Biographies

Dionisis Simopoulos

Dionisis P. Simopoulos (8 March 1943 – 7 August 2022) was a Greek astronomy educator, science communicator and director emeritus of the Eugenides Planetarium.

Personal life

Dionisis P. Simopoulos was born in Ioannina, Greece, although he actually grew up in Patras. He studied political communication, from January 1963 to December 1972, at the Departments of Government. During that period he received several awards and honors in various public speaking and debating competitions.
He married Karen Louise Peterson in 1968, and they have a daughter, born in 1974, and two sons, born in 1976 and 1978. Simopoulos died of pancreatic cancer on 7 August 2022, at the age of 79.

Professional career

He started working in January 1968 and served as an Associate Curator (January–September 1968), as Assistant Director of Education (September 1968 – September 1969), and Planetarium Director (September 1969 – March 1973) at the Louisiana Arts and Science Center in Baton Rouge, and as a Special Advisor to the Science Committee of the School Board (1970–1973). In October 1972, he was invited to return to Athens by the Eugenides Foundation where he worked as the Eugenides Planetarium‘s Director for 41 years (April 1973 – 2014). He has taught in many seminars for university graduates and business executives as an instructor of communication, decision making and problem solving. He has actively attended numerous professional conferences and seminars and has published hundreds of articles in Greek and foreign magazines and newspapers.

Professional activities

He served as the President of the European Association for Astronomy Education (1994–2002), as a member of the Executive Council of the International Planetarium Society (1978–2008) and as the Secretary General of the European-Mediterranean Planetarium Association (1976–2008). He was a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society (since 1978) and the International Planetarium Society (since 1980) and held memberships in many other international scientific organizations. In 1996, he received the highest honor (IPS Service Award) of the International Planetarium Society for his contribution to the international astronomy education, and in 2006, he was honored with the Palmes Académiques of the French Republic. In 2012 the Hellenic Physics Society (EEF) honored him with a special lifetime achievement award for his contributions to the popularization of science in Greece. At the 2015 annual festive session of the Academy of Athens, the country’s highest scientific and cultural institution, Simopoulos received the Academy’s Science Award “for his overall contribution to the popularization and dissemination of astronomy and the exemplary operation of the Eugenides Planetarium.”

https://www.facebook.com/p/Dionysios-Simopoulos-100054136916939/

Theodore Papakostas

Dr Theodore Papakostas is an archaeologist. He earned his bachelor’s degree in Archaeology from the University of Reading and his MA in Prehistoric Archaeology from the University of Nottingham. He has participated in excavations in Greece and the UK and has worked at the Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki and the Archaeological Service of Kilkis. He completed his PhD in Classical Archaeology at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in 2017.Theo, who is known as ‘Archaeostoryteller’ on all social media, has presented two documentary series on Greek television and his podcast (Archaeostoryteller) is one of the top five most popular podcasts in Greece.

Luther Markou

Louthiros Markou grew up in the historic town of Thiva, where the mythical figure of Hercules is from. Completed his studies both undergraduate and postgraduate in a well-known universities in the United Kingdom and started his career in the financial sector in the UK. Later worked in the UK and Greece in many others sectors such as Aviation, Cosmetics but the last few years he is working in an alcoholic beverage industry as a business professional with an exemplary record of leading International Marketing Assignments in a fast paced corporate environment, excellent interpersonal and influencing skills, performance driven, strategic thinker, highly numerate and analytical. He has demonstrated excellent organisational skills and is always seeking continuous development opportunities. But above all he is an adventurous soul, free spirit who always wants to explore, travel, meet new people and help in many different ways to anyone in need.

Eugene Chaplin

Eugene Anthony Chaplin (born August 23, 1953) is a Swiss recording engineer and documentary filmmaker. He is the fifth child of Oona O’Neill and Charlie Chaplin, the grandson of playwright Eugene O’Neill, and the father of film actress Kiera Chaplin.

He was part of the cast in the Benny Hill The Worlds Funniest Clown (1991), he is the president of the International Comedy Film Festival of Vevey, Switzerland and he directed the documentary film Charlie Chaplin: A Family Tribute produced by Alexandre Alé de Basseville.Eugene has also created the musical Smile, which is a narration of Charlie Chaplin’s life through his music.

As a recording engineer, he worked with The Rolling Stones, David Bowie, and Queen.

