{"id":1370,"date":"2016-10-01T08:25:08","date_gmt":"2016-10-01T13:25:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.helleniclink.org\/?p=1370"},"modified":"2017-03-24T10:01:09","modified_gmt":"2017-03-24T15:01:09","slug":"bulletin-141","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/helleniclink.org\/?p=1370","title":{"rendered":"Bulletin # 141"},"content":{"rendered":"

THE HELLENIC LINK, Inc.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Untitled-1\"<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Editorial Committee<\/span>: Achilleas Adamantiades,<\/strong> Dimitri Dandolos, Alex Economides, Maria-Eleftheria Giatrakou, Gerasimos Merianos, Panagiotis Siskos, Stella Tsirka;\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Associate Editor\u00a0: Dean C. Lomis, Acting Editor: Costas Efthymiou<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

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Bulletin 141\u00a0\u00a0 October-November, 2016<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Member<\/strong> Update<\/strong>– <\/strong>Bulletin<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u0395\u03bd\u03b7\u03bc\u03ad\u03c1\u03c9\u03c3\u03b7 \u039c\u03b5\u03bb\u03ce\u03bd, \u03a6\u03af\u03bb\u03c9\u03bd, \u03ba\u03b1\u03b9 \u03a3\u03c5\u03bd\u03b5\u03c1\u03b3\u03b1\u03c4\u03ce\u03bd \u03c4\u03bf\u03c5 \u03a3\u03c5\u03bd\u03b4\u03ad\u03c3\u03bc\u03bf\u03c5<\/p>\n

In this issue, the Bulletin<\/em> presents with pleasure and ethnic pride an extraordinary school event organized by parents of Greek students attending schools in the East Williston School District of Nassau County in Long Island. The occasion was <\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cinstructional\u201d for parents; the program aimed at bringing together people of multicultural backgrounds in order to familiarize them with the features of one culture, our own Greek culture, in a congenial atmosphere, accentuated by some brief oral presentations, a Greek- menu dinner, followed by Greek folklore dances; the latter were performed\u00a0 by a group of the Greek Orthodox Church of St. Markella and by students of WheatleyHigh School. The cultural scope and value of the Progam \u2013 under the key theme of \u201cGreek Philotimo\u201d \u2013 becomes evident by its content, which we present herein in detail, thanks to the kind cooperation of the Greek Planning Committee of the School District.<\/strong><\/p>\n

In addition to the members of the Hellenic Link anf our readers, this event is of great interest to Greek American Communities and Organizations, which might desire to emulate this type of cultural activity in their locality.\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The Editor<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0EAST WILLISTON\u00a0 SCHOOL DISTRICT <\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Multicultural Committee Celebration of Greek Culture<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0By Joan Anderson , District Chair for World Languages<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 November 7, 2016<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Welcome Remarks <\/strong><\/p>\n

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Kalispera ( audience repeats it)\u00a0 Wow! That was great! Now let\u2019s try\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Ni hao<\/em> again, Namaste<\/em> and Salaam Walaikum<\/em> (Editor\u2019s Note: Hello in Mandarin Chinese, Indian Greeting, and Arab Greeting, respectively). Welcome to the East Williston School District\u2019s third Multicultural Event \u201cMy Big Fat Greek Celebration\u201d highlighting the culture of our Greek community members.<\/p>\n

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Wow!\u00a0 A color guard opener to our special evening, that was different!\u00a0 I hope all of you were welcomed with a \u201cmati\u201d to ward off evil spirits. <\/em><\/p>\n

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If you are a member of the Educational Advisory Committee, would you please stand? (Sharon Piscopia, Barbara Creamer and Jim Bloomgarden). Two years ago, the EAC suggested that we take advantage of the educational enrichment our diverse community provides us. And so, the Multicultural Committee was born with representation from community members, staff and students.<\/p>\n

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Knowing that all of our schools do so much to foster greater understanding and appreciation of other cultures among our student population, the Multicultural Committee quickly realized that their goal was to create opportunities for the adults<\/strong> of the community to learn more about each other and well, simply put- to connect. And that is exactly what happened at the Asian Lunar New Year and South Asian Holi celebrations. It was such a pleasure to see people across the district, who had never met before, enjoying each other\u2019s company over good food and conversation. Connections were made and as a result, people within our community are coming together in a variety of ways.<\/p>\n

