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ΓΡΑΦΕΙ ΤΗΝ ΙΣΤΟΡΙΑ
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ΑΠΟ ΤΟ 1915
The National Herald
www.thenationalherald.com
July 25-31, 2015
Savopoulos’
Alleged Killer
Eludes Immig
By Constantinos E. Scaros
WASHINGTON, DC – A story
that continues to be featured
prominently in the mainstream
media is the murder of Kathryn
Steinle in San Francisco on July
1. Steinle was walking with her
father along Pier 14 that evening
of July 1 when she was fatally
shot. The suspect, Fransisco
Sanchez, who is now in custody,
had been booked on March 26
on a drug-related warrant after
already having served a federal
prison term, but was released
from jail on April 15, despite a
request from Immigration and
Customs Enforcement (ICE) to
take him into custody.
Sanchez is an illegal alien,
which most media sources refer
to, euphemistically but legally incorrectly as an “illegal immi-
cv
$1.50
Tsipras Withstands a
Bruising Bailout Vote;
Troika is Next Hurdle
By Theodore Kalmoukos
Continued on page 4
anniversary
1
Elpidoforos
Reportedly
Seeks to be
Archbishop
CONSTANTINOPLE – Metropolitan Elpidoforos of Bursa, Abbot of the Holy Trinity Patriarchal Monastery on the island of
Chalki, is making efforts to succeed Demetrios as the future
Archbishop of America, sources
in Constantinople, Athens, and
New York told TNH.
But Archbishop Demetrios
told TNH that he has not resigned and has no intention of
doing so. “No, absolutely not,”
the archbishop said, calling the
information “mendacity” and
“fable.”
But does he intend to resign
soon? Again, Demetrios responded: “I want you to know
that there is a big ‘no’ to everything that relates to resignation.
As long as I am alive and I am
in this [healthy] condition, God
gives me health and strength
and I work. There is no intention for resignation.” The Archbishop added that “these issues
are up to God’s will and not
man’s.”
His All Holiness Ecumenical
Patriarch Bartholomew recently
approached
Metropolitan
Methodios of Boston to see if he
wanted to become Archbishop
of America, but he declined invoking reasons of health, marking the second time that Methodios has declined the Partiarch’s
offer. The first time was in August 1999, before the Patriarchate settled on Demetrios. At
that time, Bartholomew had invited Metropolitan Methodios to
th
1915-2015
a wEEklY grEEk-amEriCan PuBliCation
VOL. 18, ISSUE 928
100
aP Photo/giannis PaPanikos
Demonstrators gather at Syntagma Square outside the Greek Parliament during an antiausterity rally on July 22 while lawmakers inside were preparing to vote on further economic reforms demanded by the European Union and the IMF in return for a new financial bailout.
ATHENS (AP) — Greece's
radical left-led government
emerged bloodied but alive
early July 23 from a key vote in
Parliament, which overwhelmingly approved new creditor-demanded reforms despite a revolt
among hardliners in the main
coalition partner.
The reforms to the judiciary
and banking systems were the
final hurdle the financially-battered country was obliged to
clear before it can start talks
with its creditors on a third
bailout worth around 85 billion
euros ($93 billion).
Without the money Greece
would face financial ruin and
forced exit from the euro currency club.
Lawmakers voted 230-63 in
favor of the measures, following
a whirlwind debate that ended
at 4AM. Another five members
of the 300-seat house voted present, a kind of abstention.
Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras
was unable to forestall a second
revolt in a week among his own
SYRIZA party lawmakers, but
had no trouble passing the draft
legislation with the backing of
pro-European opposition parties.
Government spokeswoman
Olga Gerovasili conceded that
there is a clear rift within
SYRIZA, but would not say
whether rebels would be expelled. "From this point on,
party procedures will be followed in order to deal with the
problem," she said after the
vote.
The number of disaffected
SYRIZA lawmakers, who see the
reforms as a betrayal of the antiausterity platform that brought
their party to power in January,
shrunk slightly compared to last
week's similar vote — from 38
to 36. But that is still roughly a
quarter of all party lawmakers.
Addressing Parliament before
the vote, Tsipras said the reforms were a necessary price to
pay to keep Greece alive after
stormy talks with its creditors
nearly collapsed earlier this
month.
"We have chosen a comproContinued on page 9
Cyprus: Now Occupied for 41 Years
By Constantine S. Sirigos
TNH Staff Writer
NEW YORK – Forty one years
have now passed since Turkey’s
invasion and occupation of
Cyprus. At memorial services
around the world and across the
country, congregations chanted
– “eternal be their memory” –
and those words were supplemented by declarations of
“never forget,” from community
leaders and diplomats.
Archbishop Demetrios of
America presided over the main
memorial service in the New
York area at the Church of the
Archangel Michael in Port Washington, NY on July 19 which
was organized by the Federation
of Cypriot American Organizations (FCAO), the International
Coordinating Committee – Justice for Cyprus (PSEKA), and the
Federation of Hellenic Societies
of Greater New York under the
auspices of the Consulate General of Cyprus.
Indeed, it is a dark anniversary, but recent developments
suggest to some seasoned observers that there is light at the
end of the tunnel.
The Executive Director of the
Hellenic American Leadership
Council (HALC), Endy Zemenides, briefed community
members through a special conference call on July 20, the actual date of the “first” invasion,”
of 1974. The second attack on
August 14, 1974 cut the island
almost in half, a wound that still
bleeds with 1587 people still
missing and hundreds of thousands unable to return to their
homes.
New York State Assemblywoman was moved by the service. “It is very important that
we, as Greek and Cypriot Amer-
icans, never forget,” but she said
it is particularly important for
parents “to help children learn
the history of what happened,
the human right violations, and
continue to fight for justice in
Cyprus.”
Simotas was deeply moved
by the film about the plight of
the Cypriots that was screened
at the Church. The 20 minute
film titled Home featured interviews with both Greek and Turkish Cypriots anxious to return
to their homes – but there were
also devastating images of the
destruction of Churches and attempts to eradicate the 3000
year-old Hellenic heritage on
Cyprus.
She that with films like
Home “It becomes very real,”
and in her experience, when
non-Greeks are exposed to the
Continued on page 9
Eta PrEss
Fantastic Astoria Night
Greeks and non-Greeks danced in Athens Square to the music
of the band Fantasia, led by Mike Stoupakis on bouzouki. “Greeks
of New York” and Stamatis Restaurant were the sponsors of the
third presentation of the Greek Nights summer series.
Babylon Church Fire: “Bad, Could’ve Been Worse” Looking at
By Demetris Tsakas
TNH Staff Writer
BABLYON – A fire broke out at
9:30 PM on July 21 that ravaged
the altar area of the Church of
St. Nicholas in Babylon, NY.
"It was bad, but it could have
been a lot, lot worse," the pastor,
Rev. Demetrios Kazakis told
Newsday.
Archbishop
Demetrios, who was presiding
Continued on page 5
For subscription:
718.784.5255
[email protected]
Dimitrios Panagos
The altar area of the Church of St. Nicholas was badly damaged
by fire, smoke, and water on July 19. Many members of the
community raced to the parish in the middle of the night.
over vespers at the Church of
St. Markella in Wantaugh, raced
to the Church to survey the
damage and comfort parishioners.
“Fire departments from West
Babylon and Babylon responded
and the fire was out in a little
more than a half-hour,” according to Newsday. Suffolk County's
Arson Squad is investigating the
fire and no one was injured.
A faulty refrigerator or its
electrical cord may have started
the fire in a backroom near the
altar Kazakis said. Newsday
added, “It spread from the backroom to the entire altar area,”
and Kazakis said "It combusted
and started everything…There
is extensive smoke and water
damage to the areas above and
around the altar."
Kazakis said many things, including portable icons, were destroyed. The parish was most
concerned, however, about
damage to the Church’s recently
completed permanent iconogra-
First Greeks
In Hawaii
phy program.
Kazakis praised fire fighters
for being able to save other
items, like the relics and icon of
St. Nicholas, and noted most of
the damage was due to smoke
and water.
“Early indications are there
is no structural damage to the
building, and the fire did not
spread to any neighboring buildings…and the fire also knocked
out the church's phone system…
Firefighters stayed long after the
fire, as the heavy smoke took its
time leaving the church; Kazakis
said things didn't get cleared up
until close to 3 AM,” Newsday
reported.
Demetrios also expressed his
gratitude to The National Herald for the selfless heroism of
firefighters who managed in a
short time to bring the fire under control, adding, "Fortunately
all the firefighters and our people are safe and sound and we
CHICAGO-Who writes history?
Why? Are certain individuals
somehow better qualified to
read, understand and then compose history than you or I? Do
you believe that the histories we
are presented with are nothing
more than the real world events
copied down and presented to
us just as they took place?
This stenographer point of
view is essentially the traditional claim and I would argue
the commonly held impression
of past events. From this orientation actual events took place;
they are preserved in an unadulterated form in written records
Continued on page 5
Continued on page 7
By Steve Frangos
TNH Staff Writer
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offer may be withdrawn at the discretion of the bank at any time. the bank is not responsible for typographical errors.
© 2015 new York Commercial Bank - member FDiC
COMMUNITY
2
GOINGS ON...
HELLENIC HAPPENINGS FROM COAST TO COAST
TNH Staff
WASHINGTON, DC – GreekAmerican groups like the Hellenic American Leadership
Council (HALC) and the American Hellenic Institute (AHI) are
encouraging the United States
to pressure Europe to ease austerity policies. This January, after the SYRIZA Party election,
Greek-American organizations
have been crucial in building
the relationship between Congress and Greece’s new government. These organizations are
claiming credit for organizing
meetings with members of Congress for Greek foreign minister
Nikos Kotzias and Greek defense minister Panos Kammenos. Even after President
Obama criticized European
leaders for there effect on
Greece’s recovery, Greek- American political leaders say that
they could be doing much more
if it wasn’t for the Obama Administration’s reluctance to get
involved with European affairs.
"We have been railing on the
austerity-only politics of the
EU,” since the start of Greece’s
debt crisis in 2009, said Endy
Zemenides, Executive Director
of the Chicago-based (HALC),
one of the largest Greek-American political action organizations. “We did not think they
were going to work when they
were imposed, and we still
think they are not working,”
says the Huffington Post. These
Endy Zemenides: Some Greek-American leaders, such as HALC
Executive Director Andy Zemenides, wish that President Obama
would take a more active role in Greece’s relations with Europe.
Greek-American organizations
have lobbied the United States
government, which they believe
should use its power to secure
better terms on Greece’s repayment to the International Monetary Fund, European Commission and the European Central
Bank. Greek-American leaders
such as Zemenides have expressed their frustration at the
Obama Administration.
JACKSON, MS – Last week
we printed a story on Nia Vardalos’ response to media coverage
on the Greek financial crisis.
Greek-Americans in Jackson,
MS said that the media is partly
to blame for the country’s economic problem. Chris Grillis is
the son of Greek immigrants. He
inherited their eatery, Lamar
Restaurant, in Downtown Jackson and real estate on Patmos.
Grillis says it is quite common
for Greeks to bequeath property
to their children living abroad
in the United States. For most,
though, it is a struggle to find
the funds to maintain property
overseas, so Grillis says that
“most Greek kids” have no desire to keep their parent’s property, says the Clarion-Ledger.
Grillis, like many others, has
had to lower the rent to ensure
that he doesn’t lose his tenant
in Greece. He is apart of the
many business owners that are
keeping an eye on Greece’s
economy. Many are expressing
serious doubt about a Greek recovery. Grillis is confident the
economy will stabilize. “It’ll take
years, but it will be fixed,” says
Grillis. He told the Clarion
Ledger he believes his relatives
will be alright “as long as the
tourism is still going,” something Grillis says has been hurt
by the media. “It’s going right
now,” said Grillis, “but it’s not
good as it should be because of
all the news.” Grillis goes on to
say the media has wrongly depicted Greece as a madman’s
land, with protests and riots
spurred by the economic problem. People are still opening up
their businesses and going to
the beach.
Congressman Gus Bilirakis Enjoys Evening with Community
By Demetris Tsakas
TNH Staff Writer
ASTORIA – The conversation
between the Greek- and Cypriot-American leaders and businesspersons with Congressman
Gus Bilirakis of Florida at the
Kopiaste Taverna on July 16 was
heartfelt and sincere.
Among those in attendance
were former candidate for mayor
and business mogul John Catsimatidis, Chairman of the School
Board of the Hellenic Classical
Charter School Charter in Brooklyn Charles Capetanakis, New
York State Assemblywoman
Nicole Malliotakis, whose district
includes Brooklyn and Staten
Island, and Joan Illuzzi, Republican D.A. candidate for Staten
Island.
During his welcoming remarks, Philip Christopher, the
Founder and President of PSEKA,
declared that the congressman
is faithfully following the footsteps of his father, retired Congressman Michael Bilirakis, by
taking the lead in the struggle
for Justice for Cyprus and other
important community national
issues.
Bilirakis expressed his appreciation and thanks for the members of the community for their
support and emphasized that
the doors of his office are always
open for them.
Congressman Gus Bilirakis, 2nd from R, enjoyed his conversations with the guests at the
fundraiser in Astoria in support of his reelection, where community leaders thanked him.
He then spoke about issues
related to Greece and Cyprus,
emphasized the need for humanitarian assistance to Greece.
"Gus Bilirakis is a good friend
and he works daily on the community’s issues and for Greece
and Cyprus and he deserves its
support," said Catsimatidis.
Savvas Tsivikos, the President
of the Hellenic Federation of
New Jersey, congratulated Bilirakis and said "we need more
members of Congress and we
must ensure the re-election of
Hellenes and philhellenes and
to encourage young people to
engage in politics."
Nicholas Katsimpras told Bilirakis: "You are doing more for
Greece than Greek politicians."
Savvas Konstantinidis thanked
Bilirakis for his support on the
issue of the recognition of the
genocide of the Pontic Greeks
and congratulated him for continuing the work of his father.
Nikos Mouyiaris referred to
the importance of the increasing
cooperation between Greece,
THE NATIONAL HERALD, JULY 25-31, 2015
Cyprus, Israel, and spoke about
the need for closer cooperation
between the Diaspora and Jewish
organizations.
The event’s hosts were
Christopher, Mouyiaris, and Polly
and Dennis Droushiotis. The
organizers included Sophia
Cotzia, Tsivikos, Konstantinidis,
John and Margo Catsimatidis,
Andreas Comodromos, Renos
Georgiou, Peter Kakoyiannis,
Matthew Mirones, Euripides Kontos, Richard Kunes, Markos
Marinakis, and Vassos Vassiliou.
This summer, no matter where you go,
take The National Herald with you!
SUBSCRIBE TO OUR ON-LINE EDITION AND STAY INFORMED!
n THRU OCT. 31
CHICAGO, IL – The National
Hellenic Museum, 33 S Halsted
St., in Chicago, pays tribute to
the legendary actor and artist
Anthony Quinn, who brought to
life one of the greatest and most
life-affirming literary characters
of our time – the irrepressible
Zorba the Greek. The depth and
breadth of Anthony Quinn’s creative genius is showcased in an
exhibition of more than 80 of
his emotive paintings and powerful sculptures. Visitors will see
reflections of Anthony Quinn’s
life experiences, traces of his
proud Mexican heritage, his
love of cultures throughout the
world, and the impact of his
long friendship with the Greek
people. The exhibit is being Produced in collaboration with
Katherine Quinn, the Anthony
Quinn Foundation, and the Anthony Quinn Trust. It was organized and curated by Connie
Mourtoupalas, President of Cultural Affairs with assistance by
Chris Helms, Assistant Curator
of Collections & Exhibitions. Exhibition installation assistance
by Dimitra Alvazoglou, John
Anagnostopoulos, Krista Bondi,
Katerina Gailas, Stephanie Larson, Nikolas John Mourtoupalas, Katie Narayan, Kaitlyn
Peterson. This is exhibit was
generously sponsored by John
S. Koudounis & Family, John
and Martha Cannis, Chris P.
Tomaras-PanHellenic Scholarship Foundation, National Hellenic Invitational Basketball
Tournament, National Hellenic
Society, Angelo and Mary Cappas & Family, and Mr. and Mrs.
Ernest C. Karras.
n THRU NOV. 1
TARPON SPRINGS, FL – Night
in the Islands returns to the
world-famous Sponge Docks of
Tarpon Springs for 2015! Saturdays, 6-11PM: Jul. 11, Aug. 1,
Sept. 12, and Oct. 3. A free
event of Greek music, dancing,
and dining! And we will offer
an hour of free Greek dance
lessons by the Levendia Dance
Troupe from 6-7PM. The festival
is supported in part by a grant
from the National Endowment
for the Arts. Come join us for
authentic island fun in the warm
Florida sun and mark your calendar and make this a regular
destination! And if you’re just
in town for a week or two, make
sure to mark your calendar as
you will not want to miss this!
Tarpon Springs is a unique
Greek experience in the United
States, one unlike any other
Greek community. Come be part
of this one-of-a-kind American
experience that will make you
feel as if, truly, you are back in
the homeland!
n JULY 25 – JULY 28
ASTORIA – St. Irene’s Greek Orthodox Church of Astoria,
Queens is having its annual
Greek Festival. The Sacred Patriarchal and Stavropegial
Monastery of Saint Irene
Chrysovalantou was founded in
1972. The monastery is located
in the heart of Astoria in New
York and named in honor of
Irene of Capadocia, wonderworking abbess of a 9th century
AD monastery called Chrysovalantou. During this holy
mother's reign, the fame of
Chrysovalantou reached the corners of the earth, as Irene, a
woman of unparallel physical
and spiritual beauty, relentlessly
guided her spiritual daughters
to Paradise. Just as the Cross is
located at the root or foundation
of our lives as Christians, and
so it is that a portion of our Lord
Jesus Christ's Holy Cross was
planted at the foundation of the
monastery when it was being
built. The monastery receives
many letters of thanks with
Saint Irene's miraculous interventions written from faithful
around
the
globe.
The
monastery publishes these letters in its quarterly publication,
The Voice of Orthodoxy. The
Festival will have a variety of
Greek foods, live music, dance
perfomaces, games and raffles.
Thursday- Saturday 5PM to
11PM and Sunday, 12PM to
11PM.
n AUGUST 1
OAK PARK, CA – Santa Barbara's
Annual Greek Festival is taking
place from 11AM-7PM on Saturday, Aug. 1 and Sunday, Aug.
2, in beautiful Oak Park. The
festival evokes the sights,
sounds and tastes that define
the traditional Greek way of life.
Stroll through Santa Barbara's
beautiful Oak Park, and experience the simple pleasures of life
in a Greek village.Dozens of volunteers enthusiastically staff
their booths, creating a convivial, welcoming atmosphere.
Festivalgoers return year after
year for the food. — Delectable
festival favorites like gyros and
moussaka. And no Greek village
would be complete without
homemade pastries from Yia
Yia's
traditional
recipes:
baklava, melomakarona, and
kataifi are just a few of the
sweet treats to delight you. Listen to the distinctive sounds of
the bouzouki and other exotic
instruments played by authentic
Greek musicians who perform
traditional and popular songs.
Delight in the beauty of the
elaborate costumes worn by performers as they share their carefully practiced steps and intricate
dances
with
the
enthusiastic audience. Take advantage of a free Greek dance
lesson, and enjoy participating
in the same dances you would
perform in the traditional villages of Greece. Relax and enjoy
yourself under the oaks in the
warm embrace of the best Greek
culture has to offer.
n AUGUST 8
POURTSMOUTH, NH – OPA!
Come join us Sat, Aug. 8, for
Greek Music Night at Café Nostimo, 72 Mirona Rd., in
Portsmouth. There will be live
Greek music, Greek dancing and
a belly dancing performance.
Join us for great music, great
food and a great time at Cafe
Nostimo. Featuring Music by
Carol Coronis and at 9PM a
belly dancing performance by
Zabel. Reservations Recommended.
n AUGUST 9
CHICAGO, IL – As an installment in its summer film series,
The National Hellenic Museum,
333 S Halsted St., in Chicago,
is showing Greek-American
Radicals: The Untold Story. The
film narrates the story of GreekAmerican radicalism from the
era of mass migration till the
McCarthy period in the 50s. A
history of collective struggles,
radical ideas, exciting journeys
and forgotten traditions interwoven with the times of upheaval, social and political
movements, persecutions and
collective disillusionments. Focusing from the Great Depression to the demise of ethnic radicalism in the 50s, the
documentary Greek-American
Radicals: the Untold Story
brings forth an alternative vision
of Greek-American history that
highlights the transformations
and multiple interrelations between ethnicity, class and radicalism. Tickets are $10.00 per
person and includes a museum
admission. The event is from 35PM.
n SEPTEMBER 5
TOLEDO, OH – OPA! Join Holy
Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral for our 44th Annual GreekAmerican Festival, Sept. 5, 6 &
7. Come and enjoy authentic
Greek Food, Greek Pastries &
Greek Dancing. Browse through
our Greek Boutique, Greek Culture, Greek Language & Religious Education Booths. Tour
our beautiful Byzantine Cathedral. Attend the Greek Language
& Culture Presentations, and
watch the Greek Cooking
Demonstrations.
n OCTOBER 11
LOS ANGELES, CA – By popular
demand, Peggy Zina is coming
to Los Angeles for a special engagement. Peggy will be performing live at Club Nokia, 800
West Olympic Blvd, in Los Angeles. Peggy has a career which
has lasted over 20 years with
many hits going multi-platinum.
