This year’s Super Bowl night held a surprise for all those who love the Greek language and its rich vocabulary.
A TV commercial for the New York Life Insurance during the Super Bowl featured the different meaning of each one of the four main words that describe the idea of ”love” in the Greek language.
The moving advertisement explained the meaning of ”philia,” ”storge,” ”eros,” and ”agape;” four ancient Greek words still in use by Greek speakers, which describe the different forms human love can take.
Philia, which could also be translated as ”friendship,” is the Greek word that describes the love two friends develop for one another, without having any sexual dimensions.
Storge was described in the ad as the form of affection that one has for close family members, such as a grandparent or a child.
The third word was eros, the kind of love that two partners develop, which leads to the eventual sexual encounter, which is the ultimate form of showing one’s love for a partner.
Finally, the commercial explained the word agape, which literally translates to English as ”love” and is the highest and purest form of love among all the rest.
Agape ”takes courage, sacrifice, strength,” the commercial said, explaining that this word shows love as an action.
The New York Life Insurance‘s Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Directors is Theodore A. Mathas, a prominent member of the Greek American community.
Mathas has been the company’s CEO since 2008 while serving the company for more than twenty-five years.
When George Kantzios and Ranmeet Jassal decided they wanted to spend the rest of their lives together, they agreed that no external factors should stop them from doing so. Especially not the fact that George was raised a Greek Orthodox Christian, and Ranmeet was raised a Sikh-Punjabi.
“Religion’s a touchy subject…at the end of the day you’re
pretty much born into it, so I don’t see why it should get in the way so much.
It’s not your fault where you’re born. It’s almost demographic…it shouldn’t
stop you,” said 28-year-old construction manager, George, to The Greek Herald.
George was working in Malaysia and met Ranmeet in Kuala
Lumpur, where she was completing her first-year of medical school. Within
6-months of meeting, the couple knew they had found something special, and with
that realisation, dawned a lot of difficult decisions that needed to be made.
The obstacles the couple have faced have only strengthened
their ability to communicate and compromise in a transparent, respectful and
mutually beneficial manner.
Their first decision as a future married couple was that Ranmeet
was going to move to Australia and restart her career as a doctor over here.
Then, came the decisions about the wedding, which is what inspired SBS documentary series ‘Marry Me, Marry My Family’ to contact them and air their story.
A
Greek upbringing matched with a Sikh upbringing
Both
Ranmeet and George love the religions and cultures they were born into, and
didn’t see that it was fair for either of them to have to completely abandon
their traditions. This is why they decided they were going to get married in
both a Greek Orthodox Church in Melbourne, and a Sikh temple in Malaysia.
“When you’re born into a religion, you see the same wedding
over and over again. So in your head, you only know getting married being in
the church, cause that’s all you’ve seen. If you grew up and every wedding was
in a garden, you’d imagine yours would be in a garden. That’s how it is. My
wife always saw it in a temple, so that’s what she wants. I’ve always seen it
in a church. We might not be overly religious, but if that’s all you’ve ever
seen, that’s all you’re ever going to want,” explains George to The Greek
Herald.
George’s upbringing was very similar to most Greek’s born in
Australia, who sought inspiration from traditional migrant rules.
When George is first introduced on the SBS documentary, his
father says “it was very
important to us that he knows what it’s actually like to be Greek”. George’s
childhood was filled with Greek school, Greek dancing and constant exposure to
Greek community events.
With George’s entire ancestral history having married
Greeks, he too was raised with the idea of marrying a “nice Greek girl” – “It will be better and easier for you
if she’s Greek. There won’t be issues with the culture and the religion,”
George’s family would often reiterate.
George
commended and thanked his family for their acceptance, understanding and open
nature when he decided to marry Ranmeet.
“My family were
really good about everything. Then when I started talking about the wedding and
what my plans were, they were sort of like, if you’re going to get married in a
Sikh temple it’d be nice if you kept up your traditions and married in the
Greek church,” said George.
