Monday, March 30, 2009

एअर्थ हौर 2009



















































































































"Earth Hour" in Greece too. Time to think about the future of our planet and following the global call for action Athens and the Athenian people participated at this event. I was part of the people who took the decision to switch off the lights of my home and travel until the center of the town in order to participate at the concert which organized by the municipality of Athens at the historical area of Pnika under the Acropolis which was also stood at the dark in order to show our concerns about the surviving of our environment.


"Earth Hour" is a message of hope and action. So... come with me at this night and be part of the way that we, the people who live in Athens have been joined to this global call for action.

Earth Hour began in Sydney, Australia, in 2007, when 2.2 million homes and businesses switched off their lights for one hour in an effort to raise awareness of climate change. Just one year later, the message grew into a global sustainability movement, with 50 million people in 35 countries switching off their lights. Global landmarks such as the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco and Rome's Colosseum all stood in darkness for one hour, transformed into symbols of hope for a problem which is intensifying by the hour.

This year, on Saturday, March 28, at 20:30, people around the world have been called on to switch of their lights for one hour - "Earth Hour". The goal was to secure the participation of 1 billion people in 1,000 cities and for all of us together to demonstrate that we can take action against global warming.

Unlike any election in history, it is not about what country you're from, but instead, what planet you're from. VOTE EARTH was a global call to action for every individual, every business, and every community. A call to stand up and take control over the future of our planet. Over 74 countries and territories have pledged their support to VOTE EARTH during Earth Hour 2009, and this number is growing everyday.


"Earth Hour 2009" was a global call to action for every individual, every business, and every community. A call to take action, assume our responsibilities and actively participate in initiatives for a sustainable future.


Renowned locations, monuments and buildings throughout the world stand in darkness once again this year. People throughout the world switch off their lights and bond for one hour in support of the future of our precious planet.


More than 64 countries participated in "Earth Hour 2009". People understood that such a simple act as switching off their lights can make such a great contribution to the onset of change.


"Earth Hour" is a message of hope and action.

"Earth Hour" was held in Athens under the aegis of the City of Athens which also invited its people in a concert at the holy place of Pnika, very close to Acropolis in order to celebrate this night with the songs that Frangoulis, a famous all around the world singer and the Orchestra of the City of Athens offered to the people of Athens.

Compared to the better-known surviving monuments of ancient Athens, such as the Parthenon, the Pnyx is relatively unspectacular. It is a small, rocky hill surrounded by parkland, with a large flat platform of eroded stone set into its side, surrounded by steps carved on its slope. It is nevertheless one of the most significant sites in the city, and indeed in the world.


For the Pnyx was the meeting place of the world's first ever democratic legislature, the Athenian ekklesia (assembly), and the flat stone platform is the bema, the "stepping stone" or speakers' platform. As such, the Pnyx is the material embodiment of the principle of isēgoria , "equal speech", i.e. the equal right of every citizen to debate matters of policy. The other two principles of democracy were isonomia, equality under the law, and isopoliteia, equality of vote and equal opportunity to assume political office. The right of isēgoria was expressed by the presiding officer of the Pnyx assembly, who formally opened each debate with the open invitation " Tis agoreyein bouletai? ", "Who wishes to speak?").

The Pnyx was used for popular assemblies in Athens as early as 507 BC, when the reforms of Cleisthenes transferred political power to the citizenry. It was then outside the city proper, but close enough to be convenient. It looks down on the ancient Agora, the commercial and social centre of the city.


At this site all the great political struggles of Athens of the "Golden Age" were fought out. Pericles, Aristides and Alcibiades spoke here, within sight of the Parthenon, temple of Athena. Here Demosthenes delivered his vilifications of Philip of Macedon, the famous Philippics.

The concert was realy magical and I was there to celebrate the "Hour of Earth" with thousands of Athenian citizens. We were sitting down, on the same place where our ancestors used as a meeting place to diclare our will for a better future for our planet. We need to protect our world and keep our environment clean for the next generations.

After the concert, the lights at the ancient monuments of Athens opened again and the people left the area of Pnika and filled the streets of the centre of Athens.
The city was ready again finding its normal rythm and the streets were full of people from all around the world. Athens is busy and happy during night. Economical crisis could not stop the activity and the night life.
It was a special warm night for Athens and everybody enjoyed it walking around and under the


brightly lit Acropolis.
Monastiraki square at 11 p.m.. The city is ready for a great night.

Monastiraki is the place that most of all represent tradition and tourist sightseeing in Athens at the same time. It's placed under the shadow of Acropolis at the South West section of the magisterial Sacred Rock and next to the Ancient Market and Attalos loft. Monastiraki is famous for the flea market and it is a great place for a Sunday morning walk. An early visit in the morning will help as later on the crowd becomes impossible and there are tables available at the many cafes and restaurants for a drink or a snack.
Oh yes, I was there enjoying the beautiful night with a lot of other people, Greeks and foreigners and it was the best finale of the day that people all around the world celebrated the "Earth Hour".

The start of the new day found me enjoying my Gyro with Pitta and my beer wishing a better future for our planet.


Stin Ygia sas!!!

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