A Brief Historical Guide to Mykonos

It is practically impossible to write about a Greek island without referencing its place in mythology or without crossing fact with fiction. Mykonos is no exception. This small sun-kissed isle was the supposed location of a rather ferocious inter-generational tussle between Zeus and the Titans, when the sons of the Gods succeeded in overthrowing the Gods themselves. It is also the birthplace of Artemis & Apollo, the twin offspring of the aforementioned and rather promiscuous deity. So the story goes Leto, daughter of one of the Titans, was seduced by Zeus and fell pregnant. Upon hearing of this, Hera, Zeus' wife banished Leto from all land so that she had nowhere to give birth. Fortunately, Zeus' brother Poseidon, took pity and gave her Delos, a diminutive rocky outcrop about 2 kilometres off the coast of Mykonos which was not chained to the floor of the ocean but rather floated and was therefore exempt from Hera's persecution.

The religious significance of the island made it a place of pilgrimage and gave both Delos and Mykonos perhaps their first taste of tourism. In the 6th Century BC Athens took steps to ensure that the island was properly fit for the worship of the Gods by digging up all graves within the sight of the temple and moving them elsewhere. However further action was needed for such a sacred site and it was later decided that all bodies on the island irrespective of their location should be removed. Furthermore, no person was allowed to be born or die there, so anyone looking remotely like doing either was promptly shipped off!

Located between mainland Greece and modern day Turkey and with the protection offered by its 3 neighbouring islands (the Cyclades), Delos made a vital trading port despite it having hardly any natural resources of its own. Its fine tactical location did not go unnoticed by many and over the centuries it was conquered and plundered by practically everyone to have sailed past it. The fingerprints of various cultures from the Phoenicians to the Romans, to the Saracens have resulted in a unique World Heritage Site which offers an intriguing glimpse of fallen empires. It's enough to make one feel rather melancholy, though that doesn't last very long under the big bright skies of the Mediterranean.

In more recent times, Mykonos suffered greatly under German occupation, but the arrival of the fifties brought a renewed sense of vigour and purpose. Legends of the Silver Screen Brigitte Bardot, Sophia Loren and Grace Kelly all visited the island adding to its allure, but it was fashion icon Jackie O who really raised Mykonos' profile, granting it mythical status all over again. She sailed into town aboard the good ship Christina, perhaps the most luxurious yacht of all time featuring a dance floor that transformed into a swimming pool! She fell head over heels for Mykonos' charming harbour with its rows of gorgeous houses overhanging the crystalline Aegean Sea, its white cuboid dwellings and the haphazard paths that promised adventure (and more boutiques no doubt!). The glamorous 60's gave way to the hedonistic 70's and travellers from far and wide were drawn to the island to shed layers and witness the famous Crimson sunset which still inspires artists, poets and bands the world over and often acts as a backdrop to legendary parties hosted by the world's greatest DJ's.

Being an island, the locals connection with the sea is a strong one and nowhere is this more strongly exhibited than in the hundreds of beautiful chapels and churches that dot the land, many of them built for the safe return of sailors. As you might expect from a community of sea-farers, eating on the island is an exceptional experience and there is no shortage of choice from the traditional taverna to contemporary fine-dining. As with everything in Mykonos, service is warm, relaxed and charming, and therein lies its greatest asset; the hospitality that it has been practicing for centuries. So raise a glass to Mykonos, a haven of elegance and simplicity, an island of myths & legends.

Sarah-Leigh Shenton is Head of Marketing for Abercrombie & Kent Villas, a private rental villa specialist with villas in Greece as well as Italy, France, Spain and Portugal. Sarah-Leigh's role takes her to some of Greece's most beautiful regions, including Mykonos, Crete and the Peloponnese.