“If I married a Greek it would be a bonus…given that it’s easier, but for me it wasn’t the be all and end all.”
Ranmeet, who grew up in Malaysia was raised as a “very
traditional” 4th generation Punjabi Indian.
“I never thought I’d be walking down the aisle and wearing a white gown,” she says in the documentary series. “As a daughter I don’t want to upset my parents, and I just wanted their blessings.”
George’s Greek relatives enthusiastically participating in Sikh customs by wearing traditional turbans on George and Ranmeet’s wedding day in Malaysia.
Two
big fat Greek-Sikh weddings
When it was decided that the pair were going to have two weddings, the biggest complication that arose, according to George was organising two weddings that had such high calibre religious and cultural traditions.
A
traditional Sikh wedding has 4 events that lead up to the wedding, with a
traditional ceremony and reception.
On George’s part, he decided to adopt a Sikh name to do
something for his wife, since she would have to convert to Greek Orthodoxy for
him. Though, technically George has not converted his religion.
“What’s happened is, Sikh’s allow mixed marriages in the
temple. So, what I did was, I just got a name. They gave me a Sikh name. Some
don’t mind, you can just go as you are. If you look at it like that, Ranmeet’s
technically converted to Greek Orthodoxy, and her temple allows the marriage,”
George explains to The Greek Herald.
“Technically, we’re both Orthodox…The name conversion was
for me to do something on my side,” said George.
Ranmeet still considers herself Sikh and is very close to
her culture. This is why the couple have decided that, while they are
technically Greek Orthodox Christians, they will still upkeep Sikh-Punjabi
customs and traditions.
“I’m proud
to be Punjabi. I’m proud to be Sikh. It makes me who I am. George has embraced
Punjabi and Sikh religion, so I don’t feel like I’m leaving anything behind,” said
Ranmeet on the documentary. “I’m embracing a new religion. I’m embracing a new
culture. That doesn’t mean I’m not Sikh. I’m still Sikh inside.”
From the
Greek Orthodox aspect, Ranmeet had to participate in a 12-week intensive course
that would allow her to be baptised Orthodox. This was the only way she could
get married in the Greek Orthodox church. The classes were run once a week, set
with a full syllabus and 15-20 students per class.
Ranmeet and
George had their classes, as well as Ranmeet’s baptism and their wedding at St
Haralambos Church in Templestone, Victoria. They both attended classes with
Father Antonio, and both highly commended his open-nature and wisdom throughout
the entire process.
“He was a really open-minded priest. He spoke about all
cultures, rather than just telling us that Greek Orthodox was the only way. His
English is perfect, so he was the perfect match for us,” said George to The
Greek Herald.
While George did not technically have to go to the classes,
he wanted to support his wife throughout the process, and learnt a lot of
things himself.
“We didn’t both have to go, but I wanted to go…I learnt a
lot. We had religious studies in school, but you forget a lot of things. It’s
good to hear it from someone so open. He touched on a lot of things. He touched
on the history of Orthodoxy, and how it came about, and where it came from. He
touched on little things that everyone usually steers away from. It was really
good. He was fantastic,” said George.
“As we got into it more and more, it was more surprising for
Ranmeet. She took it very seriously. It wasn’t just like a one day thing to get
it out of the way. She took it all very seriously. It was a big deal,” said
George.
Raising a family with two religions
When George was asked about the next steps, like raising a family, he said, “between ourselves, we sort of embrace both. We haven’t discussed too much yet, definitely something we’re going to have to cross. We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.”
Though, he outlined a number of traditions that he would
like to pass on to his children from both his Greek Orthodox upbringing, and
Ranmeet’s Sikh-Punjabi upbringing.
“I’d like them to pick up the language, even though it’s not
becoming as useful anymore. It’d still be nice to keep the language. Greek
dancing…obviously we’d keep all the Easter and Christmas traditions going. As much
it’s a culture thing…for us being Greek, I don’t think you’d want to miss out
on that. I wouldn’t mind holding those traditions,” said George.
