LIFE & CULTURE
XpatAthens
European Emergency Number Has Become Fully Operational In Greece
The European emergency number is free and can be reached 24/7 from Greece, Switzerland, and any EU country.
Other Greek emergency numbers are:
- 100 - police
- 199 - fire brigade
- 166 - emergency medical service
- 108 - coast guard
- 197 - emergency social assistance
Tom Hanks Receives Honorary Greek Citizenship
Tom Hanks has been awarded Greek citizenship as Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos signed an honorary naturalization order allowing the actor to claim citizenship, his office told The Associated Press on Friday.
Tom Hanks and his wife, actress and producer Rita Wilson, often spend their summer vacations in the house they own on the Greek island of Antiparos. The couple have also produced several films in Greece; In 2002 they produced the hit "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" and its sequel that was released in 2016. Hanks was also the executive producer of the 2008 musical "Mamma Mia!" and the 2009 comedy "My Life in Ruins."
In Greece, honorary naturalization is granted to people “who have provided exceptional services to the country or whose naturalization serves the public interest.”
To read this article in full, please visit: nbcnews.com
Luxury Problems
With New Year just around the corner we are hearing more and more about the needs of our fellow-men. About the problems they face, their difficulties and how we may help. I often wonder if everything is fine and if there are no problems the rest of the time. But that’s another discussion.
So we hear about young children on the street, orphanages that need clothes and food, NGOs in need of things, of our time, of anything we can offer. Usually at this time of year most of us are moved and do our best to help. But that’s not all we hear. Just recently a couple in the subway had a conversation. The woman had forgotten her sunglasses at home.
"I can’t believe I forgot them. It’s not possible. How am I going to go around without my sunglasses? " "You may take mine if you want" offered the man. "Are you serious? These are old fashioned," replied the woman (she was talking about a pair of Raybans). “I definitely have to buy new ones right away. I’ll get in the first store we find. I can’t function unless I have at least two or three pairs.” And she continued laughingly: "I’m telling you, it’s a huge problem.” On the opposite seat two young men were discussing. "So you didn’t get the new smart TV you were looking for. And how are you going to watch all the Euro League soccer games my friend? With the ancient model you got last year? And may I tell you something else? When you told me you were going to celebrate New Year’s Eve with your girlfriend and your parents at home I was shocked. You won't even go clubbing? That’s certainly not the way to get through the Holidays. What a drag! "
As you’re reading this I'm sure you can bring to mind a lot of “problems” you've heard of yourself. But broaden your horizon for a minute and think. Because if you have health, food to eat, a roof over your head, your kids go to school, you can get through financially (even if it’s with difficulty) you are one of the few privileged people on this planet!
And then you have what I call "luxury problems". For example "whether to put on the green or yellow dress" or "whether or not aunt Amelia will invite you to her party this year." What do you think, are they really really problems? Are they substantial problems? Do they affect your daily life or your life in general? Let’s be grateful for all that we have and let’s offer our love and help to ourselves and to our fellow human beings not only during the Holidays but every day of the year!
Happy New Year full of Love and Health to all of us!!
The Festive Wish Lanterns Of Volos
We hope all your wishes come true!
Christmas Bazaar At Domatio Every Weekend Of December!
Fresh ideas are shared and coexist in our colorful and aesthetic space, stuffed with objects made with passion.
Don't miss Domatio’s creative team participation, inspired by ethnic motifs and iconic personalities of the art-world. We made crochet Christmas ornaments, jewelry from vintage buttons and loads of color.
Every weekend of December, starting Saturday 30 of November you will find :
Domatio is a place that is open to the promotion of artists and ideas, adequately equipped, versatile and adaptable to the needs in question, and this is offered alongside the expert guidance and support of the members that form its frame.
We are here anytime you wish to make use of the opportunity to house any form of expression in the space of ‘domatio’ .