Benjamin Van Bunderen Robberecths

Alongside countless other young people, my engagement in protests for more climate action began in 2019. Little did I know that the climate crisis would become deeply personal so quickly. In 2021, my friend Rosa tragically lost her life in floods connected to climate change. Despite my best efforts, I was unable to save her.
Since then, I have started the Climate Justice For Rosa campaign, aiming to emphasise that the climate crisis goes beyond percentages and statistics; it is about preserving lives. In 2023, I successfully advocated for the establishment of the “EU Day for the Victims of the Global Climate Crisis.” Every year, on July 15th, the EU will pay tribute to all climate victims while contemplating the climate actions necessary to secure a sustainable and secure future for current and future generations. As a Climate Pact ambassador, I continue to raise awareness about the dangers of climate inaction and exert pressure on policymakers, urging them to take action.

Fire Lieutenant Colonel Vassilis Bikas - Captain Sylvain Cheval

Fire Chief Vassilis Bikas is an Environmentalist, Oceanographer M.Sc. Head of the Department of Organization of the Headquarters of the Fire Brigade and Coordinator of the Greek Association of Officers of Foreign Missions.

Captain Sylvan Cheval is Head of missions of the French Fire Brigade and serves in the military structure of France’s civil protection apparatus as its commander in Corsica.

Charles Norman Shay

Charles Norman Shay (born June 27,1924) is a Penobscot tribal elder, riter, and decorated veteran of both World War II and the Korean War.

World War II

Shay was drafted into the military in 1943 at the age of 19. He was selected for training as a medical technician and learned basic surgery skills. Shay joined the Medical Detachment of the First Division‘s (the “Big Red One”) 16th Infantry Regiment and was attached as a platoon medic to Fox Company. As a combat medic, Shay treated as many of his wounded comrades as possible – bandaging wounds, applying tourniquets,applying makeshift splints, administering morphine or otherwise trying to make the wounded soldiers as comfortable as possible. Shay pulled several struggling soldiers from the rising tide, saving many immobilized wounded from drowning during the first wave of the landing of Omaha Beach on D-Day. He was also present helping the fallen at the Battles of Aachen, Huertgen Forest, and the Ardennes (Battle of the Bulge).

Shay was later attached to a reconnaissance squadron moving into the small farming village of Auel near the Sieg River in Germany. The squadron encountered about 20 German soldiers accompanied by a tank with an 88mm weapon, and were forced to surrender.The squadron was then marched 50–60 miles, moving only by night, to the POW camp Stalag VI-G. The column of prisoners grew along the way as the German unit accumulated more and more American soldiers. Shay was interrogated at the camp and held there until April 12,1945, when American troops encircled the camp, trapping 350,000 enemy soldiers and liberating the camp. Shay was sent home soon after.

Post-World War II and Korea

After making it home safely, Shay was unable to find work, like many other veterans after the war. He re-enlisted and was stationed in Vienna, Austria, serving as a medic with a Military Police Battalion. While stationed there he met a woman named Lilli [Rosa] Bollarth, and they married on March 21,1950. When the Korean War broke out later that year,Shay joined the 3rd Division’s 7th Infantry Regiment as a medic and was shipped to Japan. A few months later,his regiment went into battle in Korea and he served again as a combat medic. Shay was promoted to master sergeant and awarded the Bronze Star with two oak leaf clusters.

Retirement

Shay and his wife Lilli lived together in Vienna, visiting Shay’s original hometown on Indian Island in Maine in the summers. Charles and Lilli officially relocated to Indian Island in 2003, but unfortunately Lilli fell ill almost immediately. She died shortly after. Shay has also renovated the two-story wooden “Teepee” on Native Island that his aunt Lucy Nicolar Poolaw and her Kiowa Indian husband Chief Bruce Poolaw built as a novelty shop and to sell Lucy’s handmade baskets. Shay is an elder member of the Penobscot tribe of Maine. Also known as the Penawahpskewi, the people of the Penobscot Nation are federally recognized. The tribe is part of the Wabanaki group, located in Maine, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia. Shay lived until 2018 in the community of the Native Americans reservation where he spent his childhood on Penobscot Island, opposite Old Town, Maine. In his retirement, Shay played a big role in the installment of National Native American Veterans Day. Shay moved to France in 2018 and “During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020-21, coming from his nearby home, he was among the few veterans able to attend commemorations. He stood up for all others who could not make the trip amid restrictions.”

He turned 100 on June 27,2024.

