradition of the horseback pilgrims, who ride their decorated animals all the way into the Mikrokastro monastery to pay their respects. Their return to the village marks the beginning of the celebrations which go on until the early morning hours.
Photo: Dimitris Papamitsos / Prime Minister’s Press Office.
4. The Koufonisia islands have become a popular tourist location in recent years, so it makes sense that they would have their own unique way of celebrating the occasion. Followers hop on small boats to head down to the Kato Koufonisi, which is where the chapel of Panagia is located. Then, once they’ve completed their prayers and it’s time to head back, the boats enter into a mini-race to see who will make it back to the Pano Koufonisi first. Once they all get back, it’s time to celebrate under the sounds of Greek music, with plenty of food and drinks to go around!
5. In the island of Kefalonia, they have a particularly unique way of celebrating this holiday, as there are many small, non-venomous snakes that appear there during this time of year. At the town of Markopoulo they have named the local church after them (Panagia Fidousa) as it is said that they bring good fortune to the locals and even more so to those daring enough to touch them.
Those are but a few of the many holidays that go on all around Greece on this day, to celebrate the Dormition of the Theotokos.
It’s worth pointing out that August 15 is also a popular name day, so you may want to check your social circles to see if you have anyone called Panagiotis, Panagiota, Maria, Marios, Despina or any abbreviations like ‘Takis’ or ‘Giota’.
Big Fat Greek at Woodbine has been impacted by the strict lockdown of the Campbelltown Local Government Area (LGA) in NSW, but that didn’t stop owner, Peter Sinadinos, from taking part in a small act of kindness this week.
Mr Sinadinos decided to reach out to the Mayor of Campbelltown, George Brticevic, and donated 20 vouchers worth $20 each to give to people in the community who are struggling due to the current COVID-19 crisis gripping the state.
“A good meal at the Big Fat is about $17, so $20 is a good start to have the benchmark for where we want to get to with helping the community,” Mr Sinadinos tells The Greek Herald.
“We just want to thank the community. They’ve been great. They’ve supported us so it’s time for us to support them.”
Big Fat Greek at Woodbine donated $400 worth of vouchers to those in need.
In response, Mayor Brticevic thanked Mr Sinadinos and his team for their generosity and complimented them on their lamb mixed gyros meal.
“I cannot believe the generosity of the Campbelltown business community,” Mayor Brticevic wrote on Facebook.
“The food was fantastic… Looking forward to the loud Greek music as well!”
Mr Sinadinos later adds that these vouchers aren’t the only thing he has planned for the locals, telling The Greek Herald he is also looking into putting a meal deal together for tradies to show them appreciation for their hard work.
Over 8,600 needle sticks, 700 blood transfusions, and 2,200 blood packs later and Arthur Bozikas OAM is defying the odds of the life sentence he was handed at birth.
Bozikas’ tale of “hope, survival, and prospering against the odds” is charted in his new autobiography Iron Boy: Surviving Beta Thalassaemia Major.
“I was born with [beta thalassemia major]. They didn’t pick it up until six, nine months later but I started giving blood transfusions in my first year. By the age of four years old, I had my spleen taken out,” Bozikas tells the Greek Herald.
Beta thalassaemia major is a genetically-inherited blood disorder caused by damaged or missing genes. It is the most severe form of thalassaemia and without treatment, the spleen, liver, and heart become enlarged. People living with the condition require frequent blood transfusions.
(Courtesy of Self Advocacy Sydney Inc)
The condition disproportionately affects people of Greek and Italian descent.
Bozikas is second-generation Greek Australian. His Akrata-born mother and Patra-born father emigrated in 1957 and 1956, respectively, and married around a year into living in Sydney.
Bozikas’ older brother was born in 1959 and Arthur in 1961.
Bozikas says he was “getting ready for his life to be over” by the time he reached 20 years old. That is until a new life-saving drug entered the market.
“I didn’t get [Desferrioxamine] until I was 21 years old, which was in 1981, 1982,” Bozikas says.
