Flinders University scientists are reportedly making waves in the superfood industry, hoping a new product will provide alternative ways to sustainably feed the world’s increasing population.
According to ABC News, scientists have developed alternative proteins to consume, but instead of meat, food products like caviar, vegan patties, plant-based meats, jelly, jams and spreads have been developed from marine microalgae.
The substance is usually found in the ocean, but scientists at the university have been cultivating it in labs and turning it into consumable forms.
Artist in residence Niki Sperou has helped scientists develop these prototypes in the hope it will be rolled out industrially.
Flinders University scientists have developed alternative proteins to consume — from microalgae.(ABC News: Michael Clements)
“We’re able to manipulate the raw materials to mimic just about anything that’s out there on the market, we just play with the textures and the flavours and we can find something that is attractive and palatable to most people,” Ms Sperou said.
She said the team had even developed “algae-mite” and although the microalgae product tastes like seaweed in its raw form, new technologies can alter flavours to make it taste like anything.
“People are looking for a different way to eat, something that is sustainable, healthy and ethical, and marine microalgae can fill in the gaps for people seeking primarily a plant-based diet,” she said.
NSW organisations which help older people get active and connected have the chance to share in the $200,000 NSW Seniors Festival Grants Program.
Acting Minister for Seniors Geoff Lee said grants of up to $10,000 will help local councils, small businesses and not-for-profit organisations engage seniors in COVID-safe programs and activities during the NSW Seniors Festival from 13-21 April 2021.
“This last year has been really tough on NSW seniors and staying connected, active and social are pivotal to seniors’ wellbeing while remaining COVID-safe,” Mr Lee said.
“The NSW Seniors Festival recognises the importance of seniors to the community and provides initiatives that keep the mind and body healthy while combatting social isolation.”
Photo: Shoalhaven City Council
The 2021 festival will have an added focus on accessibility, with organisers encouraged to add an online option.
The grants program provides opportunities for all seniors to be part of the festival, including those from regional and remote areas, culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds and Aboriginal communities.
“NSW has a diverse seniors community and we need to ensure all older people have the opportunity to participate no matter where they live, what language they speak or how mobile they are,” Mr Lee said.
Local programs and activities during the festival will inspire older people across the state to get involved in activities including art, sport, music, technology, recreation and health.
The NSW Seniors Festival has been running for more than 63 years and is the largest festival for seniors in the Southern Hemisphere.
It isn’t enough to want to keep the language alive. We must act if we truly value our language.
However, sometimes we don’t take the necessary steps to make sure our children learn some Greek. In fact, the majority of us tend to send out young children to Greek school in the early years but as they get to years 4 and 5 the numbers start to dwindle.
At high school level only a handful will continue and some may take it up again through the Saturday School of Community Languages or the NSW School of Community Languages online. This is available to all NSW students in public and private schools. Enrolment forms are available from your school. And yes, they all know about it and no, they will probably not tell you it exists unless you ask!
Students are able to enrol in this excellent accredited online course and have it counted towards their school subjects from year 9, though most enter in year 11 and do it as part of their HSC subjects. Courses at that level available include Beginners Greek, Continuers and Extension.
If you can get your child to enrol a year ahead they can actually complete year 12 while they are still in Year 11. This frees them up to concentrate on fewer challenging subjects in year 12.
So, if you have a child entering year 10 they could enrol into Year 11 Beginner’s Greek for example. Check it out!
Many Greek associations have been set up with one of their key reasons for existence being the preservation of the Greek culture and language. I will not refer to the cultural aspect as it is very controversial. Few if any, however, succeed in doing anything positive to keep the language alive.
Next week I explore what our associations and organisations are doing.
Ancient Greece is one of the most renowned ancient civilisations, birthplace to many concepts and ideas we still use in the modern day.
Home to famous gods, philosophers and general heroes, Ancient Greece has a rich history that interests everyone. Let’s take a dive into 10 interesting facts about where it all began!