From Ranmeet’s perspective, he says, “she’s pretty easy
going with the language, because she’s not very fluent in Punjabi herself. But
she wouldn’t mind if the kids learnt a little bit so they could communicate. I
think that’s important. Depending on what happens with religion, she still
would like to go to the temple on the main events,” he said.
George explains that, from his understanding, they would
celebrate holidays like ‘Vaisahki’, ‘Diwali’ and the major days for “gurus”,
which George compares to major name days in Greek Orthodoxy. While also
upkeeping Easter and Christmas traditions for Greek Orthodoxy.
George notes that after the show, he has been receiving
hundreds of messages from people who are in the same position, asking him for
advice.
“I think if I did give advice, it’d be to be a bit more
organised than I was. Allow some time before you plan to get married to speak
to the church, cause it takes a bit of time…That’s what made it a lot more
difficult,” says George.
Ultimately,
George and Ranmeet have adopted the mentality of the common sense behind
religion, and its teachings on how to serve as a good human being.
“It’s not about what specific God or scriptures you believe in. There’s only one God and there’s a lot of common sense behind religion…Respecting others, not being selfish and being a good person,” said George.
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis is scheduled to depart for a trip to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates on Sunday afternoon, during which his aim is to attract investments and expand economic and regional cooperation.
The Prime Minister will be accompanied by Development and Investments Minister Adonis Georgiadis and Deputy Foreign Minister for Economic Diplomacy and Openness Kostas Fragogiannis.
Government sources said that the visits conclude a round of trips carried out by the prime minister to support investments, which have already brought significant results in terms of the country’s image in international markets and in terms of investment interest.
During his meetings in the two countries, Mitsotakis will state his intention to rapidly eliminate any obstacles in current processes for economic cooperation between Greece and the two countries, allowing this to grow.
In terms of regional cooperation, he is to point out that this helps establish peace and stability at a time when there are constantly challenges in the Mediterranean, the Middle East and the Gulf that require coordination.
Greek companies that are outward-oriented are expected to benefit from closer economic cooperation, through participation in major development and construction projects in both Gulf states.
During his meetings, the prime minister is also expected to discuss geopolitical issues, though it was planned prior to the latest development concerning Turkey and Libya.
Among his planned meetings is that with the Saudi Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz al Saud in Riyadh on Monday, followed by a meeting that will with Saudi Minister of Commerce and Investments Majid bin Abdullah Al Qasabi, attended by delegations from both countries. The Greek PM will then meeting the governor of the Saudi Public Investment Fund Yasir Othman Al-Rumayyan.
On Monday afternoon, Mitsotakis will attend a dinner given in his honour by Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz al Saud, which will be followed by a bilateral meeting in the presence of delegations.
The Greek Prime Minister will depart for Abu Dhabi on Monday night, where he is to meet the head of the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority Sheikh Hamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, followed by a meeting with the Abu Dhabi Emirate Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
The Athens Stock Exchange was the best-performing equity market in Europe last year, which is reflected in international investors’ newfound confidence in Greece’s recovery.
Andreas Yannopoulos, founder of the InvestGR Forum, says across the board, foreign investors are putting their money in Greek assets from stocks and bonds to real estate and helping to push foreign direct investment in Greece to record highs.
“Compared with just a few years ago, when the country was in the grips of Europe’s worst financial crisis, it’s evident that in the eyes of foreigners Greece is back. The challenge now is to bring Greeks back,” said Mr Yannopoulos.
During the crisis, an estimated half-a-million, mainly young, mostly well-educated Greeks left the country in search of better opportunities abroad. For Greece, the cost of that brain drain has been enormous. According to one estimate, Greeks abroad contributed more than 13 billion euros a year to the economies of their host countries – and 9 billion euros in taxes – but cost the Greek state a total of 8 billion for their education.
“Without question, Greece produces top-notch talent, and Greek-educated scientists have distinguished themselves in nearly every branch of the natural and social sciences, from medicine to economics to physics. Around the world, Greeks are also at the cutting edge of business, technology and the arts. Unfortunately, those distinctions have mostly taken place in other countries.”
