The Hellenic Civil Aviation Authority on Sunday issued an aviation directive regarding domestic and international flights during Greece's nationwide lockdown, namely from November 9 to November 30.

From 6 am on Monday, November 9, domestic flights and commercial and general/business aviation to all airports in Greece are allowed only for necessary travel, such as medical reasons, business trips, the reunification of families, and returning to a person's permanent residence.

From Tuesday, November 10 onwards, all passengers of international flights departing from Greece must fill in a Passenger Locator Form.

From 6 am on Wednesday, November 11, travelers to Greece must manifest a negative COVID-19 test no older than 72 hours. Incoming passengers will also be required to fill in a Passenger Locator Form (PLF) at least one day before arrival, providing detailed information, such as their departure airport, the address where they will be staying, and the expected duration of their stay in Greece.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced on Thursday that Greece will enter a second national lockdown on November 7 for three weeks until November 30th.

 

“In the last 5 days, we have seen an exponential increase in cases,” said the Prime Minister while addressing the Greek people in a national broadcast.

 

The significant rise in hospitalizations, incubations, and the number of patients in Intensive Care Units (ICU's), and the low ratio of hospital admissions and discharges has led the government to put Greece on a second lockdown.

 

 

Feydeau’s farces, characterized by ingenious staging devices, inspired satire and a frenzy of anxiety combined with outrageous coincidence, lead with mathematical precision to an explosion that is constantly forestalled. Georges Feydeau, an heir to Moliere who rejuvenated French vaudeville theatre, was an acute observer of the manners and mores of his time and a sardonic commentator on society’s ills. The lady from Maxim’s, written in 1899, was such a success that it allowed Feydeau to take some time off from the theatre and devote himself to his other passion, painting.

A strait-laced doctor, Petypon, wakes up at home after being dragged out to paint the town red by his young friend Montgicourt. He remembers nothing of the night before but discovers a young dancer from Maxim’s in his bed. In an instant, his life is turned upside down. However, his new acquaintance refuses to leave his house, even when his extremely religious wife shows up. What ensues is absolute panic…

"Being mediocre has become the new measurement of failure," writes Mark Manson in his book The Subtle Art Of Not Giving a F**k. If you don't know him, Mark is a superstar blogger, and his book is on the list of New York Times bestsellers.

 

There is a lot of noise lately about this issue and of course a wide range of opinions. How do you feel about that? Do you think that if a person accepts their mediocrity, they will not achieve anything in life? Or are you one of those people who will use mediocrity as a springboard to strive for something better? By mediocrity, I mean being good enough. Are people that are merely good enough not valuable; are they doomed to failure?

 

Think of the people around you, those you hang out with. Think of your children. What advice would you give them? Does one have to be famous to become great and be admired? Only then is it worth it? Don't get me wrong. I do not mean that we should not try or that we should not step out of our safety zone, nor do I question the great minds and the impressive human achievements. But I believe what a good friend of mine says about herself: "I am unique! As is the case with every one of us!"

 

When my self-esteem is high, I know that I have both positive and negative traits in my character. It means that I can level with my negatives traits and personal limitations, accept them, and face them without rolling my eyes. It means I make an effort to improve myself. Then yes, I believe I'm a valuable human being and can appreciate simple things like a good book, a pleasant walk in nature, friendship, or helping someone in need.

 

People need this "special gift" that every one of us possesses. Have you found what yours is?

 

 

On the occasion of World Animal Day, the Animal Welfare Department of the Municipality of Athens launched a website dedicated to the city's strays to raise public awareness.

 

The website aims to inform users about the municipality's efforts to protect stray animals, secure a home for them, adopt registered cats and dogs, and allow them to report animal abuse incidents.

 

Citizens can also register stray animals and lost pets; receive information about pet owners and municipalities' responsibilities towards animals, and seek advice if they wish to adopt a lifelong friend.

 

The City of Athens has also initiated a program to place free microchips on pets whose owners belong to vulnerable groups. Through the program, 157 dogs and 49 cats have acquired a microchip.

 

Furthermore, the municipality has placed seven outdoor cat and dog houses, seven feeders, and 42 water bowls in various parts of Athens. The municipality plans to create parks for dogs, a temporary shelter for strays, and the first municipal veterinary clinic.

To read this article in full, please visit: gtp.gr

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has announced a televised address to the nation on the second wave of the pandemic and announce additional measures to curb its spread.

“I will have the opportunity this afternoon to address the Greek people, to explain where we are and what are the additional measures we need to take,” the Prime Minister told President Katerina Sakellaropoulou during a meeting at the Presidential Mansion.

“We are facing the second wave of the pandemic. We are still doing better than the rest of Europe, but that is not a consolation,” he added.

Possible measures include a public curfew from 12.30 a.m. to 5 a.m. in an attempt to curb outdoor parties and gatherings, the mandatory use of face masks everywhere, and a possible ban on travel outside the region.