Play games not war
During the ancient Olympic games, no wars were permitted during the month of and before the games. This was so that spectators and competitors could travel to Olympia unharmed and enjoy the games in peace. During the Olympic Truce, legal disputes and the death penalty were also forbidden.
Chitons were all the rage!
Most ancient Greeks wore a chiton, which was similar to a long t-shirt made from one large piece of cotton. However, the slaves were forced to wear the loincloth, a small strip of cloth wrapped around the waist.
The spotlight loves the Greeks, since they invented it
The ancient Greeks invented many things, including theatre! They loved watching plays and most cities had a theatre, some big enough to hold 15 000 people. Only men and boys were allowed to be actors and they wore masks, which showed the audience whether their character was happy or sad.
Every Greek knows another Greek through someone
Ever talking to another Greek person and you find out their cousin went to your school? This happened even in ancient Greece! Alexander the Great was taught by famous philosopher Aristotle, and had many other run ins with other known figures, even crossing to other cultures like Cleopatra.
Shake on it
The custom of greeting someone by shaking hands as far back as the ancient Greeks. One section of the Acropolis depicts the Greek goddess of marriage, Hera, shaking hands with the Greek goddess of Wisdom, Athena.
The God of Sleep was kind of a vampire…
The Greek god of Sleep, Hypnos, had to hide from the sunlight during the day, as he was the son of Nyx, goddess of night. He could only come out at night, where he would visit people in the dark and ease them into a state of rest.
Graeae, 1 eye
In Ancient Greece, there were 3 sisters, the Graeae, who took the form of 3 elderly ladies. They all had to share 1 eye, as well as one tooth among the three of them. They are most known from the myth of Perseus and Medusa, when Perseus stole their eye and only returned it in exchange of information of where to find Medusa.
Love does not have one definition, it has eight
According to the ancient Greeks, there were 8 different types of love. This include; Philia – affectionate love, Eros – lust love, Storge – familiar love, Ludus – playful love, Mania – obsessive love, Philautia – self love, and Agape – selfless love.
The apple AT my eye
In ancient Greece, individuals would throw apples at each other as a way to declare one’s love. Men would throw apples at the women who they had chosen to be their wife. If the woman caught the apple, she accepted the marriage proposal.
Red carpet treatment only for the Olympians
Red carpet culture originated from ancient Greece. The earliest mention of it being in the play Agamemnon, where the “crimson path” was a luxury fit only for the gods of Olympus.
The leading actor of Greek theatre and cinema in the mid 1900’s, Dimitris Horn was born on March 9, 1921 in Athens.
Horn studied at the Drama School of the Royal Theatre, where he made his debut in Strauss’s operetta “The Bat” in 1940.
Immediately after, he appeared at the “Rex Theatre” of Marika Kotopouli. In the period 1943 – 1944 he participated in Katerina’s troupe, with which he co-starred in “Spouses with Trial”. In 1944 he formed his own troupe together with Mary Aroni, later collaborating with Vasso Manolidou.
After an absence of two years abroad, he returned to Greece and in 1953 met Elli Lampeti. Their relationship brought Lampeti to divorce her husband Mario Ploritis, becoming an iconic Greek power couple in the mid-1900’s. Together, they form their own troupe with George Pappas, releasing works such as: “The Rainmaker”, “Bridal Bed” and “The Game of Loneliness”.
Windfall in Athens, 1954.
Dimitris Horn also had a great contribution to the cinema. While he starred in only 10 films, his unique performances included “False Pound” (1954), “We Have a Life” (1955) and “The Girl in Black” (1956).
As his career in theatre and film came to a close, Dimitris used his charming personality and switched to radio presenting. On the radio he hosted special five-minute weekly shows, written by Costas Pretenteris. He also read fantastic letters from listeners on the show “The Postman Has Arrived”.
Later in life he became the general manager of ERT, from 1974 to 1975, while in 1980 he and his wife Anna Goulandris founded the Goulandris-Horn Foundation. The purpose of the foundation was to study Greek culture, with Horn being awarded the Golden Cross of George I.
He died on January 16, 1998, after suffering from illness.
