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A week after all the public holidays, Greek Australians will be celebrating Easter. Should the dates be the same?

While Greek Australians enjoyed the long weekend last week, they weren’t stopping to celebrate Easter.

Greek Orthodox Easter this year has fallen a week later, meaning thousands of Greeks won’t have the option of the Friday and Monday off.

It’s one of the most frustrating aspects of trying to celebrate Orthodox Easter. Having time to visit church, cook and organise Easter Sunday events is much harder when the public holidays aren’t in synch.

Neos Kosmos asked our readers whether they would prefer Greek Easter fell on the same dates as Catholic Easter every year, but surprisingly, more preferred the dates stay as is.

Of the 252 voters, 56 per cent of voters felt things should be left unchanged, while 44 per cent wanted Easter to coincide with the public holidays and Catholic Easter.

Why is Greek Easter on different dates?

There is no easy answer as to why and how Greek Easter dates are worked out.

North Altona parish priest of the Dormition of Our Lady, Reverend George Frangos says he fields requests almost daily for why our dates are different.

He admits that the reason isn’t very easy to explain.

“There is no short answer to that question,” he tells Neos Kosmos.

“There’s a number of contributing factors.”

The rules were decided at the first ecumenical council in 325 AD, where the church finally came together as a united front to discuss more permanent Easter date rules.

“What they determined at that ecumenical council was that Easter should be celebrated on the Sunday that follows the first full moon after the vernal equinox (which is the beginning of spring which is always March 21),” Rev Frangos says.

“If the full moon happens to fall on the Sunday, Pascha is observed on the following Sunday. That’s something similar to what we’ve experienced this year.”

The rules don’t stop there.

“It was also determined that Easter should always be on a Sunday and that Easter should not be celebrated before or with Jewish Passover,” Rev Frangos says.

“Last week being Jewish Passover, that’s also why we’re celebrating a week after.”

So, you can understand why more often than not, Greek Easter falls outside of Catholic Easter.

Easter will coincide again in two years, when Greek Orthodox Easter Sunday is celebrated on April 16, the same for Catholics.

Next year, the dates will be more than a month apart, with Catholic Easter being celebrated on March 27, and Greek Easter on May 1.

source:Neos Kosmos

Το πτηνό, κατάμαυρο εκτός από μια τούφα άσπρων φτερών στο πίσω μέρος, εντοπίστηκε να τσιμπολογά στη μεγαλύτερη λίμνη της Κύπρου ανάμεσα σε άλλα φλαμίνγκο με συμβατικό χρωματισμό.

Το πιθανότερο είναι ότι πρόκειται για σπάνια περίπτωση μελανισμού, μια πάθηση που οδηγεί σε υπερβολική παραγωγή της χρωστικής μελανίνης.

«Είναι πολύ, πολύ σπάνιο να παρατηρήσει κανείς κάτι τέτοιο […] Βασικά είναι το αντίθετο του αλφισμού [αλμπινισμού]» δήλωσε στο Reuters ο Παντελής Χαριλάου, επικεφαλής της περιβαλλοντικής υπηρεσίας στην Κυρίαρχη Βρετανική Βάση της Δεκέλειας, στην οποία υπάγεται η προστατευόμενη περιοχή της Αλυκής.

«Από ό,τι έχω δει στο Διαδίκτυο, μαύρο φλαμίνγκο έχει παρατηρηθεί μόνο μία φορά στο παρελθόν στο Ισραήλ» είπε. Άλλοι ειδικοί εκτίμησαν ότι πρόκειται για το ίδιο φλαμίνγκο που εθεάθη στο Ισραήλ το 2014, προσθέτει το Reuters.

Ωστόσο ο Μάρτιν Χέλικαρ του Πτηνολογικού Συνδέσμου Κύπρου είπε στο Associated Press ότι τα μαύρα φλαμίνγκο δεν είναι και τόσο σπάνια σε διεθνές επίπεδο, αν και είναι η πρώτη φορά, τουλάχιστον τα τελευταία χρόνια, που ένα από αυτά εντοπίζεται στην Κύπρο.