Recent trends in Greece record how much international businesses value Greek talent. In the last few years, high-tech leaders like electric automaker Tesla have set up research institutes in Greece. EY is investing in a new artificial intelligence hub in the country, and foreign multinationals, like Samsung and Daimler, have bought promising Greek startups. A delegation of Japanese investors also recently visited Greece to look at the country’s startup scene.
“To reverse the recent brain drain, Greece may have to consider specific incentives to attract young Greeks back,” the founder of the InvestGR Forum argues.
Foreign multinationals already doing business in Greece will also play a key role: At the 3rd InvestGR Forum – “Greece is Back” – in June foreign business leaders and local policy-makers will address the concrete steps the government must take to make that promise a reality, says Mr Yannopoulos.
“There is no question that Greece is back. The challenge now is to translate the recovery into long-term sustainable growth,” Mr Yannopoulos concludes.
A trip to much of Europe has gone costlier from Sunday with an increase in Schengen visa fees to €80 from the current €60, officials said.
A Schengen visa is needed to visit 26 European countries, including Austria, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Switzerland and Spain.
“The visa fee increases from Euro 60 to Euro 80. This increase is the first one since 2006,” an European Union (EU) official told PTI.
The increase in the visa fee comes as an updated Schengen Visa Code takes effect from February 2 this year.
It brings the fee in line with the level where it would be today if it had been aligned to the general EU-wide inflation rate since 2006, they said.
“The increased visa fee will provide member states with additional financial resources to process visa applications quickly and more efficiently. By international standards, the visa fee remains low,” the official said.
For regular travellers, the fee increase is offset by the new rules on long-validity visas.
These travellers may actually save money under the new provisions, since they have to apply for visas less often, they said.
Minors
Visa fee is still waived for children below six-years-old (as it was the case in the previous rules).
“The visa fee for minors between the age group of 6 and 12 years remains half of the general fee, and thus increases by Euro 5 (to Euro 40),” the official said.
In addition, it is now possible for member States to waive the visa fee for minors between the age group of 6 and 18 years under the new visa regime.
According to the latest exchange rates, a Euro is equivalent to ₹79.37.
People can now apply for the Schengen visa six months before the intended date of travel to Europe instead of three months timeline.
The minimum time period will now be nine months for seafarers, they said.
Multiple-entry visas
In addition to this, frequent travellers with a positive visa history are to be granted multiple-entry visa with a gradually increasing validity period from one year to a maximum of five years, which will save applicants time and money, the official said.
For instance, an applicant who has obtained and used correctly three visas within two years would be granted during this period a multiple-entry visa valid for one year.
An applicant who has obtained and used a multiple-entry visa of one year would be granted (if applied within two years) a multiple-entry visa valid for two years, they explained.
An applicant who has obtained and used a multiple-entry visa of two years would be granted (if applied within three years) a multiple-entry visa valid for five years, the official added.
The visa code also provides for the possibility to adapt the rules for individual countries according to assessment of local circumstances and migratory and security risk, by the local Schengen cooperation, they said.
Such adaptation would be adopted by the European Commission.
The new rules also foresee the possibility to submit an electronically-filled application form, which can also be signed electronically if recognised by the member state competent for examining and deciding on the application, the official said.
Each Schengen member state sets its rules regarding recipient of submissions either directly at an embassy/consulate/mission, or through an external service provider.
More than 16 million Schengen visa applications have been filed at the embassies, consulates and visa centres of the 26 Schengen member countries across the globe in 2018, according to SchengenVisaInfo.com.
In 2018, India was listed as the third largest source for Schengen visa applications with 10,81,359 such requests made from the country, it said.