(Photo: ABC News)
By this time, Bozikas had outgrown the haematology department he frequented at the Children’s Hospital by outliving his life sentence.
“I was going to the children’s hospital because [me and my friends Peter and George] were the first in our generation to live at that particular age and to really have normal lives because we were using Desferrioxamine,” he says.
He was married with two kids by the time he was transferred from the Children’s Hospital to Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Randwick.
He says while Desferrioxamine led him to a healthier life, it was that visit to the hospital about forty years ago which rerouted his course in life.
(Courtesy of Self Advocacy Sydney Inc)
“[I] was horrified because they said to [me], ‘Look, the damage is done… We’re going to put you on this drug anyway’,” he says.
“I keep on recalling the fact that they said that ‘the damage is done’.”
“Why should I bother putting myself in any more pain and discomfort when I’m going to pass away anyway?”
“Why continue?”
The visit would leave a lasting impact on him until his wife – the “light in his darkness” – would put his life into perspective and inspire him to enroll at Western Sydney University (UWS) 20 years later.
“It wasn’t until that day I went to uni that I put those heavy bags that I carried all my life … and just put all that behind me,” he says.
(arthurbozikas.com)
Bozikas went from UWS alumni to tutor and spent seven years teaching there and eight years teaching at TAFE.
Bozikas was awarded an Order of Australia in 2016 for his lengthy tenure as CEO of disability service organisation Self Advocacy Sydney.
He says his interest in writing Iron Boy stretches back to 20 years.
“When I was at uni, I did some creative writing courses so I could write my autobiography back then.”
He published two other works of fiction, The Book Glasses and Black Ops: Zulu (Tom Stiles Thrillers Book 1), in February and says ‘Iron Boy’ will be available “very, very soon”.
Civic Shoes has been named as a finalist in this year’s Canberra Region Local Business Awards and owner, Miltiadis Vassiliotis, couldn’t be happier.
Hailing from Karpathos, a small Greek island in the Dodecanese, Miltiadis’ father, Nick, came to Australia in 1956 and worked as a cobbler from that time. He then opened Civic Shoes in 1973, which was passed on to become Miltiadis’ shoe repair store.
In the 20 years Miltiadis has been at the helm, Civic Shoes has been more in demand than ever before. They have even opened factories in Italy, China and Vietnam and they’re readying to begin exporting their custom shoes to Europe.
“Three years ago I started designing the custom made shoes and custom made inner soles,” Miltiadis told The Greek Herald in August last year.
“We’re doing something different than everyone else around.
“We’re the first to bring the 3D scanner, which measures 52 different measurements on your feet, in Australia. Through these measurements we build up the shoes.”
It’s no surprise then that Civic Shoes is up for another local business gong this year, after they were also named winner’s of last years awards.
Canberra Region Local Business Awards Project Manager, Chris Jamgotchian, said it’s stories like Miltiadis’ that judges are lucky enough to discover when reading nominations.
“Every business has a story it’s just about telling that story,” Mr Jamgotchian said.
The NSW Court of Appeal announced on Friday, 6 August 2021 its decision in the Lianos V AHEPA NSW Inc case. Surprisingly both sides welcome the decision, one stating that the Court of Appeal decided in favor of the eight-chapter application to review an earlier decision, and the other that the application was not accepted in general terms and simply repealed one of the six paragraphs of the decisions.