Sarah-Leigh can be contacted on slshenton@akvillas.com
or see her web-site: luxury villas Greece

Historical Holidays on Corfu

The chances are that you will want to spend at least part of your holiday relaxing, soaking up a little sun and recharging the batteries, but what then? Maybe you are you one of the increasing numbers of people taking time abroad to discover and explore the mysteries of the ancient (and not so ancient) world? If so, why not travel to and explore the Greek island of Corfu next time? Holidays in Corfu offer a microcosm of Ionian history. Corfu holidays open up a treasure-trove of ancient relics and monuments and are a living witness to thousands of year's worth of endeavor. You don't need to dilute that historical experience by staying in an ultra modern hotel either Villas in Corfu offer all the space, splendor as well as the flexibility that you need to make the most of your visit.

Corfu, possibly the best known of the Greek Ionian islands, lies in the Adriatic sea 100km (63 miles) east of Italy and south west of Albania. The second largest and greenest of the Ionians, its area of around 500 square miles includes all kinds of landscapes. An A1 Mediterranean holiday destination and star of Gerald Durrell's 'My Family and Other Animals', Corfu is one of the best known Greek islands. In fact the island has been a favourite Mediterranean destination as far back as Victorian times and Corfu is still sharing its sunshine, its warm hospitality and breathtaking scenery with many thousands of British holidaymakers year after year. Some10,000 British ex-patriots have even gone as far as setting up home there.

Corfu has perhaps more history that you might expect. Corfu is a land of heroes, heroines, myths and magic, of ancient gods and legend. Known as Kerkyra in Greek, Corfu derives its name from the close ties to both Poseidon, god of the sea, and the Greek river of Asopos. The favoured tale of where Corfu gets its name, is its link to the nymph Korkyra, who was brought to the island by Poseidon (him of the Hollywood blockbuster adventure!) as part of an abduction.

Corfu's strategic location has seen her fiercely contested over throughout history. Between the 7th Century BC, when the first recorded naval battle in Greek history was fought in her waters, and her liberation from German occupation in 1945 by the 40th Royal Marine Commandos, the French, Russians and Venetians have all taken turns in running the islands and imposing their own unique forms of rule. If you look carefully you will see all manner of fascinating cultural and architectural blends and styles still over the island.

A stay on the island would be incomplete without at least one visit to the capital Corfu Town, now a World Heritage site. Despite severe damage in the Second World War, the town still has two huge and impressive forts as well as the 16th Century church of Áyios Spyrídhon, other delightful French and Venetian architectural splendors as well as art galleries and museums. Around the island there are the ancient monasteries of San Salvador and Peleka that are well worth visiting, as much for the magical Corfu scenery as the locations themselves!

A beautifully, charming island bursting with great places to go and lots of activities to enjoy, Corfu holidays offer a perfect combination of head and heart as well as some of the very best in Mediterranean holiday accommodation.

Mark has experienced various different Corfu holidays for many years. He has stayed in villas in Corfu and different hotels, getting to know the island.

Historical Roots of Human Analysis

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SPIRITUALISTIC THEORY

"The earliest view of the progression of events revolved around the action of spirits." One form of this approach is 'animism,' the perspective that "...everything contains spirits and so has a mind of its own...." Nature spirits were assigned definite form through the personages of the Greek gods and similar assemblies who were viewed as controlling the actions of nature and also humans. It seems that humans did not view their own behaviors as within their control but rather prey for the whims and wishes of external, supernatural forces. When a deity was angered, dire events followed on Earth. For example, it was after being not invited to a wedding celebration that Eris set into motion the Olympian beauty contest which led to Paris's obsession with Helen and the subsequent mighty Trojan War.

Religious concepts, such as the Hebrew god Yahweh, provide additional explanations of the events befalling humans. Any event in the history of an individual or a nation is perceived as being for a specific purpose and part of the cosmic plan of such a deity. "The Greek myths and the Bible, then, represent spiritualistic histories dealing with the intervention of supernatural forces into human affairs."

Obviously, such a spiritualistic view remains pervasive as we enter the 21st century. "Anyone who believes in the efficacy of prayer believes to some degree in the intervention of forces beyond humankind into human affairs and thus believes in some sort of spiritualistic theory of history."

