greece

Residents of the Greek island of Lesbos have brought a lawsuit against a Greek gay rights group, alleging that the term "lesbian" is an insult to the homeland.

The lawyer representing the three Lesbos plaintiffs says that the group's name — the Homosexual and Lesbian Community of Greece — "causes confusion by using a geographic term" in connection with social action. The island does not want to be associated with the group's "special character."

It seems the islanders have a seriously uphill battle to fight if they are trying to reclaim the term "lesbian" as a geographical moniker. The ancient female poet Sappho, who hailed from Lesbos, lent the name of her hometown island to female-loving females, as much of her poetry celebrated love between women. Considering travel to Lesbos is popular among the world's gay community, it might be in the island's economic interest to embrace its homosexual association.

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With a Greek mayor who presided over outlawed gay marriages yesterday saying, "The laws on marriage simply do not specify any genders. To me, therefore, if something is not banned by law it is not illegal," now facing jail time for his actions, Japan's government is actually moving toward broader gender ideas.

Japan’s House of Councillors (like the US Senate) has unanimously passed legislation which will allow people with gender identity disorder to officially change their sex, giving Gender Identity Disordered (GID) people the ability to change the way the world perceives them — on paper. To see how, read more

Are there any ladies in the house? Accidently, yes. Breaching a ban on women dating back to 1060, four Moldovan women were dropped off on the Greek monastic peninsula of Mount Athos over the weekend.

The unexpected/unwelcomed female visitors told police they had sailed from Turkey after paying $6,300 to two Ukrainian people smugglers, and were unaware they were breaking Greek law.

The four women are aged between 27 and 32, (and were accompanied by one Moldovan man, 41) were discovered by the monks over the weekend. A responding police officer said, "They told police and the monks they were sorry but they couldn't have known this was a no-women area. They were forgiven."

It's a good thing the monks were feeling friendly! To find out why, read more

In Athens, a plan to grant unmarried couples increased rights has upset both conservative and progressive forces. The government wants to grant heterosexual "common law" couples rights analogous to marriage, if the couples sign a simple notary contract. So you could have a legally binding relationship, without the big fat Greek wedding.

The influential Greek Orthodox Church equates common law relationships with prostitution. The Church's governing council is decrying the plan, maintaining that legal recognition of relationships outside of marriage would set off a catastrophic bomb under the foundation of Greek society.

The homosexual community thinks the plan must go further, to see how, read more

Semiramis Hotel is a 52-room hotel in Athens, Greece, and designer Karim Rashid's first hotel project undertaking. I guess Rashid has beginner's luck (or really intimidating talent), because the hotel's design is inspiring, polished, and every square inch is original. Of the project, Rashid said, "Hotels today make you feel like you're living in the previous century. That's the last thing I want to do." I'm definitely getting an other-worldly Jetsons-meets-Real-World-house-meets-cruise-ship vibe from my look at the photos, and certainly don't think it resembles the previous century, or any century for that matter. So, he must have pulled it off.

The hotel is located in the suburb of Kifissia, in the heart of evolving Athens, surrounded by high-end boutiques, restaurants, and cafes and set 340 meters above sea level. It features 42 balcony rooms with pool or park view, five poolside bungalows, three penthouse studios, and one penthouse suite, plus all the unnecessary amenities, ranging in price from $337 to $440 a night. If I ever make it to Athens, I'll be sure to get my shop on at the local boutiques. That is, if I can drag myself away from Semiramis's pool deck.
To see photos of the superb spot, read more

Greek men and women are known for their thick, plentiful and shiny hair. Ingredients such as mint, rosewater, honey and yogurt are some of the most widely found and consumed ingredients in the country. We are lucky enough to now have access to these great Greek hair products in the US. Please let me know what you think and if you have any more Greek products to share with our growing beauty community.

Apivita Propoline Shampoo ($17) is a line of twelve moisturizing shampoos that have remained a cult favorite in Greece for 20+ years. What makes this brand and these shampoos so amazing is that instead of using ordinary water, they use rosemary water as a base.

Rosemary improves circulation, promotes hair growth, stimulates cell renewal to eliminate dandruff, normalize oil secretions. Wow, I had no idea about the powers of rosemary, did you?

For two more great beauty products from Greece, read more

Wow - all your Grecian fab finds have me even more excited for my adventure next month! I asked for your help in helping me find some fun Greece-inspired outfits as well as fab travel-worthy clothes. I will be packing light so these Dolce Vita 'Athens-4' Thong Sandal, $70, are the perfect shoe: light-weight, not super pricey (in case I spill any café frappé on them!), and they will glisten in the sun! A big thanks to all and let's see what you all came up with!

Look #1, found by imahoopie is all the right colors with this Doo.Ri Halter Top and these Theory "Grace C Connecticut" Skinny Ankle Pant.

More, more, more, read more

Have you picked up on my little hints of excitement that I'm going on a vacay soon? Well, I am. Where to? Greece! I'm making a couple of Europe pit stops along the way but the most exciting part of the trip will most likely be island hopping along the cobalt waters of the Mediterranean. Needles to say, I'm super psyched!

Now, everything is all booked and ready so I'm starting to think about travel gear, and island gear. It's best to plan ahead right? I thought you all could inspire me and go Fab Finding for some fun Greece-inspired outfits. You know I'll be doing some shopping there but I want to make sure I bring some fun stuff too. I will be packing light so these Dolce Vita 'Athens-4' Thong Sandal, $70, are the perfect shoe: light-weight, not super pricey (in case I spill any café frappé on them!), and they will glisten in the sun! Come back and tell me when your Fab Finds are up and tag them with Greece.

To learn what a Fab Find is and how to make one, click here. For a more detailed explanation of bookmarks from geeksugar click here.

To see some of my favorite online stores, read more