However, the issue of court costs will be considered by the Court of Appeal later and will probably judge which side can welcome the decision of the Court of Appeal and which can not…
The press release issued by Order of AHEPA NSW Inc signed by the president Mr. Vasilios Skandalakis, states:
“The judgment is in respect of an application by eight Chapters as intervening parties in the appeal proceedings, which was supported by Order of AHEPA NSW Inc, that the Court partially granted. In summary, the judgment is to the following effect:
– Order of AHEPA NSW Inc is recognised as an independent organisation, separate from “AHEPA Australia” or “AHEPA Australia Limited” and not subordinate
– ‘AHEPA Australia Limited’ is not the successor body to the ‘Unincorporated Association’;
– in order to become a member entitled to vote at any General Meeting of the Order of AHEPA NSW Inc a person must have been a qualified financial member on the 30th of June of the last financial year of one of the thirteen Chapters referred to in the judgment;“
****
The press release issued by AHEPA Australia, Grand Lodge of NSW, signed by Press Officer Mr George Lianos, states:
“This judgement was an appeal from orders made by the Court on 26 November 2020, and substantially upheld these orders. Key orders made by the Court of Appeal were:
– declaring that resolutions purported to be passed at the Special General Meeting held on 13 November 2018 are invalid and that proceedings at that meeting were void. At this critical meeting AHEPA attempted to pass a new Constitution overturning the previous approach to running the Association, which involved all members in major decisions (such as whether to buy or sell property). Despite the current leadership of AHEPA operating under this Constitution for the past 2 ½ years this Constitution was held to be invalid and the NSW Department of Fair Trading were ordered to remove it from their register;
– that the specific resolution purported to be passed at the General Meeting on 28 February 2019 authorizing the Committee of Management to borrow up to $7 million to fund the Bexley development is invalid and of no effect;
– there is a single pathway for membership rather than the “alternative pathway” proposed by the current AHEPA leadership;
– the application to re-open the case was dismissed and all other orders made by the Court in November were upheld.
Yesterday Mr. B. Skandalakis issued a press release. He simply forgot to put the decisions of the court and especially what concerns them personally. As for declaring the end of the courts he forgot about the next one that will be heard on December 4, 2021.
On 12 August 1617, Greece lost one of its greatest lyricists as the Cretan poet, Vitsentzos Kornaros, drew his final breath. He was considered to be one of the most important representatives of Hellenic literature.
Here are five things you need to know about the bard:
1. Some of the most important information regarding his life, like where he was born or where he got married, have been gleaned from one of his own poems, in which he mentions his first and last names, his place of birth (Sitia of Crete) and the location where he got married (Castro).
2. Born on March 26, 1553, he was raised “…living the life of the land-owner, within a multicultural world of servants and slaves, who were all Greek-Orthodox.”
3. Once he reached 35 years of age, Kornaros moved to the area that was then known as Castro (which today is called Iraklio) to study at the Stravaganti Academy in Handakas, which was founded by one of his two elder brothers, Andrea.
4. On September 8, 1590, he married the woman of his life, Marietta Zeno, at the Temple of Agia Ekaterini in Castro. They would go on to have two daughters, Katerina and Eleni.
5. Kornaros gained such high recognition after the release of his two greatest works, the narrative poem Erotokritos and the religious drama I Thisia tou Avraam (Abraham’s Sacrifice), which as critics have pointed out, required great artistic technique by the author in order to give such believability to their characters.
Fraud allegations of almost $400 million against Forum Finance boss, Bill Papas, have widened to include his business partner in Greece and dozens of transactions in New Zealand, worth more than $40 million.
According to The Australian, Westpac Banking Corporation allege Anastasios Giamouridis also benefited from fraudulent transactions involving a string of businesses headed and owned by Mr Papas, including Forum and food waste digester firm Iugus.
The bank has been pursuing Mr Papas and Vincenzo Tesoriero in the Federal Court alleging the two used their position at Forum to defraud Westpac of almost $300 million through hundreds of illegitimate loan transactions.
In a new statement of claims lodged by Westpac in the Federal Court on Wednesday and seen by The Australian, the bank alleges Mr Giamouridis received about $10.7 million across 20 transactions between June 2019 and December 2020 from a Forum entity, Forum Group Financial Services, that he was not entitled to.
The bank is conducting detailed funds tracking and tracing work and was scoping out whether others could be added as defendants to the domestic Federal Court action.
Wednesday’s filing marks a move to combine the New Zealand and Australian matters into one case, the bank alleging it was defrauded at least $40.22m in losses.