Citizens of the following countries require a Schengen Visa:
Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola, Armenia, Azerbaija, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burma/Myanmar, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, China, Comoros, Congo, Cote D’ivoire, Cuba, Democratic Republic Of Congo, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Maldives, Mali, Mauritania, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Niger, Nigeria, North Korea, Oman, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Qatar, Russia, Rwanda, Sao Tome And Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Syria, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
The Hellenic Republic has decided to close its visa centers in Mainland China, thus stop receiving applications and granting visas, after the outbreak of the Coronavirus in the city of Wuhan in Hubei, China.
Greece has become the second country, after the Czech Republic to undertake such measures, to prevent a spread of the virus within its territory, though sources of SchengenVisaInfo.com have previously warned that all European Union Member Countries may introduce such measures by next week.
The Greek Embassy in Beijing, China, has sent out a message to all travel agents in China, announcing the decision to halt visa issuance until Monday, February 9, 2020, at least.
“All visa application centers of Greece have suspended operation and that resumption of operations will be announced with a new notice,” the message reads.
Greek Health Minister Vassilis Kikilias is in regular contact with the World Health Organisation (WHO), the European Centre for Disease Control (ECDC), European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety Stella Kyriakidou and the Chinese Ambassador to Greece Zhang Qiyue concerning the coronavirus epidemic, the health ministry announced on Saturday, according to ANA.
Based on the latest ministry update on preparations made since the 2019-nCoV strain appeared, the following actions have been taken:
The action plan for handling public health crises has been updated and all health authorities are fully operationally prepared
Thirteen referral hospitals have been announced
All referral hospital have designated special quarantine chambers and every health region has at least one referral hospital with a negative pressure chamber
All referral hospitals, ambulance crews and health regions have sufficient gloves, masks and suits and laboratory testing centres have been designated
Drills simulating the possible admission of a new coronavirus case to a referral hospital, in collaboration with the ambulance service, have been carried out.
Steps taken at the entry points into the country, to disseminate information to travellers on what to look for, the briefing of healthcare staff and private doctors on ways to protect against and prevent the spread of the virus if a case should arise and action to brief the general public through the National Public Health Organisation website.
Former treasurer Joe Hockey finally farewelled White Oaks — the Australian ambassador’s official residence in Washington DC — last month, making way for the arrival of long-time Liberal operator and recent Senate retiree Arthur Sinodinos.
Sinodinos leaves for the United States today. But it wouldn’t have been a proper farewell without one last knees-up at the original political diner, Paddington institution Lucio’s.
After all, with the restaurant’s building up for sale after its 37-year run on Windsor Street, it might be gone entirely by the time Sinodinos returns from his stint abroad. (Owner Lucio Galletto, on the other hand, told the Herald he was hoping to keep a lease for three years.)
Sinodinos was spotted at the restaurant, where John Olsen painted the menu art for more than a quarter of a century, with Seven West executive Bruce McWilliam on Saturday.
The dinner, it turns out, was hosted by fellow Greek Australian Harry Michaels, who started his career on 1970s soap Number 96 but made a motza buying up football broadcast rights. Michaels lives just down the road in Vaucluse mansion Elwatan.
This column also noted the presence of Paul Nicolau and his wife Sophia. Nicolau served as chief Liberal fundraiser during the years Sinodinos was the party’s state treasurer and both were hauled through the Independent Commission Against Corruption’s 2014 probe into Australian Water Holdings. Both were cleared of any inappropriate conduct.
(Of some note, Lucio’s was reportedly the location of a chance 2002 conversation between former Labor powerbroker Joe Tripodi and his friend Ben Keneally, who suggested his wife Kristina Keneally would make a great politician. The following year she was elected.)
Also in attendance: well-connected stockbroker Les Owen, who is often seen swilling a drink with steel tycoon Sanjeev Gupta, Charles Curran and other Sydney investment types.
Jessica Mauboy has talked about her upcoming wedding to fiancé Themeli Magripilis.
Speaking toThe Daily Telegraph this weekend, the 30-year-old said she spent her Christmas holidays planning her nuptials.
The songstress said she’s asked her four sisters, Sandra, Jenny, Kathy and Sophia to be her bridesmaids.