Olympic sailing champion Sofia Bekatorou of Greece has accused an unnamed sporting official of sexually assaulting her in 1998 during preparations for the Sydney Games.
Bekatorou made her allegation on Thursday while speaking at an online event organised by the ministry of culture and sport. A transcript of the event was released on Friday. She did not name the official but described him as having a senior rank in the federation.
Bekatorou said the male official from the Hellenic Sailing Federation kissed her, despite repeatedly rejecting his advances. After he kissed her, Bekatorou stated that she “froze,” and “did not know what to do”.
The official allegedly invited her to his hotel room to discuss team preparations, where he proceeded to assault the young woman.
Sofia Bekatorou, on the right (Photo Credit: Reuters)
Bekatorou said she had made it clear that the act was not consensual, adding that she was left feeling “exhausted and humiliated.” After repeatedly telling the official no, Bekatorou stated that she tried to push him away from her, showing that she “did not have the same desire.”
After the attack was over, Bekatorou stated that she left the room “crying and embarrassed,” and ran to take a shower, “feeling dirty and exhausted.”
In a statement Friday, the sailing federation said it had not received any formal or informal complaint from Bekatorou but urged her to make one.
Bekatorou has taken part in four previous Olympics starting with the Sydney Olympics in 2000. In Athens 2004 she came home with a gold medial, while in Beijing 2008 she earned a bronze.
Greece’s government has extended nationwide lockdown measures indefinitely but says retail stores and malls will reopen Monday with strict entrance limits.
Civil protection chief Nikos Hardalias said Friday that a nightly curfew, domestic travel restrictions and stay-at-home orders will all remain in effect after being first imposed in early November.
Retail stores, closed since Jan. 3, will reopen with limited entrance and for customers who have filled out permission notices to leave their homes that are usually made available by cellphone message.
The lockdown was imposed on Nov. 7 to fight a surge in cases and deaths that has eased in recent weeks.
Pedestrians wearing protective face masks walk past the ancient Agora, in Athens, on Friday, Jan. 15, 2021.(AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
Speaking in parliament ahead of Friday’s announcement, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said each month of lockdown was costing the Greek economy more than 3 billion euros ($3.6 billion).
“I want to be absolutely clear, every opening of economic activity harbors the danger of an increase in (COVID-19) cases,” Mitsotakis said.
“As long as this increase in cases is moderate and controlled and as long as it doesn’t put pressure on the health system, it is something we can bear. These are the delicate balances we must find.”
Primary schools and kindergartens reopened this week, but high school lessons are being held online only.
With a new year comes new beginnings. The same can be said for the Greek Sub-Branch of RSL which starts the year with a new name – Greek Returned Servicemen League of NSW (GRSL).
Secretary of the GRSL, Mr George Chiotis, tells The Greek Herald that the change needed to happen after RSL NSW identified the Greek sub-branch as “very small.”
“We were told that there were two ‘solutions’: either we would have needed to join with a bigger chapter, or the branch wouldn’t exist anymore. So instead, by mutual agreement of our members and RSL NSW, we decided to become independent,” Mr Chiotis explains.
The Greek Sub-Branch of RSL has a new name – Greek Returned Servicemen League of NSW (GRSL). Photo supplied.
This independence does not strain the relationship with RSL NSW, Mr Chiotis stresses. In fact, the relationship remains stronger than ever and members of the GRSL are still members of RSL NSW for life.
“All it means is that now we are free to hold barbeques and events with our members and their families, without having to get permission from anyone,” Mr Chiotis tells The Greek Herald.
“For me, that is the most important thing you can do for an elderly person who fought for our country and now, in his old age, just wants to make memorable moments with their family.”
Secretary of the GRSL, Mr George Chiotis. Photo supplied.
In charge of making these events possible is the new Board of Directors of the GRSL. The board includes the President, George Giakoumidis, Vice Presidents, Peter Tsigounis and George Karountzos, Secretary, George Chiotis, Treasurer, Bill Iliopoulos, Welfare Officer, Andrew Kitsos and committee members, John Theodoropoulos and Arthur Andriopoulos.
