Greece Is the Word

Καλή Χρονιά! Happy New Year! 

1. 

BETTY 

“Butterflies are like women—we may look pretty and delicate, but baby, we can fly through a hurricane.” -Betty White 

Betty White, a true legend who brought laughter and magic to so many for so many years, died at the age of 99 on December 31st. You can see some of her many highlights here. She will be sorely missed. 

2.

VJ GROCERY AND STEVE MCQUEEN

“Owner Anastasios ‘Tom’ Taptelis says it happens so often, he barely notices anymore. This little ritual is just one scene in the famed San Francisco film ‘Bullitt,’ the 1968 thriller starring Steve McQueen best known for its iconic car chase.” 

3.

WONDER WOMAN 

“This is, tragically, a timeless issue, both deeply connected to the oppressive patriarchies of the ancient Mediterranean world and to modern systems of injustice that subjugate women - a vast timeline of abuse that Hera's prophetic gaze saw happening all at once.” 

4. 

BRAVO SAS 

One hundred years. That’s how long E.J. Papadopoulos has been doing business. Wafers and biscuits. That’s amazing. So amazing in fact that the Stavros Niarchos Foundation at UCLA and the Benaki Museum are partnering to host an online exhibit all about it on the 15th of this month.

5.

ANCIENT GREEK MYTHS (ANTIDOTE TO TYRANNY?)

“The genius of the ancient Greek tales is to emphasize that humanity, justice, and equality are actually in our own self-interest, as individuals and as members of communities. The ancient Greeks didn’t live up to the humane, egalitarian ideals promoted by their own myths. But their stories show us how we could and why we should.”

6. 

INDIRECTLY RELATED  

The only Greek aspect of The Lost Daughter, released this week, is where it was filmed: Spetses. (The author of the novel on which the film is based is Italian, though—Greek-adjacent?)

7. 

FROM ARCHEMIDES TO TESLA?

“What they didn’t expect was that a clever older man named Archimedes was about to unleash hellfire on them.”

8.

BIBLIOSMIA

Wow, that book smells good. (And there’s science behind why it does.)

9.

BIBLIOPHAGIST

If you like to devour books, here's a list of thirty books about or inspired by Greek myths. Opa!

10.

HEADSTONE

George Michael’s headstone was finally revealed, five years after his Christmas-Day-2016 death (and two years after the death of his sister, who died three years to the day after George). 

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It’s a new year, but COVID-19 doesn’t care. If you don’t already live in a place requiring that you stay home, you can still help keep your loved ones, your community, and yourself safe. Keep it simple: Do not gather with groups of people this holiday season, even if you and they are all fully vaccinated. Continue to mask up whenever you are indoors with anyone with whom you do not cohabitate, even if you are fully vaccinated and have received a booster shot. You do not know what you may be carrying or how susceptible someone else’s immune system may be to whatever you might possibly transmit. #maskupforothers #itsnotaboutyou #weareallinthistogether

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Take care of yourselves and one another!

Opa!
Peter and the Greece Is the Word Crew