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You can visit any university that boasts \u201cdiversity\u201d and you will quickly notice that their diversity is more divisive than inclusive. Numerous clubs of different ethnic groups that never connect with one another.\u00a0 Here at Wheatley (High School) we have the ICU- the Intercultural Unity Club, a club specifically designed to bring students of different backgrounds together to learn more about each other and to teach others within the school community about the rich cultural heritage that is represented within our student body. They work together, coordinate performances together, volunteer, contribute to charitable causes and as a result, they build strong bonds and friendships. And I encourage tonight\u2019s dancers to reach out to ICU members to teach them your (Greek) dances so that all of you can perform in the ICU assembly in December.<\/p>\n

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I have commented before on the uniqueness of the Multicultural Committee and how very special it is.<\/em>\u00a0 Not that I am partial or anything, but it is the BEST<\/strong> committee in the district. I call it the Adult ICU. The beauty of the committee is that it is ever evolving with new members joining for each new celebration and with each group coming on board, they are so surprised that all members of the committee are so genuinely interested in contributing to their particular event.\u00a0 I would like to introduce the committee members who worked on this wonderful Greek event:<\/p>\n

Bette Efthymiou-Kalpakis and Georgia Kaparos who coordinated the efforts of the Greek community,\u00a0 Vyomini Amin, Susan Checkla, Barbara Creamer, Priti Jain, Larissa Larionova, Tina Leong, Lily Lin, Sayyeda Mirza-Jafri, Kim Pitchayan, Neha Shah and Ivy Sun with input from ICU liaison:\u00a0 Rahul Ajmera <\/strong><\/p>\n

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Something very, very special has happened in just one year. As a result of the connections originally made on this committee and at our two prior events, district wide parents\u2019 social networks are expanding beyond their \u201cculturally based\u201d communities, parents from all three schools (Wheatley High, Willets Road Middle, and North Side Primary School) are connecting with each other in ways they had never done in the past and new friendships have been formed. The camaraderie and bonding that has taken place among the members of the community is truly inspiring.<\/p>\n

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I mentioned in my remarks at last year\u2019s dinners that districts had received an email from the government, stressing the importance of cultivating acceptance of diversity within their school communities. We were already ahead of the curve but, with the planning of this event, we have turned the corner<\/strong>.\u00a0 We are no longer celebrating our cultural diversity, we are truly celebrating our cultural UNITY<\/strong>. Serving on this committee, we have quickly learned that we are so much more similar than we are different. Hopefully, you, too, will see that this evening.<\/p>\n

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We invite you to suggest which culture we should consider highlighting on May 4.\u00a0 We are open to all ideas. We started with these dinners to get people talking, now we can continue with the same or move on to a different format.\u00a0 Community members have asked how they can contribute so we are looking at different options.\u00a0 Let us know your thoughts. Feel free to speak to any of us this evening or email me at your convenience.<\/p>\n

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And last, I would like to recognize a few more members of our staff that have contributed to our efforts in our times of need while we were planning this event: Elaine Kanas(Superintendent of Schools), Sean Feeney, Karen Klapper, and our custodial staff: Ed Briggs and Mike Deister.<\/p>\n

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A huge thank you to the families (both in and out of district) and vendors who sponsored this event in support of our goal. Your generosity is very much appreciated. <\/strong><\/p>\n

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And now, I would like to present ICU members Aarushi Jain, Demetri Kaparos and Erin Wu to MC our show and read Bette Efthymiou- Kalpakis\u2019 core theme of the event : Greek Philotimo.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

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\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/em><\/p>\n

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\u00a0<\/strong>AARUSHI advised the audience to open the pamphlets on their \u00a0tables to page 1 and asked them to stand and follow the lyrics as the event was to open with the Greek National Anthem, while the Triantafillou family was to\u00a0 lead the color guard.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>AARUSHI, ERIN and DEMETRI led \u00a0the Pledge of Allegiance.<\/strong><\/p>\n

AARUSHI asked the audience to take their seats and invited \u00a0Dr. Kanas to give her greeting in Greek and English.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Dr. Kanas introduces Mrs. Anderson<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>Mrs. Anderson turns it over to the presenter of the evening\u2019s theme:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Kalispera kai kalos orisate<\/em>!\u00a0 Good evening and welcome! When you think of something Greek, what comes to your mind\u2026is it ancient civilization, philosophy or mythology, or beautiful islands surrounded by dreamy beaches with crystalline water and fine white sand, or great festivals with delicious food and lively music?\u2026Yes, these things are all Greek and pretty well known\u2026but there is something else that is Greek that is not so obvious, but very important for you to learn and experience tonight.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Let\u2019s start with a brief look at some of the great Greek contributions to mankind:<\/strong><\/p>\n