So far, they have a ‘Vasilopita cutting’ event scheduled to take place on Sunday, January 31 at 1pm at C-Side Restaurant, 110 General Holmes Drive, Kyeemagh. Mr Chiotis says the event costs $40 per person, including food and soft drinks.
Proud members of the GRSL. Photo supplied.
“We will start with this event and I’m sure we will do other events to show people that we are now independent and that our members are proud soldiers.
“And that’s why I ask anyone, who has a father or grandfather who fought in the war, to become members of the GRSL if they want. Annual membership is now $10.”
If you would like to attend the vasilopita cutting, please RSVP by January 23 to Bill Iliopoulos on 0438 290 640 or George Chiotis on 0413 213 377.
The highly anticipated return of the NSW NPL season is fast approaching, with Sydney Olympic FC to face off against last year’s champions Sydney United 58 FC in the first round on February 27 at Belmore Sports Ground.
The squad recommenced training on Monday 4 January with a host of new Sydney Olympic signings, including Michael Glassock, arriving from Pegasus FC in Hong Kong, Daniel Dias, Luke Kairies, Marley Peterson, Yu Hasegawa and Brendan Cholakian.
Head Coach and Olympic Hall of Fame Legend Ante Juric said the players have enjoyed a great pre-season and are ready for the 2021 season start.
“The boys have been great in pre-season, showing an excellent attitude and all the players have been working extremely hard. Pleasingly the new players have already settled in very well, which can be difficult at big clubs like Olympic, so I’m happy about this”, Juric said.
“We are excited for the season ahead and as a group are driven to be successful and driven to add to the history of trophies and championships that this club is about, we can’t wait for the first game to come around so we can put all our hard pre-season training into action against Sydney United”, Juric added.
Trial games for the Sydney Olympic Men’s 1st Grade commence in late January. See the schedule of these matches below:
Date
Senior Men – 1st Grade
Saturday 30 January – 7.00pm
V Macarthur Rams at Lynwood Park
Saturday 6 February – 6.30pm
V Blacktown City at Lily Homes Stadium
Wednesday 10 February – 7.30pm
V Rydalmere at Rydalmere Park
Saturday 13 February – 6.30pm
V Manly United at Cromer Park
Wednesday 17 February – 7.00pm
V Hakoah FC – Venue TBC
Saturday 20 February – 6.00pm
V St George City FA at Peakhurst Park
Saturday 27 February – 5.30pm
Round 1 NSW NPL V Sydney United at Belmore Sports Ground
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis congratulated the student winners of the International Robotics Olympiad, who took home the top prize earlier this month, inviting them to the Maximos Mansion.
Greek students Iris Angelopoulou, Vasiliki Iliadi, Christos Rentzis and Alkiviadis Kotsikopoulos won gold by creating a “smart” white cane for the blind.
The Greeks, who were on the PlaisioBots team, beat teams from countries such as Korea and Russia, who have enormous experience in robotics.
“I have always been very close to all the robotics competitions and I want to tell you that I am excited by the talent, ingenuity, and interest shown by the robotics teams,” said Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
“And when of course they can and do excel in international competitions, it is even better. You make us, all of us, extremely proud”.
The smart cane that was created is specially designed for outdoor areas, recognising obstacles and their position, protecting the user’s head from obstacles, and communicating with the traffic lights to inform the user if they are green or red. It also has a bluetooth tracking application.
The Greek Prime Minister asked the students how they chose the idea for the smart cane. They explained that they were inspired by ab image of a visually impaired woman who had difficulty crossing a pedestrian crossing due to parked cars, and used market research to better understand the needs of potential users.
“It is interesting that you did market research,” he said.
“Technology has to work for someone. Have users. And what you are saying is that in the end, a person with a visual impairment may have a much greater response to this type of alert – unlike an audible signal – it is very interesting. Impressive.”
“The next step is now to get a patent and produce it.”
The PlaisioBots team was formed by the company Plaisio and is staffed by children and relatives of employees of the company.