PERSONALISTIC THEORY

Competing with the spiritualistic view is the theory which posits that it is the existence and work of individual 'great' men around which the course of history is determined. There are two subset views in this theory: the individual as an "emissary" of supernatural forces and the individual acting independently of or in opposition to the influence of the gods. One explanation of the internalized power is the concept of 'genius.' With the theory of evolution in the 19th century, a secular, biological origin was introduced - inheritance.

Sir Francis Galton (beginning 1869) developed an extreme personalistic view - "He believed that greatness is derived from this hereditary genius, that it was completely determined biologically, and that the environment into which the individual was born had little if any influence on the expression of this genius." Biography is a very common form of 'historical exposition.' Also included here is the embryo of the nature-nurture controversy which remains active even today.

NATURALISTIC THEORY

This theory emerged from ideas about human societies. "...the underlying basis...is that society operates in a regular, lawful manner, and, if a certain set of determinants occur, a particular social outcome will also occur." Among the categories of these 'determinants' are the physical and the psychological. Numerous differences in societal behavior have been attributed to their local climate range and geographical location. Areas where climates are moderate and food is plentiful are less motivated to develop strategies to deal with harsh environmental conditions.

Psychological naturalism "...depends on the lawfulness of human ideas and behavior." A specific person from a specific background exposed to a specific situation is expected to react in a specific way "...if all the determinants are known." The extreme position of this view denies the existence of free will. The 18th century naturalistic concept was that "...God invented the universe, established the laws of nature, including those of human nature, and then walked away to let the universe go its own way." 19th century writer Leo Tolstoy posits history as "...unconscious life of humanity in the swarm (wherein man must) inevitably follow the laws laid down for him." Such a view was extremely environmental and one in which the social strata and inheritance of the individual were the determinants of behaviors which in turn formed the foundation for historical progress.

19th century German philosopher G.W.F. Hegel and 20th century philosopher E.G. Boring (1886-1968) summarized as Zeitgeist (the spirit of the times) the pattern of all past events which led to appearance of a new invention or concept. Karl Marx denied history as a meaningful determinant of progress and turned instead to economics as the major summation of societal forces. He stated: "In the social production of their lives, men enter into definite, necessary, relations that are independent of their will....the totality of these...forms the economic structure of society, the real basis on which a judicial and political superstructure arises."

Thomas Kuhn, in his Structure of Scientific Revolutions tells us that psychology has no universally held paradigm, descriptive system or methodological approach. One solution to this problem is proposed by Robert I. Watson's 'prescriptive' theory which consists of 18 prescriptions or conceptual dimensions, each bounded by a set of opposing terms:

1. Conscious mentalism - unconscious mentalism
2. Contentual objectivism - contentual subjectivism
3. Determinism - indeterminism
4. Empiricism - rationalism
5. Functionalism - structuralism
6. Inductivism - deductivism
7. Mechanism - vitalism
8. Methodological objectivism - methodological subjectivism
9. Molecularism - molarism
10. Monism - dualism
11. Naturalism - supernaturalism
12. Nometheticism - ideographicism
13. Peripheralism - centrism
14. Purism - utilitarianism
15. Quantitativism - Qualitativism
16. Rationalism - irrationalism
17. Staticism - developmentalism
18. Staticism - dynamicism

Regardless of one's orientation or form of applied practice, there are persistent questions that permeate the field of psychology. Among these are:
What is the nature of human nature?

How are the mind and body related?
Nativism vs. Empiricism (heredity vs. experience)
Freedom vs. Determinism
Mechanism vs. Vitalism
Rationalism vs. Irrationalism

How are humans related to non-human animals?

What is the origin of human knowledge?
Objective vs. Subjective Reality (physical vs. mental existence)

The problem of the Self - What accounts for the unity and continuity of our experience?

What is the origin and nature of consciousness?

