Citibank Puts Euros Where Your Card Is

For the second consecutive year, Citibank declared January as the time to the support of the non-profit organization "Mazi Gia to Paidi." Last year, the same campaign resulted in the contribution of 61,000 euros for the work of "Mazi Gia to Paidi."

More specifically, Citibank will give €0.15 to "Mazi Gia to Paidi" for every transaction made in Greece with a Citibank Visa or Mastercard in January 2007, with no cost to cardholders.

This year, Citibank's campaign will also be supported by the magazine Real Simple, as a communication sponsor and the Hellenic Theatre Company, which will offer a free theater ticket to the children of "Mazi Gia to Paidi."

Become a Child with Me

In the season known for gifts and cheerfulness, it is so very important to spread that joy to children who may not otherwise enjoy the innocence of the holidays. But while many charities and philanthropic opportunities exist for children in the United States, the chance to help children in Greece is rare. Thankfully ANT1 is again sponsoring a five-hour "thlemarathonio" of love for underprivileged children following its great success of raising 2.5 million euro in February.

Scheduled to take place just a day after the International Day for Children, the program, known as "Gine Mazi Mou Paidi", will air tomorrow between:

- 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. EST on Tuesday, Dec. 12th in the US
- 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. on Tuesday, December 12th in Greece

In addition to phoned-in pledges, contributions can also be made via the Internet. Although I am not officially including this as part of the Greek Gift Guide, this would be a wonderful opportunity to make a donation in a loved one's name or teach young children about the real spirit of giving.

P.S. Popular celebs, including Anna Vissi, Despina Vandi, Mixalis Hadzigiannis and Elli Kokkinou are contributing their star-power to this effort. See some clips of their efforts on YouTube.

Thank you for the love!

Xilia efxaristo for all of your support of this blog and the radio show.

I am super excited to provide you something fun and useful to enjoy!

Taking to the Airwaves

Great news! Starting this Sunday, December 10th, I will be hosting a two-hour radio show (5 to 7 p.m. Eastern time) on GREECE 365!

Initially, this program will seem like a talk show, but as it evolves you will see a definite relationship with this blog.

I hope that you will tune in via Internet, join me in the online chat and even call in to wish me luck or take part in the program. Of course, I also look forward to hearing about topics that you are interested in so don't be shy!

Greek Gift Guide... For the Woman Who Can Do It All

I am so excited to have just finished the book that I am about to recommend to you that it takes every piece of sanity I have to not disclose a few of the many notations and quotes I found so valuable.

Arianna Huffington's "On Becoming Fearless" is a great gift for any woman, especially the one you think has the spirit to change the world if only she would just do it. Inspired by Arianna's personal experiences that many of us identify with (Greek mothers, accents and brows), the gem in this book is that it is not your run of the mill, hokey motivational book. This one really delivers.

I should know... thanks to Arianna I am excited about taking this blog to the next level, harnessing my passion for Greekness and finding new avenues for my Greek voice.

MEGA Problems for DISH's Greek Audience

Earlier today, Dish Network announced that Globestar, the distributor of Mega Cosmos, stopped delivering Mega Cosmos to Dish Network for reasons beyond the provider's control. As a result, Dish Network can no longer deliver the channel to its customers and is taking legal action against Globestar.

Dish executives expressed their disappointment and reiterated their commitment to the Greek community noting that Dish network remains the sole provider of Greek-language programming in the United States that includes the latest in Greek sports and music. This outage means that loyal US-based fans of "Vera sto Deksi" and "Para Pente" are now limited to Internet-available downloads.

Customers should contact Mega Cosmos directly at 1-866-780-5367 during Greek business hours with concerns.