Along with a Bronze Star and Silver Star, Shay was also awarded the Legion d’Honneur, making him the first Native American in Maine with the distinction of French chevalier. He was instrumental in the re-publishing of a book by his own grandfather, Joseph Nicolar: The Life and Traditions of the Red Man, originally published in 1893. He has recently written an autobiography, Project Omaha Beach: The Life and Military Service of a Penobscot Indian Elder that details his time abroad in the military. Shay is also a direct descendant of Jean-Vincent d’Abbadie de Saint-Castin–

See also
IG:@charles.norman.shay

Victor Yalom

I have been practicing as a psychologist since 1989. Now one could make a joke about the “practicing” part–but I think it’s an apt term here. In my mind, psychotherapy is much more of an art than it is a science, and a therapist is not a medical provider, nor a “healer” (whatever that means), but first and foremost a human being who engages in conversations with other human beings, in an attempt to make their lives better.
I could tell you all about where I went to school, and who I have trained with, and all sort of things. If you want to know, of course I am happy to share this with you. Those may inform you somewhat, but will tell you very little about how I actually work, or what it’s like to sit in the room with me–whether a virtual or physical room.

Most of my time these days is spent producing videos for Psychotherapy.net and training other therapists. I have produced over 100 videos, as I believe seeing therapy in action by experts in the field is a powerful way for therapists to learn their craft. I like using different parts of my brain, and the challenges and creativity necessary to run a small business is quite rewarding. This helps me be more energized and focused when I am with my clients. I recently produced a short video for therapists, Powerful Ideas for Developing your Best Therapeutic Self, which you can view here. Additionally I have conducted several webinars showing videos of my work with clients which have attended by thousands of therapists; these are available here. You can listen to or watch interviews of me on the Self-Connection Podcast (video version on Youtube here), The Systemic Way, Talking Therapy Podcast, The Theory of Change, VidensCenter for Psykoterapi (Dutch), The Creative Psychotherapist, The Science of Psychotherapy, and TherapySites, and read interviews of me in Pagina de Psihologie, Contemporary Psychotherapy, Psychotherapy.net and Europe’s Journal of Psychology. I have also written a few blogs for Psychotherapy.net. I also lead consultation groups for early career therapists, and have led in-person workshops for therapists in Mexico and China, and webinars for therapists in Brazil, Italy, and Russia. If I can be of help to you in some way, feel free to reach out!
In my non-therapy life I keep busy making sculptures and painting, and trying to improve my table tennis game.

Note: I no longer have an office in San Francisco, but I do maintain a small online psychotherapy practice, and also am available to see clients at my home office in San Anselmo. I also co-lead two online therapy groups. If I am unable to see you, I am more than happy to refer you to a trusted colleague.
https://www.sfpsychologist.com/
https://www.psychotherapy.net/blog/author/victor-yalom-phd

Phan Thị Kim Phúc

In this Vietnamese name, the surname is Phan. In accordance with Vietnamese custom, this person should be referred to by the given name, Kim Phúc. Phan Thị Kim Phúc OOnt (Vietnamese pronunciation: [faːŋ tʰɪ̂ˀ kim fúk͡p̚]; born April 6, 1963), referred to informally as the girl in the picture[1] and the napalm girl, is a South Vietnamese-born Canadian woman best known as the nine-year-old child depicted in the Pulitzer Prize–winning photograph, titled The Terror of War, taken at Trảng Bàng during the Vietnam War on June 8, 1972. The image, taken for the Associated Press by a 21-year-old Vietnamese-American photographer named Nick Ut, shows her at nine years of age running naked on a road after being severely burned on her back by a South Vietnamese napalm attack. She later founded the Kim Phúc Foundation International to provide aid to child victims of war.

Vietnam War napalm attack

Phan Thi Kim Phúc and her family lived in Trảng Bàng in South Vietnam. On June 8, 1972, South Vietnamese planes dropped napalm on Trảng Bàng, which had been attacked and occupied by North Vietnamese forces.[4] Phúc joined a group of civilians and South Vietnamese soldiers who were fleeing from the Caodai Temple to the safety of South Vietnamese-held positions. The Republic of Vietnam Air Force pilot flying an A-1E Skyraider mistook the group for enemy soldiers and diverted to attack. The bombing killed two of Phúc’s cousins and two other villagers. Phúc received third degree burns after her clothing was burned by the fire. Associated Press photographer Nick Ut took a photograph of Phúc running naked amid other fleeing villagers, South Vietnamese soldiers, and other press photographers. This became one of the most haunting images of the Vietnam War. In an interview many years later, she recalled she was yelling, Nóng quá, nóng quá (“So hot, so hot”) in the picture. The New York Times editors were at first hesitant to consider the photo for publication because of the nudity, but they eventually approved it. A cropped version of the photo—with the press photographers to the right removed—was featured on the front page of The New York Times the next day. It later earned a Pulitzer Prize and was chosen as the World Press Photo of the Year for 1973. After snapping the photograph, Ut took Phúc and the other injured children to Barsky Hospital in Saigon, where it was determined that her burns were so severe that she probably would not survive. After a 14-month hospital stay and 17 surgical procedures, including skin transplantations, she was able to return home. A number of the early operations were performed by Finnish plastic surgeon Aarne Rintala. It was only after treatment at a special hospital in Ludwigshafen, West Germany, in 1982, that Phúc was able to properly move again. Ut continued to visit Phúc until he was evacuated to the United States during the fall of Saigon. Thumbnails of the film footage showing the events just before and after the photograph was taken,