Jessica explained while she still hadn’t decided on a date, she knew straight away her siblings needed to be in the wedding party.
‘I would love them to be heavily involved in the wedding… They’re all very supportive,’ Jessica said about her siblings.
She added: ‘Hands down my sisters will be my bridesmaids. They will be supporting me as I walk down the aisle.’
It comes after her fiancé Themeli got down on one knee while the loved-up couple were holidaying in Greece in October.
Jessica described the breathtaking moment to The Daily Telegraph at the time.
‘It was that moment of wow, that this was actually happening. I flashed back to all of our time together, he started to go red in the face and welled up in the eyes. That was it, I said yes and I cried,’ she said.
Back in October, she told Nova 100’s Chrissie, Sam & Browny Show that she wanted a ‘traditional wedding’ that brings their two families together.
‘I’d love something really traditional from both sides,’ Jessica told the radio hosts at the time.
‘I think for family too, it’s just him and his sister he hasn’t got a big family, I’d love to do that ceremony for both of our parents,’ the singer said.
Host Jonathan Brown asked how Themeli’s Greek heritage would factor into the wedding and joked about smashing plates, which Jessica said would be ‘really cool’ to do.
‘I’ve been to so many Greek weddings and they are legit smashing everything,’ she joked with the radio stars.
When it came to the music, the singer said she didn’t want anything too formal and didn’t specify who would sing or perform at her wedding.
‘I have really good friends who are [musicians] and it would be really good to have them just get up and do it,’ she said.
When it came to her wedding song, Jessica was a big fan of American artist Luther Vandross behind multiple romantic classics such as Endless Love and Always and Forever.
But the singer wasn’t quite so keen to keep her choices predictable and joked that Luther’s pop duo with Janet Jackson’s The Best Things In Life Are Free was on the table.
Jessica first met her Themeli when she was 18-years-old while out dancing and has said that the construction worker cares little about her celebrity status.
Stephen Fry has announced his first album on Decca Records, The Mythos Suite, featuring music by award-winning composer Debbie Wiseman OBE, will be released on 21 February.
Debbie Wiseman’s music was inspired by Stephen Fry’s Sunday Times bestseller Mythos – a collection of vivid works retelling Ancient Greek myths and legends, updated for the modern age. Developed in close collaboration with the actor, author and comedian, Debbie Wiseman created a five-track suite showcasing musical tales from the dawn of time, with themes representing Persephone, Marsyas, Rhea and Sisyphus.
Debbie Wiseman and Stephen Fry are long-time collaborators. They first worked together in 1997 on the film Wilde, for which Stephen received a Golden Globe nomination for his performance as the eponymous poet and playwright. They then went on to work together on other musical projects including Oscar Wilde: Fairy Tales, and Different Voices.
Stephen Fry narrates each of the five musical vignettes on The Mythos Suite which were performed and recorded by 80 musicians from the National Symphony Orchestra at Abbey Road Studios. The release also includes five instrumental-only bonus tracks.
Stephen Fry noted, “I have known and loved Debbie Wiseman’s music for most of my life – to collaborate with her again has been nothing short of rapture. Her music perfectly captures Greek mythology’s juicy and joyous mixture of the elemental and the specific, the noble and the wicked, the ethereal and the earthy.”
Debbie Wiseman added, “Once I’d done some initial sketching, I invited Stephen to come over and listen to my first ideas. After that get-together around the piano at my house, infused with Stephen’s enthusiasm for – and enviable knowledge of – the subject, the music just flowed. Armed with the audiobook version of Mythos, Stephen’s narration guided me; the composing of the orchestral suites followed his voice as eagerly as the Satyrs followed Apollo. It’s been the most memorable and wonderful collaboration with my dear friend Stephen and all at Decca, and I’m so thrilled to have had this opportunity to intertwine these timeless, dramatic Greek myths with musical suites.”