CLICK HERE<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0 Philotimo<\/strong>\u00a0is a\u00a0Greek word<\/strong>\u00a0that is without\u00a0definition<\/strong>, but impacts the world beyond imagination. The\u00a0meaning<\/strong>\u00a0of\u00a0philotimo<\/strong>\u00a0extends far beyond the\u00a0words <\/strong>friend and honor.\u00a0 Philotimo encompasses the concepts of pride in self, pride in family, pride in community, and pride in doing the right thing for the world at large.\u00a0 Philotimo is comprised of many elements as described here:<\/p>\n

CLICK HERE<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Greeks were able to accomplish many great things thoughout history but why they accomplished them is why we are here today.\u00a0 Philotimo is the driving force behind all their great accomplishments and their guide for daily life.\u00a0 Philotimo is shown by the way Greeks embrace others and treat them with love and respect.\u00a0 Everyone is part of the Greek family regardless of race, gender or ethnic background, and is welcomed with open arms and great enthusiasm like this:<\/p>\n

CLICK HERE<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

You are all part of the Greek family here in the East Williston School District. \u00a0\u00a0We are inspired by philotimo and share the same values, hopes and dreams for a better world for our children.\u00a0\u00a0 We hope you enjoy Greek philotimo tonight, and encourage you to dance and eat like a Greek! \u00a0I assure you it\u2019s fun!\u00a0 Please welcome dance instructor Maria Pariaros and her dance team from Saint Markella Greek Orthodox Church in Wantagh to perform four dances joined by our Wheatley students.<\/p>\n

The first is Sirto, which is from the Aegean islands, the second is Kalamatiano which originated from the Peloponnese region and spread throughout mainland Greece, the third is Zeimbekiko which is modern day Greek dancing, and the fourth is Zorba which is known worldwide from Nikos Kazantzakis\u2019 famous book and movie Zorba the Greek.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0 <\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 We are so happy that you have joined us tonight.\u00a0 You all have philotimo<\/strong> by making the effort to learn and experience Greek culture.\u00a0 We hope you can discuss ways your ethnicity expresses philotimo with the guests at your table.\u00a0 I now ask that Mrs. Efthymiou-Kalpakis and Mrs. Kaparos, the planners for this great event, to please come forward.<\/strong><\/p>\n

On behalf of the Greek Event<\/strong> Planning Committee, we would\u00a0 like to present these flowers to Joan Anderson as a token of our great appreciation for having the vision to lead the Multicultural Steering Committee and for bringing us together to celebrate our unity while embracing our differences.\u00a0 I thank her for the opportunity to work and to learn from my fellow Committee members both Greek and non-Greek\u2026I also learned another Greek word during this project which is meraki (\u03bc\u03b5\u03c1\u03ac\u03ba\u03b9).\u00a0 Meraki is used to describe what happens when you leave a piece of yourself (your soul, creativity, or love) in your work.\u00a0 When you love doing something or anything so much that you put something of yourself into it.\u00a0 All the ladies showed meraki in this project.\u00a0 They worked tirelessly and passionately from start to finish, and that is how they accomplished so much in such a short amount of time.\u00a0 I am honored to live in<\/strong> and be a part of this great community.<\/p>\n

We would also like to take this opportunity to thank Ms. Maria Pariaros and her dance team from Saint Markella Church in Wantagh for dedicating their time and expertise to assist us with our performances this evening.\u00a0 Please come forward Maria to accept these flowers as a token of our gratitude.\u00a0 Thank you also Wantagh dancers Nicoletta Lios, Kristina Bussi, Sophia Kayantas, Vasia Bachas, and Kyra Gasparis, and Wheatley dancers Demetri Kaparos, Frances Kalpakis, Yvonne Kalpakis, Constance Kalpakis, Marcella Kanes, Maritsa Kanes, Katie Clark, and Farah Hasan.\u00a0 A big round of applause for all our performers this evening!<\/p>\n