We are excited to present her
along with her band directly
from Greece for the only west
coast performance! Peggy will
be here Sun, Oct. 11 at 7PM and
Mon, Oct. 12 at 12am. To get
tickets call 1-877-639-9715.
n NOTE TO OUR READERS
This calendar of events section
is a complimentary service to
the Greek American community.
All parishes, organizations and
institutions are encouraged to
e-mail their information regarding the event 3-4 weeks ahead
of time, and no later than Monday of the week before the
event, to [email protected]
Correction:
A caption in the article
“Lessons in Assertiveness and
Sales From a Cretan Father,”
by Lynn (Paitakes) Lotkowictz,
which appeared in the July
18 edition, incorrectly identified Lotkowictz’ father as
“James.” His name was John.
For more information contact: [email protected] or call: 718-784-5255, ext. 108
QUESTION OF THE WEEK
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1915-2015
1
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Do you think Alexis Tsipras will survive the political turbulence in Greece?
Please
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COMMUNITY
THE NATIONAL HERALD, JULY 25-31, 2015
3
Chios Society Pelinion Celebrates Feast of St. Markella, in Monticello
By Constantine S. Sirigos
TNH Staff Writer
MONTICELLO, NY – A few
times a year in New York State’s
Sullivan County it feels like one
is closer to a Greek village than
the village of Monticello. This
past weekend, the Northern
Chios Society of Pelineon welcomed hundreds of GreekAmericans and fans of Greek
culture to its annual celebration
of the feast of St. Markella.
The actual feast of the
beloved martyr is on July 22,
but the Society traditionally
holds vespers services and the
Divine Liturgy on the Saturday
and Sunday before or after the
feast day.
This year, the slice of Greece
near world-famous Woodstock
was a bit of a refuge from the
pounding of new reports about
the Greek crisis, allowing people
to reminisce about the Greece
they grew up in or heard about
from their forbears.
Everything visitors encounter
there is a product of the labors
of love of the members of the
Society, and just like in Greece,
year-round, people who visit
when the Church is closed can
knock on the doors of caretakers
or neighbors ask for the key so
they can light a candle.
July 19 was a classic summer
day, hot and humid, but nobody
minded. The air conditioning
donated by George Siamboulis,
one of many non-Chian benefactors who love the Society, in
the chapel built with love in
1979, and the recently built covered pavilion made it comfortable during the services and the
food festival.
Father Constantine Combitsis, who was pastor in a number
of parishes in the New York Metropolitan area and who has
served the St. Markella chapel
for many years, celebrated the
Liturgy. He is not from Chios,
but he has been adopted by the
Society.
Fr. Combitsis also and
blessed the abundant wine and
food
Dimitrios Moutafis, the Soci-
Τοp: Fr. Constantine Combitsis presides over the Liturgy
every year and on July 19 and
with Dimitrios Moutafis at his
side led the procession of St.
Markella’s icon around the
Church. Right: Cooking crews
did not miss the liturgy – they
heard it over the PA. Above:
Kostas Gonias, Kostas Skoufas, Pavlos Maroulis, Nikos
Katsaris, George Dontas,
Nikos Nikoleos, and Dimitris
Nikolados. Sofia Skyriotis and
Marianna Vougioukas, loukoumades ladies, were nearby.
ety’s past president who served
as Emcee, thanked the attendees, volunteers, the society’s
Board, past presidents, its benefactors, including Siamboulis,
founder and president of Pan
Gregorian Enterprises, and The
National Herald for covering
the feast and for its longstanding support.
Konstantinos Rallis, from
Pispilounta, is the Society’s current president. When he spoke
to TNH he was filled with pride
in what the society has created
there, both in buildings and
spirit. “We thank the people
who helped us achieve these accomplishments and we see there
is a will to do even more and
we invited even more people to
come to our events and help us
transfer ethos and traditions we
have brought from Greece to the
younger generations,” he said.
Moutafis said that Rallis and
his workers, along with builder
Nikos Katsapis’ staff and other
volunteers, donated their services to enclose the cooking area
and built the pavilion.
He also noted ”the many donations – icons, crosses, windows – 1001 things,” of the society of Dafnousiou, Chios and
the Brotherhood of St. Markella
in Brooklyn, the two biggest
components of the Society/
Moutafis told TNH of the
birth of the Society in the 1950s
in response both to challenges
faced by the people of Greece
at the time, including earthquakes, and the need for mutual
support among immigrants.
“The Society was established
very quickly and named Pelineon,” the mountain – at 4,200
feet, the highest on the island –
that dominates the Northern
part of Chios.
There are about 25 villages
and towns in the area and all
are represented in the Society.
“When we cut the Vasilopita
every New Year’s we name every
village.”
In 1978 the culmination of a
serious of meetings at St.
Demetrios in Jamaica was the
decision to purchase the property that was scouted by members who used to go hunting in
the area.
“We immediately went to
work building the Church and
within a year we celebrated the
first St. Markella liturgy in the
half-finished Church,” he said.
Soon, through the support of
then-Bishop, now Metropolitan
Philotheos, vespers were added
to the celebration.
The Chapel operates under
the spiritual jurisdiction of the
Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of
America, but is does not cease
to be a private entity.
The Society also hosts an annual post-Pascha picnic when
eight to 10 lambs are roasted.
The parents of Dimitrios Kontolios, whose field is electronics
engineering, are from Cambia
in Chios and he was born in
Warren, OH. His father, like
many Greeks near Pittsburgh,
worked in the steel mills.
He is very proud on the Society and was happy to add to
its story. The chapel’s location
was chosen, he said, because it
reminded people of the area
around the village of St.
Markella.
“There is a pilgrimage every
year on Chios and they tried to
recreate that here is New York…
the land was very inexpensive
and through donations by
Chiotes and non-Chiotes, they
were able to buy adjacent property and construct the other
buildings.
Among the weekend’s dignitaries were Stavros Haviaros,
President of the Chian Federation, Nicholas Mihalios, past
president of the Chian Federation and Metropolitan Philotheos, who presided over vespers
on Saturday evening.
Head chanter Stavros Pergatis, came all the way from
Sparta in Greece and was joined
by distinguished local Church
musicians including Apostolos
Combitsis from St. Barbara in
Toms River, NJ, Alexander Vlassis from St. Andrews in Randolph, NJ, and Nicholas Tsiadis
of St. Luke in Broomall, PA.
Nikos Kozanis is a home
builder who lives in Alpine, NJ.
His roots are in Kozani, but from
the time the chapel was built he
would come with his friends
from Chios. “We help as much
as we can. We have become like
a family and it’s a wonderful festival.”
Dentist Marianne Molfetas,
is from a different island, Kefallonia, but she has been coming
ever since she was invited by
her auto mechanic, Moutafis,
whose Teaneck, NJ company is
named – naturally – Chios General Auto Repairs. She told TNH
“The Church service and the
people are beautiful, and it’s a
very nice trip.”
GREEKS AROUND THE US
The Special Olympics World Summer Games Begin in Los Angeles 7/25
By Vasilis Papoutsis
LOS ANGELES, CA – The World
Summer Games, the flagship
event for the Special Olympic
movement, will take place in
Los Angeles July 25-August 2.
It will be the largest sporting
and humanitarian event in the
world in 2015, with 6,500 athletes from 165 countries and
more than 2,000 coaches who
have been preparing these athletes for 32 Olympic=type
events. The World Games take
place every two years and alternate between Summer and Winter Olympic Games, and they
are back in Los Angeles for the
first time since 1972.
The Opening Ceremony on
July 25 will take place at the
historic Los Angeles Memorial
Coliseum, which also hosted the
1984 Olympic Games, and will
be attended by First Lady
Michelle Obama. Other celebrities attending will be Eva Longoria, Jimmy Kimmel, Stevie
Wonder, and Olympic champion
Michael Phelps.
The Special Olympic movement was founded in 1968 by
Eunice Kennedy Shriver with
the intent to become the global
leader for people with intellectual disabilities. A movement
Special Olympics: Los Angeles hosts the 2015 Special Olympic World Summer Games, and prepares to make Greece’s delegation feel right at home.
that provides year-round training for athletes who can be
transformed through the power
of sports. The emphasis is to develop their physical fitness but
most importantly to help them
become more productive citizens by building their self-esteem, confidence, and courage.
As valued members of their
communities, these athletes can
achieve their acceptance and inclusion.
In her opening remarks during the formal torch lighting ceremony on the Sacred Site of
Pnyx, opposite the Acropolis in
Athens, Olympic Hellas President
Joanna Despotopoulou told the
athletes that ''Hope is stronger
than despair.'' While she wished
them best success at the games,
she said ''we are confident you
will make us proud and you will
inspire us to hope again.''
Prior to their participation in
the Games, our delegation will
have the privilege of being the
guests of the Woodland
Hills/Reseda/Tarzana
Host
Town. It is one of the more than
100 communities across Southern California that will be host-
ing Olympic athletes. Diana
Williams, CEO of the West Valley- Warner Center Chamber of
Commerce, which organizes this
effort, said that they have been
working on this project enthusiastically since July 2014. She
said that partnerships and sponsorships with chamber business
members have made this opportunity possible. CSU Northridge,
my alma mater, will provide
housing accommodations to the
athletes and Kaiser Permanente
is sponsoring a concert, among
others. While visiting the Hellenic delegation will participate
in a Torch Run, have dinner with
Olympic legend Rafer Johnson
and attend a hip hop concert at
Warner Park.
The Hellenic delegation is
coming here while Greece is in
the middle of an unprecedented
financial crisis. In my conversation with Consul General of
Greece Gregory Karahalios, he
emphasized that in these hard
times “we have to seek inside our
glorious history and inside our-
selves and find again the inspiration, the will and the force to
rise and to show to the world
why Greece is not just another
problematic country, but it still
maintains all those characteristics that made it capable to become for centuries a beacon of
art, culture and civilization for
the whole world.'' Of course, one
of our proudest achievements
was hosting the 2004 Athens
Olympics, and even though it
feels like a distant memory now,
it was a demonstration of our
Hellenic spirit and resolve. After
all, ''the Olympic Ideals represent
one of our most important legacies Greece has left to the world
and our athletes are here to remind us that we should never
give up,'' as our Consul General
reminds us.
I am confident that that the
Greek-American community in
Los Angeles will do whatever is
possible to make the Greek delegation feel at home, and support them passionately on their
competitions.
New York Euripides Summer Festival 2015
presents
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AN AMERICAN THYMELE THEATRE FREE EURIPIDES
SUMMER SERIES PRODUCTION
East River Park Amphitheatre: Tuesday, July 28 at 6:00p.m.
East River Park Amphitheatre: Wednesday, July 29 at 6:00p.m.
The Richard Rodgers Amphitheater: Thursday, July 30 at 6:00p.m.
The Richard Rodgers Amphitheater: Friday, July 31 at 6:00p.m.
Minor Latham Playhouse: Saturday, August 1 at 8:00p.m.
East riVEr Park amPhithEatrE: FDr Drive overpass - grand street
exit - Bet. Cherry st. & Jackson st.
riCharD roDgErs amPhithEatEr: marcus garvey Park,
Bet. madison av. & mt. morris Pk. w. 120-124 sts.
minor latham PlaYhousE: 3009 Broadway - at 119th street
milbank hall – Columbia university*
*reservations through smarttiX are suggested for this performance.
hECuBa on smarttix: http://www.smarttix.com/show.aspx?showcode=hec775&ss=1
or call smarttix at: 1-212-868-4444
www.nycgovparks.org/events/keyword%20hecuba/
www.americanthymeletheatre.yolasite.com/news.php
Just like in antiquity, all performances are free of charge to the public.
rEsErVations arE not rEQuirED But rECommEnDED
For aug. 1st – First ComE, First sEatED Basis
Be part of ATT and the works of the
world’s greatest playwright of all time.
COMMUNITY
4
THE NATIONAL HERALD, JULY 25-31, 2015
Thanks to Nick Andriotis, the Village of Nikia is Fully Functional Again
By Constantinos E. Scaros
NISYROS, GREECE – “The
problem I had when staying in
Nikia,” says Nick Andriotis, a
Greek-American businessman
about his native village on the
Greek island of Nisyros, “is that
when I’d get hungry I’d have to
get in my car and drive somewhere to eat.” So, he decided to
do something about it: in 2002,
he set forth to establish a restaurant right in Nikia. Two years
later, it was fully operational.
“When I set out to do this,
people said to me: ‘why? How
on earth can it survive?’” Andriotis told TNH. A reasonable
question, considering Nikia has
a population of about 45 peo-
ple! Granted, the island’s annual
visitors far exceeds its population, but still.
“But I wanted to do it,” Andriotis explained. Long known
in the Greek-American community for his ability to get things
done – for instance, he was instrumental in the establishment
of St. Demetrios High School in
Astoria, and was recently honored by this newspaper accordingly – he put talk into action
yet again.
Andriotis found a “very professional” individual – Efthymis
Kalomoiris, from Pyrgos, Ilias –
to run the restaurant. Eleven
years later, it is still going strong.
“He married a local Nisyrian
woman,” Andriotis says about
Nick Andriotis, seen here with Publisher-Editor Antonis H. Diamataris on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the Ethnikos Kyrix-National Herald. Andriotis, who was instrumental
in the establishment of St. Demetrios High School in Astoria,
was honored by the newspaper.
Kalomoiris, “and so now he has
made Nisyros his home.”
Singers, actors, and other
celebrities who visit the island
have eaten at Andriotis Restaurant, as have two Ambassadors,
and former President of Greece
Karolos Papoulias.
Visitors to Nisyros usually sail
into the ports of Mandraki or
Pali, and so the mountainous
Nikia is not readily visible. “But
they know about the restaurant
and they come to eat here,” Andriotis says.
The restaurant features succulent dishes prepared with
fresh, local ingredients – from
the meat to the spices – Kalomoiris’ warm, welcoming personality, and a magnificent view
of the sea. “Efthymis’ chocolate
soufflé recipe has the young
Greek-Americans who visit every
year raving about it,” Andriotis
says. “They go back to the U.S.
and talk about the great chocolate soufflé they ate in Greece!”
Thanks to Andriotis, Nikiates
– both yearround residents and
visitors – who had to choose between home cooking and driving
out to dinner, now have a third
option: walk two or three minutes from their doorstep and enjoy a full array of food and drink.
AN OPEN PORTA AGAIN
In addition to providing Nisyros with a full-fledged restaurant, Andriotis has restored a
landmark, the coffee/ouzeri “tou
Nikola,” at Nikia’s plaza – the
“porta.” Named after its late
owner, Nicholas Hartofilis, better
known to the locals as “O Nikolas tou Dimitrou – Dimitro’s
(Dimitrios) [son] Nikola,” the
heralded watering hole had
been closed for a quarter century. Andriotis has reopened it
now, and kept the name. “It is
the original name, he says, and
so I wanted to keep it. But, after
all, I am a Nikola, too,” he says,
pointing out the dual significance.
ADDICTED TO NISYROS
“I don’t know what it is about
Top: The sky and sea don’t get much bluer than on Nisyros, seen here from the balcony of Andriotis Restaurant, in the mountainous village of Nikia. Bottom: Porta Nikia: At the picturesque
plaza of Nikia known as Porta, the landmark café/ouzeri “tou Nikola” has opened its own
porta once again, thanks to Nick Andriotis.
this island,” Andriotis says, sharing stories of how non-Greek
tourists, after just a couple of
days of experiencing the island,
seek to find out if there are any
properties for sale (in fact, nu-
merous foreigners have bought
houses there). “There is an addictive quality about it. People
love it.”
Thanks to his commitment
and perseverance, Andriotis has
now made it possible for people
to love it even more. To enjoy a
multicourse dinner at Andriotis
Restaurant, and nightcap up the
street at Nikola’s. All without
ever having to leave Nikia.
Four First-Time Greek Travelers, Four Destinations, and a Unanimous Verdict
By John Guarente
[In early June, four Americans
set out on their first-ever journey
to Greece. Gabe Guarente and his
girlfriend, Bonnie Barcellos,
along with Gabe’s brother, John,
and John’s wife, Neha. It was a
long-overdue homecoming for the
Guarente brothers, both in their
thirties, who descend from the island of Nisyros on their mother’s
side.
In chronological order, they
visited three Dodecanese islands
– Rhodes, Nisyros, and Kos – and
then spent a few days in Athens
before flying back home.
Asked to rank all four places,
beginning with their favorite, and
then proceeding in descending order, all four travelers were in
sync: 1) Nisyros 2) Rhodes 3)
Athens 4) Kos.
Gabe explained that there was
a clear gap: Nisyros/Rhodes, then
a significant drop, and then
Athens/Kos. John elaborates further – his full review follows.]
1. Nisyros: I was very much
expecting to be bored on Nisyros
for the five days we had to spend
there. It turns out that there is
plenty to see and do on this tiny,
volcanic island and more beauty
than I could have imagined.
Each of the four villages has its
own little corners and secrets.
Nikia and Emborio feel like lost
cities in the sky with breathtak-
First Time Nisyros: From L-R: Neha Guarente, Bonnie Barcellos,
Efthymis Kalomoiris, Gabe Guarente, and John Guarente at
Andriotis Restaurant in Nikia, which Kalomoiris runs and which
ing views of the surrounding islands. The crater of the island's
volcano is just a few miles drive
from each village. Here you can
climb down to the surface and
feel the heat of the millennia under your feet. Mandraki and Pali
are the two port villages on the
island. Pali boasts gorgeous, uncrowded beaches and some of
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew
the best dining on Nisyros. Mandraki is where you will find all
of the shops, hotels, and bars
where one can enjoy the night
life during the summer.
2. Rhodes: Rhodes is probably the most well-rounded place
we went in terms of things that
tourists desire on their vacations.
On the northern tip of the island
is owned by Greek-American Nick Andriotis. All four were firsttime visitors to Greece. They visited four places, and their favorite, unanimously, was Nisyros.
where we stayed, there are
beautiful rocky beaches and
many restaurants and bars with
congenial owners who will welcome you with a handshake and
sit down with you to tell stories
while you eat your dessert. Just
a short walk away is the "Old
Town," replete with countless
blocks of stone buildings and
Archbishop Demetrios of America
fortresses that have stood for
centuries. Here you will also find
some of the best souvenir shopping on the island. Just a bus
ride away is the magnificent
Acropolis of Rhodes, where you
can ride a donkey up to the top
or just hoof it to see the ruins
and take in the amazing views.
3. Athens: I had heard that
Athens was nothing to write
home about, and given the current political climate in Greece,
we were unsure what to expect
in the capital city. We wound up
having a wonderful time for our
two days in Athens. The
Parthenon and the Archeological Museum are, of course,
must-see attractions. Every
restaurant we ate at in Athens
was excellent, albeit somewhat
more expensive than the dining
on the islands. The subway system is easy to navigate, and
there is a thriving nightlife with
great live music and swank bars
in numerous districts. The
rooftop bars in Monastiraki are
top-notch.
4. Kos: Kos Town seems to
be Greece's version of the Jersey
Shore. The beach is lined with
bar/grills that are eager to take
your money in exchange for a
beach chair and umbrella. The
Asklepeion is the one major
archeological attraction in the
vicinity, just a short bus ride
away. Apart from this, there are
plenty of places to shop and eat
nearby, and a two-block area
known as "Bar Street" or "Beer
Street" depending on who you
talk to. This has a very Mardi
Gras/Nolo feel to it, with young
men and women cajoling you
off the street to do shots and
play beer pong. I don't recommend Kos Town for a family getaway.
Metropolitan Elpidoforos of Bursa
Elpidoforos to Replace Archbishop Demetrios?
Continued from page 1
Constantinople and offered him
the Archbishopric Throne, to
which Methodios declined also
then for health reasons. TNH
has learned there were other
reasons for Methodios’ declining
the offer, related to the synthesis
of the Holy Eparchial Synod
members at the time.