Two 3,500-Year-Old Royal Tombs Discovered In The Peloponnese
It is worth mentiong that the Mycenaean era, which dates from about 1650 B.C. to 1100 B.C., was the foundation for many Ancient Greek myths and legends, including that of the Trojan War. The graves lie near the Palace of Pylos, which features in Homer's Odyssey as the seat of the wise King Nestor.
The Greek Parliament Approves Diaspora Voting Rights
The Greek Parliament has approved the bill to allow diaspora Greeks to exercise their voting rights from their place of residence. The bill was passed with a majority of 288 members of Parliament voting in favor, restoring a historic commitment that had been on hold for 44 years.
The 4 key points that made this broad consensus possible are the following:
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The vote of diaspora Greeks shall be equal to that of residents of Greece.
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Diaspora voters will vote for the State Ballot, which will increase its seats from 12 to 15 candidates.
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Personal presence is required for casting a vote.
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Greeks who have resided in Greece for at least 2 years and have and have tax obligations will be eligible vote.
The Rise Of The Freelance Workforce
There’s been a lot of talk recently about freelancers disrupting the workforce and existing markets. A 2016 McKinsey Global Institute report found that a huge 20-30% of the workforce in Europe and the US engage in some form of independent work – and its more than just new players like Uber making up the numbers. We’re seeing a broader shift in both corporate strategy and workforce attitudes that’s changing the way we do business, for the better.
Empowering Individuals
A big factor in the rising freelance workforce comes from an increasing desire for more freedom and control. Around 61% of respondents to our Great Big Survey, which included 40,000 workers from around the world, said that work-life balance is the main driving force behind flexible working.
Workers also want greater autonomy to forge ahead on their own path. You can see this in the OECD’s Entrepreneurship at a Glance 2015 report, which surveyed people aged 18-64 from 41 different countries. This study found that 48% of men and 36% of women would rather start their own business than work for someone else.
Spotting The Trend
The people behind the gig economy (using freelancers on an ad-hoc basis) were early birds: they recognised a rising value for independence and entrepreneurial spirit and they leapt at the chance. All companies have the power to respond and integrate this system to benefit their own workforce, and there’s evidence they’re starting to do so. Around 42% of executives surveyed by Deloitte in their Global Human Capital Trends 2016 report said they planned to employ more ad-hoc workers over the next three to five years.
This isn’t simply a response to worker demands. 58% of businesses told us that reducing permanent staff overheads is key to their post-recession plans. It also helps them work in a more agile way, scaling their workforce up and down to meet changes in demand and new industry developments.
To integrate larger numbers of freelance workers, companies are changing their office environments. PwC’s 2016 Emerging Trends in Real Estate survey found that more and more businesses are looking for high-quality, flexible and serviced office and co-working spaces, like Regus, where they can scale up and down quickly.
The next step is to ensure that these flexible, changing teams are working in the most creative and productive ways possible. According to the 2017 Deloitte Human Capital Trends report, this will mean moving away from management hierarchies and towards groups of empowered networks that are able to change regularly and quickly.
Explore Regus' flexible workspace locations to help increase business productivity!
This content has been sponsored by IWG - an XpatAthens Brand Partner.
How To Stop Feeling So Busy All The Time
The frantic rhythms of daily life often make us feel exhausted, draining our energy, making us function almost mechanically, striving to make time for everything and fulfill all of our obligations. In fact, connectivity is responsible for this situation because it makes us feel that we need to be alert at all times, with tons of redundant notifications bombarding us non-stop.
All of the above lead to us constantly feeling busy and not being able to devote time to ourselves. But are we really that busy? Maybe the problem lies in the way we manage our time. Below, let's see some tips on what we can do to give our brain and body a chance to reset, restore, and cope with the stresses of everyday life!
Realize That Time Is Limited
No matter how hard we try to do everything, the day only has 24 hours. We have to come to terms with the fact that time is a precious yet limited commodity, and we cannot change that. It is also important to come to terms with our human nature - we are not superheroes, and we can not do everything. If we do not accept the above, we will be in a constant state of anxiety, trying to do much more than we can actually do, undermining our productivity and the quality of the result of our efforts.