Mrs.Joan Anderson continues and concludes her remarks:<\/u><\/p>\n

Just a few comments regarding the evening\u2019s plan.<\/p>\n

We hope you have a good appetite and the energy to dance after dinner. Opa! Before the MCs begin to call your tables to the buffet, I would like to go over the logistics.\u00a0\u00a0 We are trying to make serving as efficient as possible, so, lines will form at each end of the table.\u00a0 All food selections are doubled at each table so you will have seen all the selections by the time you reach the midway point. Table #s will be called in numerical order evens on this side, odd #s on the other. We invite you to take advantage of the photo booth set up in the lounge to have your photo (group or individual) taken and superimposed on a photo of a favorite Greek destination, perhaps Athens or Mykonos?<\/p>\n

After dinner, staff will remove your dinner plates prior to dessert. Again, we eliminated titles on the nametags to foster a friendly atmosphere. The committee put a lot of thought into the seating arrangements, providing a balance of community members and school district personnel. On your tables, you fill find pamphlets filled with information about Greek culture.\u00a0 On the first page, you will find tonight\u2019s menu and a list of what we call cultural connections or conversation starters. You may notice many women here dressed in blue and white with scarves to match.\u00a0 This is no coincidence.\u00a0 The Greek moms wanted to make it easier for you to identify them and to feel free to ask them about anything you have always wanted to know about Greeks, but may have been afraid to ask! So, don\u2019t be shy, ask away!\u00a0 On behalf of the Multicultural Committee, I hope you have a wonderful evening.<\/p>\n

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————————————————————–<\/p>\n

CULTURAL AND SCIENTIFIC ASSOCIATION<\/strong><\/p>\n

OF\u00a0 HELLENES AND \u00a0PHILHELLENES INCORPORATED IN DELAWARE<\/strong><\/p>\n

Suite No. 278, 38-11 Ditmars Blvd, Astoria, New York 11105<\/strong><\/p>\n

WebSite: <\/strong>http:\/\/www.helleniclink.org<\/strong><\/a> Email: <\/strong>info@helleniclink.org<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Contact Telephone: (718) 217- 0430<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

To carry away an elementary Manual on Greek culture and Modern Greece for reference, the Greek Planning Committee prepared a 10-page pamphlet, given to all \u2013 over 200 \u2013 guest parents who attended the event. We reproduce it below in miniaturized form for our readers.<\/p>\n

CLICK ON ANY OF THE FOLLOWING GRAPHICS TO ENLARGE EACH.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"141greekfoodbook\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"141page2\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"141page3\"<\/a>\"141page4\"<\/a>\"141page5\"<\/a>\"141page7\"<\/a>\"141page6\"<\/a><\/p>\n

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The Editorial Committee of the Hellenic Link Bulletin warmly congratulates the Greek Parents of the East Williston School District for their inspiring PHILOTIMI,<\/em> PHILADELFI and\u00a0 EFFECTIVE \u2013 one evening- presentation of Hellenic Culture to their fellow- citizens; this event has been appreciated as a most fitting ethnic contribution to the cultural life of the East Williston community. Bravo!<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u0395\u03cd\u03b3\u03b5<\/em>! <\/em>\u0386\u03c1\u03b9\u03c3\u03c4\u03b1<\/em>!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

THE HELLENIC LINK, Inc. \u00a0 Editorial Committee: Achilleas Adamantiades, Dimitri Dandolos, Alex Economides, Maria-Eleftheria Giatrakou, Gerasimos Merianos, Panagiotis Siskos, Stella Tsirka;\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Associate Editor\u00a0: Dean C. Lomis, Acting Editor: Costas Efthymiou   Bulletin 141\u00a0\u00a0 October-November, 2016       Member Update– Bulletin \u0395\u03bd\u03b7\u03bc\u03ad\u03c1\u03c9\u03c3\u03b7 \u039c\u03b5\u03bb\u03ce\u03bd, \u03a6\u03af\u03bb\u03c9\u03bd, \u03ba\u03b1\u03b9 \u03a3\u03c5\u03bd\u03b5\u03c1\u03b3\u03b1\u03c4\u03ce\u03bd \u03c4\u03bf\u03c5 \u03a3\u03c5\u03bd\u03b4\u03ad\u03c3\u03bc\u03bf\u03c5 In this issue, the Bulletin presents with […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1370","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news-articles"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/helleniclink.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1370","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/helleniclink.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/helleniclink.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/helleniclink.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/helleniclink.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1370"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/helleniclink.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1370\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1409,"href":"https:\/\/helleniclink.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1370\/revisions\/1409"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/helleniclink.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1370"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/helleniclink.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1370"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/helleniclink.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1370"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}