Sources told TNH that
Methodios told Elpidoforos that
the hierarchs of America want
him to be the next Archbishop.
Elpidoforos relayed that to Pa-
triarch Bartholomew whose initial reaction reportedly was “will
see”, but then said “if you think
that you can do it, go ahead
with it”.
Elpidoforos asked hierarchs
to support his candidacy, while
campaigning with high-ranking
members of government, powerful publishers, archons and
benefactors of the Patriarchate
in Greece.
It should be noted here that
Patriarch Bartholomew’s words
do not amount to a conclusive
decision, but rather an attempt
to test Elpidoforos’ candidacy.
Elpidoforos has promised
Bartholomew that he will solve
the Patriarchate’s economic
problems once and for all (the
hierarchs, priests, and general
employees, for instance, have
not been paid for three months
now).
Well-respected Greek-Americans, who choose to remain
anonymous, told TNH that
Elipdoforos would be a risk,
drawing parallels to Demetrios’
predecessor, Archbishop Spyridon.
Metropolitan Emmanuel of
France until recently was considered to be in line to succeed
Demetrios, and his candidacy
remains active.
On May 21st, members of
the graduating class of the Holy
Cross Greek Orthodox School of
Theology visited the Phanar,
and Bartholomew told them
there was no active issue regarding Demetrios’ resignation, but
sources tell TNH that the Phanar
is waiting for Elpidoforos’ candidacy to be secure, and then
Demetrios will resign.
Metropolitan Methodios of Boston
COMMUNITY
THE NATIONAL HERALD, JULY 25-31, 2015
(L-R) Father Alexander Karloutsos welcomes the guests in the big tent as Archbishop Demetrios
of America and Rep. Lee Zeldin looks on at the Hamptons Greek Festival.
5
It takes an army of volunteers to make a successful food festival, but inspiration, supplied in
Southampton by Presbytera Xanthi Karloutsos, is also a vital ingredient.
Annual Greek Festival at Kimisis in Southampton is a Big Hit Once Again
By Fotis Papagermanos
TNH Staff Writer
SOUTHAMPTON – Thousands
of people from across the New
York Metropolitan Area journey
to the Eastern tip of Long Island
for the Hamptons Greek Festival
Hosted by the Greek Orthodox
Church of the Hamptons – Kimisis Tis Theotokou from July 1619 on Church Grounds in
Southampton, NY.
Archbishop Demetrios of
America attended on July 18.
He congratulated Fr. Alexander
Karloutsos, Protopresbyter of
the Ecumenical Patriarchate,
and Fr. Constantine Lazarakis
for leading the parish council
and all the volunteers producing
a fine festival.
His Eminence enjoyed experiencing the event that has become a Hamptons highlight, attracting
Greek-American
celebrities like Broadway start
Constantine Maroulis and local
public officials.
He told reporters from newspapers and ANT-1 TV that “as
you see, here are many people
from our various parishes but
also many people who are not
related to our Church. These
festivals are an essential vocation of the Church.”
He added that “the Church’s
neighbors look forward to it
every year and it is a blessing of
joy and an opportunity to
breathe a little Greek orthodox
and traditional air. "
Fr. Karloutsos told TNH the
festival constitutes a bridge between Greek and Orthodox culture and the greater New York
community. After thanking TNH
for its coverage of the achievements and activities of the
parish, he said the purpose of
the festival is to present the best
of Hellenism, “hospitality, charity, pride, and love. People of
many traditions come to us and
experience the spirit of Greece,
which is the sun of Western Civilization.
“When people tell me there
is a cloud over Greece I remind
them that there are we are
Greeks in America and that the
sun will always shine over
Greece and we as a community
will maintain the values of our
ancestors, because we believe in
the truth of the Greek spirit and
are proud our accomplishments,” he said.
The volunteers present Greek
culture and traditions with
warmth and pride, and, of
course, they are delighted to
serve the world their nation’s
wonderful food.
In addition to the traditional
booths displaying jewelry, arts
and crafts, and other products
there were innovations like the
little zoo with bunnies, goats,
One of the troupes of youngsters who express their Hellenism and demonstrate their kefi as
the Hamptons Hellenic Dancers delight the guests at the 2015 Hamptons Greek Festival.
ducks, horses, and ponies.
A live orchestra performed
on a state set up beneath the
main tent where the community’s “Hamptons Hellenic
Dancers” also performed, evoking much applause.
Two of Fr. Karloutsos’
youngest grandchildren, Xanthi
and little Alexander, also
danced, along with children not
of Greek descent. Karloutsos
said the instructor for the
youngest dance troupe is Serbian and noted that the parish
offers instruction in the Greek,
Serbian, and Romanian languages.
The smiles on the faces of the
visitors reflected the many
things that attracted them to the
festival, including the raffle
whose first prize was a car
worth $20,000, but number one
on the Festivals hit parade was
the food.
Volunteers coordinated by
Presbytera Xanthi Karloutsos
were running here and there
carrying trays of food and
sweets produced by another
army of helpers in the community centers state-of-the-art
kitchen facilities.
The offerings could compete
in taste and quality with those
of the best local restaurants.
Restaurateur George Polychronopoulos was the head chef
and he was assisted by Kyriakos
Mytides, the chef of the Archdiocese.
The Archbishop’s visit gave
the parish clergy the opportunity to give him a tour of the
sanctuary and to brief him
about the work that needs to be
done.
Fr. Karloutsos introduced the
Archbishop to Tula Bakas, who
along with her husband Pericles
was one of the founders of the
parish.
Madeline Singas, interim DA
for Nassau County who is a candidate for that position in the
November election attended the
festival with her husband and
her two children. She told TNH
“I am very happy to be here to
see all the people supporting the
Church of the Assumption. It is
a very beautiful event. "
"It is an honor for me and my
wife to be here to spend this
evening with you,” Congressman Lee Zeldin told the crowd
“I would like to thank Fr.
Alexander for the work he does
to make this world a better
place for everyone. To thank
him not only for what he does
for America but also for Greece
so passionately. "
Dean Angelakos came all the
way from Brooklyn because
“This festival annually brings together hundreds of visitors from
the Hamptons and New York
and elsewhere. We are fortunate
that Archbishop Demetrios
joined Father Alexander and
other members of the parish
who welcomed us…it feels good
to be here. "
Babylon Church Fire: “Bad,
But Could’ve Been Worse”
Continued from page 1
mourn only material losses. “
Demetrios was touched by
the presence of neighboring
clergy like Fr. Luke Melanckrinos and Fr. Elias Nikolaou. He
added he was also “impressed
when I saw a significant number
of parishioners who along with
their children and grandchildren
watched with bated breath and
prayed. We are approaching
midnight and the children with
their parents are here and chant
the request. "
Demetrios said the sad incident will be turned into a
strength by the parish, which
will to repair the sanctuary and
build a new community center.
Bob Panagos, president of the
parish council, was among the
first to arrive and saw the altar
on fire. He said the fire started
in the sanctuary at a place where
there were neither candles nor
other flammable materials. He
said, “All that existed was a refrigerator and a socket."
As for the new community
center, Panagos said the parish
had already filed plans with the
government and that waiting for
approval.
"We will demolish the existing community center and build
a larger one to meet the growing needs of our parish. The project will cost between two and
three million dollars and we estimated that we would have begun in a year, but now the situation was changed. We will
restore the fire damage first and
then move on to the ambitious
community center project, "he
said, adding "The community,
with its massive turnout tonight,
proved that it is united and we
thank everyone who came out
in solidarity with us."
Dimitrios Panagos
Τοp: The Community of St. Nicholas had just completed its
icon program and was about to build a new community center.
The parish’s new priority is the repair of the sanctuary. Bottom:
Archbishop Demetrios rushed from vesper services at the
church of St. Markella in Wantaugh, NY to Babylon, where he
was briefed by Bob Panagos, president of the parish council.
Left: L-R, Philip, Savvas, and Amy Savopoulos, and Veralicia Figueroa. Right: Daron Wint, their
alleged killer. Had ICE been alerted, Wint could have been deported prior to the killings.
Savopoulos’ Alleged Killer Eludes Immig
Continued from page 1
grant” or “undocumented immigrant” (this is incorrect because
U.S. federal law explicitly defines
an “immigrant” as someone who
has completed a specific formal
process of legal immigration, and
defines illegal entrants and remnants, as well as all legal nonimmigrants, as “aliens”). Sanchez
has been deported five times to
his native Mexico but managed
to return, a prime example of the
United States’ porous borders.
The story has sparked outrage, added to the illegal alien
fodder which is the centerpiece
of GOP 2016 presidential candidate Donald Trump’s campaign,
as well as that of fellow Republican competitor Senator Ted Cruz
(TX) who on Capitol Hill is demanding action to prevent such
incidents from occurring again.
But the Steinle murder is not
the first of such occurrences. A
related story is one concerning
Savvas Savopoulos, whose own
murder was a major news story
this spring.
As TNH reported (“Mystery
Deepens about Savopoulos
Homicides,” May 23), on May 14
of Greek-American Savvas
Savopoulos, CEO of American
Ironworks, his wife, Amy, their
10-year-old, son, Philip, and a
housekeeper, Veralicia Figueroa,
were found dead, and the
Savopoulos home was on fire.
The prime suspect, Daron Wint,
who was born in Guyana, was a
legal immigrant (a legal permanent resident, i.e., a “green card”
holder), but shouldn’t have been.
As CNN reported, Wint had been
arrested on prior occasions for
felonies, which should have automatically triggered a report to
ICE, which likely would have led
to Wint’s deportation.
Unlike American citizens
(whether natural-born or naturalized), who do not lose their
citizenship or risk deportation
even if they commit crimes, Legal Permanent Residents (LPRs)
can lose their immigration status
and face removal from the
United States.
Had Wint been deported,
there is, of course, the chance
that, like Sanchez, he would
have returned to the United
States, and the Savopoulos family and their housekeeper might
have been his victims anyway.
But even though the borders
have holes, they also have
guards, and though it is not impossible to sneak across them, it
is not entirely easy, either.
Moreover, Guyana is not adjacent to the United States, as
Mexico is. Unlike Sanchez, Wint
would have had to clear considerably more hurdles to return to
the United States illegally than
Sanchez did. Presumably, then,
it is feasible to consider that, had
the law enforcement authorities
done their job correctly, the
Savopouloses and Figueroa
might be alive today.
BETTER SCREENING
On July 16, Muhammad
Youssuf Abdulazeez opened fire
at a Naval recruiting center, in
Chattanooga TN, killing four servicemen and wounding others
(one of whom died days later),
before being killed in a shootout
by police. Abdulazeez, who was
born in Kuwait in 1990, according to NBC News, was a naturalized U.S. citizen. At press time,
law enforcement authorities
were trying to piece together
unanswered questions about Abdulazeez’ life, and whether he
was a “lone gunman” or had help
in orchestrating the attack.
In any case, the growing sentiment in the United States regarding illegal aliens also focused on legal immigration, with
criticism aimed at the process by
which aliens are granted U.S. citizenship, and whether making
the process more stringent would
prevent dangerous people like
Abdulazeez from being in the
country.
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OBITUARIES CLASSIFIEDS
6
THE NATIONAL HERALD, JULY 25-31, 2015
DEATH NOTICES
n CHAMBERAS, JAMES A.
CHELMSFORD, MA (from the
Lowell Sun, published on Jul.
15) – James A. Chamberas, 71,
of Chelmsford, passed away
peacefully on Sunday, Jul. 12 at
Brigham & Women's Hospital in
Boston. He was the beloved husband of Barbara R. (Sherwood)
Chamberas who survives him
and with whom he celebrated
their 40th wedding anniversary
on Dec. 29, 2014. Born in Xerokámpion, Greece, Jul. 30,
1943, a son of the late Fr.
Athanasios E. and the late
Artemis G. (Vlogiannitis) Chamberas, following his family's immigration to the United States,
he attended Poughkeepsie, New
York schools and was a graduate
of Poughkeepsie High School in
the Class of 1961. Eager to further his education, he went on
to earn a Bachelor's Degree in
Physical Education at Springfield College in Springfield, MA
in 1965 and then a Master's Degree in Administration and Organization at George Williams
College. Jim was owner and operator of Homtec Realty in
Chelmsford. Previously, he was
a longtime Assistant Coach of
Track & Field Throwing Events
at Chelmsford High School,
Westford Academy and Phillips
Academy. Among his many passions, Jim was the Founder and
President of the Twilight Throwers in Chelmsford where he will
fondly be remembered as Competitor, Coach, Official, Meet Director, Father, Husband and
Friend. According to their Facebook post, Jim's motto will live
with them forever...."THROW as
FAR as you can, whenever you
can, for as long as you can!" He
was also a member of the YMCA
World Service Division having
created a camp for local youth
in Beirut, Lebanon. In addition
to his wife Barbara, Jim is survived by a son Michael A. Chamberas of Needham, MA; a
daughter Christina Burndrett
and her husband Robb of Tyngsboro, MA; a granddaughter
Alexandra R. Burndrett of Tyngsboro; two brothers George A.
Chamberas and his wife Cynthia
of Salem, MA and Fr. Peter A.
Chamberas of Hebron, NH; and
many nieces and nephews.
CHAMBERAS -- In Boston, Jul.
12, at Brigham & Women's,
James A. Chamberas, 71, of
Chelmsford, husband of Barbara
R. (Sherwood) Chamberas.
Friends may call at the O'DONNELL FUNERAL HOME, 276
PAWTUCKET ST. at Fletcher
from 4-8P.M. Thursday. Relatives and friends are invited to
attend his Funeral Service on
Friday morning at the ASSUMPTION of the Virgin Mary Orthodox Church in Dracut at
10:30AM. Burial to follow at
Pine Ridge Cemetery in Chelmsford. E-condolences/directions
at www.odonnellfuneralhome.
com. Those wishing may make
contributions in his memory to
the Cardiovascular Genetics
Center at Brigham & Women's
Hospital, Attn: Julia Viegas,
Brigham & Women's Hospital
Development Office, 116 Huntington Ave., 3rd Floor, Boston,
MA 02116. Arrangements by
Funeral Directors James F. O'Donnell, Jr. and John W. Crane
(978 or 866) 458-8768.
n CONTIS, JOHN
PITTSBURGH, PA (from the
Pittsburgh Post- Gazette, published on Jul. 12) – John
(Yianni) Contis, Age 93, devoted husband and loving father, grandfather and greatgrandfather, died peacefully on
Friday, Jul. 10. Born in Vlahokerasia, Greece, on Apr. 20, 1922,
John immigrated to Pittsburgh
in 1969. Though John continuously lived in Pittsburgh since
then, he loved to return to his
home town, often traveling
there during the summer, especially after retiring. He was
known for his work ethic, most
of the time working multiple
jobs, and loved spending time
tending to his garden. John was
a member of St. Nicholas Greek
Orthodox Cathedral, where he
tirelessly supported its programs
and events, and a proud member of the Manthyrea Educational Society (Vlahokerashiotes). John was the loving
father of five children; 13 grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren. He was greatly devoted to his family, loved being
surrounded by them and was always proud of their accomplishments and successes. John is
survived by Eleni, his wife of 65
years; children, Tulla (Perry)
Velisaris, George (Cindy) Contis,
Maria (Vasilios) Karras, Sam
(Voula) Contis and Nick
(Melissa) Contis; grandchildren,
John (Carrie), Maria (John),
Nikki (Robert), Eleni, Thea,
Yianni, Niki, Eleni, Yianni,
Athena, Alex, Nikolaos and
Dean; and great-grandchildren,
Mia, Perry, Dimitri, Nina, Dimitra, Christina, Evangelos,
Days and dates of funerals,
memorials, and other events directly correspond to the original
publication date, which appears
at the beginning of each notice.
Yoanna and Stamatia. Family
and friends will be received at
JOHN A. FREYVOGEL SONS,
INC., 4900 Centre Avenue at
Devonshire Street, on Monday,
Jul. 13, from 2PM-8PM. A Trisagion service will be held on
Monday at 7PM. Funeral will be
held on Tuesday, Jul. 14 at
11:00AM at St. Nicholas Greek
Orthodox Cathedral, 419 South
Dithridge Street, Pittsburgh, PA
15213. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St.
Nicholas Greek Orthodox Cathedral.
n FRANKLIN, ALLGOOD D.
OCALA, FL (from the Washington Post, published on Jul. 16)
– Allgood Delano Franklin died
peacefully at his home on July
8, 2015, surrounded by his loving family. Frank was born on
December 30, 1936, to the late
Walter and Lillie Allgood of Elizabeth, IN. Frank was the husband of Helen Stathphopoulos
Allgood, to whom he was married for 51 years. Surviving, in
addition to his wife, are daughter Mary Gage, sons Thomas
Pauter (Tracy Vail) and Michael
Pauter, five grandchildren
(Johnny Gage, Anthony Gage,
Matthew (Meggan) Gage,
Francine Pauter, and Andrew
Pauter), three great-grandchildren, and siblings David (Barbara) Allgood, Jim (Sandy) Allgood, Marilyn (Bill) Wilson, and
Thelma Curry, as well as numerous nieces and nephews. His
parents and his brother William
Allgood preceded him in death.
Frank grew up on a farm in Indiana, where he returned annually for visits and family reunions. He graduated from
Bloomington University with a
degree in mathematics. Frank
served in the U.S. Army and had
a long and rewarding career
with the U.S. Information
Agency (Voice of America). During Frank's career with the VOA,
he and Helen traveled aboard
regularly, including TDY assignments in Spain and Greece. He
finally retired in 1991 yet he
and Helen continued their
world travels, covering over
85% of the globe. They returned
to Maryland often for visits with
family; he loved the history of
the Washington area. Frank and
Helen were active in their Greek
Orthodox faith and were members of St. Raphael Orthodox
Church. Frank was an avid
reader; always seeking to expand his knowledge. He enjoyed
quiet time at the beach and sitting on his porch with a good
book and listening to thunderstorms with his cat Mr. Gage,
who was at his side in his final
days. Frank was a sports enthusiast and was particularly fond
of the Maryland Terrapins and
the Washington Redskins. Frank
enjoyed the simple things in life.
He was a patient, kind and caring man. His family was the center of his life and they adored
him. He will truly be missed by
so many. Funeral services were
arranged by Sellers Funeral
Home in Ocala, FL. Family and
friends are encouraged to share
their memories online at sellersfuneralhomes.com. Memorial
contributions may be made in
Frank's honor to St. Raphael Orthodox Church, 1277 N. Paul
Drive, Inverness, FL 34453.
n HOIDAS, FOTINI
NILES, IL (from the Chicago Tribune Media Group, published
on Jul. 11) – Fotini Hoidas, nee
Hrysikos, age 73, formerly of
Soulari,
Arcadia,
Greece.
Beloved wife of Spiros, devoted
mother of Angela (Michael)
Maglaris, Christianna (Richard)
Howard, Georgia (John) Pontikes; loving daughter of the late
George and Christina Hrysikos;
fond daughter-in-law of the late
John and Angela Hoidas. Proud
yiayia of Stephanie, Zoe and
Spiros Maglaris, Anna and Terry
Howard, and Marianna and Kyriakos Pontikes; dear sister of
Athanasios (Asimina) Hrysikos
, Nikos Hrysikos, Polivios (Eleni)
Hrysikos, and Maria (Kostas)
Kakavos; dear aunt, cousin and
friend of many here and in
Greece. Fotini was an active
member at Holy Trinity Greek
Orthodox Church for over 47
years and during that time
served as a member of the
Philoptochos Society. Among
her many virtues, Fotini's genuine kindness and philotimo
stand out the most. She was a
kind, gentle woman who treasured time with her family, enjoyed entertaining and was a
fantastic cook and baker. She
loved visiting her siblings in
Greece just as much as cheering
on her favorite sports team, the
Chicago Bulls. Visitation Sunday, Jul. 12 from 4PM-9PM at
Colonial-Wojciechowski Funeral
Home, 8025 W. Golf Road,
Niles. Family and friends will
meet Monday morning, Jul. 13
for visitation from 10:00AM until time of funeral service at
10:30AM at Holy Trinity Greek
Orthodox Church, 6041 W. Diversey, Chicago. Interment
Ridgewood Cemetery, Des
Plaines. Kindly omit flowers,
memorial donations to the Hellenic American Academy, Deerfield, Ill. appreciated. Arrange-
ments by Nicholas M. Pishos Funeral Director, ltd. info: 847581-0536.
n KLINAKIS, STEVE
TOMS RIVER, NJ (from the Asbury Park Press, published on
Jul. 15) – Steve "Tasos" Klinakis,
a loving husband and father,
passed away at his home on
Monday, July 13, 2015. He was
born in Foutia, Greece on Feb.