The full tracklisting for The Mythos Suite is:
1. ‘The Story Of Chaos’ 2. ‘Tempest – The Music Of Chaos’* 3. ‘The Story Of Rhea’ 4. ‘Hidden Danger – The Music Of Rhea’* 5. ‘The Story Of Persephone’ 6. ‘Demeter – The Music Of Persephone’* 7. ‘The Story Of Apollo & Marsyas’ 8. ‘Aegeon Sea – The Music Of Apollo & Marsyas’* 9. ‘The Story Of Sisyphus’ 10.‘Voyage Of Scyrus – The Music Of Sisyphus’*
The Mythos Suite will be released on 21 February. Scroll down to read the full tracklisting and pre-order the album here.
The NBA’s All-Stars will be playing this year with Kobe Bryant and Gianna Bryant in their minds and on their jerseys.
So, coming soon: No. 24 Giannis Antetokounmpo, and No. 2, LeBron James.
As part of what will be a long series of tributes to Bryant and his daughter Gianna, the NBA announced Friday that every player on Team Giannis will wear 24 on their jerseys at this year’s All-Star Game and every player on Team LeBron will wear 2.
Kobe Bryant spent the last 10 seasons of his career in a No. 24 jersey. Gianna Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter and an outstanding young player, wore No. 2 on her jersey.
All players taking part in All-Star weekend – including the Rising Stars game Feb. 14 and the Saturday night events such as the 3-point contest, slam dunk contest and skills competition – will wear a patch with nine stars to commemorate the nine victims of Sunday’s helicopter crash in Calabasas, California.
The patches for Feb. 14 and Feb. 15 will also bear the numbers 2 and 24. The patches for the All-Star Game will be slightly different, showing only the nine stars since players will already be wearing the numbers.
The decision means that almost every All-Star is assured of wearing a different number than usual. The only All-Star who regularly wears 2 or 24 is Kawhi Leonard, who dons No. 2 for the Los Angeles Clippers.
Antetokounmpo and James, the captains for the Feb. 16 game in Chicago, will pick their teams this coming Thursday.
“It’s been a rough week because of Kobe,” said first-time All-Star Bam Adebayo of the Miami Heat – who never met Bryant, but was a huge fan and was hoping to meet him at All-Star this year. “Just going through that, it’s been rough.”
The plan for the jersey numbers is the second known Bryant-related tribute scheduled for this year’s All-Star Game. The NBA has changed the format and will add 24 – Bryant’s last number – to whatever the leading team score is after three quarters to set a target score. The first team to hit that target score wins the game.
The patches will pay tribute to John, Keri and Alyssa Altobelli; Sarah and Payton Chester, Christina Mauser and Ara Zobayan, in addition to the Bryants. The group was on its way to a basketball tournament where Gianna Bryant was scheduled to be playing when the helicopter they were traveling in crashed. There were no survivors.
Jersey-related tributes have been many in the days since the crash. Connecticut’s women’s basketball team displayed a No. 2 jersey for Gianna Bryant – she was a big UConn fan and hoped to play there one day – on its bench for a game earlier this week against the U.S. national team. Hockey star Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals took the ice this week in a No. 24 jersey as a Bryant tribute; Ovechkin usually wears No. 8, the number Bryant used in his first 10 years with the Lakers.
A number of NBA players have announced that they will no longer wear 8 or 24 in tribute. All-Star Joel Embiid of Philadelphia decided played in a No. 24 jersey instead of his usual No. 21 earlier this week, his way of showing respect to Bryant. Atlanta All-Star Trae Young, who idolized Bryant, started a game in a No. 8 jersey on Sunday before switching back to his usual No. 11.
Bryant is the No. 4 scorer in NBA history and was an 18-time All-Star after a 20-year career, all with the Los Angeles Lakers. He started 15 of those All-Star Games, a record that will be passed this year when James starts his 16th.
Bryant – still the youngest All-Star in league history – was All-Star MVP four times, tying Bob Pettit for the most ever. Bryant’s 38 career All-Star steals are another game record.