Μέχρι και 20.000 φλαμίνγκο κάνουν στάση κάθε χρόνο στην Αλυκή καθώς μεταναστεύουν από το νότο πίσω στην Τουρκία και άλλες χώρες.

Το μεγάλο φλαμίνγκο, ή φοινικόπτερος ο ρόδινος (Phoenicopterus roseus), έχει άσπρο φτέρωμα στην ενήλικη ζωή του, βάφεται όμως ροζ έως κατακκόκινο από τα καροτενοειδή που προσλαμβάνει με την τροφή του.

Πηγή:in.gr

What would you do with 23,000 square kilometres of Australian land? World’s largest cattle station is on the market… and it’s the same size as ISRAEL!

• The world’s largest cattle station is for sale in Anna Creek South Australia 
• It covers a huge 23,000 square kilometres and includes original stock
• S.Kidman and Co. are selling another 10 cattle farms across Australia
• In total, they cover 100,000 square kilometres and have 155,000 cattle

The world’s largest cattle station is for sale, and it’s larger than Israel.

According to the ABC, the largest of the stations is Anna Creek Station in South Australia which covers an enormous 23,000 square kilometres.

The eleven cattle farms cover over 100,000 square kilometres and are being sold by the family business S. Kidman and Co.

The world’s largest cattle station is for sale in Anna Creek South Australia and it’s bigger than Israel

It covers a huge 23,000 square kilometres and includes original stock and equipment

All of the farms include the original equipment as well as the stock which is a beneficial deal with the 11 properties currently have 155,000 branded cattle with 30,000 more calves on the way.

Other stations for sale in Queensland include Durham Downs, Durrie, Glengyle, Morney Plains, Naryilco and Rockybank.

Western Australia offers Innamincka, Macumba and Tungali in South Australia; Helen Springs in the Northern Territory and Ruby Plains.

‘This is a world class asset of international significance,’ rural valuer from Colliers International, Alex Thamm said.

 S. Kidman and Co are a family business with a headquarters is in Adelaide and have employed 170 staff

 In total, the stations cover 100,000 square kilometres and have 155,000 cattle between them

‘With cattle prices, our trade agreements with Asia and the low Australian dollar, it is a very good time to be selling the Kidman business.’

Mr Thamm explains that an offer like this is extremely rare, especially since the business has been kept through generations of the same family.

‘To offer this property, walk-in walk-out inclusive of the cattle, plant and equipment, and the business generally, is a good move in the market place,’ he said.

S. Kidman and Co’s headquarters is in Adelaide and have employed 170 staff.

The business produces 15,000 tonnes of beef a year which makes up 1.3 percent of Australia’s exports.

The sale is being handled by Ernst and Young Adelaide.

source:dailymail.co.uk

In case you didn’t know. Actress/Musician/Producer Rita Wilson is a proud Greek-American and married to Tom Hanks.

Hanks joined the Greek Orthodox Church when he married his wife Rita Wilson in 1988 and has since been an avid member. The very successful and grounded couple have 4 children and attend the beautiful St. Sophia’s Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Los Angeles. Tom and his family are well-known for attending all the Orthodox Holy Week services.

Tom Hanks has been reported to appear on posters promoting Orthodox Christianity in Russia and neighboring states alongside prominent local cultural and sports figures. The Russian Orthodox youth movement Soboryane said it would launch a massive poster campaign during a missionary event entitled “My Pravoslavnye” (“We Are Orthodox Christians”) back in October 13 and 14, 2012 in Russia, Belarus and Ukraine.

A Russian poster featuring Hanks has a quote taken from an interview he gave to Russian newspaper Argumenty I Fakty back in 2009.

“I realize how important and beautiful it is to have the opportunity to go to church and reflect on important questions that Orthodox Christianity asks you and answers it offers” it reads translated in English.