6, 1933 and later grew up in
Monevasia, Greece. He served
the Greek Army beginning in
1952 for two years, later managing a thread factory in Athens.
In 1958, he worked on the Massalea Cruise Ship while also attending a Greek Culinary Institute. He began as head chef on
the Olympia Cruise Line in 1959
and traveled to Turkey, Russia,
Bulgaria, Spain, Brazil, France,
Bahamas, and many other countries. Steve moved to the United
States in December 1965 to be
with his future wife where they
lived in Clifton and Passaic, NJ.
After some time in Passaic
County, he relocated his family
to Toms River on 1976 and
where he lived for the rest of
his days. Above all, Steve was a
hard worker and devoted family
man. He worked as a chef in
several restaurants: BonFire
Restaurant in East Paterson,
Stegman's German Restaurant,
Queen Diner, Ocean Queen's
Diner, Oyster Bay Restaurant
and SandCastle Diner. He coowned and ran Alger's Coffee
Shop in Silverton for nine years
until 1986, where he knew
everyone's name and greeted
them with a warm smile. Steve's
last employment was for family
as head chef for Cobblestone
Diner-Restaurant, Eatontown
from 1996-2006. Upon retirement in 2006, Steve would enjoy going to his homeland
Greece to spend each summer.
Steve was predeceased by his
brothers, Stavros Klinakis and
Theodore Klinakis. Steve leaves
behind his beloved, devoted
wife, Irene (Ruvelas) Klinakis;
his loving children, Debra and
Philip Matarazzo of Lacey,
Chrisie and Kevin Stankowitz of
Toms River and Pattie and Anthony Romano of Springfield.
He was the proud grandfather
(Papou) to Renee, Steven and
Aristotle Matarazzo, Christina
Romano and Mattingly and Maison Stankowitz. Steve also
leaves behind his sister-in-law
and brother-in-law, Andrea and
Mike Rigopouis of Lincroft; and
brother-in-law, Peter Ruvelas of
Port Richey, FL and their families, along with several loved
nieces and nephews here and in
Greece. Steve was absolutely devoted to his family. He adored
his wife. He gave everything to
them. He was so proud of their
accomplishments. He loved
spending family time together,
whether It be playing cards in
the kitchen or sitting on the
deck (veranda) in his home in
Monevasia, Greece. Visiting will
be from 2PM-4PM and 7PM9PM. Thursday, Jul. 16 at the
Silverton Memorial Funeral
Home, 2482 Church Road, Toms
River. Funeral services will be
11AM Friday, Jul. 17 at St. Barbara's Greek Orthodox Church,
2200 Church Road, Toms River;
you may arrive at the church
10:30AM. Entombment will follow at Ocean County Memorial
Park.
CLASSIFIEDS
excelled in multiple sports
throughout high school being
named and photographed numerous times in the local newspapers. With as much credit due
Paula, the Macris home is where
Christmas happened. Nowhere
was there a greater appreciation
and bounty of the finest food
and hospitality. Lester was an
excellent golfer, always sharing
invaluable tips with friends and
family. His advice in golf as it
was in life: “You win the match
with the bet you make on the
first tee”. He was a most decisive and generous man. Lester
was a man of a gruff exterior,
but had a heart of gold. He was
intuitive about people and had
an intellect born from street
savvy. In all corners of the community, when one would mention his name, invariably he
would be described with the
greatest compliment: He was a
good man, a great athlete, he
served his country, cherished his
family and he made this world
a better place. In addition to
his parents, Lester was preceded
in death by his brothers, George
Macris, Nick Macris, and his sister, Mary Chessler. Survivors include his loving wife, Paula, his
children Lisa (George) Georgiades, Carl (Liz) Macris and his
brother, Greg (Willy) Macris and
his sisters, Helen (Ron) Carnahan and Clara Masse, along
with grandchildren, Farah Cook
and Marios Macris and several
loving nieces and nephews.
Friends may call 6PM to 8PM at
Rossi Funeral Home on Sunday,
Jul. 5, and one hour before funeral services at the church on
Monday from 10AM to 11AM.
A Trisagion Service will be held
at 7PM Sunday evening. Funeral
services will be held Monday,
Jul. 6 at 11AM at Saint Haralambos
Greek
Orthodox
Church, Canton, Ohio with Rev.
Dr. Nicholas V. Gamvas officiating assisted by Rev. Dr. Daniel
Rogich, Holy Trinity and Rev. Fr.
Michael Corbin, St. George Antiochian. In lieu of flowers, donations in Lester's name may be
made to Saint Haralambos
Greek Orthodox Church or the
Alzheimer's Association local
chapter.
n KOPASAKIS, ANDREAS
CLEVELAND, OH (from the
Plain Dealer from Jul. 11) – Andreas “Andre” Kopasakis, 94,
beloved husband of the late
Sophia. Loving father of George
(Popi), Kathy (Spiros) Paterakis,
and John (Lynn). Grandfather
of Manolis, Sophia, Andreas,
Yannis, Nicholas, Sophia,
Kristina, and Avgero. Greatgrandfather of Chrisa. Many relatives in Crete, Greece. Visitation Sunday from 4PM to 8PM
at Yurch Funeral Home, 5618
Broadview Rd., Parma, OH. Trisagion Service Sunday 7PM.
Memorial contributions will be
forwarded to St. Spiridon
Hunger Center, Nea Ionia,
Athens Greece. All Funeral Services Monday, JUL. 13 at 11AM
at Annunciation Greek Orthodox Community Church, 2187
West 14th St., Cleveland, OH.
n MANESIS, PANAGIOTIS
POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (from the
Poughkeepsie Jounal, published
on Jul. 7) – Panagiotis Manesis
(Papou Pente) of Othonoi,
Corfu, Greece passed away Jul.
3, 2015 in Poughkeepsie, New
York. He was 85 years old. In
difficult and humble surroundings, he was born on the small
rural island of Othonoi, Corfu,
Greece. With little chance at a
education, he was sent away for
work to support his family at 12
years old. He would start a family of his own, and for decades
he worked long hours daily as a
restaurant employee, all to provide a better life for his children
and grandchildren; first in
Corfu, Greece and then in the
Bronx. Despite this hard life,
however, it would be hard to
find a more pleasant person. He
was a jovial person who actively
encouraged laughter whenever
possible. He was also never shy
in expressing how deeply he
cared for his family, and his
hopes for them. He is survived
by his wife of 60 years, Spyridoula, his two daughters,
Joanna and Angela, son in-law
Telly, and 4 grandchildren,
Spyridoula, George, Maria Panagiota and Peter (Panagiotis); all
seven of whom are college educated, a souce of great pride for
him and something he always
talked about. He is also survived
by his sister Agatha, brothers Giannis and Telemachos and his
many nieces and nephews. His
parents Spyridon and Ioanna,
son in-law Antonios and sisters
Maria, Angela and Elizabeth
predeceased him. Funeral services will be held 10AM
Wednesday Jul. 8, at the Kimisis
Greek Orthodox Church South
Grand Ave. Poughkeepsie, New
York 12603. Burial will follow
at the Poughkeepsie, Rural
Cemetery Poughkeepsie, New
York. Funeral arrangements are
being handled by the Timothy
P. Doyle Funeral Home 371
Hooker Ave. Poughkeepsie, New
York 12603.
n MACRIS, LESTER M.
CANTON, OH (from the Repository, published on Jul. 4) –
Lester M. Macris, age 80, of
Canton, peacefully passed away
on Wednesday, Jul. 1, surrounded by his loving family after a lengthy battle with
Alzheimer's. He was born on
Feb. 20, 1935 in Canton, Ohio,
to the late Michael and Irene
Macris who emigrated here
from Crete, Greece. He was a
1954 graduate of Timken High
School and a veteran of the
United States Army from 195456, serving as a sharpshooter in
Germany during the Korean
Conflict. Lester served the City
of Canton as a fireman in his
early years and later was the
General Manager at the Ohio
Prestwick Country Club. Lester's
life was built upon his family
being the second youngest of
seven children. He was blessed
with exceptional athleticism and
n MIHADES, DIMITRIOS
ERIE, PA (from the Erie TimesNews, published on Jul. 15) –
Dimitrios Mihadas, age 91,
passed away peacefully, on
Thursday, Jul. 9,. He was born
in Turgia-Krania, Grevena,
Macedonia, Greece, on Jan. 18,
1924, son of the late Athanasios
and Katerina (Lamaris) Mihadas. Dimitri grew up in Thessaloniki, where he owned a
company that manufactured
sweaters. Following that, he
lived in Trikala, Thessalia,
Greece, where he married his
wife, Eleni, and started a trucking company. He was a decorated war veteran, in Greece's
Civil War to protect the Greek
democracy and prevent Communists from taking over. He
worked for the military in the
Supply Depot Regimen. Dimitri
came to the United States in
1973 to be with his cousins in
the United States: in Erie, New
LEGAL NOTICE
LEGAL NOTICE
ETI Empire Holdings, LLC, a domestic LLC,
filed with the SSNY on 3/24/15. Office
location: Kings County. SSNY is designated as
agent upon whom process against the LLC may
be served. SSNY shall mail process to The LLC,
162 Falmouth St., Brooklyn, NY 11235.
General purpose.
274535/10709
LEGAL NOTICE
Zavien Capital Management, LLC. App for
Auth filed w/ SSNY 5/20/15. Formed in DE
3/16/15. Office in NY Co. SSNY designated
agent for service of process and shall mail to:
The LLC, 1133 Broadway Ste. 640, New York,
NY 10010. Auth Officer: DE Div of Corps, PO
Box 898, Dover, DE 19903. Purpose: Any
lawful activity.
274538/18796
EASTERN APPAREL LLC. Art. of Org. filed w/
SSNY 7/2/15. Office in NY Co. SSNY designated
agent for service of process and shall mail to: The
LLC, PO Box 1175, New York, NY 10013. Purpose:
Any lawful activity.
274518/18796
LEGAL NOTICE
Notice of Formation of LIMITED LIABILITY
COMPANY RHD Electric, LLC (“LLC”). Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of New
York (“SSNY”) on April/14/2015. NY office
location: Nassau County. The SSNY has been designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process
against it may be served. The SSNY shall mail copy
of process to: c/o RHD Electric, LLC, 237 Willard Avenue, Farmingdale, NY 11369. Purpose: Any lawful
act or activity. Latest date upon which LLC is to dissolve: No specific date.
274506/19576
LEGAL NOTICE
BWSF Developers Of NY LLC, a domestic
LLC, filed with the SSNY on 5/14/15. Office
location: Kings County. SSNY is designated
as agent upon whom process against the
LLC may be served. SSNY shall mail process
to The LLC, 1274 49th St., Ste. 445,
Brooklyn, NY 11219. General Purpose.
274536/10709
LEGAL NOTICE
Notice of Formation of STRETHER CERAMICS,
LLC. (DOM. LLC) Articles of Organization filed
with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY)
on 05/20/15. Office location: Kings County.
SSNY is designated as agent of the LLC upon
whom process against it may be served. SSNY
shall mail copy of process to: Paul Dougherty,
128 Cinton Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11205. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.
274526/19602
LEGAL NOTICE
Notice of Formation of FINFEED, LLC. (DOM.
LLC) Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 03/03/15.
Office location: Kings County. SSNY is designated
as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it
may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to:
c/o United States Corporation Agents, Inc., 7014
13th Avenue, Suite 202, Brooklyn, NY 11228. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.
274502/19575
LEGAL NOTICE
ANT BUILT, LLC. Art. of Org. filed w/
SSNY 6/9/15. Office in NY Co. SSNY
designated agent for service of process
and shall mail to Reg. Agent: US Corp.
Agents, Inc, 7014 13th Ave. Ste. 202,
Brooklyn, NY 11228. Purpose: Any
lawful activity.
274473/18796
LEGAL NOTICE
FROJO LLC Articles of Org. filed NY
Sec. of State (SSNY) 06/03/2015.
Office in Kings Co. SSNY desig. agent of
LLC upon whom process may be served.
SSNY shall mail copy of process to c/o
Comerford & Dougherty, LLP, 1122
Franklin Ave., Garden City, NY 11530.
Purpose: Any lawful purpose. Principal
business location: 502 Henry St., Brooklyn, NY 11231.
274474/19138
LEGAL NOTICE
Notice of Formation of AMARILYS FUSION
EXTENSIONS & HAIRSTYLES, LLC a
(DOM. LLC). Articles of Organization filed
with the Secretary of State of New York,
(SSNY) on 03/25/2015. Office location:
Nassau County. SSNY is designated as
agent upon whom process against the LLC
may be served. SSNY shall mail process to:
Amarilys Fusion Extensions & Hairstyles,
LLC, 400 Garden City Plaza, Suite 110,
Garden City, NY 11530. Purpose: Any
Lawful Purpose.
274481/18714
FUNERAL HOMES
APOSTOLOPOULOS
Apostle Family Gregory, Nicholas, Andrew Funeral Directors of
RIVERDALE
FUNERAL HOME Inc.
5044 Broadway
New York, NY 10034
(212) 942-4000
Toll Free 1-888-GAPOSTLE
CONSTANTINIDES
FUNERAL PARLOR Co.
(718) 745-1010
Services in all localities Low cost shipping to Greece
ANTONOPOULOS
FUNERAL HOME, INC.
Konstantinos Antonopoulos Funeral Director
38-08 Ditmars Blvd.,
Astoria, New York 11105
(718) 728-8500
Not affiliated with any
other funeral home.
to PlaCE Your ClassiFiED aD, Call: (718) 784-5255,
EXt. 106, E-mail: classifieds@ thenationalherald.com
York, Connecticut and Massachusetts. He earned his welding
certificate from O.I.C., and in
Erie, worked for Lincoln
Foundry, Gloeker Refrigeration
Co., and National Forge Steel as
a welder. Dimitri worked with
his son at Sunny's Family
Restaurant, and enjoyed helping
his son at Meineke Car Care
Center, now known as Atlas
Care Car Center. He was a longtime member of Assumption
Greek
Orthodox
Church,
AHEPA, Vlahic Society of Krania
and was a Trikala News contributor. Dimitri was a generous
man, and gave contributions to
IOCC, AHEPA, World Vision,
Wounded Warrior Project, Red
Cross and Alzheimer's Foundation. He loved life, and his family, and enjoyed singing, dancing, fishing, hunting, biking,
traveling, and camping. He
spoke five languages. A dream
he never fulfilled was to become
an actor. His favorite soccer
team was Paok of Thessaloniki
and his favorite football team
was the Pittsburgh Steelers. He
was a loving grandfather and
showered them with love. We
will miss his infectious smile,
blue eyes, singing, jokes, storytelling, and laughter. Survivors
include, his wife, Eleni; his children, Katerina Christanas (Mihadas), Athanasios Mihadas,
and Achilles Christanas; his
grandchildren, Stefanos and
Eleni; and many nieces,
nephews and cousins. Besides
his parents, he was preceded in
death by three brothers,
Efthimios, Theodoros and Christos; and his first cousins, Rev.
Steve Mihadas, and Virgil, Evangelia, Ioana and Elizabeth Mihadas, Mary Mihadas (DeMintich), Lucia Mihadas and
Angela Mihadas. Friends may
call at the Dusckas-Martin Funeral Home, Inc., 4216 Sterrettania Rd., on Friday, from 2PM
to 5PM and 7PM to 9PM, and
are invited to attend a Funeral
Service on Saturday at 11AM,
at Assumption Greek Orthodox
Church. Interment will be at
this is a service
to the community.
announcements of deaths may
be telephoned to the
Classified Department of
the national herald at
(718) 784-5255,
monday through Friday,
9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Est
or e-mailed to:
[email protected]
Laurel Hill Cemetery. A Trisagion Service will be held at the
funeral home on Friday at 8PM.
Memorial contributions may be
designated, in Dimitri's name,
to his son, Athanasios Mihadas
for the Vlahic Society of Krania,
to benefit Village Elders.
n NEDELKOS, LAZAROS G.
MANSFIELD, OH (from the
News Journal, published on Jul.
12) – Lazaros G. (Antoniou)
Nedelkos, 86 of Mansfield, died
Friday, Jul. 10. He passed with
his loved ones by his side. Born
Apr. 15, 1929 in Leptokaria,
Greece, he was the son of George
and Georgann Antoniou. Lazaros
was a loving husband and father.
He and his wife Christina, with
their two children, Maria and
Christos, immigrated to the
United States in Jun. of 1955.
Lazaros worked hard his whole
life, providing opportunity and
a better lifestyle for his family.
Lazaros, better known as
Lazo/Lou/Louie/Dedo/Tatko,
was a kind, giving soul, with the
biggest heart and biggest smile.
He truly loved watching his city
deer and birds, especially his
Buckeye (Cardinal) bird. He
spent most of his career, 50+
years, working for General Motors, and was a member of the
UAW, until he retired in Jul.
2008. Also a veteran of the
Greek military during World War
II in the European Theatre, he
had the honor of meeting General Patton. Lazaros is survived
by his three children, Christos
(Melissa) Nedelkos, Georgann
(Dennis) Echelberger, and
Catherine Nedelkos, all of Mansfield; grandchildren, Christopher
(Tabatha) Nedelkos, Alyssa
(Brendan Gibbons) Nedelkos,
and Nicole Echelberger; brother,
Theadore (Ifgenia) Antoniou of
Mansfield; sisters, Dana Klinkatsis and Trenta Georgiadis of Australia; and numerous nieces and
nephews of the United States,
Australia, and Greece. Along
with his parents, Lazaros was
preceded in death by his loving
wife of 58 years, Christina;
daughter, Maria Nedelkos;
brother, John Antoniou of
Greece; and sisters, Flora Aspridis and Lena Alexiou of Australia. Calling hours will be held
Monday, Jul. 13, from 4PM to
8PM. at the Ontario Home of
Wappner Funeral Directors, 100
S. Lexington Springmill Road,
Ontario, with a Trisagion service
at 8PM. Funeral services will be
held Tuesday, Jul. 14 at 10:30AM
at Saints Constantine and Helen
Greek Orthodox Church. Burial
will follow in Mansfield Cemetery. Memorial contributions may
be made to the church for a chair
lift dedicated in his memory!
FEATURE
THE NATIONAL HERALD, JULY 25-31, 2015
7
ALL HISTORY
The First Greeks in Hawaii: History is Not Always What it Seems to Be
Continued from page 1
(or some other unquestioned
format) which is simply drawn
upon to form their accounts.
Following this traditional point
of view, when historians disagree or have alternate views of
what occurred in the past it is
simply due to the discovery of
new documents. In this way the
process is not challenged just reinforced in a kind of circular
manner by virtue of new evidence. Objectivity is the key
concept degenerate or claim at
the heart of this view of historical writing.
But who is quoted from the
past is as important as which
events are said to have occurred. And who does not believe that every writer has their
own a point of view about the
past. Put in these terms it is easy
to see that history is not a science but an agreed upon genre
form. This is not a self-corrective
discipline but one that follows
the ever changing dictates of
current political events. Peer review of the history produced by
those designated as professionals makes sure the ever changing party line is observed.
These constantly changing
versions of the past are especially easy to see when reading
Greek and Greek-American history. The modern Greeks, when
the power brokers of Western
Europe needed an excuse to invade and divide up the Ottoman
Empire, were acknowledged far
and wide as the descendants of
the Byzantines and so the Hellenistic Greeks and as a consequence the living extension of
the Classical Age Greeks. Having
said that, at this moment in history, we find little or no mention
of the Hellenistic Period or
Byzantium in terms of the modern Greeks in readily historical
surveys in North America.
When political interests
change so does the history used
by bureaucrats (whether they
are in government, the university or big business) to “explain”
current events and their real historical meanings.
GREEKS IN HAWAII
We see this in the history of
Hawaii where the prevailing
point of view of the American
missionaries and their descendants is only now being taken
under review. Having said that,
the invasion and seizure of the
Kingdom of Hawaii by American
forces is accepted as a fact of
history rather than a criminal
act. And the Greeks who found
shipman George Musalas Colvocoresses (October 22, 1816 –
June 3, 1872) was part of the
United States Exploring Expedition, more commonly known as
the Wilkes Expedition, which
reached the Hawaiian Islands in
1840. Captain Charles Wilkes
was the expedition’s leader. This
expedition, was sent out by the
American government and was
composed
of
naturalists,
botanists, a mineralogist, taxidermists, artists and a philologist, and was carried by the USS
Vincennes and USS Peacock, the
brig USS Porpoise, the store-ship
USS Relief, and two schooners,
USS Sea Gull and USS Flying
Fish. From 1838 to 1842, the
Wilkes expedition sought to explore and survey as much of the
Pacific Ocean and surrounding
lands as possible. Colvocoresses
is an especially notable member
of this venture due to the many
editions of his written account
Four Years in a Government Exploring Expedition (New York,
1852) that saw publication over
the years following their return.