Less publicized is the film, shot by British television cameraman Alan Downes for the British Independent Television News (ITN) and his Vietnamese counterpart Le Phuc Dinh who was working for the American television network NBC, which shows the events just before and after the photograph was taken.

Controversy

Audio tapes of President Richard Nixon, in conversation with his chief of staff, H. R. Haldeman in 1972, reveal that Nixon mused, “I’m wondering if that was fixed”, after seeing the photograph. After the release of this tape, Ut commented, “Even though it has become one of the most memorable images of the twentieth century, President Nixon once doubted the authenticity of my photograph when he saw it in the papers on 12 June 1972.The picture for me and unquestionably for many others could not have been more real. The photo was as authentic as the Vietnam War itself. The horror of the Vietnam War recorded by me did not have to be fixed. That terrified little girl is still alive today and has become an eloquent testimony to the authenticity of that photo. That moment thirty years ago will be one Kim Phúc and I will never forget. It has ultimately changed both our lives.”

Adult life

Phúc was removed from her university as a young adult studying medicine and used as a propaganda symbol by the communist government of Vietnam. Due to constant pain, she considered suicide, but in 1982 she found a New Testament in a library that led her to become a Christian and towards forgiveness. In 1986, she was granted permission to continue her studies in Cuba, where she studied Spanish and was trained as a pharmacist. It was in Havana that Phúc met Ut for the first time in fourteen years, in 1989, and the two have been meeting and speaking over telephone regularly ever since. Prime Minister of Vietnam Phạm Văn Đồng became her friend and patron. After arriving in Cuba, she met Bui Huy Toan, another Vietnamese student and her future fiancé. In 1992, Phúc and Toan married. On the way to their honeymoon in Moscow, they left the plane during a refuelling stop in Gander, Newfoundland, and asked for political asylum in Canada, which was granted. The couple now live in Ajax, Ontario, and have two children. In 1996, Phúc met the surgeons who had saved her life. The following year, she became a Canadian citizen. In 2015, it was reported that she was receiving laser treatment, provided free of charge at a hospital in Miami, to reduce the scarring on her left arm and back.

Activism

‘Forgiveness made me free from hatred. I still have many scars on my body and severe pain most days but my heart is cleansed. Napalm is very powerful, but faith, forgiveness, and love are much more powerful. We would not have war at all if everyone could learn how to live with true love, hope, and forgiveness. If that little girl in the picture can do it, ask yourself: Can you?”. In 1997, she established the first Kim Phúc Foundation in the U.S., with the aim of providing medical and psychological assistance to child victims of war. Later, other foundations were set up, with the same name, under an umbrella organization, Kim Phúc Foundation International. In 2004, Phúc spoke at the University of Connecticut about her life and experience, learning how to be “strong in the face of pain” and how compassion and love helped her heal. On December 28, 2009, National Public Radio broadcast her spoken essay, “The Long Road to Forgiveness”, for the This I Believe series. In May 2010, Phúc was reunited by the BBC with ITN correspondent Christopher Wain, who helped to save her life. On May 18, 2010, Phúc appeared on the BBC Radio 4 programme It’s My Story. In the programme, Phúc related how she was involved through her foundation in the efforts to secure medical treatment in Canada for Ali Abbas, who had lost both arms in a rocket attack on Baghdad during the invasion of Iraq in 2003. In a December 21, 2017, article for The Wall Street Journal, Phúc wrote that the trauma she suffered in the napalm strike still requires treatment, but that the psychological trauma was greater: “But even worse than the physical pain was the emotional and spiritual pain.” This led directly to her conversion to Christianity, which she credits with healing the psychological trauma of living over forty years being known to the world as “Napalm Girl”. “My faith in Jesus Christ is what has enabled me to forgive those who had wronged me,” she wrote, “no matter how severe those wrongs were.” In July 2022, Phúc in person welcomed 236 Ukrainian refugees with children aboard a special flight from Warsaw to Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. The airplane used for the special flight bore an image of her iconic 1972 photo. The flight was arranged by an organization called Solidaire. She later met Nick Ut, the photographer behind “The Terror of War” for the first time after 50 years in Trảng Bàng, Tây Ninh province.

