Athens News Agency: News in English, 07-06-18

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From: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/>

CONTENTS

[01] Papandreou points to surge in uninsured employment

[02] �nteractive exhibition in Manhattan on ancient Greece

[01] Papandreou points to surge in uninsured employment

Papandreou charged that contrary to government announcements, unemployment has not declined, while uninsured employment, part of the so-called "underground economy", has skyrocketed, with roughly one million people working without social security insurance.

Papandreou said OAED is being exploited by the ruling New Democracy government and party officials. Responding to a comment by one of the instructors, according to which the same practice was the norm during the previous PASOK governments as well -- namely, that a total of 42,750 hirings were made for 8,000 job openings -- Papandreou said he condemns such practices.

OAED instructors briefed him on job-related problems and student representatives referred to the downgrading of diplomas bestowed by Greek universities, as they said.

Papandreou presented PASOK's programme for tackling unemployment, including the option of "social employment" for the unemployed who need only a few years of work stamps to be eligible for a pension as well as OAED's regional decentralisation.

Wrapping up his visit to Pella prefecture in north-central Greece on Sunday, Papandreou announced that at the end of the week he will launch another major tour, from the western part of the country to the city of Alexandroupolis in the extreme northeast.

[02] �nteractive exhibition in Manhattan on ancient Greece

The exhibition, organised in cooperation with the Greek culture ministry, five New York universities and state agencies and with the financial support of Greek and US institutions, is divided into four themes: the Greek Gods; growing up and education in ancient Greece; Homer's Odyssey; and Discover Greece.

Children are invited to climb inside a 12½ foot tall Trojan Horse before stepping into Homer's great epic poem, The Odyssey, where they will journey through rocky caves and over open seas, escape the crawl-through Cyclops Cave and sing like Sirens in the Sirens "Karaoke Cove". The young visitors will have to be prepared to face on-screen "dilemmas", as their choices will be tracked along the way and a personalised on-screen Hero Record can be emailed to them.

They can also learn how gods and mortals interacted and take an on-screen personality quiz to determine which mythological character they are most like.

The children can visit the gymnasium (school) and oikos (home), explore the importance of athletic competition, become familiar with the ancient Greek alphabet by translating messages from Greek to English, learn about the heroism of ancient Greek women in myth and daily life, and compete with the goddess Athena in a virtual weaving contest.

They can further visit the Temple of Zeus at Olympia and assist in the reconstruction of a 3-D temple, learn about column construction, sculptures, and the giant statue of Zeus (one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World), while they can explore actual samples of ancient Greek artifacts: painted pottery, coins, votives, drinking cups, loom weights, arrowheads and sling bullets.

A replica of ancient Greece's version of the computer, the Antikythera Mechanism, a complex interlocking-gear-driven artifact used by ancient navigators to calculate astronomical positions, is also on display. It was discovered in the Antikythera wreck off the Greek island of Antikythera, southeastern Greece, and has been dated to about 150-100 BC.

Caption: A photo shows part of the Antikythera Mechanism, found at the bottom of the sea near the isle of Antikythera 100 years ago, during its presentation by a special research team of Greek and foreign academic researchers in Athens on Tuesday 30 May 2006. ANA-MPA /EPA/CARDIFF UNIVERSITY

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