During this historic voyage three
separate geographical features,
tion. During the Years 1838,
1839, 1840, 1841, 1842
(Philadelphia, PA: 1849). Without question, Colvocoresses’ collection of artifacts, during this
voyage, that literally decades
later found their way (via Colvocoresses’ descendants) to the
Smithsonian augmented not
only their existing holdings but
were also used in their exhibition on this expedition.
In Dr. Chapin’s article, “The
Queen’s ‘Greek Artillery Fire:’
Greek Royalists in the Hawaiian
Revolution and Counterrevolution, we encounter the following, “The first Greek settler arrived in 1878. A few Greeks
came in as contract laborers
with the Portuguese between
1879 and 1884. Although the
Planters’ Labor and Supply
Company did not recruit in
Greece, several Greek men
made their way to Hawai’i circuitously, migrating initially to
the Azores and Madeira Islands,
then to Hawai’i. They married
Portuguese or Hawaiian women
and essentially lived plantation
lives on rural Maui or O’ahu.
They were not connected to the
two on the west coast of the
United States and another in
Antarctica, were named for
Colvocoresses.
Members of the extended
Colvocoresses family contend
that their ancestor also authored
the four-volume report for
which Wilkes was later to claim
as his own, Narrative of the
United States Exploring Expedi-
main group which colonized in
Honolulu and Hilo from 1884
on, although after the counterrevolution one revealed himself
to his countrymen: ‘Me like you,
me Greek, not Portuguese.””
The writings of Dr. Chaplin
and others have shown that
while not large in overall numbers the Greeks were ardent
supporters of Queen Lili’uokalani and so hated enemies
of the New England Protestant
missionary class. In this regard
the extended Camarinos family
played pivotal role before, during and after the invasion and
illegal seizure of the Hawaiian
Islands. But might makes right
more often than not in “history
accounts” certainly more than
we are lead to believe in
school—and afterwards. In
1893, the Greeks who fought in
favor of Hawaiian Independence paid the price. Many
Greeks were jailed, fined, exiled
and had their businesses and all
property taken by the newly established American govern-
Τop: Greeks in Hawaii:
George Colvocoresses was
part of the Wilkes Expedition
to Hawaii. Right: An illustration accompanying Charles’
Wilkes four-volume narrative
about the Expedition to
Hawaii, which some of George
Colvocoresses descendants
contend that he, and not
Wilkes, at least co-authored it.
themselves in Hawaii during
this criminal invasion are still in
many historical accounts revolutionaries doomed to failure.
But more is certainly at play in
all these published accounts.
No one knows precisely who
or when the first Greek arrived
in the Hawaiian Islands. The
late Dr. Helen Gerasimos Chapin
(1926-2012) postulated that “it
is certain that Greeks began to
reach Hawai’i with Captain Vancouver’s explorations in the
1790s and on whaling and trading vessels after 1800.” Chapin,
who was the child of Greek immigrants and related to many
of the individuals we will be
considering, reports that the
first Greek settler she was able
to identify was a person whose
name in Hawai’i came to be
Nicholas Zabat, a laborer in the
Kohala district. In her interviews
with Theodore Anastasopulos,
Chapin learned of another very
early Greek settler Dela Dagra-
maticas (also known as Tom
Carlos) who had met as an old
man another younger Greek
John Roumanis. Roumanis told
Anastasopulos of Dagramaticas
and this meeting was recalled
for Chaplin. Word of mouth is
sometimes all that is recalled.
Taking a Greek perspective
we can identify another early
Greek visitor to Hawai’i. Mid-
GREEK AMERICAN STORIES
Dancin’ Around
By Phylis (Kiki) Sembos
Special to The National Herald
John fanned four tickets at
his buddies sitting in Dixon’s
that afternoon. “What’re they
for?” asked Dimos, eying them,
quizzically. John told them they
were tickets to his daughter’s
dance recital. Immediately,
George remembered a dentist
appointment on that day. John
scowled. “You don’t even know
what day!” George fidgeted.
“On the day of the recital.”
“Fine friend you are,” John
said, turning toward the others.
Yiannis found something vastly
interesting across the room.
Then, he wondered if it was a
good time to announce that he
had a job interview. But, he
knew they’d never believe it!
Eyeing him, John announced,
“They’re free!” Yiannis asked,
“Got a program I can see?” “Not
yet!” Fact was John had a program.
Kaliope’s first dance was
among the first but her last
dance was near the end of the
recital. Yiannis figured, if she
appeared early, he might go, like
a good friend. “My wife said she
appears third.” informed John,
not mentioning that her second
appearance dance was next to
last. Dimos, sensing John’s
mounting disappointment, announced, “Tell you what, guys!
After the recital let’s all go to
my diner to celebrate.” Everyone’s attention perked. Kipreos
took a ticket. George, reluc-
tantly, hesitatingly, slowly, took
the other. Upon hearing the
deal, Yiannis snatched the last.
The evening arrived. In the
school hallway about 30 girls in
an array of rainbow colored costumes, pranced and prepared,
receiving last minute primping
from anxious mothers. “Do those
girls dance altogether or do they
dance one at a time?” George
worried he’d have to sit through
30 performances. John informed
him, without explaining details,
not to expect a Kalamatiano or
square dancing. Kaliope, hair
combed back into a tight bun,
fidgeted nervously in the wings
as her mother brushed more
rouge on her cheeks.
The curtain rose and little
dancers, three and four years
old, tip-toed on stage, one
tripped, toppling over the girl in
front of her making it appear
more like a comedy act. Giggles
echoed through the auditorium
as the Dixon group, noticing
Kaliope’s name third from the
top and third from the bottom,
sat stone faced, waiting and
watching for Kaliope to make
her appearance. Yiannis looked
around, wondering if a vendor
would come down the aisle selling pop corn, hot dogs and sodas. When none were visible he
concentrated on Dimos’ offer,
muttering under his breath, “
Oh, well! All’s end well that
ends well - at Dimos’ diner.”
Each dance was about three
minutes long but it felt like three
hours to George, whose min,
busily, calculated on how many
hours he’d worked overtime that
week and Kipreos thoughts were
occupied with tomorrow’s menu
at the hotel.
Then, the moment came!
Yiannis fell asleep, his head
rested on Dimos’ shoulder until
he got shaken awake. The third
dancer appeared, finally, and a
pretty girl with dark hair, in a
white tutu floated on stage, her
arms waving, her feet prancing,
and her face in profile. She
danced in perfect unison with
the music that she ended with a
low bow as the audience applauded.”Isn’t she beautiful?”
cried John, applauding. It was
the queue that informed the
others that the girl on stage was
Kaliope.
The four applauded loud and
longer, cheering and whistling,
hoping to impress John and
Meropi who came to sit beside
her husband. Dimos bent toward Meropi. “She wonderful!
Bravo! A born dancer.” Smiling,
Meropi agreed. Then, said, “But
wait until Kaliopi comes on
stage.” Dimos fell back into his
seat, red faced, whispering,
“That wasn’t Kaliope?” “Guess
not!” George muttered. “They
all look alike.” Shaking a flustered Yiannis awake for the second time, he got to his feet and
asked, “Is it over?” John, annoyed, ordered Yiannis to sit
down.
Then, the magic moment
came and Kaliope appeared on
stage. Graceful like a swan, Dimos bent close to Meropi, “She’s
a star!” Grateful Meropi smiled
and thanked him. George,
checking the program saw that
there were only three more
dancers after her. Yiannis excused himself and went toward
the back of the auditorium.
When the recital ended, they got
up, went to the lobby where
they each bought a bouquet of
flowers to present to Kaliope,
Dimos asked, “Where’s Yiannis?” George pulled a face. “You
wanted him to buy flowers?
Probably still in the men’s room
waiting for the end of the event.
Let ‘im stay there. Let’s go?” So,
piling into John’s delivery auto
they drove to Dimos’ diner
where they spotted Yiannis sitting at a table. “I thought I’d reserve a table in case it got
crowded,” he shrugged.
ment.
After 1893, Greeks who had
supported the Queen continued
to do so to the enduring ire of
the Protestant ruling class.
Many of these same Greeks, just
as before the invasion, became
prosperous business leaders and
commercial innovators of the
first order. Greek businessmen
were the first to commission refrigerator compartments faded
for America and elsewhere for
Hawaiian pineapples and other
fruit crops—thus making the islands vastly wealthy. The Volcano House, once a series of resort cabins, and now a part of
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
on the island of Hawaii was
once owned and managed by
George Lycurgus, known as the
Duke of the Greeks. Lycurgus
was a steadfast supporter of
Queen Lili’uokalani and he not
only spent time in jail but everything. Not a man of small parts
Lycurgus simply worked his way
back to prominence, wealth and
a considerable degree of social
standing among the local
Hawaiians after 1893.
Greeks where ever they may
be must be more vocal in terms
of how we are presented and/or
most often ignored (or disappeared) from the pages of world
history. We have to challenge all
those who say we are only
“imagining” that we are descended from the Ancient
Greeks and those who followed.
Imagined communities are a
concept coined by Benedict Anderson. “An imagined community is different from an actual
community because it is not
(and, for practical reasons, cannot be) based on everyday faceto-face interaction between its
members. For example, Anderson believes that a nation is a
socially constructed community,
imagined by the people who
perceive themselves as part of
that group.” Anderson's book,
Imagined Communities, in
which he explains the concept
in depth, was first published in
1983, and reissued with additional chapters in 1991 and a
further revised version in 2006.
Anderson’s work has been used
by any number of scholars now
writing about Greeks to explain
why we cannot be and never
were continued historical or cultural to the past. For these men
and women we all just kinda
showed up in Greece, the
Balkans and the coasts of the
Mediterranean.
Let’s be plain, the “objectivity” claimed by professional historians is a sham. Deep-seated
cultural viewpoints and politics
inform far more of our current
historical accounts than is now
allowed. Think of the Macedonia Question or the claims that
Africans out of Egypt established ancient Greek culture.
There is more to being Greek in
North America than going to
church. During World War II
and the Invasion of Cyprus in
1974 we let the world know we
would not be dictated to by anyone. In terms of how we presented in historical accounts –
it is well past that time now.
[email protected]
THE NATIONAL HERALD BOOKSTORE
Exercise your mind with the latest books from The National Herald Collection
FLAVOURS & DELIGHTS
Tastes and pleasures of Ancient & Byzantine Cuisine
FLAVOURS & DELIGHTS
$46.99
the flavours of Classical greece
Makedonisi(on). Parsley, the macedonian herb.
Byzantine diet and cuisine. in between ancient and modern gastronomy. all in the cooking pot. advances in the study of Byzantine diet.
Eating flowers
Byzantine aphrodisiacs & delicacies.
liutprand of Cremona. a critical guest at the Byzantine emperor's
table.
Timarion
hens, cockerels and other choice fowl. Everyday food and gastronomic pretensions in Byzantium
Pallikaria of lentils. the "brave boys" of beans.
Everyday food in the middle Byzantine period
Dining with foreigners
Food for saints
the emperor's salad
"the raw and the Cooked" way of cooking and serving food in
Byzantium
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PRESS CLIPPINGS
8
THE NATIONAL HERALD, JULY 25-31, 2015
Be Careful What You Wish for: Greeks Queasy about Dramatic Reforms
[The article below, written by
Liz Alderman, appeared in the
July 19 edition of the New York
Times.]
For Greece, it’s the economic
equivalent of the Big Bang.
So far, the questions about
the tentative Greek bailout deal
have focused on the pact’s austere insistence on further cost
cuts and new tax increases. But
just as disruptive to Greek life
could be the fundamental
changes the pact is demanding
in the cozy old ways that the
country conducts business —
changes meant to make Greece
a more modern, efficient Eurozone economy.
The question is whether the
economic overhaul, assuming
that Prime Minister Alexis
Tsipras can make it happen,
would enable Greece to grow its
way out from under the country’s staggering debts.
The roots of Greece’s problems run deep. Nearly every
area of the economy is ensnarled by rules and practices
that discourage investment and
innovation. The bailout agreement asks Greece to open some
of the main bottlenecks, like the
sluggish judicial system in
which it can typically take more
than four years to enforce a
commercial contract.
Greece’s creditors want to expand competition. Medicines
are now sold only at pharmacies. And creditors want a further crackdown on corruption
in the public sector, where the
average asking price of a bribe,
Tsipras After Deal: Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras speaks to reporters on July 13, after reaching a deal with the Eurogroup
in Brussels. Part of the deal involves significant reforms in how Greece conducts business, which makes some Greeks nervous.
for services ranging from a tax
audit to a driver’s license, runs
around 1,400 euros, or about
$1,500.
Eurozone officials like Mario
Draghi, president of the European Central Bank, contend that
the €86 billion bailout plan can
work. The measures, Mr. Draghi
said last week, “ensure that
Greece will become a thriving
economy.”
But that is not a consensus
opinion.
“This bailout is not really
about a growth plan for Greece,
THE HERALD SQUARE
TNH's Crossword Challenge
ACROSS
1 Hotel
4 Saudi Arabian citizen
9 Gives off
14 Unit. Arab Repbulic (abbrev.)
15 Pimpled
16 Outlaw James
17 Defunct Greek TV Station (abbrev.)
18 ____ and the Man
19 Saint honored on July 20
20 Sixth Greek letter
22 Slanted font
24 Mrs. in Spain (abbrev.)
25 Interactive Syst. Language
(abbrev.)
27 Seventh Greek letter
29 _____ Demas, original
Sandy in Grease
32 Alternative to 7UP or Sprite
35 Taxi
36 Pepper plant
38 Challenges
40 Greek god of war
42 Plant
44 Lotion brand
45 Muslim's God
47 Professional wrestler Spiros
49 "___ the season to be
jolly..."
50 Greek airline
52 Sugarcoated medication
54 Chicken _ __ king - 2 words
55 Casino roller
56 Snake
59 Child's round toy
63 Listening devices?
67 Fish tank growth
69 Anonym
71 Travel term
72 Act in response to something
73 Tally (2 wds.)
74 Information Tech. Institute (abbrev.)
75 Pains
76 Deputy
77 Unhappy
worshipped by Ancient Greeks
12 Tyrant
13 Students of Eng. Studies
Assn. (abbrev.)
21 Michael Jordan's nickname
23 Inst. for Energy Research (abbrev.)
26 Cry
28 American Studies Assn. of
Korea (abbrev.)
29 Waitress on Cheers
30 White poplar
31 Vermont Founder Allen
32 Not solid
33 Largest Greek Island
34 Eagle's nest
35 Canadian Auto. Assn.
(abbrev.)
37 "To ___ is human..."
39 Bro's counterpart
41 Soap Opera
43 Type of red wine
46 Heads’ armor
48 Oxi's opposite
51 Motorists' org. (init.)
53 Golly
56 Taverns
57 Fake butter
58 Seaweed substance
60 File
61 Make unclear
62 Stretched car
64 Car rental agency
65 Actress Moreno
66 "He ____, she said"
68 Highest or lowest card
70 Espy
DOWN
1 Canal name
2 Skin
3 Avg. Round Trip Time
(abbrev.)
4 South Atlantic Conf. (abbrev.)
5 Weak-heeled mythical figure
6 Dimension
7 Prefix ten
8 Graven image
9 Expelled
10 Jazzy Torme
11 Egyptian goddess
“We’ve been asking for these
changes for years, but they’ve
never happened,” Mr. Xanthis
said. “It’s a pity the creditors are
now dictating something that
we should have done ourselves.”
S
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K A P
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H E N
O C T
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C H E
H A L
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L K Y
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The Greek economy has
shrunk by 25 percent since
2010, which Mr. Tsipras and
many economists argue has
been caused mainly by the austerity demands of previous
bailout programs.
The economic hole has been
dug deeper by the government’s
June 28 decision to shutter the
banks and impose tight restrictions on the withdrawal and
movement of money. The shutdown, and its impact on the
economy, added an estimated
€20 billion to Greece’s bailout
tab.
After the European Central
Bank said last week that it
would at least temporarily resume emergency lending to the
Greek banks, the government
said the banks would reopen on
Monday. But the controls on
money flow, which have hobbled Greek businesses, might
stay in place for weeks or
months.
Still, if Greece could find the
political will to carry out the
overhauls — many of which
drew from an Organization for
Economic Cooperation and Development assessment of what
needs to be done — it would
make a huge difference, economists say.
The tentative bailout agreement “does contain many reforms that are badly needed,”
said Miranda Xafa, a senior fellow at the Center for International Governance and former
member of the International
Monetary Fund’s executive
board who is based in Athens.
That includes a demand that
Athens finally take steps to
stamp out corruption and cronyism, which are among the
biggest impediments to a Greek
economic revival. Opening a
company is now easier in
Greece than it once was, but
getting the operating license is
still complicated.
“That’s where corruption
comes in,” Ms. Xafa said. “You
have to get permits from different ministries, which takes ages.
And sometimes, people are asking for a kickback.”
It’s not that Athens has made
This Week in Greek History:
Celebrating Arianna Huffington
Solution to last week’s puzzle
B
I
D
E
but a plan to make sure the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund get
paid, and the euro area doesn’t
break up,” said Mujtaba Rahman, chief Eurozone analyst for
the London-based Eurasia
Group.
“With so many interests at
play, it’s hard to devise an optimal economic strategy for
Greece,” he said.
Many of the changes demanded by creditors were
agreed to by previous Greek
governments, in two earlier
bailouts since 2010, but they
have yet to be fully carried out.
The toughest measures this
time include requirements that
Athens make additional cuts to
pensions and pry open the labor
market by streamlining collective bargaining and making it
easier to lay off workers.
Economists say the changes
demanded of Greece will make
little difference over the short
term, unless the economy begins to emerge from its latest
recession. But with around €4
billion in new spending cuts required by the bailout plan, analysts say the economy could be
further restrained.
Still, some Greeks see an economic overhaul as long overdue.
Spyros Xanthis, the managing
director of Xanthis, a familyowned marine exporting company in the port of Piraeus, said
his costs would drop markedly
if there was more competition
in areas of the economy like the
legal and transportation professions.
“If I could pay transportation
costs of €600 instead of €1,000,
that would help the bottom
line,” Mr. Xanthis said. “If my
legal fees fell because the legal
and notary professions were
fully opened, that would be better too.” He added that he could
use the savings to invest in expanding his business.
no reforms under the previous
bailout programs. As of last
year, the European Commission
reported, Greece had substantially reduced pension costs and
cut government employment by
150,000 workers. Wages fell by
an average of more than 21 percent in five years, helping to lure
new investment. In tourism, an
engine of growth, increased
competitiveness and simplified
visa procedures helped stoke
business.
And less government red
tape for companies has slightly
lifted Greece in the World
Bank’s “Ease of Doing Business”
rankings this year to 61st, up
from 65th last year, placing it
just ahead of Russia but still behind Rwanda.
Nonetheless, exports have
not become a driving force for
growth. Family incomes have
fallen by a third. More than a
third of Greeks are now at risk
of poverty and a quarter of
working-age people are unemployed.
Some Greeks worry that the
latest demands will take a larger
toll.
Theodora Kapetanelli, who
took over the family pharmacy
established by her father in
1974, feared that the Eurozone
creditors’ demands for more
competition would hurt her
business.
Currently, Greek pharmacies
can be owned and run only by
licensed pharmacists, who are
limited by law to owning only a
single shop.
And pharmacies are the only
place where even over-thecounter medicines can be purchased. That is a reason the
cost of even nonprescription
drugs is 27 percent higher in
Greece than in other European
countries sampled by the
O.E.C.D.
Ms. Kapetanelli said her
profit margins would fall if nonprescription medicines could be
sold in supermarkets and other
places. Being able to own more
than one pharmacy under the
new rules holds little appeal for
her, because costs like rent and
employee salaries would increase. “Certainly we fear that
we will lose our jobs and our
businesses,” she said.
Some of the creditors’ new
stipulations, such as increasing
some consumer taxes to 23 percent, may prove challenging to
enforce,
said
Panagiotis
Nikoloudis, Greece’s tax czar.
“Let’s put it this way,” Mr.
Nikoloudis said. “As much as
you increase the percentage of
tax, you increase the interest of
people to avoid paying the tax.”
But if Greece’s reform effort
slows this time, there is a
backup: Mr. Tsipras has given in
to European oversight of his
government’s every economic
move.