To read this article in full, please visit: ekathimerini.com

The Greek award-winning sports marketing company, Active Media Group, proved for another year its dominance in the quality of sports tourism events it designs and organizes, remaining at the top of the Sports Marketing Awards 2020, with 14 total awards. 

The leading institution in Greece that highlights the best practices of Greek sports marketing, in its fourth year, brought another first place and the back2back title of Sports Marketing Agency of the Year 2020, to Active Media Group.

14 total awards - Record number at the Sports Marketing Awards

Active Media Group continues to innovate, create, and lead in the field of sports tourism. The company triumphed in this institution, winning a total of 14 awards while highlighting the high standard services provided by all its departments:

• PR & Communication
• Social Media & Digital
• Marketing & Sponsorship
• Sports Production
• Sports Presentation

More specifically, Active Media Group received 8 awards for the event of Navarino Challenge, which emerged as the top sports tourism event, with 1 Platinum in the “Best Integration of Digital Media with Offline” category, 4 Gold in the “Sports Tourism”, “Running & Live Well”, “Best CSR Campaign / Activity” and “Native Advertising Campaign” categories, as well as 3 Silver in the “Best Sports-related Content during the Coronavirus pandemic”, “Sports Organization / Event Sponsorship” and “Best CSR Campaign / Activity” categories for its collaborations with Costa Navarino, Pylos-Nestor Municipality, Captain Vasilis and Carmen Konstantakopoulos Foundation, Samsung and 24MEDIA respectively.

It is worth noting that 3 of the 4 awarded projects were implemented in the Region of Peloponnese.

At the same time, the company won 3 awards for the Santorini Experience event, which received 1 Gold in the “Water Sports / Summer Sports / Winter Sports” category, 1 Silver in the “Best Integration of Digital Media with Offline” category, and 1 Bronze in the “Sports Tourism” category, for its collaborations with the Municipality of Santorini and the Municipal Sports Cultural Environmental Organization of Santorini (DAPPOS).

Finally, the company won 1 Gold award for the event of the 2019 Mediterranean Beach Games in Patras, one of the major multi-sport events that have taken place in Greece, in the “Best Live Event Coverage” category and 1 Gold award for the Greek Maritime Golf Event tournament in the “Individual Sports” category.

#activemediagroup

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Photo by: Kornilios Sarantioglou

 

Following their meeting in Copenhagen last week, Health Minister Vassilis Kikilias and the WHO Regional Director for Europe, Hans Kluge, have announced that the World Health Organization's (WHO) head office or the Quality of Health Care and Patient Safety will be in Athens.

 

The decision of the World Health Organization – as pointed out by the Greek health ministry – was based on several parameters, such as:

Even though many Greek museums previously received negative reviews for lack of innovation and modernism, it seems that a lot has changed.

Lately, 31 of the country’s public museums have earned TripAdvisor’s 2020 Traveler’s Choice badge, in recognition of consistently great user reviews.

Indeed, in the past few years, both public and privately owned museums have been striving to improve their communication skills, offer more activities and adapt to new technologies. Now, Greek public museums great excellent reviews from visitors and rank among the top 10% of recommended places to visit this year.

The Association of Greek Archaeologists published the list of the 31 museums that were awarded the “Traveler’s Choice 2020” badge on their website:

"There are times I really shout a lot at my child, and then I think I am probably not a very good mom, and this makes me feel horrible. Needless to say what this does to my confidence level; it just doesn't exist." That's what a new client told me recently, and she is not the only one. Most moms share similar concerns and wonder how they can be effective without having to increase the level of their voice or scream.

Truth is we have too many expectations for ourselves as moms but also for our children. Expectations that most probably passed on to us by our moms, grandmothers, aunts, etc.

But let me ask you, did you go to school to learn how to become a mom? Or did you perhaps study it at the university? Not only do we repeat the model we grew up with but quite often we may hear worthless comments from our partners such as "it's your fault; you are responsible for your - not our – child. After all, moms are often to blame for everything related to a child, aren't they?

It is time to end the doubts, guilt and dilemmas that afflict us moms. Because what we inadvertently achieve is to continually criticize ourselves instead of enjoying the incredible privilege of motherhood. Yes, sometimes we do shout when our patience exceeds our limits – and it does take a lot of patience. It is not the right thing to do, but it happens; we're only humans after all. Accept it, apologize to your child and move on. Next time you're about to lose your cool, do something to improve your reaction.

Because there is a way to be effective without voices, anger and commotion, and it is a taught practice. No woman is born a "ready-made mom", but every woman can become a great mom!

If there’s a topic you’re interested in and would like to learn more about you may contact me via email. For more information about me and my work check the XpatAthens Directory or visit my website. Because this is your life!