Recognition

On November 10, 1994, Phúc was named a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador. In 1996, Phúc gave a speech at the United States Vietnam Veterans Memorial on Veterans Day. In her speech, she said that one cannot change the past, but everyone can work together for a peaceful future. John Plummer, a Vietnam veteran who said he took part in coordinating the air strike with the Republic of Vietnam Air Force, met with Phúc briefly and was publicly forgiven. Plummer later admitted to The Baltimore Sun he had lied, saying he was “caught up in the emotion at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial on the day Phuc spoke”. Canadian filmmaker Shelley Saywell made a documentary about their meeting. Her biography, The Girl in the Picture, was written by Denise Chong and published in 1999. In 2003, Belgian composer Eric Geurts wrote “The Girl in the Picture”, dedicated to Phúc. It was released on Flying Snowman Records, with all profits going to the Kim Phúc Foundation. It was released again in 2021 as part of Eric’s album Leave a Mark.

Awards

On October 22, 2004, Phúc was made a member of the Order of Ontario, and received an honorary Doctorate of Law from York University for her work supporting child victims of war around the world. On October 27, 2005, she was awarded an honorary degree in Law from Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario. On June 2, 2011, she was awarded the honorary degree of Doctor of Laws from the University of Lethbridge. On May 19, 2016, she was awarded a Doctor of Civil Law, Honoris Causa by Saint Mary’s University (Halifax). On February 11, 2019, Phúc was awarded the 2019 Dresden Peace Prize in recognition of her work with UNESCO and as an activist for peace.

Retrospective works

The Girl in the Picture: The Kim Phúc Story, the Photograph and the Vietnam War, by Denise Chong, is a 1999 biographical and historical book tracing the life story of Phúc. Chong’s historical coverage emphasizes the life, especially the school and family life, of Phúc from before the attack, through convalescence, and into the present time. The book deals primarily with Vietnamese and American relationships during the Vietnam War, while examining themes of war, racism, immigration, political turmoil, repression, poverty, and international relationships through the lens of family and particularly through the eyes and everyday lives of women. Phúc and her mother, Nu, provide the lens through which readers of The Girl in the Picture experience war, strife, and the development of communism in Vietnam. Like Chong’s first book, The Girl in the Picture was shortlisted for the Governor General’s Award for English-language non-fiction.

Christian Tagliavini

Christian Tagliavini was born in 1971 in Switzerland, where he currently lives and works as a fine art photographer and craftsman. His work is heavily shaped by a childhood spent in Parma, where he grew up immersed in the rich artistic culture of the Plain of the Po, Italy’s longest river.

Tagliavini’s evocative images represent just the final stage in his artistic process. His photographs capture the creative vision in his mind’s eye, which he brings to life with handcrafted props, made-to-measure costumes and unconventional models. This behind-the-scenes work establishes him as an artisan- photographer.

Choosing unexplored concepts as themes, Tagliavini’s work narrates open-ended stories, inviting the viewer to actively experience unique ideas, sensations and feelings, and ultimately decide the ending for themselves.A self-taught photographer,Tagliavini originally trained in architecture and worked as a graphic designer. His interest in photography was sparked in 2000, at a photographic exhibition in Milan. Fascinated by the technical aspects of photography, he tried his hand at several photographic disciplines before discovering that the mise-en-scène technique was the most effective way to capture the stories that lived in his imagination.

Embracing the art of slow photography, Tagliavini’s creative approach involves meticulous planning and careful design. Each project begins with initial historical and iconographic research, feasibility assessments, sketches, storyboarding, colour experimentation,and composition before he sets about making his vision a reality.

Tagliavini uses various techniques to handcraft each and every detail, including the props and backdrops. Each costume is fashioned to Christian’s detailed designs, including the fabric and colour choices, and is made-to-measure for each model.

Where possible, Tagliavini prefers to work with non-professional models, drawing inspiration from their spontaneity and curiosity. A champion of unconventional beauty, he has always favoured personality over a classical aesthetic. His models represent the only detail of his work that he cannot control: their expressiveness is instinctive and they often inspire him to take his stories in completely new directions. This unscripted detail casts him in the role of observer rather than director.
Christian Tagliavini won the Hasselblad Masters Fine Art Category in 2012 and the IPA Fine Art: Portrait prize in 2013. His work has been exhibited in many art galleries and museums worldwide.