Rita Wilson has spoken about her Greek roots and Orthodox faith candidly in various interviews. Rita has also written a few great articles on Greek Orthodox Easter:

“Here are some of the things that non-Greeks may not know about Greek Easter:

We don’t do bunnies. We don’t do chocolate. We don’t do pastels. We do do lamb, sweet cookies, and deep red. The lamb is roasted and not chocolate, the sweet cookies are called Koulourakia and are twisted like a braid, and our Easter eggs are dyed one color only: blood red.” 

There is no Easter Egg hunt. There is a game in which you crack your red egg against someone else’s red egg hoping to have the strongest egg, which would indicate you getting a lot of good luck.

Holy Week, for a Greek Orthodox, means you clear your calendar, you don’t make plans for that week at all because you will be in church every day, and you fast. Last year, in addition to not eating red meat and dairy before communion, my family also gave up sodas for the 40-day Lenten period…

No matter where I find my self in the world I never miss Easter, or as we call it, Pascha. I have celebrated in Paris, London, New York City, Los Angeles, and in Salinas, California at a small humble church that was pure and simple…” – Rita Wilson on Greek Easter.

source:greekgateway.com

Δεν αφορά σε πώλησή της αλλά σε αξιοποίηση με απώτερο σκοπό την αποπληρωμή του χρέους

Έτοιμος να προχωρήσει μαζί με το κράτος στην αξιοποίηση της εκκλησιαστικής περιουσίας και τα έσοδα να διατεθούν για την αποπληρωμή του χρέους, εμφανίστηκε για πρώτη φορά ο Αρχιεπίσκοπος Αθηνών και Πάσης Ελλάδος, Ιερώνυμος.

Ο ίδιος διευκρίνισε ότι δεν μιλά για πώληση της εκκλησιαστικής περιουσίας, αλλά για αξιοποίησή της, προκειμένου να παραμείνει σε ελληνικά χέρια, υπό την προϋπόθεση ότι τα έσοδά που θα προκύψουν, θα διατεθούν για την αποπληρωμή του χρέους.

Ο Αρχιεπόσκοπος μιλώντας σε πρωινή εκπομπή του ΣΚΑΪ υπογράμμισε ότι το θέμα θα συζητηθεί εν ευθέτω χρόνω με τον πρωθυπουργό και έστειλε μήνυμα στη γερμανίδα Καγκελάριο Άνγκελα Μέρκελ, τονίζοντας ότι «δεν έχω διαφορές μαζί της, αλλά ό,τι μπορεί να γίνει υπέρ του ελληνικού λαού, θα ήταν ευπρόσδεκτο».

Δεν παρέλειψε μάλιστα να σημειώσει ότι η Άνγκελα Μερκελ απέστειλε τον Γιοακίμ Φούχτελ, εκπρόσωπο της καγκελαρίας για την ελληνογερμανική συνεργασία, στην Αρχιεπισκοπή, για να συζητήσει μαζί του.

Πηγή:protothema.gr

The teacher is thought to have been dead before she arrived at the national park. Source: Facebook

A MOBILE phone signal helped police locate what are thought to be the remains of beloved schoolteacher Stephanie Scott.

Officers said a triangulation of phone towers in the area helped them find the body, which had been burned and dumped by a dirt road in dense bushland.

Police believe Ms Scott was already dead by the time she was arrived at the isolated spot in Cocoparra National Park, NSW, on Friday.

The grim discovery came a day after Vincent Stanford, 24, was charged with the high school teacher’s murder.

The body was located more than 70km from Ms Scott’s hometown of Leeton, where the 26-year-old was due to marry her fiance of five years Aaron Leeson-Woolley today. The English and Drama teacher met her husband-to-be as a child playing soccer.

Police tape remained across the road today as officers examined evidence at the remote area.