Science appeared on the scene as a way of answering questions about nature by direct examination and observation rather than by depending on religious dogma, superstition, past authority, or abstract though processes alone. Science has two major components: empirical observation and theory. What makes science so powerful is its combination of rationalism and empiricism which individually have limited usefulness in explaining human behavior. The underlying assumption of science is that the world and those who inhabit it behave in ways that are fixed, organized, lawful, and knowable.

The traditional view of science is that it involves empirical observation, theory formulation, theory testing, theory revision, prediction, control, the search for lawful relationships, and the assumption of determinism. Some modern philosophers of science, such as Karl Popper and Thomas Kuhn, disagree with some aspects of the traditional view. For Popper, scientific behavior begins with a problem which in turn determines what observations will be made. Popper sees scientific method as consisting of problems, theories, and criticism. He says that to be scientific, a theory must be refutable (principle of falsifiability) and make risky predictions (which could be found incorrect). He criticizes Freud's and Adler's theories as being unscientific as they are not refutable and engage in explaining phenomena after they have occurred (Monday morning quarterbacking). Popper also says that the fact that no observation can be specified that would falsify astrology makes astrology unscientific.

Until the second half of the 20th century, most advanced societies widely held that scientific method guaranteed objectivity and provided them with truths about the world. Thomas Kuhn (1973) has done much to change that worldview of science by showing science to be a highly subjective endeavor.

Among others, Galileo (1564-1642) and Kant (1724-1804) have stated that psychology could never be a science because of psychology's concern with subjective experience.

1 Watson, R.I., & Evans, R.B. (1991) The great psychologists. New York: Harper Collins Publishers, p.3
2 Ibid.
3 Watson, p.4
4 Ibid.
5 Watson, p.6
6 Ibid.
7 Watson, p.7.
8 Ibid.
9 Ibid.
10 Ibid.
11 Fleischer, Helmut. (1969) Marxism and history. New York: Harper and Row, p. 144.
12 Kuhn, Thomas. (1973) Structure of scientific revolutions (2nd ed.). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
13 Watson, Robert I. Prescriptions as operative in the history of psychology, Journal of the History of the Behavioral Sciences. 7 (1971): 311-322.
14 Popper, K. (1963) Conjectures and refutations. New York: Basic Books.

Creating a Historical Wedding Ring

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Diamond wedding rings have always been associated with love, especially for a couple. It may also symbolize an everlasting commitment. However, a wedding band may also hold a different meaning. In buying a wedding ring, consider first the things you would like to add up on the design. Things that may symbolize particular meaning may it be personal, cultural, or religious, whatever you like.

Engraving names and wedding dates on the inside of the wedding ring has been a tradition in Europe. However, the most symbolic wedding ring of all time would probably be those that are used in Hebrew wedding for they are larger than the regular rings as well as unwieldy. This ring is shaped resembling the dome of the Jewish temple.

In Victorian times, it was a tradition to wear a different ring with a different stone everyday, depending on what day it is. This was because they believe planet gods controlled days and each favored a specific stone like for Sunday, it was believed that it was represented by the sun and was symbolized by diamonds, red garnets, or pearls.

Deciding what design to use for your wedding ring would depend on the preference of you and your partner. You may use some of those historic traditions or create your own design that may convey meanings relevant to your relationship or as an individual.

Express your strong faith through a religious ring. You can use bands that signify a cross or engrave a bible verse inside the ring. Another way of customizing your wedding ring is by heritage. One example is Celtic heritage, which is symbolized in various ways by selecting a Claddagh or any ring with Celtic design. While, the Greek may use a ring designed with Greek key. The design was believed to symbolize love, friendship, and devotion. As for Native Americans, wearing a ring that symbolizes an animal important to their tribe like a wolf is a way of acknowledging the Native American heritage.

Andy Moquin has spent 20 years in the jewelry business buying and selling over $20,000,000 in diamonds, engagement rings and custom designed jewelry. He is an accomplished business consultant and is available for advice on topics such as marketing, advertising, merchandising and business turnarounds.