“Like it or not, Greece has
now been made a vassal state
of the euro area, and it’s absolutely clear the dragging of
feet — that’s now dead,” said
James Nixon, the chief European economist at Oxford Economics in London.
“The fact that we’re on the
edge of the precipice, and will
continue to be there, will focus
people’s minds on the reforms,”
he said.
“But it’s a scary road,” Mr.
Nixon added. “If at any time the
creditors decide, ‘We’ve had
enough,’ then Greece is out of
the Eurozone.”
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This week, on July 15, 1950,
Arianna Huffington was born.
The media giant was born in
Athens to father Konstantinos
and mother Elli. She was named
Ariadne-Anna Stasinopoulou. In
1986 she married Michael Huffington.
Shortly thereafter, in 1990,
she became a United States citizen. Huffington is the cofounder, president, and editorin-chief of the Huffington Post
Media Group.
She moved to England when
she was only 16 and graduated
from Cambridge University with
an M.A. in Economics. At 21,
she became president of the
famed debating society, the
Cambridge Union.
In May 2005, she launched
The Huffington Post, a news and
blog site that quickly became
one of the most widely read, frequently-cited media brands on
the Internet. In 2012, the site
won a Pulitzer Prize for national
reporting.
She has been named to
Forbes’ Most Powerful Women
list and made Time Magazine's
list of the world’s 100 most influential people.
She serves on several boards,
including The Center for Public
Integrity; The Committee to
Protect Journalists; HuffPost's
partner in Spain, the newspaper
EL PAÍS; Payoff; and ONEX. She
is also a heavy presence in the
media. In 2005 she appeared on
the Daily Show with Job Stuart.
She also joined the cast of Seth
MacFarlane's animated series,
The Cleveland Show, playing
the wife of Tim the Bear, also
named Arianna.
Her 14th book, Thrive: The
Third Metric to Redefining Suc-
cess and Creating a Life of WellBeing, Wisdom, and Wonder debuted at #1 on the New York
Times Bestseller list and was released in paperback in March.
Her newest book Sleep Power,
on the science, history and mystery of sleep is scheduled to be
published next April.
Arianna Huffington: Media giant Arianna Huffington was born
65 years ago this week.
THE NATIONAL HERALD, JULY 25-31, 2015
GREECE CYPRUS
9
Greece Readies Big Sell-offs, Privatization Chiefs Charged with Embezzlement
ATHENS – The top three officials
of Greece’s privatization fund
have been charged with embezzlement, just as the government
is ready to start pushing sales of
state enterprises.
An anti-corruption prosecutor
brought the charges in connection with the sale of 28 stateowned buildings on 20-year
leaseback deals that were said to
have cost the state 580-600 million euros ($629-$650 million),
the newspaper Kathimerini reported.
Prosecutor Eleni Raikou investigated the property sales after
private complaints and found
enough evidence to charge the
former president of the Hellenic
Republic Asset Development
Fund (TAIPED) Constantinos Maniatopoulos, the ex-managing director Yiannis Emiris and former
executive director Andreas
Taprantzis.
The former TAIPED officials
are not facing breach of faith
charges as the Fund’s charters
gave them immunity from such
prosecution but they have been
charged with embezzlement due
to failing to transfer promptly interest payments from the deal to
a state account, leading to losses
of some 100,000 euros.
Raikou also charged evaluators with valuing the properties
at below their market price.
The deal with Eurobank Properties and Ethniki Pangaia was
clinched for 261 million euros in
2013 and concluded in 2014 but
the state suffered damages of between 580 and 600 million euros,
according to the prosecutor’s
200-page report.
The investigation into the deal
between TAIPED and the property firms was launched in December 2014 after a complaint
by the Piraeus bar association.
TSIPRAS PUSHES
PRIVATIZATION
Work was supposed to begin
next year on a 7 billion euros
($7.6 billion) waterfront urban
renewal project almost twice the
size of New York’s Central Park
that could have poured nearly a
billion euros into Greece’s depleted coffers.
The plans stalled late last year
after the far-left SYRIZA party
took power and promised to halt
attempts at putting the private
sector in control of state assets,
both on ideological grounds and
because leaders believe rampant
corruption must be addressed before any sell-off.
Now, in an attempt to get a
third European bailout and prevent the Greek economy from collapsing, the ruling party has done
an about-face.
It has pledged to fast-track the
waterfront project, plus sell gov-
ernment assets and allow for private development of state-owned
property, all to generate cash that
will help reduce Greece’s 320-billion-euro national debt and pay
back money lent by European nations to prop up ailing banks.
Experts say the goal set by
Greece’s European counterparts
for the country to raise 50 billion
euros in privatizations and private
use of state property is probably
impossible — but that Greece
must make a better effort than it
has in the past.
“There can be absolutely no
backpedaling or unwinding with
the privatization effort,” said Mujtaba Rahman, European director
for the Eurasia Group political
and business risk consulting firm.
“This is about testing the government’s appetite to liberalize the
economy and move forward with
pro-market reforms.”
Big money assets that Greece
could sell include state-owned
stakes in Athens’ new airport, energy company Hellenic Petroleum
and electrical utility Public Power
Corp., plus offshore oil or natural
gas drilling parcels. Greece also
has stock in banks valued at 7.5
billion euros, but the true value
of the stake is unknown because
the Athens stock market stopped
trading at the end of June as the
country descended into financial
chaos. But over the past few years
during Europe’s debt crises, privatizing assets has been a key demand placed on countries being
bailed out. Greece notably failed
to meet initial targets.
The privatizations have met
with varying degrees of resistance, with some arguing that
stressed governments such as
Greece’s are selling assets at below-market prices. Opponents
also say privatization reduces job
security and transfers wealth to a
rich elite.
Greece’s development fund
doesn’t publicly disclose the estimated value of assets it has to offer, but the deal it negotiated for
the waterfront renewal project
would give Greece 950 million
euros in return for a 99-year lease
on the property.
A Greek company with backing from Chinese and Arab investors would then build a huge
park, a shopping center, a marina,
1,000 hotel rooms and a skyscraper apartment building on
what’s billed as Europe’s largest
undeveloped waterfront tract.
Multimillion-euro yachts dock
at a marina within the parcel that
was built for the 2004 Olympics,
but a crumbling, two-block-long
building with a leaky roof bakes
in the sun. It was built for athletes
but never used after the games.
(Material from the Associated
Press was used in this report)
Tsipras Survives Bailout Vote, Troika up Next
Continued from page 1
mise that forces us to implement
a program in which we do not
believe, and we will implement
it because the alternatives are
tough," he told lawmakers. "We
are summoned today to legislate
under a state of emergency."
Tsipras also ruled out resigning. "The presence of the left in
this government isn't about the
pursuit of office, it's a bastion
from which to fight for our people's interests," he said. "And as
far as I'm concerned, I won't
abandon this bastion, at least of
my own free will."
Tsipras said approval would
give Greece breathing room to
quash speculation that the country will be forced to abandon
the euro, and help it regain market confidence and eventually
tap bond markets again.
Before the debate got underway, about 10,000 people
demonstrated outside Parliament, protesting the latest measures to overhaul Greece's judicial and banking sectors.
Minor violence marred the
end of the protest when a few
teenagers threw petrol bombs
at riot police, but no injuries or
arrests were reported.
NOW COMES
NEGOTIATIONS
Negotiations with creditors
are now expected to start soon.
"From this point on, the government will focus all its attention on negotiating efforts in order that the agreement is
concluded," Gerovasili said.
She also pledged action to
tackle corruption and tax evasion, address the "humanitarian
crisis" in a country where more
than a quarter of the workforce
is jobless and poverty has
soared, and restart the recession-mauled economy.
The SYRIZA-led coalition
government hopes the new
bailout talks can conclude before Aug. 20, when Greece must
repay a debt worth more than 3
billion euros ($3.3 billion) to
the European Central Bank.
On July 22, the ECB provided a new vital cash injection
to Greece's battered banks. A
European banking official told
The Associated Press the ECB
decided to increase emergency
liquidity to Greek banks by 900
million euros ($980 million) —
the second such cash injection
in just under a week.
Fearing a run by depositors
flocking to take their savings out
of Greek banks, the government
imposed capital controls more
than three weeks ago, restricting daily withdrawals to 60 euros ($65) per account holder.
Extra ECB liquidity means that
Greek banks will still be able to
hand out cash.
Greece has relied on bailout
loans totaling 240 billion euros
since 2010 after it was locked
out of international money markets. It nearly crashed out of the
Eurozone this month, after relations between Athens and its
creditors hit rock-bottom, and
was only saved by a last-minute
U-turn from Tsipras.
The July 23 vote was Tsipras'
second crunch test in Parliament
in a week.
Many in SYRIZA, including
former finance minister Yanis
Varoufakis, voted against last
week's austerity measures,
which included a big hike to
sales taxes that took effect on
Monday. But Varoufakis voted
in favor of the new reforms this
time.
THE REBELS HANG TOUGH
An increase in the number of
dissenters would have left
Tsipras politically hamstrung.
Although he would still retain a
nominal parliamentary majority
— as he has shown no inclination to expel rebels — Tsipras
would depend on the support of
opposition parties to pass any
new reforms.
SYRIZA rebels in the vote included the firebrand Parliament
speaker, Zoe Konstantopoulou.
In a letter to Greece's President
and Tsipras, Konstantopoulou
asserted the measures were a
"violent attack on democracy,"
arguing that lawmakers had
been given very little time to
study the voluminous bill.
Tsipras has accused party
critics of acting irresponsibly.
The reforms approved are
aimed at reducing the country's
court backlog and speeding up
revenue-related cases. Greek
lawyers' associations oppose
them, arguing that they will
have the opposite effect.
Justice
Minister
Nikos
Paraskevopoulos conceded that
the government would have
preferred changes, but added
that Greece is "in a state of
emergency" and the alternative
to accepting the proposed reforms would be the country's
forced exit from the Eurozone.
"Out of two problems, I chose
the milder one," he said.
Lawmakers also approved re-
Alexis Tsipras survives a Parliament vote, and hopes to keep
the Greek government stable and comply with Troika demands,
even as questions remain in Parliament and on the street about
the latest agreement.
forms related to banking union
mechanisms, aimed at reducing
the risk for European governments from bank crises.
In Brussels, Pierre Moscovici,
the European Union's top economy official, said he hopes the
bailout deal can be signed by
mid-August, although he ac-
knowledged that means Greece
has to meet a "punishing" schedule.
By Nicholas Paphitis and
Menelaos Hadjicostis. Derek
Gatopoulos in Athens and
Raf Casert in Brussels contributed
Another Dark Anniversary for Cyprus, but Light is in Sight at End of Tunnel
Continued from page 1
truth of “such a violation of human dignity, which everyone
can relate to…they become as
passionate as any Greek and
Cypriot-American.
Simotas praised Phillip
Christopher, the founder and
president of PSEKA, and other
organizations “that have made
sure for decades that we don’t
forget.”
Christopher had just returned from attending meetings
in Washington, DC with Deputy
Secretary of State Anthony
Blinken and Deputy Assistant
Secretary of State Amanda
Sloat. There were also representatives of the offices of the National Security Advisor and Vice
President Biden.
Also at the meeting were of
the Hellenic American Leadership Council (HALC), Andy and
Mike Manatos, and Savas
Tsivikos representing AHEPA’s
Cyprus Hellenic Affairs Committee.
“We told the State Department there is an opportunity between Greek and Turkish Cypriots” to reunify Cyprus,” but he
is concerned that as in the past,
Turkey will torpedo it.”
He said U.S. officials agree
that Erdogan’s unpredictability
is an issue, “but they also believe
this is the right time and they
are encouraged by the statements of the New Turkish
Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci.”
He is pleased “The U.S. is
demonstrating its support for
the Republic of Cyprus” but
added, “As long as there are
43,000 Troops on the island and
350,000 illegal settlers…the
90,000 Turkish Cypriots who
have passports from the Republic of Cyprus will not be able to
do anything.”
The most important development is Akinci’s statement that
the EU’s acquis communautaire
, the accumulated legislation, legal acts, and court decisions
which constitute the body of European Union law, should apply
in a re-unified Cyprus.
Christopher
emphasized
there should literally be a two-
way street. “Today there are
Turkish Cypriots moving to the
south, but no Greek Cypriots are
moving to the north,” he said,
and is concerned that could be
the foundation for taking over
the whole island.
Christopher spoke to TNH
about the importance of the
work of HALC and expressed his
appreciation for its funding by
industrialist Nikos Mouyiaris,
who is modest about his role.
“He will probably be angry that
Community leaders and diplomats were among the faithful at the Cyprus memorial service at
the Church of Archangel Michael in Port Washington, NY. Seen above are Nikos Tsiazas, Costas
Tsentas, Ambassadors Nicholas Emiliou, Vasilios Philippou, and George Iliopoulos.
I said this,” he told TNH.
During the HALC conference
call Zemenides also noted
Ankara’s past obstructionism,
but he pointed out the recent
positive statements by Akinci
would have been unimaginable
a year ago.
He highlighted conditions
that give cause for optimism,
including a deepening of relations between Greece, Cyprus,
and Israel, and a growing distrust of Turkey.
“There is a case to be made
we are trending in the right direction, and that we are in a
substantially different context
for the peace process. The first
new element is that unlike the
time of the Annan plan that
was rejected in 2004, Cyprus is
an EU member, not just a candidate,” the second is a substantial shift in Turkish Cypriot
leadership beyond just Akinci,
fueled by fears that their identify is being overwhelmed by
both the Asia Minor setters and
Erdogan’s AKP party.
The third is the energy discoveries, but he added that the
statements about “the EU acquis is huge.”
He also noted that Erdogan
may want a solution because
his recent international and domestic political crashes and
problems in the Turkish economy may have made joining
the EU a priority again, and the
Republic of Cyprus holds a
veto.
In attendance at the memorial service were Ambassador
Nicholas Emiliou, Permanent
Representative of Cyprus to the
UN, Ambassadors Vasilios
Philippou and George Iliopoulos, Consuls General of Cyprus
and Greece, respectively, FCAO
president Costas Tsentas, and
New York City Councilman
Costas Constantinides, who has
roots in Cyprus.
Constantinides said, "I thank
all who attended the Cyprus
Federation of America and
PSEKA's memorial service to
commemorate the 41st anniversary of the invasion of
Cyprus. The somber occasion
recognized the importance of
the lives that perished, renewed
the spirit of our fight for human
rights and justice for Cyprus,
and provided an opportunity to
educate our younger generation about this journey. It is
time for Cyprus to be united. "
Akinci’s Acknowledgment: the Turkish Invasion of Cyprus in 1974 Was “War”
NICOSIA – Turkish-Cypriot President Mustafa Akinci said his
country’s 1974 invasion of
Cyprus was “war,” not the “peace
operation” Ankara has insisted
it was.
The declaration was welcomed by Cypriot President
Nicos Anastasiades as the two
men have bonded since resuming
reunification talks on May 15
that hope to restore peace on
the island split for 41 years.
It was the first time any Turkish Cypriot leader had used the
word “war” in referring to the
Turkish invasion or acknowledged the effects it had on the
Greek Cypriot population. It
came just ahead of the July 20
anniversary of the invasion.
According to Turkish Cypriot
media, in his statement, Akinci
said: “There is no doubt what
we called ‘peace operation’ can
also say it was a war. And the
war’s conditions were undoubtedly difficult and challenging.
After the great suffering the
Turkish Cypriot people experienced in the 1950s and 1960s,
the Greek Cypriot community
too was one of the biggest victims of the 1974 tragedy caused
by the Greek junta.”
Anastasiades said he was particularly pleased with the remarks, adding that Akinci`s
statement showed “gallantry,”
the Cyprus Mail reported.
Earlier, in a written statement
marking the anniversary, Anastasiades said he was “comforted”
by the reference and acknowledgement by Akinci.
“Let us hope that Mr. Erdogan
will at least indicate the country’s
determination to end this unacceptable situation,” he added,
referring to a visit later in the
day to the north by Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan to attend
Turkish Cypriot celebrations.
Speaking to reporters after
the morning event at the Makedonitissa Tomb, Anastasiades
said it was sad day.
He said it was regrettable
that while some mourned, others
were celebrating. “We must work
to heal the wounds and fade
the scars,” he said, the Mail reported.
“This is a day of sorrow and
of sad memories, forty one years
on memories are still fresh. At
the same time our obligation
and our duty to the country and
to those who have lost their
lives become more pressing,”
the President said.
A formal church memorial
service was held at Faneromeni
Church in Nicosia, attended by
the President and the political
leadership. A series of other
anti-occupation events will also
take place during the day.
UK OFFERS LAND FOR
PEACE
Cyprus’ once-ruler, Great
Britain, is willing to give up
large parts of its bases on the
island if a reunification deal is
signed.
Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said that, “We have made
clear that in the context of a
settlement, Britain is willing to
offer to surrender a significant
proportion of the land surface
of the bases to the Republic of
Cyprus to allow development,”
after meeting his Cypriot counterpart Ioannis Kasoulides.
“That offer remains on the
table, and we hope that it will
add to the economic benefits of
a settlement being concluded
and help to stimulate economic
growth in Cyprus in the future,”
he added, Agence France Presse
reported.
Britain retains two strategically important military bases
on Cyprus which remained sovereign territory after the country’s independence in 1960.
Turkish troops unlawfully occupied the northern third in
1974, invading after a Greekinspired coup which hoped to
absorb the country in a union.
Turkey still keeps a standing
army of 30,000 troops there in
the territory only it recognizes.
Anastasiades and Akinci, have
been the first to make headway
in reunification talks in more
than four decades, blossoming
hope of a deal.
As part of a 2004 UN peace
deal, London offered to return
around 50 percent of non-military bases land in the south,
but Greek Cypriots in a referendum rejected the settlement
blueprint.
Britain confirmed the offer
still stands in the event of a
peace accord being reached.
JUNCKER SEES BEST
CHANCE YET
The rival leaders of ethnically
divided Cyprus must not let the
chance to reunify the island slip
away as renewed peace talks
kick into gear, the European
Commission’s top official said.
EU Commission President
Jean-Claude Juncker said encouraging signs of progress in
negotiations shouldn’t go to
waste.
“This is a unique chance, a
unique opportunity and we
should not lose the momentum,”
Juncker said after talks with
Anastasiades in the Cypriot capital.
Juncker praised Anastasiades
for his determined stance in the
United Nations-mediated talks
with Akinci.
Talks resumed in May after
an eight-month pause triggered
by a feud between the Cypriot
government and Turkey over
the island’s right to explore for
gas and oil deposits off its shores.
Turkey insisted that a unilateral Greek Cypriot search for
gas infringed on Turkish Cypriot
rights to the island’s potential
mineral wealth.
A hopeful Juncker said that
a Cyprus peace accord would
be “good news for the entire
European Union” and that he
would take a personal interest
in negotiations.
U.N. envoy Espen Barth Eide
has said that dynamic energy
and positive climate” in the talks
are starting “to pay real dividends.” That’s partly due to the
rise of moderate leftist Akinci
to power last April.
But talks are still at an early
state and much remains to be
discussed including thorny issues
that have stumped previous
rounds of negotiations like military intervention rights accorded
to Turkey.
Both leaders agree that any
peace accord should be anchored
on EU principles and law. Cyprus
joined the EU in 2004, but only
the south enjoys full membership
benefits. There’s hope this time
reunification will be achieved.
EDITORIALS LETTERS
10
THE NATIONAL HERALD, JULY 25-31, 2015
FROM OUR WEBSITE…
The National Herald
A weekly publication of the NATIONAL HERALD, INC.
(ΕΘΝΙΚΟΣ ΚΗΡΥΞ),
reporting the news and addressing the issues of paramount interest
to the Greek-American community of the United States of America.
Tsipras Shows
His Mettle
Assistant to the Publisher, Advertising Veta H. Diamataris Papadopoulos
In response to “Greece in Ruins:
Tsipras, SYRIZA's Damage
Done,” by Andy Dabilis:
Executive Editor Constantinos E. Scaros
Religion Editor Theodore Kalmoukos
Senior Writer Constantine S. Sirigos
Online Managing Editor Andy Dabilis
Andy Dabilis is a Monday
morning quarterback. Now, he
sees things clearly, in hindsight.
Greek Prime Minister Alexis
Publisher-Editor Antonis H. Diamataris
Tsipras tried to negotiate different terms for the huge loans that
others before him had taken on.
He didn’t succeed. But, you
never know until you actually
try. Dabilis always berated all
the previous Greek leaders for
capitulating too quickly to the
Troika. Tsipras had the nerve to
go to Brussels, Berlin, and Paris
and stand before German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Finance
Minister
Wolfgang
Schaeuble and bring up his
country’s case, in a clear message.