Ms Scott’s grieving sister today shared a heartbreaking post on social media — a poem she wrote for her sister and her intended brother-in-law for their wedding day. It came as brides across the country honoured the young woman by sharing photos of themselves with the hashtag #putyourdressout, and the community in Leeton came together to mourn Ms Scott wearing yellow and holding balloons.

Kim Scott’s message, posted this morning, read: “My dearest Stephanie and Aaron on your wedding day. This is for you.

“My little sister, Stephanie Clare Scott, is now a wedded wife, believe it or not.

“Aaron Leeson Woolley, the luckiest man, is a welcomed honorary member to the prestigious Scott clan.”

Ms Scott with fiance Aaron Leeson-Woolley. Source: Facebook

The poem revealed how the couple had survived a long-distance relationship and discussed Mr Leeson-Woolley’s proposal in Thailand, before a tragic ending.

“I wish you all the happiness, for the many years to come. May you fill each other with joy and never be glum,” she wrote

“I’m sure you’d all agree that their bond is unique. Special and happy, their love is what we seek.

“Congratulations to you both, now friends and family please join me in a toast to Aaron and Stephanie.”

Police at the address of the murder accused Vincent Stanford, who allegedly murdered Ms Scott. Picture: Chris McKeen Source: News Corp Australia

Family friend, Andrew Dunkley, had flown down from Queensland for the wedding.

“Words can’t describe how beautiful she was, her personality,” he told The Weekend Australian.

“I can never remember a time when she wasn’t smiling — she was a really lovely person who would never say a bad word about anyone.

“People often say good things about someone when something like this happens, but this really is one of those occasions; it couldn’t have happened to someone as nice as her. That’s why it’s so shocking, such a beautiful soul.”

A mobile phone helped officers to find the remains. Photo: Chris McKeen Source: News Corp Australia

A memorial picnic will be held for Ms Scott in Leeton today and the family has requested the community to wear yellow in her memory.

Businesses in the local community have tied ribbons and ballots to their shopfronts and have been collecting donations for the family.

An online fund was opened on Thursday and has raised more than $15,000.

A memorial site has been constructed. Source: Channel 9

Vincent Stanford, 24, has been charged with murder. It is understood the mother and brother of the accused assisted police with their investigation.

The development came after two men gave chilling accounts of what they believed they saw the night Stephanie went missing.

Paul Halls and Brendan Lyons, both truck drivers, say they saw a man wearing a baseball cap and sunglasses speed off in white Ute.

“We rang the police on Wednesday when we heard over the radio what happened,” Mr Lyons said.

Police divers from Sydney then searched a 2m deep channel where they recovered a small laptop with a red cover in the murky water.

Police divers search an irrigation channel for the body of teacher Stephanie Scott on the outskirts of Leeton. Picture: David Moir Source: AAP

The 26-year-old was last seen at Leeton High School on Easter Sunday, where she was preparing lesson plans for her replacement ahead today’s wedding.

Police will allege they discovered blood at the rear of Mr Stanford’s white Ute and pictures of a burnt body on his camera.

Stephanie Scott was to have been married today. Photo: Facebook

 Aaron Leeson-Woolley should have been wearing a tux and getting ready to watch his partner of five years walk down the aisle today.

Instead he wore yellow and sat in the middle of a Riverina park as he cried and hugged the hundreds of people who knew and loved his fiancee, Stephanie Scott.

The body of the popular school teacher was recovered from bushland north of Griffith on Friday, five days after she was allegedly killed by cleaner Vincent Stanford.

Ms Scott’s parents, brothers and sisters joined the whole town of Leeton at a memorial picnic to honour their daughter and sister.

Her father, Bob, told the crowd of hundreds gathered in Mountford Park that he wanted his daughter to be remembered for the great girl she was – and not the tragic way she was taken away.

Moments after the moving tribute, Mr Leeson-Woolley rested his head against his fiancee’s mother, Merriyln Scott. Earlier, he walked around the park with his hands on his head, hugging many friends and wiping his tears on their shoulders.

