With last month’s conversion of Istanbul’s stunning Hagia Sophia into a functioning mosque, Turkish President Recep Erdoğan fulfilled a long-held hope of many Turkish Muslims and his own political party. Built as a cathedral, Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, Turkey, has also been a mosque and museum and is today again a working mosque. (Image credit: Getty Images) On July 24, for the first time in nearly 90 years, Muslim worshipers prayed there together, while the imam held a sword – a reminder for many of the building’s conquest throughout Turkish history. The monumental structure was built in the 6th century…
Author: Ebrahim
COLLEGE PARK, Md. — The University of Maryland has ordered fraternities and sororities on campus to suspend social and recruitment activities after the school received several reports of dangerous activities.The letter was sent by the university to fraternities and sororities, stating that they believe that “multiple sections of the Interfraternity Council (IFC) and the Panhellenic Council (PHA) have engaged in activities that have threatened the safety and well-being members of the university community. ” The suspension applies to all organizations affiliated with the Interfraternity Council and the Panhellenic Council on the College Park campus, which represent 21 fraternities and 16…
We all know what dog tags are: those little oval discs on a chain that military personnel wear to identify themselves in combat. But have you ever wondered how and when this tradition began, and why they are called dog tags? We did some research to find the answers. Origins of the nickname “Dog Tag” According to the Army Historical Foundation, the term “dog tag” was first coined by newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst. In 1936, Hearst wanted to undermine support for President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal. He had heard that the new Social Security Administration was considering distributing…
ATHENS (Reuters) – Greece’s parliament approved a bill on Thursday allowing same-sex civil marriage, a historic victory for LGBT rights supporters that was greeted with applause from parliament spectators and dozens of people gathered in the streets of Athens.The law gives same-sex couples the right to marry and adopt children and comes after decades of campaigning by the LGBT community for marriage equality in the socially conservative country.Greece is one of the first Orthodox Christian countries to allow such unions.“This is a historic moment,” Stella Belia, president of same-sex parents group Rainbow Families, told Reuters. “It’s a day of joy.”The…
Ever since Carmen Sandiego stole her first priceless cultural object in 1985, wherever she is in the world, heritage has played a tantalizing role in video games. This first educational computer game, Where in the world is Carmen Sandiego?was a surprise hit, spawning a whole series of sequels as well as a popular children’s television show (and a a cappella hit song).However, the way cultural heritage is represented in games has evolved significantly since then. The luxury version of Carmen Sandiego included pixelated photographs of National geographic. The reconstruction of ancient Greece built for Assassin’s Creed Odysseymeanwhile, is so immersive…
Audiences around the world consume all types of news, but they are most interested in news close to home. Among the top four news topics surveyed, global medians of at least three-quarters say they closely follow news about their country (86%) or city (78%), compared to fewer than six in ten who say that The same goes for information about other countries in general (57%) and the United States in particular (48%). The type of news people follow closely varies by age and education level. In about half of the countries surveyed, people aged 50 and over are more likely…
Clare Griffiths, who founded Brighton-based social enterprise Thrive in 2018, was included in a list of 100 female entrepreneurs by the f:Entrepreneur #ialso100 campaign to celebrate the multiple achievements of female business leaders across the country . Clare, whose business aims to build the knowledge, confidence and connections of female ‘solopreneurs’, said it was an honor to be included on the list alongside other inspiring women. She said: “It’s truly motivating to receive recognition for my social impact work aimed at increasing the rate of creation and survival of women-led businesses. » Delivered by small Business In Britain, f:Entrepreneur was…
For the past four years, the social justice-focused Theater of War troupe has brought together the worlds of ancient Greece and the contemporary American Midwest in “Antigone in Ferguson,” created after black teenager Michael Brown was shot dead in 2014 by white police. Officer Darren Wilson. This year, the COVID-19 pandemic brought the production team’s work online, creating virtual performances of Sophocles’ 2,500-year-old text and honoring Brown’s memory. Dated 442 or 441 BC, “Antigone” tells the story of Oedipus’ daughter and her quest to honorably bury her brother Polyneices, killed in a civil war, against the decree of her uncle…
“I was 3 years old when ‘My big Greek wedding” was released, so my experience as a Greek-American is indelibly linked to the film,” the author writes.When I was little, my siblings and I all owned T-shirts that said GAP: Greek American Princess (or Prince, if you were my brother). When I was in middle school, a boy in my English class asked me if being Greek Orthodox meant we believed in Greek gods, like Zeus and Hera. Every trip I’ve taken in my life, I’ve found an icon hidden in my luggage that my father had packed away without…
Translated by Barbara Santamaria Published April 24, 2019 Bella HadidThe immaculate profile makes the cover of Vogue The latest Greek issue which marks the return of the fashion magazine to the country. Surrounded by classic marble statues, the model transforms into a Hellenic goddess and ambassador for the 26th international edition of the fashion magazine’s relaunch after a seven-year hiatus. This move could be understood as a strategic decision made by an editorial group, but in reality it is part of a broader economic recovery. As Greek mythology tells it, the phoenix is reborn from its ashes. And Greece is…