Tsipras may be young and inexperienced, but heacted with
more maturity than his predecessors.
Conversely, the German
stance has been met with disapproval from much of the
world, especially the United
States.
Lambros Karpodinis
Production Manager Chrysoula Karametros
The National Herald (USPS 016864) is published weekly by
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Tsipras fought hard, reader says.
Tsipras’ Task at Hand
Votes have taken place in EU parliaments – a number must
still take place in Greece – that are clearing the way for negotiations over a third bailout loan for Greece and a Memorandum of
Understanding with its Troika creditors.
These actions will lower the curtain on the “To Grexit or not
to Grexit” drama of the past few weeks.
Of course, more acts will follow, and there is ample room on
the stage for a full-blown tragedy.
During intermissions, there will be much discussion in the
galleries about the recent developments and who is responsible
for bringing Greece to the edge of the cliff and the EU to the
brink of disaster.
At this time we will pass on participating. First of all, more information is needed about what was going on – the statements
to date of people like former Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis
and SYRIZA Left Platform leader Panagiotis Lafazanis leave us
scratching our heads and hungry for objective reports.
But, most importantly, it is time – long past time – to focus on
the future and what must be done to build the New Greece that
we Greeks know is necessary, more so than even the most frustrated Troika officials.
There are signs that Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras wants to
move forward on the structural reforms that will also prompt
debt reduction, but there is the danger that the focus will shift
again from the national interest to party politics if snap elections
are called for this fall.
Perhaps Tsipras will muster both the will and the skill needed
to avoid them. Though we do not always agree with the prime
minister’s policies or performance, Greece does not have the
time, the money, or the stomach for new elections.
Our Future, Our Voices
The inner workings of the Greek Orthodox Church will always
be something of a black box. Nevertheless, our way of life in
America compels us to seek greater transparency and more of a
voice in our Church’s operations.
This week’s edition features a story uncovered by our Religion
Editor, Theodore Kalmoukos. It appears that behind the scenes,
the process has begun that will culminate in a successor to Archbishop Demetrios.
Insiders – to the degree that Church members can know
enough even to be called insiders – are shocked. It was believed
that Demetrios would remain on the throne at least until the
Grand Opening of St. Nicholas at Ground Zero.
The larger question is, however, whether a way can be found
for our community to have a greater say in the selection of the
leader whose impact on Greek-Americans and their future extends
beyond the issues of the Church.
Surely there can be regularly-scheduled forums in various
parts of the country. where hierarchs from America and Constantinople, as well as members of the Archdiocesan Council can
brief clergy and laity, and be sounding boards for messages that
can be conveyed to Constantinople.
Such initiatives are the only way to combat the dangerous
growth in cynicism, and worse, indifference among the laity, and
frustration among the clergy.
The Silent Plurality
President Richard Nixon often spoke of “the silent majority” –
the masses of Americans who quietly seethed while the country
was progressing in ways wholly unacceptable to them – and perhaps no one best represented the “voice of the silent majority,”
as he was dubbed, than Spiro Agnew – who as Nixon’s vice president occupied the highest political office ever by a Greek-American.
Fast-forwarding to the present, one year before the next presidential election, Donald Trump is as likely a person as any to be
deemed the new voice of the silent majority – except that he
seems to put his foot in his mouth so often that he alienates supporters almost as quickly as he attracts them.
The business mogul/TV celebrity’s most recent blunder was
to mock Senator John McCain as not being a true war hero because all he did was get captured. “I like people who don’t get
captured,” Trump said.
Almost all of the other dozen or so Republican presidential
candidates, in defense of McCain and POWs in general, lined up
to condemn Trump’s words, some deeming him unfit to serve as
commander-in-chief and calling on GOP national chairman Reince
Preibus (another Greek-American) to denounce Trump formally.
Earlier in the month, Trump offended another large group of
Americans: those of Mexican descent. His words basically left
the impression that he thinks Mexicans as a people are generally
“rapists,” though some of them are “good people.”
In that instance, the other Republicans treaded cautiously in
criticizing Trump. Surely they do not share Trump’s caustic, antiMexican sentiment. Why, then, were they so gunshy about speaking out against him?
Because Trump touched on an issue that resonates with if not
America’s silent majority, then the Republican voters’ silent plurality: illegal aliens. If Bush, Huckabee, Rubio, and co. had blasted
Trump for attacking an entire nation of people, a sizeable chunk
of voters likely would have perceived them as being soft on illegal
immigration, and labeled them supporters of amnesty.
This is the reason Trump continues to lead in the GOP polls:
not because his supporters think that most Mexicans are rapists,
nor because they think that McCain is not a true war hero. But
because Trump is virtually the only candidate in either major
party who seems to give a hoot about ending illegal immigration.
To the question: “why do people still like Donald Trump?” we
answer, with our own question: “Why hasn’t another candidate
stepped up to lead on the issue of illegal immigration, but in a
respectful, responsible, non-offensive manner?
AGORA – THE ORIGINAL MARKETPLACE OF IDEAS
By Dan Georgakas and
Constantinos E. Scaros
From time to time, an issue emerges and
inspires various minds to converge, often at
odds with one another, to discuss it. Hopefully,
collective enlightenment will result from such
conversations. The Ancient Greeks did that in
the Agora, the original marketplace of ideas,
and we, their modern-day descendants, aspire
to continue that tradition. We respect one another’s opinion very much,
but often times we will disagree on particular
issues. We would never fabricate a difference
of opinion for the sake of writing an interesting
column.
Rest assured, anything we write here are
our sincere, heartfelt thoughts.
We will share them with you every two
weeks. We hope you enjoy them, and we look
forward to your taking part in the discussion
as well – by contributing letters to the editor in
response, and/or commenting on our website:
www.thenationalherald.com
The Confederate Flag: Repeal it with an Axe or a Scalpel?
SCAROS PRESENTS HIS
POINT OF VIEW
Dan, I love the South. I hope
to live there one day, yearround. I think most Southerners
are good people – and those
who are racists are a small percentage of bad apples.
I also think that a lot –
maybe even most – of the people who support the display of
the Confederate flag are not
racists, either. To them, the flag
is no different than, say, the benign gesture of allegiance sports
fans exhibit when wearing articles of clothing bearing their favorite teams’ names and logos.
Nonetheless, there is enough
baggage about the perception of
the Confederate flag to warrant
its removal from social acceptability, must like the swastika
(even though that may be overstating the case, as the swastika,
more than the Confederate flag,
is inextricably intertwined with
Nazi genocide – whereas the
Confederate flag symbolizes
concepts other than slavery).
I saw a poignant post on social media recently, it went
something like this: “Ten years
from now, same-sex marriage
and use of marijuana will be
perfectly acceptable, but America will still hate blacks.” And
while I do not agree that those
who hate blacks today, or would
in ten years, come close to representing “America,” the point
is well taken: racism is an ugly
stain that contradicts the concept of human evolution,
throughout the world and
specifically in the United States.
For that reason, I think more
good than harm will come from
the banishing of the Confederate flag and so I applaud decisions to remove it from public
buildings, and more broadly
from Southern culture.
I am concerned, though, that
the Politically Correct Police will
deny the necessary period of adjustment, as they always do, for
Confederate supporters without
a racist bone in their bodies.
For instance, fans of Southern rock bands, such as Lynyrd
Skynyrd, 38 Special, The Outlaws, and Molly Hatchett, all of
which have had the confederate
flag displayed on their concert
t-shirts and other paraphernalia
over the years in one way,
shape, or form.
Is a person who still has a
shirt from, say, a concert 10
years ago and would like to
wear it now a pariah? An outcast from society? An evil racist?
What about those who enjoy
songs about Dixie? Or who revere some of the presidents of
the United States who owned
slaves, including two of our
iconic Founding Fathers –
George Washington and Thomas
Jefferson – whose likenesses appear on Mount Rushmore. Shall
we rush with hammer and chisel
to tear down half of that landmark? Shall we remove Washington’s face from the dollar bill
and the quarter coin? And Jefferson’s from the nickel?
How about those who, in
youthful exuberance, had a tattoo of the Confederate flag
branded onto their arm or chest,
much like an avid Rolling Stones
fan might have a tattoo of the
famous tongue-and-lip logo associated with that band?
Again, I agree that in weighing all factors, the decision to
remove the Confederate flag
from American culture is a
sound one. But I think it is hardheaded – typical leftist intolerance – to expect that this is to
be done overnight, granting absolutely no period of adjustment
to those who view that symbol
as benignly as, say, a patriotic
Hellene views an Evzone.
GEORGAKAS RESPONDS
Dino, two words summarize
my thoughts about banishing
the battle flag of the Confederacy from the state capitol of
South Carolina: good riddance.
As I do not suffer from historical amnesia, I know the flag
was hoisted in 1962 as a symbol
for defying the new civil rights
legislation at hand. No ifs, ands,
or buts about that. No ifs, ands,
or buts that many Americans,
black and white, lost their lives
or were beaten senseless trying
to bring an end to segregation.
I also know that the Confederacy came into existence to
maintain and promote human
slavery. The ensuing conflict
killed or wounded millions of
Americans. Southern apologists
suggest the South fought for
states’ rights. That’s a half-truth
at best.
When federal law protected
slavery as in the Fugitive Slave
Act and the Dred Scott decision
by the Supreme Court, the
South had no problem with federal laws being supreme in
every state of the union. The
South only evoked states’ rights
when the political climate
turned against them.
Although most Northerners
were not for the immediate abolition of slavery, they could not
accept slavery moving out of the
South to new Western territories, such as Kansas and Nebraska. They understood a family of free Americans could not
compete with agriculture based
on slave labor.
Regarding the bravery of the
rebels, Ulysses S. Grant, commander of the victorious Northern armies, put it well in his autobiography when he wrote no
soldiers ever fought more gallantly for such an unworthy
cause. He also cited the bravery
of his own troops.
When people speak of dignified and courtly Confederate
generals and officers, a myth in
any case, they usually do not
mention that a number of them
murdered black Northern soldiers who had surrendered and
after the war, many of them
were central to the founding of
the Ku Klux Klan.
I also know that when
Greeks arrived to the United
States en masse in the early
1900s, they were frequently at-
tacked by the Klan. AHEPA was
partly founded as a response to
the actions of the KKK and related groups.
Some organizations who
work to honor Southern soldiers
who fought in the Civil War argue that African Americans
fought for the South. The truth
is that the Confederate government prohibited the arming of
blacks as dangerous. Slaves
could only be used for menial
military tasks. The Union army,
in contrast, eventually recruited
and fully armed blacks, albeit in
segregated units. At the conclusion of the war, hundreds of
thousands of blacks were in the
union army or waiting to be activated.
We are speaking of governmental, not private, display of
the rebel flag. We are speaking
of the rebel flag flying alongside
the American flag as a relative
or coequal. This regards governmental policy and symbolism.
Individuals who want to display
confederation flags on private
property, at grave sites, or even
tattoo them on their foreheads
remain free to do so. If Walmart
and Amazon do not wish to sell
confederate apparel, they, too,
are free to do so.
Racism in the United Sates,
North and South, is finally abating. Southerners need to ask
themselves if they still want to
be identified with their region’s
history of slavery and segregation. All nations have historical
deeds and ideas they have come
to regret. To excuse them by
honoring fallen soldiers doesn’t
hide the fact that the Confederate flag is a symbol of the worst
aspects of American culture.
WHAT’S YOUR OPINION?
Confederate Flag: The Confederate Flag no doubt symbolizes slavery and racism to some. But
does it also stand for benign love of the South to others?
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THE NATIONAL HERALD, JULY 25-31, 2015
VIEWPOINTS
11
Caitlyn Jenner Would Out- Now What? How Does Greece Adjust to the New Deal?
poll Gov. George Pataki
might have even
If Caitlyn Jenner
voted for Sarah
were running for
Palin for president.
president of the
Deal with it.
United States in
Even more piti2016 – even as a
ful than the obsesRepublican – she
Americans
sion
probably
would
have with what
rate higher on pubgender someone
lic opinion polls
who doesn’t even
than George Pataki,
know them chooses
along with a handto identify with is
ful of other emithat they would
nently well-qualiby CONSTANTINOS E.
vote for him in a
fied candidates,
SCAROS
second over Grasuch as Lindsey
ham, Kasich, and
Graham, John KaSpecial to
The National Herald
Jindal. That’s besich, and Bobby
cause they also
Jindal. And that is
have no clue about what it
sad. Oh, so, so sad.
Caitlyn Jenner, up until re- means to be president. It’s not
cently, was Bruce Jenner, the the guy (or gal) with the nicest
1976 Olympic Decathlon cham- smile. Or the smoothest voice.
pion, reality show celebrity, and Or the sexiest body. It is also not
stepfather of the why-are-they- necessarily the person of
even famous? Kardashians. But courage: like Rosa Parks, or
after going through gender tran- Chesley Sullinger (the pilot who
sition, Bruce the man is now landed the airplane safely in the
Caitlyn the woman. Good for Hudson River a few years back),
or Jason Collins (the first athlete
him…her.
If a man feels more comfort- of a major American sport – basable becoming a woman, or vice ketball – to declare he is gay),
versa, that’s fine – despite how or Jenner.
To put it another way: would
many Evangelical Christians
blame natural disasters on God’s you let Jenner fly the airplane
wrath in retaliation for such you’re on, if he never took flying
lessons? Would you let him percontempt.
What I don’t understand, form a serious operation on
though, is why anyone beyond you? Diffuse a live bomb inside
the Jenner family finds any of a room in which you’re trapped?
this relevant, or even interest- Oh, heck, or even bake your
ing. Sure, if the United States wedding cake if he’s never even
Virtually every economist
worth his salt on this side of the
Atlantic and a large number
elsewhere, including many in
Germany, argued that Greece
should have left the Eurozone
on the not unreasonable
grounds that they could survive
a terrible short-term economic
hit but would be well-placed for
a longer term recovery. But the
Greek people, through their democratically-elected representatives, looked over the brink and
decided otherwise. They chose
to face what most economists,
the U.S. Government, and the
IMF believe will be a slow asphyxiation with only the most
tenuous hope of recovery. They
live there, we don’t, and they
have to live with the choice.
Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras
made a number of serious mistakes, not least his attempt to
demonize Germany before he
had his ducks in order. It played
well in Greece but perversely
strengthened the German hand,
not only by creating a strong
anti-Greek consensus among
Germans, but giving other Europeans the impression that
Greece was creating a diversion
rather than addressing its problems. Tsipras also misjudged
Spain; he banked on the Spanish anti-austerity party Podemos
causing such fear that Spain
would back Greece. Instead, the
current Spanish regime saw
Tsipras as an existential threat
and came out in full-throated
support for German Chancellor
Angela Merkel.
Mrs. Merkel made destroying
Tsipras her key objective. She
feared his policies might prove
contagious in Spain. She turned
Tsipras’ tactics against him. She
laid on Tsipras the bum rap of
undermining trust for failing to
implement the Troika’s demands, conveniently forgetting
that the previous three Greek
Prime Ministers (Papandreou,
Papademos and Samaras – the
Triumvirate) all promised structural reforms but never delivered.
One can speculate what
would have haprate should have
pened had Antonis
enacted years ago.
Samaras and New
Depoliticizing the
Democracy won
Greek Statistics ofthe last elections.
fice and enacting juIn all likelihood, he
dicial reforms are
would have signed
both no-brainers.
on to the same
Without good numausterity package
bers and a reliable
and again failed to
legal system, no
deliver on struccountry
can
tural reform, conprogress. Deregulatdemning Greece to
ing domestic transby AMB. PATRICK N.
a further slide
portation, governTHEROS
south. The claim
ment permitting
that the previous
and some of the
Special to
The National Herald
austerity packages
professions also has
turned
Greece
great merit. The Triaround and led to some GDP umvirate did not implement
growth is nonsense. It collapsed these reforms because the Triin ignominy when Samaras umvirate’s political spoils system
went out on the market and depended on governance dyscould not sell Greek bonds. All functionality, not because they
the growth took place in the two feared public reaction. Increassectors least affected by auster- ing the pension eligibility age is
ity: tourism and shipping. another no-brainer even if it
Tourism grew because the Arab represents Tsipras’ largest Urevolt made North Africa, the turn.
Middle East, and Turkey inhosNo political deal is inscribed
pitable. Shipping grew because in stone. Tsipras did, in fact, obGreek shipowners are very good tain some important concesat what they do and have made sions. The original EU demand
hundreds of millions of dollars would have transferred ownerworth of voluntary payments ship of $50 billion euros worth
into the Greek economy. Other- of “valuable” public properties
wise, investment has ceased and to a Luxembourg fund conGreece’s industrial base contin- trolled by the German bank
ued to unwind.
KfW, whose President is the very
I also suspect that Tsipras same German Finance Minister
caved because the crisis oc- Wolfgang Schauble. The fund
curred with two million foreign would have “privatized” (a eutourists in Greece. Had Greek phemism for “sell”) Greek assets
banks folded we would have and allocated 50% of the proseen a massive exodus of ceeds for debt repayment and
tourists, the loss of some two 50% for Greek bank recapitalbillion euros in tourist revenues ization. Mr. Tsipras got agreeand irreparable damage to ment to have the Fund remain
Greece’s reputation as a tourist under Greek Government condestination. (Note to Alexis trol, apply the first 50% of proTsipras: next time, pick a fight ceeds to bank recapitalization
in the dead of winter.) Unfortu- and only 50% of the remaining
nately, the agreement Mrs. 50% of proceeds (i.e., half the
Merkel extorted contains provi- tail) to debt repayment.
sions that strike at tourism by
The July 12 Agreement also
raising the VAT in the Aegean remains silent on two points
Islands.
contained in the earlier EuIn the silver lining category, rogroup proposal, the one rehowever, the deal imposed by jected by the referendum: taxathe creditors contains, as noted tion of shipping and reduction
above, certain absolutely neces- in the defense budget. On shipsary reforms that the Triumvi- ping, it may finally have
dawned on the Eurogroup that
ship owners can take their ships
elsewhere. In fact, many Greek
ship owners already have ships
registered under Maltese and
Cypriot flags because those two
Eurogroup countries not only do
not tax shipping, but also unlike
Greece, have lax regulations on
manning, environment and
safety. The Eurogroup had also
demanded that Greece reduce
its defense budget. Washington
apparently expressed annoyance that NATO countries like
Germany, which have violated
their own formal obligation to
keep defense spending above
2% of GDP, had the gall to demand that another NATO country do the same.
Much detail needs negotiations over the next two months
before a final deal is struck.
Tsipras has the opportunity to
change the game and institute
growth-friendly measures. The
IMF has made it clear that without debt restructuring it will not
participate in the next “bailout”
and without the IMF there is no
deal. The Merkel-Schauble tag
team severely damaged the European brand and raised old
fears of a revanchist Germany
imposing its will on Europe. Reducing defense expenditures
makes no sense as the Mediterranean burns. In fact, Defense
Minister Panos Kammenos’ preference for American equipment
should eliminate the 20%
bribery surcharge paid to the
Germans for their stuff. Most
importantly, the Greek people
have swept the old political establishment into the dustbin of
history.
The Hon. Ambassador Theros is
president of the U.S.-Qatar
Business Council. He served in
the U.S. Foreign Service for 36
years, mostly in the Middle
East, and was American Ambassador to Qatar from 1995 to
1998. He also directed the State
Department’s
CounterTerrorism Office, and holds numerous U.S. Government decorations.
LETTER FROM ATHENS
A Dummie’s (sp.) Guide to the Greek Economic Crisis
Caitlyn Jenner: The former Bruce Jenner graced the July cover
of Vanity Fair as Caitlyn. Would Jenner make a good president?
Let’s put it this way: do you think she’d make a good open
heart surgeon? This all says a lot about the American voter.
were still “the country that has
everything,” bored Americans
by the thousands would be enthralled with all the captivating
drama (not me, I’d still yawn) –
but given that we are borrowing
our way into the poorhouse and
might never even get there because radical jihadists have
If it weren’t so sad, it
would be comical: a
middle-aged former
Olympian-turned-TV
celebrity who now
identifies as a woman
might get more votes
for president than
qualified candidates.
brought terrorism to our soil
(and I don’t just mean 9/11) –
how in the world do we even
have the time, or interest, to
care about which box Caitlyn
Jenner checks off for Gender on
an application?
I don’t blame Jenner for this,
nor for the fact that some truly
clueless people want her to run
for president of the United
States. It’s not Jenner’s fault –
she didn’t declare; if she does,
then it’s open season on her for
being dopey, too.
