The Hellenic Navy (HN) (Greek: Πολεμικό Ναυτικό, Polemikó Naftikó, abbreviated ΠΝ) is the naval force of Greece, part of the Greek Armed Forces. The modern Greek navy has its roots in the naval forces of various Aegean Islands, which fought in the Greek War of Independence. During the periods of monarchy (1833–1924 and 1936–1973) it was known as the Royal Navy (Βασιλικόν Ναυτικόν, Vasilikón Naftikón, abbreviated ΒΝ).The total displacement of all the navy's vessels is approximately 150,000 tons.The motto of the Hellenic Navy is "Μέγα το της Θαλάσσης Κράτος" from Thucydides' account of Pericles' oration on the eve of the Peloponnesian War. This has been roughly translated as "Great is the country that controls the sea". The Hellenic Navy's emblem consists of an anchor in front of a crossed Christian cross and trident, with the cross symbolizing Greek Orthodoxy, and the trident symbolizing Poseidon, the god of the sea in Greek mythology. Pericles' words are written across the top of the emblem. "The navy, as it represents a necessary weapon for Greece, should only be created for war and aim to victory."...............The Hellenic Merchant Marine refers to the Merchant Marine of Greece, engaged in commerce and transportation of goods and services universally. It consists of the merchant vessels owned by Greek civilians, flying either the Greek flag or a flag of convenience. Greece is a maritime nation by tradition, as shipping is arguably the oldest form of occupation of the Greeks and a key element of Greek economic activity since the ancient times. Nowadays, Greece has the largest merchant fleet in the world, which is the second largest contributor to the national economy after tourism and forms the backbone of world shipping. The Greek fleet flies a variety of flags, however some Greek shipowners gradually return to Greece following the changes to the legislative framework governing their operations and the improvement of infrastructure.Blogger Tips and Tricks
This is a bilingual blog in English and / or Greek and you can translate any post to any language by pressing on the appropriate flag....Note that there is provided below a scrolling text with the 30 recent posts...Αυτό είναι ένα δίγλωσσο blog στα Αγγλικά η/και στα Ελληνικά και μπορείτε να μεταφράσετε οποιοδήποτε ποστ σε οποιαδήποτε γλώσσα κάνοντας κλικ στη σχετική σημαία. Σημειωτέον ότι παρακάτω παρέχεται και ένα κινούμενο κείμενο με τα 30 πρόσφατα ποστς....This is a bilingual blog in English and / or Greek and you can translate any post to any language by pressing on the appropriate flag....Note that there is provided below a scrolling text with the 30 recent posts...Αυτό είναι ένα δίγλωσσο blog στα Αγγλικά η/και στα Ελληνικά και μπορείτε να μεταφράσετε οποιοδήποτε ποστ σε οποιαδήποτε γλώσσα κάνοντας κλικ στη σχετική σημαία. Σημειωτέον ότι παρακάτω παρέχεται και ένα κινούμενο κείμενο με τα 30 πρόσφατα ποστς.........

Sunday, February 23, 2014

Olympics closing ceremony...[3693 ]

Olympics closing ceremony live: Olympic flag handed over to S. Korea
By Los Angeles Times staff/ February 23, 2014, 9:46 a.m.
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The 2014 Winter Olympics closing ceremony is underway in Sochi, Russia.  In an Olympic ritual, the flag for the Games was handed over by Sochi's mayor to the mayor of Pyeongchang, South Korea, host of the next Winter Olympics.

Sunday's spectacle included a light show, a flying boat and a clever reference to the opening ceremony snag in which one of the Olympic rings did not open.

Dancers created the rings, with one closed.  Would it open?  After a long pause, it did. As they did at the opening of the Games, each nation's athletes paraded in. Despite a devastating loss to Canada, the U.S. women's hockey team remained in Sochi to take part in the ceremony. Julie Chu, a four-time Olympian who was part of the silver-medal-winning team, was chosen to carry the U.S. flag.

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Medals were bestowed and clean sweeps celebrated, including Norway's dominance of women's cross-country skiing, in which Marit Bjoergen won gold, and Russia's medal sweep in men's cross-country. Alexander Legkov won gold in the men's 50-kilometer race to give the host nation its first cross-country gold at the Sochi Games.

The proceedings took a turn for the surreal with a Marc Chagall painting shown on stage and masked dancers cavorting on stilts to violin and viola. Then a grand piano arose from below  stage for a stunning performance of Rachmaninoff.  Russian ballet and literature also got their turn in the spotlight.

A big top was erected on stage as performers including unicyclists and gymnasts tumbled in for a celebration of circuses.


After the Olympic flag was handed over to South Korea, Korean performers

The 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, are drawing to a close today with the ceremony, which began, symbolically, at 20:14 (8:14 p.m.) local time.  (See a preview of the proceedings, live, below.)

The host country has much to celebrate as the Games wrap. Russia ends as the overall champ, with 33 medals. The U.S. is second with 28.

The ceremony will be broadcast on the West Coast at 8:30 p.m. Sunday. (Here's a version of our real-time coverage for mobile users.)
http://www.latimes.com/sports/olympics/

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