Stephanie Scott’s mother, Merrilyn Scott (far right), receives a hug at the memorial picnic in Leeton. Photo: Kate Geraghty

Close to a thousand people have congregated in the park, where almost every tree is wrapped in yellow balloons. All the local residents have worn yellow and have yellow ribbons attached to their wrists and hair.

“Unfortunately she was taken away from us for a short time but now we’ve got her back and we will restore her dignity,” Mr Scott said as he stood on stage beside his wife, children and other family members. He had managed to muster a smile when talking to Ms Scott’s students from Leeton High School earlier in the day.

He said the man his daughter was supposed to marry was doing it the toughest but Ms Scott would be proud her nearest and dearest had gathered on what was supposed to be her wedding day.

“He’s doing it a bit tougher than most, as you can imagine,” Mr Scott said.

“Stephanie was a bubbly, bright, witty, intelligent fun-loving girl who has obviously impacted on many people here to today and our wishes for the future are that that will continue in your minds, you remember her as the girl she was and I’m sure wherever she is now that she would wish that to be the case and maintain that as you remember her, as that great little girl she was.”

He thanked the community for supporting the family and said they had also been moved by women in the small Riverina town who had hung their wedding dresses on their doors as a tribute to the bride-to-be.

“She was to be married today and some of the people in town have taken out their wedding dresses and hung them on their front doors, another great activity of a respect, a great tribute to her.

“We thank you greatly for your support … we are truly touched.

“We do know that we had a great girl and that we will continue to remember her for what she was.”

After his emotional speech, Ms Scott’s fiance and her family walked into the middle of the Sunday park and let dozens of yellow balloons drift into the air as people clapped and cried.

Police, firefighters and volunteers who have spent the past week searching for Ms Scott have also rallied around the family.

The man who helped find Ms Scott’s body knelt down before her fiance and offered his condolences in the park.

Griffith police commander Detective Superintendent Michael Rowan appeared shaken by the killing that has rocked the small community.

Only hours earlier, he had spoken of how police trail bike riders discovered Ms Scott’s remains in Cocoparra National Park, where her alleged killer regularly camped.

Earlier on Saturday, Stephanie’s sister Kim shared the poetic wedding speech she had intended to read at the couple’s reception, which was to have been held at a Eugowra golf course.

“They make each other smile, they can fill a room with love,” she wrote.

“Joking and laughing, they fit each other like a glove.

“You’re beautiful people, when you stand alone.

“Together you’re strong, you set the tone.”

As the family shared memories of the bright and bubbly teacher, her remains were being taken to Glebe Morgue in Sydney, where an autopsy will be carried out.

source:smh.com.au

Ενδείξεις εξωγήινης ζωής θα μπορούσαν να ανακαλυφθούν στο Ηλιακό Σύστημα ή σε άλλες γειτονιές του Γαλαξία (Καλλιτεχνική απεικόνοιση: ESO)

Οι πρώτες σαφείς ενδείξεις για την ύπαρξη εξωγήινης ζωής, είτε πρόκειται για αρειανά μικρόβια είτε για πράσινα ανθρωπάκια, δεν θα αργήσουν να έρθουν, προβλέπει η επιστημονική διευθύντρια της NASA.

«Πιστεύω ότι θα έχουμε ισχυρές ενδείξεις για την ύπαρξη ζωής πέρα από τη Γη εντός μιας δεκαετίας, και πιστεύω ότι θα έχουμε οριστικές αποδείξεις εντός 20 έως 30 ετών» δήλωσε η Έλεν Στόφαν σε συνάντηση της NASA με θέμα την αναζήτηση φιλόξενων κόσμων.

«Γνωρίζουμε πού να κοιτάξουμε. Γνωρίζουμε πώς να κοιτάξουμε. Στις περισσότερες περιπτώσεις διαθέτουμε την τεχνολογία, και βρισκόμαστε σε καλό δρόμο για την εφαρμογή της» είπε η Στόφαν, όπως αναφέρει το Space.com.