Much to the chagrin of progressives, Jenner is politically
conservative and identifies as a
Republican. Yes, lefties, your
transgender poster woman
votes Republican. Reagan over
Mondale, Bush over Gore, and
been near an oven in his life?
Then why on earth does anyone think being president of the
United States is some kind of
symbolic superhero status and
you get to design the cape, logo,
and super-powers of choice?
Being president of the United
States requires skills. Special
skills, and knowledge, that – despite what their political opponents and their media hacks
would have us believe – the vast
majority, if not the entirety, of
our presidents have possessed
them, in droves. And Jenner
does not possess them, which is
why she – very wisely – is not
running for president, or even
flirting with the idea.
So, once again, aspiring Jenner Presidential Committee
members, your hero(ine) is not
a sound choice to be our nation’s next chief executive. And
neither is your dad, just because
he might have been a man of
impeccable integrity who raised
five kids on a night watchman’s
salary, or your aunt, because she
taught 3000 blind children to
read.
In fairness to Jenner, I don’t
think any of our presidents
could compete in the Olympic
decathlon the way he once did.
Constantinos E. Scaros’ latest
book, about the 2016 presidential race, will be published this
summer. It is titled Grumpy Old
Party: 20 Tips on How the Republicans Can Shed their Anger,
Reclaim their Respectability,
and Win Back the White House.
Some years ago, when I was
covering the Massachusetts
State House, a legislator very
unhappy with something I
wrote called me and fumed.
“You write like an idiot!” he
gasped in the way exasperated
people do when they fly into a
rage, as Will Rogers said, and
make bad landings.
Sigh. This is why you really
shouldn’t get into a battle of
wits with an unarmed opponent. “I have to,” I said. “So you
people can understand me.”
Since then, Dummie’s Guides
(misspelled so we need a
Dummy’s Guide to Dummie’s
Guides) have popped up for almost every subject helping instruct people how to do this-orthat, although I still haven’t
finished mine on writing a column so bear with me here a little bit.
The guides have come to be
not pejorative in the sense of
how you talk to politicians, but
in providing everyday assistance
to those trying to understand a
field not of their first learning
or interest.
So in that spirit, here’s a
Dummy’s Guide to the Greek
economic crisis which has provided so much news to the
world from such a small country
that punches far above its
weight.
Just think of Greece as Sugar
Ray Robinson, and if you don’t
know who that is consult the
Dummy’s Guide to Boxing.
Q: How did Greece get in
such a mess?
A: In modern times, it goes
back more than 40 years ago
when American-educated but
American-hating leftist politician Andreas Papandreou, who
liked verbal sparring almost as
much as stewardesses, founded
the PASOK Socialists and became Prime Minister using a
very simple method: hire every
person in the country who voted
for him.
It was such a fun and effec-
dreou, who soon a thrill out of seeing workers,
tive tool that it was
wrecked the party pensioners and the poor take a
immediately copied
his
father beating, and after leaving office
by its arch-rival, the
founded,
said, will be the most expensive and
New
Democracy
“The money is highly-sought dominatrix in the
Capitalists,
who
there,” without world. “Make me write bad
hired the remainder
explaining that checks!” you’ll scream when
of the Greek people
what he meant is she’s working you over.
who couldn’t get a
Q: Couldn’t anyone stop her?
that
all
rich
real job in private inA: No, she has a feared enGreeks had put
dustry and soon
their money in forcer, Wolfgang “Schadenthere were almost a
Swiss
banks freude” Schaeuble, who drools
million people em(there!) and that at the prospect of getting even
ployed by the govby ANDY
Greece had none. with Greece for what happened
ernment. Not workDABILIS
So he had to to the Nazis in World War II.
ing, just employed.
When Papandreou was
ask the bad peoQ: But why did it
Special to
The National Herald
ple, the mobsters tarred-and-feathered and forced
take 40 years before
of the troika of out, Antonis “Mr. Bean Counter”
a crisis developed?
A: It’s a Greek version of the European Union-Interna- Samaras from New Democracy
kick-the-can-down-the-road and tional Monetary Fund-European became Prime Minister and conused in various forms by all gov- Central Bank (EU-IMF-ECB) for tinued austerity, which he had
ernments but none as poorly as a bailout and the putsch was on. opposed then supported, then
Q: What did the Troika do? opposed, then supported, until
Greece. Greek governments kept
A: After popping the cham- he, too, fell, giving Germany a
borrowing money to operate
and floated bonds to pay back pagne corks and having a good 2-0 lead on its way to avenging
laugh at how they snookered its defeat to Greece in the Monty
investors.
Once the country was admit- Greece, they sent in funny guys Python Soccer Philosopher’s
ted to the European Union and in suits and ties who plundered World Cup.
Q: But what about SYRIZA?
in 2001 went from the ancient Greece like Attila the Hun, dedrachma to the euro, billions of manding big pay cuts, tax hikes, It promised to reverse austerity.
A: Sadly, it sent a boy, Alexis
euros in subsidies poured into slashed pensions, worker firings
the country along with easy and tough measures that cre- Tsipras, into office to do a man’s
credit and soon even school- ated record unemployment, job and he was no match for
teachers could (seemingly) af- deep poverty, a recession that Merkel and Schaeuble and the
ford Porsche Cayennes, which became a depression and pun- old people in Brussels who
became the national car of ished everyone except the rich, deemed Greece a debt colony,
politicians, tax cheats and the leaving no hope of a fogdog for
Greece.
its economically-enslaved peoQ: So why couldn’t Greece privileged.
Q: Who’s really behind the ple who will have to pay forever
go on spending forever and
and ever and ever. Tsipras said
Troika?
ever?
A: The leader is Greece’s real Oxi (No) but then said Yes.
A: Greece is a Socialist country, except if you get sick or are Prime Minister, German Chanunemployed and then you’re on cellor Angela Merkel, who gets [email protected]
your own. And then Prime Minister and New Democracy leader
Costas Karamanlis, elevating
prevarication to levels not seen
GUEST EDITORIALS
since Bill Clinton said he did not
the national herald welcomes manuscripts representing a variety of
have sex with that woman, lost
views for publication. they should include the writer’s name, address,
the 2009 elections to PASOK
and telephone number, and be addressed to the Editor, the national
leader George Papandreou and
turned over Greece’s real books
herald, 37-10 30th st., long island City, nY 11101. they may also
that showed the country was
be e-mailed to [email protected]. we reserve the right
broke. Then Karamanlis disapto edit any manuscripts that we publish, and we do not return or
peared.
otherwise acknowledge unpublished ones. Due to considerations of
Q: What did Papandreou do
space we enforce a strict 850-word upper limit.
about it?
A: To get elected, Papan-
BOOKS
12
THE NATIONAL HERALD, JULY 25-31, 2015
New Book Helps Foreign Firms Navigate U.S. Laws
By Constantine S. Sirigos
TNH Staff Writer
NEW YORK – For all of China’s
growing economic weight, businesses around the world still direct their highest aspirations towards the U.S. market – but
gaining access is probably their
biggest headache. Unlike most
countries, where virtually all regulations are set by the national
government, America is a maze
of laws and requirements laid
down only in the capital but in
every state down to country and
even village levels.
Attorney Nicholas G. Karambelas, founding partner of Sfikas
& Karambelas, LLP which has offices in Washington DC, Maryland, and New York and specializes in the areas of e-commerce,
business organization, securities,
franchising and international
trade, has done something about
it.
He talked to TNH about his
new book titled Guide to the Legal Aspects of Doing Business in
the United States for the Foreign
Business Person.
“The natural instinct of a foreigner is to go to Washington and
ask ‘how do I form a corporation.’ The answer is ‘go to the
states,” and he added that although state laws have become
more and more uniform, there
still are stark differences, so
which state to go to is an important decision
But that is only the beginning.
If someone wants to build a
factory, the counties dictate
where it can be established, as
well as other requirements, he
said.
Regarding labor issues, although collective bargaining
agreements are governed by national legislation, most labor
laws are made by states and
counties. Union participation is
regulated at both the national
level and state levels, and health
and working conditions involve
county legislation.
It doesn’t take long to appreciate that the newsbook comes
in handy, especially with increased international interest in
doing business in the United
States.
Karambelas told TNH that
was driven by the Great Recession, or rather, the fact that the
U.S. economy‘s recovery is much
stronger than other countries.’
“We have emerged from that
catastrophe in relatively good
shape and the country is looking
good for the future,” he said.
Addressing the needs of foreign business persons, he said
“They find the maze of laws and
regulations intimidating – they
are intimidating to Americans –
Nicholas Karambelas has
written a helpful guide for
foreign companies who
seek to do business in the
United States and find the
process of understanding
the relevant laws to be
daunting and deterring.
The book helps the reader
navigate through an oftencomplicated process.
but the foreigners are not used
to the extent to which they have
to use lawyers and accountants
to accomplish what they want.”
He wrote the book over a
three-year period, and the
biggest challenge was to determine what kind of information
needed to be included.
“It would have been easier to
write a comprehensive book, but
this is not a legal treatise. It is
to enable foreigners to ask intelligent questions of lawyers and
accountants.”
Karambelas, whose law practice focuses on organizing business entities and international
trade, franchising, and securities, paid great attention to the
language he used in order to
make the information as acces-
Author
Nicholas G. Karambelas
sible as possible.
His exposure to many cultures contributes to the ease
with which he communicates
with clients and readers.
Both his parents were born
here and his grandparents came
over in the 1890s, so his roots
in Greece and the United States
run deep, but his family history
also provides a literary connection.
“My maternal side went to
Boston,” he said, and his father’s
went to Asheville, NC.
“My grandfather had been
working in Pittsburgh in the
mines, and when he had enough
of that, his cousin brought him
to Asheville, where he opened a
restaurant. “
The great author Thomas
Wolfe was a regular at the
restaurant. The Atlanta Quick
Lunch, which was by the railroad station, is mentioned in
Look Homeward Angel.
Part of Karambelas’ international future was also foreshadowed by his father’s work. “He
was a CPA with Price Waterhouse, and he opened the company’s offices in Athens, Cyprus,
and Beirut.”
Karambelas’ older sister, who
is a psychiatric nurse, and he
were born in Brooklyn, but
moved to Queens. “From second
to fifth grade we lived in Puerto
Rico, and from 8th through 12th
grade I attended the American
Community School (ACS) in
Athens. He went on to earn his
BA at Union College, his JD at
Fordham University, and his
master's at Columbia University.
He is also a proud member
of ACS’ Board of Trustees.
His clients include exporters
in Greece and Cyprus, a fact that
reflects his area expertise and
those countries’ priorities, as
well as his passion for Hellenism.
Deirdre, Karambelas’ wife, a
hospice nurse from the D.C.
area, does not have Greek roots
“but she is Greek in spirit and a
great Greek cook.”
Their daughter Alexandra
graduated from Tufts University
and earned a Master’s from The
New School in history, reflecting
another of her father’s passions,
and Christina, the youngest, just
graduated from Northeastern
University.
Karambelas is a stalwart of
the American Hellenic Institute
and has been involved in every
aspect of its mission in support
of strengthening U.S. relations
with Greece and Cyprus, including the drafting of legislation
and contributions to AHI publications.
“My first job in Washington
was with AHI. I was awaiting
my bar exam results and I did
staff work and went on Capitol
Hill to do some lobbying.”
When he passed the bar he
joined a law firm, but he has
served as AHI’s volunteer legal
counsel since 1980 and also
serves on its Board of Directors.
The book is not his first. In
1994, Thompson Reuters published Karambelas’ treatise on
limited liability companies,
which in the U.S. is a relatively
recent form for doing business.
It is a loose leaf book that is updated twice a year,
He is now writing a publication on Cypriot business entity
laws and a publication on Greek
business entity laws for the
American investor.
Journalist Angelos Pens The Full Catastrophe about Greek Crisis
By Constantine S. Sirigos
TNH Staff Writer
NEW YORK – Sometimes a
book’s title says it all, enlightening as much by offering a clarifying vision as through the content it heralds. Greek-American
journalist James Angelos announces his aim of opening a
window on Greece in crisis
through The Full Catastrophe –
Travels Among the New Greek
Ruins, and he keeps his promise
by painting a vivid picture of
Greece and its people through
seven vignettes of daily life and
valuable historical background.
The book also provides historical context that is woefully
lacking in much current reporting on Greece, and the book’s
jacket notes nicely framed the
country’s condition: Greece, a
nation both romanticized for its
classical past and castigated for
its dysfunctional present.”
He summed up the communications – the reality gap – between Greece and the troika in
one strong dose of common
sense: “You don’t convert a dysfunctional state into an extremely well-functioning state
in two years, or five years – especially when the economy has
contracted by one quarter,
which creates political instability.”
And countries don’t go bankrupt by accident, or overnight.
“Whatever you think of
Tsipras, there is one thing that
explains his continuing popularity: he is perceived to not be
part of the establishment that
brought the country to where it
stood in 2009 and 2010… and
then you had the same people
pushing the reforms…They had
no credibility,” he said.
Outsiders demand attacks on
corruption and inefficiency, but
those interact in challenging
ways in Greece.
Angelos gave national broadcaster ERT as an example.
“Samaras closed ERT, but years
earlier his party opposed attempts to reform it…it is also a
classic example of clientelism,
of political parties stuffing the
civil service with their supporters.
The worst cases of corruption, however, disturbing on
many levels, are the national defense scandals.
Angelos said that after the
conflict over the Aegean island
of Imia which brought Turkey
and Greece to the brink of war
– Akis Tsochatzopoulos became
Quite a lot of people in the United States and throughout
the world, Greeks and non-Greeks alike, are confused
about the Greek crisis: namely, what it is, how it started,
and how it can be resolved. James Angelos sheds some
light on this, particularly in terms of looking forward.
Τοp: Journalist Angelos Pens The Full Catastrophe about Greek
Crisis. Right: After earning his B.A. in politics at Washington
and Lee University and journalism at Columbia University, James
Angelos began his career at the New York Times’ City section.
Defense Minister and used the
incident as a reason for a defense spending spree.
“One top Greek prosecutor
looked at a four year period and
found illegal payments of over
a billion euros…but the people
benefitting from the payments
were the ones banging on the
war drums,” Angelos said.
Among the other things Angelos examines is “tax morale”
in Greece, about how it got to
the point where people who
paid their taxes felt like fools,
and about “how a government
that once colluded with tax
evaders is now cracking down
on it, and the problems that creates.”
Asked whether recent governments missed an opportunity
during the crisis to make tax
honesty a patriotic virtue, he
said “patriotism in Greece does
not equate to loyalty to the
state.”
Angelos’ reporting on Greece
began when he visited Zakynthos to write about the scandal
of the fraudulent dispensation
of blindness benefits.
While that does not explain
why Greece went bankrupt – the
scale was very small – “it does
explain,” he said, “the system of
political patronage and how
transactional politics is in
Greece – I vote for you and you
give me this – I vote for you and
you live my nephew in City Hall
or you give me a supplement to
a pension.”
The cruel irony is such
abuses of welfare spending left
Greece without real social safety
net once the crisis hit.
Credibility is a huge problem
that Tsipras’ predecessors did
not address. “The government
did not start with itself… and
with the elite” – the people on
the Lagarde list of potential tax
evaders.
”Instead, there were disastrous incidents like the heavy
handed assault on a taverna
owner on Hydra for not giving
proper receipts which led to an
uprising on the island,” he said.
On the other hand, he
pointed out that the issue of
constitutional exemptions for
the shipping industry has been
distorted. While there is no tax
on profits, he said, there is a
levy according to tonnage, and
there is a legitimate fear that
the companies would leave
Greece if pressed on taxes.
Angelos made a distinction
between austerity measures and
reforms that is absent from discussions about the crisis. He said
“There is a difference between
the reforms that are needed to
create a functioning state where
there was utter dysfunction,”
and the measures that say “I will
cut your wages and pensions.”
PM IN MAKING OR ON
MAKE?
Angelos interviewed Alexis
Tsipras in 2012, when global fi-
nancial markets were “convulsing in panic” at the prospect of
a former communist youth organizer becoming prime minister of Greece.
Tsipras made the argument
that in its negotiations with the
Troika, his predecessors were
not making use of Greece’s ability to threaten to bring down
the European economy.
Since then, the EU has insulated itself from economic damage, of which Tsipras may not
have taken full account, but the
Greek position benefited from
the U.S. concerns that an economic crash would bring about
intolerable geopolitical instability to the Eastern Mediterranean.
Angelos told TNH that President Barack Obama spoke out
and warned the EU they could
not squeeze out more blood
from the Greek stone. “He exercised a lot of pressure through
phonecalls,” especially to
FROM MY BOOKSHELF – A RECURRING COLUMN OF LITERARY REVIEWS
Dave Barry’s Book: Funny but Wise Words on Parenting
By Constantinos E. Scaros
Live Right and Find Happiness
(Although Beer is Much Faster):
Life Lessons and Other Ravings
from Dave Barry
As the title of the book suggests
(Live Right and Find Happiness
[Although Beer is Much Faster]:
Life Lessons and Other Ravings
from Dave Barry), this self-help
book by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Dave Barr is chock full of humor.
As Bill Maher aptly described
several weeks ago when he had
Barry as a guest on his HBO show,
Real Time, “I laughed at something
on every single page.”
I did, too – and if not on every
page – then on most of them for
sure.
Any book that can make the
reader laugh out loud is worth
reading, if only for that reason.
But Barry’s book is really a description of life – his own, and by
extension, ours. A hilarious diary.
Amid the hilarity are some wise
lessons to be learned, most importantly, about parenting.
Barry describes his own parents
and how they lived – and lived it
up, a half century ago. They got
together for lavish, rip-roaring
house parties. Couples danced and
there were endless supplies of martinis and cigarettes.
Barry says that his parents took
far greater risks with their health
than people do today – and had
they not, they probably would have
lived longer.
But Barry leaves it up to the
reader to decide: would folks of
that generation have chosen the
path they chose anyway, because
where they compromised on the
quantity of their life, they more
than made up for with the quality?
And, really, what is quality? Ninety
humdrum years, or 75 exhilarating
ones? That, of course, is in the eye
of the beholder.
Beyond drinking, smoking, and
lack of longevity, Barry has something else to say about his parents
and others of their generation:
they knew how to parent. They
were great parents because they
never worried about being great
parents. They just did what came
naturally.
It is a lesson that can serve new
parents (i.e., those with minor children) well. Too often, parents
nowadays overanalyze parenting.
They obsess over whether the
slightest glitch in their structured
parenting regimen might scar their
offspring for life.
Barry’s examples show the folly
in that thinking, and allow as to
laugh at those well-meaning sillies.
Moreover, it allows us to do something of which a good healthy dose
is needed every now and again: to
laugh at our very own selves.
If you’ve still got room on your
summer reading list, take this book
along to the beach. Those around
you will wonder why you’re laughing out loud.
Merkel herself.
Obama’s point was that pragmatism had to trump the eurozone’s moralism and its rules,
and that a dispute over a few
billon euro cannot be allowed
to lead to “a failed state in a
very sensitive part of the world.”
Angelos prudently avoided
speculation about what Tsipras’
had on this mind during the recent turbulent negotiations, but
he does believe that “he really
thought that if he took it to the
edge” of the cliff, they would get
more concessions.
CHANGE: ALL GOOD
Angelos was a U.S.-based
journalist writing for publications like the Wall Street Journal,
but he decided he wanted a
change in the life that formed after he earned degrees in politics
at Washington and Lee University in Virginia, and journalism
at Columbia University, a path
that first led to writing for the
New York Times’ City section.
After he won a fellowship that
enabled him to go to Berlin in
2009, he became absorbed in
writing about European politics
at the time the Greek crisis came
to a head for various publications, especially the Wall Street
Journal (WSJ).
Naturally, he also examines
the history of Greece-Germany
tensions.
He first went to Greece as a
journalist rather than a visitor at
the end of 2011 and after writing
a series of articles for WSJ he
jumped at the chance to write
the book.
On a personal level, he loved
writing the book because “it was
an opportunity to get to know
Greek society in a way I had not
known before.”
Angelos concluded the interview by posing a tough question
in the spirit of “be careful what
you wish for.”
“No matter what you think of
Syriza, if Tsipras fails, who is going to govern that country?”
He added, however, that
“They have yet to prove themselves and show they can really
govern. In their first six months
Tsipras led a war against the
creditors. They lost that war…
now Syriza has to redefine itself,”
and focus on the task at hand,
“Working on changing Greece
from within.”
Angelos believes Tsipras has
begun to do that, but the former’s articles will address how
the latter is making out transitioning from Boy Wonder to Elder Statesman.