Prioritize Work
It is crucial to have a clear picture of what needs to be done and when. Sure, every task is important, but some tasks are just more important than others. First, we deal with what needs to be done immediately and leave the rest for later if there is any time left. We don’t need to force ourselves to work on something that can be done at a later time when we will be less busy and able to focus exclusively on it.
Don’t Rush Things
When we feel really busy, it makes sense to try to do everything as fast as we can. However, rushing things leads to mistakes, which will create more stress, and we will also have to fix them, which will ultimately cost us more time.
Schedule Extra Time
Things usually take longer than we expect. So, we make sure that we always schedule extra time for tasks that could need more time. And, if the project didn’t require that extra time, we can use it for other tasks or for a much-needed break!
Give Time Away
Devoting some of our valuable time to a good cause, such as spending time with family or helping a friend in need, can actually help us be more productive. This is because subconsciously doing something successfully, such as advising a friend, works as a confirmation of our potential and our self-worth.
Navarino Challenge 2019: Love Auction
The award-winning sports tourism event Navarino Challenge returns for a good cause, organizing an auction of love to support three nonprofit organizations. Favorite items of beloved and renowned athletes and ambassadors of Navarino Challenge will be available through an online auction from December 11th to December 20th, 2019.
You can take part in the auction and acquire the items by clicking HERE!
In the auction you will find, among other things, the official jersey of Greece at the 1987 European Championship and a hall-of-fame ball signed by basketball legend Nick Galis, the signed jersey of NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo from his first appearance in the NBA All Star Game and his first appearance with the Greek Men’s National Team, his signed front page cover at the Sports Illustrated magazine, item of the gold Olympic medalist and world champion in still rings Eleftherios Petrounias, as well as the jersey of Greece from the 1996 Olympic Games with the signature of Panagiotis Giannakis. In the auction you will also find signed memorabilia from athletes such as: Grigoris Polychronidis (gold Paralympic athlete and world champion in boccia), Alexandros Nikolaidis (two times silver Olympic medalist in taekwondo), Spyros Gianniotis (silver Olympic medalist and world champion in open water swimming), Periklis Iakovakis (Olympic and world champion in 400m. with hurdles), Kelly Araouzou (world champion in open water swimming), Eleni Chatziliadou (world champion in karate), Vasiliki Millousi (world champion in balance beam), Joe Arlauckas (legend of Real Madrid), Dimitris Diamantidis (Greek basketball legend), Kostas Papanikolaou (international basketball player with NBA appearances), Kosta Koufos (international basketball player with NBA appearances), David Rivers (basketball legend of Olympiacos), Dean Karnazes (Greek-American ultramarathon), Michalis Triantafyllidis (participations record holder of the Greek national volleyball team), Christos Gatsis (boxing champion), Alexandros Nikolaidis (kickboxing champion), Dimitris Moros (personal trainer), Giorgos Masouras (international footballer of Olympiacos), Nikos Karelis (international footballer of Brentford). In the auction you will also find the exceptional artwork (6x2m.) of the artist Nathan Makris, that depicts top athletes, Nick Galis, Spiros Gianniotis, Alexandros Nikolaidis, Grigoris Polychronidis, Periklis Iakovakis and Dean Karnazes.
All items are donated by the athletes or the event’s friends themselves.
a) the Institute of Preventive Medicine, Environmental and Occupational Health, Prolepsis with a program on Food Aid 2 and Promotion of Healthy Nutrition, DIATROFI, and through Captain Vasilis and Carmen Konstantakopoulos Foundation
b) WWF Greece
c) Karkinaki. Navarino Challenge is co-organized by Costa Navarino , The Westin Resort Costa Navarino and Active Media Group.
Hashtags: #navarinochallenge #costanavarino #sportsunitepeople #eatwell #runwell #livewell #sportauctions