Εξωγήινη ζωή θα μπορούσε να ανακαλυφθεί πρώτα στο δικό μας Ηλιακό Σύστημα. Απέραντοι ωκεανοί πιστεύεται ότι κρύβονται κάτω από την επιφάνεια της Ευρώπης και του Γανυμήδη, δύο δορυφόρων του Δία, καθώς και στο φεγγάρι του Κρόνου Εγκέλαδο.

Η NASA ήδη προγραμματίζει μια αποστολή στην Ευρώπη, η οποία θα μπορούσε να εκτοξευτεί το 2022 με κόστος 2,1 δισ. δολαρίων.

Ενδείξεις αρχαίας μικροβιακής ζωής δεν αποκλείεται επίσης να εντοπιστούν στον Άρη, ο οποίος πρέπει να διέθετε κάποτε ωκεανούς. Το ρομπότ Curiosity της NASA ανακάλυψε πρόσφατα οργανικά μόρια, βασικό υλικό της ζωής, και η πρώτη επανδρωμένη αποστολή της NASA στον Άρη, η οποία προγραμματίζεται για τη δεκαετία του 2030, θα μπορούσε να εντοπίσει μικροαπολιθώματα, είπε η Στόφαν.

Πέρα από τη δική μας κοσμική γειτονιά, οι αστρονόμοι έχουν ανακαλύψει χιλιάδες πλανήτες από τη δεκαετία του 1990 ως σήμερα. Μικροί εξωπλανήτες στο μέγεθος της Γης είναι ακόμα δύσκολο να εντοπιστούν, σύμφωνα όμως με δεδομένα της αποστολής Kepler σχεδόν όλα τα άστρα στον ουρανό διαθέτουν πλανήτες, και οι βραχώδεις πλανήτες σαν τη Γη είναι περισσότεροι από τους αέριους γίγαντες όπως ο Δίας ή ο Κρόνος.

Το Kepler έχει μάλιστα εντοπίσει δυνητικά φιλόξενους πλανήτες που μπορεί να διαθέτουν νερό, βασικό συστατικό της ζωής όπως την γνωρίζουμε.

Ο Γαλαξίας μας «είναι μουσκεμένο μέρος» δήλωσε στη συνάντηση ο Πολ Χερτζ, επικεφαλής του Τμήματος Αστροφυσικής της NASA. «Μπορούμε να δούμε νερό στα διαστρικά σύννεφα από τα οποία σχηματίζονται πλανητικά συστήματα. Μπορούμε να δούμε νερό στους δίσκους σκόνης που θα γίνουν κάποτε πλανητικά συστήματα» είπε.

Η ανίχνευση ζωής, ωστόσο, είναι μακράν πιο δύσκολη από τον εντοπισμό κατοικήσιμων πλανητών. Τη λύση θα μπορούσε να δώσει το διαστημικό τηλεσκόπιο James Webb, το οποίο προγραμματίζεται να εκτοξευτεί το 2018.

Ο διάδοχος του Hubble θα μπορεί να εξετάσει τις ατμόσφαιρες εξωπλανητών αναζητώντας τη φασματική υπογραφή αερίων που θα μπορούσαν να έχουν παραχθεί από ζωντανούς οργανισμούς. Η μέθοδος που θα εφαρμόσει, που ονομάζεται φασματοσκοπία διέλευσης, αναλύει το αστρικό φως που περνάει μέσα από την ατμόσφαιρα του εξωπλανήτη.

Το James Webb είναι ωστόσο απίθανο να μπορεί να αναζητήσει τη φασματική υπογραφή της ζωής σε πλανήτες στο μέγεθος της Γης. Όπως ανέφερε ο Χερτζ, αυτό θα απαιτούσε την άμεση παρατήρηση αυτών των μακρινών κόσμων με τηλεσκόπια που δεν έχουν ακόμα σχεδιαστεί.

Πηγή:in.gr